SPARK

SPARK

“Do you know that there's still a chance for you, cause there's a spark in you.” ~ Katy Perry

OK, so I will admit it: sometimes I listen to my teenage daughter’s radio station. Sometimes by choice, but more often not! There’s one song in particular that is getting a lot of play time. The song, Firework, by Katy Perry, has some great lyrics that can be translated to your predicament of unemployment. I have listed the lyrics below. I want you to read them over a few times and absorb them. The message is that you have a chance this year to put some spark and sizzle in your job search through your resume, interviewing, and presentation.

Firework, Katy Perry

“Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin, like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep, six feet under scream, but no one seems to hear a thing?Do you know that there's still a chance for you, cause there's a spark in you?

You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine, just own the night, like the Fourth of July.

Cause baby you're a firework, come on show 'em what your worth, make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!", as you shoot across the sky.

Baby you're a firework, come on let your colors burst, make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!",You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down.

You don't have to feel like a waste of space, you're original, cannot be replaced, if you only knew what the future holds, after a hurricane comes a rainbow.

Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed, so you can open one that leads you to the perfect road, like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow, and when it's time, you'll know.”

Find that spark in you today. Ignite it and make this an amazing job search week.

GOOD NEWS: Another week of increased openings being listed with new classifications of jobs available. This again, represents another week of confidence from business owners to start opening positions. There also seems to be a trend in temp hiring which should remain strong this year. Consider starting out as a temp and transitioning into a regular position within a company.

CONGRATULATIONS: To Mike S. who recently accepted a sales position and mentioned the key factors that helped him find his position were good presentation, networking, and selling himself. Mike shared:

Presentation:
By presentation I mean the first impression given by your resume and dressing appropriately for the interview.

Networking:
I printed up business cards with some basic experience and skills along with my picture and contact information. I gave these out to everyone I knew or talked to in our industry… that was the best forty dollars I’ve spent since I was laid off. Lastly I attended trade shows to meet old business contacts and meet new people. I would give everyone about five cards and tell them they are officially on “Team Hire Mike”. They would invariably laugh and let me know that they would let me know if they heard of anything. I did get on Linked In and quickly had over 100 contacts, mostly from the industry where I have my experience.

I found out about this position from a former employee that knew I was looking for work. If it wouldn’t have been for this lead I wouldn’t have known about this unpublished opportunity.

Selling Yourself:
This one was easy for me since I am in sales but for your other people that don’t have sales careers it’s critical that they can answer the question, “Why should I hire you?” In fact in my interview the CEO put it just that way. He said, “We normally hire one of two types of people and you don’t fit either of those two types so why should I hire you?”

“When the world brings you lemons a motivated person will make lemonade, but a really smart person will find a way to make margaritas.” ~Mike S.

BACTS FACT: “What's the difference between a stepping stone and a stumbling block? Answer: It's how high you step." ~Shared by BACTS member, Howard Cunningham

THAT'S IT: “You don't have to feel like a waste of space, you're original, cannot be replaced, if you only knew what the future holds, after a hurricane comes a rainbow.” ~ Katy Perry, Firework

No one knows what the future brings, but you CAN effect change in your situation. Do something this week towards connecting with a potential employer. Expand your network through social networking (LinkedIn, Twitter or even Facebook professional pages), take a really hard look at your resume to make sure it fits the job you are applying to (does it contain “key words” from the job posting), and make some personal calls to contacts to remind them you are still looking for work.

Good luck on the job search this week,

Jan

Jan M. Smith
Inland Management Group
Human Resource Consulting & Support to the Service Industry
(951) 302-6483
www.inlandmgtgroup.com
www.janmsmith.com
Twitter: @temecula_hr
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