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Back now? Great. So what in the world does that, admittedly entertaining and even poignant video, have to do with you getting the job you want?

It’s about asking.

Asking for help with editing your cover letter. Asking a former colleague for a recommendation. Asking a stranger in the field you want to enter for an information interview. Asking a friend if they know of any openings in that great new place where they work.

Because the fact is, no matter how it might not seem like it sometimes, you’re not in this alone.

I will be writing a lot more about your personal network in the near future. But for now, the important point is that you can get a lot just by asking for it, and you won’t get anything if you don’t try.

Much easier said than done, I know. All kinds of fears can crop up when you start thinking about asking other people for help. Do you seem weak by asking? Does it seem like you don’t know what you’re doing? How do you know the right thing to ask?

As with most things in life, the antidote for these fears is just starting. One way to start would be to write out a list of people you know who have a connection to the field you want to move up in, or want to break into. Depending on how well you know them, reach out by email, or social media, or phone. And say something like, I would enjoy talking with you about where I am right now and pick your brain.

People love to be considered experts, and most people love to give advice. So this isn’t a big ask. It’s just a conversation between acquaintances or friends.

With that sort of thing under your belt, you might move into something more advanced. Asking your writer friend to help you edit your resume or cover letter. Asking a former co-worker for an introduction to someone you want to work with. See – that wasn’t so hard, was it?

Too often, those fears I was talking about stop people before they even get started. But the truth is that no one gets ahead on their own. John McCain might have been a “maverick,” but like any successful person, he cultivated relationships, had mentors and friends who helped him get to the next level. And he did that too, for others. You’ve probably already done this yourself more times than you realize.

So give it a try. We’re all in this together. Ask!

The post The art of asking appeared first on Mighty Forces.

It basically meant that I seemed genetically predisposed to finding errors in text. One example: I can open a complex restaurant menu, something I’ve never seen before, and within a few seconds, my eyes will inevitably zoom in on the one or two misspelled words in that giant mass of text. It’s almost a brain condition.

Another symptom that indicates you have “the curse of spelling”: when you hear someone say a complex and/or unfamiliar word, you find yourself spelling it out in your head.

Because of this blessing or curse – depending on how you look at it – throughout my school and professional career, I was always called on to proofread everything: papers, articles, advertisements, emails. I’m almost weirdly good at it.

This illustrates the first rule of proofreading: for important documents like cover letters and resumes, make sure someone else does a proofreading pass for you. Even I have missed things, especially if I’ve spent hours editing and looking at the same text over and over. You become text blind, and only a fresh set of eyes can break out of that rut.

One proofreader is good. Two is better.

It’s probably not rocket science to talk about the importance of proofreading when dealing with job application materials. But you would be surprised at the number and severity of spelling, punctuation and content errors that I have seen over the years.

Cover letters and resumes are especially vulnerable to proofing errors because, as much as I recommend writing fresh materials for each application, we often use older versions of these documents as templates for new ones. This can be a recipe for disaster unless you are eternally vigilant.

While any proofreading error is bad, death can come in the form of spelling someone’s name, the institution, or the job title incorrectly. Punctuation can be tricky and thus often overlooked, but it’s an important indicator of both your writing proficiency and your attention to detail.

Proofreading is not editing. (I will talk about editing much more in future posts.) But sometimes proofreading (or proofing for short) can unearth problems like run-on sentences, fragments, and writing that just doesn’t make sense. If you get this sort of feedback from someone you asked for proofing help, definitely take it to heart. Because if they saw these problems during a proofing pass, they would definitely stand out in a more detailed edit.

Software has and can be a big help with stamping out errors. Does anyone remember before the ubiquitous Microsoft Word red squiggly underline? Tools like Grammarly are free and can be added as plugins to browsers.

But nothing can replace a set of human eyes connected to a brain. When I was a newspaper reporter, more times than I would like to admit the phrase “pubic education” found its way into the paper.

Because, well, “pubic” is a word.

I put the word “proofread” in the headline of this post twice because it’s just that important. And if you exercise a little care, you don’t have to have the curse of spelling to slay this particular dragon.

The post Proofread. Proofread. appeared first on Mighty Forces.

Before you leave the room, ask yourself: what questions are you asking them?

There are a lot of aspects to this question. Today I just want to deal with one: not trusting the job description. Job descriptions, in online postings especially, can be wordy and exhausting affairs. They want to cover absolutely all of their bases, so they can’t ever be accused of asking you to do something that’s “not in the job description.”

That exhaustive nature of the job description, instead of making things clearer, can actually obscure the true nature of the job. They might list qualifications you know you have, and general tasks you know you can do well. But that is not at all the same as understanding what the shape of the job is, day to day.

And the day-to-day is what you will be living if you get this job, not the job description cooked up in some Human Resources CWA laboratory.

Often the shape of the actual job isn’t clear, even after you’ve read every word the employer has written about it. It will take pointed questions to real humans to have an idea what you will be dealing with. And that reality might not be at all what you are looking for.

A personal story:

When I was using a tech temp agency to get short-term work years ago, I once went into an interview at a state agency very confident that I could do the web-based work they were looking for. The interview itself was cordial and pretty bland, as many by-the-numbers interview processes can be.

But by the end, I still didn’t understand exactly what the job would entail, day-by-day. What exactly would I be doing on a typical day? I asked this question point-blank to the ruddy-faced manager who would have become my boss.

Off-handedly but also weirdly aggressively, he barked, “The job is whatever I decide it is.”

OK…good to know!

Thankfully, I didn’t get that job.

Because that would have been a nightmare, right? I’m not even hired and my potential boss is already treating me like an indentured servant, and there’s no clear plan for the job either. Dodged that bullet, big time.

Making sure you understand the day-to-day shape of the job you are applying for is just one of many aspects of navigating your job search. But in the excitement and hard work of it all, it’s one that is often overlooked. Don’t skip this step.

What questions have you found useful to ask in job interviews? Let me know in the comments.

The post Day to day appeared first on Mighty Forces.

No, I haven’t turned into Dr. Phil or Oprah. But trying to find a job, no matter your circumstances, is by definition an emotional task. You are putting yourself out there, and setting yourself up for potentially a lot of rejection. That’s a minefield that everyone doing this confronts.

[Probably the funniest and saddest rejection line I ever heard someone get from a job application was: “We encourage you to apply for positions for which you qualify.” Ouch.]

When you get those inevitable turndowns, it’s difficult not to take them personally. Especially if you have followed the advice on Mighty Forces, you put a lot of effort into marketing yourself, finding that opening, crafting the best possible cover letter and resume, following up, and a host of other things. When even that doesn’t work, it hurts.

I know this all too well. It hurts.

But the thing is, these rejections are not personal. The people behind these letters and emails and phone calls don’t even know you! They are just doing their jobs, too. Getting rejected doesn’t mean you wouldn’t kick ass in the job, or that you are a bad person, or anything like that.

I know how hard it can be to believe that when you’re staring down the barrel of another “thanks but no thanks” email. Or even worse, getting a rejection form letter after an interview where you crushed it.

So here’s my pep talk: You are amazing. You have worked hard to get to this point. You have researched and written and called and done amazing things at your last job. All that effort will pay off.

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter pitch was rejected by 12 publishers.

Just as you can’t know what a stranger has gone through, you often have very little knowledge about why or how you were turned down. That’s just the deal. You can do absolutely everything right and still not get the job.

Again, I know this myself. So well. And it can feel bleak at times.

But the thing is, even if some HR person won’t tell you why you didn’t get the job, you are getting better and better every day. You are learning, you are making moves, and most important of all, you are still here.

I believe in you.

At the risk of atomic levels of corniness, I’d like to close with one of my mother’s favorite quotes, from Sir Winston Churchill:

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

The post Nothing personal appeared first on Mighty Forces.

THIS: “Larry is lazy.”

OR THIS: “Instead of doing dishes, Larry has his bulldog Albert lick them clean. The ones Albert won’t lick, Larry throws away.”

What does this have to do with job hunting? Too many cover letters and resumes are filled with phrases like “well-organized” and “innovative” and “problem solver.” When you describe yourself like that, how does an employer know whether or not to believe you? Or whether your definition of “innovative” is even in the same ballpark as hers? They can’t – so your materials go immediately to the “no” pile.

So when you’re writing about your background, use examples of specific problems you’ve solved, obstacles you’ve overcome, and money you’ve saved previous employers. In other words, tell a story.

Taking the time and space on your job application materials for specific examples – stories – of what you’ve accomplished is an important aspect of convincing the potential employer that you have what they are looking for.

Think of it this way: you need to hire a plumber. You ask two friends to recommend someone.

FRIEND #1: You should go with Gene. He’s good.

FRIEND #2: Not only did Walter fix my toilet on a Sunday morning without charging me extra, he told me about a potential problem with my plumbing, probably saving me $1,000.

Which plumber would you hire, Gene or Walter?

So tell some stories. What projects did you shepherd through to success? How did you turn that problem into an advantage? What new ideas did you bring to your organization?

Also, job titles are all but meaningless except as content headings on a resume. Don’t let the job title speak for you – show them what that title really meant, especially to your boss. That’s what a prospective employer wants to hear, and that’s what will get you in the door.

The post Show, don’t tell appeared first on Mighty Forces.

We certainly live in interesting times, don’t we?

I decided to start Mighty Forces because I saw so many qualified, enthusiastic, talented people struggling to get a job. Even if you manage to find your way into the interview process, it can be a punishing affair that seems to drag on forever. It’s easy to get discouraged. I know the feeling all too well.

The truth is, job hunting is a game where most of the people you encounter don’t want you to learn the rules.

The good news is, you can do it.  It’s not easy or fun, but it can be rewarding, and even exhilarating at times. I’ll do my best to show you how to play the game; the rest is up to you. If you’re new here, you should probably start with “It’s not about you.”

I’m not a professional job counselor, and I don’t play one on TV, either. (More details on the About page.) But I think we can have a conversation that will take you a little further down the road you want to be on.

Just to get that conversation started: what has been your biggest challenge in your job search? Let me know in the comments. Thanks!

The post Welcome to the new Mighty Forces appeared first on Mighty Forces.

Employers don’t care about your goals, your dreams, your five year plan, or whether you can make next month’s rent. All they care about is that they have a problem, and they are looking for someone to solve that problem.

That sounds harsh, but it’s true. And everything you do in job hunting that isn’t laser-focused on solving an employer’s problem is wasted time.

Think about it this way: you are a salesperson, and your product is your unique set of skills. So in order to be successful, you need to

1. Know what that employer’s problem is, and
2. Know, backwards and forwards, how you can solve it.

Everything else is just icing on the cake.

When you are talking to potential employers, either by letter or email or in person, don’t waste their time telling them that this job would be perfect for you, or that this is your dream job, or that this job fits well in your five year plan.

They don’t care.

We’ll be talking about the nuts and bolts of cover letters and resumes. In the meantime, just realize that these communications must do two things:

1. Prove that you know what their problem is.
2. Prove that you’re the one who can solve it.

Get in that mindset, and you’re way ahead of the game.

The post It’s not about you appeared first on Mighty Forces.

“The internet isn’t written in pencil, Mark,” she says. “It’s written in ink.”

It’s an important idea – one that sometimes gets lost as we immerse ourselves in Facebook and Twitter and political blogs and all the rest of the digital footprints we leave around the web on a regular basis.

These footprints are easy to follow, especially for someone like your prospective employer, who has a vested interest in finding out as much about you as he possibly can.

One of my favorite examples: several years ago, a couple of extremely vile right-wing bloggers, Kim and Connie du Toit, were trying to set up a business developing software for homeschooling parents to track their children’s educational progress. Good idea, but even they didn’t expect that their online output (which included calls for turning Mecca into a glass parking lot and the lynching of their political enemies) would be a problem in a seemingly unrelated field.

But when potential investors read their blogs, the investors (understandably) ran scared.

Now I’m guessing that your Facebook output probably doesn’t include calls for mass murder of Muslims. But it’s important to remember that the impression you make on an employer extends far beyond your carefully-crafted resume and cover letter.

You can spend a lot of time and energy doing things like researching the black arts of Facebook privacy settings. But another way to go would be to consider, every time you leave a footprint online – is this something you wouldn’t mind your mother reading about you? How about your boss? How about Anderson Cooper?

Yes, that’s a harsh, and not very fun, standard. But when you’re looking for a job, isn’t your prospective employment more important than your ability to rant on Facebook?

The post Written in ink appeared first on Mighty Forces.

Here’s the thing – someone reading your cover letter or resume probably spends 15 seconds on it before moving on to the next one. In this economy especially, they’ve probably got a large pile to go through. They don’t have time to read through every task you completed while you were an office manager. Yes, you ordered office supplies. And you probably did a bang-up job of it, too. But…

1. It’s implied that as an office manager, you probably ordered supplies
2. Ordering supplies isn’t exactly something you brag about at your high school reunion, and
3. All these lists take up space where you could be telling stories.

So ditch the list of tasks you were responsible for in each job. It’s dry, and takes up space without really explaining to an employer why you are the person to solve their problem. Instead, give some juicy details about two or three projects that you’re particularly proud of. How did you save money/streamline processes/solve thorny problems? Let your personal touch come through.

Think of each job you’ve had not just as a placeholder in your timeline, but as another opportunity to show how your unique experience will allow you to solve the employer’s problem. So show them.

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