How You Can Get Ahead In 2006

I recently drove to our Toronto office in one of the worst snowstorms we have had in the past few years. I was heading there to take part in a new TV show coming out on the Women's Network. As they say, the show must go on – literally!

One of the things I realized as I was driving was how much I used my rear view mirror. To be frank, I never noticed how much I relied on it to give me information and perspective, as well as to make sure that no one was going to plow into my rear end.

Needless to say, I got to Toronto safe and sound - a few Tim Horton coffees and 12 litres of windshield washer fluid later. This got me thinking of how we need to look back to look forward. I call it The Rear View Mirror Principle.

You may be asking yourself; “When was the rear view mirror invented?”. Funny you should ask. It was invented in 1911 by Ray Harroun, who drove to victory in the first Indy 500. He thought driving alone would give him an advantage over his competitors, who would have the added weight of a co-driver/mechanic. With the help of the mirror, he was still able to see who was in position to pass him.

Ray found a tool that helped him gain perspective. Looking back enabled him to drive forward. This is a key principle, as you reflect on 2005. It can give you an advantage in this coming year.

3 key questions to reflect upon:

1. What were your 3 biggest accomplishments?

2. What were your 3 biggest challenges?

3. What was the most important thing you have learned this past year?

Ah, you say you are too busy? Miss one show of Survivor, invest one hour of your time, and, presto! You will gain a new perspective.

Send me an email of some of the challenges you have overcome this year, and I will send you a copy of CareerJoy’s US or Canadian Job Search Kit - our gift to you, to help you along the path to winning your own race.

What does Gallop say we should call this season?

I have seen it myself - people are kinder, there is more
laughter, and we become a generous bunch. While
there is a general sense of busyness, there is also
lightness in the air. So is the Christmas spirit.

Or should I say, so is the "holiday season"? It has
given me quite a chuckle - what is this season called?
As we stumble with our words, our friends at Gallop did
a poll about all the "controversy" over what to call this
particular season. They wanted to know how
concerned people really were over this issue.

The first question they asked was as follows: "When
meeting someone, what would you say at this time of
the year?" 56% responded that they would
say "Merry Christmas", while 41% said "Happy
holidays". Gallop then asked a second question
directed at the stores and companies using "Happy
holidays" as their primary greeting: 62% said this was a
change for the worse, while 24% said this was a
change for the better.

In response to Gallop's third question - "Are you
offended if you are greeted with a 'Merry
Christmas'" - only 3% of people surveyed were
offended (versus the 32% of people who were offended
by happy holidays!).

So there you have it - Merry Christmas! May this
season of joy, fun, peace, and hope be upon you and
your family, and may your eggnog be of the "strong"
variety!

Have a wonderful Christmas season and Happy
Chanukah for my Jewish friends.

Howard Stern's Definition of Success

First of all, I realize that you most likely are not a Howard Stern fan. That being said, you can't deny the success that he has had in the morning radio market. He just signed a $500 million (yes, that is the right number) contract with Sirius Satellite, including a brand new Studio.

Sirius is hoping that Stern’s audience will follow, and pay to listen to the show. Howard has had a successful morning show for 20 years, a successful book, and a successful DVD. Whether you agree with him or not, there are millions of people who start their day according to the gospel of Howard - raunch and rock & roll.

You may have seen a recent interview on 60 minutes with Howard Stern and Ed Bradley. The thing that I was most impressed with was when Stern admitted to a fear of failing. Ed asked him if he thought he was successful; Howard seemed to struggle with the answer. It was obvious that, from Stern’s perspective, he had still not answered that question. Ed asked; "You have just signed a 1/2 billion dollar deal". Howard responded; "It's not the money that drives me. I will wake up at 2 in the morning. Whoever hires me gets a crazy guy focused on connecting with his audience. That's what drives me."

You may ask, well then, why doesn't he work for free? It's expensive to live in New York!

What do Grocery Shopping and Careers Have in Common?

This past weekend I was in the grocery store doing some grocery surfing – by that I mean that I was wandering the aisles, buying stuff in both an intentional and random type of way. I felt entertained, confused, satiated and tempted all in the course of one hour! There are two lessons I learned from the experience that I think I can apply to career management :

Lesson #1: Don't go to the grocery store on the weekend.

The first lesson is the more obvious one. When you grocery surf in the same lane as everyone else, you end up bumping into each other. There just isn't a lot of room in those aisles - either that, or they have made the shopping carts larger!

Strangely enough, this also applies to careers. For example, imagine that an ad for a lucrative position at an excellent firm has just been posted in a major paper. Bingo, it catches peoples’ attention, and, shortly after, bingo! 122 resumes are submitted within the hour (thanks, email!). Now, imagine the same 122 people in the pickle section of the store – do you get the picture? A sure-fire Strubs riot.

There is a better way. When you go to the grocery store on a Thursday night at 9:30, all those Strubs - garlic, sweet & sour, non garlic, small, medium, large – are waiting there just for you. So it is when you are pursuing an opportunity BEFORE it hits the market.

In my previous life, I ran a search firm. It was very, very rare that clients actually wanted to hire someone. They wanted to fill the role, of course, they just didn't want to go through the hiring process. People are busy and generally risk tolerant. If they meet the right candidate at the right time, they are happy to hire them, thus avoiding the process of advertising or using a recruitment firm. The trick, then, is to get there on Thursday, before they write the ad for Saturday’s paper.

In career speak, we call that “networking”. Yes, I know it’s a word we rarely enjoy the sound of, but your network is how you learn about the next potential opportunity. Then, and only then, will you find yourself in the enviable position of being the right person at the right time - you will have the aisle all for yourself!

Next week, I will share Lesson #2. In the meantime, the first 5 people who write to me and tell me the number (percentage) of jobs that are not gained through public knowledge, will be sent a copy of our Canadian (or US) Job Search Kit (a $29.95 value - 130 pages jam packed with everything you wish you did and didn't know about job searching!).

ps I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our readers to join us in celebrating the holidays! We are holding an open house at our head office in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada), on 4048 Carling Road on Thursday, December 15th from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. RSVP Eunice@CareerJoy.com. We hope to see you there!

What needs have you seen?

Last week I asked you – the readers - to write in and share some of your thoughts on what needs you have seen in the market. We had a terrific response, lots of ideas, thoughts, comments, and questions. Thank you for your input! One of the great things about our blog and ezine is that we get a chance to develop conversations with our readers, as opposed to offering a monologue.

Christina shared with me the following :

This is the key first step, remember: 'if it ain't broke - don't fix it'! You want to fix the company's need, not yours, not what you think the company's need is.

Lynn shared a story about a masters student in New York City, named Debra Adler:

Debra saw a need to design a medication bottle. She created a new packaging system called Clear RX, due to the fact her grandparents took each others’ medication by mistake. That bottle is now used by the retail chain, Target.

Lorena mentioned the following about Interac use :

Both sides of an Interac machine should have a reader, so that it doesn't matter which way you put the card in. Maybe they are all the same, but people like me can't remember, so we're always turning the card around. Tellers must use the line "turn it the other way" with almost every customer!

Helen shared:

My favourite story about this is the bagged salad people. The original manufacturers were farmers who just washed and plastic-bagged their own salad so they'd have something to eat quickly during the busy farm day. They decided to sell a few of those, began marketing to a few local stores. I think they are multi-millionaires now.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to write – I enjoyed reading your comments!

P.S. Are you looking for Christmas gift ideas? Why not give the gift of a better future? We have personalized certificates available for all of our services, from an initial consultation, to resumes, to full programs. Let us know your budget, and we can suggest something that will really make an impression. Contact Eunice Moyer at eunice@careerjoy.com for more information.

And just to mention, on Thursday, December 15 from 4:00 pm onwards at our Kanata (Ottawa, Ontario) location, we will be hosting our annual Christmas open house. Email Eunice if you’d like to attend - we would love to see you there!