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Wall Street Meltdown - Job Survival Guide

Friday, 19 September 2008

Wall Street Job Survival Guide with Executive Career Coach, Beth Ross

Dr. Beth Ross, Certified Career Coach Are you a recently unemployed or in-limbo stock broker? Do you work in the financial services industry? Guess what? you can transistion your skills to other industries. But How? That’s what we’re going to discuss today.

If you work for one of the headline grabbers -- Merrill Lynch, Lehman Bros, AIG, Washington Mutual, here's some practical, down-to-earth advice from a career transistion expert. Welcome to a special career Transistions edition of Total Picture Radio with Peter Clayton reporting. Wall Street Survival: How to reinvent yourself and find a satisfying career. Joining us is a frequent contributor to Total Picture Radio, Dr. Beth Ross, a certified Career and Executive Coach, writer, and speaker. Her background includes a distinguished career as an Executive Search Professional, maintaining a bi-coastal practice, and executing selected executive searches...

I don’t think anyone working anywhere should feel like they have job security, becuase the fallout from Wall Street is going to spread. Take a deep breath and have a listen. Your comments on this story are welcome.

How to work with recruiters:

22 Min :

10 MB Download Now!

Checkout medical jobs at HealthJobsUSA.

Advice From Beth Ross

GET A COACH—BECAUSE...
Two brains are better than one
You are in the middle of a very emotional time. The coach will be objective and, hopefully, aware of market conditions.
The coach will have a methodology that has worked for others and will work for you
Talk to several before picking your coach. Choose someone you like and whose background you respect. DON’T make a decision based on cost alone. You get what you pay for.
Follow the suggested methodology. You won't know if it works until you do it. Stay in close touch with your coach.
A coach can assist in crafting a Resume that sells, and a Cover Letter that gets positive attention.

Creating a Skills Inventory
Noting 3 to 5 core skills that have contributed to your success as a working professional
Creating a short Professional Summary for the Resume -- one that gives a general overview of your strengths.

Thoroughly researching market possibilities that are growing and hiring. (health care industry, education, global companies with sales needs in the U.S., corporate sales for luxury goods companies, etc.)

Crafting a dynamic Cover Letter to decision makers in areas you target, asking for advice, not a Job, and making sure these individuals are at least 2 levels above where you think you might fit.

Meticulous follow-up

It may take as many as 8 phone calls to get an appointment ! Exemplary record-keeping required Remember that all referrals ADD to list of contacts
(Check out JibberJobber for a great tool to help with this - Ed)

Interviewing
Know the company
Be realistic about where you might fit it
Let them know you are a quick learner
Ask intelligent questions
Exhibit your enthusiasm and commitment to positively impacting their bottom line
GIVE EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS—have these ready always
Look and act the part—no matter what it might be

Don’t listen to the Doom and Gloom people and forecasts (i.e. turn off cable tv and get to work!)

A job search is a full time job in and of itself!

Attend job fairs and networking events even when it seems ridiculous

Beth Ross Biography:
Her coaching practice is global in scope. Sessions with clients in the greater New York area are in person, while working with individuals in other areas and time zones by telephone. The protocol includes all areas of the Job Search and Career Transition process, with particular emphasis on Interview Training.

Preparation of a Professional Resume, Salary Negotiation, Assessment, Targeting and General Career Management areas are also included. Clients typically are at the management or executive level, but can include persons at many stages of career development and change.

Prior background includes teaching at the University level, Public and Private Educational Administration, and Consulting for Technology and Publishing companies. Her Master's and Doctoral degrees are from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, and her undergraduate degree is from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Interview Tips to Nail the Job - Job Interview Tips
© Beth Ross

Always remember: the purpose of any interview is not to get a job - it's to get the next meeting. You are on stage. It's a performance! And, you must be prepared.

Basic interviewing technique includes:

Developing your lines. In an interview, an inability to express yourself clearly is worse than a lack of experience.

Have a small notebook with you, (or use 3 x 5 index cards), and have written down:

The main reason the employer would want to hire you;
What you have to offer in the way of experience, credentials, and personality;
Two key accomplishments to support your interest in this position
An answer to what you think might be the employer's main objection to you, if any;
A statement of why you would want to work for this company.

Keep this stuff in your pocket at all times. Even if you never have to use these notes, just the act of putting it all together will pay off.

These are a few interview tips to help you nail the job:

Look and act the part. Even if you don't feel self-confident, act as if you do. Act as if you are successful and feel good about yourself, and you will increase your chances of actually feeling that way. Enthusiasm counts!
Play the part of a consultant. You are there to sell your services. Ask questions and tell how you have handled situations in the past. If the interviewer has no p roblems, or if you cannot solve them, there is no place for you. Let them know how good you are and how resourceful you are.
Do your homework. Before the interview, thoroughly research the company. Show up early and read company literature in the reception area, talk to the receptionist, and observe the people. Get a feel for the place.
Don't' talk about what you want to do, talk about what you can do.
Suggest additional things you can do for the company. This is making the most of each interview, for you may be able to upgrade the job a level or two.
Make a list of difficult interview questions and possible answers. These questions exist, so know what they are and be prepared. Work with a professional to get ready for these questions and to develop credible answers.
If the interviewer gets off track, briefly give a satisfactory answer to whatever question it is, then get back on track.
Level the playing field by never having everything hinge on just one interview. Get as many balls in the air as possible, so that if this one interview doesn't work out, the other things you have in the works will carry you through in other directions.
Know everything you can about the person you are meeting with. Ask the person who sets up the meeting to give you this information, then dig on your own. Think about the issues facing the job and the company.
Be sure to ask where they are in the hiring process, how many other people they are considering, and how you compare with them. If you don't know something about your competition, you are less likely top win.
Don't' try to close too soon. Conduct yourself on the first interview so that they will want you back for another meeting.
Be sure to do a follow-up influencing letter after every interview. Be sure to address any areas of concern that may have risen during the interview. Keep in touch.