I am a big fan of the site: Get Rich Slowly. The other day they ventured into career territory with a post from April Dykman (I like her bio): Five Career Moves with Exponential Returns. If you earn and spend money you should be reading GRS. It has helped put me and my wife (and family) on a MUCH better financial path.

Anyway….love the tips here.

1. Send out hand-written thank you notes on nice stationery. I still have the last one I received – from Jen Sertl.
2. Invite a mentor out to lunch. Yes! And I need to do this. I realized the other day that I have been lax in following my own preachings.
3. Keep your resume current. Seriously, if I have to tell you why you need to do this please leave now and don’t come back.
4. Keep a brag folder. I like this one because its not included in lists typical of this nature. April points out: “keep positive notes, e-mails about a job well-done, and kudos from your boss, and file them away in a folder.” Do it. Refer it. Often.
5. Read an industry-related book. Love it. Or a magazine or a journal. Keep current. You have to keep feeding your brain. Don’t get stuck.

April goes on to remind us that we are the CEOs of our selves. Indeed. Thank you.

I am in the woods. I don’t know how to get out just yet. But at least I know I am in the woods.

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Just read an interesting piece in the latest edition of Money – Does Your Resume Make You Look Old?

Lots of good solid resume tips here but there is one stand out for me. #8 – Delving Too Deep Into the Past.

The author, Elaine Pofeldt quotes Wendy Enelow (trainer/author) who says you should only go back 15 years. Unless 20 years ago you were President or landed on the moon or something.

Its a great point. I started my career path in 198-let’s call it-7. That is 24 years ago. In 1987 I was using Multi-Mate on a DOS based computer to do mailings for a stock brokerage. Cell phones were those giant military converted field radios. The fax – does anyone fax anymore – used that god-awful thermal paper. Texture worse than eggplant on that paper. Ick.

I just wiped out 15 years. All in financial services. But Enelow is right. None of that information is helping me. It doesn’t add anything to the marketing document/resume.

This advice isn’t just for aging Gen X’ers like myself. (Or the baby boomers who read “Money”). The resume is a marketing tool. As long as it doesn’t show a gap in your employment history – make sure you trim the old/irrelevant stuff.

Even if you are in your mid-20s. It is time to take the high school jobs off your resume.

And don’t forget linkedin!

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I took my brother to Career Sherpa’s Employment Club meeting last night. She walked through her presentation on Using Social Media in Your Job Search. This made me feel guilty, because I was working on an update for this same subject. So – here it is. This goes into a lot more detail this time around. This isn’t just about searching for a job, this is about managing your career and your online identity. Enjoy! Drop a comment and/or share if you like it!

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I love when science validates my (several forms of) crazy. As many of you know, I seem to have some kind of mild fixation on shaking hands. I tend to rant about it. I talked to my 9 year old daughter about it yesterday as a matter of fact. (She gave someone a limp handshake. And I didn’t freak out on her. We had a nice private little huddle over the matter.)

On Friday, Discovery News, posted an article: A Formula for the Perfect Handshake. FINALLY! Someone understands me! Actually, I haven’t been alone on this.

Researchers at the University of Manchester, in northwest England, said on Thursday that the biggest problems were sweaty palms, limp wrists, gripping too hard and lack of eye contact.

Right on.

These same scientists have taken it a step further and developed a way for ALL OF US to excel at shaking hands. They have applied math and science to solving one of the universes most awful experiences…the DREADED first impression.

The formula looks at vigor, eye contact and hand temperature. No sweaty palms people. Neither too warm or too cold. No one likes shaking hands with the UNDEAD.

Geoffrey Beattie, the university’s head of psychological sciences, provides the steps to the perfect handshake for BOTH men and women. That’s right ladies, you need to step up your game as well.

The steps are:

1. Use the appropriate hand (Beattie says “right” hand – but what if you are a zombie and don’t have one.
2. Use a complete grip [mike - no tips of the fingers. You are not a duchess.]
3. Use a firm squeeze (but not too strong) – this is possibility the hardest part, practice at home with your friends.
4. You need a cool and dry palm. Hand in your pocket before hand, behind your back, whatever. Wipe the clammy off.
5. Approximately three shakes – I never even CONSIDERED this aspect of it!
6. Use a medium level of vigor – again practice with friends.
7. Hold it for no longer than two to three seconds. That is one pump/shake per second people!
8. USE EYE CONTACT! THE whole TIME!
9. SMILE!
10. Use an “appropriate verbal statement”

OK, honestly, I don’t know what the last part means. I like a nice, hi, good to see you, thanks for coming, thanks for having me, I’ve been looking forward to this – mix it up.

Go forth and make good first impressions!

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The Keys To Unlocking Your Most Successful Career by Joann S. Lublin from the July 6, 2010 WSJ online is possibly the best article I have read all year about managing your career. Great, great stuff.

Five simple lessons.

1. Network effectively. I already love Lublin. You’ve seen me rant about this before. She recommends “strategic relationships” and I am completely on board. She quotes a career coach, Paul Anderson, who says “relationships can’t be built in 60 seconds.” Amen, brother. This is the problem I have with “networking”. I am focusing on networking SMARTER. Quality versus quantity.

2. Sweat the small stuff. Details matter, people! This is another recurring theme from your old pal Mike. She reminds us to not have sweaty palms when you shake hands. Check the tags on handshakes over on the right —-> it has been a recurring theme for me.

3. Get your marketing materials in order. OK…I paraphrased my new favorite Lublin. She talks about creating something called a “pre-resume” which Career Sherpa will tell you is her Marketing Plan. It works. Do it.

4. Pay it forward. Help others.

5. Know thyself and be ready for re-invention. Seriously…I may have to stalk my new bff Joann Lublin. Know you goals. Know your core values. Know your TRANSFERRABLE skills. You can re-invent. Mrs. Mike Lally, after YEARS of worrying and ASSUMING that she would have to “start at the bottom” if she changed jobs – just got a PROMOTION at a NEW firm which takes her into a COMPLETELY NEW role.

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I started writing “a” blog on this day in 2004. I cannot believe it has been six years. I’ve been through a lot in that time.  I was running a telemarketing operation at the time. Then I had back surgery. I tried to launch an outsourcing business with some partners. That failed. I went to a major telecom provider where I spent a year commuting to Florida helping to launch a 500 seat call center. I went to a learning solutions company to become a product manager. I got laid off after one year. I spent a year out of work. My daughter spent 15 days in the hospital with what we now know was H1N1. Now I am doing account management/project management for a software company.

Whew.

In ’04 I started it all off by referencing Tom Peter’s Brand You Survival Kit from FC. ALL of what TP says in this article is still relevant. Lots of us STILL aren’t hearing it. To re-cap:

• Turn every project into something the recruiter or person doing the hiring is going to get excited about.
• You must market yourself. Accomplishments on a resume are NOT ENOUGH.
• Don’t settle for being a jack of all trades. Master something. But be able to adapt at a breakneck pace.
• Loyalty to the “company” is dead. Loyalty to your peers is crucial. Build your contacts.
• New technology is useless for the first five years. But you need to know its out there and be ready to use it when it becomes useful.
• Constantly re-invent yourself.

The funny thing is that in my original post I said that you should build your contacts in your Palm Pilot. I also said “rolodex” but I think in 2010 I have a better shot at people snickering at the dinosaur that is Palm Pilot versus the Rolodex (the modern day equivalent of writing on stone tablets.)

But DAMN, Tom is right. Was right. WILL CONTINUE TO BE RIGHT.

You have to be marketing/re-inventing. You have to be a hammer as Harry Joiner says. Loyalty to your peers IS critical. Your network is your future.

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We’re coming up on the sixth year anniversary of writing this blog. It has come in a few different looks. I started it as “Diligentia” which is just laughable now. I really can’t remember why i thought that was a good idea. BUT – I did start off with a tagline of “a blog about how to manage your self, your team, and your company”.

Over the last few weeks, I have been trying to get a bit more organized around here. I went back and added tags to every post. (I probably should go clean up the categories as well.) That exercise was very illuminating.

Over these six years, I have stuck pretty true to that original tag line. My writing has ebbed and flowed with my employment status. When I am working, I focus more on leadership and management skills. When not (like all of 2009) – I focus on self management. I went heavy on the career management and personal branding.

Some other fun and accurate tidbits spilled out too. I am a Tom Peters fanboy. He gets mentioned in 26 of 200ish posts. Other favorites include Rajesh Setty (a TP disciple of the first order), Seth Godin, Penelope Trunk, Harry Joiner of Marketing Headhunter fame, and my Hannah Morgan (Career Sherpa! go give her some love!)

I am a bit of a gaming nerd. I make a few references to World of Warcraft and Dungeons and Dragons. And how they apply to managing yourself and your team.

I am a military fanboy too. I am a history nerd. But not as deep as many others I know. But there are many lessons to be gained from the Marines and Special Forces.

And lastly, I am a book junkie. I have 19 of 200 posts about books or book reviews.

Those are really the high points for me. So…what have we learned? That I have done a pretty solid job of maintaining my brand/my essence AND my original mission statement of sorts.

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I have been chewing on a few ideas for awhile now. Earlier this week I attended a Meetup for readers of Seth Godin’s “Linchpin”. The event helped me solidify some ideas.

I liked the event. There were less than 20 people there. There was opportunities for “networking”. Welcome networking. Not 100 people in a room all looking for a job. That has gotten frustrating. Even when I was the one looking for a job. The event needed a better plan. Which is what has gotten me thinking…

Idea 1: Mastermind/Greenlight Group.
Keith Ferazzi updated the Mastermind group concpet in “Who’s Got Your Back”. Mastermind is like a personal Board of Directors. You assemble a small group and hold each other accountable across your personal key performance indicators. I continue to try to put a group like this together. Harder than it would seem.

Idea 2: UN-Networking Event.
I want to put 20 people in a room and see what happens. After attending the Linchpin Meetup, it became clear that I need a better plan. An agenda. A GOAL. I think this even would be supported by a website. My plan right now is:
a) pick 20 people
b) have them name a movie/book/fictional character they think represents them well. That name becomes their name tag.
c) the goal of the evening is to meet 5 people. You would be “attracted” by the movie character.
d) Meet the person. Figure out who they are, what they do, what they are working on, what they need help with.
e) ensure that EVERYONE gets met with.
f) compile results on the website and see if we can find some synergies.

Actually, I just formulated that plan as I typed. But I think it may actually work. I want to do it in the coffee shop of the building I work in. I think they would stay open after hours.

Idea3: Open Source TEC
I used to belong to an organization called TEC (now Vistage). I LOVED my time with the group. TEC took small company CEOs and business owners, got them together once a month for a full day. 6 times a year they had a speaker for half the day. They would also go around the room and put forth business issues/problems they were working on. Then the group would work the problems together.

I want to do something similar. But not have to pay $1000+ a month for it.

Take the Mastermind concept a step further. 6-12 high performers. Holding each other accountable. I do think there needs to be a facilitator. But they get expensive. As do speakers. I don’t know. I open to ideas.

I am open to your thoughts on ALL of the above.

Share in the comments.

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Caught a post on Personal Branding Blog re: the essential skills we need to have in order to succeed in this “new world”. Very critical, very forward thinking. Here’s the list (hit the link to see the post in full):

1. Social media and web 2.0 know how. (Aren’t we past 2.0 yet?)
2. The ability to write effectively. (emphasis on the EFFECTIVELY)
3. Ability to create relationships. (virtually and physically…emphasis on the PHYSICALLY)
4. Knowing how to leverage your network. (love this! ASSUMES you have a network you can leverage)
5. Knowing how to get to influencers. (love this too!)
6. The ability to sell yourself. (be a hammer!)
7. Have a platform. (see Brogan, Chris i.m.m.e.d.i.a.t.e.l.y.)

I love this simple post. I think it is fairly accurate. I would add financial skills to this. You should know your way around a balance sheet and cash flow. But everything else is captured in this VERY CRUCIAL list.

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I finished Seth Godin’s Linchpin a couple of weeks ago. I loved it. It is a very compelling read. It certainly makes you think. It is provoking. It is meant as a challenge.

Artists think along the edges of the box, because that’s where things get done.

Godin disputes thinking “outside the box” – and I like it. Outside the box is just emptiness. “Nothing to work against,” he says. I like that. I really agree with the concept of challenging the edges of the box.

You can live there. You can push the edges and still be considered an artist.

By the way…Godin says we all need to be artists now. He takes Tom Peter’s “brand you” concept and extrapolates it out. Peters was almost precognitive in his brand you challenges. Well…the time is now REALLY upon us. Godin takes it the next step – brand you means you need to be an artist.

Read the book.

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