Job Search - The Voice of Job Seekers

Tell Stories Get Hired with Daisy Wright

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Tell Stories, Get Hired is a book written by Daisy Wright and other contributing writers such as Kimberly Robb Baker and Audrey Prenzel, who are my guests on this episode. Storytelling is not only art, but also essential and strategic! You’ll learn today how to position your story based on the employer’s needs and how to show the relevance. You will hear examples of how job seekers would hear a need of an employer and used storytelling to show that they were the solution.

Do you use storytelling in your resume or social profiles? Was it strategic? Please share. I can entertain your feedback in three ways:

Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822
Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message
Send email feedback to mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com

If you are a career professional who advise job seekers and adds feedback whether it’s advice or a differing opinion, I will include a link in future show notes and read your comments on an upcoming show. Just let me know if it’s OK with you.

Let me share about today’s guests:

Daisy Wright of DaisyWright.com (@CareerTips2Go) is a career coach and resume writer whose who works have been published internationally. She shares her latest book with 15 other career coaches, resume writers, and personal branding experts for the readers to learn effective story telling that attract employers. This book is a must have for your career library. This is Daisy’s second appearance on the show. Daisy not only included a “thank you” to me in the book, but also a quoted review from me prominently placed on the back of her book (how cool is that)!

Kimberly Robb Baker of MovingOnUpResumes.com (@ThisLittleBrand), is an award-winning resume writer who is a master story teller. Her work has been published in many resume publications including JIST and Barron’s. publications including JIST and Barron’s.

Audrey Prenzel of resumeresources.ca (@AudreyPrenzel) is a career transition strategist and an award-winning resume writer who specializes in writing and coaching for Canadian Military personnel. She has been published in multiple magazine, newspapers, and career publications.

Daisy and Kim endure my Wi-Fi issues but they drop the following gems on story telling:

1. Daisy’s inspiration for the book comes from the ongoing conversation in the career space about the engagement and get attention from employers

2. A story doesn’t have to be too personal but must bear relevance and resonate with an employer. A job candidate can take their cues from the interviewer when it’s relevant to the conversation

3, Kim states that some of the keys to good storytelling that compels someone to act are marrying what your audience needs to what you need

4. Keywords in resumes and Linkedin profiles are the puzzle pieces, and the story is the big picture. Kim says they are not mutually exclusive and should fit right on in

5. Start with the story and then make sure keywords fit in. At some point, there should be a “brain dump”

6. Job seekers should weave their stories throughout their resume, especially in the top third that is considered the “prime real estate” and create a statement that draws the attention of the reader. Employers tend to read the rest of the top third is compelling

7. Kim stated that it was a good idea to have advisers, especially when it comes to making sure that your stories are cohesive, makes sense, and draw others in. No one is objective about themselves

8. Daisy shared about a job seeker who created his resume to look like an Amazon.com product page and received many job offers. Stories like this encourage job seekers that you get attention by telling their story in a way that is different

Audrey the victim of my Wi-Fi and Google Hangouts:

1. Military stories are different because of the language and culture difference. Diplomatic and administrative skills can get lost because the skills do not translate easily

2. Military veterans transitioning to civilian work need to be selective in their story telling. They are likely to over share his or her experiences

3. Audrey says that she often has to filter out 75% of what they have to say to keep what is important to employers

I hope you enjoy the show. If you have suggestions for future shows and even future guests, email me and make your case. I am sure you have a few that you would like to pass along.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

2014 Job Preparedness Indicator Survey with Alexandra Levit

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For the second year (the third year on the blog), we are featuring the results of the Job Preparedness Indicator Survey done by DeVry University’s Career Advisory Board. A large part of the survey studies the job skill gaps and provides job strategies and recommendation mainly for college students and Millenials. Alexandra Levit is one of the workplace/career experts and executives on the career board. She provides an overview of the survey findings and job strategies for young job seekers.

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments about the survey. What do you think about the findings of the survey? There are three ways you can share your thoughts. Let me know if it’s OK to read or replay your message on the show:

Call and leave a voicemail at 708.365.9822
Email: mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com
Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com/71, press the Send Voicemail button on the left, which will activate your laptop microphone, then leave a message

Alexandra Levit is a friend of the blog and podcast as for the last three years, she has volunteered to share the Career Advisory Board’s findings on various studies. Here are the other conversations we’ve had in the past:

We discussed some of the following findings of the survey:

Only 7 percent of hiring managers report that “nearly all” or “most” job seekers have the complete set of skills and traits that their companies need to fill open positions
Hiring managers appear to do little to no training of new hires
High integrity of candidates is favored more than ever as a needed attribute of the entry level candidate
Although a global perspective is a must local candidates are considerably favored – Hiring managers are unlikely to look for candidates who are not local at the time of hiring
Adequate business writing skills are needed without much training or monitoring
Hiring managers want candidates who are quick and perpetual learners, again minimizing or eliminating training time

Job strategies for job seekers:

Millenials must show the ability to communicate clearly orally and in writing. Because of truncated social media messaging, many are not demonstrating the acumen for business writing
Be ready to absorb new material quickly. Hiring managers are looking to spend minimal time in training
Look much closer to home for opportunities. Employers will continue their search for candidates until a viable one becomes available
Must have high integrity. Employers need candidates and new hires they can trust
Perpetual learner. Certifications, continuing education, and expanded learning is essential

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

5 Ways to Avoid Career Burnout with Julie Walraven

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Career management requires constant monitoring, especially during a job search. Most job seekers must consider the time that it takes to be successful without burning out. I thought that Julie Walraven of Design Resumes wrote an article awhile ago will be useful to job seekers and those employed.

Are you facing career burnout? Have you ever suffered job search burnout before? What did you experience during this time? I would love your feedback! You can participate in one of three ways:

Blog: TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com (Use the send voicemail feature)

Email: mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com

Voicemail: 708.365.9822

Julie Walraven (@JulieWalraven) is one of 37 Certified Master Resume Writers worldwide through Career Directors International and founder of Design Resumes. She is a new writer for Job-Hunt.org‘s new contract worker section and has been quoted in numerous newspaper articles and blogs.

Here are Julie’s suggestions on identifying and managing career burnout:

Technology-Both is a blessing and a curse. Email inboxes are usually a challenge in keeping up. Phones are always ringing and not letting it manage you. Julie suggests not responding immediately to each as they fly in. Keeping applications and sites closed so notifications won’t be distracting. I suggested YouMail, an app that helps you manage voicemail calls.

The Jumbo Job-This is the person that takes on multiple roles to where their life at work and home are unmanageable. If you are receiving a job offer and dual titles/responsibilities are being offered, delay the decision, and if it doesn’t fit, decline. If you have accepted the offer, and you have staff delegate. I asked Julie what if the multiple roles include “… other tasks as assigned.” Job seekers must ascertain if that job description is their job description, and ask other employees.

Too much going on-Many opportunities are always present, but not always best. Develop a “just say no” policy in your life. Saying no is good business management.

Social obligations-Upper management whose job is to entertain clients after work are susceptible to become overwhelmed. Ask for comp time, which would give you exchange time off for hours worked beyond your regular hours. Research your company (or ask during the interview) to see if there is a comp time policy.

Education-Course work extends past the work day. Slow down, don’t take more courses than what you can handle.

Love to hear your suggestions on how you manage career burnout. If you’re a career coach, advisor, resume writer or help job seekers I would love to hear from you too. If you leave feedback I will reward you with a link back to your website if I read your advice on the show. I will use my discretion in which ones get read, so there is no guarantee that I will.

See you next week!