Conscious Connections
Networking Roundtable for Job Seekers

If you are actively seeking work, please consider joining us for our weekly meetings, which alternate between Seattle and Bellevue locations.  We meet on Mondays from 10:00 am to 11:45 am.  See below for dates.

Attending the Roundtable is a great way to create connection and structure, two important elements for sanity and success in the job search.  Learn about current labor market conditions that affect your search, receive valuable support and networking contacts and offer your own skills and insights as a resource to others. 

The groups are co-facilitated by three, highly experienced career transition specialists Teresa Dahl, Paula Fitzgerald Boos and Diane Kane.
 
We also invite you to join our Linked In Group – “Conscious Connections” – to make it even easier to share job leads, articles, great ideas and to expand our connections.  Meeting information will also be posted here.

Seattle location:  Seattle University Campus
Administration Building (ADMN) Room #324
Closest garage is the Broadway garage
Link to a map of SU http://www.seattleu.edu/maps/

There is no fee to attend the Seattle group. 

Meeting dates:  5/9, 5/23, 6/6, 6/20 etc.

Bellevue location:  Studio C Suite 7
Cascade Place I
13256 NE 20^th Avenue (Northup Way)
Bellevue, WA  98005

(On the left/north side of the street; look for the Hen Sen Herbs, a business on the front end of the building.  Be sure to park in a spot that is not numbered.)

We ask for a $5 donation at the Bellevue location to defray the cost of the space.

Meeting dates:  5/2, 5/16, 5/30, 6/13 etc.

Please contact Diane Kane at diane@dianekane.com with any questions.(On the left/north side of the street; look for the Hen Sen Herbs, a business on the front end of the building.  Be sure to park in a spot that is not numbered.)

 

We ask for a $5 donation at the Bellevue location to defray the cost of the space.

 Meeting dates:  5/2, 5/16, 5/30, 6/13 etc.

 Please contact Diane Kane at diane@dianekane.com with any questions.

 

Read Full Post »

Transition to Microsoft…

A month ago, I joined Microsoft!  Microsoft Services Staffing – the Enterprise Strategy Business.

After 14 years as an independent headhunter, I eagerly accepted the opportunity to drive the hiring of great talent for this exciting new business!

Microsoft Enterprise Strategy is a strategic new business within Microsoft Services. Our mission is to accelerate Microsoft’s global and major customers towards their business goals by helping them realize maximum business value from their Microsoft products and services. Our tag line, Business before Technology, captures the essence of how our customers think of their technology investments—a powerful means to achieve their end goals.

So, this new phase of my career is allowing me to stretch in many new ways, managing two great talent sourcers, creating a worldwide community focused on hiring Enterprise Architects who are changing the world.

You can reach me at tdahl@microsoft.com

Read Full Post »

Pathwise Leadership – Event Marketing Manager

Event Marketing Manager

Contract to Full Time

The Pathwise Leadership Program is a professional and personal development program for the next level of leadership – leaders who want to learn, understand and leverage the subtle but powerful dynamics beneath the surface of all human and organizational behavior. Members of Pathwise learn advanced and highly effective skills gleaned from depth psychology and neuroscience.  When acquired and integrated, these skills transform leaders and organizational consultants, and, in turn, strengthen their relationships and their companies.

Because of its unique programs and the ongoing referrals or our members, Pathwise is the fastest growing leadership development firms in the area, transforming leaders in some of the biggest companies in the area – including Microsoft, Boeing, and Expedia.   We are now ready to expand our work to reach even more high potential leaders and are looking for an energetic and passionate individual to help us reach our next levels of success!

Pathwise has created a proven and effective introduction to our work called “Opens”.  We co-host free (or nominally-priced) two-hour sessions with professional associations and corporations several times each week.  In these very experiential and interactive sessions, participants experience the power of the Pathwise approach and from each session, participants join the year-long Pathwise Leadership Program.

As the Event Marketing Manager, you will establish new relationships with professional communities and organizations offering them the opportunity to promote our unique Pathwise Opens to their membership.  Pathwise already has partnerships within Microsoft, the Harvard Business School Club, the MIT club, and The Executive Alliance.  You will be responsible for generating new Open opportunities, as well as following up on leads generated by Pathwise management.  You will identify professional and/or alumni associations that would be a match for Pathwise Opens, make initial contact, and set up meetings for the co-founders, Chad Hattrup, PhD, and Todd Hollow-Bist, PsyD, to meet with the group’s decision makers.  The Event Marketing Manager will be responsible for all logistics and management of the Open events.  Pathwise management will be responsible for enrolling participants into the full Pathwise programs.

The Event Marketing Manager will report directly to one of the Founders and would be involved in all aspects of marketing, planning and events management.  This position will be contract and part-time (approximately 20-30 hours a week) for approximately six months, offering an hourly rate, plus variable compensation for delivering results.  Our intent is to convert this role into full-time as the business grows. 

As a special incentive for the selected candidate, you will be able to attend the Pathwise Leadership Program, working directly with top leaders in the Pacific Northwest and learning the most unique and impactful tools available. 

www.pathwiseleadership.com

If you find this opportunity to be compelling and would like to explore the possibilities, send your resume and cover letter to teresa@dahlassociates.com.

Read Full Post »

Yes, I did complete that VP Marketing search

And, it was great fun!  Completed the search in less than 60 days and got great reviews from the VP of HR, as well as the hiring team.  They were incredible partners to work with and I’d relish another opportunity to work with them.

You know, all too often, we third-party recruiters, headhunters, as treated as a necessary evil, rather than a partner in a company’s hiring efforts.  DirecTV Sports Network was the best example of conducting this search in partnership with me.  They were very clear about their needs, requirements, objectives for the role, etc.  And, when I had ideas to improve the process for the candidates and the hiring team, they were very open and collaborative.

Together, we made all the candidates feel great about the process and respected in the process.  That’s great PR for a company, a very relevant by-product of partnering with a professional headhunter.

Always love working with people like those at DirecTV Sports Network, especially Cedra DuFlon-Heide, Vice President of Human Resources!  Gotta give credit where credit is due!

Read Full Post »

Seeking VP Marketing for DIRECTV Sports Networks in Seattle

Vice President of Marketing

Position Announcement

DIRECTV Sports Networks is a controlled subsidiary of DIRECTV and is comprised of three regional sports networks, which include FSN Northwest, FSN Pittsburgh and FSN Rocky Mountain (and sub-region FSN Utah). The three networks combined reach more than 8.5 million viewers across 17 states and own exclusive programming and distribution partnerships with more than 25 teams and conferences. Through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies in the United States, Brazil, Mexico and other countries in Latin America, DIRECTV, the world’s most popular television service, serves more than 18.4 million customers in the United States and over 6.1 million customers in Latin America.

The VP of Marketing and Communications will be responsible for the strategic direction and execution of all marketing and communications in support of brand awareness and revenue generation for DIRECTV Sports Networks.  You will oversee all brand management, online/offline marketing, internal and external communications, team, partner and affiliate marketing, sales collateral, on-air promotions, and social media activities.  You will manage the regional marketing teams, as well as all external resources required to achieve the business objectives.  The successful candidate must be a confident and respectful leader, highly creative and analytical, with the ability to build support for new ideas and effectively communicate complex concepts to diverse stakeholders. 

This position will report to the CEO, is based in our Corporate Offices in Seattle and is a member of the Executive Team.  There are currently three regional marketing teams who will report to the VP of Marketing and Communications.

Essential Functions:

• Work with the Executive Team in the development and execution of business priorities and objectives.
• Develop and execute strategic and tactical marketing plans as well as monitoring results in order to ensure brand consistency across all platforms and the achievement of business goals and objectives.
• Provide visionary oversight and creative direction to build and ensure consistency of the brand across all regions and platforms for DIRECTV Sports Networks. 
• Provide leadership and direction for all regionally based marketing employees, in cooperation with the general managers in those regions.
• Manage the On Air Promotions function to ensure that all elements support the overall brand, programming and business objectives

 

• Manage public relations for all regions of DIRECTV Sports Networks
• Ensure that all sales collateral is effective, consistent and best in class
• Negotiate, oversee and optimize  all contractually obligated marketing with teams,  affiliates and other partners
• Responsible for the management of creative deliverables from internal and external sources, ensuring creative integrity, accuracy as well as ensuring budgets and deadlines are met
• Work closely with executive producers, general managers, executive staff, marketing staff and affiliate relations staff on new initiatives and special projects

 

Required Skills & Abilities:

• 10 years of marketing and/or creative services with at least 5 years in television and sports broadcasting, with an in-depth understanding of television sports production
• Bachelors Degree in Marketing, Communication or a related field; MBA preferred
• Articulate, strategic, and pragmatic problem-solver with ability to excel in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
• Experience as a successful member of a senior leadership team and effectively communicating with senior management and business partners; proven ability to achieve buy-in from senior executive stakeholders and execute well-defined and measurable projects and programs
• Direct experience in managing relationships with major media partners and affiliate programs
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, projects and initiatives to a successful result
• Successful in analyzing and measuring tangible results based on business objectives
• Proven track record of developing and executing marketing strategy for various mediums to effectively promote brand awareness and drive sales
• Experience with linear television and new media platforms for content delivery
• Strong creative writing and communication skills, great creative instincts
• Extensive experience with developing effective creative campaigns which utilize all methods of production i.e., editing, live action shoots, music usage, broadcast graphics, etc.

 

Compensation:

• Market equity compensation, including bonuses, benefits, stock and pension plan.  Relocation will be provided, as necessary.

 Send confidential inquiry and resume to Teresa@DahlAssociates.com!

Read Full Post »

Top 30 Job Boards for 2010 – best uses?

With over 50,000 job boards online, where should you spend your time?

Read this blog to see the Weddles.com recently published 2010 User’s Choice Awards, based on year long surveys of recruiters and candidates. 

Since we’re always telling you to network, network, network to find those job opportunities in the hidden job market, why would I tell you which online job boards to use?  Well, there are great jobs posted on these boards and there’s more you can gain from the job boards in addition to viable positions to apply for.

They can alert you to companies which are hiring in your area; companies which you did not realize were in a hiring mode.  Even if the position posted isn’t quite right for you, it may be another company for you to network your way into – for other opportunities, not yet posted!

Reviewing viable job descriptions, even if for companies out of your targeted list, may clue you into skills and accomplishments requested for your target jobs which you might want to include on your resume.  You want your resume to reflect the most often requested competencies and accomplishments.

Jobs posted online by recruiting firms may alert you to professionals who specialize in candidates just like you.  You will then want to get an introduction to them or contact them directly to develop a relationship for current and future opportunities with their clients.

And, of course, if you find a job that’s perfect for you, you will always do the following:

• Research the company to find out about their business issues which you could address
• Find the hiring manager’s name, so you can network your way to him/her
• Find someone in the company who can personally introduce you to the hiring manager, preferably, or the internal recruiter handling that open position
• Customize your resume to reflect the needs of the job description
• Write a compelling cover letter to include with your application and emails to internal champions
• Prepare a campaign strategy to get a meeting; don’t wait for them to call you
• Follow-up until you get an answer!

As the author of this blog mentions, pick three job boards to focus on.  One general, one aggregate, and one specially focused on your market/target niche.

You should be spending the majority of your time face to face, networking your way to your next great career adventure!

Comments?

Read Full Post »

Networking – How to Work a Room

We all know we need to network to conduct research, evaluate target companies, expand our network, etc.  I found this great diagram online for how to work a room – it covers it all, especially if you can find out who will be attending the event – you can really prepare and make your time worthwhile.

Remember, the more sincere questions you ask your new contact, the more brilliant they will find you.  And, curiosity is the perfect state of mind to maintain while ‘working a room’. 

What do you think of this strategy?

Networking – How to Work A Room Diagram

Read Full Post »

Reason for leaving on your resume?

Ever wonder if you should add your reasons for leaving a company to your resume?  A recent client of mine whose resume I was optimizing had those reasons under each of his jobs.  Small print, mind you, but I recommended that he take them off.  He was concerned, because he had several short stints due to layoffs, acquisitions, changes in strategy, etc., a common issue for senior job seekers in the high tech market, especially early stage companies.

As we discussed, he proposed some sound reasoning for inclusion of explaining his transitions, especially in this hyper-critical tight market.  I held my ground, yet began to wonder if current conditions might require new thinking. 

So, I sent out an inquiry to one of my favorite Career Coaching groups on LinkedIn.com.  I quickly got many replies, all “No way!” and “Never”. 

A few of them did indicate that the reason for the change in companies could be inferred as part of an accomplishment statement, as you’ll see in the comments below. 

Bottom line, not in the resume, perhaps in a cover letter, and for sure the candidate must have a succinct story to describe why s/he made each transition in their career.  And, finally, let me point out that your reason for a change, if your choice, should be positioned as a ‘moving forward’ decision, not a ‘had to get out of there’ decision.  If not your choice, focus on lessons learned, positioning the transition as a great learning experience!

Here’s the compilation of the responses I got from other Career Coaches –

  “I have NEVER included a “reason for leaving” statement in any resume, and would advise squarely against doing so. That goes against the purpose of a resume, which is still primarily a marketing tool. Having critiqued, advised, revised or looked over more than 9,000 resumes in 45 industries or functions in the last 15 years, I have never seen one that would justify the need for including such a statement.”

“It is remarkably rare that I include “reason for leaving” on a resume.  Usually, if I feel the need to discuss the reason a job seeker has left their position, I will address it in the cover letter. Generally, the only time that I’ll include this information on a resume is because the reason they left was so interesting … an around-the-world trip, won the lottery, got funding to study gorilla behavior in Rwanda, pursuing advanced degree to support major career transition, etc.”

“I echo the two previous comments. Resumes are designed to get the interview, showcase your achievements, illustrate your value etc. We all know this but some of our clients don’t. Space on a resume is a premium so I wouldn’t want to use it for non-value-add information. That said?… space permitting, adding highly unique experiences (i.e., participated in gorilla study in Africa) as Wendy suggests, would certainly make a resume more memorable!”

“I agree with Wendy. I’ve never included reason for leaving. The cover letter is where you would include it if it is beneficial to mention it.
I have heard employers say the same thing.”

“Wendy and George hit it on the head. The intention to include all information is commendable. I would highly suggest not including in on the Resume. I know that the resume is about getting in the door for an interview. The client can prepare for that “Sticky Widget” question for the interview. Hope that helps.”

“Occasionally I will add a reason for leaving if it (a) reflects well on my client and/or (2) answers an unspoken question – e.g., short tenure.
For example, “Grew revenue 2X faster than projected, leading to acquisition interest and sale of the company in 2009.” But otherwise I agree with previous comments – don’t take up valuable resume space with something that’s nonessential.”

“I agree with all of our colleagues who responded to this question. I never put reasons for leaving on a resume. I would only include it in a cover letter, if applicable. My only reservation of even including a reason for leaving in the cover letter is that you may disqualify yourself, before you even have the opportunity to land an interview. I feel your chances of landing that interview are greater if you leave your reasons for leaving out of the cover letter as well. During the interview, if a discussion is prompted by the interviewer as to why you left your past employers, this would be the time to do so.”

Read Full Post »

How can you use the ‘rule of three’ in your introductions?

I know many of you who are seeking jobs, as well as those of you seeking contracts or consulting engagements, understand the need to craft and practice an engaging introduction.  (I’m not calling it an elevator pitch anymore, since that invokes for some a slimy sales personality, one you don’t want to be associated with.)

Anyway, I read this blog posting, see below, and realized it to be very relevant to our introductions or responses to “What do you do?” or “What are you looking for?”.

Will be curious to hear how you can incorporate this strategy to create more engaging content for your introductions?

Will it be the three points you want to make in your introduction – what you do, how your clients benefit from your service, and what a great referral would look like?

Or, the three accomplishments most relevant to your job search / audience?

Or, the three best strengths you bring to the work you do?

Or, the three target companies you are trying to find decision makers in?

How will you use the rule of three?

How to Use the ‘Rule of Three’ to Create Engaging Content

Read Full Post »

Why don’t recruiters call me back?

I hear this all the time. “I just can’t get a headhunter to follow up with me. And, I know that I would be a great candidate for their clients, so what’s the deal?”

Well, in my experience there are at least three good reasons:

1) First of all, most resumes just aren’t very compelling. And, in order for clients to hire our candidates, the candidate must be standouts! They don’t need to pay us a fee to find qualified candidates, especially in this market. If you are responding to a posted opportunity, your resume should show accomplishments and credentials which fit the role at 90 – 100%. If you are not responding to a posted role, you will have to be a star in your field and fit the kind of roles that recruiter usually is hired to fill. It must be well organized, have no errors (you can’t imagine how many do have errors!) and be relevant. If the recruiter isn’t impressed within 20 -30 seconds, your resume may just get filed, or worse yet, deleted. Remember, recruiters want you to be exceptional, that’s how they make a living and get repeat business. So, help them help you!

2) You will have a better chance of getting a response if you are referred by one of their clients, a former candidate, or someone else who has built a relationship with the recruiter. I always return the calls when someone I trust and know refers someone to me. Here’s where LinkedIn or another networking site can be a great resource for you. Find someone who has a relationship with your target recruiter and ask them to introduce you.

3) Send an email, rather than calling first. We are usually overwhelmed with calls, to candidates, referring sources, and clients, and we just can’t get to all the calls, at least not when you want us to. Even if I can’t call you back, I can respond to your email, to schedule time to speak. And, I always prioritize my calls from referrals first!

If you are a great candidate, whose experience aligns with the specialty of the recruiter, and you follow these suggestions, you, too, can develop a relationship with a good recruiter.

Let me know how it goes!

P.S.  If you need help with your resume, I’d love to partner with you to make it as compelling as you are!

Read Full Post »