Have you been tagged into a job or occupation you hate and ready to take control on a Career4Change?

Wilbert Rideau reinvented himself as a winning award editor for a high security prison when sentenced to death and later on to life term in prison. What can be a most radical re-definition on what you decide you want to do for the rest of your life but this? He was the editor of an award winning prison newspaper and he lived beyond the horror of the stories he covered to be released and write an autobiography. What a paradox to find the job of your dreams when you are incarcerated. (NPR's story: http://tinyurl.com/29ncgq8)
I’d like to ask you the following question: how many times have you been cornered by your own circumstances to react by changing jobs or leaving behind a very unfulfilling career? How many is ‘too many’ jobs in a lifetime?

A BLS news release published in June 2008 examined that the average number of jobs that younger baby boomers held from age 18 to age 42 was 10.8. (www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/nlsoy.pdf). However, this study does not tell anything beyond this sample which does not include those that immigrated to the US after the survey began in 1979.

Let’s assume this applies to all and we can expect an average of 10.8 jobs in our lifetimes. Do you know how to find your next job while you still have one? Have you mastered your Professional Brand’s marketing strategy and tapped into the best resources to sell it?

Now, what about changing careers? The Department of Labor does not offer statistical data on this matter. What we know for sure is that most working people will make numerous career changes during their lifetime of employment. However, Studies show that people are making 3 to 5 major career changes - not just job changes - in their lifetime. And the newest predictions are that people will make at least 5 to 7 major career changes in the near future, if not more.

But how do you do this in the current environment?

1. What’s your motivation? Is it a matter of changing jobs, finding your dream job or just getting any job? Whatever it is please make up your mind and be very CLEAR on it. It is not unusual to find people at networking events that tell you upfront they’d be willing to do any job which is not something that will make them attractive for a potential hiring manager right now. Even if you were desperate enough to get anything, you’ll have to be smarter than that to play by your Brand and sell it at your best for that ‘whatever’ job you’d be looking to get.

2. What are your transferable skills? You may title your resume with a very specific job title missing the relevant competencies related on the content of it. Read the related market job descriptions and analyze what competencies you have applied consistently throughout your career that can be effectively transferred.

3. What’s your strategy? Have you consciously studied your market and its trends? Are you an Oil and Gas Onshore professional trying to find a job dominated by Oil and Gas Offshore openings? Have you identified key sources of information to tap into the market to move you ahead of the competition? Are you making the calls, making best use of your existent network while extending it successfully by a very well defined distinctive Professional Brand? What conferences are you volunteering for? What professional networks have you identified and are consistently participating at? Are those Networks the most indicated to lead you closer to your career vision? Why? What else is out there? Have you talked to those successful in achieving your goal?

4. Rehearse, role-play and get the job. How does the job you are looking for look like at a given day? Are you aware of its challenges, requirements and priorities? How close are you to be able to demonstrate yourself at a similar job? Can you volunteer your time in a non-profit organization that allows you a ‘break’ to probe what you can do in it? Do you manage the technical terms? Are you working towards that certification or software that will make the difference between you and someone else?

5. Networking and Unique positioning statement. Most people are unaware of how important is to be able to effectively articulate a good entrance that sells your Brand at a networking event. Even worse, many candidates fail to answer the very basic, yet challenging question: WHY YOU? Or why should I hire YOU? What’s your take on it? Are you ready to handle your unique positioning statement in less than a minute? What about 30 seconds?

If you are effectively considering either for personal reasons or job market trends to change your occupation, you will have to be open and flexible about your negotiation terms and conditions – contract type, relocation and salary. Be positive but set realistic goals with setbacks and difficult challenges. Make sure you look at the bigger picture and consider all your options including a potential lateral move or starting your own business or consulting practice as alternatives.
Remember, “Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.” Margaret Young

Your Coach,

Mariela Tinoco-Aramburu
‘Because You Can Change What Happens Next’
www.linkedin.com/in/marielatinoco
http://www.career4change.com/
Visit me at my Career4Change Facebook Page: http://tinyurl.com/2fg627g

Could you repeat Mr. Cinderella’s story in your career exploration process?

Scarcity-thinking generates an attitude that prompts you to seek to acquire more for yourself no matter how much you have and to treat others as competitors no matter how little they have. It goes totally against the Abundance thinking that generates a universe of possibility.

A great example aligned to the power of inquiry is Paul Harding, an indie writer who won the Pulitzer price for fiction last week for the novel “Tinkers”. As per an interview the New York Times published today ‘his manuscript languished in a desk drawer for nearly three years”, but in what the NY Times called a dramatic literacy Cinderella story he not only found a publisher but won the Pulitzer. His work was rejected by all major publishers while getting feedback that he had to add action to a story that was too quiet while moving throughout the minds of the characters. He believed in the story and did not change a bit of it. The words his teachers shared while at school kept strong on him by fulfilling his own definition of good.

Are you fulfilling your own definition of good? Have you got clarity in your own distinctive professional brand?

It disturbs me to see the façade many people play when networking and marketing their Brands. It is so obvious for the viewer to see when the script is real and when it is just a charade. Have you watched a performance when the actor is completely wrong for the part? Branding in order to be effective has to be authentic, real, and extraordinary.

You could be Mr. Cinderella (or Mrs. Cinderella!) if you also played by your own Professional Branding definition of good.

It is not about what others can take from you.

It is not about what others can give to you.

It is not about what they do have that you don’t.

It is about making an authentic and meaningful contribution to what you do.

Your career progression is not an obstacle course. There are landmarks to achieve. Be PRESENT and grow with them, incorporate the experiences consciously to your thinking and create possibilities. Once you are willing to ‘get over it’, then you can move on to what’s out there waiting to be achieved.
Write your own story with your own words!
“There is vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable not how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open".
                    - Martha Graham, quoted by Agnes De Mille,
                      Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham.

Visit me also at my Career4Change Facebook Page: http://tinyurl.com/y2pep8k.


Best Success!
Your Professional Branding and Career Coach because…you can change what happens next!
Mariela Tinoco-Aramburu
www.linkedin.com/in/marielatinoco

Are you flying blind in your job hunting journey?

How do you empower yourself to learn new things at work or while you are job transitioning? How do you progress your career to the next level? Love for learning or love for money?.

What if you did not know how to achieve success? Could it be lack of talent or lack of effort? What if it’s just that you are merely flying blind?
It is like if I offered you a million dollars nuclear energy job right now but as you had no experience on it, you would not be able to take it; therefore, no job, no million dollars in sight.
But, what if I still paid you for something you did not know how to do? Would you be able ‘to do the math’ and learn a new skill or transfer your acquired competencies to the new situation successfully, would you be able to do so?
I have job transitioning clients that when coming to me had been doing everything they believed was right to land them the next job, the truth? Most were literally flying blind!

Competition is harder and recruiters are being stricter in the specific competencies they’d like to have in a successful job candidate, but how can you ensure you know what you are doing when everyone tells you contradictory stories? how can you transfer what you know and what's best out there to apply it successfully to your own process?

1. Identify qualified sources of information. Friends are good supporters but not subject experts. Go to career related sites and take the time to read what they’ve got to say about your job transition process. Talk to the qualified experts. Schedule a talk with someone that went through the same process and got a job. Hire a Career Coach and/or ask tons of questions to the ones that have the accurate and down-to-earth answers that would make a difference!

2. Get a Free Resume Critique. Do you know that MOST coaches offer you a free of cost resume critique with no obligation on your side? You can e-mail me your resume at career4change@yahoo.com and I’d do the same. It is a great way to get an experts’ assessments on what you could do to be more effective. I read scary statistics on the horrifying resumes that do not pass the recruiter’s screening process due to very basic mistakes such as poor formatting, lack of relevant job related content and spelling mistakes. Is your resume one of those?

3. Your Brand is not your friend’s Brand. Recruiters see literally zillions of resumes in a given week. That is why they are paid for. Their ability to screen, to blink and know who’s the one for which job and have that perfect candidate that just nailed it at an interview is vital for a successful job hunting process. What’s your unique positioning statement? Do you have a unique answer that tells them: Why You?. What have you got that make you the absolute BEST person for the job? Are you distinguishing yourself? Are you being referred to that key hiring manager/recruiter for that perfect job? Are you ready to sell your brand and close the deal or are you still struggling to articulate your key messages? Career4Change can help you go through that process, so then you are the S-T-A-R that shines above your competition.

4. Networking yourself to the top. There is a quote I absolutely identify this process with shared by Jeremiah Owyang at Web-Strategist.com:“Those who ignore the party/conversation/network when they are content and decide to drop in when they need the network may not succeed. It’s pretty easy to spot those that are just joining the network purely to take – not to give. Therefore, be part of the party/conversation/network before you need anything from anyone.” Well, do I have to say more? This is a red flag for those who got the job and think networking will have a long break in their career lives until the next roller coaster shake things up or for those that prefer handle their search in job boards. Statistically speaking, networking increases chances of success +60 to 80%!

5. Be courteous and Pay forward. I can’t emphasize enough the power of kindness on this process. Give and take is a reciprocal game. It is kind to use thank you letters but not good enough. Offer to make connections to those that help you along the way and go for it. Send that e-mail to those two contacts that do not know each other but who could potentially get some benefit if they did. Make referrals to the ones that have exceeded the task given even if they have not asked for it.

6. Be Visible, be there, be found. Use social media. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter among others are fantastic resources to keep track on the trends moving the job market. Participate actively in groups’ discussions. Get referrals posted on your profile. Dare to sell your Professional Brand at your BEST.

Mariela Tinoco-Aramburu at Career4Change counts with +15 public referrals that support a track record and service you could count on if you just e-mail us at career4change@yahoo.com.

Find out what I can do for YOU in a very personal, customized and approachable way.
Visit me also at my Career4Change Facebook Page: http://tinyurl.com/y2pep8k.
Best Success!

Your Professional Branding and Career Coach because…you can change what happens next!
Mariela Tinoco-Aramburu
www.linkedin.com/in/marielatinoco

What’s the Recruiter’s Job?

Last week I was asked by a client what was the difference between recruiters and head hunters and if there was a way that she could get a recruiter to help her finding a job. Well, it is not very often I get this question but she has not been the only one to ask this.

There are corporate recruiters and third party recruiters. The first ones are those hired by the hiring organization to do recruiting for them in full time basis while third party recruiters are subcontracted by a company for the purpose of finding and qualifying potential new employees for the organization. You can have retained recruiters who are paid a portion of their fee upfront with the balance paid when the search is over and contingency recruiters who are paid a fee only if the company hires a candidate discovered through them.

A recruiter does not get back to you after you have applied to that perfect matching job for several reasons but fundamentally because a day happens to have just 8 working hours and there are many vacancies to fill in busy times.

But what do a recruiter’s do for a position (not for you!)?

First, sit with his corporate clients to close the deal on job requirements, budget and timing constraints in filling the position.

Second, he searches for referrals and/or his data base. This is where you want to be. If you have already created and extended a successful network the chances are you get to put yourself in a favorable spot for consideration.

Third, he navigates the Internet. That means he spends time on the web posting his clients’ vacancies at different job sites while checking on the applicants he has already got for the positions he placed out there earlier. Social media is clearly becoming a resource for recruiters to use. Make sure you are visible and have a strong not-to-be-missed profile in a site such as LinkedIn.

Fourth, he’s got to go through a huge pile of pre-qualified applications, resumes forwarded by other recruiters interested in making a split placement while arranging interviews/screening phone calls with those that make the cut. Here’s the thing: Recruiters know that a resume rarely gets you inside a company unless they include a summary of your value that targets the hiring manager's needs. In other words, most resumes leaves it up to employers to figure out how you can add value to their organization and that gets you obviously nowhere closer to your goal. Come ready to bring ideas to the table and clear examples on how you have successfully overcome similar challenges. Research the organization, its culture and if possible, talk to someone already employed there to get some insider’s information.

Fifth, set up interview between the hiring manager and the already screened applicants. On this one, it is literally a blessing to have the luxury of administrative assistants to ‘some times’ do this piece for you. On this piece it is important to notice that a real top notch recruiter will never set you up for an interview unless you are clearly qualified for the job. Most candidates practice an interview forgetting to do what they are going to be measured on: ‘Practice doing the Job’. If your focus is only on what you’ve done and you leave to luck the connectivity between your potential and future added value to the hiring manager then, you’ll be lost in the system.

Sixth, follow up with corporate client and candidate after the interview is over. Consider that there will be likely a minimum of two rounds of interviews, if not three or four, based on the position seniority and other parameters. It is key on this part that candidates remember their business manners. That is what ‘thank you’ notes are for!

Seventh, making reports. Key performance indicators are essential to keep track on the efficiencies and bottle necks related to vacancies to fill and a resource to offer to a potential client when reports probe a high level of satisfaction or a valuable trend to the market.

In conclusion, be clear that a recruiter does not work for you but for the hiring company. It is the company that pays their fees and the one they have to please in order to be paid for their hard work.

Have you eaten your career transition’s frog, yet?

I just watched a short video inspired on the Eat that Frog’s book by Brian Tracy and I couldn’t help relating it to all the frogs most people keep everywhere that drain their energy and stop them to release their full potential and achieve their goal.


The idea behind the book is that by procrastinating what you would prefer not to do your energy switches in a way that prevents you to get the important things done.

These are the most common frogs I’ve seen in my clients that stop them to be at their best and release their full potential to the job market:

1. Networking. Isn’t it true that some of you get extremely uneasy about the whole networking setting? You know there are huge benefits in sharing best practice and extending your network but you still leave it as a last priority finding always a very reasonable excuse not to do it. You even complain your career transition would be over if you only knew those key contacts in the companies you know you are perfect for. The truth? It does not happen overnight, it does not happen if you hide under the blankets of your busy agenda, it does not happen when you stay behind your computer. Now, eat that frog first and select that affinity group you feel most likely aligned to your vision and go for it.

2. Asking for help. I have talked so many times to other entrepreneurs, professionals and executives about this concept. We all get approached by people wanting to meet us but once they are gone, most of the times they have failed to actually ask for what they needed from us to move on. There is a silent expectation that help will be given even if it is not asked for. Well, most of the times that is not the case. So, put that vision together and identify the people that could help contributing to your action plan implementation. The sources of expertise will be very likely flattered by a well structured and professional request. Now, eat that frog!

3. Social Media's active use. I get hired by clients to go through the social media concept, advantages and potential uses in the job search process. Most of them decide to do so after procrastinating it for a long time. They are afraid they will not be good at it and that it will be very difficult for them to get up to speed with what Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter –among others – have to offer to speed up their career transition journey. Eat that frog and go on to start enjoying the benefits social media can offer to get you closer to your vision.

4. A well aligned professional brand. Almost everything can look good on paper, but how to ensure you are selling your unique brand in a resume and not just a format copied from a cheap website? I was having lunch today with a couple of amazing recruiters who mentioned how they get turned off by resumes that contain fancy words not connected to the applicant’s track record. They also stop looking at resumes that provide looong wording sentences with no real meaning, connection or added value to the former employer’s business. Most recruiters who use social media have also found horrifying stories or pictures of those potential candidates for a job not aligned at all with the information given on the application form. Prepare and eat that frog to do your homework in order to sell consistently your Brand at your best with all what it takes!

5. Lack of a clear vision. Any job is not a job. When I get approached on networking events by job seekers with no specific goal I know their chances of succeeding are very low as they are not taking themselves seriously enough to put together a vision to drive them forward. Not having a vision will turn off most of your contacts that will very unlikely refer someone who does not even have a career goal, not enough confidence in selling connected competencies and highlights to the job market; therefore, no exceptional substance to work with. Eat that frog!

6. Grateful and mindful. How many have you forgotten to thank that contact who gave you that key tip for the job you were looking for? It is never too late to be thankful. What goes around comes around. I got recently a very rare thank you note from someone who I met while job transitioning and that after finding his job was thankful enough to e-mail all the people that helped him to be successful on it. That does not happen as often as it should. Eat that frog and show gratitude to your network and give back!

Best Success in your new diet and for those looking for the video here’s the link that I have also placed on my Facebook Career4Change page that you are welcome to visit anytime for a bilingual career coaching experience.

Video’s Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7GB5Fh2XM


Career 4 Change Facebook Page:
 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Katy-Texas/Career4Change/353305821256?ref=ts

"Procrastination is opportunity's natural assassin." ~Victor Kiam

Are you committed to your job fulfillment? Are you making a difference?

Have you read the news on Jaime Escalante’s cancer? This is the teacher that inspired the ‘Stand and Deliver’s’ movie. His strong belief on his students’ potential as well as his undefeatable commitment towards his vision generated such a difference in the school in which he taught calculus that the passing rate went from zero to a noticeable higher than Beverly Hill High.


He made the conscious choice of not just doing a job but taking actions to fulfill his vision. His students and the community he belonged to connected to him once he led by example. He did not wait for the school system to change but he generated the change.

What about you? What changes are you 'waiting for'? There are so many reasons not to be happy at work. It may be you are not connected to your company, managers and co-workers but most importantly, are you connected to your own vision and what it takes to get there?

I have a client who jumped from one job after another feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied at every company she worked for. Once we explored into her inexistent Vision she actually discovered her need for one and we worked together in putting an inspiring vision to guide her through her career development. She re-gained a sense of her ‘wants’ beyond her ‘needs’ and after this realization she was able to stay long enough in a job to grow and get closer to her destination. Was she into her ideal job? Was her manager the best one in class? I don’t think so. But once she had clarity on what she wanted and needed to go through in order to get there, then her whole career took a whole different meaning. It was her choice to grab that career driving wheel.

It was Jaime Escalante’s choice to go beyond the Latino stereotyping proving himself beyond any self-given boundaries and breaking any limitation given to a Bolivian immigrant in the USA.

He now needs our help to help paying for his treatment. He is an icon to the Latino that have come to this country to make a better living adding value to society and generating a significant change in that journey.

Please, click on the link below for further details on how to help and while you do that, then start thinking about how you can generate a change.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-jaime-escalante-cancer,0,3839418.story

'Do what you can, with what you have, where you are' - Theodore Rooselvelt

Coach sends Kramer on embarrassing wrong turn...what’s your wrong career turn?

Can you believe what happened to this guy? A speed machine that with no doubt was the best on his field and deserved gold, but as the end of the race approached he got the wrong signal from his coach to do what got him disqualified! It was a very expensive mistake that cost him not just a gold medal but some important financial losses. What if he had kept doing what he was doing already at his best?
Have you taken a wrong turn when you’ve almost got it? Though, I am a very open minded individual I coach myself – and clients – not to be blindly folded by others’ opinions and connect to one's inner voice to know when to follow your instincts and not somebody else’s. So, where to draw the line between what others tell you and your own instinct?

There are so many different stories related to what people wonder only if they had made a different career choice. Speed is key for the ambitious kind of people and making it to the top at a certain point for them is all what matters to win. For others it is about wondering what if they had not rejected a job offer that opened a wonderful career opportunity for the one that took it. But many are still wondering what they would have done if life had given them apples instead of lemons.

How many of you live in the ‘if’ of a moment?

What matters to me is the clarity of a vision that allows you to take some calculated chances with the unknown. Entrepreneurs have a business plan while individuals have their own career/life plans. Do you have one?

Do you know where you are going; therefore, are you ready to take risks and decisions that may get you closer to that destination?

Are you willing to invest your life, your time, your money more wisely, so then you can afford to live the triumph and growing experience that comes out of your decisions?

Because it is better to live up to your standards and your dreams than keeping your life wondering whether you could have done it differently if ….

Most of my clients when talking to me wonder what if they had come to me a year before, what if they had listened to really qualified people on their field instead of their well intentioned friends, what if they had began doing networking at the beginning of their career transition instead of relying mostly on the web, what if they had taken the time to understand the ‘host Country’ business culture in order to adjust their brand effectively, what if…

What if you stop wondering now and take the courage to assume the consequences of your decisions and control your life and career from now on.

What if you decide you do not have all the answers and start looking for mentors and/or coaches to facilitate your success in that journey?

What if when you go to your network you have a level of clarity in your own brand that allows yourself to sell it effectively?

What if you have a job search strategy that combines multiple resources aligned to a vision linked to a unique brand?

What if you take the time not just to ask, ask, ask to your network but decide to actually share best practice with them and give back?

‘People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are.
I don't believe in circumstances.
The people who get on in this world
are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want.
And if they can’t, make them.’               
                                        - George Bernard Shaw

Google me, Google you...Ah, ha!

One of the first things I do when getting a potential client is to Google his/her name to see what comes out of it. It is not as boring as you could expect. It’s been an amazing, surprising, shocking and even fun – at times – process.


Recruiters are using social media to look for passive candidates and to even screen a bit beyond what’s on paper to what actually those potential candidates may be like.

Do you have any control on your online professional brand?

A lot of people tend to think that celebrities are the ones in TV, but not anymore. Internet and social media have knocked our walls down to expose a lot of our private matters to the public scrutiny – if not careful -.

The first time I actually ‘googled’ myself I remember finding only my Bachelor’s degree thesis. I just could not believe there was nothing a bit more exciting than that. A few years later and I am in control.

So, what’s out there for you… or not? How does that personal piece may expose your profile? Hopefully, you are doing Ok so far, so good but you can take some precautions and there are some hints I’d like to share with you:

1. Google yourself. Play a bit with your name on the web at www.googlism.com and/or www.pipl.com.

2. Analyze your results and try to measure relevance on them. Is there too much information out there, well, then that means is time to start restricting the privacy setting on your social pages (e.g. Facebook) as well as the access your contacts have of your pictures and personal information. Do you have nothing? Think if that is what you want and then,

3. Market yourself at your best. Create a professional profile out there to sell your brand effectively. How about LinkedIn or Nayms? What have you got in Flickr? Believe me when I tell you that there are things out there that some wouldn’t want the world to see so freely. But, having said this, there are things you do want the world to know.

4. Control your Brand. Google results are no accident as many may think. You can actually create and set your distinctiveness straight in the web. You can even rate your presence and ‘play’ with it.

5. Do not obsess with it. I’ve heard there are people out there even paying for their names not to ever show up in any website listing results.

6. Google your potential hiring manager and interviewer. What comes around goes around. Find their professional profiles and affiliations. Wouldn’t it be great to find you share a strong affinity that is not listed in your resume before that interview?
Do not underestimate the power of Social Media and its potential to get you closer to your Vision.

“How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?”

– Seth Godin, Seth’s Blog (http://sethgodin.typepad.com)

How are you supposed to prepare for a telephone screening?

Yes, today is a bright and shiny day in your job transitioning journey. You’ve got an e-mail to schedule a telephone screening/exploratory talk to the hiring manager/recruiter of that company you really want to work for. You wish it was a face-to-face talk, don’t you? You’ll probably have no way to get reactions over the phone as there is not a face to read in front of you. You may be nervous that your accent may come too strong for the interviewer. But, you want to be prepared.

Here are some tips that could facilitate your success on this matter:

1. Show energy and enthusiasm through your voice. As the interviewer will not see you, your voice will be your main resource to sell your brand. Having said this, remember to be careful not to over do it and mindful on your volume and environment under which you’ll have this talk. If you are a visual person, have your resume and charts with your highlighted achievements in front of you. Sometimes the only info you’ll be asked for is the one already reflected in your resume which makes easy to handle the conversation, but some other times the recruiter may want to inquire on a particular set of competencies required for the job and you must be ready to perform at your best during the telephone screening process by providing clear examples that demonstrate you are effectively the person for the job.

2. Minimize/avoid interruptions before they happen, so then it is easy to hear you. Get that beautiful dog somewhere else, so its barking is not annoying for your interlocutor during the conversation.

3. Keep yourself 100% in the moment! It is important to ensure it is a good time for you to talk to that interviewer. If the call comes without any notice, feel free to provide a very business related excuse to re-schedule it at a better time and ask for a phone number or e-mail to call back. You do not want that beautiful child to make baby noises in the middle of a job screening talk and you do not want to be distracted by the fact that the most undesired interruption may ruin your moment at anytime.

4. Use clear diction. It is more obvious over the telephone and can affect the interviewer's perception of your professional/executive image. If English is your second language, please do not rush in responding. Speak at a slower speed, so then the right words come to your mind and get to make it effectively to your mouth. It also gives you a little bit of a break to gain confidence in your message and articulate your response effectively.

5. Request contact information. If you don't have the interviewer's contact information, be sure to request their email address, so that you can send them a thank you e-mail.

Prepare, prepare, and prepare to sell your Brand! Remember as well to ask for a job description in advance of that telephone screening in order to ensure you understand the job requirements and how they relate to your background and competencies

There are some common questions you can expect to get and role playing with a career coach is a wonderful way to get ready to be at your best.

Best Success!

"You must know that in any moment a decision you make can change the course of your life forever: the very next person stand behind in line or sit next to on an airplane, the very next phone call you make or receive, the very next movie you see or book you read or page you turn could be the one single thing that causes the floodgates to open, and all of the things that you've been waiting for to fall into place.” - Anthony Robbins

Mom, do you have to go to work?

Lately, I’ve been getting more job transitioning Moms looking to get back to work. There are the ones whose super domestic engineering duties are almost gone; therefore, they’re looking forward to transfer their skills into an office environment. On the other hand, there are the Moms whose financial household situation is requiring them to do what they know how to do best: multiple tasking between a job and the duties of raising a family.

I am a true fan of Moms and their working potential as they probe constantly their amazing commitment to do the job that needs to be done while organizing multiple priorities into a scheduled scheme of tasks that generate tangible results.


I think our society has evolved and it’s getting a deeper understanding on the transferable skills Moms have to offer to this job market; however, the market is tougher for everyone these days as there are less jobs for more qualified people. This element has an impact in the emotional side of many transitioning professionals and Moms returning to work are not the exception. I have listened to their worries about their adequate offer to the market (e.g. do I have what it takes?) or not having enough skills to sell (e.g. I may not be that qualified after all). At the end, professional branding’s clarity with a vision is the key to nail it.


40 percent of American women are now the primary earners in a household and this number keeps growing, though, we all know there are obvious salary disparities in what women make vs. men doing the same job.


The chances are most Moms out there are actually adding further value in their activities beyond the Mom duties by doing fund raising and volunteering at a local non-profit group or PTA. Knowing what to do with it and how to capitalize your resume is essential.


Highlight the competencies that you have demonstrated on these volunteering activities with no embarrassment or apologetic sense such as:

•  Developed a donor prospect list of individuals and groups with the capacity and propensity to give for further research while rating prospects in categories of giving potential in order to plan solicitations (Did you organize all the previous donors and worked on that master list for this year’s event? Well, here you go!)
• +25% contributions’ increase in less than a year by leading a fund raising drive for a +800 community members (It may be you actually organized a successful school fund drive)
• Designed and conducted training programs for +50 young volunteers using various training methodologies in order to increase fund raising events’ success (you have led and facilitated a meeting with all volunteers to go through expectations, roles and accountabilities, as well as deliverables and safety procedures to be kept during the event…isn’t this training?)

The point is to focus in what you have and not what you may think you are missing because the chances are that if you own your Brand, then you’ll be able to land an offer by networking yourself effectively among your contacts.


It is not a matter of luck but a matter of self-confidence, branding, networking and vision to succeed.


“The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.”- W.R. Wallace


Your coach,
 
Mariela