Since last Friday, I’ve been fielding inquiries about my new coaching program, to help those who have found themselves still without a job for the Fall. In talking over the details of the program, many people thought it might be useful, but just weren’t ready to commit. So I sat down to review the details of the program and make a few modifications to get people off the fence.
First, let’s review the general outline for the program, as announced last Friday….
“8 weeks to August” is geared toward job seekers who are determined to start something new this academic year. It’s a “hybrid” program…part individual coaching, and part on-line activities and support. It will also be significantly cheaper than a regular 1-on-1 coaching program, because I’m sensitive to the financial aspects of job-seeking in higher education. (I have some news on that, so read on.)
Features
2 individual coaching sessions in early June, to outline your goals for coaching, and to review your resume and cover letters, to make sure they are selling your unique skills and experience in ways that match the positions you are targeting. ($200 Value)
2 practice interviews-one via phone, the other via Skype, with feedback about areas for possible improvement. ($200 value)
2 additional individual coaching sessions during the program, which can be used for exploration, goal-setting, additional mock interviews, strategy sessions for specific applications, etc….Really, whatever you might need. ($200 value)
E-mail coaching during the entire program- send short questions or requests to me on topics of your choosing.
Online access to readings and activities that will help you focus your efforts on finding a position that will be a natural match for your interests, skills and abilities.
Group discussion opportunities for all group members, for support and encouragement from other job seekers.
The ability to have private online chats and discussions with me and with other group members about your search.
I thought I’d put together a pretty good package, and set a pretty good price point, but I’d like to see a slightly larger group. It’s true enough that the 1-on-1 coaching and the online activities may be enough for most people, but I like to idea of at least offering some group activities, to help people network with and support other searchers, and to know they are not alone in their concerns.
Optimally, I would like to see this group at between 15 and 20 members, because I think that’s a manageable size that still allows personal interaction and individualized attention to each member.
The changes are:
I’m going reducing the price. ($400/person instead of $500/person)
I’m going to split the payments and have an up-front part and then let participants pay the remainder later probably $200 now and $200 later in the program.
I’m going to set up a “client profiles” section on HigherEdCareerCoach.com for any member of the program interested to have the following:
Picture & Bio
Resume Highlights and downloadable resume pdf file
A BusinessCard 2.0 or similar internet card
Have an entire episode of my BlogTalkRadio show dedicated to interviewing you and talking about your goals for your job search. (will be linked to your page). Will be pre-recorded and edited. Both BTR and my site have good Search Engine Optimization, but A BTR episode will stay up, be searchable and hopefully help you get your name out there in a better way.
I’m still planning to give away a $500 Apple giftcard if we get 15 or more registrants.
You’ll still get the book.
You’ll still get access to the teleseminars and online workshops and activities until the End of September.
The number of registrants for this program will still be extremely limited, because I want to be able to deliver all I promise, and more, to participants, and turn them into raving fans and the best kind of advertising money can’t buy…satisfied clients.
Every participant will receive a copy of a great book on personal branding. (Me 2.0 by Dan Schawbel)
If I reach my intended target size for this program, one of the participants is going to end up getting all the features and benefits mentioned above, and a $500 Apple Gift Card. With the price drop this means that someone is going to get paid to get coaching and move forward in their job search. And maybe use that gift card to start a new job this Fall with a shiny new iPad.
Do I have your interest now?
If you or a friend are “stuck,” and really need to move forward and make significant progress in your job search, wouldn’t it be great to get personal attention, customized resume/cover letter/interview assistance, the support of a certified coach and other job seekers in your field, and (if we get a group of 15 to 20) theopportunity to get all your money back?
I know that if I was looking for a position, it would interest me.
So don’t wait…visit the program’s registration page (link below) to learn more about this program, what the costs and benefits are, and about my money-back guarantee.
Everyone knows that the perfect place to make career connections is the elevator. So it occurred to me that the topic might be a great one to explore on the next HigherEdCareerCoach BlogTalkRadio show.
Then Mike Severy, who was a guest on the show last week, had to go and reinforce this idea, when his tweet about an article on Inc. Magazine about the topic:
So this is what we’ll talk about this Friday. (I’m adding the topic of interview skills because I think it is relevant. We’ll give feedback about that, too.)
But I’m hoping to do even more.
They say that practice makes perfect. Well, here’s the time for you to practice. Call in to the show and introduce yourself. Deliver your elevator speech. Get feedback from me, the co-hosts and maybe even the audience.
We’ll also corner callers into answering some questions in a “mini-mock interview,” and give feedback about that.
I hope you will join us and consider calling in (to get or give advice and comments.) When the show is on live, you can call in to (347) 989-0055 or go to the show page and click on the Skype Click-to-Talk button (Blue “S” logo above the show summary.)
Please listen and call in. Your engagement could be really helpful to job seekers.
Using RSS feeds to keep up with vacancy postings during your job search with Eric Stoller, an academic advisor at Oregon State University, who also shares his thoughts on higher education, technology, and social justice issues at EricStoller.com and consults with institutions in higher education about technology issues.
From my Google Reader: Higher Ed News and Views, plus other interesting articles on social media, education, etc.
Cook Coaching Programs and Services: Information on my 8 weeks to August Career Coaching Program for student affairs professionals finding themselves “stuck” in their job search; Accidentally on Purpose sideshow, with Sean Cook and Monica Moody; upcoming workshops for high school students transitioning to college, parents hoping to avoid the “helicopter parent phenomenon,” and more.
Call-Ins: Please listen in to the show and call in your questions and comments to (347) 989-0055 or send them via twitter to @hiedcareercoach. I’ll be asking for comments at various points, especially between 3:15 pm and 3:45 pm when talking with Eric Stoller, but callers are welcome to comment on or ask questions about anything we cover, or other issues in higher education.
For the record, I have no idea where that reference came from, nor do I know what an Electric Boogaloo actually is. But it sounds like fun, and I am determined to have fun with reentering the job search process. I’ve done the whole placement conference thing, and experienced the whole multiple rejection thing. Had that soul-crushing moment where two of my top three schools rejected me within the same two hour span. And… now I’m over it.
So now I’m starting the search over again, but it feels like a lot less pressure this time. There’s no cramming 10+ interviews into two days. There’s no rush to schedule, research, pack, travel, interview, et cetera. Although I know that for many positions I’m competing with up to 50 applicants again, I’m not forced to sit in a room with them before my interview and wonder how we compare. And there’s none of that added stress of wondering if you’ll be rejected or not and what it will be like. I’ve been rejected. It’s not fun. But I’ve learned it’s not the end of the world either.
I’ve mostly run out of schools to apply to in my original, admittedly small, geographic preference area. Several supervisors and mentors have shared insights about other places in the US that might fit what I’m looking for in a climate. (That would be no earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes.) So I’ve expanded to truly have a nationwide search, and have found some interesting opportunities that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.
As I said in an earlier post, I am lucky to not have anything in life that keeps me tied to a certain area. Though my original search area overwhelmingly rejected me, I still have 47 other states with opportunities. And there are still positions being posted!
So many people tried to tell me that life wasn’t over after placement conferences. That those were not the be-all, end-all of job postings. It was hard to believe that during placement conference season when the Twitter streams, Facebook statuses, and real-life conversations of all my friends revolved around Oshkosh and Chicago. But I have found that although the number of postings has slowed since late February, they have not stopped. Jobs are still opening up, and that is promising as well.
So far I’ve found a couple more jobs that I’m interested in, and am sending out another batch of applications tomorrow. It’s a lot more laid back to be in round two. There’s not as much pressure, there’s not as much stress, and there’s even more support and parking lot pep talks than round one. Besides, if I don’t find a job until August I’ve got all summer to travel, sleep, and learn to surf.
[Editor’s Note: Shannon’s a millennial, so she is too young to really know what the early days of rap and break-dancing were all about. For readers in a similar state of ignorance, “Electric Boogaloo” is a reference to Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, a movie where break-dancing brings enemies together to save their neighborhood from a bunch of “suits.” Apparently boogaloo is also a type of Latin music and a type of lyre or harp, like King David played in the Bible. The things you can learn from the internet!]
[Editor’s note, part 2: Shannon will be a guest on the Higher Ed Career Coach BlogTalkRadio show Friday April 16 at 11 am EST. We’ll be discussing rejection and starting over in your job search. We’ll also be talking to Stacy Oliver about”parking lot pep talks” and other ways to help job seekers stay encouraged. Bryan Koval will be co-hosting, and I will try to sound smart, say practical things, and not make up to much stuff. Listen in and call in with your job search questions or comments, as they relate to rejection and starting over. Here’s the URL: http://tobtr.com/s/1009384 ]
I didn’t want to have to write this blog post. The idea has been swirling in my head for a couple weeks now, but I didn’t want to wave the white flag just yet. But the time has come to sit down, reflect, and write a blog about rejection. I’m not completed out of all search processes I entered just yet, but many doors have shut and others are doing that slow, squeaky, about to close thing. So, a blog about rejection.
It sucks! I wish I could put it more eloquently, but there’s really no pretty way to say it. It is probably best described with that plane crash/explosion sound effect. I know that rejection can be a learning experience. What could I have done better? Differently? Sooner? Take time to evaluate the experience and my performance, make changes, and go at it again. But it’s an incredibly draining experience.
Somewhere along the way of multiple interviews at conferences, over the phone, and on campuses, I just seemed to fall out of the process with schools. Either I didn’t fit what they were looking for in a new hire, or I flubbed an answer, or I decided that what they were offering just wasn’t right for me.
THAT took some guts, let me tell you. Turning down offers for second interviews or campus visits, not knowing if that would be my only shot at a job. In the end I decided that I really needed to have at least two of three things in a job: a good location, responsibilities that were interesting and challenging, and a nearby support system. If a job didn’t have those, I couldn’t do it.
I know it is better to be unemployed for a bit and wait for a job that’s the right fit to open up, even if that does mean waiting past graduation, or into summer. That’s incredibly scary though, not knowing what I’ll be doing once I graduate. I also can’t imagine returning home and working at Target or the local bowling alley with my Masters.
I also dread the thought of starting the job search process all over again. To be back at square one will be frustrating. Not only because it involves searching out positions I’m interested in again, doing the research again, interviewing again. But also because I feel like a bit of a failure not getting a job from the first round of searching. I would hate for that to dent my confidence going into round two.
I think the only humorous part of rejection so far has been getting a FOAD letter for a job that I didn’t even apply for. (For those not familiar with the acronym, check urbandictionary.com if you don’t mind some profanity.) Apparently I was horrid in the interview I didn’t have. I’m not even sure how my name got mixed up in their pile of applicants. It was especially weird because it was sent to my office, not my apartment address. Oh well. I hung it up on my fridge, and it is now a daily source of amusement.
Work with Sean. I help higher ed professionals take control of their careers with tailored services including resume and CV development, LinkedIn profile optimization and networking strategy, interview coaching, and one-on-one career guidance.
