General | Rose Keating Career Consulting

Women Power

Phyllis, Tammy, Maureen, Angie, Ellen, Me, Elle, and Fawn – hot damn!

If you are stuck in your career and not sure what move to make next, spending time with women who inspire you can be an incredible source of support, guidance, and strength.

In August, I met with seven fellow women entrepreneurs for drinks and conversation in the Sea Port District of Boston. We have all recently taken part in Marie Forleo’s incredible B-school program. At the time of our get together, I had reached a point in my business where I was feeling stuck. So many questions were whizzing around my head: how can I make my business scalable, what step should I take next, and in what order? I was feeling so overwhelmed with all the decisions I was facing, I wasn’t making any moves at all.

That changed that Saturday afternoon. Being in the company of women who were experiencing a similar journey was exciting and calming at the same time. By talking to the ladies and hearing their stories, I realized it was ok to be in a place where I didn’t know what to do next. I began to understand that feeling stuck is an important part of the process. If I knew exactly what to do, I wouldn’t be learning, and in turn, I wouldn’t be growing as a person, a coach, and a businesswoman.

The gorgeous Elle explaining to us how she got 5000 facebook fans!

Tammy gave me great advice about creating a scalable business model, and Elle’s recent success on Facebook motivated me to work on my online presence. Fawn inspired me when told me she was a Mom. Here was a women who surely had more on her plate than I did, and she was making it happen! As I took the train home with Phyllis, I didn’t want to part ways when my stop came, I could have talked to her all afternoon.

Although I do coach some awesome men, 80% of the people I work with are women. There is a reason for this. I believe that when women support each other, we become unstoppable. I mean that in the truest sense of the word, nothing can stop us from achieving our dreams. Not other people, not our life circumstances, and most of all, not our own fears and limiting thoughts that can creep into our conscious and make us doubt what we are capable of.

When I work at the Cambridge Women’s Center I see this phenomenon in action. Women converse about their struggles, confide in each other, and ultimately find their own voice by learning from women who share similar life stories. At times I notice a women leaving the Center whose whole body language is more powerful than when she first arrived. She is holding her head a bit higher, and her facial expression is more relaxed.

One of the most profound things I ever read about women was an article by Emily Rapp, “Transformation and Transcendence: The Power of Female Friendships.” In it, she explains why female relationships are so important, and how we live in a society that tends to marginalize these types of relationships between women. Emily writes, “I saw, on that afternoon, that it’s possible to transcend the limits of your skin in a friendship. That a friend can take you out of the boxes you’ve made for yourself and burn them up. This kind of friendship is not a frivolous connection, a supplementary relationship to the ones we’re taught and told are primary – spouses, children, parents. It is love.”

Marisa, my sister from anotha motha

I thought of my best friend, Marisa, when I read it. The love I feel for her is equally strong to the love I feel for my family. I thought of my Mother, and her three best friends, Sue, Sue and Suzanne. Since I was a kid, I have watched each summer as the four of them fly in from all over the world to get together in Maine. I noticed how much their lives have changed over the past 20 years – more children, various jobs, struggles and triumphs. The one constant beyond the tide going in and out, is their love for each other.

That day in August with the B-school Babes meant more to me than I could communicate to the ladies. Even though it was the first time we met in person, I felt a strong sense of community and belonging. I had found my peeps. I left that day with a belly full of clam chowder, and a solid feeling that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. I had a renewed sense of energy, and I was ready to tackle the next business challenge, no matter what it was.

So to the amazing women I met with, I want to say Thank You. Thank you for listening, for sharing in my journey, and most of all, for inspiring me. You were a much needed gust of wind on the part of me that knows I can drive forward each day towards my goals.

If you are feeling stuck, either in your career, or any aspect of your life – your fellow sisters may be exactly what you need to summon the strength to push forward. You will see that they struggled like you, and that they also triumphed. But they didn’t do it alone. They did it with the love and support of their dearest female friends.

Seek out women who inspire you, and spend time with them. It could be your mother, aunt, sister, teacher, boss, or friend. It may be a celebrity, a businesswoman, or someone who died long ago. In their stories, you will see your own. And in their courage, you will find yours.

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5 Interview Questions That Will Wow Employers

The questions you ask in an interview are equally important to the responses you give to the employers questions. Your questions demonstrate the depth of your industry and company knowledge, and can also indicate the way you think and analyze problems.

Here are 5 types of interview questions you can ask, that will wow an employer:

Industry trends – research the current trends in the industry, and ask them how they think a particular trend will affect their business. Be prepared for them to turn the question around on you, and ask you what you think about it before they respond. This question demonstrates that you are knowledgeable about the industry, strategic, and can think big picture – all of which are signs of a leader.
In my first 90 days of employment, what is the biggest thing that I could help get done? This shows that you are focused on the value that you can provide to the company, instead of what they can do for you.
What do your competitors do better than you? The answer will give you an idea of the company’s weaknesses, and what they are potentially working on to improve. If you can then communicate how you would be a valuable person in the process of improvement, the more likely you are to get a job offer.
What is your strategy for securing your place in the market place and ensuring that your competitors do not encroach upon your market share? This question lets them know that you think strategically, and is a good test of the hiring managers knowledge about the industry and the company’s competitors.
At the end of the interview – Do you have any hesitations about my background or my ability to do the job? The question itself doesn’t necessarily impress, but the way you handle their response does. Often times, if there is a glaring issue with your candidacy, the employer will tell you exactly what it is. This gives you a chance to respond and overcome their hesitation. It will also give you an idea of where your weaknesses are as a candidate, which is helpful to know for future interviews if you don’t get the offer.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to wait until the end of the interview to ask your questions. An interview should feel like a conversation, not an interrogation! Asking questions throughout the interview will create a natural flow of information back and forth, and overall a pleasant conversation!

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4 Tips for Writing a Stand-out Cover Letter

Many people dread writing cover letters when it comes to applying for jobs. Here are 4 tips for writing a cover letter that will stand out from the crowd.

1. Drop names. If you know someone who works at the company, or someone referred you to the open position, mention their name in the opening line of the cover letter (get their permission of course). People are much more likely to respond to you, if you know someone they have a relationship with.

2. Do the work for the hiring manager when it comes to matching your skills to the job. Don’t make them spend ten minutes searching throughout your resume to see if you have the required skills (chances are they won’t take the time to do that), instead spell it out clearly for them in the cover letter. Simply take the job description and list out the 3 most critical skills required to do the job. In the cover letter, explicitly state that you have those skills, and describe the specific experiences you have had in the past that allowed you put that skill to use. The more you can communicate results, the better.

3. Tell them why you want to work for them. Explain why you are interested in working for the company by writing about the aspects of their work or mission that resonates with you. This is your chance to demonstrate that you have taken the time to thoroughly research the company, and understand their challenges and needs. You reasoning for wanting to work for the company should be unique, if you could send the exact same cover letter to their top competitor without changing a word – it’s too generic.

4. Focus on the value you can add to the organization. I read many cover letters where the applicant spends an entire paragraph talking about why the job is the perfect opportunity for them. Instead of talking about yourself, write about what you can do for the company, and why they have the perfect opportunity to hire you.

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The Work/Life Balance Conundrum

We are living in a unique time – there are currently four different generations working side-by-side in companies across the globe. As our working environment becomes multi-generational, the issue of work-life balance is getting harder to define. As the older generations continue to retire, the majority of the workforce will be Millennials (those born between 1980-1995) and Gen Xers (those born between 1965 – 1980). These two generations have quite different ideas of what work/life balance should look like, and this creates a challenge for companies that are trying to satisfy their employee’s needs.

The term work/life balance implies that the two are separate entities, and that they should be kept that way. This goal of separation and balance is becoming increasingly unrealistic, especially with the advent of smart phones. Our work is always in our pocket. You could be at the beach with friends on a Saturday – work email is there too. You could be at aunt Lucy’s birthday party –work email is there too! We are now forced to make the decision of whether we are going to work or not – over and over again each day.

The term also carries implications that work and life are in conflict with each other; it’s a battle and only one can prevail in any given moment. Some Millennials (also referred to as Gen Y) are turning this idea on its head, and instead accepting and pursuing a blended idea of work and life. In his post on Penelope Trunk’s blog titled, Twentysomething: why I don’t want work/life balance, guest writer Ryan Healy explains, “There is no need for me to keep work life and home life separate. The majority of weeknights you can find me in front of the computer chatting with a friend, watching TV and messing around with MySpace or Facebook. I may as well send out an email or finish up a work briefing at the same time.” The Millennial generation grew up in world where it was normal to be plugged-in 24-7, so many don’t feel a need to disconnect from work completely when they get home each night.

Gen X has a different take on work/life balance. They were raised by a generation that often put work before family, and as a result they tend to value work/life balance more than Millennials do. For many Gen Xers, family is their highest priority – and as a result they want flexible hours, and the ability to work from home. A new study from British consultancy JBA, involving almost 25,000 people across 19 countries, found that among older staff, seven out of 10 wanted more choice about their work patterns. But just four out of 10 of their younger colleagues wanted to detach themselves from the office environment.

So how can companies manage the diverse needs of their multi-generational workforce? Here are 3 ideas:

Offer employees options for working-hours. Some employees may want to come in early and leave early each day so they can pick their kids up from school, while others may prefer to work four ten-hour days each week with a Friday off. The more variety of options, the better.
Decrease bureaucracy and HR policies. Many companies have strict HR policies that apply to all employees. A one-size-fits all approach is no longer viable, as managers must have loose policies that allow them to work out a schedule with each employee that is tailored to their needs.
Ask employees what they need. Although there are certainly commonalities between workers from each generation, these broad generalizations only go so far. Instead of companies assuming they know what their employees want, ask them with an employee survey. Everyone wants his or her opinion heard, and information about what employees want is critical when restructuring HR policies.

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Wannabe / Employee: Believe You Can Succeed and You Will

I am thrilled and honored to have my first guest post on Kobie Snyman’s blog this week!

Kobie lives in South Africa, and her website wannabe/employee is all about inspiring young professionals to take charge of their careers, and be better (more engaged) employees tomorrow than the ones they are today. I love her advice because it is to-the-point, and easy to implement.

Check out her website and the guest post, Believe You Can Succeed and You Will, by clicking here.

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You Will Be Judged

People will judge you based on your appearance and presentation. Every single day for the rest of your life. You can take that information and ignore it, or you can use it to your benefit.

While product marketing is usually intentional, the way you market yourself is probably unintentional. That’s because you are not thinking about it as marketing. Marketing is simply finding out what it is that people want, and then communicating to them that you have it.

In Seth Godin and Jay Levinson’s book, Get What You Deserve, they explain that Guerrilla Marketing is marketing that is focused on individuals instead of products. The key lesson is that you are in control of the messages you communicate, and you can use that to your advantage. This is highly relevant in the world of job searching. Job seekers send hiring managers many messages with their appearance, their words, and their behavior.

In order to be successful in your career and in life, you must intentionally and consistently position yourself to be seen as someone who deserves success. Your positioning is what people think of when they think of you. Do they think of an energetic, intelligent, and ambitious young professional, or a sweet, helpful, shy type, who is hard to get to know? You have to choose and cultivate your positioning, or your positioning will be chosen for you. This seems like common sense, but many people are not aware that this principal applies to every aspect of their life.

For example, I do a good job at marketing myself as an honest, secure, intelligent young woman. As a result, I have been successful in my career. My dating life isn’t so successful. I don’t pay much attention to how I am perceived when I am not in work-mode. I often dress in somewhat sloppy clothes with my hair in messy bun and music blasting in my headphones. Yet, I wonder why I rarely get asked out on a date. Now, the answer is obvious: I’m not marketing myself as a fun, sexy, and friendly potential mate. The message I unintentionally send is: I don’t care about how I look, I’m kind of a slob, and I am definitely not interested in meeting someone new or chatting up a stranger in the coffee line. Who would want to approach a girl like that?

If you are on the job hunt, you need to position yourself as the perfect candidate for the job. To do this, you have to understand your customer – in this case it’s the hiring manager. Find out what your customer wants – use the job description, online research, networking, and informational interviews to gather as much information as possible about your customer’s problems, challenges, and needs. Next, prepare a strategy for how you are going to market yourself and communicate that you are the solution they have been looking for and that you can meet their needs. Then blow them away in the interview with your understanding of the company and industry, your enthusiasm, and your all around crisp and confident appearance.

If you don’t get the job, it’s critical that you take steps to understand why. Did you understand exactly what the hiring manager wanted? Did you communicate that you had exactly what they were looking for? Did you actively listen to what they said throughout the interview? Once you understand what went wrong, you can tweak your approach until you get it right.

You are ultimately in control. If you are struggling to find a job, don’t waste time with excuses. Figure out what’s wrong with the messages you are sending, accept that you control those messages, and then re-position yourself the way you want to be seen.

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