Job Search Tips Learned From The Kansas City Royals Baseball Team

 

The Kansas City Royals competed in the World Series by playing “small ball.” This strategy is something executives could all use when searching for their next career position.

 

The term ”small ball” means to forget about hitting a home run, instead focusing on just getting to the next base.

 

CEOs and other C-level executives, as well as all job seekers, can also use this ”small ball” strategy to succeed in the job market. Tammy Kabell, founder and CEO of the executive career firm Career Resume Consulting, has been using this “small ball” strategy with her top talent job seeking clientele for 11 years.

 

“I’ve always thought of job seeking as being equivalent to playing baseball,” Kabell says. “You have to focus first on getting to first base in your job search, with first base being that all-important phone call from a decision maker, like an employer or recruiter.” To get to first base takes marketing efforts more than anything else, she says. Kabell promotes her clients like they were products, complete with a value proposition and promotional campaign.

 

She recommends to be consistent in your messaging across all channels: your written materials (like resumes and cover letters), your online presence (like your LinkedIn profile), and your networking statements. “It all has to have the same core message,” she says.

 

Job searching is not a onestep process, however. These initial marketing efforts are just to get you to first base – the recruiter phone call. The resume or a LinkedIn profile will not get you the job.

 

Second base, Kabell says, is getting the face-to-face interview. That takes sales psychology, such as ‘asking for the sale,’ i.e. asking for that face-to-face interview. If you use a ”soft sell” approach and suggest a time to meet in the employer’s office, you will more than likely get the meeting.

 

Running from second base to third base takes advanced sales psychology, according to Kabell. This includes a major amount of rapport building, and even some non-verbal communication techniques. ”The most important aspect of the face-to-face interview, or second base,” she says, ”is to present yourself as a relevant solution to their biggest challenges, and if you can, position yourself as an expert.” Employers will pay more for experts than just a qualified candidate, she says.

 

“To get to third base, or the offer,” Kabell adds, ”you have to be the answer to their problems and the bridge that will take them to where they need to be.”

 

Even though she works mostly with six-figure earners, she says this framework of looking at the job search as a baseball game, with the goal to always be just getting to the next base, will work for a professional job search at any level.

 

Most job seekers in this economy equate getting the offer to actually getting the job, but Kabell explains you don’t actually get to home plate without negotiating a package that is right for the company and pays you what you are worth. That takes negotiation skills that mustn’t be overlooked. You can easily get 10-15% more than the initial offer, she says, and she has often seen 30-50% increases when negotiated properly.

 

With smart marketing campaigns, keen sales techniques, and strong negotiations, you can find yourself in the World Series of your own perfect career by playing job search baseball. Just focus on one base at a time, and you’ll end up sliding into home plate in weeks, and Many people make significant job search mistakes and never even know about it. These blunders are easy to make ... and can end-up costing you thousands of dollars.

 

Ford R. Myers, career coach, speaker and author of “Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring,” (John Wiley & Sons, http://www.getthejobbook. com) reveals these top ten mistakes, and explains how to avoid them.

 

Mistake #1: RESPONDING TO ONLINE JOB POSTINGS

Myers suggests spending no more than five percent of your time on public job postings, as it is often wasted effort.

 

Mistake #2: SENDING UNSOLICITED RESUMES

Unsolicited resumes are considered garbage, scrap paper, and wasted effort. Myers advocates abandoning this job search tactic completely.

 

Mistake #3: LOOKING ONLY FOR JOB OPENINGS

More than 40% of positions are created for the applicant, oftentimes at the interview. These positions didn’t exist before the right candidate appeared. The key is to shift your focus from “openings” to “opportunities” (which exist nearly everywhere).

 

Mistake #4: INEFFECTIVE NETWORKING

Networking should be the primary focus of every job search. The best networkers are listeners rather than talkers, have a clear agenda, and are not shy about asking for feedback and guidance. You will need a structured, accountable, professional approach to networking.

 

Mistake #5: LEAVING YOURSELF OPEN TO MANY KINDS OF JOBS

Another key to a successful job search is to focus on finding the RIGHT job – not ”just any job.” Before you even start your search, get 100% clear on exactly the type of position you want. Then spend all your efforts pursuing that sort of opportunity.

 

Mistake #6: BEING UNPLANNED IN YOUR SEARCH

Myers suggests the following tips to conduct a proper job search: a well-thought out meth odology, daily introspection and planning, space in the home dedicated to the search, and a system for accountability.

 

Mistake #7: DOING IT ALONE

Career coaches provide objective guidance, help you ”think outside the box,” and provide a proven system for job search success. Many offer excellent advice on salary negotiations – often exceeding the job seeker’s expectations. There are many kinds of career support, at various levels of investment. By all means, do get help in the search.

 

Mistake #8: LETTING OTHERS CONTROL YOUR JOB SEARCH

Myers suggests working with a small selection of professional recruiters – they can serve an important role in your search. But you’ll need to maintain control over the whole process. For example, don’t let recruiters alter your resume without your permission.

 

Mistake #9: NOT PREPARING WELL ENOUGH FOR JOB INTERVIEWS

All job interviews are comprised of five basic elements: articulating your value, conveying your knowledge of the company, asking intelligent questions, negotiating compensation, and following-up. Be sure to do extensive research on the company and the interviewer beforehand.

 

Mistake #10: NOT KNOWING YOUR MARKET VALUE

Research and assess your value in the marketplace before you attend a single interview. The time to talk money is when the employer has made it clear that you are their top candidate, and after they make an offer.

 

The Critical Thinking Skill Set

 

The new in demand skill for employees of the 21st century is critical thinking. And although a recent report says employers seek “critical thinking” skills, defining what critical thinking actually is isn’t so easy.

 

Steve Siebold, a critical thinking author and expert, who has been studying and teaching psychological performance training for over 30 years to Fortune 500 sales teams, and is author of the international bestseller 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of The World Class, says critical thinking is:

 

•Using logic devoid of emotion: Critical thinking at its core is being able to take any issue, even one that is close to you personally, and remove all the emotion from the equation to observe the facts objectively.

• Not letting feelings get in the way: It’s easier to act your way into good thinking than it is to think your way into good action. Most people are waiting for their emotions to motivate them to action, and as a result, they become slaves to their feelings. Critical thinkers are masters of their emotions, and they know that waiting to feel like taking action is a losing proposition. •Suspending your disbelief: Critical thinkers are the most open-minded group of people you will ever meet, which is one of the reasons for their tremendous success. While most people are convinced they have figured out how the world works, critical thinkers are not so sure and are open to new ways of looking at old problems.

•Being decisive: While average performers are timid and lack confidence in their own judgment, critical thinkers are known for their ability to make decisions, especially under pressure. The difference is courage and confidence. •Manufacturing your own self-image: The self-image of the great ones is the foundation of their success. Champions have credibility with themselves. This self-confidence manifests itself in various forms critical to the way they approach business, life and other people. Believing in yourself above all else is required to becoming a critical thinker.

•Not being addicted to the approval of others:Most people are so worried about what other people think of them, that they miss major opportunities. Critical thinkers know this is conformity at all costs. They prefer to be liked by others, but if not, they know it’s not their problem.

•Embracing metacognition: When it comes to thoughts, feelings and attitudes, the masses are heavily influenced by external forces, like a pinball being bounced around from bumper to bumper. Their outer world determines their inner world. Critical thinkers are the opposite. Knowing their thoughts control their feelings, the great ones have adopted the habit of thinking about…what they think about. Psychologists refer to this as “metacognition.”

 

Career Opportunities In The Banking Industry

 

While you may be most familiar with the tellers and customer service representatives at your own financial institution, there are many other employees who work in key areas of a bank. For example: 

 

Bank Administration/ Accounting/Security — handles the bank’s internal operation

 

Consumer Banking — delivers financial services to individual customers

 

Commercial Banking — delivers financial services to businesses, schools, churches, and other organizations

 

Compliance Officer — provides strategic direction, ensures bank abides by industry laws and regulations

 

Human Resources Administration— manages employee placement, salaries, benefits, and training

 

Operations/Technology/ Information Systems — provides record keeping, bookkeeping, and information processing

 

Public Relations/ Marketing— conducts research on bank services and promotes them through advertising

 

Trust and Investment Banking — manages money or property for other

 

Two trends currently affect the industry and the people employed by American banks across the country and around the world: technology and consolidation. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, “the net effect of these two changes has been to raise the skill level of the banking industry’s labor force.” As e-commerce and online banking technology continue to expand, tech-savvy individuals will always be in demand.

 

The banking industry, like many progressive industries, continues to embrace technology and the rapid changes that technology brings, in order to keep pace with its competitors and to provide outstanding service for its customers. Advances in technology make it possible for machines to be used for tasks that were previously performed painstakingly by hand. Today’s bank staff must be well trained and eager to operate the computers andmachines that run the banking operations.

 

While some banks unite to form more efficient, effective organizations in this ever changing marketplace, the need will remain for bright employees who are willing to grow and change with the industry in the 21st century.

 

Interested in a career in banking?

 

A business administration degree or a liberal degree with the following courses is recommended:

 

•Accounting

•Business law

•Business management

•Communications

•Computer programming

•Economics, marketing, and finance

 

Positions to consider:

 

•Accountant

•Anti-fraud Investigator

•Commercial or Consumer Loan Officer

•Compliance/ Risk Management Officer

•Computer Programmer/ Systems Analyst

•Credit Analyst

•Division or Branch Manager

•Human Resources Administrator

•Market Researcher

•Public Relations Specialist

•Trust/Investment Officer