PAUL BOWLEY asked:


When it comes to job hunting for women, getting ahead in the job marketplace . . . or on the job . . . is a special challenge. It shouldn’t have to be that way. But, until the rules change, successful job hunting for women depends on how well you learn to go with the flow.

That means, if you can master some simple communication skills, you can put yourself way ahead of the male competition. But, according to career coach Molly Dickinson Shepard, you have to learn to talk like the male dominated management you’re confronted with.

Essentially this means learning how to speak more assertively, she recommends. But without crossing the line into aggressiveness. Here are some rules that can help you make management sit up and pay attention:

1. Your tone and level of voice can make all the difference.

2. Don’t challenge your boss or group leader in public. Don’t embarrass colleagues and don’t make personal attacks.

3. Never show anger at work.

4. Confident speech is good. Cocky is bad.

5. When you’re in charge and a decision is yours, don’t solicit everyone’s opinion.

6. Women like to make everyone feel included. But men see this as passive and unleaderlike.

7. Don’t allow yourself to feel wounded by words of criticism at work.

Effective communication is a critical factor in job hunting for women. It’s also the hallmark for getting along and getting ahead on the job. Practicing these simple rules can give you a real leg up.

The same is true if you are looking for a new job. Many times you will be meeting face-to-face with a male decision-maker who has male expectations about how women job searchers should communicate. Once again, assertiveness rules.

To be assertive you have to very clear about what you have going for you that will attract the attention of the decision-maker. And then you have to be able to tell him with confidence. It’s definitely worth practicing for.

So, the first step is to make an honest assessment of what you’ve got going for you. You know, all your strengths, capabilities and assets. Now, don’t limit yourself only to those skills you’ve acquired on the job. Your skill base goes way beyond your resume. Remember, an employer is hiring a whole person not a resume.

The second step is to practice your presentation. Once again, employers aren’t looking for a rehash of your work history. They want to hear how your talents relate to their and their organization’s needs. If you’re serious about beating out the competition, then you’ll want to practice your approach to a prospective employer.

With an assertive, dynamic communication plan, job hunting for women can be a powerful career advancement success for you!

Paul Megan asked:


Let me be blunt. If you’re spending a lot of time job hunting online the old-fashioned way, you’re wasting your time. The reasons are pretty simple and basic. It’s a numbers game. And the numbers don’t work in your favor!

For example, the two biggest job hunting online services are Monster and HotJobs. Forget the notion that posting your resume on the two sites (or dozens of other similar ones) will lead to anything. Monster boasts 15 million resumes in its active database. Just guess how many resumes pop up anytime an employer does a search. What are the odds that the right person will ever see your resume? Infinitesimal!

Of course it’s easy to post your resume on some job hunting online sites. We all like to take the easiest route. And I’ll be the last to tell you you’ll never get a hit. But, unless you plan to spend months and months in the job market, I wouldn’t plan on any online services to come up with something that’s just right for you in a reasonable amount of time.

In addition to the numbers not working for you, you’re putting yourself right in the middle of all the competition . . . not the best place to be if you have any hope of finding something soon. Even if an opening does pop up, remember it’s not going to be a hiring decision-maker who’ll be reading your resume and determining your fate. It’ll be some personnel staffer or lower level assistant.

Those of us who are committed to the alternative job search revolution know there’s a better way. The reason we know is because we’ve talked to hundreds of decision-makers worldwide. To a person they’ve told us the most important quality they’re looking for in a job candidate is someone they like who can productively fit into their team. In fact, they tell us this is more important than their resume or work history.

So, when you take a non-traditional career advancement approach, you focus on identifying hiring decision-makers in organizations that are consistent with your interests. That approach supersedes any resume or any kind of mass marketing (like posting online, or emailing or snail-mailing to countless numbers of companies). It also takes a lot less time to get real and satisfying results.

If you refocus your campaign by going after targeted hiring decision-makers in carefully identified organizations, then job hunting online the right way can be very helpful.

For example, you can research companies that you have an interest in. You can acquire background information about the products, services and goals. Likewise you can readily do some in-depth research into who the key players are that you should be talking to. In addition to Google, you can utilize resources like Who’s Who and Thomas’ Registry as well as the Association of Associations.

Discover how to do job hunting online the right way and save yourself a lot of time and energy. In fact, there’s an exciting alternative job search system in place right now that can have you talking to qualified decision-makers in a matter of days. You can be entertaining real job offers in as little as two weeks. Check it out!