Lee Gamelin

Get Read to Get Hired!

What's the one letter that always gets opened?

FedEx.

Smart marketers know this and send sales letters for big-ticket items via express delivery.

To make sure your cover letter gets read, send it FedEx 2-Day to the decision maker (never HR) at an employer. It costs less than $10-15 in most cases.

Can you do this for every job? No. Can you do this for your dream job? Yes, if your dream job is worth $15.

Protecting the soft spot

We all have one; or more than one. It's that place where we can get hurt, the one we seek to defend.

For some people, it's the fear of making that first phone call to a hiring manager. For someone else, it's not knowing what to say at an interview.  For someone else, it's being confronted with the problem of finding a job you really want--but the effort just seems too great.

The key question is this: how much does the act of protecting the soft spot actually make it more likely you will be hurt?

It turns out that the more you angle yourself, the harder you work to protect the soft spot, and the more likely it is that you'll get hurt.

All the time and effort you put into ducking and hiding and holding and avoiding might be sending the job market a signal... the irony of your effort is that it's probably making the problem worse.

Are you doing a good job!

I just received this blog entry from Seth Godin.  Seth Godin is an American entrepreneur, author and public speaker. Godin popularized the topic of permission marketing.  I can't think of better justification for teaching, learning and practicing cutting-edge job search skills.

One way to approach your work: "I come in on time, even a little early. I do what the boss asks, a bit faster than she expects. I stay on time and on budget, and I'm hardworking and loyal."

The other way: "What aren't they asking me to do that I can do, learn from, make an impact, and possibly fail (yet survive)? What's not on my agenda that I can fight to put there? Who can I frighten, what can I learn, how can I go faster, what sort of legacy am I creating?"

You might very well be doing a good job. But that doesn't mean you're a linchpin, the one we'll miss. For that, you have to stop thinking about the job and start thinking about your platform, your point of view and your mission.

It's entirely possible you work somewhere that gives you no option but to merely do a job. If that's actually true, I wonder why someone with your potential would stay...

In the post-industrial revolution, the very nature of a job is outmoded. Doing a good job is no guarantee of security, advancement or delight.

The Absolute Formula for Success

Borrowing from the works of Mark Joyner, a high school dropout who went on to earn millions, and adding from my experience working with thousands of adult job seekers:

• To be successful, you must Input Time, Energy or Money to do so.
• There is no other way to be successful.
• Success doesn't just fall in your lap.
• Success doesn't come from wishful thinking or believing you're entitled.
• Success comes as a direct result of deliberate actions you take.
• No matter how impoverish you may be; no matter what bad hands may have been dealt to you; no matter how bad family, school or work life was or is, success is a direct result of you investing either your Time, Energy, or Money; or a combination of all three.

Successful outcomes are a direct result of the intelligent application of your Power.  The Power that is nothing more than your inherent ability to bring about a result.  Combine pro-action with right action, and you will definitely get results!

Get graduates hired quickly, and never worry about your profits again.

I believe without a doubt that the greatest measure of an effective career school program is the level of success achieved by our graduates…not whether it turned a huge profit. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of turning a profit; it's what enables us to sustain our businesses and grow.  But it's how we achieve that bottom line that builds our credibility in the marketplace.  And there's nothing that builds credibility for a career school better than successful graduates.

Find job opportunities for graduates, and never worry about profits again.

Creating a compelling experience for career school students

In today's market, one of the single biggest competitive advantages is a compelling student experience.  And one of the most compelling experiences is gainful employment.

A strong job search (placement) assistance and career development program is a career school's greatest asset.

• It creates a compelling reason for prospective students to visit the school without the need to create banal marketing messages and spend enormous sums on marketing and advertising.
• It creates compelling reasons for students to stay in school increasing retention rates and profits.
• It ensures consistently high placement rates.
• It creates a strong referral base, again minimizing marketing and advertising costs.
• It makes point-of-sale messages far more compelling.
• It's the "proof of the pudding."
• It's the reason we're in business.