The Chazin Group January 2010

CONNECTIONS
Your Source for TRUTHFUL business and career planning.

Your Body Language Speaks Ethan Speaks

Volumes, Even When You Don’
Don’t.
On Friday, Nov. 20th Ethan talked job seekers
You send out messages all the time and at the Housing Works Bookstore in lower
communicate with others without even speaking! Manhattan about ways that they can
The non-verbal cues you make convey all sorts of bulletproof their careers in these turbulent
information to others about you. For example, times. On Wednesday, January 13th Ethan
avoiding eye contact conveys extreme shyness, gave a talk to 50 members of the NY Society
and/or a complete lack of trust in others. of Security Analysts on Job Search Strategies
that work.
Folding your arms is a defensive posture (unless
you’re cold) which alerts others that you may be
angry, or just don’t trust them. Keeping your hands The State of the Economy
in your pockets and playing with change indicates
miserliness (being cheap.)
On Nov. 6, 2009 the Labor Dept. reported
that the official unemployment rate passed
Twirling hair in your fingers absent-mindedly sends 10% (10.2%), its highest rate since 1983, as
a message that you lack professionalism or get the economy lost another 190,000 jobs. That
bored easily. All of these non-verbal cues send out means employers have eliminated 7.3
messages to others and can sabotage your attempt
million jobs since the Recession began in
to make a positive first impression.
Dec. ’07, AND 15.7 million Americans were
out of work. The official unemployment rate
only includes people who have looked for work
For example, repeated face touching (esp. your
the last four weeks. The underemployment
nose) indicates deception. Repeatedly checking
rate - which also includes people that have not
your watch indicates extreme boredom and
recently looked for work and part-timers who
rudeness! Good posture is a sign of confidence and
need full-time work - reached 17.5% in
leaning in towards others as they speak conveys
October. The long-term employment rate -
interest. Following are informative web sites you those people out of work more than six months
can reference, for advice on how to control your - is at a record high of 35.6%; and
body language and convey the most professional
demeanor:  Joblessness rose in 29 states in October,
compared with 22 in September.

www.marcandangel.com/2008/07/07/25-acts-of-
body-language-to-avoid
 http://listverse.com/2007/11/08/25-examples-of-
body-language

http://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/b
ody_language/body_language.htm

Comments? Email us at: Ethan@TheChazinGroup.com or call (201) 683-3399

 CONNECTIONS
What if All Your Job Search
Efforts Were Wrong?
Are you looking for a job, conducting a career
transition, or re-entering the workforce? If so,
the odds are heavily stacked against you in
achieving success. This is due to the
tremendously high level of competition that
currently exists for scarce work. Even worse,
you are likely relying on outdated strategies that
are by their nature doomed for failure. Today’s
job market is unlike anything we have ever
witnessed before.
Why? We are living through today 40 years of
failed, business, political, and academic policies.
The leaders of our industries have failed us. Not
only have venerable, old established global
institutions like Bear Stearns, AIG, Lehman
Brothers, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae have
struggled for their existence, but entire industries
are collapsing as we transitioned from a post-
Industrial to service and technology-based
economy. Industries like advertising, printing,
manufacturing, retail, automobile manufacturing,
banking, financial services…all are going
through significant transformation.
How can you bulletproof your career and
conduct successful job searches in today’s 21st
century, global contract workplace? These times
DEMAND that you use unconventional, non-
traditional strategies. Your goal should be to
visualize your dream job. Identify all the
attributes of what constitutes ideal work for you –
then write that all down. Identify the six to eight
organizations in the 3-4 industries that you are
interested in, whose cultures match your values
and belief system. Within these 18-32
organizations, you want to find the individual that
you would be reporting to in this ideal job that
doesn’t exist.
You will approach them directly with a sales
pitch for how you are the ideal solution to
resolve their challenges in this job that they don’t
know they need to fill in their Team since it
doesn’t exist.
Comments? Let us know at: Ethan@TheChazinGroup.com or call (201) 683-3399
The Reading
Corner!
Four Obsessions of
an Extraordinary
Executive, Patrick
Lencioni addresses the
disciplines required to
create a healthy
organization.
In The Ownership Quotient, Earl Sasser and
Joe Wheeler assert that strong, adaptive cultures
foster greater innovation, productivity, and a
sense of ownership in employees and customers.
make 2010 a success –
return those calls!
calls
Want to start out 2010 on the right foot? Well, how
about returning those phone calls that you have been
ignoring or putting off. You probably cut back drastically
on many business discussions last year, as you took a
“wait and see” approach. Now is the perfect time to re-
engage with those potential partners, suppliers, clients,
and vendors. Make a prioritized list of high to low
potential return on any possible discussion. Begin
calling people back. See what business opportunities
you have been passing up by way of special offers,
discounts, renewing leases, terms on agreements,
office space rental, etc.
2010 should be all about making a comeback. Nothing
prevents your own progress more than burying you
head in the sand and hoping that external forces make
your current business climate more favorable. Seize the
moment…go into every potential discussion as a new
opportunity to generate new revenues, reduce costs, of
build strategic partnerships.
 CONNECTIONS
What if All Your Job Search
Efforts Were Wrong, cont.
You are the solution to what keeps them up at
night.
Your pitch should focus on how you will
accomplish the following: 1) make them more
money; 2) reduce their costs, or 3) improve their
operations. The resume and cover letter are dead.
That one minute elevator pitch is also irrelevant in
today’s challenging job market climate. In their
place, you need to sell yourself as a unique
solution in 3-5 seconds, by developing your own
unique personal brand.
Forget job postings. If they are posted, chances
are hundreds if not thousands of job seekers have
already applied to them. Instead, you want to
pursue informational interviews. Find the people in
those 3-4 industries you want to work in that do
what you want to be doing or work in places you
want to work, and ask them to meet with you for 30
minutes.
Make 2010 a Success:
Return Those Calls
The longer you wait, the more likely the chance
that the people who called you trying to pursue
opportunities have moved on. Perhaps they
contacted your direct competitors, as well. What if
your competitors take advantage of those new
opportunities instead of you?
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Don't sit on the
sidelines hoping for Divine Intervention in the form
of stimulus funding or that one RAINMAKER deal
to materialize. Get on the phone, start talking to
people. You were successful before by pursuing
every opportunity, so...
Make it happen again in 2010!

The goal is to find out what do they enjoy

most/least about their jobs, what is a typical day
like, how did they find their job, what trade
associations do they belong to. You need to build a
career networking pipeline of highly qualified leads.
You should have a personal networking plan, a
document that details how you will get yourself in
front of those people that you want to sell yourself
to.

As you work on building a network, you need to

thoroughly research yourself. Conduct a personal
assessment online. You need to know how to sell
yourself like a product, inside and out. What are
your “product” features and benefits, in terms of
experience, education, training, skills, language
proficiency, etc.

Most importantly, you must stop relying on others

to manage your search. Recruiters are fairly
useless, and it is important to circumvent the
gatekeeper (HR person) by going directly to the
person you would be reporting to, in tat job that
doesn’t exist that you are going to sell yourself as
the best solution. These are the unconventional,
non-traditional approaches that must be leveraged
for job search success in today’s turbulent times.

Comments? Let us know at: Ethan@TheChazinGroup.com or call (201) 683-3399