The background: Matt is a senior level executive able to command a considerable salary in the tech field. He has a rolodex as big as many New York City kitchens. Most importantly, Matt’s found every job through his network and knew that this time would be no different.

So what does an outplacement firm suggest? Get this. The outplacement firm suggested Matt create a one-page marketing sheet, listing the jobs he wanted and the companies he’d like to connect with.  For those of you unfamiliar with this tool, the logic is that by handing someone a list, she will more quickly and easily think of you when an opportunity comes along.  Sounds simple enough, right?  I’ve heard about this strategy before, and never suggest it to my clients. On the surface it seems harmless enough, but it backfires.

One Page Marketing Sheets Fail Because:

• It’s All About You.
  
• You Appear Lazy. Use LinkedIn to find out who is in your extended network. Use networking to determine the needs of the person, company, industry; and build relationships. If you need to show someone what you can do, send a professionally created resume – that’s what it’s for! A marketing sheet as hand-out comes across as though you expect someone else to do your homework for you.
• It’s Impersonal. Make yourself memorable by being personal. A straightforward e-mail and solid resume do more to communicate who you are than a list.

How do you tell good advice from bad? What’s the worst career advice you’ve heard?

As a measure of quality, getting the interview is useful only if, well, you get the interview. But what if you don’t? What do you need to do differently?

All resumes I see, and from very talented, well-educated, experienced professionals are still entirely too task-based, and dry. This isn’t a question of format. They lack energy!

Ever pick up your own to read casually? Which pile would you put it in?

A resume acts as your ambassador to a future relationship with an employer. It gets between 2.5 and 30 seconds (if you’re lucky) of attention.

Questions to ask yourself about your resume:

• Are you excited about the person reflected on the page?
• How does it show who you want to be in your next position?
• Does it express your energy?

Answer “No” to any of the above? Then don’t expect an employer to perceive what you can’t.

Job seekers, I know you can do it yourself (I don’t advise it).  In fact, leave a comment and I’ll send you an effective resume template.

But why are you asking yourself to find even more time and enthusiasm to create a compelling resume? Isn’t the job search draining enough?

An energized resume can impress and boost your confidence.

There’s plenty of info on resume formats, “do’s and don’ts”. Frankly, if I see another Tweet linking to another post about chronological vs functional I’ll scream. If there’s no enthusiasm or creativity or specific words that clearly describe what you offer, then the format doesn’t matter. It will come off as bland or competent, but sterile.

And that’s not who you are.

Know that your resume is great if:

1. It reflects you. In the future. You look at your new resume and are excited about the person you see. You can’t help but say you love your resume.
2. You hand it to a recruiter, preferably one with an old copy of your resume, and hear, “Wow! I never knew you had this kind of experience, and I know exactly the position I want for you.”
3. An interviewer says, “I can see that you’ve only worked for companies with the best reputation. I’m flattered that we’re interviewing you.”

The last two are real-life experiences from my clients.

I started revising resumes because clients asked me to. I listen to them, and get a clear, specific picture of what they’ve done and want to do. I see the vision they have for themselves and their career. Then I put that on paper.

How does your resume reflect you?

Job seekers, you hear it daily, “Network to get the job.” An oversimplification because really, networking is the start to building a relationship. Don’t waste your time “speed networking“, handing out your card and blurting out your spiel to anyone with a pulse. That’s the equivalent of randomly applying to jobs on-line.

Forget about yourself and listen. This is counter-intuitive, yet true. And it works just like sex. People can be incredibly sexually satisfied when they become more aware of their partner.

Get your business cards in order and a firm handshake ready. With these 3 questions you can determine who is interesting and worth keeping in touch with:

1. What are you interested in?
2. What are you excited about these days?
3. What are you looking for?

Asking questions puts the other person at ease because you are not another pushy networker and you are interested in what they have to say. Who doesn’t like to talk about their interests and passions? While you’re listening to the answers, process how much you have in common personally, professionally and whether it’s worth continuing the conversation.

Don’t get stuck in “go nowhere” conversations or “grip and grin” speed events. Be curious and end up with a mutual, relevant network.

Myths
I enjoy debunking myths. In fact, I make a living doing just that.
Two career myths needing to be tossed are:
1.    “I need to follow my passion” and
2.    “I have to find the right job”
To those of you who have uttered those thoughts, say it with me now, “What a bunch of crap!” How the heck are you supposed to follow your passion or find the right job if you have no idea what that is? Talk about making you crazy. I exchanged ideas about this with Mike Rowe at the EG, whose show “Dirtiest Jobs” is about passionate people doing unexpected jobs.

Try on these truths instead:
•    You bring your energy and smarts to a position, not the other way around
•    You will never know what you like to do unless you start doing something
•    Whatever job you do matters less than paying attention to what you enjoy and dislike while in that job

Have you always known what you wanted to do? You are the exception, and may have it toughest in the current economy. Be persistent and patient.  If your clear goal is elusive, locate a related position for now.

Consider the Unexpected
Everyone looking for a job, especially experienced hires, is forced to be flexible. This marks a change from life moving in a predictable linear direction (high school, college, find a job) and is a painful adjustment. As a career coach, my clients who are finding jobs (yes, in this environment) are those who quickly let go of preconceived ideas, and engage their network. Practically, this means seeking jobs overseas, in a new city, focusing on growth industries such as energy and technology, working as a form of service – in the government or as a teacher – and seeing the relationships between their experience and a different field.

Four Steps to Overcome Job Search Paralysis
If you have no idea what you might enjoy, here’s how to begin:
1.    Determine what you value in work – it’s as simple as asking yourself what you liked and disliked working in the past. Make lists of each. Even what most people think of as great jobs can include things you may find boring (doctors do a lot of paperwork); the unexpected job may excite you more.
2.    My favorite assessment tool right now is Kolbe’s A Index with Career MO+, which lists specific careers that match your learning, communication and interaction styles. It takes 10 minutes. Note: Kolbe Index is different than Myers-Briggs, and the writer is not associated with either.
3.    Based on this, pick three fields you would like to explore and target small to medium-sized organizations and opportunities overseas
4.    Start talking to people about your ideas

Decision-making is never made with complete information. If you experience a sense of fear because you are concerned you won’t be able to predict how much you’ll enjoy a position, don’t fret. Humans are notoriously bad at predicting what makes us happy. Make a decision. That’s the surest way to learn if you’ll like a position.

I had. I was scanning the gray and brown toned jungle floor around me. I heard something. I ran up the trail, crunching leaf-litter under my thick boots to catch up with him. When I’m in the jungle in Laos,  or anywhere, I listen to the guide. That’s why I’ve hired him.

“Why?”

“Snakes.”

Snakes, cobras specifically, are a good reason to keep moving. Cobras use vibrations to locate friend, foe and prey. What my guide was conveying with those two words was that cobras use their bodies to determine how near or far a creature is by the strength and frequency of the vibrations it feels through the ground. The cobra would know when I stopped and be able to pinpoint my location.

“Don’t worry. You are faster.”

Really? OK. Good. That’s very good! Humans can outrun a cobra strike because we are about 4x faster. It’s the shock that slows us down. The shock of seeing a large cobra raise its body and look right at you. Um yes. I’d say that’s shocking!

I’m working with many clients who have lost their jobs and are shocked. Shocked by the lay-off, shocked by the loss of colleagues, shocked by the job market. Who wouldn’t be? I’ll tell you though, those who are getting the interview and the new job are the ones who get moving.  They get a plan. Like cobras, they use vibrations to create a picture of what they want. In a nod to one of my influences, Law of Attraction (LOA), it’s worth saying that the first to determine how they want to feel during their job search and new job, are the first to feel it, create the vibration, and achieve success.

Mind control!  Parasitic flies and leafcutter ants.

Here’s the bottom line, ants are smarter in teams, so are humans. Make your search more enjoyable and effective by calling on friends with positive energy and encouragement or hiring a coach. Even ants who focus solely on the task of carrying leaves, without asking for help, risk losing their minds. No, I’m not kidding. It’s a fascinating story. Check out the video.