Comprehensive job search guide with an entrepreneurial twist

This innovative book helps you think of yourself as owning your own company— positioning yourself as the sole product. Hire Me, Inc. puts you in charge of marketing yourself through all phases of the job search. The cover letter presents the “product” and demonstrates its competitive advantage. Business cards and resumes brand the applicant. The interview is the sales pitch. It’s a whole new concept of how you can present yourself—as a special commodities the hiring organization must have. This theme is carried through the entire job search process, from researching job openings and attending job fairs, to applying and interviewing, to negotiating the final offer. Exercises and activities make this book interactive.

To land your dream job, take cues from the interviewing experts: the world’s best salespeople! After all, isn’t an interview actually a sales pitch?

In the original Hire Me, Inc., Roy Blitzer showed you how to package yourself as the ultimate product. Now, he reveals the secrets successful salespeople use so you can sell yourself and land the job of your dreams! He offers strategies to:

• Make an unforgettable first impression, from style to grooming to your handshake
• Create an instant rapport with your interviewer
• Identify company needs-and tailor your answers to address them
• Impress your interviewer with savvy questions
• Convince the company that you’re the best person for the job

Get the ultimate job by pitching yourself as the ultimate product

Hire Me, Inc. Resumes and Cover Letters

Here’s the secret to getting your foot in the door for the job of your dreams: Market yourself with your resume and cover letter using the same methods a CEO uses to sell his products. Career expert Roy J. Blitzer shows you how to use these tools to stand out as a top candidate that any organization will jump to hire.

Blitzer reveals why standard, template resumes aren’t enough. Instead, he shows you how to focus on measurable results and accomplishments to prove your worth and outshine your competition.

Valuable sample resumes, lists of the top action words, exercises and fill-in-the-blank work sheets help you craft a resume that gets you noticed-and hired.

Before you do that, think twice and think hard. Taking development away from your executives may not be the wisest move. Leading in difficult times is a special skill, and a key leader can benefit from executive one-on-one coaching that teaches him how to navigate the storm.Effective Executive CoachingThough already-on-staff personnel can use the coach’s external perspective, an added benefit is this one-on-one time frees the boss, who’s often the mentor when there’s no coach, to put her energies to other assignments. The effective coach works with leaders (both those who’re in high gear or those who’re getting into trouble) to do the following:

• Recalibrate their success metrics
• Polish their leadership styles
• Realign their priorities
• Lead teams more powerfully
• Navigate for the uncertain future

The coach crafts a program personally tailored to the individual; measurable and agreed-upon by both the boss and/or board of directors; and fits the goals of the organization, especially during times of intense change and ambiguity.

New-to-the-company staff leaders can also benefit from coaching. A staff leader can use the coach to help him do the following:

• Clarify new boss expectations
• Build all-important peer and cross functional relationships
• Understand the cultural and political nuances
• Assess what has worked in the past that can be integrated into the new environment

One-on-One Coaching Model

In either case, the coaching relationship will enhance the skills that are required to lead or manage in changing and difficult times. Investing in this kind of talent development is a long-term strategy decision and one that can be justified in the one-on-one coaching model, which looks like this:

Coach meets with the manager and HR to discuss candidate goals and reach an agreement on targets.Coach meets with candidate to gather personal history and career data and reach an agreement on goals and engagement expectations.The assessment process begins, using various instruments and 360 feedback from employees that work closely with the candidate.Feedback is collected and analyzed to determine assets and liabilities and presented to the candidate.Candidate creates a behaviorally specific developmental plan and determines the desired outcomes that include input from a manager and/or an HR contact.Plan is implemented to include time frames and appropriate tools.Coach works with candidate to integrate the new behaviors with regular one-on-one sessions.Coach reassesses the close-working employees, evaluates and reports input and incremental shifts. Engagement closes or extends with revised objectives.

Selecting a CoachSelecting the appropriate coach means finding one who best fits a candidate. While personalities may vary, an effective professional should have the following qualifications:

Industry experience and exposure to senior staff issues and concernsGraduate level education in business management or the behavioral sciencesExposure and/or certification in a variety of assessment tools (and the ability to give feedback)Five-plus years of corporate coachingBroad exposure and expertise in organizational change

When the going gets tough, the tough should use executive development to help meet goals, rather than eliminate the opportunity. A coach can reinforce necessary skills for both the existing and new personnel required to move the organization forward, and the coaching engagement is directly related to helping leaders move forward and manage successfully in tough times.Roy J. Blitzer (Palo Alto, Calif.) is an executive coach and career management counselor with more than 30 years’ business management experience. An adjunct faculty member at the University of San Francisco, San Jose State University, and Menlo College, he sits on the board of directors for the Institute of Social Responsibility and the Institute for Effective School Leadership. He is also the author of five books includingHire Me Inc.,Hire Me Inc. Interviews, andHire Me Inc. Resume and Cover Letters, available fromEntrepreneur Press, and sold by all major booksellers.