DISTANCE LEARNING | CONTINUING EDUCATION | ONLINE DEGREES

We do it all the time. When we’re ready for a job change we go online to search for a better job. You go to your favorite job board or employer’s site, find a job that fits you perfectly, and submit your resume and nothing happens.

Just a typical online job hunting experience that we’re all used to. You are now in the Bermuda Triangle of job hunting, sending your resume into the unknown digital zone that goes in and never comes back.

So, what can you do to improve your odds of receiving that next step of the employer contacting you for the job interview? First, it’s important to understand what’s happening on the employer’s end. Employers nowadays will receive hundreds to thousands of resumes after posting a job in any given week. Their computers and networks are overwhelmed from the entourage of resumes that are pouring into their email and HR application management software.

Some employers have the technology that can handle all the resumes pouring in and those are the ones that you will get an auto-responder message stating that they have received your resume and will contact you if they want to schedule you for a job interview. Other employers don’t, their Human Resources departments have been downsized or their budgets have been cut so much they can’t even afford a computer.

Does that mean you shouldn’t even bother applying for the job? Of course not. There are thousands of new jobs posted daily on job boards. To help increase your chances of success begin the “Job Application Tango.” Here’s how:

Step 1: Submit your resume properly

•Don’t apply for jobs where you don’t meet the specific requirements the employer is posting in the job. Usually, if an employer post a skill is required you can bet you need that skill to be considered for the job. Make sure you are fully qualified for the position.

•Follow the resume submission instructions perfectly. If an employer asks you to only apply online through the job board or attach your resume in word format then do so, don’t copy and paste your resume in the body of the email.

Step 2: Network your way into the new job and company

•Find out if any of your friends work for the company you are applying to. You can do this by calling them or shooting them an e-mail.

•Check with your local business associations or professional organizations to see if they have a message board or forum where you post your questions.

•If you still come up empty handed, search for the names of people in the HR department on the company’s website. Then try to Google them or scour the internet to find a way to contact them.

•After you’ve networked to someone that works for that company, send them an email explaining your desire to work there and ask them if they can forward your resume to the department hiring manager or to the HR department.

In today’s tough economy and competition for jobs, it’s hard to just get an interview. To make sure your resume doesn’t get lost amongst the thousands of other job seeker resumes, practice the “job application tango.” It takes a little more time and effort, but is sure to pay off eventually.

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A map is not functional until you know where you are on it. Consultants that objectively view their current reality always find a way to reduce confusion and misalignment. Agreement with yourself and your clients about what is true right now—in your company, in your project, in your life—is critical for making clear headway.

Get a Grip

There’s an old saying: “what you resist, you’re stuck with.” I’ve noticed this is particularly true with creative consultants and their work. If you’re not clear what your current job really is and you’ve skipped doing a complete and thorough inventory, you’re going to have a hard time making things happen for your client.

“Real generosity toward the future
consists in giving all
to what is presen”.
- Albert Camus

What is your job, right now! What is the main priority today? It is seldom as obvious as you might think. You can best answer that one question by answering these six:

1) What are your current tasks? These may be physical actions you need to take right now about your commitments and responsibilities: phone calls, e-mails, converstations, errands, brainstorming ideas, and so on. Typically a busy consultant can have as much as one or two hundred of these to do.

2) What are your current projects? These are the outcomes you have agreed with yourself to achieve, remeber you are an independent professional and must keep your word to yourself. There’s no one setting your agenda, in fact you are being paid to set it. Now, which of these outcomes requires more than one action to complete. Most consultants have between thirty and one hundred of these.

3) What, exactly, are your current areas of responsibility? Most consultants have ten or fifteen, like staff development, asset management, planning oversight, customer service, etc. But you’re NOT running, nor are you responsible for the WHOLE company. Leave that to the owner or CEO.

4) How are your consulting responsibilities and your personal affairs going to be changing over the next year? I’ve found that the truly effective, high dollar consultants I’ve known and worked with, have taken the time to mesh their work with their lives. You are a one person conglomerate, but also, a living-breathing human being that has ‘outside’ considerations for a well-rounded life. If you don’t consider consulting an extentsion of a real life, a flesh and blood existence, but rather, something altogether seperate, placed in a box called: ‘consulting work’, then you’ll fail most of the time and be very unhappy nearly all of the time.

5) How is this life I lead going to change over the next five years. This is the big picture question, the vision of how things should be, not necessarily how they will be, into the near future. Why is this important? Because, in the quest for the answer to our question above, namely, what is your job right now, we can get a nearly crystal clear answer when we extend our vision into a larger field. By this I mean, you can see if your current job selection is aiding you in your long-term visionary goal.

“It takes about ten years
to get used
to how old you are”.
– Unknown

If you ocmplete a thorough inventory of the ocmmitments, issues, and projects that currently exist in your ocnsultancy and life on earth, espeically in these six areas, you will have a good definition of your work. This isn’t easy stuff, I know. I’ve spent over fifteen hours just identifying my work on two mundane levels: current actions and projects. But wihtout doing these things I don’t feel prepared, nor am I prepared to have conversation with my clients.

It’s all very useful work, however, should I need to re-calibrate my job description or deal with needed changes along the way. So many people have just a vague desription or ‘feeling’ about what they want to do or be in the future. But without a reality based reference point of where they are, right now, they are like the Flying Dutchman, doomed to drift.

So, know where you are on the map, so you can determine if you need to turn right or left.

“Discipline does not mean suppression
and control, nor is it adjustment
to a pattern or ideology. It
maeans the mind sees
“what is” and learns from
“what is”.
– J. Krishnamurti

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The demand for people with Six Sigma expertise is constantly increasing. More and more organizations are discovering the many ways that the Six Sigma methodology can help them grow and improve. As Six Sigma spreads to many different industries beyond its genesis in manufacturing, you can now find many service and government organizations advertising for Six Sigma help. Plus, it is no longer the largest corporations looking for Six Sigma help. Smaller companies also are taking on Six Sigma projects and hiring people as consultants or permanent staff. The need for full-time Six Sigma professionals will only increase.

Types of Six Sigma Jobs
There are many Six Sigma jobs in many industries at junior and senior levels. The positions have descriptions and requirements unique to that organization and its requirements. It is true that many Six Sigma positions are filled internally as organizations train their own people already familiar with the organization’s culture in Six Sigma skills. However, organizations frequently reach outside to add personnel with Six Sigma expertise to lead Six Sigma projects or even the full-scale implementation of Six Sigma throughout the organization. These positions are usually dedicated full-time to Six Sigma projects.

Six Sigma jobs are advertised under many titles, not always as obvious as “Six Sigma Black Belt,” “Six Sigma Consultant,” or “Six Sigma Analyst.” Other possible titles include things like “Functional Project Lead” “Six Sigma Program Manager,” “Lead Analyst/Project Manager,” “Director of Operational Excellence,” “Business Process Manager,” or “Senior Projects Manager.” Whatever the exact title, the organization is looking for someone with the skills of a Six Sigma Black Belt. A Black Belt is an individual trained in the Six Sigma methodology and experienced leading cross-functional process improvement teams. They will lead individual Six Sigma projects.

Very senior Six Sigma positions are sometimes advertised. These are Master Black Belts, individuals trained in the Six Sigma methodology who acts as the organization-wide Six Sigma program manager. They will lead Six Sigma implementation at the organization and will oversee Black Belts and process improvement projects and provides guidance to Black Belts as required. Master Black Belt positions understandably demand the highest level of Six Sigma experience and qualifications.

Qualifying for Six Sigma Jobs
To be considered for a Six Sigma job, you need a combination of relevant academic and work experience. The first and foremost qualification is to be trained in Six Sigma, ideally as a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. This means formal training from qualified Six Sigma consultants who have extensive experience in training and implementation of Six Sigma. Specific training in Six Sigma DMAIC and/or DFSS methodology is often requested. The best teacher is, of course, experience and organizations will strongly prefer, if not insist, on people who have completed at least one Six Sigma project.

In addition to possessing Six Sigma training and project experience, organizations will ask that you have experience working in the industry of the organization’s business. So if the company is a manufacturer, they will usually want you to have direct experience in a manufacturing environment. Organizations will ask that you have a certain minimum period of experience (often five years) in that particular industry.

Management experience is a huge plus and will almost certainly be a requirement for a Six Sigma project team leader. Having on your resume proven project management success within a structured environment and being able to demonstrate good managerial skills will take you a long way. That’s because leading and facilitating Black Belts, Green Belts, and business teams through a Six Sigma project is often the role organizations are seeking to fill.

There are also essential personal skills. You need to be able to demonstrate a good understanding of processes and quality methodologies and a willingness to take an initiative and lead change. Another crucial skill is the ability to link strategy to execution. The aptitude to look beyond the surface and be creative to think conceptually about strategic business issues and develop creative but practical solutions is key.

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Virtual Assistant job opportunities are out there, you just have to know how and where to find them. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Your Current and Former Employers

The first place to start is your current and former employers. If you are currently working or have worked for someone, let them know about your company and what you are doing. A plus to “advertising” with them is that they already know you, your qualities, your personality, and the quality of work you provide. Draw up a proposal. Let them know how utilizing your services can benefit their company.

2. Job Boards and Search Engines

Careerbuilder.com, Monster.com, and HotJobs.com are examples of job boards. Google.com and Yahoo.com are examples of search engines. You can use both to find clients who are looking for help by using specific keywords.

Keywords are what you type in when you are searching for something on the internet. The more specific your keyword is, the more relevant the results will be. For example, a generic keyword like “work at home” will more than likely return a lot of scams. Most legitimate companies don’t post job leads using those phrases. Here is an example list of keywords you can use when searching for clients.

Example Keywords:

• “remote contractor”
• “must have home office”
• “independent contractor”
• “freelance”
• “freelance job/s”
• “1099 Contractor”
• “Virtual Assistant”
• “remote office”
• “1099 employee”
• “must have home computer”
• “virtual worker/employee”
• “online work”
• “telework”

You can also use these keywords with search engines like Google and Yahoo.

Note: Make sure to put the “” marks before and after the phrase. Surrounding your keywords with quotations shows more specific results from the search engines. The search engines will only show the results with that exact phrase. If you don’t use them, it will look for either/or.

3. Fee-Based Websites

Fee-based websites have already completed the hard work for you. These sites have searched the internet, job boards, etc., and found the legitimate jobs for you. All you have to do is apply. Buyers beware, however; not all fee-based job sites are legitimate. Make sure you do thorough research of the company.

4. Freelance Websites

You can also browse some freelance job sites like Guru and Elance. These sites allow freelancers to bid on projects posted by individuals or companies. If your bid is accepted you will be awarded the project. Most of these projects are short-term, but are a great way to build your clientele and your portfolio.

5. Work At Home Websites

There are also some free work-at-home websites that you can use to find clients. This has its pros and cons. Most of the time the job leads are unresearched, limited, and old. Also you can be sure that they have been applied to many times by others seeking work at home jobs. The upside is that someone has kindly searched for and posted these job leads for you. You will still need to research these job leads for legitimacy.

6. In Your Neighborhood

Well…not literally in your neighborhood, but you know what I mean. In other words, in the area you live. Why not have some flyers made and pass them out to local vendors? You can also have them posted in local grocery stores. Have some business cards made and leave them with local business owners and managers.

Have your business cards handy to pass out when you meet people. This is a good networking strategy as well. Be prepared to explain what you do when someone asks. I remember when I started my Virtual Assistant Business people would ask me what I do and I found it hard to explain. So be prepared and keep it simple.

7. Networking and Word of Mouth

Networking and word of mouth is an excellent way to get your name and company out there. Get to know fellow Virtual Assistants. Sometimes they will have an overflow of work and will subcontract or outsource the work to another Virtual Assistant (VA).

Joining associations and organizations is another way to network. There are several organizations out there just for VAs. Some VAs have found success in locating clients by joining their local Chamber of Commerce.

So now you know how and where to find the virtual assistant job opportunities and clients. Go get them…..

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