By Minto Roy,

President of Careers Today Canada & Partner, Snaptech Marketing Group.

www.snaptech.ca www.mintoroy.net

Something truly amazing has occurred between buyers and sellers as a result of the Internet.  A completely new step in the behavior pattern of consumers has emerged.  A step so significant that it will demand businesses adjust their sales and marketing efforts to remain competitive.

Prior to this decade the business cycle between buyer and seller was simple and remained relatively unchanged for centuries.  When a buyer was interested in a product, the seller presented features, benefits and price. A successful sale validated a particular business as the ideal choice for a buyer.

Now the rules have changed: the Internet has added a new step in the consumer buying cycle.  Businesses must now anticipate that their customers are utilizing the Internet and must adjust their sales and marketing strategy so they don’t lose customers.

This new step now allows consumers to consistently research, review, compare and even buy without ever talking to anyone at the company or with a sales person.   Prior to the Internet, typical consumers had little choice but to deal directly with businesses and their sales staff when making buying decisions.

Looking ahead into the next decade, consumers using the Internet as a credible resource will have a profound impact on how companies build and maintain their online presence.  Companies can be certain their customers will review multiple competitor websites before, during and even after the purchase.  As a result businesses must ensure that their online marketing is effective, engaging, informative and capable of selling without the physical presence of a sales person.

Here are three crucial adjustments that businesses can now make to effectively deal with the new step taken by the consumer during the buying cycle.

1.     Develop and consistently improve your company’s website and overall online presence.  Do not design brochure sites that simply present products and services.  Websites should be developed on the philosophy of sincere engagement; that means it’s not about you, it’s about your customer and what is important to them today.  Make it easy for your customers to recognize that you are thinking about them and make it easier for them to find the solutions and advice for their needs.

2.                 Confirm that your corporate sales process and communication scripts are consistent with your online marketing. If not, make the required adjustments.  Many companies invest in innovative websites that draw consumer interest but do little to re-align or elevate their sales scripts. You need to ensure there is no disjoint between marketing and sales communication with clients and potential clients.

3.                 Provide more than one reason for your clients and potential clients to visit and stay on your site.  Most websites have only one obvious call to action: “Contact Us”.  Consumers often feel too intimidated to call, believing that you will try to sell them something.   Provide secondary or third options for them to consider: a free consultation, trial offer, white papers or an interactive survey.

With increasing regularity consumers are adding the step of using the Internet as a part of their buying process. It’s imperative that companies realize this and also forward with their sales and marketing cycle.   Delaying will not be an option.  Remember when I said for centuries buyers and sellers had always walked side-by-side?  Well, now your customers have taken one step ahead.  It’s time for you to catch up.

Minto Roy is President of Careers Today Canada and Vice-President of Snaptech Marketing Group: www.snaptechmarketing.com, www.mintoroy.net

With the Summer quickly approaching Job seekers in Canada often find themselves at the mercy of conflicting job-search information and opinions on how to best secure a career.   One of the greatest mis-conceptions that job-seekers face is the stero-type that the summer season is a terrible time to look for a new career.  Nothing could be further from the truth!

Here are the Top Five myths about the summer hiring season and reality of what jobseeker need to know.
Myth #1
Companies slow down during the summer months and are not hiring.

Reality:
Fact is most businesses do not count on less business during the summer. Therefore, the need for quality staff remains crucial. In-fact many industries face hiring urgencies during the summer: tourism, hospitality, entertainment, construction, retail, government to name a few. These industries rely on other companies to support their businesses; supplier companies, partner companies and the businesses that their customers work for. All these companies remain active during the summer to support each other and take advantage of the increased in customers.
Myth #2
Hiring managers are all on vacations

Reality:
Most mangers take one week off during the summer,the rest take two weeks off. Last time I checked the summer season lasts 12 to 16 weeks. Furthermore, when a manager goes on vacation, they usually designate someone to handle business matters, including screening, interviewing and hiring.
Myth #3
It’s tough to get in-touch with decision makers during the summer months.

Reality:
Approximately 80% of hiring in Canada is done by SME’s (small to medium size companies.)  These companies are run by entrepreneurs.  Most entrepreneurs and business owners are not hard to get a hold of, THEY ARE JUST BUSY ALL THE TIME. They are running a company: operations, payroll, selling, marketing, bookkeeping, etc. Change your strategy if your having trouble reaching decision makers. Don’t blame it on the summer.

Also ask yourself, what are the ideal months to contact entrepreneurs?   Then answer is never.   Business owners are always busy.  They prioritize and return calls and emails when they feel it is of value to THEM not YOU to do so.  If they are not returning your calls, blame your approach and message not their busy schedules
Myth #4 University and College students are sending out tons for jobs making it more competitive.

Reality:
There are probably less resumes sent out in the summer. The typical jobseeker is less active in the summer months; family vacations, summer activities and the believing that the summer is a terrible time to look for work.

Also, students look for more transient work and want to return to their studies in September. Employers are not naïve, they realize students will be returning to school in the fall and most won’t hire a seasonal worker over someone they know will stay throughout the year and save their company the burden and expense of re-hiring in fall.

Myth #5
With the heat of the summer it’s ok to dress a more casual for a job interview.

Reality:
First impressions are first impressions, regardless of season. Make it a rule if you are searching for a career to always look professional. Wearing summer attire, such as shorts and tee-shirts, tight or short clothing that accentuates your new summer physic is not acceptable.

Ignore these summer employment myths and you’ll have a huge advantage as your competition waits for the September. Remain active with your job search and you could heat up your career this summer.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com 

www.snaptechmarketinggroup.com

www.mintoroy.net

Something truly amazing has occurred between buyers and sellers as a result of the Internet.  A completely new step in the behavior pattern of consumers has emerged.  A step so significant that it will demand businesses adjust their sales and marketing efforts to remain competitive.

Prior to this decade the business cycle between buyer and seller was simple and remained unchanged for centuries.  Historically, when a buyer was interested in a product, the seller presented features, benefits and their price. A successful sale validated their business as the ideal choice for a buyer.

 Now the rules have changed: the Internet has added a new step in the consumer buying cycle.  Businesses must now anticipate that their customers are utilizing the Internet and adjust their sales and marketing strategy so they don’t lose customers.

This new step now allows consumers to consistently research, review, compare and even buy without ever talking to anyone at the company or with a sales person.   Prior to the Internet, typical consumers had little choice but to deal directly with businesses and their sales staff when making buying decisions.

 Looking ahead into the next decade, consumers using the Internet as a credible sales resource will have a profound impact on how companies build and maintain their online presence. Companies can be certain their customers will review multiple competitor websites before, during and even after their purchase. As a result you must ensure that your online marketing is effective, engaging, informative and capable of selling without the physical presence of a sales person.

 Here are three crucial adjustments that businesses can now make to effectively deal with the new step taken by the consumer during the buying cycle.

1. Develop and consistently improve your company’s website and overall online presence.  Do not design brochure sites that simply present products and services.  Websites should be developed on the philosophy of sincere engagement; that means it’s not about you, it’s about your customer and what is important to them today.  Make it easy for your customers to recognize that you are thinking about them and make it easier for them to find the solutions and advice for their needs.
2. Confirm that your corporate sales process and communication scripts are consistent with your online marketing. If not, make the required adjustments.  Many companies invest in innovative websites that draw consumer interest but do little to re-align or elevate their sales scripts. You need to ensure there is no disjoint between marketing and sales communication with clients and potential clients.
3. Provide more than one reason for your clients and potential clients to visit and stay on your site.  Most websites have only one obvious call to action: “Contact Us”.  Consumers often feel too intimidated to call, believing that you will try to sell them something.   Provide secondary or third options for them to consider: a free consultation, trial offer, white papers or an interactive survey.

With increasing regularity consumers are adding the step of using the Internet as a part of their buying process. It’s imperative that companies realize this and also forward with their sales and marketing cycle.   Delaying will not be an option.  Remember when I said for centuries buyers and sellers had always walked side-by-side?  Well, now your customers have taken one step ahead.  It’s time for you to catch up.

Minto Roy

Careers Today Canada

 www.mintoroy.net

Very few people make six figures and very few people will ever make six figures consistently.
It’s not because very few people have a talent to earn six figures. In fact, I have met thousands of professionals with the talent, education, experience that exceed those that earn six figures consistently. Most talented professionals simply don’t know how to enter this income bracket and remain consistently there year after year.

One hundred thousand dollars a year seems to represent the holy grail of income levels for most professionals. A validation to themselves, their peers and their families. A badge of recognition in the competitive workforce that you are successful and at the top of your game.
However, this income bracket symbolizes more just money. Personally it represents a level of lifestyle coveted by most people. A chance to live beyond the monthly bills and live a life full of options for you and your family.

Professionally it is viewed as validation by an employer that you are crucial to their organization. Within the company there is enhanced recognition your peers, exciting and important responsibilities are a daily part of your role, there is management opportunities and decision making capacity.

These perks remain elusive to the majority of professionals unless more people learn how to market themselves effectively. Having the right talent, experience and education alone is only part of the battle. An effective and competitive marketing campaign is crucial.
Competing for six figure position comes with an initial realization that this compensation represents the top 2 % of the paying jobs within an employment market. Therefore, looking to get into this market requires a different job search strategy as those being utilized by others making less than six figures. The other 98% of people conducting a job search.
Think about it. Would you market a Lada with the same methodology as Mercedes? Does Starbucks market its five dollar coffee with the same methodology as cafe that sells coffee for a dollar? How a product is marketed is immensely important to the perceived value by the consumer.

So if you are professional looking to secure at six figure position, then remember your the product in a very competitive and complex market. Appreciate that you are competing against other talented products for those 2% of higher bracket jobs. So what’s your marketing strategy? How are you going to differentiate yourself from the other quality products competing against you for the employer?

Most professionals market themselves with a document called a resume, typically a few pieces of paper that outline a jobseekers skills, experiences, achievements and education. A resume is most common form of marketing communications used by job seekers. A document filled with history about a candidates past. However, in speaking with thousands of hiring managers, I’ve come to realize that most are interested in what an employee can do for them in the future, not in the past.

A past history and accomplishments are of course important, but in reality candidates competing at this level are all very good and most great past work histories. A past focused resumes is a very ineffective way to set anyone apart and we know why people use resumes.
Everyone does it and no-one knows what else to do when job hunting.

Mercedes does not rely on marketing their automobile as only fast and with a good warranty. Simply because almost every car over 100K is fast and has a good warranty. Mercedes like all premium products recognizes that marketing given variables and common product features rarely help the consumer select their product.

Consider a simple marketing concept to your job search. If you are trying to divide yourself out from the rest of the market why use the exact same marketing strategy as the rest of the market and hope to be seen as unique? How can the end consumer (the employer), set you apart?

Hiring at six figures has also become extremely difficult for both sides of the hiring desk. Executive Managers have limited time to review resumes and don’t have months to screen candidates, they have hours. Managers are at the mercy of screening candidates through past focused resumes speaking very little about what they bring to their companies future.
It’s crucial that higher bracket professionals initially engage employers with future focused documents and dialogue. Marketing focused on the future. Do not rely on a resume of what has been done in the past. Market the vision of your future and you gain a definitive edge against their competition below and above six figures.

I will follow up with upcoming articles that will hopefully provide insights into getting in and staying in the higher bracket income. Articles related to constructing a value proposition, negotiating six figure salary packages, interviewing questions and answers and the mindset of what executive managers look for when they are hiring their next six figure employee.

The six figure world is truly a world of abundance, not merely about money, but about am abundant belief. A belief to share ideas and information to help others reach their professional and personal goals. I hope this insight propels your career and motivates you to achieve your next level.

There is plenty of room at the top.

Minto Roy

Here are Top 5 Things Not to Do when creating a competitive resume to set yourself apart from your competition. But first a quick ‘Marketing 101 lesson for jobseekers,

“If you are trying to set yourself apart from other jobseekers in the marketplace, don’t market yourself with the exact same methodology as the rest of your competition and hope to stand out.”

Most jobseekers traditionally use a resume to showcase their value. The resume showcases their past accomplishments, past experiences and past education. However, after speaking with hundreds of hiring managers, I am reminded that these managers are far more interested in what a candidate can do for them in the future, not what they have done in the past.

However, only a fraction of the resume focuses on the jobseeker’s future. The “objective section”, usually the lead paragraph, is the only part of the resume that contains any information about the jobseeker’s future objective. But most objective statements are vague and contain never ending clichés.

Objective: “seasoned professional looking for a dynamic and challenging position with a growth oriented company. A great team player, willing to work hard, flexible, loyal, etc…”

In hopes of being unique most job seekers provide employers with identically formatted marketing documents and statements hoping to set themselves apart as being unique. So here are 5 Things Not to Do when trying to create a unique resume

Number One

Don’t be too general and say the same things as every other job seeker.
Employers assume that you are honest, loyal and a team player. No employer disqualifies you right away and says, “Hey, this guy didn’t say he was honest, hardworking and loyal in his resume, he’s out!”

Number Two

Don’t assume that your resume has to showcase every one of your experiences and accomplishments.

Including everything you’ve done in your career doesn’t increase your odds of getting the job or another job at the company. Don’t hope that employers might look deeper at your qualification and figure out that you are qualified for another opportunity within the company.

Number Three

Don’t use words that are long term or process oriented words when describing your achievements. Use a short term, action oriented bursts. Write dialogue to attract the reader’s interest and emotions.

Number Four

Don’t go back more than a decade with your experiences and achievements. Even that’s a long time. Respectfully, not many people care about what you did ten years ago…It’s over. Remember, keep the focus of your resume on what you can do in the future.

Number Five

Make the end of the resume count. Remember, most people remember what they read at the beginning and at the end. End uniquely, by creating an exciting explanation of your passions and interests outside of work.

The end of your resume should provide employers insight into your competitive drive, your creativity, your commitment to charity, volunteer work, how you might save the world!

Be bold, be creative, use the final part of your resume to compel the hiring manager to want to meet the professional and the personality behind the document.

Don’t grab the first low hanging offer that waves a few dollars at you. A committed job search requires focus, strategy and unrelenting dedication until the objective is achieved.

2. Drastically increase your career options by targeting opportunities in the SME Market.

Small to Medium Size Enterprises represent approx. 95% of companies in the economy, therefore, they do 95% of the hiring, but these companies are often ignored or unknown to most job seekers.

3. Create powerful skills and achievement narratives.

Narratives are exciting short-burst descriptions of your skills and achievements used in your resume and overall marketing campaign. Narratives must be compelling and unique to showcase your value to employers. Stay away from cliché’s and vague statements like, “I’m a people person, team player, honest and hardworking, loyal and looking for a challenge.”

4. Showcase your future not your past

Send hiring managers future-focused resumes not past-focused documents. Hiring managers are far more interested in what you can do for them in the future than what you have done in the past. But the only thing typical resumes talk about is…hmm, your past.

5. Work your job search strategy from the top down, not bottom up

Try networking or securing interviews two levels up from your income level. If you’re looking for a job at 50K, you better interview with people who make 80-100K. They are the ones who make the final decision to hire you. If you are looking for a job at 100K, it’s hard to believe the person in HR earning 50 K can make the decision to hire you.

6. Prepare for your interviews with the same intensity as you did for your University finals.

On average, most jobseekers spend 1-2 hours preparing for an interview that may change their lives, yet most spent days studying for their University final exams.

7. Network consistently and with sincere engagement

Never ask a company if they are hiring! Only by taking a sincere interest in a company’s goals and challenges will they then take a sincere interest in your career objectives.

8. Negotiate the entire package when you get an offer.

Salary, benefits, performance bonuses, stock options, paid vacations, review assessments, training allowances, flex hours, ++ Most jobseekers are either too scared to counter offer or don’t know all the perks available in this red-hot job market by employers hungry for talent.

9. Your career is where you spend the majority of your day! Hire a professional to help you land that great career.

Your friends and family may have the very best intentions but do they really have the time, market insight and resources to ensure that you get that great career? The right career expert will provide years of expertise, market insight and resources AND hold you accountable to help you land that great career. So, have a beer with your buddies, but do not rely on them to be your primary source of job search advice.

10. Finally, Just do it! What have you got to lose?

If you’re not happy with your current job, then take the chance to go after something better. If it doesn’t work out, you won’t have any problem finding a job that you don’t want, the market is full of them. In-fact, you don’t even need any of the last nine tips to get a job you don’t like!

Minto Roy

First off, let’s be honest.

The employment market is in incredible change. Mixed messages surround companies and jobseekers that make both sides of the hiring desk extremely confused and uncertain.

Just a few months ago newspapers screamed of 1000′s of jobs going unfilled. The labour-market was red-hot. Now these same news mediums feature movie-trailer-panic-ridden headlines about the doom of our economy and report thousands of lay-offs.

Jobseekers became very accustomed to having the choice of multiple employers vying for their services. They developed a casual arrogance that comes from being “chased” and never having to “chase”. But that same jobseekers must now realize that no one is chasing them, no-one is waiting around the corner to offer them a great new job.

Folks, the world has changed.

General Motors is threatening bankruptcy, we have an African-American President and my monthly gas payments are more than my monthly car payments.

There are still tremendous opportunities in this marketplace. However, jobseekers must now learn how to effectively and competitively market themselves to land a great new career. But, a warning to employers who have started to feel too comfortable about this employment market-swing. This is now, a more vital time for your company to develop a tactical strategy to recruit and retain talent. 
Many companies have in-fact downsized. Thousands of professionals across Canada are searching for new jobs. However, companies have been careful to retain their most talented staff and let go employees that were expendable or did not perform.

Employers looking to hire talent must now weed through hundreds of more unqualified applicants to find the right candidate and the right fit. Without a recruitment plan, resources or expertise, managers may find that they may spend more time hiring the wrong person. During the red-hot labour, the worst thing was simply, that you could not find anyone! Remember, that hiring the wrong person is far more expensive and destructive to your company than hiring no-one

So with the realization on how important a hiring and retention strategy is, take this test to determine how well 
prepared your company is to find and keep the best talent. 
Answer each question honestly and remember that most employers state that there number one asset is their people. Yet when asked to outline their market-competitive strategy to recruit and retain the best people, many avoid the question or simply have no response.

Each question is based on a scale from 1 to 10, ten being the highest.

At the bottom of this article I will give you the average score out of 40, from hundreds of managers that I have interviewed from my 15 years of working with companies helping them recruit and retain talent.

Question 1:

During business hours what is the percentage of time, you or your managers allocate to assessing, sourcing and engaging talent for your company’s competitive growth? 
I have found that most small to medium size business owners work 50-70 hours a week. They are frantically distracted with operations, employee issues, payables, receivables, selling, marketing, sweeping the floors, signing the checks, PAPERWORK! The time left to look at resumes is often relegated to after-hours or weekends. Hours when energy levels are at their lowest or are being shared with family obligations. 
Jobseekers should note that there is probably a lot of resume screening during kid’s soccer and hockey games. 
But seriously, if great people are truly the most important asset to your company, why then do most managers given them the least energetic, non- focused hours for screening and consideration?

Question 2:

How deep and well developed are your sources to find talent?
I am not speaking about posting a job on Craig’s list and waiting for hundreds of resume submissions. I am referring to a consistent strategy develop a deep bullpen of talent through corporate networking. A consistent plan to meet talented professionals and take interest in their career objectives, recognizing matches to your corporate objectives. Remember, the talent that you want is probably working. They have no need to look at posting boards and are uncomfortable sending confidential resumes to general emails. 
So how well developed is your talent bullpen?

Question 3:

How strong are your interview and engagement skills? 
Remember when you are interviewing, that talented professionals are probably meeting with multiple companies. Most employers however, have very limited professional interview training and lack a sincere engagement strategy to understand what motivates and how to motive talented jobseekers. Most entrepreneurs have tremendous passion and work ethic but lack communication skills to sell the vision of their job opportunity within a competitive marketplace.

Question 4

How well developed are your retention strategies: employee training and development, succession planning, recognition and rewards, life-balance, mentorship programs, etc…?
After meeting thousands of jobseekers, I have come to realize that their number one reason for seeking a new career is as a result of a lack of communication between themselves and managers. It is not enough simply to hire talent. It is equally as important to retain, develop and ensure that your employees understand how their career objectives relate to the company’s objectives. Remember, people don’t leave companies, people leave managers who lack the time to development and recognize their employees.
What was your total score out of 40?

These questions were not designed to be easy. Most entrepreneurs and managers realize after this test that they simply don’t have a great strategy in place. I have had hundreds of managers take this test. Managers from multi-national corporations to start-up companies consistently have scored about 15 out of 40.

A failing grade.

What might surprise you is that the higher up the corporate ladder that I have surveyed the lower the score. I believe corporate leaders answer these questions truly believing that their competitive edge in business is in-fact their people. They are very tough on their self assessment and are always looking to improve. They are fully aware that the war for top talent is constant, regardless of the economy! 
Admitting where they are weak and getting the help they need to find a solution is why they are vested with great responsibility. This strategy will work for success in life, not just with corporate recruitment. 
I will follow-up this article next month with some concrete ideas on how your business can attract, secure and retain the most talented professionals. There is no magic pill coming, these ideas will require; research, diligence, practice, consistency but they will work.

I welcome you to try the ideas and give me feedback.

After all, it’s only the most important part of your business.

Minto Roy
President 
Careers Today Canada
Mroy@careerstodaycanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

2. Large companies reducing staff run the risk of diminishing service quality to their clients. Reduced staff and fewer resources could mean that existing clients accustomed to premium service might be disappointed to learn that the representatives whom they always dealt with are gone. It’s a great time to pursue these clients who might now consider moving their business to your small business and deal directly with the owner.

3. Public support. In this era of corporate bailouts, outlandish corporate salaries and rollercoaster stock dips, the strength of small business and a customer’s access to the actual business owner is comforting to the public and consumer market. The public has far more trust in the mom and pop shop businesses than the corporate giants responsible for the plummeting stock market.

4. Small business is nimble and reactive. Corporate giants have thrown down their anchors in their attempts to ride the economic storm. Millions of “No More Spending Memos” have been sent across North America, corporate layoffs, salary rollback, no more travel, no more client lunches, dinners etc… Large corporations are making it harder for their sales staff to close new business. Small business can strategically target key clients traditionally held by the corporate giants. Small business can react and create innovative approaches, incentivise their sales reps to travel the red-eye and take advantage of every opportunity available to close new deals.

5. Global Thinking. Small business can initiate and launch into new markets, globally, where consumer markets want or need their products. Large corporations require significant re-structuring, re-tooling and significant capital to pursue new markets. Small business can decide tomorrow if they want to expand globally. No red tape required, small business comes with the freedom to hire an agent or a representative in China or India to sell their products via agent agreement and become international overnight.

So let the newspapers continue to grow their businesses and sell newspapers with negative stories of rampant layoffs, restructurings, large business contract cancellations and the decline of the corporate giants. It is all good news for small business.

Minto Roy
President 
Careers Today Canada
Mroy@careerstodaycanada.com
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net