I’m involved with recruiting over at InfoSource Learning.

Every month we receive a few hundred resumes.

And, we look at ‘em all.

Some closely, but most for mere seconds.

What’s the single fastest way you can get your resume tossed into the “doesn’t fit” box?

Failing to tell the recruiter why you’re right for the job.

Yet, most resumes come in without a note, without a letter, or any other hint or clue that helps us quickly determine if there’s a fit.

Am I too old school?  Sheesh, dunno, but I sure think that you’d want to pull out all the stops when trying to connect with an impress a prospective employer.

Blasting out resumes and making the recipient guess at the fit simply doesn’t work.  Period.

The below is a real intro note we received earlier today from someone with both BA and MBA degrees who was applying for one of our educational sales positions.

I am seeking a Professional Position with your organization that will allow me to utilize my analytical, organizational and planning skills that I have developed over the years. I am looking for a position that will afford me the opportunity to make use of my problem solving abilities in handling sensitive and confidential information. As a professional Educator, strong communicational skills both written and oral were developed over the years. This coupled, with my ability to multitask in a fast pace environment is one of my predominant strengths.  I have been blessed with the ability to interact with all levels of management.  During my educational career, I have had the opportunity to interact with 5 different school Superintendents, Administrators, Principal, Teachers, Resource Personnel, parents and students.  I believe this experience will make me a valuable part of your Human Resource Team.
 
Although I lack specific Human Resource experience, I am confident that my experience coupled with my MBA Degree will make me a valuable asset to your organization.

Do you know how many thousands of letters we’ve received over the years that look just about like that one?

Well, sir, that all looks great . . . but have you ever sold anything?  Why would you make a great sales person for us even though you’ve never sold anything?  And, since you want to work on our Human Resource Team, might you know if we have an opening there?  (Oh, yeah, and your communicational skills are right up there with the best of ‘em.)

Trash can.

Next?

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Curt Rosengren, over at The M.A.P Maker — Crafting a Life of Meaning, Abundance, and Passion, is doing something really interesting.

Feeling a bit hidden away as a solo, self-employed kind of guy, Curt was looking for a way to add a little creativity and change to his day-to-day life, so he set out to make contact and have a conversation (as in real conversation, over the telephone) with one person a day for 30 consecutive days — thus the 30-in-30 moniker.  Essentially, he wanted to talk to people that he’d only gotten to know via email, blogs, or websites. Read more »

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There are motivational speakers.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Pump you up, get you jazzed, and all that razzmatazz.

Have nothing agin’ ‘em; in fact, I usually come away feeling, well, pumped up, jazzed, and razzed after listening to one of these kinds of speakers.

Then, a day or two later, the energy fades.

So, it’s with such incredible pleasure that I tell you about a from-the-gut, from-the-heart motivational speaker we had the other day at InfoSource Learning.  And, where the energy has only been growing since the presentation we heard.

His name is Stephen Hopson, and he writes and speaks (from the heart, and from experience) about overcoming adversity.  His particular talk to us at InfoSource was on accepting yourself.

As the CEO at InfoSource Learning, I invited Stephen to share his background and how he overcomes problems and issues so that he can be a more productive person.  As a former went-from-$16,000-a-year-stock-broker-to-over-$300,000-plus-in-four-years-on-Wall-Street salesman, I wanted him to speak to our 35 or so sales and marketing employees.

The guy just flat out blew me away.

He’s funny, poignant, and meaningful . . . and he’s lived it . . . the accepting-yourself and overcoming-adversity part.

If you’re involved with an organization that might need a keynote speaker, I simply cannot recommend Stephen enough.

I’ve written about Stephen before, and I didn’t want to spoil the above by telling you “the rest of the story,” but you can learn more about him at this earlier post and at his Adversity University Blog.

The guy is the real deal.   Check him out.

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Check this out . . .  A link that might change your life.

Then, add a post here and let me know what you thought.

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A few days ago, I placed a post about a lady who’s looking to make a change in her life, along with some of my thoughts about where/how she could go about taking some initial steps.

See here for Part 1 of What Should Janet Do?

Basically, Janet feels stuck in the wrong job, mostly because of prior choices and family situations and perceptions.

As I was thinking about her plight, I happened upon some advice from Joe Vitale in The Attractor Factor that I’d like to share with you, and that, I believe, relates directly to Janet’s situation.

Here’s what Joe has to say:

1.  You are totally responsible for the experiences in your life.
That doesn’t mean that you caused them.  But on some level you attracted them. You are responsible for them.  That’s not good or bad.  Simply use the experiences to learn about yourself.  Get clear, and choose what you prefer to experience.

2.  You are absorbing beliefs from the culture itself.
If you are watching movies about violence, or reading the papers, or watching the news, you are filling your mind with the very vibe that will attract more of what you soaked up.  Mother Teresa said she would never attend an antiwar rally.  Why?  Because it contains the very energy that creates more war.  Watch what you absorb.  Choose what you want to attract.  Be aware.

3.  You are not ruler of the earth, but you have more power than you ever realized.
You can move mountains with the right thought and action.  Keep a balance of ego and spirit in your life, always striving to let your ego obey spirit.

4.  You can change your thoughts.
This often feels impossible to believe because it’s not normal for the vast majority of people.  But what you think is largely habit.  Start noticing what goes through your head.  If you don’t like it, start consciously changing it.  Choose new thoughts.

5.  You can do the impossible.
What you believe to be the restraints of time and space right now may simply be the limits of our current understanding.  No one knows what is impossible.  If you have an inclination to try something new and different, then so be it.  Go for it.  Make it so.  You may be creating a path never seen before.  Dare something worthy.

6.  Whatever image you add feeling to will manifest.
If you fear something, or love something, you are adding energy to it.  Anything you fear or love will tend to be attracted into your life.  Choose your passions wisely.

I think Joe’s onto something here, don’t you Dream Jobber?  And, what about you, Janet?  What do you think?

Advice and comments welcome.

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Kawasaki Question: TV is TV, real life is real life: What’s the most important real-life advice you can give to an entrepreneur?

Trump Answer: You have to love what you do. Without passion, great success is hard to come by. An entrepreneur will have tough times if he or she isn’t passionate about what they’re doing. People who love what they’re doing don’t give up. It’s never even a consideration. It’s a pretty simple formula. (emphasis mine)

For details and the full interview, go here to How to Change the World, Kawasaki’s blog.

Go, you Donald, go . . . you nailed that one, sir.

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Over at my sister site, Dream Jobs To Go, we run a free mentoring service whereby people can stop by and ask questions about anything career-related.

To give you an idea of the kinds of questions asked, and answers supplied, here’s a recent mini-Q&A.

Post From Woman Looking For Career Change:
I’m 25 and looking to make a career change. I have 7 years experience in event planning which includes marketing the events, but very little true advertising experience. I am currently working and attending Pepperdine University’s fully-employed MBA program which I will finish in 2008.

I have always been fascinated by really well-done advertising campaigns, and want to know how I can get into the business. 

Thanks for your time. 
 
My Response:
Thanks for stopping by.

A couple of ideas for you:

1. Why don’t you write a report about the advertising industry for one of your MBA classes? Then, call local agencies and ask them all of your questions about what it takes to break in, types of opportunities, and so forth.

2. Variation of #1. Forego the class/report and go straight to the agencies, but NOT as an immediate employee prospect. Most business owners and managers love to talk about their experiences, so approach senior people in local agencies and tell them your story and ask for their advice. Remember — your approach is not that you are applying for a job, you’re researching the industry to see if it’s something you’d like to become involved with. Most folks love to be mentors.

Good luck, and holler if other questions.

Adiós,

Michael
 

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Today I want to share part of a conversation I’ve been having with Stephen Hopson.  Stephen and I met through our interest in writing and article distribution on the Internet at the Ezine Articles site.

Click here for an earlier post I made in reference to Stephen’s incredible story.

MW:  From your website, I see you were born deaf.  How did you learn to speak?
 
Stephen:  For several years throughout elementary, junior, and senior high schools, I went through daily speech therapy sessions at school, with more at home with my mom.

MW:  Did you attend a deaf school or were you mainstreamed?
 
Stephen:  With the exception of kindergarten, I was put in the public school system where all of my teachers and peers were hearing.  I was often the only deaf student in the entire student body.

MW:  That’s really phenomenal, Stephen.  Of all the people in your life, can you name one or two who had a profound influence on you?
 
Stephen:  Mom and Dad (count as one) and Mrs. Jordan, my fifth-grade teacher. (Click Adversity University, Stephen’s blog, if you’d like to learn more about Stephen’s teacher.)
 
MW: You’ve experienced enormous success in the worlds of Wall Street and aviation by becoming an award-winning stockbroker and the world’s first deaf instrument-rated pilot.  How did you do it?
 
Stephen:  First off, I believe strongly in myself.  Secondly, I have faith in God’s ability to provide what I need in terms of having the right people in my life, the right resources at my disposal, and ideas to take action on.

MW:  Well, you must have a very strong grounding then.  Anything else that you would attribute your success to?

Stephen:  Sure, lots of things, but really it has come down to persistence, with the ability to be flexible with changing conditions and to have a strong passion for what I am doing.  I also try to stay very focused on whatever challenge I face, and to carry out ideas with integrity as best I can and know how.
 

MW:  What obstacles did you encounter on your way to success? 

Stephen:  Perhaps the single biggest thing is overcoming other people’s pre-conceived notions of what a deaf person is capable of doing.  I’ve also had to deal with a lot of rejection from potential customers.

MW:  Well, you must have really had a hard time, then, with getting your pilot’s license.

Stephen:  Sure did; the FAA regulations prohibit deaf pilots from becoming instrument rated, because they need to hear the radio while in the clouds.  Also, I have a tough time with people who mumble (MW side comment:  We all do, Stephen!), talk too fast, or have facial hair covering their lips, because I lip read.

MW:  How did you develop your writing skills?
 
Stephen:  After I left Wall Street in 1996 to pursue my dreams of becoming a motivational speaker, author, and pilot, I started a private dairy, letting myself write whatever came to mind.  This freed up any potential writers block and allowed me to access my creative writing skills.

Then later I did some writing exercises using Julie Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way, (MW Note:  The Artist’s Way is a phenomenal book — it’s by no means just for artist’s — and I put it in my Top5er list, so get it if you work with any sort of artistic, writing, or creative endeavor).

After that, I started submitting stories to various websites, eventually leading to the publication of three stories in best-selling books including Chicken Soup for the College Soul. Nowadays I write at least one article a day and submit to Ezine Articles, my blog, and my website.
 
MW:  When you give speeches, do you use sign language or do you speak on your own?
 
Stephen:  I speak on my own because most of my audiences are hearing.  On rare occasions I speak to deaf audiences where I use sign language for their benefit.
 
MW:  Stephen, a tough one now . . . you’ve obviously handled a bit of adversity in your life, so how do you keep going when the chips are down?
 
Stephen:  As I mentioned before, i have a strong faith in God and really believe that everything happens for a reason, even the challenges that come before me.  I view setbacks as opportunities in disguise.  I also believe that I have a special purpose in life – that I am here to help others succeed.
 
MW:  What are the most important qualities of a successful person?
 
Stephen:  That’s easy, Michael:  integrity and maintaining an attitude of gratitude. I go crazy from time to time with handwritten thank-you notes, thanking people for whatever they did for me, whether they had faith in my abilities, helped me with a referral, helped me with a sponsorship, gave me an opportunity to prove myself, or any number of other things that have helped me along the way.
 
MW:  Stephen, you’ve had so many wonderful experiences, but what was the most significant turning point in your life?
 
Stephen:  When I realized that I was born deaf for a purpose.  It became clear to me that I was given certain talents to make an impact on the world, and for me that was using my ability to speak articulately and in a way that audiences are able to bond with me.  This ability to communicate opens the way for them to learn, grow, and find their own life’s purpose.
 
MW:  How would you define success, then?

Stephen:  Success is seeing your dreams come to pass, especially when there was no evidence of it ever coming true in the first place.  Success is also being able to hit the pillow every night knowing you did your best to make a difference in other people’s lives and feeling a sense of inner peace about it.

MW:  As I think you know, Dream Jobs Dialog reaches a lot of life seekers and dream job searchers.  What advice would you give to someone who is unclear of their place on this planet and their role in the world of work?  In other words, how would you advise someone to seek their own dream job?

Stephen:  We are all here to serve others by carrying out our life’s purpose.  The way I found mine was by paying attention to my innermost passions.  I am successful because I always believed in the old adage, “Follow your passions and the money will follow.”  Yes, I’ve hit rough patches along the way (more than a few!), but I never starved nor was I ever without a roof over my head.  God has always come through for me simply because I believed and trusted. 
 
Start by writing down all your passions — think about the things you used to do as a child that made time fly by.  What were they?  Whatever they were most likely defines why you came here.   
 
If, on the other hand, those childhood passions no longer excite you (which is quite possible, because we do change as we get older), then I would encourage them to think about the things that you’re excited about today.  Then make a list.  Pray about it.  Believe in the possibilities.  Surround yourself with supporters.  And ,finally, listen to your intuition for ideas to take action on.

MW:  Thanks much, Stephen, it’s been great talking to you.  I hope you’ll stay in touch with us as things evolve in your life.

 

So, Dream Jobbers, holler if you have questions for Stephen of if this interview has sparked you in any way.

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I ran across Stephen Hopson at the Ezine Articles site on one of the forums there and we seemed to hit it off.  (Ezine Articles is a service that connects writers with online publishers who need content, so check it out if you’re a writer or need to write in order to promote your online activities and are looking to drive some traffic to your site.)

Then, when I learned more about Stephen, I realized that his story fits perfectly with many of the things we talk about here at Dream Jobs Dialog.

About motivation.

About success.

About having the courage to figure out why you’re here on this mortal coil, and then to go out and do something about it.

Here’s an excerpt from Stephen’s Site, reprinted here with his permission.

So, over to you, Stephen:

Let’s go on a little trip, if you will.  Open the stairwell to your imagination for a moment. 

Imagine . . . think in your mind what it would be like in your life to never have heard a sound . . . any sound.  You’re completely deaf and have been since birth.  You’ve never heard a baby’s cry, a bird chirp, an airplane’s roar, or worse yet, your mother’s reassuring words of comfort in a time of pain, need, or sorrow.  You are, in effect, virtually alone in a world of your own.

Now go deeper in your imagination.  If you’ve never heard a sound, that also means you’ve never heard a word articulated.  Think about that for a second.  If you’ve never heard a word articulated, how would you know, or better yet, how would you even learn how to pronounce a word . . . any word?

How would you distinguish between similar sounding words that were spelled the same or slightly differently?  For example, “The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert,” “They were too close to the door to close it,”  “Upon seeing a tear in the painting, I shed a tear.”

Sounds impossible, doesn’t it?  Do you think a totally deaf person could do it?  Do you think you could master the language if you were deaf yourself?

Stephen Hopson was born completely deaf.  He’s never in his life heard a grunt, a groan, or a peep.  Yet, he not only mastered the English language and become an accomplished professional speaker, but he’s also been a successful Wall Street stockbroker, and recently made aviation history by becoming the first deaf person ever to earn an instrument rating, a rating that actually requires hearing – something so-called experts considered would never happen in a million years.  Stephen proved them wrong.

If Stephen can master the spoken language and achieve the impossible, what’s stopping you from achieving your goals?  Goals that don’t require nearly the work, the effort, the time, and the discouragement that he’s encountered? 

ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE.  You just have to set your goals and they must be high.  Donald Trump thinks in multiple BILLIONS, not just enough to pay next month’s rent.  You have to develop a plan, muster your resources and then, most importantly, take action.

Okay, now go to Stephen’s site and click the link that will let you hear his recording.

The man is deaf, Dream Jobbers, and he’s a motivational speaker, for cryin’ out loud.

To hearing audiences.

This simply blows me away.  Really.

(So, I mean, this really does beg the question:  What are you doing with your life, your career, and your mission?)

Read Stephen’s words again, and think about that question as you do.

I’m going to see if I can get Stephen for an interview.

Please stand by.

In the meantime, let me know what you think.  Did you visit Stephen’s site, and what do you think?
 

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One of my old pals, and the President and business partner in my longest-running organization, InfoSource, Inc., Thomas W. Warrner, follows a set of internal operating principles to run a business.

One of these is something he calls WBT, or the Working Backwards Technique.

While what I’ll describe to you may seem quite simple — and it is — but it’s not always easy to implement in practice.

You see, most of us get all balled up in the details in many situations and we lose sight of our objectives, if indeed we even had any to begin with.

So, work it backwards, as TWW would tell you.

I’ve seen Tom use this technique while dealing with our managers and employees at InfoSource.  And, it works — every time.

So . . .

Define your end result first.  Don’t do anything until you’ve done that, and preferably have written it down.

In the case of your dream job quest, you need to define, first, what the ideal situation is for you.  (Of course, it helps if you can describe success even before that, but that’s for another topic and another day.)

Then, write it down — your dream job.  For an idea of how some others have done this, click here.  No need to get fancy, just describe the job as simply as possible.

For example, say your dream job is to run a charter-fishing business in the Caribbean.

Write that down.

Then, thinking about the end result (charter fishing in the Caribbean), describe the events, actions, or qualifications that will lead up to your objective.

Just list them out . . . at this point the order doesn’t matter.

So, in the case of your charter fishing business, you’ll need to have (probably, I’m not a charter-fishing pro) a suitable boat, a captain’s license, a business license, an advertising campaign, and a host of other things.

And, of course, if you don’t know how to run a boat in open water, you’ll want to add the necessary schooling to your list.

Then, put all those things in order, from beginning to end.

After that, start doing them.  One at a time.

We often fall short in shooting for our dreams because they seem so out of reach.  There’s so much to do to get to the end that we either never try or we give up too soon.

So, follow Warrner’s WBT and chunk up the action items, and pick ‘em off one at a time.

Let me know if you’ve used this technique sometime in your past and how it worked for you.

And, a tip-o-the-hat to Mr. Warrner.

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