Episode 76 – Mark Anthony Dyson of The Voice of the Jobseeker joins Marc Miller to read and respond to listener questions
Description:
In this episode, Marc works with his friend and fellow podcaster Mark Anthony Dyson to answer the questions on the minds of listeners of both their shows. Along the way, they share stories about themselves and others.
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[4:59] Q1: How do you break out of a job search rut?I’ve been on the job hunt for more than a year. I felt like I’ve tried everything with various resume formats, networking, industry associations, cold-calling and Toastmasters and I’ve had three final interviews with no offers. Would love your input, James from Akron.
[5:37] A1: Mark answers this question. The listener’s name is not a traditional American name. There may be bias involved. Mark also knows this listener never followed up after his interviews. Mark coaches people always to follow up with a thank you. Even send a card. Mark gives an example.
[8:43] Marc says, “be a polite pest.”
[8:59] Marc shares an example of one client who was put through eight hours of interviewing without a lunch break and then was told two of the interviewers thought he couldn’t keep up. The interviewer liked him, though, and put him in line for a different position. If you don’t ask, no one will tell you.
[10:48] Give gift cards also to ones who give you referrals. You want to be memorable.
[11:10] Q2: I’m under a lot of stress at work. At the same time, I’m looking for a new job and not getting anywhere. I’m thinking of quitting, getting healthy, and striking out on my job search. What do you think? Do you have any suggestions?
[11:30] A2: This client came to Marc a year-and-a-half ago. She was seriously stressed and threatening to bring charges against her boss for bullying. Marc suggested she go on disability leave. With a psychiatrist, she worked for three months on her mental health.
[12:14] When she came back, she was in a lot better shape than when she left. She also had learned what her boss’s triggering points were. She had learned methods for releasing her own stress and she took breaks to exercise. She’s getting close to finding that next job.
[13:20] Marc has had a couple of different client’s who’ve been able to go out on Disability and really focus on their health while maintaining their insurance benefits. Mark stresses getting the support of HR, especially if they know your manager has a tendency to drive people out because of his ways.
[14:44] Mark tells of a situation with the largest law office in the world, that he left because of horrific stress. Tell your spouse before you leave, though.
[18:23] Q3: I worked for a family business for so many years. So many jobs want references that aren’t family members. How do I reconcile no having references?
[21:12] A3: Mark gives examples of ways to leverage your management experience and good people for references you have had contact with over the years for the work you have done in a family business.
[23:37] Q4: I’m working on updating my LinkedIn profile and looking at the profiles of others who have jobs like mine. They all look so different. I’m confused on how to go about updating my LinkedIn profile. Can you give me some hints or guidelines?
[23:59] A4: There is no right way to write a LinkedIn profile. Think first, “What message do I want to deliver?” Do you want the kind of job you have now, or are you looking for something very different? Think about your hero image, your backdrop image, and your current job title, as well as of jobs you have had in the past.
[27:42] Marc discusses Alexander Buschek and how he moved in media towards digital transformation. Lean toward the career you want. Marc talks about one of the members of his online community and how he’s pruning his old connections and growing new ones in his preferred field.
[30:42] Mark tells how he has researched optimum job titles through Google. Make it a relevant title for the future, not for today, or for the past. Don’t say MSDOS programmer.
[32:14] Mark explains a hack to find titles through a Google search targeted toward LinkedIn. Marc has changed his title from Senior Training Manager to Senior Learning and Development Manager. That’s the trending title.
[34:29] Listen to Mark’s The Voice of JobSeekers, twice a month.
[36:26] Marc invites you to check back next week to hear Joe Harper talk about how to leverage your Small Business Development Center.
Mentioned in This Episode:
The Texas State Small Business Development Center