Susan Bernstein - Coach Speaker Author's blog

OK, so it's been like forever since I posted.

Don't shoot me.

I was busy finishing up my doctorate.  Yep.  Now I'm officially Dr. Susan Bernstein, the world's leading expert in integrating body awareness into major career change. 

I love meeting new people, even if it makes me a little nervous. But one set of words that I hear at mixers and networking events makes me really want to run for the hills. You may have uttered these words. And I want to share some alternatives with you, so that you'll make more connections, rather than having people dash off. Last night, I attended a fun networking event in Berkeley, full of people who are on LinkedIn. The event was hosted by Ilene Koehler, who set us up in speed-dating fashion, to mix and mingle for five minutes per "couple," and then move on.

About six months ago, I was flooded with invitations to join Facebook. I thought "You've gotta be kidding! Facebook? I graduated from college too many years ago. I'm not a 20-something anymore."

I poked around...and decided to give Facebook a whirl.

I'm so glad I did.

Facebook is a great place to...

Conducting a job search can be tiring -- it takes a lot of effort.

Why?

Because you don't know exactly when you'll actually accept a job offer, or even what job you'll actually take. If you knew the "what" and the "when," then you'd just work backwards and plan out your job search, right? If you knew you'd have a job in 3 months, then you could predict that one week before that, you'd have a final interview. And two weeks before that, you'd have a first interview. And three weeks before that, you'd send in your resume.

If you're a job seeker with a Blackberry, beware the syndrome that may plague your search...

Terse Reply Syndrome

According to their amazing tongue-in-cheek (or maybe this is really serious?) website Terse Reply Syndrome (TRS) affects many BlackBerry® users today. TRS is often associated with those who send email replies that are shorter than one sentence, pay no attention to tone, and disregard answering direct questions with any detail.

Here's a short quiz designed to help you better understand your symptoms and if they relate to TRS.

Ah, we all have beginnings. My introduction to the world of career coaching was as a career advisor to the MBA program at UC Berkeley. A typical day there consisted of seeing between 8 and 16 students for 30 to 60 minutes, to help them prepare for interviews. The students would come in to a teeny cubbyhole of an office, barely big enough for the two of us and a desk, without windows. Not the most cheery place to be, but not at all unlike some of the venues where interviews take place.

I'm a big fan of LinkedIn as a way to conduct a job search. It's great whether you're seeking a job in your existing industry and/or function, or making a big change.

LinkedIn has just added a new resource, corporate profiles, according to SF Chronicle staff writer Ellen Lee. Currently, over 160,000 employers are profiled, meaning you can get access to some interesting company insider scoops, like these (remember, these relate only to employees who are registered on LinkedIn, so the statistics are skewed):

* Yahoo employees tend to land at rival Google for their next job.

When I'm stressed out, I often want a quick and easy way to regain my composure. I've found that the easiest way to do that is to get back in touch with my body.

Today, I want to share with you a posting from my friend, Kate Henley, aka Ms. Mind-Body. It's what she calls a Cure for the I'm Too Busy to Relax Blues.

http://www.msmindbody.com/02-07-08-TooBusy.html

I've tried it. It works!

I no longer need to have my "back up against the wall," but now I've discovered that stretching my back opens up my breathing and my ideas.

Enjoy!
Susan

Susan Bernstein

I recently spoke with a woman who had been in a new job for three months, and she thought she was going loopy. The company was not at all what she had expected when she interviewed. Using conventional wisdom (outdated, in my opinion), some people might advise her to stay, to finish out a year with the company, so she can "look good" on her resume.

Ihatemyjob_2 Just today, I got an email from a new client who's very recently started a job search. He's fed up using the job search boards, like Monster.com and HotJobs, to find his job. Job search boards are fine...later in your job search, when you know what you're seeking...and as a part of your strategy, not the whole enchilada!