Your smile, your voice, your humor, your personality. Yes, these can make you different – and memorable. Always leverage your assets.

If you are seeking a new job or new clients for your business, you need to know what makes you different. Then you need to research what companies you want to approach, find the “angle” and engage.

Here’s the good news: You are unique. No one else has your combination of background, work experience, education, personal experiences, special qualities and talents, likes and dislikes.

This combination of your unique background and experiences
is your competitive advantage.

Do an inventory (some call it “soul-searching”) of your history, your skills and your talents. Then, use today’s online tools to share your story with your target audience. If you’re looking for a new job, your resume is the starting point. Think of it as a marketing document that is the history of your life’s work. The format, construction and every word in your resume counts.

Less is more when marketing yourself and your services.
Be creative. Stand out.

Use fewer words to crystalize and focus your messages. Photos and video are powerful. Leverage social media and send multiple messages to your target audience. Here are some ideas that work:

- Put your LinkedIn URL on your resume.
- Make a short video, post it on YouTube, and send the link with your cover letter or business material.
- Use Twitter to share your interests, engage with like people and market your services.
- Write a blog to showcase your interests and communication skills.
- E-mail media editors and let them know you’d be a resource for future articles.
- Carefully select the photo you use and stick with it across all e-platforms.

Your approach and follow-up (your “process”) can also make you different. Here are a few tips that get response when writing e-mail:

- Use as few words as possible.
- Start with the person’s first name.
- Use bullets and white space for easy readability.
- Ask a question in the subject line.
- Use a professional, branded e-mail signature.
- If you don’t get a response, forward the same e-mail a few days later with the subject line: “Did You Receive?”

Consider everything you post or send electronically as public domain. One person can refer to another and your message could be broadcast to hundreds, even thousands. Make sure your posts and messages are professional and consistent. In the new digital age, people will do web searches on you. In an instant, anyone can Google your name. Make sure what comes up is all positive.

So, where do you start?

The old-fashioned way. Sit down and put pen to paper. Write three columns:
1. My business background (education, experience, etc.)
2. My personal life (likes and dislikes, etc.)
3. My special skills (abilities, personal style, etc.)

Now write a short paragraph (your brief bio) of no more than 300 words. This is what makes you different. This is your competitive advantage. Now package it, target market and share your unique story.

Are you a good conversationalist? It’s a critically important skill to succeed: For job seekers looking to land a new position and for companies, large and small, marketing their products and services. Today’s high impact conversations are online.

Being able to strike up a good conversation is key to achieving your goals,
whether you are interviewing for a job, commenting on a blog, or deal-making on the golf course.

When I prepare candidates for interviews, I focus on techniques to engage in conversation. As I like to say, “The best interviews are dialogues – questions and answers. They are conversations. People who engage their interviewers and ask the best questions are usually the ones who win the job.”

When you talk with people, personally and professionally, it’s important to know where they are coming from. In business, do a little research beforehand by googling their name. This will give you a window into what they are interested in. Learning about people and preparing – before your conversations – will take you a long way and help to distinguish you.

Mastering the conversation is key in the online world and social media. In all businesses, marketing and media are taking a greater role relative to sales. Carrying effective online conversations can be the difference in making or breaking an opportunity.

There’s an art to having a great conversation.
It’s about connecting with people in memorable ways – on an emotional level.

Good conversationalists know how to start conversations, ask engaging questions and respond thoughtfully. Great conversationalists are excellent listeners, ask questions about others’ interests, and make people feel good about the experience. (Yes, conversations should be an “experience”.)

The greatest conversationalists are memorable: They influence a person’s thinking in positive ways for the better. A proactive, upbeat communication style – when talking and writing – sprinkled with a little wit and humor goes a long way.

Three steps to having a great conversation:
1. Find out a little about people before you talk with them.
2. Take the initiative and connect with people you are interested in.
3. Be curious. Ask questions. Listen. Be open and natural. Use voice inflection.

Conversation platforms are: online (writing), phone (talking) and in-person meeting (seeing). Skype is interesting because it combines elements of all three. Whether you are writing or talking, smile and good thoughts will flow.

Keep in mind the engagement points.

If you look at my Twitter profile, you’ll see my interests: “travel, cars, wine, skiing” and “very fun dad!” These are my engagement points. Each person has them. With other social media like LinkedIn and Facebook, you can find out where people live, where they work, where they went to school. Anyone who strikes up a conversation with me on these, online or off, I’ll naturally engage.

Hung by my PC in my office are visual reminders of what I keep in mind throughout the day. One is from Mike Lipkin, a motivational speaker, who shares how to maximize conversations:

How To Make Every Conversation Count
1. Be excited by the prize.
2. Be inspired by your purpose.
3. Be masterful through your preparation.
4. Be connected through your caring.
5. Be focused by your listening.
6. Be magnetic in your language.
7. Be inviting through your openness.
8. Be responsive through your improvisation.
9. Be deliberate in your practice.
10. Be consistent through your conditioning.

Whether you are in sales or marketing, at a networking event or at a social party, striking up and holding great conversations is at the core of everything we do – and of achieving success. It starts with a positive frame of mind and a smile.

Over the past two decades, the art and science of recruiting has changed dramatically. I started recruiting in the early ’90s before PCs and the Internet. On my desk was a telephone, newspapers and directories. Remember the Rolodex?

Fast forward 20 years. Today, recruiters learn about companies and people through the web and social media. Myriad technologies (job sites, social media, ATS) assist in candidate research, lead generation and tracking.

In vogue is the science of recruiting. It is easier to source in a candidate-rich market using technology and the Internet. This is changing: The rebounding economy is increasing the demand for talent at all levels.

Technology can help find potential candidates.
But it can’t evaluate, recruit and secure talent.

Relationship recruiting expertise is needed now: Direct sourcing. Referral-based networking. Engaging potential candidates. Identifying, evaluating and motivating scarce talent. This takes experience and know-how. This is the art of recruiting.
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For Your Company

If your company is seeking to engage third party recruiters, I recommend to interview them first. What is their background, experience and education/credentials? Do they recruit in your industry and for positions you are hiring? How do they find and evaluate talent? What can you expect in terms of deliverables?

Great recruiters do these 5 things for companies:

1. Deep understanding. You can tell high caliber recruiters by the questions they ask. They do research on your company, industry and competitors. They ask insightful questions about the position and your company’s culture. They listen with a consultative style.

2. Direct sourcing. Great recruiters don’t rely on “Internet resumes”. They tap into their network and cold call high potentials. They develop relationships with high performers who may be open to a career move for the right opportunity. They can identify talent.

3. Focus on your open positions. Time is limited and you have multiple priorities. The best recruiters work closely with you on your schedule. They get to know your preferences and company’s interview process. They understand urgency to fill.

4. Execute a proven process. Great recruiters know what they will need to accomplish for you: Research. Sourcing. Screening. Interviewing. Arranging interviews. Negotiation. Closing. On-boarding. Feedback and follow-up every step of the way.

5. Deliver consistently. Top recruiters work quickly and are quality-oriented. Give them exclusivity and your positions will be a high priority. They know more recruiting assignments will come when hired candidates perform and stay with your company.

Great recruiters effectively counsel on counter-offers.
They will know if the selected candidate will accept an offer, before it is made.

Executive recruiters who work on senior level positions are sometimes called search consultants. They often partner with clients on retained searches. They provide the highest levels of service including in-depth candidate evaluations and search progress reports.

Unlike contingency recruiters, retained search consultants are driven to perform for their clients every time, no matter how challenging the search. Their reputations depend on it.
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For Job Seekers

If you’re looking for a new job or open to a career move, choose a professional recruiter like you would your doctor, attorney or financial advisor. Be selective. Be sure that you have a good rapport and you can trust him/her. Interview recruiters: Ask them how they work. Keep in mind: you are not paying them and their time, expertise and contacts are valuable.

Great recruiters do these 5 things for you:

1. Listen to what you want. Recruiters are motivated to help you get a new job because this is how they earn fees. Great recruiters get to know you on a deeper level. They listen to your desires and career interests. They work closely with you to find a position that will advance your career.

2. Help with a job search plan. Top recruiters have in-depth knowledge of the job search process. From resume consulting to interview preparation to employment negotiation, they work on your behalf. The best way to communicate: Be upfront and straightforward.

3. Open doors. Great recruiters have an established network of contacts in your industry. Many times they know about choice job openings before they’re made public. Your resume is referred directly to decision makers, giving you the inside track.

4. Advise and counsel. Imagine your own job search consultant at no cost to you. Great recruiters provide valuable feedback throughout your search. They help with your resume, with interviewing techniques and with making smart career decisions.

5. Deliver consistently. You can tell top recruiters by how they respond. They are action-oriented. They offer strategic and tactical job search advice. Most importantly, they get results: Interviews, then a position, with the company you want.
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In my experience, as both an executive recruiter and industry trainer;

Great recruiters are 1 in 100.
They are consultative, intuitive and results-oriented.

The best combine the art of recruiting – the human touch
with the science of recruiting – high tech techniques.

If you want to engage a great recruiter, say, “I want to partner with you” and promise to work exclusively. Give a timeframe 60 to 90 days to produce results.

As the economy grows, great recruiters will be in demand. They can be a huge asset to you. Find one who understands your needs and stick with them. They will deliver and make you look good.

Last weekend, I was exercising at my health club and I saw a friend. She is a doctor and she asked me, “How are you feeling today, Michael?” I paused, then answered, “What do you mean? Physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially?” She said, “Yeah, I know what you mean.” We both laughed.

My answer might be over the top for some. But, think about it: How often are all the facets of your life in synch? Every once in a while, you have an outstanding day. Right? One in which you’re clicking on all cylinders. Super productive. Happy. Time flies. You’re engaging. You’re succeeding. People sense this aura.

Some call it being in the “flow”, a peak state when your body, mind and spirit align. So, naturally, you want to recreate when you achieve flow. At the heart, it is about doing what you love and seeing the success of your activities. Being happy in your career is critical to your well being. See “9 Steps to Achieving Flow (and Happiness) in Your Work” http://bit.ly/aL2stq

What do you enjoy and what do you love? Define the differences. In my career, I enjoy the challenge of running my own business. I get satisfaction in helping people with their careers. I like to negotiate (believe it or not!) But, I love to train and inspire a group. I love to consult with businesses and give strategic advice. I love to coach my sons’ sports teams. I love to travel and explore new places.

Here are three ways I get into the flow:
- Exercise (relaxation of the body fuels creativity in the mind.) Before every training, you can always find me in the hotel gym.
- Taking action (reaching out to people, collaborating, brainstorming ideas.) If you’ve met me or talked with me, you know I get excited about visioning ideas into results.
- Helping others succeed (creating a plan and getting results). There’s no greater satisfaction to me then helping others achieve their goals. When I find a new job for a person, it is a “triple win” – for the company, the candidate and my firm.

What does flow have to do with attraction? Everything. Have you read the book or seen the movie, “The Secret“? http://bit.ly/9oStjW The universe is wired for attraction. On page 25, the book states:

“The law of attraction says like attracts like, so when you think a thought, you are also attracting like thoughts to you…your current thoughts are creating your future life…your thoughts become things.” Like a new house, a new partner, a new client, a new career.

You might be thinking, “This is really ‘out there’, Mike. Mystical stuff.” I hear you. I’m a realist, too. Here’s an example. This past summer, my business was slow. One week I was thinking hard that we needed new business in the pipeline. That same week, we were engaged on two new searches, three new training gigs and two employment expert cases.

Try it: Positively, think about what you want. Then take action and engage.

Two big take-always:
- Put yourself in positions to do what you love.
- Flow equals happiness and cash flow.

Social media networking is all the rage today. Which got me thinking. I should write about what isn’t getting as much play, but is still central to achieving results – whether it be finding a new job or developing new clients. In my experience, the best way to accomplish what you want is networking and meeting IRL – In Real Life.

Like online, networking IRL is an acquired skill. The more you do, the better you will get. Remember that people want to work with others who are upbeat and have a “can-do” personality. You can show them that in your networking.

It’s been said that the one constant is change.  In today’s fast-moving world this has never been more true.  New technologies, greater competition and restructuring industries demand new approaches to find the job you want.