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Five ways to listen when "they" talk by Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.Recently "Jack" called for a resume consultation. As usual, the first step was a complimentary critique of his present resume. Jack's resume was quite good. In fact, I suggested he try testing with his professional network. "My next door neighbor didn't like it," Jack said. "She said to shorten my job summaries and add 'maintain active lifestyle' so I'd seem younger." "Is your neighbor a recruiter? A career consultant? A manager in your field?" "Oh no. But she seems to know what she's talking about." These days, we value opinions. Turn on a radio talk show and you'll find ordinary people weighing in on everything from diet to employment to legal strategy in criminal trials. Ebusiness owners ask R&D teams for feedback on copy, new products and pricing. And we all have friends, neighbors and/or family members who are eager to comment on every aspect of our lives. So when you're trying to make career and business decisions, use these tips to decide whether to listen when "they" talk. 1. Look for credibility when you consult any resource. The best way to assess expertise is to study what your advisor has written on websites and elsewhere. Does he have an original angle? Does she seem to have unique insights into situations like yours? Have their articles been reprinted elsewhere - on and off the web (which suggests others value their opinions)? 2. Discount sources that are obviously biased. An acquaintance recently told me she was thinking of moving. She's a great neighbor so I'm coming up with good reasons for her to stay where she is. Frankly, I think I'm right: people in her circumstances shouldn't make a geographic move. But am I biased? Oh yes! If a stranger called for a consultation, I might have a totally different response. 3. Find advisors who are enthusiastic and open to new ideas. Even when dealing with a Big Name, I like to ask directly, "What have you learned recently? What are you doing differently as compared to a six months or a year ago?" If the answer is, "Not much," it's time to move on. 4. Discover the power of "why" questions. Anyone who gives advice should be prepared to cite principles based on solid experience and research. For instance, you might ask, "Why is my copy so long? And why targeted to women?" Actually, research shows long copy works better than short copy - especially for higher-priced items. People who are interested in your service will want to see lots of content, even if they don't read every word. And targeted copy pulls better than "anything goes" -- even for attracting clients outside your target market. 5. Trust your intuition - but educate your intuition first. Jane considered hiring a famous writing guru to critique a nonfiction book proposal - but her intuition kept sending up red flags. Jane had done her homework. When her guru said, "The platform is important, but you need to focus on a hot topic," she tore up the check. She knew platform was crucial and most agents insist you can't identify what's going to be "hot" by the time a book comes out. Her educated intuition saved her time, money and frustration. As for Jack, whom we met at the beginning of this article: I suggested he show his resume to some managers who actually hire people in his field, and also get feedback from a reputable recruiter. All were impressed. His neighbor's suggestions, I believe, would actually have lowered his credibility. Jack ended up hiring me to bounce around some interviewing ideas, since his current resume was attracting interest. ************************************************************************* Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is a published author, career/business consultant, and speaker. Subscribe to Your Next Move Ezine: Read one each week and watch your choices grow! mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com http://www.cathygoodwin.com http://www.makewritingpay.com Play the Second Career Game to Win: http://tinyurl.com/7ag43
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