Language skills include the ability to write and speak well, the ability to organize your thoughts clearly to help others to understand, and a predisposition to recognize the audience’s skills and adjust your own language appropriately. Language skills are critical because they are the most immediate reflection of your thinking to the rest of the world. It does not matter what your skills are, how good your ideas are, how great your insights are or how compelling your arguments are if you cannot get them out of your head and into the discussion.

You build language skills through practice, excellent editorial advice, and thoughtful exposure to the best writing and speaking you can find. Use TED.com to set your standards for verbal presentations and read the best writers you can. The subject does not matter. Try the New York Times, the Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, or the short stories of Hemingway. Pay attention not only to the content, but to how it is said or written. Consider taking a course in creative or business writing, find reasons to make business presentations, solicit honest feedback from people you trust, keep a daily journal or find other ways to practice these important crafts frequently. Even modest improvements in these skills can make big differences in how you are perceived at work, in a job search or in relationships.

Critical evaluation is the ability to recognize the quality of your own work in relationship to others. People good at critical evaluation do not agonize over their shortcomings, but recognize them and develop strategies to close the gaps. They have an equally clear-eyed view of what they do well and they know when and how to engage their strengths to maximum effect.

Develop your critical evaluation skills by getting into the habit of looking at your work with an unbiased eye and working with mentors to develop a clear external perspective of its quality. Strive constantly to improve your work, no matter how good it already is, and benchmark yourself against the very best you can find in your organization and industry. This will give you a better understanding of where and how your work compares to others.

Self-awareness is closely linked to critical evaluation, but includes not only your knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses, but your motivations, values, emotions, blind spots and hidden assumptions. People who are self-aware are less driven by the winds of their emotions and are better able to match their careers to their deeper personal motivators. They are often perceived to be smarter, calmer and are sought out by many for their advice and insights.

You develop self-awareness by careful and repeated self-examination of your internal landscape and how it effects your behavior and decisions. You do not develop self-awareness by reading about it – it is experiential and direct. Some people find meditation or therapy helpful in developing self-awareness, but they are not necessary. What is necessary is time with your thoughts and a willingness to examine and learn about your internal landscape, even when the discoveries are hard.

By the end of this week I will draft a new career goal statement.  It will begin with “I want . . .” and will include a clear statement of what I want to accomplish within a given time period.  Right now, I am expecting that time period to be the next 12 months, but who knows?  It could be longer.  A career goal, or any goal for that matter, has a greater chance of success of it is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound (S.M.A.R.T.).  An example I use when working with clients is:

“By the end of 2012, I want to have a new job in Boulder, Colorado or another mountain college town where I can earn at least $65,000 and use my systems analysis skills.”

By the second week of January, I will have re-answered the 8 questions in Tom Peter’s Personal Brand Equity Test.   Peter’s published the test in his 1997 book Circle of Innovation.  You can read more about them here.  These are powerful questions that can not only help you express your personal brand, but will help you discover whether your personal networks are supporting your brand and suggest some specific things you can do about it.  We recommend that all our clients use these questions as a beginning point for their work.

By the third week of January, I will have a written list of all significant career accomplishments I made in 2011.  This list will be added to my career portfolio, which includes copies of my current and former resumes, my annual accomplishment lists, addresses and contact information for all former bosses, all my personal residence addresses and the dates I lived at each.  Each accomplishment will include the business goal, the final outcomes and any metrics I can find.

By the end of January, I will have translated all the above into a 2012 revision of my career plan.  The plan will include:

• the goal;
• a list of my most important career assets, paying attention to credentials, performance indicators, skills and talents, and my network;
• a clear statement of the gaps in my assets and how I plan to close them; and
• a set of specific action steps.

Memberships in professional organizations: Job hunters often drop out of professional associations to save on cash while job hunting. A membership that allows continued attendance can be an important networking boost.

Gift certificates for career coaching services: Many career coaches (Career Investments included) offer gift certificates or at least allow you to purchase services for a friend or family member. This important benefit can help a job hunter accelerate his or her search and increase the likelihood of a positive outcome.

Professional development opportunities: Community colleges, state universities and private training facilities all offer training and certification courses that can increase someone’s career potential. Whether it is web design or advanced spreadsheeting, adding skills is an important job hunting strategy.

Starbucks or other coffee shop cards: You have to meet your network contacts somewhere. A coffee card is convenient and gives the job hunter a great place to interact or work.

Alumni association memberships: A year’s membership in the job hunter’s alumni association gives him or her access to other alums and to the university’s career services office. It is a powerful asset for anyone on the market.

Business cards for the job hunter: A great “leave behind,” especially for networking events. Consider adding a QR code to connect to the job hunter’s website or LinkedIn profile.

Clothing store gift certificates: New clothes can increase confidence and increase impressions.

Salon gift certificate: Underwriting the cost of a new ‘do or make-over will help anyone sustain their energy and boost their great looks.

Any of these gifts will be deeply appreciated by anyone in the midst of the hard job of finding the next great opportunity.

In an earlier post, I talked about using a  story to illustrate the phrase “strong communicator.”  Today I want to talk about using word choice to do the same thing.  In this case, the goal is to identify and eliminate what we call “generic language.”  These are words like “creative,” or “analytical.”

The problem is, most people don’t know when they are using generic language and when they are using lively, interesting language.  So here is a simple process to identify the words and phrases in written documents that may need work.  Once you have cleared them out of your writing, it will be easier to eliminate them from your spoken communications as well.

First, pick someone for whom you are writing — an imaginary audience of one.  He or she should be smart, interested in you, and definitely not in your field or work for your company.   I often use my brother.   He is very intelligent and cares about me, but his field of expertise and his professional experience is very different from mine.

Next, scan for jargon or words that are used in your industry or company.  Anything you might have to explain to your imaginary audience by saying “anyone in our industry will understand it” is suspect.  Mark them with a highlighter. Then go back and do another pass through.  Look for words that can have broad or multiple meanings.  They are a little harder to spot, so take your time.

Also watch for two or three generic terms stuck together in one, awesomely unclear phrase.  ”Results-oriented professional with strong communication and analysis skills.”  Sounds good.  I wonder what it means?  I would highlight “results-oriented,” “strong communication” and “analysis” for unpacking.  There may be three statements here if, in fact, the skills are not as generic as they sound.

Once you have identified your target words,  think about how you would explain them to your imaginary reader.   By “creative” do you mean that you are visually artistic, that you know how to do new product introductions, or that you can write unusual and compelling marketing copy?  By “analytical” do you mean that you are a master of Excel,  that you understand the human politics in a large organization, or you are a great at competitive intelligence ?

Then rewrite the sentences, eliminating or downplaying the generic language and replacing it with a simpler, straightforward explanation.

The jargon words need a bit of special treatment.  Most jargon can and should be completely eliminated, however, if you believe that someone may be scanning your resume for a particular word or phrase, then go ahead and use it.  But find a way to explain what exactly you mean by it.  That way, you help the uninitiated, showing yourself to be a “good communicator,” and you validate your expertise to the insider by showing that you really know what you are talking about.

I have been doing a lot of work recently with a company that has adopted a strategy of “lean manufacturing.”  That is a jargon term for a management and problem-solving system originally developed at Toyota and now used in many manufacturing environments with varying degrees of success.  If you have developed an expertise in the process, you may need to use the words “Lean Manufacturing” or the “Toyota Manufacturing System” but you need to be able to explain it.  Here is an example:

• Expert in shop floor implementation of Lean Manufacturing which uses a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste and waste processes in manufacturing.

Some of you will protest that this simpler writing style will take a lot more room and your resume is already too long.  That’s probably true.  So now it is time to go back and identify the underbrush that can be cleared out.  (See my post on resume writing). Remember that claiming to be good at everything is not credible.  Highlight the most impactful things and let the rest go.

This is a question I read on Tech Republic a few months ago. The article,  based on the book The 11 Laws of Likability by Michelle Tillis Lederman, came along with a short quiz you can take. The quiz sorts you into one of four categories:

• The Observer: Hangs back, watches what is happening, but doesn’t get involved
• The Reactor: Interested in connections, but wants someone else to take the lead
• The Initiator: Actively engaging, looking for opportunities, balanced
• The Director: Strategic and methodical

The questions gave me some great hints about the things I could improve – at least when I am in a very specific environment – the “networking event.”

The problem is, I HATE networking events. My natural style is to be an Observer. If I am in the groove, I can behave like a Reactor or, on very good days, an Initiator. But, to be completely truthful, you will usually find me in the corner with the potted plant.

So, what’s an introverted fella to do?

Here is what I found works for me. I noticed that when I am in a meeting working on a well-defined problem, I have plenty to say. I am pretty good at developing ideas, but I am especially good at pulling ideas out of others and hooking ideas together to make something bigger. It turns out, I spend a lot of time doing that for my Career Investments clients, too.

That got me to thinking. What if I could put myself into situations where I was doing that with people who don’t know me? It would give them a chance to see me in action, understand what I am good at and interested in.

I am turning that idea into a networking strategy. I volunteer to work with not-for-profits, community action groups, clubs and organizations to help them identify and solve some interesting or intractable problem. I am teaching myself techniques to better pull ideas out of people and document them quickly and in compelling ways.

Suddenly those “networking events” become a way to identify organizations or groups I might be able to work with. Through this technique, I have met some amazing people and turned what would be accidental, low-value meetings into high-value, relationship building interactions. Also, I have a lot more fun.

The results are pretty encouraging. The connections I make are strong and interesting, and yield great follow-up opportunities.

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Jim McKean is a Partner in Career Investments, a career services and talent management firm.  He works with clients every day to maximize their career options.  Check out our website at http://CareerInvestments.com to learn more.

Oh boy, do I remember what that feels like.

Hating your job, for whatever reason, is agony. After all, we spend nearly all of our waking time, at least 5 days a week, working. And if you are like me, when you are doing something you hate, you spend the rest of your waking time complaining about it. What a waste!

How do we get ourselves into these situations? Well, I know that when we are working with clients who hates their jobs, its usually because their skills and interests are completely mis-matched with the requirements of their job. But that doesn’t answer the question about how they got there.

Actually, the answer is surprising consistent. They listened to the goals or interests of someone else — instead of following their own passions, they followed their “shoulds.”

“Shoulds” are what I call all those expectations and goals we get from someone else — parents, society in general, and spouses are the most common culprits.

Taking a boring job because it’s what your father wanted for you, or because your significant other is risk-averse, might results in short-term benefits, but you may find yourself in long-term hell.

Here’s what we suggest to our clients who find themselves in this situation. Start with an honest evaluation of your strengths. Strengths, rather than weaknesses or “gaps,” provide real foundations for our thinking. If we devise a plan to get us doing more of what we are really good at, how can we not succeed?

One way to identify your strengths is to buy Tom Roth’s skinny little book, Strengths Finders 2.0. Roth and other researchers have identified 34 strength “themes” and have devised a way to identify your top five. Read the first couple of chapters for a better explanation, then jump on line and take the Strengths Finders test.

Download the results and read them carefully. Are you using these strengths every day, or are you doing what you “should” be doing — that is, fulfilling someone else’s idea of great performance?

In another of Roth’s books, Strengths-Based Leadership, he organizes the 34 themes into four general areas — Execution, Influencing, Relationship Building, and Strategic Thinking. Depending on your job, you may feel like you “should” be excellent at Execution, for instance. (Who doesn’t want some of that, after all?) But your skills may actually be focused in one of the other areas.

If they are, maybe you are mismatched and your “shoulds” are holding you hostage!

Let go of them and begin developing a career plan to move you out of your pain zone and into your strength.

I find staying on task the hardest thing to do, especially when I really don’t want to think about the problem or make those pesky networking phone calls.  Other tasks seem to throw themselves in front of me.

We work with clients every day who have this problem.  And to be completely honest, we have it ourselves.

The best solution we have found is to recruit and use an accountability partner.  This is someone who you respect and who you want to respect you.  Someone who won’t let you off the hook when you aren’t staying on task.  Here is a very simple way to make it work.

Set a recurring meeting time.  It could be as often as daily, but never longer than a week.  Think through what you need to get done before the next meeting and identify 3 to 5 high value tasks — tasks that deliver the greatest impact on your search.    Be careful to identify tasks that you have complete control over doing, not outcomes like, “book three interviews” that require someone else to do something.  Meet with your accountability partner and talk through these tasks.  Write them down and give a copy to your partner.

Some examples of tasks are:

• Make at least 10 network contacts by email or phone, 5 of which are new
• Hold at least 3 face-to-face network meetings
• Spend 4 hours researching 3 companies which interest me

At your next meeting, follow this agenda.

• What did you commit to doing last week?
• What did you actually do last week?
• What will you commit to for next week?
• What help do you need and where can you get it?

This is a very powerful method — if you actually use it.  I find that I actually get much more done than I commit to, but I have also found that there are a few potential pit falls.

Picking too many things:  This will lead to partial completion of your commitment list.  If you can handle more that 3 – 5, then just go ahead and do them.  But be aware that listing many tasks may mean that you have not done the hard thinking about which tasks are highest impact.

Being vague about the tasks:  If you say “Fix my resume,” it is hard to say whether you are done or not.  If you say “spend an hour on the resume,” both you and your accountability partner can tell when you have completed your commitment.  If that wasn’t enough time to get finished, then just keep working on it until it feels right or make a new commitment to return to the task at the next meeting.

Moving the meeting times:  Establishing a repeating pattern of accountability is a key to making progress.  Resist moving the meeting times around if you can.  Never move a meeting because you won’t be finished.  Go take your medicine.  That’s what makes it work.

Adopting these simple processes will help you move your job search — or any other project — ahead faster and with better results.

Here are a couple of pointers.

First, do not ask for clarification.  This should be an expected question and the interviewer is not so much asking for specific information as giving you an opportunity to showcase yourself.

Next, remember that the interviewer is interested in things relevant to the position.  Don’t talk about your hobbies or pets unless the job has something to do with them.  Instead think about a line that begins with something like “I have spent most of my career building skills in ….”  or “The position attracted me because it is the next logical step in my career.”

Follow that one sentence intro with 2 to 3 sentence synopsis of your career that supports the point you just made.  ”I began as a intern in the marketing department of PhatPharma, Inc and discovered I had talent for word play.  That led to my position as a copy writer at LoCal Agency and eventually a creative director at GlobalBrands.  There we won a national Wordy award for our campaign for homeless snails.  It has all been built on my love of and skill for finding exactly the right word.”

In just a few sentences you have drawn the arc of your career.   You have declared a theme, special skills with words and word play, that is interesting, unusual and, we hope, meaningful to the interviewer.

Finally, wrap it up by connecting this back to the position you are discussing.  ”I have followed ThisCo’s communication strategy for the last couple of years, and it is very exciting to think of adding my language skills to the firm’s impressive global communication program.”

Then stop.  This part is important, so let me repeat.  Stop.

The biggest mistake people make is to keep talking.  Instead, be comfortable with a moment of silence, smile and look expectantly at the interviewer.  The next question will follow quickly, I promise.

After confirming that none of the “bad decisions” involved breaking the law, we had an interesting talk about  career “failures.”  In this case, most people mean that they took jobs at which they were not successful.  Perhaps they even got fired.

In this case,my advice is to re-frame the experience, talk about lessons learned and get it off the table quickly.

Most people think of failures as examples of poor judgment, but in fact every failure is a learning moment.  They can also be signs of courage — a willingness to try something for which success was not guaranteed.  Re-framing a failure as an experiment or a growth moment gives you the opportunity to talk about what you learned and how you will apply that learning in your next job.

Of course, not all failures are courageous failed experiments.  Some are genuine screw-ups.  But even those can be given a “lessons learned” spin.  Consider this example.  A young manager discovers a serious error in judgment by one of his staff members who is also a friend.  He knows it was bad, but doesn’t think it is a firing offense.  The young manager’s boss disagrees and in the ensuing disagreement, my client utters the fatal words, “if he goes, I go.”  Of course, both get fired.

A lot of lessons can be learned from this incident.  One might be “never asked to be fired.”  It’s not a bad lesson, but it isn’t what hiring manager wants to hear.  A more relevant lesson might be “I learned some important things about how hard it is to be a manager of a friend, and that there are times when friendship needs to take a second seat.”

A lesson like this helps the hiring manager see the incident as a cause for real growth and understand how it adds value to you in the new position.

This is natural, I suppose.  Parents are looking at the sunk costs of an education, they worry about their son or daughter maturing into an independent adult, and one things leads to another….

So, this post is for all those parents.  It gives a few dos and don’ts for the parents who want to motivate but instead find themselves alienating their grad.

Don’t let your graduate operate without a plan.  We strongly prefer them to be written.  We think better and in more detail in writing than in our heads.  Look for evidence of specific dates by which activities will be completed.

Do recognize that your graduate is probably feeling left behind.  There is nothing more discouraging than watching your classmates move one while you are struggling.  Putting yourself in their shoes can help you better empathize with their emotional state.

Don’t nag or blame.  There is a fine line between being an “accountability partner” and  old fashioned nagging.  Nagging will trigger anger and resentment, and reinforce dependency. If you want to help, you need to ask for permission to play that role.

Be supportive.  Look for ways to partner with your child by reviewing cover letters and resumes for impact, helping them develop and refine their marketing message and offering your personal network to open contacts.

Don’t take over.   It might solve today’s problem, but you are not helping your child master this difficult but important life skill.

Do help your graduate understand that career management is a life skill.   Like other skills, it can be taught and learned. If you find it difficult to help, consider finding a respected mentor or career coach to help.

Don’t dismiss ideas.  Your graduate needs to own the agenda for his or her own career.  Besides, sometimes the strangest ideas work, and your graduate may be more familiar with recent job developments than you are.

Do focus on the big picture and priorities.  Should a recent graduate focus on finding a residence or a job, or both?  Helping your graduate to take in the big picture and prioritize from there can help improve the output of their efforts.

Don’t rule out internship or unpaid experiences.   Encourage your graduate to be clear about how they are going to leverage these experiences to benefit their career goals.

Do help your graduate monitor goals.  Establish a prearranged time and place to talk about what activities have happened and what they are planning to do next.  Do not blind-side them with these questions.  Arrange a time and place to talk about it.  We suggest a tradition of a weekly working breakfast at your favorite restaurant.

So, there are a few things you can do.  Do readers have other ideas or suggestions?  Or if you are a recent graduate, what do your parents do that drives you nuts?  How could they better help?