Finding a Job in the field of CRM

Finding a new job or the next job can be a very stressful or exhilarating experience. Most of us have been there at some time in our lives and want to help those family and friends who are in that place. One of the first tricks I share with my peeps is to recommend two books:

What Color is Your Parachute by Richard N. Bolles:

“There is no book that is more vital to job-hunting in this economy than WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? It has been honored and celebrated for nearly 40 years, but in our current global recession, the reason why it is so popular becomes painfully apparent: It works! People buy the book because it really, really works! Every year it has more timely and more helpful information than the year before, because it is updated, and often dramatically rewritten, for the current job market. But it always brings with it decades of experience and a worldwide network of contacts.

In good times, people use this book because it helps them find a new direction, change careers, and then move on with life. But it is in hard times that the book's true value is revealed. It teaches ways to find jobs when supposedly there are no jobs, and it provides a step-by-step plan (called the Flower Exercise) that gives people the edge over other job-hunters. Yes, in hard times like these, PARACHUTE becomes a lifesaver and a survival guide.” ~ Amazon.com

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie:

This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to "the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people." He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated.

He also emphasizes fundamental techniques for handling people without making them feel manipulated. Carnegie says you can make someone want to do what you want them to by seeing the situation from the other person's point of view and "arousing in the other person an eager want." You learn how to make people like you, win people over to your way of thinking, and change people without causing offense or arousing resentment. For instance, "let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers," and "talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person." Carnegie illustrates his points with anecdotes of historical figures, leaders of the business world, and everyday folks. ~ Amazon.com

My next bit of advice is about locating the right job in the right locale. I won’t go over the use of Monster.com, contract agencies, and employment agencies. I will say that if you read the two books above you will know that most jobs are found by networking with your family, friends, and peers. But I do want to mention the use of the social networking phenomenon such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace. I was looking on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM group on LInkedIn.com today, specifically in the Jobs tab. There are a lot of CRM job opportunities out there including International opportunities.

My final recommendation is making sure your resume is solid. Look at friends’ resumes in jobs you would like. Have you resume reviewed and then do it again. Refine your resume for the position you are applying for. I will leave a fuller discussion of resume crafting to a later blog post.

Good luck!