Video: Job-hunting tips from Morristown author Bill Jensen

Author Bill Jensen fields a question at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Morristown, scene of bi-monthly meeting of the Morris County Career Network. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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Bill Jensen, who has made a career out of simplifying work, offered simple advice yesterday for people in transition.

Know thyself.

“If you want to be pro-active, it’s about ‘Who am I? What’s important to me? What really matters to me?'” the author of Hacking Work, Work 2.0 and Simplicity said at the Morris County Career Network bi-monthly meeting at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown.

“Everything else is changeable,” Bill continued. “You can change your economic status and still be okay. You can change your industry and still be okay. So it’s know thyself personally, and know thyself professionally.”

About 100 men and women in transition turned out for the morning talk. Many were in their 50s; some have been seeking work since the economy tanked two years ago.

“Most everyone that’s here, unfortunately, is still stuck in marketing themselves according to an industry niche, a job title,” said Bill, 54, a Morristown resident. “Break down what you have according to global expertise. Are you a problem-solver? Are you a marketeer? Are you an organizer? What are the basic skills you have that you can transfer to any job, anywhere?”

bill jensen
Author Bill Jensen fields a question at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Morristown, scene of bi-monthly meeting of the Morris County Career Network. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Bill, a former art director, founded the Jensen Group in 1985. An author of five books about workplace issues, he is a popular lecturer who claims to have interviewed or surveyed more than 500,000 people around the world to research how they get work done.

He told yesterday’s audience to embrace change in the job market. That means accepting lower pay, and expecting to change jobs every year while performing freelance and volunteer work on the side.

“We have an old mental model of the workplace,” one with outmoded concepts such as security, he said.

“You are not living in a Dickens model anymore. If you want more porridge, you’ve got to go get it!”

That means starting with a brutally candid self-assessment, and then pitching your strengths concisely. You have just five seconds to grab an employer’s attention online, and only five minutes to do so in a face-to-face interview, Bill said.

An applicant, he said, should boil down his or her pitch to three points:

  • What’s the one thing the employer should know about you?
  • Why should the employer care?
  • What can do for the employer?

The message resonated with Cheryl Bonder, who is taking social media courses with an eye toward a new job in event and program planning.

“It’s a changing world, and we’ve got to jump on it,” said the Union County resident. “We’re looking for what we’ve always known, security. We want to plant ourselves and grow in a company. There is really no such thing anymore.”

John Gillen of Morristown was reading the end notes of Bill’s book, What Is Your Life’s Work? at the Morris County Library when he discovered the author lives in town. He invited Bill to address the networking group. John said he buys Bill’s basic premise: “Life is about transition. Work always will be a matter of transitions.”

Bob Loder, a Lebanon Township resident seeking a marketing job, welcomed Bill’s tips on electronic tools. “He has great insights, empowering people to look at themselves first rather than worrying about the technology.”

Bill cited technology guru John Perry Barlow, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and lyricist for the Grateful Dead, as a model for the future. The Dead allowed fans to record concerts, to spark interest in new albums and tours. John Perry Barlow advocates that approach for others, too.

“Give old knowledge for free. Charge for new knowledge,” Bill paraphrased. Do free consulting, give talks, volunteer at places that will make you stretch. “Give away as much as you can. You will find opportunities to charge.”

And while LinkedIn, YouTube and personal blogs are invaluable, your story matters more than a slick presentation.

“If you have a lousy story,” Bill said, “technology will only make it worse.”

BILL JENSEN’S RECOMMENDED WEBSITES FOR PEOPLE IN TRANSITION:

SimplerWork.com

Ted.com

Fast Company 30-Second MBA

Fast Company Work Smart

Ignite.Oreilly.com

TimeManagementNinja.com

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