Thursday, August 7, 2014

Enjoyable Presentation by Kim Coburn


‘Unless you have made a career out of job searching, it’s not going to come easy.’ 

These were the opening lines spoken by Kim Coburn, founder and principal of The Coburn Company, a leadership development and executive coaching firm.  Kim uses her past experiences, including time spent as a recruiter and working in HR, to offer coaching to job seekers and to develop leaders and teams.

Kim’s humor-laced presentation recommended clear, concise, efficient communication when networking or being interviewed.  (‘Remember - a job search should be 20% looking for jobs and 80% networking.’)  The summary used to introduce yourself, in person or in a resume, should include your title, your metrics (a way to measure your progress), and your competencies (your selling points).

What job title are you seeking?  I introduce myself as a Financial Analyst.  Have you been doing that job for more than six years?  Yes, I have.  So I should be introducing myself as an experienced Financial Analyst.

How do you know that you are good?  You need to provide metrics, recognizable measurements of your work history.  I have a proven track record of meeting deadlines and client satisfaction.

What are you selling?  This is your chance to let your interviewer know what they will be getting when they hire you.  I’m very organized, detail-oriented, with high level computer and communication skills.

After her overview, Kim engaged the group in an inter-active discussion to help us to come up with our own ‘bullet point’ metrics.  She capably counseled each person individually to help us to come up with clear, concise titles, metrics and selling points – with diverse job titles ranging from Jewelry Designer to Call Center Manager.

All participants agreed that we walked away from this seminar with some new and helpful ideas.  Kim offered us a new technique to look at the manner with which we introduce ourselves in person, and to summarize ourselves on our resume.


Posted by Linda Wagner

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