I had a lovely evening last night at the Boston Symphony. (Thanks, UBS and Mike Haynes!) I was fortunate to be able to hear a brief, informal talk by one of the orchestra’s bass players, Ben Levy, in addition to an outstanding pre-concert talk about the night’s program.

Here are some interesting takeaways that relate to my favorite subject of career management:

• Passion sells! The woman who gave the pre-concert talk was so enthusiastic about her subject, so enthralled with the composers and their stories, that we in the audience couldn’t help but be swept up in her enthusiasm. When you’re talking to people about your job search, what you love to do, the kinds of opportunities you’re seeking, or the challenges of a particular job you’re interviewing for, be sure to show your knowledge, passion, and energy.
• Competition is fierce. As a “top 5″ national orchestra, and representing a steady gig for often itinerant musicians, Boston draws a huge applicant pool when a (rare) opening occurs. Just to get a live audition you have to beat out hundreds of other applicants sending in tapes, and the audition is a grueling two-day process that requires you to perform at your very best. I was fascinated to learn that the auditions are “blind” - candidates perform behind a screen, and the judging panel doesn’t know anything about age, appearance, gender, race, or any other factor that might influence their judgment. The decisions are based entirely on performance - a perfect example of Nick Corcodilos/Ask the Headhunter’s sage advice to “to the job in the interview.”
• Teamwork is everything. An orchestra is a team in perfect unison - each musician and instrument does something different, yet it all comes together into a harmonious whole. Yo-Yo Ma, one of the world’s most celebrated cellists, first wowed the audience with his lead performance in a Cello Concerto. His style is unique, and his cello made sounds that were nothing like any of the other instruments in the orchestra. Then, in the night’s final piece, Mr. Ma joined the cello section of the orchestra and blended flawlessly with the rest of the instruments during Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony. It was a brilliant finish to the evening.

Did I mention that Symphony Hall was sold out? Not bad for a freezing midweek night in January.

Nothing like hearing it from the horse’s mouth … or, in the case of job search, the recruiter’s.

I am impressed by the clarity, consistency, and honesty of these 100 tips shared by recruiters from EMC Corp. It’s a quick read but packed full of spot-on advice along with real recruiting stories (both horrifying and heartwarming).

Boiled down even further, the advice is simple yet profound: Know yourself, know your value to the company, be prepared. Never forget that job search is all about marketing and sales. Be passionate, curious, engaged, honest, sincere. Keep a positive attitude during what can be a long and frustrating process. Network!

And … have a great resume. If yours doesn’t showcase your skills, value, and successes, you’ll never get the chance to wow them in the interview.

I am very excited about story-telling techniques I learned at a workshop in New York on Saturday. Stories have an unmatched power to convey meaning and connect with an audience and are the very best way for job candidates to communicate their uniqueness and value.

What’s more, when you think about “universal” experiences - experiences that many people can relate to on personal level (emigrating to a new country, giving birth, surviving high school, choosing a career) - each experience is unique in its own way. Telling the story of your “universal” experience not only allows you to express your uniqueness, it connects deeply with your listenener who will tap into his or her own similar (but not identical) experience. I’m not suggesting that you discuss your birth experience or high school days during your executive interview, but do look for opportunities to share personal stories (as appropriate) and entice the interviewer to do the same.

For several years I’ve been using the “Tell Your Story” tagline for my business, representing my passion for helping my clients communicate their uniqueness in a way that is meaningful for their audience and helpful for their careers. The workshop I attended validated my approach and gave me some deeper insights and new tools to apply in my interview coaching sessions. And, I hope to wow them from the podium at my next presentation!

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m xx years old … and I look every day of it.” Nope, it’s always, “I’m xx years old … but I don’t look it!”

I am never sure how to reply when my clients (virtually all senior executives in in their 40s, 50s, and 60s) make that statement. I think what they’re trying to convey is their concern that their resume (which I’m writing for them) not make them appear “too old” and knock them out of the running before they get the chance for an interview - during which they’ll shine because of their youthful appearance!

While there’s no doubt that age discrimination does exist (and I know lots of techniques to disguise age on a resume), let’s take a step back for a minute and consider the issue from another angle:

If you’re interviewing for senior executive jobs, hiring authorities do not expect you to be in your 20s or 30s. They expect you to be mature and seasoned – in all the very positive aspects of those words that have taken on a bit of a stigma. If you are 50 and you look like you’re 30, you’ll probably have a hard time landing a job at the senior level! But let’s face it - how many 50-year-olds look 30?

In all reality, you do look roughly your age. And that age is the perfect age for the jobs you’re pursuing. So don’t worry too much about looking younger - on paper or in person - but for both, be sure to present the very best image that you possibly can. A great-looking suit, up-to-date haircut, trim physique, perfectly polished resume - all will help you create the image of a savvy, successful, up-to-date, high-energy professional. And isn’t that what companies are looking for … at any age?

Resume-writing colleague Arnie Bolt shared findings from a recent ExecuNet meeting he hosted, in which a panel of executive recruiters was asked how they work, how they evaluate candidates, and what they look for in resumes and other communications. Universally, the recruiters wanted to see an entire work history on the resume, even if it went back to the year “dot” and included irrelevant information.

My advice: Give them what they want - but not right away! Use your strategic, well written, concise, and on-target resume to spark that initial phone call. Then, if you are a strong candidate for one of their searches, go right ahead and give them chapter and verse on everything you’ve done. At that point, you’ve cleared the initial screening and won’t advance any farther unless you comply. But don’t shoot yourself in the foot by giving them what they think they want in your initial contact.

Let’s face it - you can’t possibly include everything you’ve done in your career on your resume. Go with the most high-impact, relevant, and meaningful information to incite interest. The resume is, after all, a marketing document. You can provide the entire prospectus once your audience is interested.

Verizon (telephone company) should answer their phones when you call them. Whole Foods should use good environmental practices. Hairdressers should have great hair. If these things DON’T happen, you lose faith in that individual or company!

The same is true for executives in a job search. Your resume content must match your elevator speech, your online profile, your networking chit-chat, your interview stories, and every other aspect of your career marketing messages to create a congruent, believable, provable image. All of the above should position you as “you” - just the best, brightest, most relevant “you” with regard to your current goals!

Love what Louise Fletcher has to say over at the Blue Sky blog: Calling Seth Godin on the carpet when he opines about job searching!

I agree 100% - both with Louise’s admiration of Seth’s marketing expertise and her disagreement with his career advice. To sum it up:

• Looking for a job does not mean sublimating your personality or corrupting yourself… not if you do it correctly.
• Self-employment is not for everyone!
• In every market there are opportunities. Good companies are still hiring, and smart, focused, value-oriented candidates will be found and hired.

Had a great interview a few weeks ago with producer Elsie Nolan of WBZ-TV, the Boston area’s CBS affiliate, all about how to recognize an impending downsizing and what to do about it.

Article and video clip here.

The bottom line, from my perspective, is that you always need to be alert to what’s happening in your department, at your company, in your industry, and in the economy in general. A downsizing or layoff shouldn’t come as a surprise. But regardless, if you lay the groundwork for long-term success throughout your career, you’ll find the landing much softer and the bounceback much quicker.

Things you should always be doing:

• Stay active in professional associations to build a network of contacts in your profession and/or industry.
• Create visibility for yourself by taking on leadership roles in those organizations and/or reaching out to leaders with feedback, ideas, comments, and compliments.
• Create visibility for yourself at work by volunteering for the tough assignments (and, of course, succeeding at them).
• Share your expertise - whatever it is - with others in your company, your industry, and the whole wide world through articles, comments, blogs, etc.
• Do your job really well! Track and measure your performance so when you say, “I’ve done a great job,” you can support that statement with facts and figures.
• Update your resume every 6 months or so. Be ready for opportunities that will come your way.

It’s not much fun reading the business pages of the newspaper today, or watching the nightly news or finance/business news shows. Page after page, story after story, it’s about layoffs, business closings, lack of capital, shrinkage of VC funding, and so forth. If you’re looking for a job, the future can seem bleak indeed!

I admit I am a bit of a Pollyanna, but I refuse to buy into the general gloom and doom. I know from my clients that companies ARE hiring, businesses ARE growing, and those that will succeed are not throwing in the towel - they are looking for leaders who will help them recognize and seize opportunities.

Make sure your message is all about opportunities spotted, costs controlled, smart expansion, vision and execution, and outperforming the competition. Be the astute leader who can steer a company through the rough waters and prepare for the economic upturn that will - undoubtedly - come.

If you’re unemployed, or even employed and actively looking for a new job, are you REALLY putting in the effort it takes to succeed?

If you’re like most Americans and Europeans, the answer is “no.”

Reported in Weddle’s excellent newsletter are the following statistics from a 2008 survey reported recently in  The Economist:

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 Length of time Unemployed Workers Spend Looking for a Job (per day)

• U.K.: 10 minutes
• Sweden: 10 minutes
• Germany: 10 minutes
• Spain: 20-30 minutes
• France: 20-30 minutes
• U.S.: 40 minutes

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In 10-40 minutes per day, what can you accomplish? Surf the web for the latest postings… dash off a couple of resumes… call one contact and give up when he or she has no leads for you.But just think what you could do if you devoted 2, 4, 6, or even 8 hours of your day to your job search - strategies and activities that will expand your horizons, your opportunities, and your results.

• Prepare and practice your “elevator pitch” so you can smoothly and confidently deliver it during an interview, at a formal networking event, or to a casually met acquaintance.
• Write out your greatest career “success stories” and practice relating them in a clear, compelling manner.
• Create a list of 50 people you can contact and make 10 phone calls per day to complete the list in a week. (Use your new elevator pitch for best results.) Make a new list next week.
• Review your resume and cover letters and edit/polish to perfection.
• Identify and research 10 companies that might be a good fit for you. Use LinkedIn and/or your personal network to connect to decision makers (or anyone) at those companies.
• Pick up the phone and call them! Use your referral as an introduction, then deliver a brief message about your potential value to the company. Ask for a meeting.
• Start a new list of companies next week.
• Read a book or online articles about trends in interviewing. Think about how you’ll respond, and practice your answers to tough questions.
• Review your interview wardrobe and replace, repair, polish, mend, or iron anything that looks less than perfect.
• Identify your top value points that you’ll want to communicate in your next interview. Focus on value to the company, not interest to you.
• Make an interview “cheat cheat” of your top value points and keywords for your success stories. Practice your interview responses using just the crib sheet.
• Call someone you know who’s unemployed and ask if you can be of help.

I could go on, but you get the point. Work the process and you’ll reap the rewards.