Great research tool - ELM

We in Minnesota have a wonderful resource available to find tons of information through easy searches. It is called ELM for the Electronic Library for Minnesota. The URL is www.elm4you.org and it is a storehouse of information. It gives Minnesota residents online access to magazine, journal (academic or business), newspaper, and encyclopedia articles, eBooks, and other information resources.

Who can use it? ELM is available to any Minnesota resident of any age with any subject interest. For job seekers, it is a great tool for researching a company where you may want to work. You can get lots of industry and occupation articles and detailed reports on specific companies. For larger corporations they often have a MarketLine or DataMonitor Report, which are comprehensive summaries of business data about a company.

You can also find articles and PDF books on job search topics and lots of other random stuff. It is very cool and you can get lost in it for a few hours easily.

Have fun,
  --Mike

"People will never forget how you made them feel"

I was just sitting around waiting for summer weather to arrive in Minnesota, and was browsing a book I like called “You, Inc.” The author, Harry Beckwith, has a few paragraphs on what people value, and I think it is relevant to the networking and interviewing parts of job search.

He calls it “What people Value” and he summarizes from research that shows that where people put their money is what they value. For example, oddly enough on the average people don’t tip any more for prompt efficient service at a restaurant than they do for poor service. However, they do tip more for a server who makes them feel good.

This may sound trivial, but it is not. It is Maya Angelou’s quote that you may have heard, “People will forget what you said; people will forget what you did; but people will never forget how you made them feel.” So, as you interact during networking or during an interview, remember to treat each person in a way that will make them feel good. Listen carefully. Recall a good experience you had together. Show sincere interest. Smile with a twinkle. Touch them on the arm. Think of what makes you feel warm and good when someone does it to you and do that toward others. And most of all, find someting about them that you appreciate and show it.

Good luck,

Mike