This post follows the same sort of theme as yesterday’s tips for women in the workforce, but this advice can really be used by both genders. Today we have a female executive, the CEO of Kenneth Cole to be exact, and the story of her rise to the top from the New York Times. Her message to everyone in the workforce is to ask for what you want, be assertive, and persistent. Read the article below to see how she made this philosophy work for herself until decision makers were calling her up and saying that what they wanted…was her!

By Jill Granoff as told to Amy Zipkin

Photo by David Turner for the NYT

I GREW up in an Orthodox Jewish household in Queens and on Long Island and went to a yeshiva. When it came time to go to college I chose Duke. I planned to major in psychology and to get a Ph.D. in industrial psychology; I think it was a faculty member who suggested that an M.B.A. would make me more marketable.

JILL GRANOFF

Chief executive, Kenneth Cole

AGE 47

ENJOYS Skiing with family and attending rock concerts.

FAVORITE QUOTATION “The future depends on what we do in the present.” – Gandhi

On my application to Columbia Business School, I wrote, “My goal is to become a management consultant.” I would be a psychologist to businesses instead of to individuals. I got full tuition and a stipend.

I had just turned 21 and was one of the youngest in my class. Most companies that came to campus to recruit for internships between the first and second year of business school weren’t interested in me because I had no work experience after my graduation from Duke.

My father was a photographer and was taking photos at A. T. Kearney, a management consulting company. He suggested that I apply. At my interview I was asked, “Why should we hire you?” I said, “It’s not what I’ve done but what I can do.”

I was hired that summer and joined the company full time after graduation. It had a very industrial client base in male-dominated industries. After one presentation to a board, I recall the client in charge saying, “I guess you have to run home now and make dinner.” The funny thing is, I don’t cook.

When several of the partners left to start their own consulting firm, I went along. I was asked to take the Estée Lauder Companies as a client because I used and understood the product.

After two years of consulting, I asked Fred Langhammer, who was then chief operating officer of the Estée Lauder Companies and would later be C.E.O., if he would hire me. I believe it’s important to ask for what you want. And I recall he said: “We don’t have M.B.A.’s. Where would I put you?”

I didn’t take no for an answer, and I was named his executive assistant.

I worked for Fred for three years and then felt it was time to work in a division. I met with Robin Burns, who was president of the Estée Lauder brand for the United States and Canada and an icon in the industry. She offered me a choice of marketing and sales positions. I asked if she’d create another opportunity, and she did. I became vice president of business and development for the Estée Lauder brand.

I worked with her for five years; she pushed me beyond what I thought my capabilities were. Once, when I was negotiating a beauty license, which I had never done before, she said, “You’re smart; you’ll figure it out.” She was great at sending notes of appreciation. I still have them. I learned the importance of cultivating loyalty.

Robin became C.E.O. and president of Victoria’s Secret Beauty in 1998, and I soon joined her there as executive vice president/chief administrative officer. When she retired, I was promoted to president and chief operating officer.

In August 2006, I joined Liz Claiborne Inc. as group president of retail and e-commerce, and within a year was promoted to executive vice president of direct brands, which included the Lucky Brand Jeans and Juicy Couture labels.

I was at Kennedy Airport in early 2008, getting ready to fly to Los Angeles, when my cellphone rang. The voice on the other end said, “Hi, this is Kenneth Cole.” I said, the Kenneth Cole? He asked if I wanted to get a cup of coffee when I returned from my trip.

If a headhunter had called me, I don’t know if I would have taken the call. The fact that Kenneth himself called spoke volumes about the company he had built. I met with him about 10 times in the next three months and joined as C.E.O. in May of last year.

My husband and two sons agree that it was a great decision. After all, this is a company that makes products they can wear.

Being an executive recruiter for 15 years means interviewing countless candidates. And while many of them have had stellar credentials and the perfect professional demeanor, there are just as many who don’t. I could compile my own list of crazy interview experiences and anecdotes, but today’s list from CNN and CareerBuilder sums it up pretty well. Take a look at the whole article here, which offered 43 strange and hilarious responses to interview questions that, needless to say, cost the candidate the position. I’ve picked out my favorite 20 below.

By Rachel Zupek

Tell us about a problem you had with a co-worker and how you resolved it

“The resolution was we were both fired.”- Jason Shindler, CEO, Curvine Web Solutions

Do you have any questions?

“Can we wrap this up fairly quickly? I have someplace I have to go.” - Bruce Campbell, vice president of marketing, Clare Computer Solutions

“What is your company’s policy on Monday absences?” – Campbell

“If this doesn’t work out can I call you to go out sometime?” – Christine Bolzan, founder of Graduate Career Coaching

“[The candidate asked,] ‘Can my dad call you to talk about the job and the training program? He is really upset I’m not going to medical school and wants someone to explain the Wall Street path to him.’ The dad did call. Then that dad’s friends called and I ended up doing a conference call with a group of concerned parents … long story.” – Bolzan

“If I get an offer, how long do I have before I have to take the drug test?” - Bolzan

“When you do background checks on candidates, do things like public drunkenness arrests come up?” – Bolzan

“So, how much do they pay you for doing these interviews?” – Jodi R.R. Smith, Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting

Why do you want to work for us?

“My old boss didn’t like me, so one day, I just left and never came back. And here I am!” – Matt Cowall, communications manager, Appia Communications

What are your weaknesses?

“I get angry easily and I went to jail for domestic violence. But I won’t get mad at you.” – Pechstein

“I had a job candidate tell me that she often oversleeps and has trouble getting out of bed in the morning.” – Linda Yaffe, certified executive coach

“I’m really not a big learner. You know … some people love learning and are always picking up new things, but that’s just not me. I’d much rather work at a place where the job is pretty stagnant and doesn’t change a lot.” – Michaele Charles, Voice Communications

Is there anything else I should know about you?

“You should probably know I mud wrestle on the weekends.” - Venne

Use three adjectives to describe yourself

“I hate questions like this.” - Katrina Meistering, manager of outreach, National Fatherhood Initiative

Tell of a time you made a mistake and how you dealt with it

“I stole some equipment from my old job, and I had to pay for its replacement.” – Meistering

Random responses

“[A] guy said he did not have a mailing address, as he was living in a gypsy camp at the airport.” — Sandra L. Flippo, SPHR

“I went into the lobby to pick up a candidate. As he stood up, his trousers fell to the floor! [He said] ‘Oh, my gosh — they told me I needed a suit for the interview. I’ve got no money — so I borrowed this thing. It’s too big!’” – Beth Ross, executive and career coach

“Wow — I’m not used to wearing dress shoes! My feet are killing me. Can I show you these bloody blisters?” – Bolzan

“May I have a cup of coffee? I think I may still be a little drunk from last night.” – Smith

(During a telephone call to schedule the interview) “Can we meet next month? I am currently incarcerated.”- Smith

It may be 2009, but there are still many challenges facing women in the workplace, some of which extend beyond the realm of salary differences.

As today’s column (see below) mentioned, my research assistant and I recently attended NY Women in Communications’ Night of the Coaches, a career coaching roundtable event featuring 10 career experts tackling all different career topics. One of the sessions my assistant attended was called “Stepping Up for Yourself Nicely with Words and Actions” and covered the  issues women face at work, specifcally regarding confidence and how to position ourselves  for success with certain words and body language.

The roundtable was led by Daylle Deanna Schwartz, President of Project Self-Empowerment, and the author of several books on the same topic. Schwartz described herself as a “recovering doormat” and a former “people pleaser” who learned to stand up for herself using kindness and assertiveness to get ahead in the music industry, a male-dominated field.

Schwartz said she struggled to be respected at work, because when she was more demanding she was often viewed as nasty, rather than assertive– an issue she did not see happening to men. But overtime she developed strategies to command the attention and respect of her colleagues both male and female. Schwartz overcame her confidence issues and learned to lead without stepping on other people and  became one of the first women to start her own record label. Here are some of the tips she offered:

Never yell or raise your voice. It only gives the other half of the argument what they want– the license to call you unreasonable. Even with employees, if you’re the boss and you want better results, intimidation is never the answer.

“I don’t raise my voice, that gives people what they want,” she said.  “If you come at someone with honey and serious intentions, you get serious results.”

In addressing difficult issues such as confronting a disrespectful or even ineffective coworker, Schwartz said, flattery and empathy is the way to go. Start by pointing out a positive thing they do and express your understanding of the challenges of their job before jumping into the criticism you need to dole out.

She also placed a great deal of emphasis on body language and annunciation. Speaking slowly and calmly projects an air of confidence and keeps your voice from shaking, she advised. Likewise, standing up straight and leaning forward while talking to someone creates a less intimidating persona for yourself. Of course, eye contact and a firm handshake always help as well, Schwartz said.

Speaking with expectation was another area that Schwartz insists will get results. Rather than asking a colleague if they might be able to meet with you, ask them WHEN they can. You deserve the respect and attention it take to get your job done well, but it’s easy to allow people to ignore you if you don’t place expectation in your words.

Finally, Schwartz mentioned the importance of not putting ourselves down and not letting emotions control us. As women, we are emotional beings but not letting that take a hold and not beating ourselves up for making mistakes, allows us to respect ourselves more, in turn commanding the respect of others.

Schwartz opened up the workshop to discussion and many women voiced their own insecurities in their work environments such as not feeling a part of the team when all the other members are  men who talk about sports or other interests that exclude the only female member. Schwartz advised not to be afraid to confront the team members nicely about the issue and explain the desire to be a better part of the team. An employer could only view that as enthusiasm.

Do you have any experiences or advice for gender issues in the workplace?

Check back here soon for more information on the round table discussions at the WICI event.

By Beverly Weinstein

If you’re looking for some relief from the job search blues, there are plenty of organizations offering career seminars at an affordable price. They may be just what you need to lift your spirits and gain some solid career advice at the same time.

The prices to attend vary as widely as the organizations offering them and the caliber of the people leading them. Horizon Media did a free job advice session recently as a goodwill gesture. New York Women In Communications (WICI) offered an affordable “Night of the Coaches” open to members as well as non-members. The price was $41 for non-WICI members and as low as $16 for student members.

I thought I’d sample one of these seminars and along with my research assistant, took in four of the 10 WICI sessions. The evening featured 10 coaches and 10 different topics, ranging from Business Networking that Gets Results to Expanding your Freelance Career. The crowd was diverse, ranging from baby boomers to newly minted and recently laid-off millennial communications professionals. Although this is a women’s organization, there were a few men in attendance. While all sessions had something to offer, some were richer than others.

Here are some highlights: “Negotiating In a Tough Economy” was led by coach Alexandra Duran, founder of Career Transitioning. She offered some great advice and then opened the session up to Q&A, going around the table of 10 to make sure everyone had a chance to participate. The following are some of the key talking points:

• Women underestimate their value when they negotiate for a salary. They leave up to 25% on the table.

• Learn to negotiate better by practicing with a friend or colleague before you talk to the hiring manager about money.

• Make sure to negotiate for title, authority and resources to make ensure you’ll be successful in the new job.

• Don’t think you should be paid less even if it’s a tight economy.

• Never go into a job interview without first researching the company. It will help you demonstrate your value.

• When negotiating for title make sure you know what is standard at the company as well as within the industry.

“Entrepreneurship & Starting Your Own Business,” led by Terry Yoffe, managing director of Try Coaching, took a different approach. Yoffe spent the hour giving each member of her group time to talk about the business they wanted to start and encouraged other members of the group to offer advice and comments.

“Stepping Up for Yourself Nicely with Words and Actions” hosted by Daylle Deanna Schwartz, president of Project Self-Empowerment, focused on problems that plague women in the workforce. Schwartz, the author of several books on women and self-empowerment, suggested practical tips for working women on how to be heard and respected at work. Considerable focus was placed on basics before opening up to general discussion:

• The importance of your body language

• Annunciation and speaking slowly to portray an air of confidence

• Speaking with expectation, ie: not “Can we set up a meeting?” but “When are you available for a meeting?”

“Beyond Facebook: Surviving & Thriving in the new Digital Era” was led by Esmée, an interactive content producer, and focused on digital media and specifically on the go-to professional network, LinkedIn. Esmée showed a power point presentation detailing the specific areas of LinkedIn that should be utilized to up the ante on virtual networking, putting the most emphasis on joining Groups; making introductions to connect with new people; and participating in discussions to establish yourself as an expert in your field.

While the topic of social networking is far deeper than Esmée could delve into in the time allotted, it was a great starter course for beginners. For professionals really looking to become social media experts, however, a seminar devoted to the topic might be a more practical option.

This event was just one of the many that are held constantly nationwide. We’ll be alerting readers to upcoming events in New York we think will be helpful in the coming weeks.

Read the column on MediaPost.

*** Correction to today’s MediaPost column: The published article on Media Post contains an error regarding the name of Alexandra Duran of Alexandra Duran Career Transitioning. Please visit her website at www.alexandraduran.com or email her at alexandra@alexandraduran.com for more information on her great services. We apologize for the error in her name.***

By Beverly Weinstein

If you’re looking for some relief from the job search blues, there are plenty of organizations offering career seminars at an affordable price. They may be just what you need to lift your spirits and gain some solid career advice at the same time.

The prices to attend vary as widely as the organizations offering them and the caliber of the people leading them. Horizon Media did a free job advice session recently as a goodwill gesture. New York Women In Communications (WICI) offered an affordable “Night of the Coaches” open to members as well as non-members. The price was $41 for non-WICI members and as low as $16 for student members.

I thought I’d sample one of these seminars and along with my research assistant, took in four of the 10 WICI sessions. The evening featured 10 coaches and 10 different topics, ranging from Business Networking that Gets Results to Expanding your Freelance Career. The crowd was diverse, ranging from baby boomers to newly minted and recently laid-off millennial communications professionals. Although this is a women’s organization, there were a few men in attendance. While all sessions had something to offer, some were richer than others.

Here are some highlights: “Negotiating In a Tough Economy” was led by coach Alexandra Duran, founder of Career Transitioning. She offered some great advice and then opened the session up to Q&A, going around the table of 10 to make sure everyone had a chance to participate. The following are some of the key talking points:

• Women underestimate their value when they negotiate for a salary. They leave up to 25% on the table.

• Learn to negotiate better by practicing with a friend or colleague before you talk to the hiring manager about money.

• Make sure to negotiate for title, authority and resources to make ensure you’ll be successful in the new job.

• Don’t think you should be paid less even if it’s a tight economy.

• Never go into a job interview without first researching the company. It will help you demonstrate your value.

• When negotiating for title make sure you know what is standard at the company as well as within the industry.

“Entrepreneurship & Starting Your Own Business,” led by Terry Yoffe, managing director of Try Coaching, took a different approach. Yoffe spent the hour giving each member of her group time to talk about the business they wanted to start and encouraged other members of the group to offer advice and comments.

“Stepping Up for Yourself Nicely with Words and Actions” hosted by Daylle Deanna Schwartz, president of Project Self-Empowerment, focused on problems that plague women in the workforce. Schwartz, the author of several books on women and self-empowerment, suggested practical tips for working women on how to be heard and respected at work. Considerable focus was placed on basics before opening up to general discussion:

• The importance of your body language

• Annunciation and speaking slowly to portray an air of confidence

• Speaking with expectation, ie: not “Can we set up a meeting?” but “When are you available for a meeting?”

“Beyond Facebook: Surviving & Thriving in the new Digital Era” was led by Esmée, an interactive content producer, and focused on digital media and specifically on the go-to professional network, LinkedIn. Esmée showed a power point presentation detailing the specific areas of LinkedIn that should be utilized to up the ante on virtual networking, putting the most emphasis on joining Groups; making introductions to connect with new people; and participating in discussions to establish yourself as an expert in your field.

While the topic of social networking is far deeper than Esmée could delve into in the time allotted, it was a great starter course for beginners. For professionals really looking to become social media experts, however, a seminar devoted to the topic might be a more practical option.

This event was just one of the many that are held constantly nationwide. We’ll be alerting readers to upcoming events in New York we think will be helpful in the coming weeks.

Read the column on MediaPost.

*** Correction to today’s MediaPost column: The published article on Media Post contains an error regarding the name of Alexandra Duran of Alexandra Duran Career Transitioning. Please visit her website at www.alexandraduran.com or email her at alexandra@alexandraduran.com for more information on her great services. We apologize for the error in her name.***

This is a question most  job seekers are asking these days. Even with professionally written resumes, taking in coverletter and resume writing seminars, designing an online CV and portfolio, and all of the other resources and strategies available to make an application stand out, the majority of job seekers who apply to jobs online never hear back, not even a rejection letter. It’s frustrating, some might say rude, and ultimately deflating to never hear boo from a hiring manager. This weekend’s New York Times featured an article on this topic with a few reminders about what those hiring managers are facing  (i.e. thousands of applications for a single job, many of which are unqualified) and some tips on how to go above and beyond the application process to try and get some response or at least get noticed.

“First, the Internet has made it absurdly easy to apply for jobs. This means that unqualified people are clogging the system with their wing-and-a-prayer applications,” writes Phyllis Korkki, the author of the article.

“Then add rising numbers of unemployed people. More job seekers — qualified, unqualified and desperate — are hitting the send button. Acknowledgments are going by the wayside as recruiters confront hundreds of applications for a single job.

In fact, organizations received 75 percent more applications, on average, in the first half of 2009, compared with the same period in 2008, according to a survey by the Corporate Executive Board, a network of executives and a research company. Todd Safferstone, managing director of the company’s Recruiting Roundtable, said that one business advertised for a lawyer and received responses from 1,000 applicants — half of whom did not even have law degrees.”

The question remains, “But how do you make your highly qualified presence known without looking like a pest?”

“The best job seekers “take control of their application’s destiny,” said Kelly Renz, vice president for client services and human resources at Pinstripe, a recruitment outsourcing firm.

That means working hard to find a contact at the company who can be your advocate — or at least a conduit to the hiring manager. If you know someone at the company personally, ask him or her to forward your application to the right person.

If you don’t know anyone at the company, ask your friends and relatives if they do. If you have a Facebook page, post a polite plea there.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, the hiring manager’s name is not readily available. Often that is a corporate ploy — a way to prevent an avalanche of follow-up inquiries about online job postings.

But do some research. Look on the company’s Web site or do an Internet search for a name. Call the human resources department and ask the receptionist if he or she knows who is in charge of hiring.

Ms. Renz suggested another way to get a name: Go on LinkedIn and look for someone who works in the same department as the posted job. Contact that person: ask whether he or she knows who is hiring, and how that individual can be reached. You might also ask for more information about the job, Ms. Renz said.

Don’t ask new contacts to vouch for you; that’s not fair. Just make use of the information they can give you. If it’s the e-mail address of a hiring manager, resend your application and state that you remain very interested in the position and briefly reiterate your qualifications.

Obtaining an employee referral is a good move, as far as it goes. There is just one problem: Nowadays “the referral channel is jammed in the same way that other channels are jammed,” Mr. Safferstone said.

To break through, you may need to leave the online world behind and make an old-fashioned direct phone call to whomever is doing the hiring. But wield this call wisely.

Some managers may be annoyed if you call them, though others will see it as a sign of initiative. Daryl Pigat, manager of the Manhattan branch of OfficeTeam, the administrative division of Robert Half International, says that when he receives a phone call, it often causes him to pluck the person’s résumé out of the multitudes, because it’s a sign of a serious applicant. But wait at least a few days to give the company time to review applications, Mr. Pigat said.

When you do call, ask if you can take any further steps. But after that conversation, don’t call back unless you are told to do so. That would be venturing into pest territory.”

Korkki’s advice implies striking a delicate balance between enthusiastic and annoying is the way to make yourself seen. Bottom line, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, right? Just don’t squeak too much!

Art by Chris Reed via the New York Times.

Read the article at the New York Times online.

We’ve all agonized over a “deadline” before. Let this awesome video show you what you can accomplish with some hard work and patience. Boy, this must have taken patience. Take a look!

This edition of “The Steam Room” is a little less steamy and a little more helpful than the last. Today’s guest blogger goes by the nom de guerre, Penelope Golightly.
The blogosphere is full of top ten lists and do’s and don’ts for searching and landing a job.

Here’s another list on that theme, but with a twist; instead of do’s and don’ts, ratings of the most mentioned tips are served up for your summer salad of job-hunting:

1. Networking events in your core industry – 1 Stars
Regular life is networking, events are good to be seen, catch up with people and say hello. Expectations should be kept at a minimum for these.

2. Networking events slightly outside your core industry – 2 Stars
A winner because the business has more overlap then ever before. Spent your career in the TV sales? Maybe it’s time to attend one of the great digital conferences that are out there. You’ll see some folks you know, and meet some new people. You’ll also learn some things!

3. Reading-up – 4 Stars
There’s so much to read out there everyday and week (especially Bev’s column!) But I was once told that if you want your boss’s job, read what they read. So do a few trade-offs each week of something that you’ve been devouring forever for something new. It will broaden your perspective.

4. Twittering, Facebooking and Linked-In’ing – 5 Stars
Digital social networking has become so usual that it’s pretty much a must-do these days. To make this work stronger for you, create a regular plan for your Facebook and Twitter status updates and become someone that people want to read posts from.

5. Create a core group of advisors – 10 Stars
Pick people that you admire to be an advisor that you can check in with at least twice a month on a regular basis. Selecting people who are not only in a position to help you think through situations but can advance your brand is a plus.

6. Exploratory Interviews – 8 Stars
Practice will make you a better interviewer because you will get more comfortable hearing yourself talk. It will also take out any sting you may be feeling over leaving your last employers. Plus, exploratory interviews are a great way to meet recruiters and potential hiring managers. Someone recently told me to ‘practice your story about yourself and like it, because you are going to be telling it over and over’. These types of interviews are great to hone your story.

7. Create your Own Job – 6 Stars
This has been a frequently mentioned tactic; find a company you want to work for, look for gaps in their current staff and approach them on a role. Sounds good. Also sounds hard to do.

8. Be a guest Blogger – 7 Stars
Driving traffic to your own blog is tough, but being a guest-blogger gives you a built-in audience for what you want to say.

9. Polish Your Resume – 3 Stars
It’s hard to know if professional written resumes (or CV’s) are worth it because it depends so much on the audience. Polishing your resume might not be that important, but keeping it current, especially if you are doing pro-bono work is key.

10. Do some pro-bono work – 10 Stars
You want to work, right? Then take the plunge, and work for free in an area that interests you. You’ll broaden your mind, meet new people and maybe even create your own job along the way!

Being in the business of spouting career advice, I find that one of the best sources of advice for job seekers is sometimes overlooked and that’s those who have in fact accomplished this insurmountable feat, those who have found a job in these impossible times.

Not only do their stories give us insight into what it takes but they are inspiring and shed some positive light on the daunting matter at hand. The New York Times profiled one lucky victim of the recession who spent 6 months unemployed, but in the end came out on top and not just with any job, with a job he created for himself. Have a look…

By Joe Kroog As told to Patricia R. Olsen.

Photo by Kevin Moloney for The New York Times

LAST November, I was laid off from a database marketing company in Louisville, Colo., a Denver suburb, for economic reasons. Six months later, I found another position, at Kutenda, a provider of online marketing tools for small businesses, in Broomfield, Colo., also near Denver.

After a six-month job search — and some soul-searching — Joe Kroog, 36, is senior director of product management for Kutenda in Broomfield, Colo.

Several things about my job hunt surprised me, including its length. I thought it would only take a couple of weeks to find a new job, or at most two months. I never expected to be out of work six months.

Other people would probably say that six months doesn’t sound bad at all, but it was to me. Even though the news media played up the job losses and how bad the economy was, I wasn’t worried. I had been a technical product manager, and I thought I had good qualifications.

My wife, Jill, was supportive of my job hunt. She’s a stay-at-home mom and entrepreneur who gives seminars to new mothers on achieving balance in their lives. She kept reassuring me that something would come along and that I shouldn’t feel overwhelmed as the main provider.

We have two boys under the age of 6, and I wasn’t financially prepared for such a long layoff. We were going through our savings, and we started discussing whether Jill should go back to work full time, or perhaps find a part-time job with benefits. We decided that she’d need a salary of at least $50,000 if we were to put the boys in day care. She took a full-time job until I was hired and now works as a marketing consultant.

Now that I’ve settled into my new company, I’m of two minds about that period of unemployment. On one hand, I still think that my expectation wasn’tunrealistic. I honestly felt that I stood a better chance than many other candidates. It’s my competitive nature.

On the other hand, I’ve talked to a number of executives in a business organization I belong to — vice presidents, chief information officers and chief financial officers — who were out of work much longer than I was.

I followed the standard advice, and I think I did everything a job coach would have told me to do. I tapped into a network of colleagues and friends and told everyone I was job hunting. I got a few leads, but the job possibilities all fizzled.

That motivated me to try to build a bigger network, but after a while I decided that this wasn’t the best approach. I was spending too much time having to explain what I did as a product manager in the software industry. The role can differ, depending on the company and the industry.

I scoured the job boards and set up a search agent, which automatically sent job openings to me via e-mail. But nothing came of that, either. I looked for job leads on Facebook, too. Then I thought that Twitter might help. I tried following companies I had submitted a résumé to, and those I had heard were hiring. The volume of messages was overwhelming, however, and most of what I read had nothing to do with job leads.

Next, I set up a Google alert for job titles to see which companies were hiring, and I applied to them. That didn’t turn up any interviews, either. I decided instead to try to learn more about the companies that were posting the jobs.

Once, I ended up helping a company president define the position he wanted to fill. He kept mentioning the title of product manager, but I told him that the company needed someone who was concerned about future product strategy, too. I explained that in my experience, small technology companies often start with a good idea, assemble a development team, build the product and start marketing it. At the same time, they need to design a plan that considers their customers and addresses the future of the product.

That conversation made me do some soul-searching. I decided that I wanted to do more of what I had described to that executive. I wanted to be a product marketing manager, more customer- and market-focused than in my former product-manager position, which was an operations role and more technical.

I visualized what I wanted this position to be like and wrote a list of bullet items about the job and my ideal company.

I wanted to lead a team in a technology company and be responsible for a product line, and I wanted the opportunity for advancement. I also wanted to be involved in online marketing, which I believe is the way of the future.

I LEARNED about Kutenda when a contact in a business marketing association said her company had a marketing position available. The role was marketing coordinator, which was too junior for me. But I had read about the company and was interested in its technology. Kutenda manages Web sites, pay-per-click advertising campaigns and e-mail campaigns.

I told the contact from the association that if the company needed help in determining future product features, I was good at that. She talked to the C.E.O., and I interviewed with him.

When the two of us sat down together, I told him my ideas, he liked what I had to say and he hired me. I had never talked myself into a role in a company before.

I’m working on product strategy and market plans, and I’m developing ideas for new products. I feel that I’m perfectly suited for the job.

See the story at the New York Times.

I mentioned Visual CV in a column a few months ago as a stand out online resume builder and platform for sharing, networking, and job searching. Well along with all of that, they also have a blog where, last week, a column I wrote was featured. Take a look here or below. Also scroll down for a fun video Visual CV created to show you how it all works.

Dumbing Down your Resume: A Do or a Don’t?