Dick Bolles didn’t show up fifteen minutes early.  10 minutes early he wasn’t there.  Two minutes early he wasn’t there.

Three minutes late, I decided to start.  Lots of people were on, lots of questions were coming in. I was honestly hoping Dick was okay…. we had communicated a number of times about this webinar and I knew he had it on his calendar.

Turns out, he was great.  I found out, twenty minutes into the call (when he came on), WHY he was late.  I don’t want to spoil it for you… he tells all when he joins the webinar.

This interview with Dick was different than I expected.  I wasn’t quite sure what to talk about or ask, but the audience came through and we spent the entire time on questions.

His answers, with over forty years of experience in the job seeker space, were different than I expected.  They surprised me.  I think they might surprise you, too.

The video is below.  You can get an archive of all of the Ask The Expert calls we’ve done here.  You can sign up for future Ask The Expert webinars here.

The Ask The Expert with Dick Bolles is Tuesday morning at 9am Mountain Time.  That is 8am PST, 10am CST and 11am EST.

Sign up here.

I just updated the video library to include the Ask The Expert calls we’ve done.  You can access the archives here.

On Tuesday, May 7th at 9am MOUNTAIN TIME, Dick Bolles will join us for the Ask The Expert call.

THE Dick Bolles.  The one who wrote (and continues to update) What Color Is Your Parachute.

This is one of the legends of career management and job search.

I was privileged to have lunch with Dick and his wife and it was delightful.  Fun conversation, great thinking.  One of the highlights of my career.

I’m excited to share this next conversation with you.

What questions would you ask him, if you there there?

Join us live on May 7th – sign up here.

I had the pleasure of interviewing and chatting with Nick Corcodilos for last week’s Ask The Headhunter.  It was a blast.  I had questions for Nick but the audience had a lot, too.

Here’s the conversation, enjoy!

Note: Vimeo video.  To make this full-size, push play and then on the bottom right click the icon that looks like this:

Yesterday Charlotte Weeks spent an hour with us talking about the Association Industry.  In my job search I had no interest in pursuing the industry but my eyes are now opened.  The last few minutes showed me how much opportunity there really is there.

Here’s the video (which is also in the Video Library):

I’ve realized that my “Video” page is really a Video Library.

And it makes a lot of sense to put the Ask The Experts recordings in the library.  So check this out: Ask The Experts Video Recordings.

You can access all of them.

I want to you sign up so you can ask questions, of course, but you can always access the recordings from the library… at no cost!

The next Ask The Experts is with Nick Corcodilos of Ask The Headhunter. Sign up here.  And submit your questions for Nick through the Contact Us.

I got an email from Ted Pierce, association executive in the San Francisco Bay Area, who says:

I’m an association executive looking for work in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere. I find there aren’t enough jobs in the Bay Area serving my profession. There are very few people in my expanding Bay Area network who can help me find this kind of work. Most trade associations and professional societies are located in Sacramento or Washington, D.C. The people I network with in Sacramento are not very open or helpful. Washington, D.C. employers don’t seem to take me seriously because I live in Walnut Creek, CA — even though I’m willing to relocate with my family if given an offer.

What should I do?

Next week (March 5) at 9am Mountain Time we are jumping on an Ask the Expert webinar with Charlotte Weeks, who wrote I Want to Work in an Association – Now What??? Here is Charlotte’s response to Ted:

I’m a big supporter of anyone who wants to work in the association industry. Associations are known as great employers, lead the pack when it comes to benefits, and provide pay that is often comparable to corporations.

Plus, as associations focus on serving a group of individuals united by a common cause, (often a trade or industry) these nonprofits emphasize adding value to their members over the bottom line.

I have heard many association employees say that it’s the best of both worlds – an opportunity to make a difference, while still making a good living.

Now back to Ted’s dilemma. He’s right – getting a job in a different part of the country can be challenging. Even for locals, organizations usually prefer referrals. Still, there are ways to build your relationships with decision makers in the association industry, whether they are in your hometown or in another city.

First, remember to JOIN associations. Many association employees start to think of them solely as employers and forget that there are organizations that support them – associations for associations.

The main one is ASAE, which is headquartered in Washington D.C. As a member, you’ll have access to 21,000 association professionals located throughout the country.

In addition, almost every state has an individual association. Ted, for example, could join the California Society of Association Executives, where he can get to know association professionals in different parts of the state.

Second, Ted mentions that many of the people he has been networking with haven’t been very open or helpful. I have noticed that a lot of people WANT to help, but don’t feel they have anything to give. Of course, they probably realize you’re looking for work and if they don’t have a job lead – the conversation ends.

Fortunately, there’s a solution! You can still establish a connection with someone and gain valuable information by following the REAP acronym. This stands for Read, Events, Activities, and People. As an example, you can ask a new connection, “Are there any other association professionals in Sacramento that you recommend I speak with?” or “What industry events do you regularly attend?” This also takes the pressure off of your contact which in turn could lead them to feel more comfortable networking with you in the future.

Finally, be sure to provide value to your networking contacts. You can follow the REAP format in reverse (i.e. pass on interesting articles or let them know if any activities they may want to attend). The key is to do this consistently – while it won’t open overnight, taking the time to build high-quality relationships will lead to more connections and job leads!

There are thousands and thousands of associations. I went to an AESE conference once and was amazed at how many associations were represented.

In my job search I never thought of an association as a “target company,” but maybe you should?

Sign up to join us next week as Charlotte and I talk more about getting a job in associations.

Here’s the recording from this morning’s Ask The Expert call:

This was a fun conversation.  We talked about a variety of things including:

• support from the spouse, family, friends
• consulting vs. developing products
• features vs. benefits (and what you are communicating)
• a “portfolio career” and a variety of income streams
• getting financing
• relationships, referrals, word of mouth and JibberJobber (as a CRM to use)
• and more.

Tim is smart and fun to talk with… check out the video.  His website is here: Tim’s Strategy

This is an exciting topic for me, especially since I’m working on 51 Alternatives to a Real Job.

Join us tomorrow morning at 9am Mountain Time.  This is a free webinar. Registration here.

While I’ve had this topic on my mind for years, and have talked about it in my presentations across the country, when Tim wrote the blog post Is It Really Possible To Make A Living With A Non Traditional Job?, I knew he was the right guy to interview for this month’s Ask The Expert.

Join us tomorrow?

Read Tim’s post and be mentally prepared.

You know I’m working on my next book, 51 Alternatives to a Real Job.

Join me and Tim Tyrell-Smith on Tuesday at 9am Mountain Time for a fun conversation about this topic.

Job seekers are tired of a bad economy, and the resume black hole, age discrimination, and maybe mostly trying to get a job that has no assurance that it will last.

The chat on Tuesday is all about how to create your own “income security.”

Free registration here!