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Contact: Dave Patterson, dave@overthegap.com

Phone: (919) 524-1584; Website: www.overthegap.com

Become a Sought After Professional in Today’s Competitive Job Market

Discover the formula to achieve competetive domination and secure a position to carry you through these unpredictable times and future changes in your career.

(Raleigh, NC – August 2009) – A graph on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website presents the basic challenge for today’s jobseekers in one image. The chart of January unemployment stats for the past 10 years shows a fairly steady line from 1999 to 2008. But then there’s that huge leap from 4.9% to 7.6% from January ’08 to January ’09. And now, as of August ’09, the unemployment rate has jumped even higher to 9.5%. How do professionals and executives in the job market cope when landing a new position feels so daunting? Dave Patterson recognized the problem, and he knew he had solutions based on his own past employment successes. He decided to share the methods that had enabled him to transition quickly to a new job every 3 to 4 years over a 20-year career as an executive.

            “There are ways to make job changes successfully,” says Patterson, who now heads up the coaching firm, D. Patterson & Associates. “The key point is moving through the employment market as someone who clearly understands their value. Knowing exactly what you have to offer and effectively communicating that to someone who needs it.”

            In writing Over the Gap: An advanced career change, planning, and outplacement handbook for transitioning executives and professionals (ISBN-13: 978-0-615-31620-8), Patterson wanted to cut to the chase and present a streamlined system that would be effective for jobseekers who may be struggling. He knew that a major problem is that people are not going about their job search in the right way. Here’s his basic plan:

1.  Realize that you’re the CEO of Me, Inc. Patterson points out that times have changed. Professionals and executives can no longer depend on staying with one company for life and being taken care of. Instead you need to take charge of your career. Becoming the CEO of Me includes being aware that a jobseeker is a product in a marketplace—a product made from years of training, skills and one’s personality.

2.  Put time into figuring out who you are. “Most people don’t invest enough time in looking at themselves and their attributes,” says Patterson. He recommends taking “psychometric” tests, such as Myers-Briggs and others to get a deeper understanding of what makes up “you.” You’ll be looking at your abilities, aptitudes, attitudes, behavior, intelligence and more.

3.  Begin developing your “branded value proposition.” Creating this proposition starts with thinking of yourself as a product. How could you solve a company’s problems, produce a wanted outcome, or add value as an employee? Exercises in the book help the reader hone their brand and their value proposition. “The trick is to differentiate yourself,” he says. “Too few jobseekers know how they’ve made a real difference in their past jobs.”

4.  Create the “advertising messages” to sell your branded value. Effectively communicating the specific contribution you’ll make is crucial in Patterson’s system. The bottom line is that those who most clearly explain what they have to offer will land the jobs. In the book, readers will find key words and phrases to use that define distinct qualities and traits. In addition to wording your “branded value proposition,” Patterson also explains how to create your “elevator pitch” (a short pitch promoting yourself). There’s info on writing effective cover letters and resumes, too.

5.  Promote your branded value. Jobseekers can think of this as creating a PR campaign to get the word out on their product (you). Visibility is the goal thru online and offline activity, including circulating in your professional circle, information interviewing, social media, getting articles in print and on the Web, press releases, etc.

6.  Network like crazy. While expanding your network is part of promotion, Patterson sees this effort as so essential that he devoted a chapter to it. “The unadvertised word-of-mouth job market is the largest source of new career opportunities,” he says. Basically this is about relationship-building, by giving help as well as receiving it.

7.  Maintain your focus (but don’t burn out). Especially helpful to being efficient are 10 work-search forms presented in the book and offered to book purchasers as downloads online. “The forms enable jobseekers to stay organized and systematic in their efforts,” explains Patterson. “They also help them keep a positive mental attitude.” Everything, including your marketing strategies, how you’re doing with your work-search goals, details about targeted employers, networking info, etc., can be tracked.

8.  Prep for the interview. Patterson recommends carefully crafting what you will say during those precious moments in an interview. This includes knowing what to ask (to learn more about the open position and the company’s needs) as well as thinking through how you will verbally explain your “branded value proposition” (in this case that is your unique promise of value [what you can do] for that particular employer).

            Purchasers of the book, Over the Gap, will also have another way to get a leg up on the competition and to become a sought after professional—the opportunity of up to 2 free consults with an experienced and credentialed career coach from a leading university and the option to buy an additional 30-45 minute session at a 60% discount ($45). “The consults with the session will jumpstart your efforts,” says Patterson, “and it will help you maximize your potential in landing a job.” Additionally purchasers will have access to a free assessment and debrief valued at over $200 that will help them assess their current situation, define the desired outcome, needed changes and the action steps they need to take to get there.

            To get a grasp of the power of a “branded value proposition” and “self as product,” Patterson suggests you think of how we shop at the grocery store. There are many times during that shopping experience when we must choose between two food products. If we pick up two cans of soup, for example, and one tells us it has “No MSG,” that product will be the one we buy if this is what’s important to us. Getting hired is no different, he says. “Too many times, a jobseeker’s value is hidden in a sea of competing resumes,” observes Patterson. “Now more than ever, it’s essential to get the message of your value across. My book will show you how.”

            About the Author/D. Patterson & Associates:  David Patterson is a certified Business, Executive and Career Coach. He founded D. Patterson & Associations in Raleigh, North Carolina after 20 years as a business executive. Patterson and his group of experienced coaches provide workshops, executive coaching, and leadership team coaching for companies, as well as career coaching and seminars geared to the individual jobseeker.

The publication date for Patterson’s new book Over the Gap is September 2009.