A new year is upon us (along with a heck of a lot of snow), and many people like to set New Year’s Resolutions.
Goal setting is never a bad idea. As the saying goes, “if you don’t know where you are going, you might end up somewhere else.”
Goal setting relates a lot to career planning and I want to tell you of an interesting conversation I had with my older brother about career planning.
When we visited in the Fall we were sitting on the patio talking about jobs and stuff and I told him that I always considered his to be a great example of a well-planned career.
From my perspective he worked hard to get a PhD and positioned himself to do chemistry research at the Nat’l Institute of Health in Wash. D.C.
Then when research funds became scarce he went back to school and got a Master’s degree in Clinical Chemistry to position himself to work in industry.
When his division of his company was purchased by another corporation he worked there for a while but eventually he didn’t like the new management and took a buyout. He had built up an excellent background, network, experience and credentials for consulting. So, he became an independent consultant, and now when most people his age are retiring, he is still consulting and having the time of his life travelling internationally for business and getting paid very well. If he is home too long his wife eventually asks him when his next gig is, because he sort of disrupts her rhythm at home.
So, I told him I admired how he moved from research to industry to independent consulting always positioning himself for his next move. He looked at me and burst out laughing, and told me that that is not how it was at all. From his perspective he was just bouncing around (the real meaning of the word career, I think) and seizing the next opportunity as it presented itself. He didn’t feel there was much planning involved at all. He thought of it as simply reacting to circumstances.
I was somewhat relieved because that is always how I have thought of my career. Adapting to circumstances and seizing opportunities. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t some planning and preparation in there to some degree, but we rarely ever feel in control of our careers the way the term “career planning” makes it sound. So, good luck with your New Year’s Resolutions for 2011. I hope you reach your most important goals.
--Mike
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The skill of Listening
In career counseling we spend a lot of time coaching people to be more assertive and to speak up for themselves. In some cases, however, we need to coach people to spend more time listening. I interviewed someone for a job a few years ago, and once I asked my first question, I barely was able to get another question in at all. The candidate told me story after story about themselves in an over-caffeinated tempo that amazed me. I abandoned my list of questions and cut the interview short. Needless to say they did not get a second interview. Everyone gets nervous for a job interview, so if you are aware that you get more talkative when you are nervous, then it is a good idea to develop some other strategies for dealing with anxiety.
A good rule of thumb is that the interviewer should talk about 60 percent of the time and the interviewee should talk about 40 percent. This is because it should be a pretty even give and take since you each need to learn some things in order to make such an important decision like hiring. The interviewer usually needs to talk a little more because they need to orient you to the job, the company, the work and to ask you key questions.
The person being interviewed needs to keep the answers brief, focused and to the point. This conveys a sense of confidence and understanding of what the interviewer wants. The interview questions will usually be open ended questions, such as “tell me about a time when you had an important deadline and how you met it.” Hopefully you have prepared for this kind of question and you can answer with a summary (“I certainly understand how important deadlines are in this kind of work, and I have always been known to deliver on time and with great accuracy.”) and then tell a brief story that illustrates your point. (“I remember a time when we needed to complete an order in a big rush and I did X Y and Z to make it happen, and we met that deadline with two hours to spare.”)
The other extreme is when the interviewee doesn’t say enough to really sell themselves, but also doesn’t ask important questions to learn enough about the job and the company. I have been in job interviews where the interviewer wasn’t very skilled and talked way too much and didn’t have a chance to get to know me. Unfortunately, we run into unskilled interviewers all too often. Many companies don’t provide adequate training for their hiring managers.
In these cases the job seeker needs to be prepared to gently take over the interview and be sure to get all your key message points across. If the interviewer doesn’t ask the key question that allows you to talk about one of your main strengths, then you need to act as if they had, and politely tell them anyway. Some ways to do this are to say something like, “You may be wondering how I would do in a fast-paced operation such as this one. I am happy to say that working accurately at a rapid pace is one of my strengths and I much prefer being busy to being bored.” Another way to introduce it is to quote someone else. For example, “My previous supervisor always told me how much he appreciated my ability to multi-task in a very hectic environment.”
The power of listening is that it shows that you are interested, that you are thoughtful and that you are not just into yourself. Listen up, everyone!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tips for surviving Transition
by Bill Thurston, Vocational Counselor
About a year ago I started collecting stories from participants who had been in transition for a year or more. In workshops I started to see that I was learning more from the people who have “been there” than I could possibly teach. As they started getting jobs I began asking what it was that worked for them. What had they learned from all this?
For those of you who are out there and have lost some vitality, take heart, it will happen for you too. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
The following is a collection of stories from people who have survived and insights as to how they made it happen. Check back to this blog for more stories of success in the future!
1). As far as advice to others, for me it was an opportunity to go back to school and take additional training. I had the opportunity to network with new friends in my training classes.
Being laid off was one of the hardest events I have had to deal with in my life. Family support is very important. Being off work did give me time to bond more with my teenagers. I am glad they were old enough to experience this recession and endure the hardship of having to do without some things they took for granted. As we explained to them, this will happen again in their life time and they need to be conservative in their spending and plan for their future. Everyday my father-in-law and I would go to the gym and work out. Exercise is a great way to take your mind off the situation and help you feel good about yourself.
2). I was getting worried there for a while wondering if I would ever find a job. My advice is to let everyone you know that you are job hunting.
3). Here are my thoughts on the past year and a half...
I can't believe I didn't work for a year. When I look back I think of it as a nice vacation, a waste of 1 1/2 years, but most importantly time to focus on and spend with my family. My husband broke his leg and was laid off as well for the past 8 months, so things have been about as tough as it gets, in addition to having a newborn. I landed this job 1 week after my second unemployment extension ran out. I won't be making the money I wanted, nor at the level I wanted, but it is a job that will help me to contribute to my family and to feel good about myself.
This adventure has me thinking God had this in His plans all along. I'm not a very religious person, but I think He knew I needed to be available to help with our baby and help my husband with his broken leg. Anyway, what kept me motivated was calling my mom. She would ask me about once a week what I had done to find a job. She would help me find jobs online and in the paper, and so did many other family members. When I thought I was no good, she would remind me that I was good and that there were just too many people applying for the same jobs. And she was right! What doesn't work is searching for jobs that are great and not applying for them because you don't want to get rejected again. I landed this job through networking. I applied from an ad in the paper and noticed an old co-worker worked there (LinkedIn is great). And in interviews, I learned that if I'm just myself instead of trying the answer the question right, you'll have a much better chance. (Oh, and having a spouse at home and not working helped me get a job and out of the house! ;)
About a year ago I started collecting stories from participants who had been in transition for a year or more. In workshops I started to see that I was learning more from the people who have “been there” than I could possibly teach. As they started getting jobs I began asking what it was that worked for them. What had they learned from all this?
For those of you who are out there and have lost some vitality, take heart, it will happen for you too. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
The following is a collection of stories from people who have survived and insights as to how they made it happen. Check back to this blog for more stories of success in the future!
1). As far as advice to others, for me it was an opportunity to go back to school and take additional training. I had the opportunity to network with new friends in my training classes.
Being laid off was one of the hardest events I have had to deal with in my life. Family support is very important. Being off work did give me time to bond more with my teenagers. I am glad they were old enough to experience this recession and endure the hardship of having to do without some things they took for granted. As we explained to them, this will happen again in their life time and they need to be conservative in their spending and plan for their future. Everyday my father-in-law and I would go to the gym and work out. Exercise is a great way to take your mind off the situation and help you feel good about yourself.
2). I was getting worried there for a while wondering if I would ever find a job. My advice is to let everyone you know that you are job hunting.
3). Here are my thoughts on the past year and a half...
I can't believe I didn't work for a year. When I look back I think of it as a nice vacation, a waste of 1 1/2 years, but most importantly time to focus on and spend with my family. My husband broke his leg and was laid off as well for the past 8 months, so things have been about as tough as it gets, in addition to having a newborn. I landed this job 1 week after my second unemployment extension ran out. I won't be making the money I wanted, nor at the level I wanted, but it is a job that will help me to contribute to my family and to feel good about myself.
This adventure has me thinking God had this in His plans all along. I'm not a very religious person, but I think He knew I needed to be available to help with our baby and help my husband with his broken leg. Anyway, what kept me motivated was calling my mom. She would ask me about once a week what I had done to find a job. She would help me find jobs online and in the paper, and so did many other family members. When I thought I was no good, she would remind me that I was good and that there were just too many people applying for the same jobs. And she was right! What doesn't work is searching for jobs that are great and not applying for them because you don't want to get rejected again. I landed this job through networking. I applied from an ad in the paper and noticed an old co-worker worked there (LinkedIn is great). And in interviews, I learned that if I'm just myself instead of trying the answer the question right, you'll have a much better chance. (Oh, and having a spouse at home and not working helped me get a job and out of the house! ;)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Time management for LinkedIn
As more and more technologies become available and popular and even musts, we naturally worry about keeping up and managing all these demands on our time. Here are some suggestions for how to stay on top of LinkedIn by dividing the tasks into frequency categories.
Establish your account and build your page
1. Create an account at www.linkedin.com. It is free at the basic user level.
2. Start to build your profile. You can use the feature that imports your resume, but that will require lots of editing and it is just as easy to start from scratch.
3. Choose your own personal URL instead of the default one assigned to you. This means it will have your name or initials as your address. No big deal, but nice to do.
4. Spend lots of time building your connections. This is the heart of networking, so think broadly and deeply about people you know from schools, previous jobs, neighborhood, church, social groups, professional associations, and everything else.
5. Use a personal message when you invite them to connect. Remind them how you know them, and let them know that you'd like to stay in touch.
6. Join some groups where you have an interest or know people.
Daily Routine
1. Check for responses to your invitations. When you connect with someone you can now view their connections so you can see if there is someone there you also know and would like to invite. Keep building your network. Until you have at least 60 connections your network does not have enough reach to be very valuable.
2. Check for other messages from your network to stay on top of events and communications.
3. Read through all the status updates from your network. You can learn a lot about what people and companies are up to this way.
4. Check the Jobs section to see what new postings show up. Do some searches on jobs to see what you can find.
Weekly Routine
1. Begin to post status updates and posts in the groups where you are a member.
2. Consider using your talents and expertise to answer questions posted in the ANSWERS section. This is a way to get known and build credibility in your field.
3. Ask a question of others in the ANSWERS section if you want to get feedback or ideas about something.
Monthly Routine
1. If you choose to give and receive recommendations on LinkedIn, you should review them and search for more bosses or former co-workers who will give you a good recommendation. When you request one make sure you let them know what kinds of statements will be most helpful. Keep them brief, please.
2. It is a good idea to review your profile once a month to see if you can improve it. You will be reading others' profiles and will get some ideas of wording, whether to use the 1st or 3rd person, how to be briefer. Perhaps don't include every place you have ever worked.
3. Check your profile for consistency with your current resume. Make sure you use the same job titles and dates (if you use dates). Employers will be checking your profile, so you don't want any discrepencies that will make them wonder.
4. You can post a link to your resume on your LinkedIn page if you wish. When you are editing your profile you will see a choice asking if you want to add sections to your profile. You can use a tool called box.net to link to a DOC or PDF file of your resume.
Establish your account and build your page
1. Create an account at www.linkedin.com. It is free at the basic user level.
2. Start to build your profile. You can use the feature that imports your resume, but that will require lots of editing and it is just as easy to start from scratch.
3. Choose your own personal URL instead of the default one assigned to you. This means it will have your name or initials as your address. No big deal, but nice to do.
4. Spend lots of time building your connections. This is the heart of networking, so think broadly and deeply about people you know from schools, previous jobs, neighborhood, church, social groups, professional associations, and everything else.
5. Use a personal message when you invite them to connect. Remind them how you know them, and let them know that you'd like to stay in touch.
6. Join some groups where you have an interest or know people.
Daily Routine
1. Check for responses to your invitations. When you connect with someone you can now view their connections so you can see if there is someone there you also know and would like to invite. Keep building your network. Until you have at least 60 connections your network does not have enough reach to be very valuable.
2. Check for other messages from your network to stay on top of events and communications.
3. Read through all the status updates from your network. You can learn a lot about what people and companies are up to this way.
4. Check the Jobs section to see what new postings show up. Do some searches on jobs to see what you can find.
Weekly Routine
1. Begin to post status updates and posts in the groups where you are a member.
2. Consider using your talents and expertise to answer questions posted in the ANSWERS section. This is a way to get known and build credibility in your field.
3. Ask a question of others in the ANSWERS section if you want to get feedback or ideas about something.
Monthly Routine
1. If you choose to give and receive recommendations on LinkedIn, you should review them and search for more bosses or former co-workers who will give you a good recommendation. When you request one make sure you let them know what kinds of statements will be most helpful. Keep them brief, please.
2. It is a good idea to review your profile once a month to see if you can improve it. You will be reading others' profiles and will get some ideas of wording, whether to use the 1st or 3rd person, how to be briefer. Perhaps don't include every place you have ever worked.
3. Check your profile for consistency with your current resume. Make sure you use the same job titles and dates (if you use dates). Employers will be checking your profile, so you don't want any discrepencies that will make them wonder.
4. You can post a link to your resume on your LinkedIn page if you wish. When you are editing your profile you will see a choice asking if you want to add sections to your profile. You can use a tool called box.net to link to a DOC or PDF file of your resume.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Make the most of job fairs
Job fairs are an opportunity to learn about companies who are currently hiring in your area. You will have the chance to meet a company representative and ask questions to gather information. Job Fairs have the added advantage of being less formal than a job interview, so it takes some of the pressure off of you. However, you still need to take them seriously, so here are a few "before, during, and after" tips to help you get the most out of the experience.
Pre Job Fair
1. Find out what companies will be there (www.jobpartners.org). Gather some information about them to learn if you may be interested in working for them. Check their website to learn what job openings they have. What is the skill set they are looking to find? Make a list of the companies you want to explore.
2. Decide on your outcome. Are you going with a specific goal in mind, or just to see what's available? Clarifying what outcome you want will help you prepare and recognize if your goal was met.
3. Prepare the key questions you need answered in order to make a decision. These questions should help you discover if the company or positions are a good fit for you. Ask about the company's goals, markets, growth, etc.
4. Make fresh copies of your resume on quality paper. Many companies these days will ask you to go to their website to apply online. But many still accept paper resumes.
5. Dress as if it is a job interview. The rule is dress one step better than you would if you were holding that job.
During the Job Fair
6. Take time to engage the company representative in conversation. Don't just grab a pen or piece of free candy, drop off your resume and move on. Instead, smile, pick up some literature, and ask a question to get the conversation started. Use your prior research to show you are interested, confident, and knowledgeable. Listen carefully, show interest, take notes, be respectful, thank them and then move on.
7. Do not monopolize an employer's time. Make a good impression and ask the best way to follow up after the event. Make sure to get a business card so you have contact details.
8. At a large Job Fair it is easy to get overwhelmed with information and later forget which person said what. Stop between booths and jot down some notes to help you remember key information - especially follow-up actions.
Post Job Fair
9. Be sure to send a thank you card to anyone you engaged if you are interested in following up. Professional recruiters agree that follow-up is an important part of getting the most out of a job fair. If you received a business card, or contact information, send a thank you card as soon as you can. Most attendees will not do this step, so it can make you stand out from the crowd. It tells the company representative you are interested, you paid attention, and you are a serious candidate.
10. If they asked you to post your resume to their website, be sure to review our Tip Sheet on Converting your Resume to Text.
11. Finally, it is always good to include a self examination step to improve your skills. How did things work out? What did you do well? What might you do more effectively next time? What feedback did you get, and how might it be useful? What are the next steps?
Amp up your job search before the holidays!
Here are some job search strategies to intensify your job search before the slowdown that usually happens between Thanksgiving and New Years.
1. Diversify your approaches. Don’t just depend on a few methods. Explore some more strategies. While recruiters (headhunters) can be a valuable source, you must remember that they work for the employer and are paid to fill job openings and not to search out openings for you. They often prefer to hire from the ranks of the already employed rather than the vast pool of those who are currently unemployed.
2. Hone your Career Branding Statement. Some call this your elevator speech, or your 30 second pitch. This is important for several reasons. It changes your mindset from being in the one-down position of needing a job to the equality position of “I have these talents and experience while you may have a position or contacts who have a position – How can we get together?”
3. Social Networking – jump on the LinkedIn and Twitter bandwagon. It can help you build and manage your network of contacts that can help you find that next job. You may worry that this is a distraction and a timewaster, but there is real value in using social media tools to give your job search more breadth and focus.
4. Target specific companies and go after them directly. You can go beyond looking at a targeted company’s website to actively using LinkedIn to research that company and who you might know who works there. Use LinkedIn’s extensive search features to sleuth out some contacts and follow up with them.
5. Develop a “Mini-resume.” This is a business card for job searchers that has your key contact information on one side and your goal and skills and qualifications on the other side. They are great for networking. They are easy to carry for those times when you wouldn't carry your full resume. Make it tasteful and don’t overdo colors and graphics. It needs to look professional and not like it was designed by high school student with a new CD full of clip-art. There are templates in MS Word for Business Card Templates. Be creative!
1. Diversify your approaches. Don’t just depend on a few methods. Explore some more strategies. While recruiters (headhunters) can be a valuable source, you must remember that they work for the employer and are paid to fill job openings and not to search out openings for you. They often prefer to hire from the ranks of the already employed rather than the vast pool of those who are currently unemployed.
2. Hone your Career Branding Statement. Some call this your elevator speech, or your 30 second pitch. This is important for several reasons. It changes your mindset from being in the one-down position of needing a job to the equality position of “I have these talents and experience while you may have a position or contacts who have a position – How can we get together?”
3. Social Networking – jump on the LinkedIn and Twitter bandwagon. It can help you build and manage your network of contacts that can help you find that next job. You may worry that this is a distraction and a timewaster, but there is real value in using social media tools to give your job search more breadth and focus.
4. Target specific companies and go after them directly. You can go beyond looking at a targeted company’s website to actively using LinkedIn to research that company and who you might know who works there. Use LinkedIn’s extensive search features to sleuth out some contacts and follow up with them.
5. Develop a “Mini-resume.” This is a business card for job searchers that has your key contact information on one side and your goal and skills and qualifications on the other side. They are great for networking. They are easy to carry for those times when you wouldn't carry your full resume. Make it tasteful and don’t overdo colors and graphics. It needs to look professional and not like it was designed by high school student with a new CD full of clip-art. There are templates in MS Word for Business Card Templates. Be creative!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What is a Life Change Artist?
I attended a presentation last night put on by SHIFT featuring Fred Mandell entitled "What the great masters of art can teach us about navigating the 2nd half of life with vitality, creativity and meaning." Fred has just published a book called Becoming a Life Change Artist. My main "take-aways" from the presentation are:
1. Since 1934, when Social Security started, men's lifespan has increased from 61 to 75 years and women from 65 to 80. We are working longer and in many cases looking toward our longer 2nd half of life to be more fulfilling and meaningful.
2. We get to re-invent ourselves, and typically as we pass 50 we care less about the judgements of others and can focus on what is in us that is inside us that we need to express. He used lots of examples of great artists (Picasso, Monet, Rembrandt, DaVinci) who continued to develop their artistic skill and perspective right up until they died.
3. We are all creative - it is not just for those in the "arts." We may not have given our creative side much expression, but creation is a basic part of who we are. There are stages of the creative process and it often begins when we face a "creative dilemma" that stimulates us to find our own voice.
4. The creative dilemma is the tension that results from the gap between our current reality and what we desire our life to be. This certainly fits the situation many face who are laid off from their jobs. What to do next? Should I continue what I was doing for a different company, or do something different. Not an easy decision!
5. One of the skills that the great artists employ that helps them develop their creativity is viewing the world and one’s life from a new perspective. This is often what dislocated workers report happens to them when they realize that their career could now be a blank canvas. They don't have to keep doing what they were doing, if they don't want to. There is a sense of freedom in this for those that are risk takers.
As Yogi Berra said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it!"
1. Since 1934, when Social Security started, men's lifespan has increased from 61 to 75 years and women from 65 to 80. We are working longer and in many cases looking toward our longer 2nd half of life to be more fulfilling and meaningful.
2. We get to re-invent ourselves, and typically as we pass 50 we care less about the judgements of others and can focus on what is in us that is inside us that we need to express. He used lots of examples of great artists (Picasso, Monet, Rembrandt, DaVinci) who continued to develop their artistic skill and perspective right up until they died.
3. We are all creative - it is not just for those in the "arts." We may not have given our creative side much expression, but creation is a basic part of who we are. There are stages of the creative process and it often begins when we face a "creative dilemma" that stimulates us to find our own voice.
4. The creative dilemma is the tension that results from the gap between our current reality and what we desire our life to be. This certainly fits the situation many face who are laid off from their jobs. What to do next? Should I continue what I was doing for a different company, or do something different. Not an easy decision!
5. One of the skills that the great artists employ that helps them develop their creativity is viewing the world and one’s life from a new perspective. This is often what dislocated workers report happens to them when they realize that their career could now be a blank canvas. They don't have to keep doing what they were doing, if they don't want to. There is a sense of freedom in this for those that are risk takers.
As Yogi Berra said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it!"
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