Pathfinder Careers Job Search Tips

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:30:00 +0000

***IMPORTANT NOTICE****

Dear Readers:
This blog has moved as of July 1, 2011 and can now be found on http://www.pathfindercareers.com/blog . Please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds accordingly, and thank you for reading!

Best regards,
Dawn

Bad Marketing Gone Wrong - Personalization Matters in a Job Search

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:43:00 +0000

I'll admit it. There's a war going on... right here on my desk. Specifically, it's taking place in my in-box.

Day after day, I spent probably 30 minutes going through e-newsletters that I have been 'added' to without my permission, and taking the time to unsubscribe.

Then I am greeted with a message: "Please don't go! Tell us why you are leaving."

Really? Do you ACTUALLY have to ask???

Some person in some marketing department somewhere probably purchased a 'list' and gleefully added a whole passel of email addresses, thinking that they hit paydirt.

But what is really happening?

The lack of targeted focus and ultimately, refining the prospects that they are adding to their database is really going to end up being quantity, not quality.

What kind of database does the company really have when 90% of the contacts have never bought from that company, and if asked, would never do so in the future???

Ok, now that I have gotten this rant off my chest, this same lesson can be applied to your job search. Let's take LinkedIn connections... do you see where I am going here?

What use is a giant network of people that you have 'added' to put another notch in your belt and feel 'loved' by countless connections, when in fact, they have no idea who you are and wouldn't be too motivated to act on your behalf during your job search? People help others that they KNOW and have a meaningful rapport with... not complete strangers who really just want to use you.

-OR-

What use is a list of recruiters that you blast your resume out to when they have never interacted with you before... and don't know you from boo?

My point being is that the tide has turned. Mass marketing in any context without any attempt to qualify and understand your target audience is entering the realm of dinosaurs. We are all getting over-dosed on information coming our way, and as a result, are getting more sophisticated about how we want to be communicated to either via phone, email, web or via print.

Clicking 'send' without doing the proper legwork and qualification really is one thing, and one thing only: LAZY.

And you know what my attitude is? FINE. If you don't take the time to find out about me and what I want and how we might build a meaningful relationship together, then what you are really telling me is that you don't care about me. You just want the opportunity to market to me. Or worse... use me.

In order to earn that opportunity, you have to build my trust and buy-in first... and the only way you can do that is by taking the time to know me first.

So don't be lazy in your job search or any other marketing campaign... take the time to build those relationships... that's where the real paydirt is!

Job Interview Autopsies: What You Don't Know Will Hurt You

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:36:00 +0000

We've all had that awful job interview where either we bobbled a question someone tossed at us (such as: "If you could be any animal, what would you be?") or we gave a bad answer and afterwards we smack our foreheads because we realized we could have given a much better answer.

I talk to a lot of people who are very stressed out about interviews and loathe them for the very reason because they've had bad ones... many say they would rather go have a root canal than go through the painful examination of an interview.

But you know what?

Interviews are actually good for you.

Why?

Think about it. They put us on the spot in a way that we usually don't encounter on a daily basis. An interview actually is a very powerful experience because you learn how you react under pressure.

If you really want to get over those jitters, you'll need to do an autopsy to discover what you need to know and / or work on to improve your skills in these situations.

Here are some tips on becoming more comfortable and at ease:

1) Interview often. Practice makes perfect. The more you do it, the more it's like staying on your bike. And if you do happen to fall, it'll be a lot easier to get back on again.

2) Dig into the interview and autopsy it. What did you do well? What did you do wrong? What did you expect? What happened that was unexpected? Did you feel prepared or totally unready?

3) Write down all the questions you can remember AFTER the interview. By keeping a running list of real interview questions you've encountered, you can gain skill in knowing what might be coming your way the next time you meet an employer.

4) Do your research. Did the employer field a question to you that had something to do with the company? If you had done your research, confidence comes with knowledge and even buy you some time. Sometimes, even deflecting those questions with similar but different detailed information can help you wiggle out of tight spots.

5) What was your gut instinct about the interview? Trusting your intuition is important... if you are feeling not-so-great about an interview and your performance in there, there might have been something perhaps non-verbal that the interviewers were exuding that put you off. If you aren't walking out pumped up and energized, is this really the right opportunity for you?

If you don't take the time to truly examine how you performed in an interview, and don't dissect the pieces that you did well versus the ones you had an #epicfail on, you won't learn about yourself nor will you learn what you can do better for next time. In your lifetime, you'll have a lot more interviews than job offers, so mastering the knowledge of your strengths and weak points is incredibly important to your career.. otherwise, what you don't know will hurt you.

You 2.0: The Brave New World of Social Media and Online Job Searches

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 22:20:00 +0000

There are a million different websites out there providing advice on social media and job search … many of which have some great nuggets… but which one is right for you?

The answer is: Any or all of them.

Or maybe none!

You’ll definitely need to do your research on finding out where you need to be and how to build your online content and messaging towards a target audience.

But one thing is clear… pressing ‘send’ isn’t going to magically make job offers or interviews appear.

You absolutely have to work every bit as hard on the social media end during the online pursuit of jobs as you would with networking in real life at a business meeting.

This month, the Career Collective pulls together a great mind meld of career industry experts to discuss strategies of how to use social media in a job search. (Please click the links at the bottom of this post to access other career experts' articles!)

It’s all about building relationships and reinforcing your personal brand. Having a prominent online brand and presence can not only define you, but also help you be’ found’ by employers.

Keeping these two ideas in the forefront of your strategy, social media can make the online job search and real-life networking meetings much easier. Here are a few tips to help you make sense of the befuddling array of advice out there to make social media work for you during a job search:

How to use it:

If done correctly, think of social media is your 24/7/365 marketing guardian. It can be working when you aren’t. But the key is to put the effort into planning into this by understanding the technology first. The key is to understand the ‘big players’ in social media, what they do, and what role each one of them represents in your job search.

Facebook: Think of this social media outlet as a way to connect on a personal level to friends and contacts – they get to know you and vice versa. Another advantage of Facebook is that you can keep your network updated on your job search progress (I.e.: Have an interview at ABC company – does anyone have a contact over there?) I call Facebook an ‘ongoing conversation’ with your first-tier contacts.

Twitter: Companies can tweet about specific jobs, provide updates on the company’s direction, mention change in personnel, and can reveal specific names of people who work at your target company to follow. You can use this information to introduce yourself, network with key contacts, and gather information to help round out your knowledge of a specific employer.

LinkedIn: There’s a reason that LinkedIn recently did an IPO on their stock: it has quickly become the ‘go-to’ resource for both job seekers, people who are employed, and also employers. It has become THE gathering ground of the business world in order to see and be seen… Another feature of LinkedIn is that it is quickly becoming the next generation of a résumé or CV that makes you, again, accessible 24/7.

Blogs: Employers are increasingly hiring subject matter experts and what better way to demonstrate your subject matter expertise in a particular industry area than to write about it? Producing a blog does require a commitment and should be a regular activity, If you don’t use it, how do you expect others to?

Getting started and key do’s and don’ts:

Let’s tackle this section by addressing each platform so you can understand what are the ‘must-do’s’ for each social media tool.

Facebook: While Facebook gives you the opportunity to reflect your personality, don’t forget that this is can also be a PROFESSIONAL forum… exercise caution about posting things that are polarizing or would be embarrassing to you should a prospective employer see it. And then there are always the human resource software programs that can bypass privacy settings, so don’t be fooled into thinking that your tirades or photos from last weekend’s party at the beach are protected from prospective employers. When in doubt, don’t post!! Key things to include: Photo, regular updates, and information that you think your network might be interested in.

Twitter: Key things to include: photo or avatar, short bio, and a link to your LinkedIn profile, an online résumé or CV, or a professional Facebook page. Including a customized, professional background can add visual interest to your Twitter homepage. But it doesn’t stop there… you then need to start tweeting. Find experts in your industry, follow them, and if they have a great nugget of information you would like to share, then re-tweet it. Then develop your own content… and find the appropriate hashtags (#) to categorize your content… you’ll be surprised at how many people will re-tweet your info. But beware of spambots that follow you or mention you in their Tweets in an attempt to get you to click on their links (which could be malware too)… If they follow me, then I block them. If they mention me in a spam tweet, I block and report them. Having a bazillion followers that are spammers does nothing to enhance your professional reputation on line… instead, cultivate a quality list of followers in your industry and do the same for those leaders that you respect.

LinkedIn: One of my favorite ways of stating the importance of having a fully complete profile on LinkedIn is this: “Having an incomplete LinkedIn profile is like showing up to an interview wearing sweatpants.” It’s true. Take the time to fill out the entire profile and add a little more personality on including some of your top takeaways from jobs. Make sure to include a photo, join relevant industry groups, and ask for recommendations from respected people in your network, but don’t ‘trade’ testimonials in the ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine’ tradition… employers can smell a rat like that a mile away… so choose the people that you ask for recommendations carefully, and find different things that they can highlight so everyone has a different angle to talk about. Another thing to boost your subject matter expertise is to answer questions in your specific field under the Q&A option – that can help you get noticed.

Blog: Again, if you start one, keep adding to it. And keep it topical and on theme. If you spend one day musing about political things then the next article, you jump right into an industry-specific post, you’ll be perceived as being all over the map. Stay on topic, and don’t be afraid to post other relevant posts from individuals in your industry- but the key here is to not only ask for their permission but also provide attribution. NEVER incorporate content that is not yours and try to infer that it is. That makes a lot of people cranky and also has legal repercussions. ALWAYS provide proper attribution to the rightful author. Who knows? They might cross post one of your blog entries! When creating a blog, map out your posting schedule, include a bio and photo, and any other relevant links. Another courtesy thing to do is to create a ‘blog roll’ of additional related blogs of interest to help give the reader an idea of who you think are industry thought leaders. It actually adds gravitas to your credentials!

Be sure to read other related articles written by top industry career experts by following #careercollective on Twitter, and see what they have to say on this topic: (and you can follow them too- included are their Twitter handles!)

How Having Your Own Website Helps You, @keppie_careers
Make Your Career More Social: Show Up and Engage, @WalterAkana
How to Get a New Job Using Social Media, @DebraWheatman
Social Media: Choosing, Using, and Confusing, @ErinKennedyCPRW
Updating: A Social Media Strategy For Job Search, @TimsStrategy
How to Use Social Media in Your Job Search, @heatherhuhman
We Get By With a Little Recs from Our Friends, @chandlee
Expat Careers & Social Media: Social Media is Potentially 6 Times more Influential than a CV or Resume, @expatcoachmegan
Social-Media Tools and Resources to Maximize Your Personalized Job Search, @KatCareerGal
Job Search and Social Media: A Collective Approach, @careersherpa
Social Media: So what’s the point?, @DawnBugni
Tools that change your world, @WorkWithIllness
HOW TO: Meet People IRL via LinkedIn, @AvidCareerist
Jumping Into the Social Media Sea@ValueIntoWords
Social Media Primer for Job Seekers, @LaurieBerenson
Your Career Needs Social Media - Get Started, @EliteResumes @MartinBuckland
Sink or Swim in Social Media, @KCCareerCoach
Effective Web 2.0 Job Search: Top 5 Secrets, @resumeservice

Top 7 Survival Tips For New Grads In The Workplace

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:07:00 +0000

For most traditional new graduates, moving from the school world into the workplace is a huge culture shock.

They are going from an environment where everyone has been the same age and generational outlook to a suddenly diverse social environment with people of all ages and backgrounds present. Learning the ropes of a new job, mastering the social ladder of a workplace, and in general, trying to figure out business etiquette can be pretty frustrating to new workers.

Here are some tips for new grads on navigating their bold new venture in the work world:

1) Be patient. Today’s graduates are used to the fast pace of technology and in a way, this has built up a low tolerance for being willing to wait. Especially for job promotions or advancement. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Now let’s move on” seems to be the mantra. But unfortunately, the big wheels of business don’t move that quickly and sometimes the opportunity simply isn’t there yet. Take a deep breath. It will happen, but not necessarily on YOUR timelines. It’s all in the timing… great things come to those that wait!

2) Don’t forget to thank those that help you. Manners do matter, and those that have made the effort to help you remember who has thanked them or not. This can have far-reaching impacts on your career – those that become your biggest supporters (and this is reinforced by taking the time to thank them) can open doors you can’t even imagine… both now and in the future.

3) Your career will be a series of choices, not “A” choice. I read somewhere that the average high school student is going to have 23 jobs in their lifetime… so if statistics don’t lie, you definitely won’t be putting all your eggs in one basket. Don’t like the work that you are doing and it isn’t rewarding enough? Then look for the skills that are transferrable out of that job and roll them into something that you DO enjoy doing.

4) Tread lightly and carefully. I am not saying you need to fear your co-workers, but you should know that the office political environment can play out in similar fashion as social cliques back in school… with deadlier consequences. Refrain from gossiping (which is a behavior common in high school and college) and choose your words carefully. Until you have an accurate read on each person in your office, keep your cards close to your chest. Gossip never has a place in the workplace, but it does happen, and that person you confided in could just as easily turn around and stab you in the back… torpedoing your career. Keep your own counsel.

5) Education doesn’t end with your graduation. Not too many career centers or colleges / universities prepare students for the staggering fact that their education isn’t ending… in fact, it is just starting. Beyond your formal schooling, there’s a whole new universe of learning called “professional development” – this is the stuff that will give you the job-specific skills to be successful. The sooner you can become aware of the fact that you need to demonstrate continuous learning by taking classes, trainings, workshops, webinars, and attending conferences / tradeshows / conventions, as well as gaining industry certifications, you will be light years ahead of anyone else in your graduating class. This process does not end until you retire. And if you ignore this area, you will have a much more difficult time with career advancement because employers are hiring subject matter experts. How can you build your knowledge?

6) Network. In school, this was called making friends. And you’ll be doing that same thing… but in a business context. Some of my best friends were met while we were working together… some are closer friends now than others, but the point is that networking really is building a connection with people with whom you have some kind of shared interest or goal. And when you have that ‘spiderweb’ of people in your network, you’ll find that job and life opportunities flow much easier your way because these are the people who can and want to help you.

7) Don’t leave your dirty dishes in the office sink… your office mates are not your mom. I say this tongue-in-cheek, but the subtext to this statement is really important… you are now on your own and you cannot expect anyone to pick up your slack. Everything you do from this point forward is business, and not bound by any bonds other than your employment agreement. It’s pretty darned scary to be suddenly put out in the ‘cold’ after having warm, supportive environments at home and school. The work world doesn’t operate that way… you either sink or swim. You are judged by your actions and you should always do the right thing… and never expect someone to be there to catch you when you fall. That’s called life, and over the course of your career, you are going to make mistakes and have to learn from them. That’s called experience.

Career Savvy: You Are What You Wear

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:10:00 +0000

Remember the good old days of high school? How the clothing that you wore really defined your image?

Surprise! The work world isn't much different. The only thing that has changed is that for the most part, no one is going to say anything directly to you about what you wear... they simply won't hire or promote you if the image that you project doesn't fit within the company culture.

What we wear and our appearance DOES impact our career... from the first few seconds in an interview to what you choose from your closet on a daily basis.

Sound trivial? It is, but as the employer sees it: it isn't.

How you represent yourself also is how the company you work for represents themselves to their customers, both internally and externally.

Way back (I won't say how long ago this was!)... in my first job, on the very first day, I was pulled aside by my supervisor who said she was going to have to send me home to change my clothing.

Flabbergasted and completely humiliated, I asked why. She smiled, and in a very kind, sympathetic voice, told me to look around the corporate environment and see what others are wearing. Suddenly, my eyes were opened and I saw people wearing suits and other formal business attire. Then I looked down at myself... I was a college student (and at the time, leggings and big shirts were 'in' ), and immediately realized what she was saying.  Ironically, in the college environment, what I was wearing was generally considered somewhat 'dressy' compared to the usual fare of sweatshirts and sweatpants common on campus. In fact, some of my friends had even commented how nice I looked, and I had proudly replied that I was going to my first day on the job.

Oooh... was that first day ever a learning experience!

I thought I WAS dressed up but I didn't understand the culture shift. Then my boss gave me the wake-up call that I needed.

And I just about died from embarrassment!

The rule of thumb is that you if you don't take your personal image seriously, how can anyone else?

Someone once told me that you should always dress one level ABOVE your current position. Obviously, you don't want to overdo it, and in many companies, particularly on the West Coast, office attire has been slipping into 'business casual' which is a far cry from the stuffy 3-piece suit days.

But you are what you wear, and if you demonstrate care and cultivation of your personal image, others will pick up on this and this perception will shape their view of you.

Clothing has an often ridiculously high price tag, and a lot of times, people who aren't working don't have the budget to walk in and buy clothes off the rack at their favorite store. There are alternatives. You can either catch a great sale at a quality department store, go to name-brand discount stores like Nordstrom Rack, or you can even find high-quality items in consignment stores or places like Goodwill if you are willing to spend the time searching.

Be strategic about what you buy; don't always go for the cheapest price because sometimes, the poor tailoring can become readily apparent after wearing the outfit even once. Be willing to make an investment into finer materials that aren't too trendy so you can extend the clothing's lifetime.

The point is: investing in your wardrobe is really investing in yourself. And cultivating your personal brand appearance can have positive, far-reaching impacts on your career and future advancement.

Be Specific in A Job Search

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:41:00 +0000

Knock Knock.

Who's there?

Iwanna.

Iwanna who?

Iwanna job... any job...

I know... I get it...This joke falls totally flat... just like a generalized request for employment you might put out to your friends, colleagues, and network contacts.

The WORST thing you can do is say, "Help... I need work... any job will do!" People want to help you, don't get me wrong, but none of us are job boards and aren't repositories or list trackers to keep tabs on every single job opening out there. We're human, remember?

Your network WANTS to help you.

But until you get specific, our hands are tied. It's like we mutely watch you flail around, because you haven't given us anything we can grab on to in order to reel you in with a hot lead.

A more effective way about going about requesting help from your network is to either identify SPECIFIC job openings or TARGET companies at which you would like to work. That provides those who want to assist in your job search something to latch onto.

If you can tell me specifics, then I have something concrete that I can act on, and then go to my network and see if I either know someone who might connect you to the job opening or to prospective employers.

Many job seekers fail to understand this basic rule of asking for help... specifics get you farther in terms of assistance from your network than vague generalities.

Be specific. Be focused. And you'll be pleasantly surprised at how the pieces start to fit together. Your job search could be a lot faster because of it!

The Process and Pitfalls of Education Verification

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Tue, 17 May 2011 22:43:00 +0000

This is a guest post was generously provided by Gordon Basichis, Co-Founder of Corra Group (http://www.corragroup.com/) which specializes in pre-employment background checks, business research, and corporate investigation. Corra Group services companies throughout the United States and around the world. Thanks, Gordon, for providing a very insightful post from a recruiter point of view on education!***************************************************************************
While employers have long conducted education verification checks on their employment candidates, it appears that increasingly more staffing and recruiting groups are being made responsible for conducting this and other background checks as part of the employment screening process.

Education history, of course, outside of criminal records, is one of the more significant searches.   For many positions, education is not just a prerequisite but also vital to employment candidate's incumbent skill sets and the legitimacy they bring to the job. Those employment recruits who claim to but who do not possess the required skills can cause untold embarrassment to employer or recruiter alike. Both can lose clients over it, and in extreme cases, can incur law suits.

Most notable, if a candidate lies, chances are he is lying about his education. With employment history, a fair number of applicants will exaggerate their role at a job or otherwise stretch the truth.   But seldom do they out and out lie about working for an employer.   This is not so much the case with education histories. Here is where the employment candidate will attempt to magically transform his two years of college into a full blown bachelor's degree. Or in some cases, they never set foot inside the school.

I have often wondered why the candidate decides to select the school he has never been to. Did he like the football team? The debating club? The school colors?   Or was it a large university with high levels of enrollment and he thought any degree verification efforts would somehow get lost in the shuffle? But then sometimes they speak a smaller school, an ivy-shrouded liberal arts college in New England or somewhere, where they might think no one would bother searching.   It's hard to say what goes on in their minds, but I have considered the implications of the schools they select.

To be sure, most employment candidates do not lie about having their college degrees. The overwhelming majority in fact are reputable and honest when it comes to claiming their certifications and degrees.   Verifying education with most recruits is a fairly simple and straightforward process. Once we get from the client the type of degree the candidate has obtained, the name of the school, the location of the school, type of degree, major and year of graduation, the rest is pretty simple. Either we obtain verification from the school registrar's office, the name and position of the verifying party, or we get it from the third party databases. All fine and valid.

There are exceptions. But for the most part, again, these are honest mistakes or simple oversights that are easily rectified.   With common names, sometimes the degree is not enough.   The researcher may require the major and the actual campus of the college or university. The campus is always important as most colleges and universities, despite the myriad branches, do not centralize their databases. The records for graduates and post-graduate degrees are housed with the registrar of that particular campus.

The wrong graduation date can cause confusion when conducting an education verification background search.   With the wrong graduation date, it is sometimes difficult to find the student in the database. In some cases, and good to remember, those applicants who are lying about actually graduating from that college or university, will provide a fictitious graduation date.   By doing so they try to hide the fact that they were "enrollment only" or never attended at all.   So we often need to verify the graduation date.

Female graduates often go to school under their maiden names and then, years later, forget and provide only their married name. Time can be wasted searching for the candidate under her married name, when in fact, she attended school under her maiden name.   When you, as a recruiter or human resources executive, are trying to get someone hired, this can cause delays.   So it is always best to find out up front if her current name is the same name she used while attending the college or university.

With international students attending domestic colleges, there is a similar condition as with female college graduates. Often a foreign student went to school under a formal, native name.   And then, over time, they"Americanize," their names. Bao Wynn Nguyen is now Ben or Frank.   His recent colleagues, the recruiter, and most others now know him as Ben or Frank.   But the school still has him records with his native name. When we are unable to verify, initially, it is necessary to go back to the candidate and ask if what name he or she used to register as a student. Again, this can cause delays in the hiring process.

Be aware of diploma mills. Diploma mills have increased in prominence over the years.   Those who run diploma mills, usually have several schools all running out of the same physical location. Often they are located for tax and legal purposes offshore. When conducting our research, we find them in places like Gibraltar or the Seychelles.

Diploma mills are the easy and spurious way to a higher education. This is where the employment candidate has spend all of a couple hundred bucks and twenty minutes, sometimes, in qualifying as a graduate from some mythical Internet school under the guise of "life experience." Diploma mills often have them high falutin' names that can sound like real schools.   Often the name of the school is selected so you will associate the "graduate" with a prestigious university. They are not. They are not legitimate remote or distance learning institutions. They are bogus, unaccredited by anyone other than themselves, and the degree is worthless.

Sometimes, when all else fails, it is incumbent upon the employment candidate to supply a copy or his or her degree or transcripts. We request this when the registrar is unable to locate the student in its database. Sometimes it's a technical glitch, sometimes it's an oversight on the part of the registrar.

If the candidate produces his college degree, you cannot accept it at face value. A common joke around our office is bogus diplomas is but one more reason G-d invented Photoshop.   Or in the case of diploma mills versus versus an actual university, the college crest just isn't the same. There are variations, notable differences in both the crest and the proverbial paper it is written on.   Another key is to examine carefully the officiating personnel who are listed or who have signed off on the graduation diploma.

We had a recent case where the university could not find the candidate's graduation records for love nor money.   We requested from our client a copy of the candidate's diploma. Sure enough, here it came. At first glance it looked authentic enough. But upon further review, something was askew.

The diploma was real enough, only the candidate graduated eleven years before that college president had taken office. The candidate had apparently taken someone's legitimate diploma, swapped out on Photoshop that name for his own and then presented the diploma. An oversight on the part of the candidate and a serious mistake. When we reported our discovery to our client, she immediately invalidated the candidate for any further consideration.

We also get a lot of shuck and jive when we request a copy of the diploma or transcription.   "I can't find it." "It's not here but with my parents." "My dog ate it."   Whatever. Sometimes what the candidate claims is true, and most of the the time...well, it's tough to be caught in a lie.   When it comes to explanations and excuses, we have heard quite a few. Some are even pretty creative.   One chestnut was the lament, "The school just can't get it's s**t together."

Too rare. So be careful when recruiting. With degrees that have been verified by the school registrar or through the third party databases, you can move forward with your candidate.   But when the glitches show up, either resolve them by reviewing the candidate's name while attending school, major, year of graduation, and, if necessary, a copy of degree. If this method fails to find resolution, then you may have a problem on your hands.   Red flags are what they are and while everyone wants to get their person hired, there are few things more embarrassing than your client discovering your candidate had lied.

Transform Temp / Contract Work into a Permanent Job

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:52:00 +0000

Great news! You’ve landed either temporary or contract work, which suddenly has taken so much stress off of you from looking for a job.

Now you can pay the bills, settle in, and concentrate your focus on getting up to speed and making valuable contributions.

But what’s the worst thing that can happen at this point?

Becoming complacent in this moment of opportunity.

But first, let’s be clear. Contract or temporary work does NOT guarantee a future at the company. It is exactly that: a stretch of employment that has a finite end to it, and you’re going to have to deal with
an end point sooner or later.

But despite not being a permanent employee, you have something vastly more powerful in your career arsenal right now than the unemployed job seekers:

You have a foot in the door.

You are a known quantity.

And you have a chance to prove yourself.

If you are seeking permanent work and accept part-time, contract, or temp employment, you should be focused on doing quality work as job #1, and as job #2, looking for opportunities to secure a longer-term position within the employer.

There are several ways to position yourself and take advantage of this opportunity to potentially extend your employment with this company. Here are five tips on how to transform temp / contract work into the possibility of your being retained as a full-time, regular employee:

1)      Think and act like an employee genuinely interested in mission and bottom line of
company. If you just show up, do your job, and complete only the minimum of what is asked of you… well, you’ve just painted yourself into a very small box that doesn’t show much dynamism. While you have to be aware of not stepping on toes, if you truly do find a new way to save the company money or help them in any way, be sure to make sure you let the key supervisor
know. They’ll appreciate it.

2)      Provide status reports to all key stakeholders in a timely, concise way.
Sometimes, as a temp/contract employee, you won’t be a regular part of the staff team, and get left out of what is the normal information flow. By taking the initiative on communications, you also demonstrate your strong skills in this area, and provide critical updates to projects.

3)      Step up. If possible and you can manage the added work, request additional tasks. This will give you a broader knowledge of company operations, strengthen your bench skills, bring you into more contact with a larger number of decision makers and co-workers, and shows your initiative.

4)      Ask to be hired full-time. If a staff opening for which you are qualified comes up while you are employed on a temp/contract basis, don’t be afraid to talk to the key decision maker for that position to let them know about your interest in the job. You don’t want to be too aggressive, but at the same
time, this isn’t the moment to suddenly be a wallflower and hope that they ‘pick’ you. If you don’t tell them of your interest, they don’t know.

5)      Propose a job if the timing is right. Many employers have cut back staffing to bare minimum due to the economy, but as things ease up a bit, they might be more receptive to adding back positions. If the timing seems right, and you can see a clear need that you could fulfill as a full time worker, schedule a time to talk to the decision maker and make your proposal.

If none of these tactics work, and the part-time/contract work truly has an evitable end date, then you should concentrate on doing the best job possible for the employer. Then, several weeks before the
scheduled end-date, set up a time with your supervisor, discuss your interest in their company and field, and if they seem willing, ask them about who they would recommend talking to about possible full-time employment in that same field. Always remember to thank them for the opportunity to work at their company, and make them feel that if a position were to come open, you would prefer to work at their organization based on the positive experience you’ve while you’ve been there.

You never know where this can lead!

Career Chameleon 2.0: Six Tips You Need to Know Before Changing Industries

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:54:00 +0000

Let’s face it: the days of yesteryear when people slogged away in one profession or job have long gone past the wayside.

Today’s work force is now highly motivated, mobile, and extremely transient. Various numbers being tossed around these days range from 5-8 years at a single position before employees start poking around for new opportunities.

Oftentimes, this can mean a lot of inter-industry switches… you simply trade one company or organization for another while moving up, but usually, you stay within the same field.

But what happens when the field you are in is in the midst of a major upheaval, or is even (gasp) dying?

Or, for many people:

What does one do when you just get plain bored?

Understanding the transferrable skill sets that you have in your career arsenal are pivotal to whether you can make an effective leap between entirely different fields. Many people have interest in other areas but completely lack the building blocks to make a transition to an entirely different sector.

What happens then is like watching a train wreck in slow motion: the person wants a job in the new field so badly that they end up convincing themselves that their qualifications match, when in fact, they do not.

I call this career blindness. They simply can’t see that they aren’t even remotely qualified.

The end result is that the job seeker ends up beating their head against a brick wall and doesn’t understand that they haven’t matched their background in terms of ‘apples to apples’ to the job opening.

And the employer ends up not even considering the application because of this very mismatch.

The clarity in making a strong case for an employer to hire you comes from understanding the top 5 things you’ll need to know before changing industries.

1) Make sure your skill sets match. Focus on the FUNCTION of what you do to uncover the transferrable skill sets. Be brutally honest with yourself… do you have what the employer is asking for in that particular industry? Remember, if you are ‘kinda’ qualified, the Wall Street Journal had a recent article that stated that even if you are 80% qualified, the people who are getting the jobs are 110% qualified. Be confident that your core transferrable skill sets are deep enough to actually able to do the job.

2) Back out of the industry-specific jargon. Nothing destroys a résumé and a job seeker’s prospects when they are making a jump to an entirely different field when the document is muddied with a lot of industry-specific jargon. Remember to ‘speak’ the language of your target employer and only talk about what is relevant to THEM.

3) Assess your network. This is a good time to do a self-diagnosis on your connections. Are your contacts all concentrated in one industry? Now would be the time to start breaking out of the mold and stretching into new territory close to your new career destination.

4) Build your connecting skill sets. Professional development (including classes, workshops, executive / leadership programs, conferences) can help add to your overall knowledge base and bridge any gaps between industries.

5) Conduct informational interviews. Zapping your résumé off to a target company sans any kind of internal contact could spell certain death… you need to start talking to people who can give you the inside scoop of what a particular position requires. You can gain valuable ‘inside’ information on unwritten expectations for a job, and that could give you the time to fill in those holes to complete your background.

Have you ever changed careers? If so, did you have a successful transition? Please share your thoughts and stories – the other readers would love to hear about the lessons you’ve learned!

Helpful or Harmful: The Real Costs of Going to Work Sick

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:47:00 +0000

Most of us have faced the dilemma that morning when we wake up with an annoying scratchy throat and fevered brow… Ugh! Do I go to work or not?

Then the pressure is on.

There are deadlines looming. An important meeting that can’t be missed. An overriding fear of ‘missing something’ or not being there to field that VIP client call. Some companies don’t even offer sick days, so not being paid could impact a worker’s finances. Or maybe, we are simply afraid that we might lose our job. We KNOW that we aren’t operating at 100%. Or 50%, for that matter. But ‘being there’ seems to trump how cruddy we actually feel.

As a result, most of us drag ourselves in… either out of a sense of duty or fear.

But what is the real cost of ‘sharing’ our hive of germs with our workmates?

From an HR standpoint, it can be extremely costly.

Realistically, everyone has varying levels of immune resistance, and even in a moderately-sized office, you could potentially pass your cold on to several co-workers. We all know this can have a domino effect as this, in turn could result in even more missed days from work… impacting productivity on a greater scale.

In fact, according to MoneyMatters101.com, “Overall, ‘presenteeism’ (which describes the situation when sick people go to work) is said to cost U.S. companies nearly $180 billion each year in
lost productivity.”

That’s a lot of us showing up work sick. CBSNews.com also had a segment on this issue that reported that “almost half, or 48 percent, of employers report a problem with presenteeism. That's up from 39 percent last year, and it's a situation more organizations are taking seriously.”

Employers ARE taking this seriously note. When we are not operating in a normal capacity, the potential for errors and / or omissions goes up exponentially. If our brains are fogged by cold medicine or lack of sleep, we could make critical mistakes that either impact our work or those of
others.

For that reason, some employers are starting to be more assertive in enforcing their sick policies, with a keen eye to the bottom line.

According to the CBSNews.com segment, “Sixty-two percent (of employers) say they send sick employees home; 41 percent educate employees on the importance of staying home when sick; and 36 percent try to discourage employees from coming to work when they're ill.”

So do you or don’t you show up to work with the sniffles and a box of tissues tucked under your arm?

You need to weigh the real costs versus your expectations carefully. Can work go on without you? Probably. Is there an important meeting that you simply cannot miss? Potentially… but what other options do you have at your disposal?

Many employers and employees are finding that telecommuting has become a reasonable alternative – you can check email or call in to a meeting / teleconference, and your germs stay with you at home and you don’t share your abundance with your grateful co-workers.

If your office doesn’t have a policy about telecommuting when you are sick, maybe this is a good time to propose one before you are under the weather. Most people who do stay home usually are checking their email and voicemail anyway, so making it ‘official’ can make the situation a win-win for everyone.

Taking a day or two to recover can help you get well faster, reduce risk to your fellow colleagues, reduce errors made when you aren’t operating at 100%, and cause employers to appreciate the fact that you aren’t contributing to lower productivity levels either through presenteeism or by causing others to miss work.

The Profound Impact of Who We Meet and How They Define Us

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 11:45:00 +0000

This isn’t one of those blog posts praising the benefits of business networking.

Nope.

Instead, this one is personal.

Yesterday, I got word that a friend passed away. News like this always is very saddening, but peel this back one more layer and underneath, a life-defining story is revealed.

I met this person at a business conference. We had traveled separately as representatives in the tourism industry to the world’s largest travel tradeshow, World Travel Market. Our lives connected as the Oregon delegation shared a booth at this show, and I was there promoting the Portland Oregon Visitors Association. She was an elder from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation and attending on behalf of the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute on the reservation.

If you’ve ever attended a tradeshow, you know that there is a constant flurry of business going on, but then there are those long gaps in between where things quiet down.

That’s when Cecelia Bearchum and I got to know each other.

Normally, most of us are so busy most of the time that when we meet someone with whom we have a connection, it is a fleeting moment. Then our lives propel us forward and we fail to invest the energy into cultivating this new friendship.

When we do take the time, what we gain can be immeasurable and incredibly rewarding.

I am incredibly grateful that Cecelia and I made the effort.

During the pauses in the trade show in London, we sat together and shared stories. Laughed a lot. Discussed issues. A bond formed.

Later, enroute to a reception that our delegation was hosting, despite the fact that Cecelia was in full tribal regalia and in her mid-70’s, no cab would take us the short distance because of the fare, so we were forced to walk the 13 blocks to the event location. I remember being as concerned for her as I would have been for an elderly family member in the same situation, staying by her side, helping her over the big curbs, and holding her arm as we went over uneven cobblestones.

When we returned home and settled back into our lives at opposite ends of the state, I was very surprised to receive a package several weeks later. Inside was a beaded keychain with a Native American design with my name on it.

It was from Cecelia.

I was deeply touched. This was no ordinary keychain- it was one that had been handcrafted and personalized. It was intimate. Cecelia later told me that she had specifically picked out the colors used as she felt that they matched my spirit.

What Cecelia taught me in that moment is that when we take the time to build friendships, it becomes a moving experience. We each impact the other, and this can teach us important lessons about the other person as well as ourselves.

With Cecelia, I got re-schooled in respect for elders and also opened my heart to be more generous, giving back whenever I can… when others least expect it. I’ve become a better person because of it.

Since then, we have kept in touch through letters and cards, and I was able to visit her when I was in Eastern Oregon.

The lesson here is that in our mad dash to make connections that help us in our careers, it’s not often that we meet people like her in our lives who act as spiritual and moral guide posts that remind us of who we are and what we COULD be.

Maybe it’s because we aren’t taking the time to let them in.

Maybe we need to make that time... you never know where that can lead.

Personally, I can definitely say I am a better person because I met Cecelia.

And about that keychain… since receiving it, it’s been in daily use and never been taken off the key ring. It’s a little worn, but is a daily reminder of her generosity and how I can be a better me.

Four No-Fail Tricks to Capturing Awesome Letters of Recommendation

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:33:00 +0000

Let’s face a painful truth: Most of us are totally ineffective when lining up our personal cheering sections during a job search. This can include anything from failing to inform or keep references up-to- date on your current status to asking for recommendation letters in a panic due to a prospective employer’s request during an interview.

Planning ahead and being completely focused on what you want others to speak about regarding your skills, abilities, and expertise as well as character can be the ‘make or break’ factor.

So go ahead.

Be proactive and think ahead of the curve.

Here are some no-fail tips on how to capture that awesome letter of recommendation…before you actually need it.

You’ll be glad you did!

Be strategic on who you ask. Review your network and only ask the people that you know are your absolute advocates for you, possess excellent industry profiles/reputations, are in elevated positions of authority, and can specifically speak from first-hand experience in working with you. This adds power and ‘oomph’ to your credentials.

Identify key areas you want them to address. If you spread out the angles that you ask people to discuss in your letter, the prospective employer will have a more in-depth insight into who you are and what makes you tick. Think about asking one person to talk about your character, another who can talk about your subject matter knowledge, a separate person who can discuss your leadership, and another letter detailing your innovation. This comes across as the ‘WOW’ factor on the other end. Trust me.

Coach them. Keeping your cheering squad up to date on where you are in your job search also helps them feel involved in your personal success. As mentioned in #2, provide some coaching and unique insights into your target job. This actually helps the person writing the letter to make it a very focused asset to your application by connecting the proverbial dots.

When in doubt, offer to write it for them. I’ll let you in on a dirty little secret- this is a pretty common practice! People are completely swamped right now… and while the spirit maybe willing, they are otherwise tied up. This convenience is a handy tool in anyone’s job search bag of tricks. In a recent online discussion with professional resume writers, it was agreed that it would be acceptable for a job seeker to make this offer in order to get what they need from the reference. The job seeker can write specifically towards the job target, and then provide it to the person providing the reference who can either approve, edit, or veto the document.

Hopefully, by following these quick tricks, you’ll be able to have some top-notch, compelling letters of recommendation at the ready for just the moment when you need them!

What 80% of Us Don’t Know (Or Ignore) About Our Job Searches

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:34:00 +0000

With this post, I am going to go out on a limb using some strictly unscientific data I’ve been quietly gathering from all of my discussions with hiring managers, recruiters, headhunters, and human resource professionals.

Are you ready?

Ok, here it is:

80% of all the résumés out there suck.

Yes, I mean really suck. As in spelling/grammar/usage/punctuation errors, ugly or non-existent formatting, lack of keywords, cutting and pasting job duties instead of listing valuable contributions, inclusion of photos and other non-relevant personal information, and the ever-so-outdated objective statement which is the constant thorn in the side of anyone who reads the document, just to name a few.

All of these horrible elements are still out there and still being circulated as application materials in all of their hideous, error-ridden, and totally ineffective glory.

Now before you start rolling your eyes, clucking your tongue, and thinking indignantly, “Certainly, she’s not talking about not my résumé!” consider this:

Most of these hiring professionals I’ve talked to have indicated that the 20% of the ‘good’ résumés that they see are only ADEQUATE (meaning the documents give them the basics of what they need to consider the applicant).

Out of that 20% , less than 5% absolutely pop and crackle in the way we all think and hope our document does when it lands on the screener’s desk.

Actually, I totally agree with that 5% number… Lots of prospective clients send me their documents, brimming with confidence that their résumé is superior and just needs some 'minor' tweaks or touch-ups.

Oh, really? “Well, let’s take a look,” I say, and open up the file.

What pops up on my screen isn’t pretty… most of the time.

There’s a reason why so many résumé writers, human resource managers, and career professionals are constantly tweeting and writing articles on this subject. We are literally screaming at the top of lungs… job seekers simply HAVE to punch it up a notch in today’s highly sophisticated job market.

But the problem is that there are lots of people who simply are not ‘getting’ it whether they are just plain ignorant or too egotistical to admit their résumé isn’t up to current snuff – to their own detriment.

To defend John and Jane Public, they don’t make a career out of tracking résumé trends. Most of us usually go through this update process perhaps every few years until we find a job, then we let the dust settle before calling up the résumé again years later.

As a writer, I see technology continually reshaping the employment marketplace, and it is going to boil down to how you position and then format your credentials which will determine whether you attract the attention of first an applicant tracking system (ATS) and then a human resources live human being.

However you go about it, you need elevate your résumé to the next level whether you buy a ‘how-to’ book to do it yourself or hire a professional. It is a constantly evolving landscape, and if you want to stand out as a superior candidate, your background and accomplishments alone won’t cut the mustard anymore as ‘stand alone.’

We’re talking pushing yourself harder than you’ve ever pushed yourself before. Everyone needs to see their résumé as a living, breathing roadmap of their career, and invest in themselves. Their livelihood depends on it.

Truth Hurts: The Real Scoop on Resume Length

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 23:48:00 +0000

You’ve spent your career being the A-list ‘go-to’ person in your department or company. Awards hang on your wall, and the company exec pops in to personally give you a ‘good job’ handshake every so often. You’re in good standing with an admirable track record.
Does your résumé reflect that?

Most people spend the majority of their résumé space citing a laundry list of what they did, rather than focusing on their accomplishments, and worrying about the length of the overall document. More importantly, they don’t effectively showcase their top-line value proposition to prospective employers.

When it is not uncommon for hiring managers to receive 100, 200 and even up to 500 résumés for each open position, communicating what makes you stand out is even more critical. And résumé length has everything to do with it. The devil is in the details, and in this case, the details have to be short, sweet and to the point.

Delivering a concise, value-laden résumé takes critical editing skills. Many people end up edging past two pages once the details start to flow. This is exactly the point where the red pen needs to come out and ruthless changes need to happen. One résumé writing expert recently announced that she is now down to a one-page résumé summary for executives, who are usually the ones who flow onto three pages. (!)

So how do you shorten your background into a tidy and clear illustration about your value to prospective employers?

You need to show what you are capable of doing, not what you’ve done on a daily level. To get to this point, the truth hurts as you begin the editing process. A good way of thinking about it is to frame your background the following way:

Action (what you did) + Results (what was the outcome to company) = your value to the prospective employer

Take off that one responsibility that you really enjoyed but didn’t produce results. Trim down extensive training and professional development classes that you’ve taken… leaving just the ‘cherry picked’ top-notch opportunities that are the most relevant to your background.

Train yourself to think about your background in terms of not what you did on a daily basis but what the overall results were to the company as a whole. Did you make them money? Save them money? Save them time? Or in the case of non-profit organizations… did you expand services? Make efficiency changes? Increase outreach and exposure?

By adopting this approach, you can drastically shorten your résumé but add focused power behind communicating what you offer to a potential employer. It’ll have an amazing effect on your viability as a candidate, and you won’t be worrying about how long your résumé is at all.

The Tokyo Electric Company's Human Resources Company Dilemma

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 02:53:00 +0000

As the tragic events in Japans continue to unfold, there is an untold story going on, from a human resources perspective, that most of us probably won’t ever have a glimpse into in order to understand the complex conversations taking place.

The Toyko Electric Power Company, in a desperate bid to try to regain stability and hopefully control over their crippled reactors, has returned nuclear plant technicians back to the facility, which inevitably means that they will be exposed to fluctuating levels of radioactivity, some of which
could end up being lethal.

I can’t even imagine what that human resources discussion must be like.

These brave workers have either been asked or compelled to potentially sacrifice their lives for not only their employer, but for their country as well.

And these workers aren’t even in a branch of the military or emergency services, where the possibility of forfeiting lives might be a reasonable expectation as part of signing on board.

These workers are in an unimaginable position; they have a highly specialized body of knowledge that comes with a first-hand understanding of the inner workings and systems of a complex machine… which could also be the basis of being the only hope Japan has for trying to control the spread of radiation across a greater portion of the country, impacting untold populations for years to come.

How would a human resources manager approach this kind of self-sacrifice conversation with an employee?

And when viewed within a Japanese cultural perspective, would it be dishonorable for a worker to not step up to make that sacrifice, if asked?

This brings to mind the fateful scene in “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan” when Spock selflessly sacrifices himself to restore the warp drive and then dies of radiation poisoning.

Before he passes, he tells Captain Kirk, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

Is that what is going on here?

It is hard to conceive of any employer compelling workers to return to a job that could mean certain death… or at the very least, a remaining lifetime of illness.

We probably won’t ever be privy to the conversations that have taken place between TEPCO and the workers… whether the technicians have stepped up as a sense of duty and honor of sacrifice, or if there were mandates and highly persuasive reasoning making the case for the workers to remain on site. Perhaps honors and financial rewards were offered as incentives to the worker’s families, should they fail to survive.

History will only tell, but for the technicians working tirelessly fighting impossible odds, let alone their own mortality, I salute their working through fear and overcoming the 'flight or fight' instinct as well as their nobility of service, sacrificing themselves to protect the needs of the many.

How Your Email Address Can Torpedo A Job Search

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:26:00 +0000

Have you done an audit on your email address lately? I don’t mean opening up your account and looking for messages. I mean taking a closer look at the actual email address that you are using.

I have received a number of emails from some very interesting address names lately. That being said, if you were to ask me if these names sounded professional, I would have to say absolutely not!

Sometimes, we get so acclimated to that personal address that we simply forget about how others might perceive it.

Add in the close scrutiny of a prospective employer, and your résumé containing that social email address COULD be destined for the round file.

Dead-giveaways unwittingly revealed in your email address name can lift the curtain about the ‘personal’ you… and absolutely need to be tightened up, or even replaced in favor of more ‘sanitized’ versions.

I’m not saying you need to ‘ditch’ your personal / social email; you need to bury it or at the very least, not volunteer it when presenting an otherwise professional document for consideration for a job.

Think about this… what would you think “Gnarly1941@emailaddress.com” might convey? Or “MaryJaneReefer@emailaddress.net?”

Don’t laugh. I’ve seen similar email addresses like these on résumés more often than you would guess.

A surprising number of people continue to send out résumés that have what I call ‘goofy’ email addresses.

Even if it isn’t goofy, an email address could potentially torpedo your job search before you even get it off the ground because the one that you are using doesn’t project a professional image.

If you have to create a new ‘professional’ email, then do so, but don’t forget to check it. Sometimes, candidates get so caught up checking their social email accounts that they forget to open up their business one… only to find a message from an employer dated 3 weeks ago waiting for them.

Oops. Game over.

You can pretty much bet that opportunity has already passed and is now a dead end. Lack of response means the employer is moving on to the next candidate.

It’s now up to you to conduct a quick review and see if your email address needs triage help, stat.

Here are some key email address-naming tips to help you in maintaining your professionalism on your résumé:

1)      Stay away from things that might tip off your age. Avoid year of birth, graduation, or age references. Oh, and mentioning that you are a member of the AARP. It’s illegal, downright despicable, but yet difficult to prove – employers are discriminating against people because of their age, so you should make sure to remove age references completely.

2)      Avoid political, gender, or religious references. You may be very passionate about a particular belief, cause, or affiliation, but you don’t need to be in an employer’s face about it. After all, they aren’t hiring you for what you believe… they are hiring you for what you can DO.

3)      Be careful about health references too. Being a cancer survivor is great, but if you let an employer know that before you get to the interview, their concern about health care costs might cause them to 'lose' your application... if you know what I mean. Seriously. It can and does happen.

4)     Keep It Simple, Stupid. If you have an email address that looks like some kind of code and doesn’t make any kind of logical sense, create an easy one to type into a message. No one likes peering at their keyboard to hunt and peck out a random assortment of letters and numbers.

5)      Safest bet? Your name. Your name as the email address is your best bet. If you have a common name, then add some random number or variation that still makes it clear that this is your name.

Make sure to remove any and all objections an employer might find in your career materials and documents when making an application. Your future could depend on it!

Do You Have A Laser-Precise Job Search Plan?

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Well-known fact: Job searching and being unemployed can be one of the most discouraging and ego-smashing things a person could ever experience. Rejection is common, and there is a tendency to end up in a very unhappy place.

Then, there’s the chaos. If you’ve previously been working for most of your career in a full-time position, you’re used to have the structure and routine to each day. Being out of work, you find yourself in a drifting miasma of "What do I do today?"

Someone once told me: Looking for a job IS a full-time job. You need to adopt that mentality.

Here are some suggestions on how to chart your course, add some structure to your day, and give yourself definable goals to give you that sense of order that you had
within the workplace:

1) Appoint a Job Search ‘Buddy’
This person will be someone you report to on a weekly basis. This person will hold you accountable and be your ‘cheerleader’ at the same time. NOTE: Make sure that this person is someone who is a friend, mentor or colleague. Don’t rely on someone in your household… this could be a potential sticky wicket with family relationships if you somehow fall off the bandwagon and could lead to arguments!

2) Number of Articles to Be Read Weekly
When you are unemployed or out of work, it is easy to feel that you are getting left behind on industry trends and issues. It’s amazing when you have a clear command of what’s going on in the world how easy it is to find opportunities to talk about what you’ve read or learned.

3) Number of Networking Events to Be Attended Weekly
Shy? Get over it. The ocean is full of sharks right now, and you need to be one of them. That means getting out of the house, and getting out to networking events. Take a completely different approach: my friend Cleon Cox, who is the founder of the Portland Job Finders Support Group has this mantra which is perfect: Meet people, learn something, and have fun.

4) Number of Educational Events to Go to Monthly
When you are not working, again, there is the fear that you are getting ‘off the merry-go-round’ and losing ground to competitors. But smart job searchers realize that there is a huge opportunity to be gained during this time: go take classes. This could be a great way to help catapult you into a new career, enhance your professional credentials, or hone your skills.

5) Number of Volunteer Hours Per Month
Volunteering can provide exceptional opportunities to network, learn new skills, become a known quantity within an organization and even find out about industry or company job openings before they are even posted. Plus, you’ll feel good while doing it!

6) Number of Member Organizations To Belong To
If you have a target industry, chances are that there is some kind of related trade association or membership organization that you could join. The benefit of these organizations is that your involvement can add 'gravitas' to your credentials.

7) Number of Informational Interviews Per Week
Part of the ‘getting out of the house’ aspect of this job search plan is to meet people… one-on-one in informational interviews. Many people mistakenly believe and take the approach that informational interviews are all about finding jobs. WRONG! Informational interviews are precisely about finding INFORMATION. The best part about informational interviews is that if you treat the person right who took the time to meet with you, they can become a great internal advocate for you. ALWAYS thank interviewees for their time by mailing a hand-written note.

8) Number of Friends To Talk To Per Week
Who do friends know? People. Employed people. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your entire network. The key is to tap into your social circle and ‘refresh’ your connections. You never know what might happen.

9) Follow Up On Sent Applications
One of the biggest failures of job seekers is that they are constantly looking forward for the next job opening to apply for that they don’t go back and follow up on the positions for which they’ve already applied. Sometimes, the position opening didn’t turn out to be the right fit for your skills. But if you treat the hiring manager or the human resource representative right, you could impress them in a very good way. That could put you on the “A” list for other jobs that come open.

10) Focus Your Resume on Key Themes
You probably have several different theme areas that you could develop separate resumes for based on your background. Explore how you might have different incarnations of your resume, and take the time to develop these fully. You might be pleasantly surprised at how you can reinvent yourself and create new flexibility in your employment search.

This blog seems like, wow, a whole lot of homework, but the goal is to provide structure, stability and goals to you in a time where there is a lot of chaos, unclear objectives and confusion. By structuring yourself and your time while unemployed, this will give you the sense of purpose you need and also a boost to feeling productive.

You're FIRED: How to Handle Terminations in an Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:47:00 +0000

The most gut-wrenching words you never want to hear that seem like the end of the world: "You're fired" or "We are going to have to let you go."

Terminations happen- whether they are your fault or because someone decided to eliminate you for their own personal ambition / agenda reasons.

But the end result is the same: Being fired from a job can taint your future prospects.

The biggest worry most job seekers looking for work who have been terminated is whether someone else will give you a chance.

But before you even get to the interview table, you need to have an attitude adjustment about what that termination means.

You need to seize control of it, and own it. Don't let it own you. Fear will rule your life...if you let it.

Here are some tips to help you get past this difficult time in your career and overcome the pain of a termination:

1) Bury the negativity with positivity. Out of work right now? Try volunteering, and wow them with going above and beyond what is asked of you. The volunteer work can be listed in your employment history (be sure to indicate "Volunteer (job name)"). The good news? You've started to create a positive track record of what you can capably deliver, and also redefined yourself in a better light. Plus, you'll feel better so the last (and most recent) thing you had done in your career isn't negative, which is a powerful booster to your mental state during the job search.

2) Remove preconceptions. Act the part by dressing, acting, and speaking professionally in every single interaction that you have with an employer. Don't give them a reason to doubt your abilities.

3) Address the problems that led to your termination. If you did make a mistake big enough to warrant termination, you need to be willing to investigate those reasons. Do you have an anger problem? Are you lacking in a skill that resulted in a less-than-satisfactory performance? Be willing to examine the contributing causes, no matter how painful they seem at the time. Identifying, knowing, and then working to resolve the problems that led to this situation will help you better prepare for the future.

4) Accept blame where it is due... then let go of the rest. If your termination honestly had nothing to do with your job performance, you can't change the course of history. Whatever circumstances led to the termination were obviously beyond your control, and while it is okay to be upset and angry about the outcomes, it is best to not stew about things... you can't change them and your energy is better served to helping yourself towards the future, versus agonizing about the past.

5) Understand that you will need to explain your dismissal. Potential employers will find out anyway, so this is your one opportunity to answer the question before it is even asked and to influence the decisionmaker's opinion about you. Explain you ran into a difficult situation with your last employer and that trying to make them happy simply didn't work out, which is why you left. Bring up the point that you have good references from previous employers who can speak to your abilities and productivity.

Tackling a termination head-on is not only honest, but also empowering, so you don't let the fear of what happened in the past cloud your future.

New Boss, New Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:10:00 +0000

Undoubtedly, most of us have gone through some kind of transition with our supervisors. Perhaps the person was recruited away to another company or maybe there was a merger and they got reassigned to another department.

Whatever the reason, something important has been lost. When your boss leaves, they take with them that person's knowledge of your contributions, skills, knowledge, and expertise.

And a new boss means a completely blank slate.

Your new job is to get to know them, ASAP. If you don't take the time to build rapport, it could have deadly consequences to your career.

The reason?

If they don't know your value, they could make decisions that don't factor you in as a valuable asset.

Try using these four tips to build a connection to a new boss:

1) Speak up in meetings. If you are always in the background, now is the time to jump in. If you aren't seen as an active participant on the team, this could be a red flag to a boss who might be surveying the landscape for potential house cleaning later. Be a positive contributor.

2) Set up a one-on-one meeting. If the boss has not done so already, set up a time to meet with them to provide an overview of your work and to allow them to get to know you better. Building connections will also help you both assess your working styles to figure out how you will be able to communicate best. This can lay the ground work for a great collaborative work relationship.

3) Provide regular updates. You don't need to be a classic 'brown-noser' but proactively providing updates on project status or other work you are conducting is one less question or request that the boss has to make. If you reliably turn in work or reports on-time and in an organized fashion, you'll be perceived as professional and as the department standard.

4) Empower, Educate, and Engage. New bosses don't necessarily want to admit that they are behind the learning curve in getting acclimated to a new company or division. They are struggling to get caught up with priorities, challenges, and opportunities, while trying to get to know the team that will take them there. Be willing to share in a helpful way to give the new boss the knowledge and tools to get them up to speed as soon as possible. You could gain a very powerful career advocate as a result.

If you build a reputation as a helpful, friendly resource who is competent in your work and an engaged member of the team, your new boss will see you as an important asset and include you in key projects and potential promotions.

“Massaging” Your Job Titles Can Be Hazardous To Your Career Health

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:06:00 +0000

Client résumés flow into my office all the time, and some of the most interesting things come to light once a project gets started. One particularly startling fact keeps rearing its ugly head:

People take exceptional liberties regarding previous job titles they’ve held when listing them on their résumé.

Uh Oh.

Cue the “Dum… da dum dum” music.

Are you feeling remotely uncomfortable yet?

Most human resource and hiring managers see “Job Title Massaging” as actually a deceptive practice. To them, it doesn’t matter that the work you did doesn’t match the job title. And it doesn’t matter that you struggled under a job title that didn’t accurately represent your responsibilities, either.

But what they do take exception to is when candidates ‘assume’ job titles that they actually haven’t held.

From a human resources standpoint, the job title on the résumé should match the one on file in the personnel file.

Anything that you list which is different than what's on file isn’t considered an official employment record.

However, if you feel that your job title is so far out in left field from the realities of your daily work, there IS hope in trying to correct someone’s impression of your background.

Keeping in mind that you need to always take the higher ground and provide the title of the job that you held, you can provide some insight as to the equivalent that best represents the level at which you were functioning.

Here’s how:

Company Name – City, ST
Actual Title (equivalent to _______)

You ALWAYS want to honest, and more importantly, accurate in your résumé. Anything less could prove to be harmful to your career.

Job Interview Autopsies: What You Don't Know Will Hurt You

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:30:00 +0000

Loyalty: A Dead Workplace Value?

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 23:19:00 +0000

I keep hearing a word that pops up regularly that is completely alarming when I ask job seekers to describe themselves. The conversation usually goes like something like this:

Me: “Ok, now tell me some of your personal strengths and attributes that make you good for this type of job.”

Job seeker: “I’m driven, dedicated, and extremely loyal.”

STOP.

Let’s interrupt this conversation to have a frank discussion about “loyal.”

It always gives me pause because of its contradictory nature when used in the job search process. Semantics mean everything, and this word requires us to dig a little deeper to uncover a huge problem in its use. This brings up two fundamental questions:

Question #1: If an applicant is so loyal, then why are they leaving the employer?

-or-

Question #2: Why aren't companies loyal to dedicated employees instead of laying them off?

Isn’t this expression of ‘loyalty’ technically supposed go both ways? Employees are supposed to be loyal to companies… and companies are supposed to be loyal to good employees, right?

Today’s reality sure doesn’t look that way.

FACT: We spend a significant portion of our lifetime in the workplace… sometimes even more than we spend with our families, on average. The math doesn’t lie: Out of 168 hours in an entire week, we spend approximately 40 sleeping, 73 on our own time, 10 hours commuting, and 45+ hours in the office environment (including lunch time). Out of our entire waking time during any given week, we spend at least 41% in our place of work.

That’s a significant chunk. With that amount of time being spent with co-workers, it’s easy to come to think of this group somewhat as a ‘second family’ – a natural assumption given the complex array of relationships that evolve in working so closely with a group of people over so many hours.

But there’s an emotional connection in there as well, which goes deeper than the perfunctory professional connection. People bond with their fellow employees and supervisors, and there’s a sense of belonging and security that results. Workers are motivated and inspired to throw themselves into their work and oftentimes, exceed what is being asked of them in an effort to help push the company forward. They invest trust in the management and owners in that the executives have the employees' collective back.

Then one of three scenarios happens:

1) The unthinkable. Business drops off, or there’s a change in organizational leadership.

Things end up not being the way they used to be. There are more closed-door meetings, and morale might plummet as a result. Staff members don’t like the new management or direction, and begin looking for new opportunities and want to jump ship. In other cases, changes like these can mean a pink slip. Struggling to understand, the employees are devastated. “I put my heart and soul into that company!” “I worked hundreds of hours of overtime and never noted it just to get the project done on time.”“I loved my job and always got good reviews… what happened?”

2) The flattery of the competitive offer. You’ve worked hard, and it’s been noticed. Competitors try to snatch you away from your current employer and gee, it’s too good to resist so off you go.

3) Boredom / Disconnect. Sometimes, there is simply a shift away from the employer’s engagement in the employee, and the worker begins to feel disconnected and alienated. That’s when they begin looking for new opportunities to learn new things, be challenged, or move to the next level of their career because there is nowhere else to grow.

How we think about the workplace needs to shift. Sure there are a lot of warm fuzzies that are part of any corporate or business culture, which makes you part of a team. And team chemistry is an important part of the equation.

But don’t forget, for even one moment, that the workplace is first and foremost a business environment, and your being there is a mutual business decision.

Companies make personnel decisions based on business, not loyalty. Some still allow loyalty to be factored into decision making, but that is quickly being phased out. It's all about dollar and cents now.

Look at this way: You made a business decision to work for them based on the compensation and work that you would be doing, and they have hired you to do a job based on your skills and performance.

Ultimately, I’m becoming ever convinced that loyalty in the workplace has become obsolete. Long gone are the allegiances that employees make to a company that seem forever binding, and stay in the same position for time immemorial until they retire. And conversely, employers may overlook long-serving employees and see an opportunity to eliminate 'dead wood,' infuse new ideas, and trim overhead costs.

Loyalty expressed now in a résumé or cover letter almost seems a quaint, outdated expression instead of a statement of integrity these days.

So what do you think?

Do you think employee loyalty exists still?

Do employers still express loyalty to long-serving employees?

Or is this all about to be erased?

Your Online Doppelgänger: A Good or Bad Version of The Real You?

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 03:03:00 +0000

I was at a meeting recently and during a break out session on social media, we were talking about how much (or little) of the ‘real you’ should be revealed online. Everyone around the table had Facebook profiles, but several people revealed that they actually had two different ones; one that is business-related and the other locked down to close friends only… mainly because they were afraid of the world seeing the ‘real’ person who expressed thoughts and ideas. The second profile was created because these folks didn’t want to worry about professional repercussions.

That being said, if the expectation is that we are supposed to be as authentic and genuine as we are in real life…

Then why are we being told to hold back and play the ‘professional card’… and never post anything that reveals what we REALLY are thinking or saying?

Good question. What do YOU want to do?

There still are an awful lot of other people out there who are ignorant of the fact that their tweets or posts are becoming part of their online digital diary that is forever being recorded. With 4 out of 5 employers using social media to learn more about prospective candidates for jobs, the online version of these people could prove to be not exactly what that company had in mind… based on the expressed opinions of the applicant in cyberspace.

Others, on the other hand, blatantly don’t care about what others might perceive or think about them. Damn the torpedoes, they say. I am who I am, and I won’t apologize for it. They are opinionated as part of their personal brand, and that very reason is what attracts people to them – these people will say it like it is. It’s like a breath of fresh air in a sea of vanilla-like people afraid to ‘rock the boat.’

So why is it that some people can get away with this attitude and seem impervious?

Let’s put it this way: There is really only one rule that really mandates how to handle this: You can’t play both sides of the fence and then try to back off. You have to choose one that you want to reflect your own persona, and then run with it... consistently.

Take Laurie Ruettimann of The Cynical Girl for an example. She’s been a professional human resources manager and is now a speaker, writer, and career industry expert. But she is also unabashedly direct, opinionated, and uses some words that others might cringe at seeing in her blog.

But you know what?

That is unadulterated Laurie.

I’ve never met her, but her honesty, directness, and humor all come together into her personal brand that is engaging and brutally honest. And she asserts herself in a positive way from a position of authority, engagement, and expertise while serving it straight up.

Not everyone can be this open.

So how much do you want your online doppelgänger to reflect the ‘good’ or bad version of the real you?

Where do you think the line should be drawn?

Do you maintain dual online identities… the ‘real’ you or the ‘professional’ you?

The Biggest Secret Obstacle to Your Career

noreply@blogger.com (Pathfinder Writing and Careers) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:22:00 +0000

Time and again, clients land in my email inbox or are on the phone talking to me, painfully recounting how the job that they thought was secure was suddenly wiped out in the blink of an eye.

What they thought was a bullet-proof company career is suddenly gone, and the employee is now left with dangling, unresolved questions:

“I did everything right, and was a top performer... How could this happen?”
“The boss and I were best pals… what went wrong?”
"Why me?”

But the truth is: There is no such thing as job security any more. It's all about employability.

And the biggest secret obstacle to your career rests on one thing and one thing only:

How complacent are you?

The people who suffer the most from being 'caught with their pants down' in their career are usually the ones who have not taken an active role in managing their career. Sure, they have contributed a lot of good things, but something gave management pause and made them zero in on the unlucky employee.

That leads to the next question: What have you done to prove that you are not "dead wood?" That you are an active contributor in addition to being a top performer?

No method is entirely bullet proof, but when it comes down to paring down staff, it boils down to a business decision where an employer will look at who might be transferrable to another department or have demonstrated leadership or untapped career assets that might be of use to the company.

Complacency has no place in this business model. The concept of 'upgrading' is becoming more and more practiced as companies who have trimmed their staff down to the core group are now evaluating who is left to figure out how to move the company forward.

But never fear. There IS a way to overcome the perception of a person's complacency.

This is a brand-new year and what better time to actively roadmap out three areas that can shift an employer's opinion about you. Here are the 3 major focuses you need to zero in on to boost your employability quotient with your current employer:

1) Professional development. What kinds of classes, workshops, trainings, etc. can you take that will hone your ability to do your job, and bring back new ideas to the company? A well-trained workforce is important to bosses making staff reduction decisions.

2) Affiliations. How are you building your connectedness within the industry? What kinds of organizations can you join to build up your company’s profile, and keep tabs on your industry peers (and competition)?

3) Involvement. Where are you demonstrating your leadership by volunteering? This is a touchy area as you have to strike the right balance between contributing on a volunteer basis versus not impacting your ability to do your job. But by stepping up, you keep your abilities and name in the limelight, versus dropping off into obscurity.

Showing traction in your career by integrating these three career drivers, and then keeping your boss informed about them is critical to demonstrating how indispensable you are to the organization. They might lay off others, but if you are valuable to the organization by being an active contributor, you’ll have a better chance of surviving being trimmed out of the company payroll by being placed into another area of the organization.

And if the unthinkable ever does happen, you can be more confident in your job search by not being complacent about your career and engaging in active career management. As a result, the opportunities of another employer recognizing you as top talent and snapping you up are exponentially increased.