Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Job Change – Is it the other inevitable?

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Here we thought that only death and taxes were inevitable.  Looks like “change” is peering her head around that same corner, and I don’t mean the change that the politicians keep bantering about.  I mean the real, honest-to-goodness, things are going to change around here kind of change that happens at work.

Some are suggesting that some of the very tenants of our work world are likely to change as baby boomers retire and our system adjusts.  That may be years down the road, but talk of recession and lots of pink slips make talk about change a definite here and now topic.

How can you prepare for change?  Some thoughts…

 1.  Keep your head out of the sand.  You don’t want to engage in unsavory gossip, but make it your business to know the skinny in your area and the company at large.  Touch in with professionals in competing companies as well so you’ll have a finger on the pulse of your industry.

2. Make yourself vital.  Volunteer for projects.  Don’t complain.  Become an expert in a niche market.  Specialize in something useful and leverage your services when change comes around the bend.

3. Keep your eye on the prize.  What are your goals?  Plans?  Do you hope to move up the ladder in your company?  Move on to another industry?  If you don’t have plans, change will come and hit you in the face.  I don’t have to tell you that most people who are hit in the face aren’t going to be lucky enough to have much say in the directions they go.  Don’ t let that be you. 

Keppie Careers will help you prepare for your next career step.  We offer resume writing, career coaching, and an array of services to help you make the best change possible…www.keppiecareers.com

Boomers Retire – A Brave New Work World?

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Tammy Erickson of Harvard Business Online recently wrote about the changes that may be coming as a result of baby boomers reaching retirement age.  I’ve written about how the workplace may need to become more flexible to avoid the “brain drain” that would occur as more mature and experienced workers leave their companies.  Erickson’s prediction goes beyond suggesting the employers will offer flexible jobs:

Over the next several decades, as more sectors face the looming talent shortage, there will be a rapid increase in the number of people who work in cyclical or project-based arrangements—many with no fixed affiliation to one corporation. It’s even possible that project-based work will become the norm in several decades—with most workers operating as what some have called “intellectual mercenaries” assembled by project, as needed.

Essentially, these “cyclical” workers are what might today be called contractors…They come in to do a job, get the work done and leave.

Imagine if our workforce really adjusted to this type of scenario.  Many workers would be like cogs in an ever spinning wheel.  Benefits could go by the wayside, as only a select group of essential workers would be considered “full time” employees.  Presumably, some permanent jobs may be lost, but many would benefit from the flexible arrangements. 

Erickson suggests that this workplace may be decades in the future.  It’s difficult enough planning for next month’s workplace, let alone for something that may happen 10 years down the road.  However, the suggestions she makes to prepare seem timely and well suited to anyone in today’s workforce who hopes to influence their own career path.

In summary, Erickson suggests:

  • Building and maintaining your professional network.
  • Understand your skills and talents and where they can be put to use.
  • Keep current on research and thinking in your field.
  • Keep licenses and certifications up to date.
  • Maintain a home office as a launching pad for marketing and selling your skills as well as maintaining records of billable hours.
  • Don’t become so immersed in the “here and now” that you forget to take time to consider planning for the next thing.

This last point strikes me as particularly important.  In any changing or volatile work environment, don’t let yourself get so caught up in getting through the week that you forget that another Monday is just around the weekend.  We could all benefit by more involved planning and efforts on our own behalf to ensure that we are really driving our own career bus.

Keppie Careers will help you drive your own career bus.  www.keppiecareers.com

Don't Rely on Job Sites as the Cure-All for Your Search

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The Wall Street Journal’s Career Journal reports that:

Visits to job sites during the first four weeks of 2008 rose about 22% compared to the same period in 2007, according to a new report from Hitwise, a market-research firm.

Beware of being sucked in to a false sense of security when you apply to jobs on these sites.  You may think that if you apply to 100 positions, you are bound to hear something!

Job boards have a role in your job search, but only if you leverage your time and don’t rely on them too much.  I suggest spending no more than 10-15% of your job search efforts seeking and applying to positions on mega-boards.

Why?

Be aware that not every posting on these job boards actually represents a specific position.  For example, some recruiters post seeking a bank of resumes for a position they may (or may not) recruit in the future. 

Of course, every sought after job will receive a tremendous response.  Between sheer volume and job postings that don’t represent actual jobs, it’s no wonder that many people feel as if they are sending their resume into the great black hole when they use these sites.

Another problem with applying for jobs in great numbers is that resumes and applications are not targeted to the employer.  Why would someone want to hire you if you don’t make a case explaining how you are perfect for their job? 

A better use of your time?  NETWORKING!  I’ve written so much about the value of networking and how to do it…See the Networking category at the right for a full update!

Keppie Careers will write your resume, teach you job search strategies and prepare you for your next big career step!

Top 5 Resume Do's and Don'ts

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There is a lot to consider when writing your resume. You don’t want to miss an opportunity for an interview by offering a less than stellar result.  In her blog, Hire Someone to Write Your Resume, career advice blogger and author Penelope Trunk refers to a resume as a “complicated sales document and also a piece of direct mail.” That said, here are my top 5 Resume Do’s and Don’ts…

DO

Remember that your resume is a marketing piece, not a laundry list. Sell yourself; don’t just list what you’ve done.

Focus on transferable skills and quantifiable accomplishments. Determine the employer’s key words and incorporate them. Include soft skills, otherwise known as emotional intelligence. Use strong, active language that helps the reader picture you working for them.

Design your resume to be easy to read and scan – both with software and the eye. Remember that the typical first read allows a 10-second glance. (Some say 7 seconds is all you get!) Make it count by using white space, bullet points and bold, appealing design elements. Ensure that your resume is error free.

Target your resume to the employer. Do NOT zap your generic resume to 100 different online job postings. If you do not personalize your resume to include key words, you may be wasting your time sending it at all.

Be precise. Although the “one-page” rule no longer applies for all employers, it is important to narrow your information to include the most important material. (Typically, two pages are plenty.) Employers do not want to wade through a lot of extraneous information.

DON’T

Use “I, me or my” in your resume. The first-person is implied. Don’t use the phrase “responsibilities included” or “responsible for.” These are passive ways to structure your information.

Don’t use an objective. Your objective is to get the job, so you are wasting space in the very important real estate of your resume – the top! Attract readers with a targeted “Accomplishments,” “Highlights,” or similarly named section. Don’t list “References upon request.” This is assumed.

Don’t include ANY personal information such as age, gender, religion, marital status, social security number, weight, etc. In the U.S., do not include a picture on your resume.  All of this information is inappropriate and will make you seem dated and unaware of correct resume etiquette.

Don’t rely on standard resume templates, especially from your word processing program. Don’t copy text from sample resumes posted on the web. You are unique; your resume should be distinctive.

Don’t ever lie on a resume. Present the best possible image consistent with the truth.

I will design and write a resume that captures your skills and accomplishments and sells your skills!

Get Paid To Interview?

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And you thought that e-mail inviting you to be paid to interview for jobs was spam, didn’t you? 

In what could be the ultimate acknowledgement that it is easier to find a job when you have a job, a startup called notchup.com arranges for “passive” job seekers (employed workers who are not seeking opportunities) to be paid for interviews.  Job seekers (who aren’t really passive if they sign up, are they?) register, set a price for an interview (the site calculates a suggested fee) and wait for an invitation.  Payment relies upon the employer agreeing that the interviewee was active and engaged in the process.

If you are happy at your current job, good at what you do and NOT looking for a new job, you are notchup.com’s target audience.

How can companies afford to pay for interviews?  Founders Jim Ambras and Rob Ellis explain on their site that a candidate who would earn $100,000 annually could cost $20,000 to hire using a recruiter.  If that same organization selected a hire from a pool of 10 people paid $500 each to interview, the company can save $15,000.

The AP reports that founder Ambras, former vice president of engineering at the search engine AltaVista said,

”In every job I’ve had, I’ve had to, under time pressure, build a team of engineers. I learned years ago that the best people you want to hire are the people who aren’t in the job market.”

The over 10,000 registrants and potential notchup.com candidates may be interested in reading about potential privacy issues they may encounter using the site.  Others may prefer to dive in with wild abandon!

Keppie Careers helps active and passive job seekers!  Your resume should always be up-to-date and ready to use at a moment’s notice.  We also offer mock intervews.  Prepare for the job  hunt:  www.keppiecareers.com