Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

What’s age got to do with your career?

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There’s no question that generational issues play into job search. I wanted to share a few key details I learned in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Atlanta’s conference this week, “What’s Age Got to Do with It?” Presented by Maureen Kelly, Atlanta Regional Convention, Heyward Williams, Georgia Power and Rosalia Thomas, IBM, the talk focused on how companies can help retain workers who may be retirement age and touched on generational issues in the workplace.

Boomers

The session addressed the issue of how companies can plan for and harness the power of their more experienced workers who may plan to retire in search of flexibility, but may still be willing to and interested in contributing to the organization’s brain trust. Job seekers may not realize that some companies are actually concerned about the fact that their more seasoned, knowledgeable workers may leave the organization high and dry when it is time to leave. With the projected number of people aged 65+ expected to grow exponentially, it’s an important topic to consider.

The presentation shared the following statistics:

– By 2010, 40% of the U.S. workforce will be over 40.

– Regarding the federal workforce (1.6 million civilians):

  • 50% can retire in the next 5 years
  • 70% are supervisors
  • NASA: scientists and engineers over 60 outnumber those under 30, 3 to 1.

In 1991, 11% planned to continue working past age 65.

In 2010, 33% expect to continue working past 65.

When I was tweeting this session, I heard from several Twitter friends questioning if people really wanted to stay in the workforce, or if financial considerations were primary decision factors. In fact, the presentation suggested that 71% of these workers are happy with their job and do not want to leave. (Per CNNMoney.com). (Of course, this is just a statistic, and will vary from person to person, but there was a strong feeling in the room that people WANT to work because they enjoy it and want to continue to contribute.)

The presentation noted these companies as having best practices regarding keeping their experienced professionals engaged in programs such as mentoring, consulting, advising, etc: Pfizer, Georgia Power, IBM, WellStar. These are companies that value age and experience. This is important to note.

(An aside: for those interested in exploring “encore careers” – work that combines passion, purpose and income, check out http://www.encore.org/.)

Gen Y

At the end of the talk, Rosalia Thomas from IBM shared some interested points regarding her impressions of Gen Y employees. In her view, Ys want everything quickly, want to move up and quickly take on leadership roles. They don’t offer any loyalty. She believes they focus mainly on how they will benefit from the job and how they can move to the next job. In fact, she related a story of a young hire who explained that she was only in the job for as long as she was benefiting, and planned to move on as soon as it was feasible. While Ms. Thomas’ explained that Gen Y job seekers have seen their parents burned by loyalty, the explanation didn’t seem to temper her opinion of employees so blunt about their goals and plans.

Ms. Thomas seemed very concerned with the trends she is seeing with Gen Y employees. It is important to point out that, while being loyal to a company may not be realistic or even expected, it may not behoove entry-level workers to be quite so direct about their plans. There is a lot of focus on authenticity in the blogosphere, but, for Gen Yers who wish to gain traction in certain companies, this talk was a reminder that those sentiments may not be received well.

All of this advice is fine, but you need help actually find a job? Check out THE CAREER SUMMIT for lots of great career advice.

The topics include everything from how to think about finding a job you love, to what has changed in search, demystifying the recruiting process, online career management, interviewing and (last but not least) — strategies and tips for your resume, social media profile and job search. Read more HERE or visit the site HERE to learn more.

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How to influence people

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If you follow me on Twitter, you will know that I have been busy tweeting up a storm from the Career Directors International conference (#CDI10) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Atlanta conference (#SHRMATL10)  in the past week.

Today, I want to share some insights from Tom Herringon, a senior partner with The PAR Group. Tom spoke at SHRM Atlanta about the art of leadership and influence. It’s an important topic, both for managers and those in leadership positions and for job seekers who hope to influence people to hire them.

A few key points from Tom:

  • Everyone is a decision maker. Telling people to do something is not effective; influencing them to take action is best.
  • No decision is made without emotion. Gut instincts and feelings influence every decision we make.
  • If you want to know how people feel, don’t pay attention to what they say, pay attention to their actions. Consider how they are speaking and what they actually do. Actions are easy to see, emotions are not. (I will have more insights about how to listen with all of your senses in my post about Beverly Inman-Ebel’s talk regarding listening. Hint: it’s not something you should be doing only with your ears!)
  • Salesmanship done right looks like leadership.
  • Leaders evaluate situations to allow themselves to be more easily followed.
  • Leaders are inflexible about their goals, outcomes, objectives and targeted results. They are flexible about HOW to get there.
  • Recognize that the decision about what to do rests with the individual. You can’t “make” someone take a specific action, but you can empathize, acknowledge their needs and respect their opinions in an effort to impact behavior.

Tom suggested acknowledging and respecting people, in part by suspending your point of view, empathizing with the other person’s viewpoint and depersonalizing the interaction. For example, instead of starting sentences with “you,” think about using “It” or “That” statements.

While Tom’s talk was for human resource professionals, there were many takeaways for job seekers:

  • Your search is not only about being qualified for the job — people also hire based on what feels “right” to them — emotion is a key factor in hiring decisions. If you are not getting the job, it does not mean you are not qualified, it may relate to a larger issue of how you come across,  how you present yourself or how you make people feel. Self awareness about these topics may be difficult. Ask a trusted friend or coach if you think these factors may be preventing you from getting hired.
  • In an interview, what people say is not always how they feel. An interviewer may tell you one thing, but if they look disinterested, check their watch, or don’t make eye contact, the important information is probably the non-verbal communication.
  • You (the job seeker) are a decision maker, too. Remember — you are evaluating the employer in an interviewer, even as he or she assesses your qualifications for the job. Maybe the organization is not a good fit for you.
  • Think about what you can do to make yourself a leader. Tom said, “Leaders evaluate situations to allow themselves to be more easily followed.” What are you doing to help people decide to follow you? Think about how to use social media tools to share your expertise. Wouldn’t it be great to have people coming to you with job opportunities instead of you applying for every job you want? (It is possible — I coach job seekers and entrepreneurs to leverage these tools for results.)

What other ideas to you have about the topic of influence and leadership, especially as they relate to the workplace and job search? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

photo from thegoldguys.blogspot.com/

It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon: how to break out of your job search rut

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Anyone who might have happened upon my tweets yesterday will know that I am a University of Michigan fan. Yes, I graduated from Michigan, and have terrific memories of trekking to Michigan Stadium with 100,000+ of my closest friends to watch games.

Today, I want to talk about Michigan’s new quarterback, Denard Robinson. He had an amazing start to the season. People were talking Heisman Trophy. Fans and pundits gave him credit for winning Michigan’s first four games where he posted amazing rushing and passing yards. In the first four games of the season, he ran for 905 yards, eight scores and threw for 1,008 yards and seven scores with only one interception.

Yesterday’s (34-17) loss against Michigan State was another story. Denard made three costly turnovers and ran for a season-low 86 yards. (Two should have been touchdowns instead of interceptions. Like a knife in a fan’s heart.)

Now, everyone’s saying “goodbye Heisman trophy” and recognizing Denard as vulnerable and human instead of a superstar.

What’s the career lesson here? Is it “You are only as good as your last job?”

How about “Remember, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon?” No matter what — if you are having success (or not), you need to stay on top of things to either 1) keep achieving the results you want or 2) change results that need to be different.

Just as Denard Robinson needs to move on from an admittedly pretty disastrous game, if your job search isn’t going well, you need to think about what you can do differently and do it. While Denard has tapes to watch and coaches to coach him on how he can do better next time, maybe you only have you and your lack of a job. Can you break out of a rut (if you’re having a rut) on your own? Maybe investing in some advice is a good idea. Think about it.

As a coach, I can’t help but suggest that there is nothing better than good, solid, one-on-one coaching to help identify problem areas. I’ve said this many times — an investment in your career or job search has the potential to repay you many times.

Another great option for job seekers is THE CAREER SUMMIT. Tons of career advice, all for a low price of $99 for a short time. Check it out now, before the early bird is over at the close of business today – Sunday, October 10th.

The topics include everything from how to think about finding a job you love, to what has changed in search, demystifying the recruiting process, online career management, interviewing and (last but not least) — strategies and tips for your resume, social media profile and job search. Read more HERE or visit the site HERE to learn more.

We can’t all be Big 10 quarterbacks with a staff to support us, but you can access tons of great professional advice via The Career Summit. Think about it!

5 things to do if you need to look for a job

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Yesterday, I joined Steve Boese and Shawna Moerke on their online, call-in radio show,  HR Happy Hour. The show focuses on  current topics in Human Resources with leaders and experts in the field. I participated because this week’s show featured The Career Summit – a series of online webinars aimed at helping job seekers (and prospective job seekers) achieve their goals.

During the show, Laurie Ruettimann, one of the masterminds for the Summit, asked fellow guest Ryan Paugh, Community Manager for Brazen Careerist, a great question. She asked what he would do if he were looking for a job today.

Listening in, I started to think about how I would answer that question in a sound byte. I answer this question with clients every day — helping people decide what to do when they are ready for a career change is my business. What’s the “quick and dirty” reply?

1. Identify what you offer. Figure out your value proposition as it relates to the market. Practice explaining how your accomplishments and experiences support your ability to solve specific problems.

2. Research target organizations that will value your skills and expertise. Find organizations who have problems you can solve.

3. Create materials that target your ideal organizations and opportunities. This includes a focused resume, an optimized LinkedIn profile and a totally professional social networking identity.

4. Connect, connect, connect. Use best practices for social networking. Expand your network using Twitter/LinkedIn/Facebook. One best practice: give before you get. There are many steps to help you succeed with online networking, but knowing what you have to offer others is an important first step toward success.

5. Keep doing it! Hopefully, the more you engage with others, both in person and online, the better you will get at doing it successfully.

These are some of my first steps for job seekers. What ideas do you have?

(You can listen to the whole HR Happy Hour here.)

If you are looking for a job, you may also want to check out THE CAREER SUMMIT. Tons of career advice, all for a low price of $99 for a short time. Check it out now, before the early bird is over at the close of business Sunday, October 10th.

The topics include everything from how to think about finding a job you love, to what has changed in search, demystifying the recruiting process, online career management, interviewing and (last but not least) — strategies and tips for your resume, social media profile and job search. Read more HERE or visit the site HERE.

photo by bellybouncer

Looking for meaningful work?

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I’m excited to share an opportunity for those of you looking for an encore career. In case you are not familiar, Civic Ventures, which is “a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose,” defines “encore careers” as jobs that “combine personal meaning, continued income and social impact.” Sometimes, these may be post-retirement careers, although retirement should really be in quotes, since it seems the term has taken on new meaning in today’s economy and because many people are not ready to stop working at a traditional retirement age.

I understand than an encore career can come any time in a person’s work history, not only after a lifetime of working. Are you tired of doing what you are doing? Maybe it is time to think of a new direction, and lucky for you, there is a great resource to help. Here is the information from Civic Venture’s press release:

What: Civic Ventures is partnering with the New York Times Knowledge Network to offer an online seminar for people interested in encore careers. The interactive course will offer practical advice about how to succeed in today’s job market to combine continued income, personal meaning and social impact.

Marci Alboher, careers expert and former New York Times columnist, will be leading the course. According to Alboher, “The idea of encore careers — second acts with social purpose — has started to take hold, but more people are now seeking guidance from experts and others who can teach by example.”

Topics will include: Will there really be enough jobs for the number of people who want to do meaningful work in their encore years? What kinds of job opportunities exist, and how do you make the leap into a field where you may have no experience or contacts? What should you do if you want to work but don’t have the interest or ability to work full time? How can you deal with age discrimination?

Who: The course will feature advice from experts as well as people who have or are on the path to meaningful encore careers. Speakers will include:

Marc Freedman, author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures

 Suzanne Braun Levine, founding editor of Ms. magazine and author of Fifty Is the New Fifty

David Bornstein, author of Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know and founder of Dowser.org

Laura Gassner Otting, president of the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group and author of Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector

Lester Strong, CEO of Experience Corps and former television journalist

Stephen Alderman, Purpose Prize winner and co-founder of the Peter C. Alderman Foundation

When: Fridays, October 22 and 29, from 12-1:15 p.m. ET / 9-10:15 a.m. PT.

How: The online seminar costs $95. For more info and to register, click here.

Made possible in part by a generous grant from the New York Life Foundation.

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If you are looking for a job, you may also want to check out THE CAREER SUMMIT. Tons of career advice, all for a low price of $99 for a short time. Check it out now, before the early bird is over.

The topics include everything from how to think about finding a job you love, to what has changed in search, demystifying the recruiting process, online career management, interviewing and (last but not least) — strategies and tips for your resume, social media profile and job search. Read more HERE or visit the site HERE.

photo from gossamerpromise