Wrong, wrong, wrong (A rant)
July 26th, 2009 @ 08:07pm
I often say to clients and networking groups, "Job search is an art, not a science". Meaning, there's no one way to do anything -- the resume, the interview, networking. A big reason for this is that the process involves people, and people are never all alike. And people change.
However. Some people who do what I do, including myself, conclude that there are always newer and better ways of doing things, and if employers respond, we're right there recommending these methods.
So let me rant about people in my field who don't do the right thing for clients -- and who should know better.
For example, it's dated and it's wrong to include an Objective on a resume today, because it screams "here's what I want" instead of "here's what I can do for YOU". Yet many college career centers and state career center counselors still insist on them, which sets my teeth on edge. They are hurting their clients by doing this old-fashioned, ineffective thing, and it inflames my sense of "How can you do this to your job hunters?" The candidates show me these newly-minted resumes and I have to tell them that the resume needs complete revamping, and they are stunned until I explain why, and then when the new one we do actually works, they say, "Why do they do things the old way?" And I can't explain without sounding angry, so I say "They're don't know any better."
And some of the same people recommend using a "functional" resume, one that puts all the person's skills at the top with some comments, and simply lists the person's titles and employers later on. This "style" is a big red flag to HR and recruiters -- their first thought is, "What is this person hiding?" HR, recruiters, AND hiring managers want to know what you did where, and when. They look for growth and building of a career in a resume, and this type of resume doesn't let them see it. A sure way to get your resume discarded, yet resume "experts" still include these as a valid option. It's old advice and these people should know that the retirement date for such resumes has long passed. Again, a disservice to the client.
Then you have the career counselor at a college who refuses to put the job hunter's Education section at the end of the resume, even when the job candidate graduated 10 years ago or 20 years ago. Gotta advertise that college name! This is so wrong because the resume is not about the college, it's about the candidate. After a year or two after graduation, the Education details go at the end. Period.
Then there's the job search seminar leader I once heard who said to his class of newly laid-off candidates, "This whole interviewing thing is a game...you have to fake them out worse than they fake you out. There's a winner and a loser. Make sure you are the winner. So, lie if you have to." Wrong, wrong, wrong! This cynicism isn't widespread, thank goodness, but the poison such a person is spreading hurts candidates. I pray this man has retired, along with his venom. The reality? Everyone can win during the hiring process, because a good match means the candidate is happy, and the company is happy. Yes, everyone can win.
And the college career counselor who tells a woman in her 30s who's re-entering the work world after taking two years off to be caregiver for her dying mother, "Oh, don't put that on your resume, it's not related to your career." Except it has everything to do with who this woman is and what she is all about: caring about others. So you're darn right that I put it on her resume, and we did a great job of relating it to her career.
Then you have the "professional resume writer" who puts all the headings on his resumes in rectangles (probably making them hard to see by the screening software), uses an Objective, and there are few successes or achievements listed. On the "Credentials" page of his own web site, the resume writer lists two resume membership organizations which do some good work...but all it takes is a credit card payment to join. Credentials are not established by payment, but instead by hard work and successful experience. In the meantime, his ex-clients are not getting results after paying good money. This is wrong. I shouldn't have to re-do his work.
Then there's the resume-writer professional organization itself, which admits any and all who pay, then teaches seminars in "How you can do career counseling to enhance your income". This is like putting surgical instruments into the hands of someone who has good intentions but knows nothing about surgery, while telling them, "You can do it!" Most of these "counselors" don't know much about how to really help a job hunter. This kind of so-called "careers professional" gets into a process with someone who is depending on them, and paying them, only to realize they're in over their heads and then they don't know what to do with this client. This is not only wrong, it's unethical and even dangerous. And it makes all of us look bad.
And that's probably why these kinds of things frost my gourd: people who need help see all this and decide we're not worth it, and who can blame them. So they struggle alone in their searches and take months and months to land a job they aren't even crazy about. They deserve far better but they don't know that it's even possible to get far better.
And that's wrong. So wrong.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Career coaching, | No Comments »
Job Search Myth #342
September 20th, 2009 @ 06:09pm
The number 342 is purely random: I just happened to pick it out of the air, because there are enough job search myths that I'm sure the numbers do go that high. OK, here it is: "My job search networking groups are all I need."
Oh, really? All those people know how to help you, and are going to take time out of their job searches for YOU? Wow!
Now you know I am a huge supporter of networking in job search, with your between-the-jobs brethren, employed folks, and others. Yes, you'll make great contacts and get good feedback. But since when are fellow job seekers experts in your job search, especially when they are consumed with their own searches and their own agendas, and rightfully so?
Anyone who follows the discussion and banter on email list serves for job search networking groups is familiar with the characters who populate them, both helpful types as well as killing time types. There's the bitter know-all-about-job-search guy who's been looking for two years, and blames his inability to land on his age. Could it really be that his attitude seeps through whenever he is interviewed or makes a networking contact? Related to him is the sarcastic list serve member who thinks she should get free job search help from consultants (would she expect free treatment from a doctor before he helps her find the cure?), or who thinks he deserves a higher salary next time around "just because". There's the I-want-to-help-everyone person who leaves too little time for herself. There's the person who's landed a job so he writes emails to the group for hours each day to share his wisdom...but when, pray tell, is he working? And there is the great number of lurkers who are hoping to learn some hidden secret about search that will land them their next job.
None of those folks intends to be harmful to their fellow job hunters. But they simply cannot give the same level of attention that a counselor at a career center, or a consultant like me, gives. It's our job to help you. We live for your success. We don't go away like fellow job seekers do, when they land, and which is totally understandable. And whatever you spend on such services, you will get back by landing sooner, or by being able to negotiate for a higher salary.
So go to job search networking groups, of course. But don't stop there.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Career coaching, Job Search, Networking, | No Comments »
How to Use Twitter to Stay "Career-Fresh"
April 3rd, 2010 @ 01:04pm
Whether you are IN a good job or are between jobs, Twitter can challenge you to stay up with what's going on in your field. I call it staying "career-fresh".
What does this mean? In order to post quality tweets, you obviously have to say something tweet-worthy. Meaning, something that's worth reading by others in your field. Original thinking and observations are best; nothing is gained by posting a "me too" comment.
So, you'll need to observe what's going on in your career field and tell readers about it, especially if others have not addressed the topic in quite the same way. Keep up with your professional colleagues/network, with journals, with printed and online articles, with interviews of leaders, and with issues in your field, so that you can tweet reactions to those.
All of this real-time consciousness about your field challenges you to keep yourself fresh. And today, employers WANT people who are committed to their work. Using Twitter is one way of showing this commitment AND this fresh knowledge.
Then be consistent with your tweets, posting at least once per week. This is advice I give my clients, especially those in job search, and those clients add their Twitter ID to their business cards. All of this gives you brand status: you become known as a reliable source of knowledge in your field. Posting just once every month is not enough and looks feeble. But posting too often can work against you: If you're in a job, posting every 5 minutes means you are using way too much of your employer's time for this, and if you're in job search, it comes across as not doing anything else.
Don't forget to use LinkedIn's partnership with Twitter and thus its ability to show your tweets. Cross-posting further enhances your brand.
Whether or not you're in a job right now, being "out there" with your knowledge keeps you up with what's going on, it strengthens your brand, and it solidifies your reputation within your field. Stay career-fresh: use Twitter.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Career coaching, Job Search, Networking, Uncategorized, Your time, | 1 Comment » June 28th, 2010 @ 08:06pmFive Ways to Avoid Self-Sabotage in Your Job Search
Self-sabotage #1: Don't change anything in your search!
Don't change your approach. Don't change your resume. Just do it like you've always looked for a job. Heck, it worked before (even though that was 5 or 10 years ago)! Don't take chances, don't listen to the career counselors or coaches (who are only in it for the money).
Antidote: Understand that as much as you don't like it, things change, including job search. Why? The only constant is change. So people change, society changes, technology changes. And even good change is scary. But step forward anyway, and do some things to catch up: connect with others in your field to learn what they're working on and how they landed their jobs. Or compare the curriculum at your college today to the one you took years ago (different, isn't it?!). Career coaches get paid today because they usually shorten your search and make it less frustrating. Get a new hairstyle, a new pair of glasses. Be part of the future: it's already here.
Self-sabotage #2: Give up control of what you CAN control, and try to control what you can't.
Blame your age, blame India, the government, the economy, the times: they are making you stay home and watch TV instead of going to work. Don't network, don't do research on companies, don't try to meet new people, don't join a buddy group, don't stop talking about "I'll probably just end up working at McDonald's."
Antidote: Turn off the news. Then, looking just at the week ahead, set realistic goals for networking, support group meetings, connecting with people on LinkedIn. Have a reward waiting for you if you meet that week's goals. Take it a week at a time. After only a month, you will have done far more to get that new job than ever before, and you'll have rewards to show for it, and prepare for it. And by the end of that month, you will have established positive habits around things you CAN do something about in your job hunt.
Self-sabotage #3: Take it all personally.
This has never happened to you before so you are humiliated, you worked so hard for your last company and here you are out of work, these other companies aren't getting back to you on purpose, etc. etc.
Antidote: We are living in one of the most profoundly changing times in our country's -- and the world's -- economic history. Just about everyone has been affected, and in many countries around the world. So this is not about YOU. It's about many people. The smart people, however, don't wait for a rescue; instead, they dig in and they learn what they can to change their own situation. They realize it won't be easy or smooth, but they know that their own activity is key to landing a new job. They have faith that they will land a new job and they keep their eyes on that horizon.
Self-sabotage #4: Don't take care of yourself.
Hey, you say, I deserve to eat whatever I want, after being laid off and all. I don't have time to exercise. I NEED that chocolate/cigarette/drink...
Antidote: Now you HAVE the time to walk, go to the gym, take that smoking cessation class, join the weight-loss support group. Take the frustration from losing your job and turn that into a positive energy that you apply to yourself in a good way, not a negative energy where you damage yourself. That way, you can look back and say "If I hadn't lost my job, I might still not be taking care of myself. Sometimes what seems bad at first turns out good."
Self-sabotage #5: Waste time.
Don't plan your day/week, don't worry about going to networking events, it's OK to watch The Weather Channel all day (educational), you deserve to play XBox all afternoon (takes your mind off being depressed), now's the time to paint the house and do all those things I couldn't get to when I was working, I'll play golf until the money runs out...
Antidote: Inactivity and procrastination breed hopelessness. The smart job hunter knows that it's good to take breaks BUT they know activity is the best way to fend off depression, smart activity. And they know that putting off "the work" of the job search only makes a person feel MORE desperate when they finally do get around to looking for a job.
Use these antidotes and you won't get poisoned by self-sabotage.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Career coaching, Change, Job Search, Networking, resumes, The job search roller coaster, Your time, | No Comments »
"Seven Career Changes" A Myth
September 12th, 2010 @ 12:09pm
Over the years, my colleagues and I have heard "people change careers seven times over their lifetimes", and looked at each other quizzically. Really - SEVEN times?! I've never known anyone who's done this, save for the very rare career experimenter who can afford to start over and over again at a beginner's salary -- usually at the cost of his or her (I've seen both) relationships.
Sure, I've known people who've changed once or maybe even twice. But even those who come to me to determine if they should change careers almost always decide to do a career shift rather than a careerchange: someone in pharmaceutical sales, for example, shifts to medical device sales. Or a hospital CTO becomes the CIO of a large medical practice.
A career change: A college career counselor (yours truly) becomes a sales rep for a computer division of Xerox -- a real change yet the similarities in needs assessment and then applying solutions were so close that they landed me the job and got me started in 10+ years in sales.
A career change means that not only does the work itself change, but the customer/client changes, the organizational culture changes, and so forth. A career shift is as explained above: you step sideways but you're still in a very similar culture and dealing with very similar customers. And a job is one piece of the flow we call a career. The word "career" as a noun means "direction" or "course" (as in direction).
I can say that in the 20 or so years I've been doing this work, after working with literally thousands of people while in outplacement, at career centers for dislocated workers, and at colleges with older students, that I have seen perhaps 1-2 people change careers more than 2-3 times. I suspect that using one's life to experiment with careers, rather than working with someone who can help you determine a valid direction, represents a deeper problem, such as Peter Pan Syndrome ("I don't want to grow up..."). But I'll leave that to the psychologists to determine. In short, it just doesn't happen with 99.9% of real people.
So where did this "7 career changes" story get started? No one seems to know. Evidently it's just been repeated so much that people assume it's true. The statistic has been attributed to the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Now The Wall Street Journal's Carl Bialik (9-11-10) says the BLS does not track the numbers of career changes, but they keep track of the numbers of jobs in a lifetime, not the same statistic at all. So he, a statistics lover, asks the question "Where does this 7-change number come from?", and ends up saying a few different things, including that people who do what I do keep the myth alive so that we can get more customers! (You can't hear this: the sound of me suppressing a loud laugh). More on that in a moment. But thank you, Mr. Bialik, for finally questioning this statistic.
I do think that the terms "jobs" and "careers" often get confused by researchers or those interpreting researchers' numbers. Bialik also says, "No one knows for sure the true average numbers of careers". That's how I see it, too.
Over the years, when I've done workshops or have sat with an individual client and get asked about it, I've said "That's what 'they' say but I've never seen it".
Just re-reading my first two paragraphs would tell you that I've never believed in the "7 career changes" myth myself, so needless to say, I'm not promulgating the myth, yet it hasn't affected my business.
Do I tell clients that they need to be ever ready for changes and shifts? You bet. Do I tell those laid off that chances are they will get laid off again, so don't stop networking and don't stop planning their next step? You bet. Do I emphasize that whatever career they choose, they think of it not as a job but as a long-term commitment that they need to enjoy AND invest in? Absolutely.
Those aren't myths at all.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Career coaching, Change, interviews, Job Search, Uncategorized, Your time, | No Comments »
How to Neutralize a Bad Reference
January 23rd, 2011 @ 01:01pm
Your interviews are going well at Your #1 Targeted Company, and the prospective employer has told you that they'll be talking to your references AND will be calling your former company. A routine practice.
You gulp: Former company...that means former boss, who was, well, a jerk. You and he never got along. He's certainly not one of your official references, but you just know they will be able to find him and talk with him. And he won't say good things about you.
How do you head this off? How do you neutralize the situation so that his words don't kill your candidacy there?
Here are some ways:
1. Get other managers at the company who worked with you to say good things. They don't need to step up to be an official reference for you, but if you talk with them, whether they're still at the company with Former Boss or have moved on, you can coach them in what you'd like them to say about how well you did. Better to be prepared with this than have to scramble to prep these folks, so be proactive and do it now.
2. Coach your "official" three or four references - and if they are aware that Former Boss is not a good guy, they can mention that in passing to the potential employer as they're talking about you and your successes at your former company/companies.
3. On linked in, DON'T do "recommendation swapping". This is where you write a good recommendation for a colleague if they write one for you. This immediately reduces the credibility of your recommendation. Hiring managers, HR, and recruiters notice this.
4. Have a reference contact the employer on your behalf before they themselves are contacted by the employer! Now this means this person has to be a very strong fan of yours. But a phone call from the Very Strong Fan/Reference to the Hiring Manager, peer-to-peer, is always an undeniably impressive way to boost you in that Hiring Manager's eyes. At the same time, it dilutes any negative words from others.
5. Work with the Inside Employee at your #1 Targeted Company, with whom you've networked. They may not have worked with you at your former company, but they now know you and can give their positive impressions to the Hiring Manager. (One client of mine is doing this anyway and is constantly landing interviews.)
6. Best of all, have clients/customers be your references. These can be external OR internal. Their comments tell the Hiring Manager and HR how you really are in your job. Their perspective is the one a prospective employer will respect the most. Since they are not usually bound by any corporate reference-giving policy, they can speak freely about how great you are.
Some thinking ahead, and related action on your part, will help you make this worry one that will go away.
___________________
Have tough questions about unusual situations like this in your search? Contact Joanne.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Career coaching, interviews, Job Search, LinkedIn, Networking, References, Social media, | No Comments »
Conquer those Monday morning job search blues
September 25th, 2011 @ 10:09pm
Whether you're IN a job or between jobs, Monday mornings during job search can be tough.
You're in a job and can't wait to find a new one. So Monday mornings are a reminder you're still stuck where you are.
You could be a new grad who's overwhelmed and doesn't know where to start, and each Monday means you're wondering where to begin.
Or you're between jobs and Monday mornings remind you that there is no office to go to. Especially if you're a manager or executive, your energy has nowhere to land for the day. The sense of loss is profound and can be powerfully dispiriting.
This is Monday Morning Syndrome. Or the Monday Morning Job Search Blues.
How to beat the blues? Here are a few ideas.
- Get out of the house! Getting out of your house or apartment, and being at the library or local cafe, will reset your energy. Bring your laptop or tablet and make a list of target contacts for the next week or two, or do research on companies, for example.
- Schedule networking meetings for that time slot. Make good use of Monday morning; don't use it to start planning your week, something you should have done last week. You'll have that to look forward to instead of an empty, lonely morning.
- Meet with a job search "buddy" at a coffee shop, each with your own set of goals set from the week before. See how you each did with your own goals, and how you rewarded yourselves for meeting your goals.
- On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, send invitations to contacts to do networking meetings this week. As a client of mine, Jim, says, "The replies will come in on Monday, making your email that morning full of replies, and many will be 'yes'. It's great!"
- For those IN jobs who are always struggling with inadequate time for their search, working with a job search coach can keep you on track will give you a sense of "I'm doing something for myself and my search", instead of you having yet another week slip by.
What about YOUR ideas?
_______________________________
Shake the blues: talk with Joanne about how you can manage your search so that YOU are in charge, not your emotions. Contact her today at www.TheJobSearchQueen.com.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Career coaching, Change, Job Search, job search strategy, Networking, The job search roller coaster, Your time, | 2 Comments »
Rip Van Winkle Would Be Shocked
October 28th, 2011 @ 09:10pm
Today, I spoke with a woman who was referred to me, who has not held a corporate position since 1999. She was raising her daughters, then taking care of her aging parents. Now she wants to -- and needs to -- return to a salaried position.
Her career, until she left it, clustered into two areas.
Certainly re-entry is doable. Even with the 12-year gap, networking is key to her landing. But she has much work to do first.
So as I spoke with her, I found myself saying things like:
"Sure, you could return to either of your former fields, but as you may know, salaries have contracted...you may not get near the pay you once had." (Her answer: "Really?" Then silence.)
And --
"Technologies have changed a lot since 1999." (She knows only parts of Microsoft Office.)
And --
"Are you familiar with the current issues in your field(s)? The trends, what people are talking about?" (Her answer: no.)
I was afraid to go on, out of fear that my answers would discourage her from even trying to get a job.
I recommended several activities for her, including a variety of sites where she could learn about salary levels today. But I asked her to also talk with at least 8 people currently in her former fields. "Ask them about the field, the industry, what's happened over the last 12 years, what is the technology they use today, what are the salaries, and so on."
She needed to do this to get somewhat caught up, and to get an orientation to 2011, and 2012. So she agreed.
Today, even two or three years away from your career is huge. The speed of change keeps accelerating.
But 10 or 12 years away? I wondered if she felt like Rip Van Winkle, waking up to overwhelming change.
No books or even web sites can update you. People who've been in the field a while can. If you're aiming for a re-entry, they're the people to talk with first. Check local professional associations, for example, for local members you can have coffee with. Keep them as part of your network and when you're ready with your resume and other job search marketing, connect with them again.
If you can show them you've done some homework, they'll be willing to help.
______________________
Have gaps? Want to re-enter the W-2 world? Contact Joanne.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in career change, Career coaching, career shift, Change, | No Comments »
Five Truths About Job Search
February 11th, 2012 @ 11:02am
Valentine's Day prompted the founding of my business nine years ago, when the software company I worked for was bought by another and our division was shut down. More about that another time, because here I want to focus on what I've observed over the years about job search. There are just certain truths, and here are a few.
1. About 85% of the time when there's a problem, it's candidates themselves who hinder their own job searches. You must get out of your own way. Must.
How do they mess things up? They become untrue to themselves. They start out with goals that fit and are real for them, and which their successes support. Then in mere weeks they relent: They talk themselves into a job at that company where no one ever gets promoted, or the company where they always have layoffs, or they apply for the job that demands they use skills they don't like using - in every case, because "it's a job".
This happens over and over and they wonder why they're not happy in this track record they've created for themselves, and how is it that others seem a lot more satisfied in their careers. So give your goals a fighting chance - don't get in their way.
2. Job search (i.e., career) success comes from trying things that are scary because they're out of your comfort zone. So, for example, I tell candidates, "Throw your hat in the ring just to SEE if it's what you want." Meaning, too often job descriptions are poorly written and it's not until the candidate is actually talking with the employer that they get the real picture of the job - and they might like it and want it far more than they did by just what the job description said in the posting. I've seen this happen more times than I can count.
3. "No one method or idea in job search is always right, no one method or idea is always wrong." So says Richard Nelson Bolles of What Color is Your Parachute? fame. It's true.
4. Sometimes in job search, it's a certain, concrete, predictable step that's next. But often job search is "You'll make it up as you go along". In other words, sometimes it's a science, and even more of the time, it's an art.
Putting it another way: Sometimes you can see the job search "road" clearly ahead for miles. But as E.L. Doctorow said about writing, job search is "like driving at night in the fog - you can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way".
5. The search is something you have to do for yourself - a coach or recruiter or marketing company or parent can't do it for you, regardless of whether you are Gen X, Y, Z, or boomer. Like driving or managing your finances, it's a skill you need to develop because you'll be using it again. And while parts of it will remain the same, parts will change.
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Thoughts? What "truths" have YOU experienced in your search? Please comment!
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in career change, Career coaching, career shift, Change, Don't settle, Job Search, job search strategy, | 4 Comments »