Hannah Morgan

Full Time replaces Permanent Employment

In the olden days, employment agencies would promote jobs as being "temp to perm".  That term is no longer used.  Why?  Because no job is permanent any more. 

I often hear job seekers say they are looking for stable work, an employer who can offer them a career, or a place to retire from. 

STOP IT!

That is not the world we are living in today.  If you haven't read "The World Is Flat", perhaps that will help you understand how we got where we are today.  These are just some of the changes I have observed and read about:

• Work is becoming project based
• You are easily replaceable by better skills that cost less
• Companies are not families, they are places of work

If you haven't heard, you are in charge of managing your career.  It is not the responsibility of your employer to provide you life-time employment, full free benefits and a secure, stress-free life. 

If we understand this major shift, then we begin to understand how important it is to get a handle on how we are going to build our brand, network, nurture relationships and step outside our comfort zone.

Who Are Your Friends?

I am not a natural-born networker.  I prefer "hanging" with those people I know well.  I have a schedule that doesn't allow me to meet people after work.  Those are great excuses for not networking, right?  Actually, this is my situation.  Yet, I still find time and ways to carve meeting new people into my life.  Some stay around for awhile, others, well, not so much.

It was just over a year ago I started blogging.  Then I started Tweeting.  I have made some solid friends this past year.

I remember making my first on-line friend, Barry Hopson.  Who, by the way just published a book he co-authored with Katie Ledger.  (Visit the blog and read the get the book).  Sounds kind of hokie, I know.  But it was sort of an "Aha" moment...you really can meet people virtually.

I also began reading and commenting on blogs and met Miriam Salpeter of Keppie Careers.   I considered her a mentor, whether she knew this or not.  Now I have been asked to be part of her joint effort with Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter and others, Career Collective.  This has provided me the opportunity to "meet" other great thinkers and bloggers!

Entering into the world of Twitter, my earliest friend was helpful and local so we met for coffee, Karl Heinz Kramer  (@khkremer).  I continue to meet new people everyday on Twitter.  As Deborah Mourey says, "Twitter is a cocktail party".  I don't even like going to cocktail parties, but heck, you meet some interesting people.  That is why taking a leap into Twitter can be so interesting, especially for those who are introverted.  Since starting on Twitter, I have made so many connections with so many great people.  It has also been helpful in keeping in touch with real friends I don't get to see too often.

Using social media has been a wonderful adventure.  I am amazed by how easy and almost natural it is to meet new people. 

Perhaps Twitter's new List function will make it easier for newbies to follow and engage in new "tweindships".  Susan Ireland recently wrote a post "14 Twitter Lists for Job Search" about Lists and I found it basic and helpful. 

The key is to find people who share common interest.  For me it is anything related to job search and social media. 

What are your professional interests and who are you going to follow?

Confessions of an Overwhelmed Hiring Manager

I know this hiring manager who posted a job opening for an Admin.  The reason this position was posted was because this hiring manager was overwhelmed.  She had more work than she could handle and was in dire need of support. 

This hiring manager works for a small company without a Human Resource department.  She was shocked when she heard that the job was going to be posted on a job board with her name as the contact person.  How was she going to field all the resumes and calls she was going to receive?  Remember, she is already overloaded. 

Then there is the daunting task of reviewing resumes and cover letters.  About 1/4 of the submissions didn't contain the required cover letter.  She discarded those because they didn't follow directions. (She had to have some way of paring down the candidates).  Several of the submitted resumes were done in Word 2007, which she couldn't open.  Guess who's resumes are going to be read?

The preferred temp agency had been contacted and they sent over 3 resumes.  The hiring manager put those on top.  They had been pre-screened already and prepped.

Now it was time to find 4-5 candidates to call.  She was looking for people who could start immediately and just jump into the job.  Oh, but wait, a couple of internal candidates come forward at the last minute.  They MUST be interviewed.

Between all the other job related tasks going on, the hiring manager finds a few minutes to make calls.  She is able to speak with 3 immediately.  She schedules two for interviews.

Who were the 3 people she reached immediately?  The ones sent over by the temp agency.

This hiring manager only received 77 resumes.  She was lucky.  Out of these 77 applicants, under 10 have followed up with and email or a phone call.  It made her wonder about the interest of the others. 

She shared with me some of her regrets:

• I would have liked to spend some time speaking with those candidates that were referred, but I didn't have the luxury of time.
• I would have liked to have responded immediately to all candidates that applied, but I didn't have the luxury of time.
• I had to stop looking at resumes after a couple of days. I couldn't keep up and I didn't have time.

She also shared her disappointment:

Most applicants did not tell me why they wanted to work in this job.  Some resumes were so off-base, I thought they may have applied for a different job by mistake.

I share this story to help job seekers understand what is happening inside the hiring company and the mind of the hiring manager.  So the take aways from this story are:

Be memorable
Be an inside candidate
Be an exact fit on paper
Be registered with temp agencies/contract houses
Be quick to respond
Be tech savvy and follow directions
Be persistent to show interest

The other important moral to this story is that no two hiring managers have the same preferences or tactics for screening and hiring.  There is no rule book that everyone has to follow (besides EEOC).  This is why applying for jobs online is such a crap shoot, you just never know.  

Desperation is Not Attractive

Desperation can ooze out of every pore if you aren't careful.  I've seen it hundreds of times and I am pretty sure that those that are emitting this fowl aura are un-aware. 

Jason Alba, author, blogger, entrepreneur, knows the feeling of desperation from his own extended job search.  He writes about it in this post, "I Smell Blood".

Stay emotionally healthy.  Keep a balance.  Remember, you may never have this opportunity again to spend time with family or friends that need you.  Relish in this opportunity.  There are definite benefits.

Stay physically healthy. Stress can work its black magic on you if you aren't careful. 

Give back and take the focus off of you.  Stop being narcissistic.  If you haven't been donating time to a worthwhile cause, start now.

You are in control of your life.  You are not a victim.  Take it upon yourself to learn new things and get answers to questions.  Fill in gaps or voids in your professional development.  Be innovative, be a problem solver.  All those things you did so well in your last job can be transferred to your search.  Leverage your strengths and develop your weaknesses.  Now is the time. 

Three Steps to Take Once You've Landed Your New Job

You may not believe it, but people are landing jobs right now.  You know how difficult it is to secure a position.  What will you do to ensure you keep your new job?  It isn't as easy as just showing up on time and doing your job well.

Step One

Figure out who you want to be. You have a clean slate.  Consider how you want to be perceived by your new manager, co-workers and support staff.  What is the "brand" you want to bring into this new organization?

Step Two

Before you begin your new assignment, you will want to consider what your 30-60-90 day plan is for assimilating into your new role.  This plan is not about performance goals, it is about your interpersonal and emotional IQ strategy.  Develop lists of questions new need answered in order to be successful in your new role.  Ask yourself about the who, what, where, when, why of the job. How will you get answers to the questions you cannot yet answer? 

Step Three

Develop your strategy for continuing to manage your career.  Update your marketing plan.  Identify professional development opportunities in and outside of your new company.  Create time in your new schedule to continue to network.  How will you keep in touch with all the people you've met over the past several months?  How will you meet new people associated with your new role inside and outside your new company?  What professional associations will you join? 

If you want more information on this topic, check out these links:

Want to know the truth about your next job?

Starting A New Job?  Remember These Things

Help...My New Job Is Stressing Me Out, from 6 Figure Career Management

Should You Make Waves at Work?, from Keppie Careers 

http://www.fistfuloftalent.com/2009/05/why-starting-a-new-job-can-really-suck.html   , from Fistful of Talent

Can You Adapt? Are You Ready?

One of the things I love to do is read new blogs.  Some are good and others are great.  I've recently found Blogging4Jobs.  Actually, I think I first became aware of them on Twitter. (But that is a different story).

Their most recent post The Future of Work had some great food for thought as well as a very interesting Slide Share presentation. 

My take-away from reading their post and watching the presentation is that times are changing!  Duh.  But things are really changing.  Fast.  Depending on what industry you've been in, you may or may not have known. 

From the Slide Share presentation Jeff Brenman of Apollo Ideas :

• JetBlue started a virtual call center in 2004 with 700 Custer service reps working from home
• According to interviews with execs, they outsource for greater innovation, not to save money
• ReCAPTCHA is using us to help solve their problems by asking new users to re-type their indecipherable word when verifying a new account 
• 28 million American workers served on a virtual team at least one day/month in 2006

Keep up with some of the interesting things going on in other industries or other part of the world of work.  Read and learn outside of your comfort zone.

If you want to receive Career Sherpa blog posts in your email, spam-free, sign up on the right side bar of my blog.

How will 14 more weeks Help You?

If signed off on by President Obama, job seekers will have their unemployment benefits extended 14 more weeks. Read more about the bill here.

Let me ask a question:  if you knew your benefits were ending this week or even next week, what would you do?  What actions would you take?  What would you change or do differently?

There is a small feeling of security knowing that there is at least some money coming in the door.  It is guaranteed as long as you are playing by the rules.  It is buying you time until you can land that "good paying" job.  Well, where is that good paying job?  When will it become available?  Will it be there this year or maybe next year, or maybe not at all? 

In my opinion, this extension is prolonging the delay in many workers going back to work.  It is giving them the hope that they'll be able to secure another hefty paycheck, or at least a paycheck close to what they were making before.  What if those jobs are gone and not coming back... or at least not in the quantities necessary?

I encourage everyone reading this to consider:

• Looking for work far outside your preferred radius.
  That may mean commuting farther, temporarily moving out of town, or relocating.
  
• Spending more time looking for employment.
  The average unemployed person is spending less than 10 hours a week. While I am sure most of you are spending more than 10 hours, could you spend more time?
• Getting job search help.
  Either at no-cost, through you local One-Stop or invest in a professional Career Coach.
  
• Adjusting your budget and spending habits.
  Have you really cut as much as you can? We're in a recession, this SHOULD be painful. Do you evaluate each purchase by asking "Do I need this or do I want this?"
• Changing what you are doing.
  If you are using the same resume, the same websites, the same practice of submitting resumes and waiting, the same networking groups, the same of anything, do it differently or do something else instead.
• Communicating differently.
  Whatever it is you are saying, it doesn't seem to be working if you are still unemployed. It could also be HOW you are saying it. Change your tone.
  
• Taking a job that is less than perfect, if just for now.
  If the job is at least close to what you can do, consider taking it. What will you learn by doing this? A lot!
  
• Starting your own business or becoming a consultant.
  This is risky. Be smart in how you start it up. Consult this post for more resources.

I realize times are hard.  I also know that people are getting jobs every day right now.  There are jobs!  Take one and see how good it feels!

Perception Is Reality

Job search is a full time job and requires discipline, project management skills, thick-skin, perseverance, marketing skills and so much more.  You have heard this all before.  Yet, how many are really accepting this?  How many are learning to master the skills mentioned?  A lot of you are, but most are not.  The easiest thing to do is to take the path of least resistance- continue doing what we're doing and cross your fingers.

I am reminded each and every day how difficult it is.  I also am seeing people succeed in securing employment each and every day, so I know it is possible to overcome these challenges.

Last night, I dreamt I was walking with two friends along a country road.  I was still in my work clothes and 2-inch heels.  (I don't often wear heels because I am a klutz).  In this dream, I was walking along side my friends as if I had my sneakers on, keeping up with their pace and not thinking about how odd it was that I was in heels.  One of my friends asked me if my feet hurt from walking so far in heels.  I replied "No, this is actually the second walk today in these things, and my feet feel fine". 

What does this dream have to do with what you're going through?  How does it relate to looking for work?  What I am trying to say is that our perception of our situation can sometimes make all the difference.  If you don't think something is bad, difficult, uncommon, stressful, terrible, unbearable, then it isn't.  It doesn't mean you necessarily like it, just stop thinking about how bad job search is.  You can do it.  You will get a job.  Just do it!

How to Make Your Resume Work for You

Resume advice isn't absolute, black and white, or universal.  You probably know that because you've shown your resume to different people and they have each provided you with different advice and feedback. 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The only person's opinion that really matters is that of the Human Resources or the Hiring Manager reading your resume.  You don't even know them.  So how are you going to write a resume they'll like? 

Keep it visually appealing.

Use a simple format and layout. That means don't use really fancy fonts or lots of unnecessary lines or borders. Also make sure there is enough "white space".  Use at least 1/2 inch margins on the left and right and bottom. 

"One Size Fits All" is great for socks, but not your resume.

Adjust your resume to fit each job posting you send your resume to.  This means using words from the job posting.  Make sure that your experience clearly matches what the job posting is asking for.  Yes, this takes time, but it is worth it.

It's Show and Share Time.

Just like kids going to school to show off their new toy or special teddy bear, you want your resume to show and share the best of the best you have to offer.  Use Accomplishment stories on your resume.  No one should be using job responsibilities to describe their work on the resume.  BORING.  Use strong verbs that describe the skill or action you want to highlight for the employer.

Too much of a good thing equals "over qualified"

You will never see a job posting looking for someone with over 20 years experience. (OK, I did see one once looking for an interior designer with over 20 years experience, but that was truly an exception.) Don't flaunt what they aren't looking for.  Your work history section doesn't need to include your first job out of high school if you've been working for a number of years.  The resume is not your autobiography.  It is a document to prove you have the experience and skills to do the job you are applying for.  The general guideline is to use the last 15 years.

FOCUS!

Have you ever been in a movie theatre when the film was out of focus.  It was distracting.  If you include everything you CAN or HAVE done on your resume, you are distracting the reader.  Sure, we can all do a lot of different things.  But the reader of your resume is most interested in what you can do as it relates to their job.  That is your focus.  Delete or consider eliminating accomplishments, certifications, experiences that do not directly tie into the job posting.  But don't leave gaps in your work history. Without lying, include information about that job that would or could relate to the job you are applying for.

Becoming A Consultant

It isn't easy to just jump on the consultant band-wagon. It will actually take laying some groundwork to make it happen.  It could prove to be helpful during times of extended unemployment and/or fewer job opportunities.  Let's face it, hiring is occurring, but probably not in the large numbers we would like to see. 

Sital Ruparelia's blog post from 6 Figure Career Management, looks at the three steps it will take to find consulting work:  Networking, Writing, Speaking.

The reason consulting might prove to be a strong option now, according to Ruparelia, is that employers have problems. 

    

 

"These problems require solutions and so create opportunities for solution providers in the form of consultants and interim managers to resolve in an efficient manner."

 

 

 

So true.  Layoffs have created overworked employees.  In many cases, gaping holes have been left in organizations.  In other instances, companies haven't been investing in themselves, they're in a holding pattern, waiting for the economy to recover.  This is not true in all industries and all companies, however. 

As you begin speaking with people, you will begin to hear of their company's woes.  Is there a way for you to help?  That's what you should be listening for.

Not everyone is cut out to be a consultant either.  It's a form of entrepreneurship.  You'll have to market yourself, face rejection, ie. have a thick skin. 

Find resources in your area to help you in developing your consulting business.  There are other consultants out there who will be glad to offer their advice to newbies.  In Rochester, NY, check out RPCN, (Rochester Professional Consultants Network) and BIC.  You may also find helpful resources nationally and locally on-line and at local offices at:

SCORE
SBDC
SBA

And some final words from Ruparelia's post:

"And here’s the bonus: In addition to helping you find your next consultancy project or  interim opportunity, these 3 strategies will strengthen your personal brand and significantly enhance your long term career prospects. All of which make you immune to future downturns."