Career Hub

The DaVinci Lessons: Part Two

This is a follow-up to Sital Ruparelia's recent post on lessons to take away from Leonardo DaVinci. I recently attended a “Models” exhibition which showcased physical representations of DaVinci’s concepts based on his journal writings, and walked away with a few observations of my own. 

First a quick note on what I saw. The “models” exhibit featured hands-on models of DaVinci’s ideas—all constructed by modern artists and woodworkers in Florence.  The models are a comprehensive collection of ideas and inventions—from ball bearings and wind motion detectors to ideas that never quite worked as DaVinci envisioned--my favorite among these were "skis" that he believed would allow people to walk on water.  (This exhibit has been staged in cities around the world; click here for a gallery of some of the “models” developed by Florence artisans. ) 

In his post, Sital provides five terrific lessons we can all learn from DaVinci—from refusing to be defined by your job title to focusing on the results of your talents, being okay with screwing up, and keeping an open mind.  Here are two strategies you can use to put these lessons into action.

As you pursue your interests and explore possibilities, write them down! Leonardo's journals have made a "priceless" contribution to society; keeping track of your ideas can help you create your own solutions to problems. Here's a great book by Columbia University Professor William Duggan that explains how the "aha" moment happens, and how you can spark your own creative intuition:

Strategic Intuition: The Creative Spark in Human Intuition

I had the good fortune to hear Professor Duggan speak last year, and he made an analogy that the mind is like a file cabinet; one of the elements of strategic intuition (or solving problems with innovative solutions) is recall. Keep a journal of your ideas, and your mental "filing cabinet" will be naturally more accessible!

Find a mentor, and stick with them--even when you've learned all you think you need to.

DaVinci may have had innate skills, but he also had training from the masters. At age 14, he became an apprentice to Verrachio, one of the premier artists of his time. Through his work with Verrachio and other apprentices, Leonardo was exposed to a vast pool of talent and technical skills--and the opportunity to learn everything from drafting and painting to mechanics and metallurgy. At age 20, DaVinci became a Master in the Guild of St. Luke, and subsequently was able to set up his own workshop. But he continued to collaborate with Verrocchio. As I see it, here’s the lesson in this: Long-term mentors can help you throughout your career, not just in the short term.

This is what I see in DaVinci’s work, do you have any additional observations to share?

....and the experts say: Networking is still the best job search method and a Twitter Tip

Mark Meher and Gerry Crispin, the duo behind CareerXroads have once again hit ten nails on the head in their recent newsletter with their tips for job hunting written from the perspective of HR consultants.

The last item on the list is my personal sweet spot since I have built Jobwhiz on the premise,it is not just what you know or who you know, but who knows what you know.

Number nine is almost as delectable: keep in touch with those with whom you have good chemistry. "Polite persistent pings" should be everyone's mantra reflecting the indisputable importance of initiating and maintaining relationships, not being focused on single transactions as your contact database.

Here are their tips: (The rest of this post is excerpted from Mark and Gerry's newsletter with their permission):

1. Privacy is Your Choice. It cannot be compromised for someone else's convenience. Protect it!

If they ask for your SS# before you have an offer, make it up!

If recruiters can see inappropriate content on your Facebook page, shame on you!
But if they do see it and don't hire you, threaten to sue their ass!

It is just wrong to ask for personal information before a company has made you an offer based on your skills, knowledge and experience. It is not illegal to ask in advance (not yet anyway) but it is dangerous - to you.

2. Go Mobile, Explore the Cloud. Fake it if you must (since nobody really knows what these terms mean) 

Walk into your next interview with a Smartphone in your hand.

Type '#job' and your two best skills on twitter's advanced search page. Once you find a search string for a job that reflects your interest, type '#candidate [your skill and location preference] on your twitter page each morning.

3. Stand in the Light Where Recruiters Can See You. They seldom search in the dark holes.

Join the largest national association in your profession and every chapter in your city. Get access to every directory.

Ask yourself who would I call first if I were a recruiter looking for me. Make that person your friend and referral.

4. A Company's Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is A Virtual Mirror. Look Into It!

Study it. Confirm it. Relate to it. Choose it or move on. Use it.

5. Transparency Doesn't Mean Naked.

Seek answers to the "Great Questions" that affect your decisions without embarrassment. Ask as if you already know the answer and choose the firms that can answer them.

Since only 17% of practicing engineers are women, could you share with me your distribution by level?

You seem like a firm that is committed to developing its people. How many of your employees in similar positions to this one were transferred or promoted last year? How many left?

6. Know The Answers to 5 in Advance.

"Hi. You and I went to the same school but graduated at different times. I'm interviewing for a position in your firm later this week and, before I meet with HR and the Hiring Manager, I would like to test out a couple questions I have about your firm on you and see what you think the answers might be." (Later, ask if they will be your employee referral)

7. Bait and switch: Bring Your Network To Your Interview.

"I want to thank you for the opportunity to meet with you today. I learned a great deal about your position and am certain than I am a good match. I'm excited at the prospects for how my success in this job will make a difference for the company and I look forward to successfully competing for this opening.

While I'm convinced you will eventually see me as the top candidate (and I would be happy to return to continue the discussion), if for some reason you decide I'm not the best fit as you go forward, let me leave you with two colleagues' resumes.

These are professionals in my network that I've gotten to know. These are people I'm planning to continue networking with once I'm established [me] in a new position.

8. Patience. Timing is everything. Your Only Location Preference Is "Open".

You cannot accept an offer that won't be made. Only negotiate after the offer is in your hand.

9. You Cannot Shake Hands With A Computer. All Relationships Have Touch Points.

Get out and meet people. Create an online journal of those you meet or have met and touched in person and keep them apprised at least monthly with an upbeat two paragraph summary of the last 4 weeks and the possibilities you are still developing

10. There is only ONE answer to how you got here- Employee Referral.

Never, EVER again complete an application without one.

Contact Mark and Gerry at mmc@careerxroads.com or find them at http://www.careerxroads.com

POSTED BY Debra Feldman

Be the One Left Standing

"What's most important to my company right now and how do I make sure I'm contributing to that, and that my achievement is visible to my boss?" Sarah Grayson, an executive search consultant, is quoted as asking in a Wall Street Journal article:  Does Avoiding the 9-to-5 Grind Make You a Target for Layoffs?

Although the article is primarily about telecommuters and people with flexible schedules and how they have to be careful so as not to be subject to layoffs, there are implications for all workers.

It doesn't matter - in terms of whether you lose your job or not - if you are making fantastic contributions, but your boss isn't fully aware of them and how they impact the organization. Not only do you need to be involved in critical work, but you also have to make hiring authorities aware that what you are working on really is critical to the organizational mission.

It's all about your brand and how you express it. Make sure you know and your bosses know what your value proposition is, what your value-adds are, and what makes you unique. And then find ways to communicate those to them. Maybe send a brief update memo about a project you just successfully completed and how it benefited the company. Or you could get the message across in a brief meeting you ask for to discuss what the critical activities are that you could become involved in next. 

This kind of reflection, analysis, and communication will prove invaluable not only in your bosses' appreciation of your important contributions, but also in building your personal brand and enhancing the content of your resume. It goes back to the conundrum: If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, can it be said to fall? So, as modestly as possible, get the word out about how the work you do is important to the company going forward!

Referrals are the #1 Source of External Hires

The 8th Annual Source of Hire Study from CareerXRoads published this February affirms once again that for those hires originating from external sources, referrals from current and previous employees, customers, and vendors are the number one external source, accounting for 27.3%.

Nearly 40% of all positions filled within companies result from internal transfers or promotions. Interestingly, job boards (excluding company sites) produce only 12.3% of external hires and seem to have reached their peak.

These facts make cultivating “insider” connections one of your best sources for job leads. With the implied endorsement from a trusted source that you have when referred to a company, you gain a great advantage over your competition. Not only are you most likely going to get an interview ahead of the pack, you are also an attractive candidate due to the fact payment to a recruiter may be partially or totally removed from the equation, substantially reducing the employer’s cost of hiring.

In a tough job market, proactively building your network is arguably your best strategy to identify and pursue a new job before hundreds or even thousands of others have beat you to the door. My colleague and fellow contributor to this blog, Debra Feldman (an “Executive Agent” who helps her clients to Network Purposefully™), puts it this way: “More networking relationships and more meaningful dialogues showing employers a quantifiable, unique value contribution to the bottom line are an excellent way to cultivate new employment opportunities.”

Posted by Laurie Smith

10 S Kaizen Your Job Search

My client and I were having a discussion about her current job and her extensive experience in 5 S Kaizen, both as a student and facilitator of this subject matter. Her words made me wonder...if corporations are investing in such training, then why not today's job seeker? Have you considered how you could deliver continuous improvement to your job search? Perhaps there's no better time than now to give it a thought. Kaizen your job search with these 10 S's:

1. Switch your thinking from scarcity to abundance. Instead of focusing on what you don't have in your skill set, how about focusing on what you do have? In fact, take a moment now to make a short list of all that you do have...what does your list reveal? The reality is, you have much value to offer an organization and it starts with careful and deliberate discovery of what that is at this particular time in your life. And if you, by chance, aren't pleased with what you do have, what steps do you need to take to initiate improvements?

2. Start looking for a new opportunity with an open mind and different thinking. As mentioned in point 5 of Sital's recent post here on Career Hub, how can you think differently to adapt your talents to different vocations and pursuits? Albert Einstein offered this definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Are you doing the same thing over and over in your job search and expecting different results? If so, what improvements can you make?

3. Search for support. Support may not come knocking on your door in a nice, tidy package; you may have to go hunt for it while you're also hunting for a new job. Ask around in your community about support groups, meet-ups and job networking events to help you jump-start your job search. What you'll realize is that you are not alone, even though you may feel like it. Everybody has a story and after you've told yours 25 times, maybe the 26th rendition won't be so overwhelming.

4. Stand out! I love watching Idol and my favorite singers because they simply stand out. When Adam Lambert sang Mad World a couple of weeks ago, perhaps you'll recall that Simon gave him a standing ovation. Adam stands out, in my opinion. What, if anything, can you do to enhance your overall interview performance and improve your chances of standing out and winning the job offer?

5. Seek and find a volunteer opportunity. Maybe you love animals; why not volunteer a few hours per week at the local Animal Rescue League or Animal Lifeline? You'll meet other people and those people work and live in your community. Those people also know other people who might have a need for someone just like you. From running errands to helping a child become a better reader to coaching a 7-year old how to hit a baseball, the world awaits you (and needs you) and your volunteer offerings. Lose yourself in others and you may very well find yourself along the way.

6. Shape and structure your search to succeed. Be it offline or on line, let others hear from you. Let others know how they can help you. Do not offer vague descriptions when asked about what type of job you're looking for. Vague language such as "looking for a job and will take about anything" will hinder your forward movement. Get clear about you, who you are, and what you want career wise at this time in your life. The clearer you get about your career direction and the strategies that will take you there, the greater your chances of achieving your desired results.

7. Sell what you have, not what you don't. Instead of focusing your energy, efforts and thinking on what you're not, how about focusing your energies on what you are? I recall bidding a job a few years ago. I was told they were looking for a consultant with a Ph.D. given that some of the downsized employees had Ph.D.'s. Thanks to Yogi Berra thinking, when I came to the fork in the road, I took it. I bid the job with a Master's degree and got the contract. Before you automatically take yourself out of the running, think again.

8. Sort out possibilities beyond what you have been doing. Examine your skills and distill those that you are especially interested in applying to a new opportunity in the future. Then, consider whether or not you wish to continue doing what you've been doing (if the industry still exists), trying your hand at something new, going back to school, or deciding that retirement is your preferred option of choice.

9. Stop feeling sorry for yourself if you don't have a job right now. That sounds a little very harsh indeed, however, you won't help your case much by dwelling upon what was, what might have been, or what happened in the past. What's done is done. Today is what you have to work with, so how will you make it work for you instead of against you as you head down the road to the new tomorrow of your life?

10. Sustain good habits. Whatever you're doing that keeps you motivated, on track, and moving forward, keep on doing those things. And if you realize that you don't practice good habits to well serve yourself and others, what measures can you take to improve?

What small changes can you make on a regular basis to improve your job search productivity, quality, and effectiveness? What's one little thing you could do today?

cross-posted on billiesucherweblog

How to Lose a Job on Twitter

Resume Bear has the scoop and some really eye-opening examples of the incredibly dumb things people post online.

If you are searching for a job or applying to a college or even just hoping to keep the job you have you should be very careful what you say and post online. Four out of five recruiters regularly run web searches to screen job applicants. Potential employers and colleges may find your online profile and make judgment calls based on what they discover. With all of the innovative websites popping up it’s getting easier than ever to screen students and candidates online.

One recruiter I recently spoke to says that she went as far as to set up rss feeds by certain keywords to facilitate the candidate screening process. More and more employers are starting to monitor the online behavior of their employees. A good rule to live by is “Don’t share anything online that could come back to haunt you later on.” Mentioning how you get drunk every night or how many times you’ve lied on your resume won’t make you an attractive candidate for potential employers.

And if you think that sounds too crazy and no one would ever be that dumb ... check out the 30 examples they found. Yikes!

Cross-posted on Blue Sky Resumes Blog. btw -I don't say anything nearly that exciting, but for job search tips and news, you're welcome to follow me on Twitter!

Technology Tools for Job Seekers - Part 2

Using technology to boost your job search just makes good common sense. But which technology tools to use? With millions of websites and applications online to choose from, I have assembled some of my favorites (by no means a comprehensive list). In fact, I invite you to add your favs as well!

In Part 1 of this Technology Tools for Job Seekers series, I cited the first 11 in my non-prioritized, alphabetical list. Here are another 11 to add to the list. Part 3 (upcoming post) will have the final 11.

Check out the list and click on the links; you may find one or more exceedingly helpful tools for your job search. Hey, if any of these save you a bit of time, improve your visibility with your target employers and recruiters, extend your networking reach, or connect you with employee referrals and references, the technology will have served you well.

12. JibberJobber.com – Promoting itself as Career Management 2.0, JibberJobber has come a long way since its beginnings as a job search management spreadsheet. Founded by Jason Alba (a friend, but I would love this app anyway!), JibberJobber goes beyond tracking and organizing information and contacts you collect in your job search. It is a networking and relationship management tool par excellance.

13. Job-hunt.org – Touted as the “Best of the Web/Best Site for Finding Work” by US News and World Report, Forbes, and PC Magazine, Job-hunt lives up to that reputation with more than 12,000 links to employers and resources, including tons of articles from subject-matter-experts.

14. LinkedIn.com – The premier and best-known social networking site for professionals (whether employed or unemployed), where you can grow your network exponentially in very short time. With job postings (some only listed on LinkedIn), groups to join and network with, and a popular Q&A feature, LinkedIn is constantly adding features to enhance its members voracious appetites for more and more benefits.

15. Naymz.com – Another social networking tool for professionals where you can not only grow your network, but verify your reputation with a RepScore. Unique approach and valuable for search engine ranking.

16. Ning.com – You can create your own social network on Ning, or discover existing networks by doing a search for keywords describing professional associations, colleges, companies, industries, and hobbies…and then join those groups.

17. Ping.fm – Online application that eliminates logging into multiple accounts to send the same message to your friends and professional contacts by providing the short-cut: just one update sends to all your social networking and social media profiles! This time-saving app supports 30 services including microblogging, social networks, instant messaging, and blogging platforms.

18. Popurls.com – Aggregates multiple RSS feeds from sites like Digg, Stumbleupon, Google News, Reddit, del.icio.us, and Flickr on a compact, one-page “dashboard”. You can custom the color scheme, type of feeds, quantity of articles per feed, and order of feeds to suit your preferences. Pop over to Popurls in the morning with your cup of coffee, and see the breaking online news.

19. Reverse Email Lookup – Find email addresses, addresses, and names for free based on reverse lookup technology. Now that could prove to be the most useful app of all!

20. SimplyHired.com – Job search aggregator of online job postings (nearly 3 million jobs in late March 2009); added feature of More Tools option that lets you find connections in your LinkedIn network to the company in the posting as well as research salary, job summary, map of the job location, and people at the company.

21. Technorati.com – Massive search engine for the blogosphere, including blogs, audios, photos, and videos! Explore the Channels feature to read the latest news on a topic or use the “search the blogosphere” feature to explore in-depth via keywords. Either way you will come away with lots of meaty and relevant information.

22. Trackur.com – Online reputation tracking app which can alert you to both positive and negative online “buzz” for your name, brand, and products. Searches blogs, news sites, social networking sites, images, and videos for any mention of your search terms.

Cross-posted at Career Goddess Blog by Susan Guarneri

A Career Lesson From Leonardo Da Vinci

Self Portrait: Leonardo Da Vinci
(1452 - 1519)

Earlier this week, it was the birthday of Leonardo Da Vinci. That's right, 15th April 2009 was the 557th birthday of one of the smartest people that ever lived. A genius, some would say.
 
A Genius - Why?  
 
Well, apart from being one of the greatest painters of all time (who painted The Mona Lisa portrait), he also had many other talents and careers. He was also an architect, inventor, mathematician, engineer, sculpter, anatomist, musician and writer.
 
He was truly multi-talented and achieved success in so many different areas despite having no formal education. 
 
You're a genius too 
 
But being multi-talented is not just the preserve of the likes of Da Vinci - you too have many different talents. Your whole team is multi-talented. Your whole organisation has multiple talents - despite having people who are pigeon-holed into different jobs.
 
Why does this matter?
 
It matters because we now live and work in a work-place that will constantly change and adapt. Technology and globalised competition mean that there is no such thing as a 'job for life.' No such thing as a 'one career career'
 
The graduates coming out of college and universities today are likely to have 5 career changes by the time they retire (that's right 5 career changes, not job changes). Over the next decade, learning how to reinvent yourself and tap into different talents to serve different market needs will become a life skill that everyone will need to learn. 
 
So your ability to change and adapt to the modern economy will play a big part in your career success - a big part in your future earnings potential.
 
And being a multi-talented Da Vinci who can operate in different roles and functions is a central part of that success and earnings capacity.
 
Plus, of course, being multi-talented allows you to become recession proof by ensuring you don't get pidgeon holed in one career.
 
The quicker you realise that you do have multiple talents, the faster you can leverage your skills and the better placed you will be for the modern work place.
 
So How Do You Do That?
 
1. Don't be defined by your job title

You are not defined by your job title and you are not constrained by your departmental function. You're a multi-talented, multi-faceted individual with a range of skills and talents that are portable - just like Da Vinci.
 
When you position yourself as a solutions provider who can solve multiple problems across a range of roles and environments, you open yourself to many more opportunities and so avoid being pidgeon holed in one role or one career.
 
2. Be clear about your unique talents and transferable skills

Your unique talents and transferable skills are at the core of your unique proposition. A key part of what differentiates you from the rest of the crowd - and ultimately what enables you to be mobile across a range of roles and sectors.
 
So, what are the unique talents and skills you possess? How are they different to your peer group? How can these translate to other roles and functions?

3. Focus on the results of your talents

It's not what you do or what you know that's key - but the results of that talent and knowledge that's most important.
If you can't demonstrate tangible, commercial benefits that result from your talent, then you're diluting your success.
 
So in order to be able to have a Da Vinci style ability to shift across roles and professions, get really focussed on the quantitative and qualitative results you have and can deliver - and how you can flex those across different roles and environments?
 
4. Be ok with screwing up

Da Vinci may be famous for all the grand paintings and inventions - but if you do your research, you'll see that he made his fair share of mistakes too. He also had a huge number of projects and paintings that he started, but never completed.
 
But it was this willingness to start things without fear or the need to be perfect that helped him break new ground and become a success in so many areas.
 
The same applies to you. Stop trying to be perfect and start experimenting and exploring different roles and functions well before you need to make a change.
 
5. Open your mind

Leonardo Da Vinci thrived in so many fields because he was open-minded enough to learn and develop himself whilst taping into the latent talents he already possessed. Talents which he adapted to different vocations and pursuits. That's precisely what you need to be doing.
 
Without an open mind, none of the points above will mean anything to you. Without a willingness to think differently, this will be nothing more than an 'interesting article' that sits in your mailbox or trash folder.
 
Over the last 500 years, Da Vinci has gained a cult like-status because of he's ability to succeed in a diverse range of fields. An ability that has us refer to him as a 'genius.'  
 
But in the coming years, we will all have to become a 'genius.' Being able to tap into a diverse set of talents and applying them to a diverse set of roles, functions, sectors and markets will become a basic requirement for those that succeed. It will be the only way to survive in a modern work-place characterised by global competition, rapid technological change and old industries disappearing overnight - whilst new industries appear out of thin air.  
 
So to survive and thrive, we all need to learn the lessons from Leonardo and tap into our own multiple talents and adapting to them to the changing needs of the market - in much the same way that every firm is attempting to do right now to survive. 
 
In fact, people's inability to tap into multiple talents will leave pockets of the workforce in certain locations and industries unemployable. Something the multi-talented, recession-proof Leonardo Da Vinci never had to worry about.....

By Sital Ruparelia

I N T E G R I T Y

What noun is a four-syllable word with nine letters, starts with "i" and ends in "y"? While there might be other words to answer that question, the specific word I have in mind is integrity. The dictionary defines integrity as:

1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; 2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished...

What does integrity mean to you? And more specifically, what does it mean to you as it relates to you and your job search? A client was discussing what was important to him in a job and he said that first and foremost, he looked for integrity in individuals and in the organization. When I think of conducting a job search with integrity, many thoughts come to mind:

Integrity in representing yourself to others, be it employers (past, present, or potential), colleagues, clients and/or your network connections.

N o lies; no lying; and not getting known as a name-dropper. Do you want to be remembered as the candidate who dropped names or the candidate with the best requisite skills to do the job?

Truth and honesty in your employment communications, interactions, and exchanges via e-mail, resumes, cover letters, applications, interviews, telephone calls, social media communications and face-to-face networking. I like Mark Twain's words:

if you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

E thical behavior and consistently high standards of professionalism in your actions, words, and deeds, both online and offline.

Giving because it's a good thing, not because you may get something in return.

Respect for others, for self, and for playing by the rules.

I nvested in helping organizations and individuals succeed in multiple ways by solving problems, cutting costs, increasing profits, improving efficiencies and productivity, gaining market share, expanding brand awareness, delivering desired results, and/or outperforming the competition.

T rusted; you can be counted on without condition, restriction, or financial gain, no matter what, day-in-day-out, 24/7.

Y ou either have it, or you don't. You get one shot to make good on your word; you make a promise and you keep it -- it's that simple.

What does integrity mean to you? How do you integrate integrity into your job search?

cross-posted at billie sucher weblog

7 Ways to Spice Up Your Resume

With unemployment rising, increasing numbers of applicants for each job, and recruiters struggling to keep up, it can sometimes feel as though you're sending your resume into a black hole. You send hundreds of applications and never hear back - and what makes it worse is that you know you are qualified for the jobs. But here's the thing ... if your resume is like most of the resumes I see, it's not doing you any favors. Here are 10 ways you can improve your resume and increase your hit rate:

1. Make it about action and impact: Don't take up more than 10-15% of your resume describing job responsibilities - as an employer, I don't care what you were supposed to do, I care what impact you made. Show me!

2. Spice it up with references: When you buy a product - especially online, don't you like to see testimonials or customer reviews? You can apply the same principle to your resume. Pull a couple of glowing quotes from LinkedIn, your performance reviews or customer 'thank you' letters and put them in a prominent place on your resume.

3. Understand your unique value: Ask people who know you and those who have worked with you, what makes you especially good at what you do. Look back over your career for common themes. And most importantly, understand what your target audience (employers) are looking for.

4. Invite them to go online: If you know you have established a good online presence (and if you haven't, you need to get to work now!) add the line 'Feel free to google me for more information.' This conveys confidence and at least some of your potential employers will take you up on it.

5. Replace the objective with a value summary: Don't tell me what you want out of your next job, tell me what you'll do for me. Start with the headline 'How I will add value..."

6. Consider a "philosophy" section: Tell employers how you approach your work. For example, a sales person might say "I never do the 'hard sell' - instead I build relationships, I understand the customer's needs, and I use that knowledge and the trust I've built, to turn prospects into long-term clients." An admin assistant might say "I am so organized that I'll know what you need before you ask me!"

7. Add some personality: Use words that sound like you, not words you read on someone else's resume. Everyone is 'results-oriented' and 'accomplished' according to their resumes, but do they ever really describe themselves that way? These are just 7 ways that you can bring some life to your resume, and create a document that grabs attention instead of blending in with all the others.

For more tips, feel free to sign up for my free resume writing course. And if you have other ways to spice up a resume, please take a moment to share them in the comments. I'd love to hear them!

Cross-posted at Blue Sky Resumes Blog