Career Hub

Do You Take This Employer To Be Your Lawfully Wedded...

Anniversaries. Do you remember them? Do you forget them? Today is my wedding anniversary and I remember the day I got married as vividly as though it happened a few months ago instead of a long time ago.

I was so excited to get married that when asked by the wedding coordinator what time would you like to hold the wedding, afternoon or evening? I said "neither...I want to get married in the morning!" Who wants to wait all day to get married? Not me! And so it was, 10:30 A.M. those many years ago my father confidently placed his big strong hand over mine as we started that long, deliberate stroll to give-me-away-for-life to the tall Texan waiting at the end of the line (aisle) *See entry #14 :) While my father is now gone, the treasured memories of that special day linger always...

So what, might you wonder, does this personal-sounding blog post have to do with career success or job search? Plenty! Looking for employment, in many ways, is much like searching for a mate. You may go on a bunch of dates (interviews) before you find the right person (employer). You may accept the job offer, say 'I do' and get married (think: W2) or you may choose to share time together in an unmarried arrangement (think: 1099). Regardless of choice, contemplate the following ideas and consider how similar a marital relationship is to a successful employer / employee marriage:

1. Offer unconditional support and interest.
2. Let your employer / employee know that you care about them.
3. Remain non-judgmental and open-minded.
4. Be tolerant and patient with one another -- and others.
5. Do not think that you are the only one with the right answer.
6. Communicate open, honestly and consistently.
7. Say good morning and good night and don't end the day on a negative, bitter or angry note.
8. Enjoy good times together -- have f u n!
9. Set goals together, making sure you are both dancing to the same song.
10. Do not think a relationship is a 50-50 deal...sometimes, it is 50-50; other times it is 75-25; 80-20 and/or 100 to zero. It's giving, sharing and compromising, always.
11. Do not lend money unless 1. you're a banker or 2. you're really okay with not getting your money back.
12. Accept that each is constantly changing; grow together, not apart.
13. Respect one another and earn the trust of one another.
14. Keep a sense of humor; laugh at yourself.
15. Invest in the success of one another.
16. Recognize each other's feelings and respect the fact that another's preferences may be different from your own.
17. Look for what's right, not what's wrong.
18. Be nice when giving constructive feedback or advice.
19. Do not 'boss' or try to control one another.
20. Listen attentively without interruption.
21. Hold 'meetings' on a consistent basis to review how 'things' are going, what is working and what needs attention.
22. Do not prey on each other's vulnerabilities.
23. Accentuate the positives; do not dwell on weaknesses or shortcomings.
24. Change what you can to make things work better together as a team.
25. When the times are tough, be tougher than the time.
26. Share responsibilities; be accountable; clarify expectations.
27. Trust that you will be tested, time and again, in your partnership.
28. Always try to be fair and reasonable.
29. Honor your word; do what you say you will do, when you say you will; keep your promises or don't make them.
30. Do not take each other for granted.
31. Keep a 'level head' in unexpected and/or problematic situations.
32. Know what you will lose, give up or sacrifice if and/or when you choose to 'cross the line.'
33. Accept one another for what and who you are.
34. Know what kind of 'test-taker' you are, as you will be tested time and again.
35. Believe the the toughest thing is to stay together and that the easiest thing is to walk.
36. Review your commitment to one another annually.

To anniversaries, and to your continued career success!

cross-posted billiesucherblog

Does Your Personal Brand Pass the Acid Test?

What is the acid test of whether your personal brand as expressed in your executive resume will help get you your next job? This story illustrates the answer:

I worked with a technology executive to write his branded executive resume and brand bio. I heard back from him in a couple of months in the form of a link in an email. I clicked through and read the article announcing his appointment as CIO for an organization experiencing rapid growth. Congratulations to him!

As I read the article more carefully, I noticed that the two reasons the organization stated for selecting him were the two components of his brand that we had showcased in his resume and bio.

It struck home to me then that personal branding is not just an optional exercise. The value proposition and value-adds that you use to represent yourself are absolutely critical to getting your next job.

When writing your executive resume, bio, cover letter, or blogsite copy, be sure that the ONE THING you do best and the SUPPORTING PERSONAL INFORMATION are what the employer really needs - a lot!

In the case of my client, the hiring organization immediately picked up on his brand that he was extremely skilled at ramping up technology functions to enable exponential corporate growth and sought him out. So, in their need to find someone to help them with their "pain" - the fact that their technology infrastructure was not adequate to provide for planned growth - my client was the answer to their needs.

We also, in his bio, talked about another key component of his personal brand: he is highly committed to mentoring up-and-coming technologists. He initiated programs and provided other kinds of leadership both within and outside of his corporation to help reverse the prevailing scarcity of skilled IT personnel. The article pointed out that his commitment was an additional fact about him that made him a valuable hire.

So, to test whether your personal branding will be effective in your resume ask the question: "Have I made it crystal clear in a 10-second read that I am the solution to a company's needs?" And: "What makes me interesting and distinctive and gives me a competitive advantage over other applicants?"

If so, you will stand out amidst the flood of other applicants and land interviews. You can then use your career and personal brand in interviews and salary negotiations to get the offer and negotiate your compensation at the high end of the range. Personal branding is the "gift that keeps on giving!"

Your Job Search: Making Sense of It All

"Observe, record, tabulate, communicate. Use your five senses... Learn to see, learn to hear, learn to feel, learn to smell, and know that by practice alone, you can become expert." ~ William Osler, Canadian Physician, 1849 - 1919

In graduate school, I vividly recall one of my professors giving his class the following assignment:

Students, go out into the local market and interview two organizations of your choosing, applying all of the 'senses' to each place you visit and then, write a paper recounting your observations and conversations. Our professor encouraged us to speak to the manager in the Human Resources department, if possible. At the time we were asked to carry out this exercise, class members were less than thrilled and for the most part, (myself included), we didn't 'get' why we had to do such a ridiculous assignment, let alone write a two-page paper for each organization interviewed. (That was then.)

So, here I am, some 25 years later writing a blog post about my professor and the wonderful lesson he taught his class. Of the many things I learned in grad school, this particular teaching has been of immense value to me, both in my professional and personal life, and in serving clients. To this day, when I visit an organization, it takes but a few seconds to assimilate my surroundings, integrating all of the senses.

With this post, I invite you to consider applying the five senses into your assessment of an organization as you embark upon finding a new opportunity. It makes no difference what the organization is, or does, simply use all of your senses when you get a chance to interview, assessing its:

Sound (Hearing)

Sight (Seeing)

Smell (Smelling)

Taste (Tasting)

Touch (Touching)

As you move through the process of exploring new work options, do yourself a favor and use all of your senses to help you make good and right decisions. Paying attention, in more ways than one, pays. (Oh yeah, and your common sense -- now that's an added bonus!)

Occupations and Industries in Demand

With unemployment holding at nearly 10%, many job seekers are contemplating a career change or transition to another industry to solve their job search problems.  While the grass may look greener in other careers or industries, get the facts. For example, you may believe that the bulk of job openings are for Registered Nurses. But, according to the US Labor Market Information Center, RNs are #5 on the Most Openings – All Education Levels list. Who edged them out? Cashiers, Retail Salespersons, Waiters and Waitresses, and Customer Service Representatives.

If you consider Most Openings – Postsecondary Training or Associate's Degree or higher, then RNs top the list at #1, followed by 2) Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants, 3) Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses, 4) Computer Support Specialists, and 5) Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists in the top five.

For Most Openings – Bachelor's Degree or higher, RNs do not even rank in the top five. Instead Elementary School Teachers, Postsecondary Teachers, General and Operations Managers, Accountants and Auditors, and Secondary School Teachers are listed #1 through #5.

This employment information is based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics information. The job openings reflect turnover and new hiring projections.

If you are interested in salary levels, that information is included. The Most Openings Bachelor’s Degree or higher list shows that 91 out of 92 occupations listed have salaries at or above $32,930. In contrast, the Most Openings – All Education Levels contains 44 out of 92 occupations at a similar salary level.

America’s Career InfoNet is brimming with useful information such as high-growth and high-wage occupations, industries with the largest employment and those projected to grow the fastest, and state labor market information and resources.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also provides a Career Guide to Industries (2010-2011 Edition) and Occupational Outlook Handbook (2010-2011 Edition), both available online at no cost. These publications provide information about occupations in particular industries, training and education needed, earnings, expected job prospects, and working conditions.

Industry Employment Trends can also be followed at the Indeed.com blog. The July 2010 report showed the most job postings in the Healthcare industry (691,233) with Information Technology in the #2 spot (299,652 job postings) and Financial Services and Banking at #3 with 222,521 job postings.

Finally, recruiters ranked anticipated management hiring by industry (forecasted through June 2011) in the early August 2010 ExecuNet newsletter. The top ten included:
1 – Healthcare
2 - Clean/Green Technology
3 - Life Sciences (pharmaceuticals, medical, biotech)
4 - Energy/Utilities
5 - High Technology
6 – Manufacturing
7 - Business Services
8 - Consumer Products
9 - Environmental Products/Services, and
10 - Government / Nonprofit / Education / Financial Services / Banking / Insurance (tied).

Cross-posted at Career Goddess Blog

Job Seekers, Your Competition: 'Got Nothin' on You'

A couple of weeks ago over on Career Success Radio, I listened to a great interview with Tim Tyrell-Smith, Keith Keller and Annemarie Cross. One of the topics discussed was music and your job search. A few days later on my way to work, I heard a song called 'Nothin' on You' -- a song title that immediately grabbed my attention.

Perhaps that specific song title is a helpful reminder that as a job seeker, your competition has 'nothin' on you'! Instead of focusing on what they (the competition) have, how about directing your thoughts, actions and feelings toward what you have to offer an employer?

Here's a simple little experiment for you to try by writing answers to these three basic career questions:

1. What do you want to be?

2. What do you need to do to become that?

3. What do you have to stop doing and start doing to make it so that your competition has 'nothin' on you' -- the award-winning job seeker?

cross-posted billiesucherblog

(photos by billiesucher taken at Iowa State Fair August 21, 2010; can you guess whose brands the two 'word' photos above represent?)

If It's Not 100% True, It's a Lie: Take Care with the Truth on Your Resume

We've all heard the sad and sometimes sensational stories on the news about people who have lost high-profile jobs due to a lie that is discovered on their resume or job application--sometimes from as many as 20 or more years ago. When clients ask me about saying something that is untrue on their resume, whether they consider it to be just "fudging a little" or "a little white lie," my advice is simply, "Don't do it!"

The trust of others and our good reputation are two of the most precious things each of us has. In addition, being untruthful quickly becomes a slippery slope, as so many hapless and embarrassed politicians have found in recent months.

One of the most common questions surrounding this issue is whether it is OK to represent to a potential employer that you are still employed when you are not. Sometimes people think they can get away with this by just telling the employer their resume's last job entry says "X Year to Present" only because they did not have time to update it. Even if some employers might buy this, think about what it says about you that you couldn't take the time to change one word on your resume before sending it to them!

Posted by Laurie Smith, Creative Keystrokes Executive Resume Service

So, What Is A 1099 Anyway?

A while back, I was at a networking event chatting with a business owner about you guessed it -- business! As we were talking, another party joined the conversation, asking  "so what is a 1099, anyway?" I didn't give the 1099 chat another thought until last week when someone else asked "What is a 1099?" For information on this subject, you can go here and here to read more.

While I am not an expert on the subject of taxes, laws or 1099s, I can share with you some thoughts based upon two-plus decades as a professional who is not a W-2r (is that even a term?)

I have learned that being an independent contractor and/ or a self-employed person in private practice means that...

~ You do not rely upon an employer to give you a 'steady' paycheck.

~ You do not rely upon an employer to pay your health care benefits. (Please sit down when you get the quote from an insurance carrier for same).

~ You create your own bread and butter, happiness and key successes / results.

~ You get there by choice, or sometimes by 'default'...e.g. maybe 1099 wasn't your first option; perhaps necessity nudged you into the 1099 way of life?

~ You do not rely upon an employer to pay you for time off with your sick kids, or aging parents who need your help. No work, no pay.

~ You do not rely upon the employer for one, two, three or more weeks of vacation...you take a vacation knowing full well that you will be sponsoring same, be it across town or around the world.

~ You love dumping your own garbage...seriously, I don't mind! :)

~ You invite people to help you succeed...be it financially, legally, organizationally, emotionally, etc.

~ You do not rely upon a built-in team of people to collaborate with...you create your own talented team that works well for you and that you trust with your good (or not so good) news.

~ You do not have an 'official boss' as you are your own best (and worst) supervisor.

~ You do not have a traditional performance review...your clients, customers, or partners will provide you with daily, weekly, monthly, or annual feedback of either the positive, or not so positive, variety.

~ You plan (and save) for your own retirement and pay your own taxes per local, state and federal guidelines.

~ You realize that you are the CEO, President, CFO, CIO, COO, VP, SVP, Sales Manager, IT pro, Project Manager (whichever titles you wish to affix to yourself) and that the buck starts and stops with you.

~ You are accountable for you -- which for some is a perfectly grand thing...and for others, they would prefer to be a W-2r.

~ You reap what you sow...if you build a thriving enterprise, you (and the people by your side) get the credit, the profits, the perks, etc.

~ You will work longer hours, most likely, than you have ever worked as a W-2r.

~ You will have to juggle a lot of balls, as you are it; you are the driver of everything as it pertains to you and the business you offer and deliver.

~ You may have to sacrifice something...at least for a while as you get started in a self-employed capacity.

~ You will soon find out that you are seriously betting on yourself -- the amazing Brand You -- for the bread, the butter, the bucks, and whatever else it is that motivates you, drives you, and keeps you in the midst of the 1099r's.

So, what is a 1099, anyway?

cross-posted billiesucherblog

How to Leave a Job

Suddenly, it seems safe to quit a job again (maybe).

This week, two dramatic national exit strategies have captivated news outlets and Facebook fans everywhere.

First, there was "luggage gate." A flight attendant had to deal with one bag to many from a passenger who stood up upon landing too soon. If you're just returning from a media blackout, you should read about flight attendant turned cult hero who quit with a little bit of profanity and drama—grabbing a couple of beers and activating the exit slide on the jet way is a sure way to make headlines.

Then there was the employee, Jenny, who quit by sending an e-mail that exposed her boss—his reputed loose tongue and his web surfing habits--via a series of photos telling a story via dry erase board.(It turned out to be a hoax; the girl was an actress hired by the website The Chive for $400. Her real name is Esther. In the words of the pop song, "Jenny we've got your number.")

Both of these individuals already have garnered more Facebook “likes” for their efforts than most of us will in a lifetime. It will be interesting to see where they land. (I predict jail and then a reality show for the flight attendant.)

All of this makes me wonder: What’s the right way to exit a job?

The vision of "how I am going to quit" can make a great discussion topic. (My mom and I laughed until our sides ached while reading "And Then We Came to the End" when a disgruntled employee left a piece of sushi behind in a hidden office space upon departure) But in reality, the dramatic exit is neither practical nor professional. Would you hire an employee who exposed her boss online? Would you trust her to handle matters requiring discretion and confidentiality?

I’ve always advocated for the ethical straight-forward approach: following employer conventions and requests on advance notice, and leaving clear instructions for the next person to occupy your seat. I've actually heard it said that we would have gone back to the moon by now if NASA had kept better notes on how we managed to land there before. Did you know one of the Apollo tapes was accidentally recorded over?

I believe that how you leave a job says as much about your professionalism as how you land your next one. Even if a job hasn’t been a pleasant experience, leaving is generally an opportunity to practice grace.After all, if you are headed towards a better fit—why dwell on a bad one? Or leave room for a bad recommendation later?

Recognizing that there are “50 Ways to Leave Your Employer,” what is your take on the exit strategy for the less-than-perfect job?

In the Eye of the Beholder...You and Your Job Hunt

I'd get rid of it!

I'd haul her off!

I'd chop her down!

She doesn't amount to anything!

Not worth a flip now!

I don't know what you see in her!

I don't know why you let her stand!

Why bother? She's just an old tree who's run her course, done her time...blah blah blah...in one ear and out the other when I would hear such remarks from well-intentioned sorts.

The lovely maple tree that stood in front of our home when we first moved in years ago was perfect -- what a beauty, indeed! Then along came time and winds and wicked weather -- they each took their toll on Miss Maple. Over the last few years, she has had entire branches meet their demise during the harshest of seasons; a couple of years ago she was severely beaten by Old Man Winter and his incredible ice pounding. Her largest branch where I hung flower pots was gone for good. Miss Maple was stripped of her largest limb and for sure, she was barely standing on her last leg of life.

Spring came, along with the litany of comments, suggestions and recommendations regarding the straggly, unattractive tree lurking in our otherwise well-groomed front yard. I told my husband I needed his help and to fire up the chain saw. Snip here, snap there, trim here, saw there. Miss Maple took on a new shape and she loved it, as did I!

This summer, family, friends, neighbors and strangers alike have asked me how I turned Miss Maple into 'such a wonderful work of art.' I have planted Impatients in her biggest remaining branch, as you can see here in the photo. Lavender-colored phlox adorn her in early Spring. She continues to grow and develop in her own way as the days of summer advance, continuing to be a conversation piece for anyone who cares to discuss her many fine merits.

As a job seeker, how about it -- do you see possibilities in all (or most) things? As a job seeker, do you use your creativity and imagination to generate new ideas and innovations? As a job seeker, do you convert negative comments into positive thoughts to keep yourself moving in the right direction for you?

What do you see that others don't?

What are you willing to do that others won't?

What creative and imaginative opportunities and ideas might you envision to generate revenue for yourself, and/or your family?

Career Hub Contributors Help Oprah Turn Lives Around

I'm proud to say that two Career Hub contributors, myself and Barbara Safani, are prominently featured in the latest issue of O Magazine.

I was contacted a few months ago by Adam Glassman, the magazine's creative director, and asked if I'd like to take part in career makeovers for several women who needed a job.

I was thrilled to help, but honestly had some reservations - would the magazine be genuinely interested in helping the women, or just interested in getting a good article?

But on my first visit to the O offices, my doubts were put to rest. The team assigned to this story is determined to see this project all the way through, and the four lucky women they selected are getting every possible assistance in their job search.

First they had complete makeovers at a top New York salon and received fashion tips and new wardrobes, and then myself and Barbara got to work. 

I worked with each woman on a new resume and cover letter to truly clarify and communicate their value proposition. Each one had different challenges and different strengths, but when we were done, each one also had a killer resume. 

They then worked with Barbara Safani, who taught them networking techniques, conducted a recruiter mailing campaign, and helped with their interviewing skills. The feedback so far has been good - one woman immediately secured an interview with her new resume, despite having been turned down by the same company only week earlier. But the job search is only just beginning, and the O team are committed to seeing it all the way through. I'm excited to be part of this ongoing process!

[If you want to read the story, buy the September issue - cover shown above. The feature starts on page 210.]

Posted by Louise Fletcher, Blue Sky Resumes