Career Hub

Some Ideas When You Have No Idea About What To Do For Work

So, what would you say to someone who tells you they have no idea what they want to do for work? That was the question posed to me by a recently downsized job seeker. Here are some things I would offer, in no particular order of importance:

• Write a letter to yourself explaining to the best of your ability these three things: 1. Your biggest career problem right now. 2. What you are doing about your biggest career problem right now. 3. How someone else could help you with your biggest career problem right now.
• Conduct an autopsy of your career to see what, if anything, you might discover.
• Learn something new.
• Make a list of what matters most to you.
• Think of things that interest you.
• Go to the public library and explore.
• Pretend that you are advising your best friend who asked you the above question...what would you say to them? Do that for yourself if you think it is solid advice.
• Make a list of jobs other people do that kinda sorta interest or intrigue you.
• Snoop around on O*net to see what, if anything, jumps out at you.
• Take some career assessments to see what, if anything, they reveal to you. (Go to Google and enter free career assessments if you do not have $$ to pay for same.)
• Make a list of things that you feel you are in control of right now.
• Make a list of things that you feel are out of control right now. Carefully review your list...what, if anything, can you do about them?
• Google something of interest related to jobs and careers.
• Be curious and ask career-related questions.
• Be a good detective and look for clues to help you solve your case.
• Network to discover information and ideas versus find a job.
• Speak with a representative at your local Workforce Development Center.
• Make friends with a Reference Librarian at your local public library.
• Bing something of interest related to jobs and careers.
• Visit with people from all walks of life and from all generations...what career wisdom might they share with you?
• Make a list of your passions; what, if anything, might they suggest for a job or career?
• Visit with a career management professional.
• Make a list of questions you would like to ask a career management professional.
• Check out www.indeed.com to see what possibilities you might glean there.
• Walk yourself through the Yellow Pages of the phone book -- what categories, if any, strike your fancy?
• Read a career book. Make notes of lessons learned.
• Read another career book. Makes notes of lessons learned.
• Read yet another career book. Make notes of lessons learned.
• Exercise.
• Take a walk.
• Keep a journal and review your writings for themes, ideas, patterns.
• Peruse career-related blogs such as this one and others to gain ideas. If you don't know where to start, Google "Top Career Blogs".
• Ask colleagues, friends, family for their best ideas and input on how to get some ideas when you have no idea about work.

What ideas might you offer a job seeker who has no idea about what to do for work?

 

Little and Often

We’re all overwhelmed. Too many emails, too much information, always connected and constantly accessible via smart phones and laptops.

The recession, leaner organisations and the explosion of new media have simply exacerbated the problem.  Consequently two of the scarcest commodities in today’s business world are a) Time and b) Attention.

To succeed in this noisy world, you need to become much smarter about the way you stay on people’s radar and maintain relationships.

Like it or not, we now live in a sound bite culture which requires you to take a “little and often” approach to your interactions with people.

So consider how you communicate with your senior managers, stakeholders and employees. How you stay in touch with your clients, networking contacts, recruiters or ‘tribe’ of followers.

Is your communication crisp, relevant and memorable? Is it “little and often”? If not, what can you start changing from this week?

By Sital Ruparelia

 

15 People To Be Grateful For This Thanksgiving

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” -William Arthur Ward

 
1. Your family and friends for supporting you through thick and thin.

2.  Steve Jobs and Apple for proving that no one’s perfect. That we all screw up (like they did with the iPhone 4 launch). That getting things off the ground and course correcting is far better than waiting for perfection.

3.  Louis C.K. For showing us what amazing times we live in. For giving us a humorous insight into being more grateful.

4. Your kids for giving you a reason to keep going on your bad days.

5. Dan Pink for scientifically proving that money is NOT the way the best way to motivate employees.

6. Del Boy for showing us how to make a great first impression.

7. Seth Godin for showing us how to become indispensable. How to become so unique and valuable that you cannot be replaced by an organisation. How to become a ‘Linchpin’.

8.  Aamir Khan for making the award winning Bollywood film “3 Idiots”and illustrating (with plenty of humour) how career success comes from playing to strengths and following your passions.

9. Prime Minister Gordon Brown for showing us that you need both style and substance to succeed in the modern work place.

10. Economist Mitul Kotecha for his analysis and commentary this year. His review and predictions at Qtr 1, the half year and Qtr 3 have been spot on.

11. The Chilean Miners for teaching us all a few lessons in dealing with adversity.

12.  Maz Jobrani for using the power of comedy to help us be less strereotypical about the way we view people from different cultures.

13.  Your managers, mentors and coaches for helping you stand out from the crowd and create opportunities.

14.  The guys at Common Craft for helping us understand Social Media, LinkedIn and Twitter in Plain English.

15. You. Thank you for reading, commenting on, linking back and sharing my articles over the last year. I really appreciate it. Whilst we don’t celebrate thanksgiving here in the UK, I’m thankful for your support.

To readers from the US, I wish you a happy thanksgiving weekend!

By Sital Ruparelia

 

On Thanksgiving: 12 Thoughts

T Time to treasure and take stock of the abundance in your life.

H Harnessing an attitude of thankfulness for all that you are, and can become.

A Appreciating your assets, acknowledging your liabilities, always striving to improve.

N Never giving up, no matter what, until you get what you need.

K Kindling a spirit of caring, kindness and civility for all people.

S Seeing the best in others; scouting possibilities in both the best and worst of times.

G Giving of your time, your talents, your knowledge to help someone succeed.

I Imagination, inspiration, ingenuity and ideas to create a better today and tomorrow.

V Voice that you find when you least expect it.

I Intentional in serving others with professionalism, integrity, excellence, and ethics.

N No, negative, and nothing which can lead to yes, positive, and something.

G Gratitude for family, friendships, clients, colleagues, connections and followers  around the globe.

~ Happy Thanksgiving to All and Thank You for reading and contributing to Career Hub ~

LinkedIn's New Personal Branding Help

LinkedIn's launch of a global group called BrandYou is a powerful recognition of the movement towards personal branding in careers and job search. William Arruda, the Personal Brand Guru, extended Tom Peters concept about a decade ago and created a methodology and tools to help people create their own personal brand. Others have continued the conversation. And now LI  has put its imprimature on the concept - and appropriately so, as personal branding couldn't be more central to LI's own core brand: a business networking site facilitating trusted connections for business, job search, and knowledge transfer / idea creation.

On the group's main site is a link to several Brand You videos. Don't miss these. They capture facets of personal branding that you don't often hear about, but we all experience: the "magic," "spirit," and "mystery" in strong personal brands. 

Out of Work Graduates: 6 Quick Tips

Having graduated during the recession of the early 1990s, I can empathise with many of today’s grads who are struggling to find work.

And I seem to be getting lots of emails these days from out of work graduates seeking advice.  So I thought I’d share an email I sent to a graduate earlier today.  Much of the advice applies to anyone currently looking for work – not just graduates.

---------------------

“Hi xxxx,

Given that it’s now 4 months since you graduated and the market for graduate jobs is still tough, here are 6 quick suggestions:

1. Short Term: Find any job and start earning

Lose the pride and find anything which starts bringing in some cash and gets you working.

Be it part time work /freelancing / a temporary contract / helping a family or friend’s business – regardless of whether it relates to your degree or not.

In addition to feeling calmer, you will buy yourself some time to transition into your target role over the mid-term.  Plus it ensures your family are less stressed about you (..which in turn stops you stressing too).

2. Double your activity levels

Spending 90 minutes a day on your laptop trawling through websites and emailing recruiters is not enough.

You need to be spending at least 20 hours a week job searching. And I don’t mean just sitting in front of computer – you need to get out and meet people.

3. Get out more

You should be out at least one day a week meeting 2 to 3 people.

Meeting warm contacts who can help find short term work or help you explore and learn about the career options you eventually want to transition into is far more productive than sitting on the internet like everyone else.

Plus getting out and meeting people also stops you getting depressed and losing your confidence sitting at home.

4. Location: stop over-thinking

Don’t avoid applying for roles in another city because you’re unsure about the accommodation issue. I know it doesn’t sound logical, but find a job first and figure out where you’ll live later.

If you find a role in city X, I’m sure you’ll find friends of friends or family who can help you out in the short term with accommodation.  But you can cross that bridge when you come to it. For now, focus on finding the roles regardless of where they are.

(In fact there’s every chance you won’t get that role in the other city – but don’t deny yourself the opportunity to improve your interview skills by not applying).

5. Ensure you’re using LinkedIn.com

If you’re not using LinkedIn, there’s every chance you’re missing opportunities as the vast majority of corporate employers and recruiters use LinkedIn to search for candidates nowadays.  Plus you’re missing the chance to strengthen your online brand should recruiters and future employers Google your name (..which, by the way, they probably will).

So go to www.LinkedIn.com, set up your profile and follow these 10 tips.

(Talking of your online brand, ensure your Facebook pages doesn’t include anything you would be ashamed of if a future employer saw it).

6. Don’t stress

I know, easier said than done. But things will work out in time (really).

You may just take a different route than the one your friends take to get to where you want to get to. But in doing so, you’ll have different experiences, different skills and will become much more resilient as you’ve had to deal with a tough job market at a young age. So hang in there.

Best of luck!

Sital”

By Sital Ruparelia

What Do "Real" Men Want? Musings on "Testostero-tv."

I couldn't resist the article "What Real Men Watch" in the Wall Street Journal, even though I should have been reading the business news! Turns out that the tv that's attracting upscale male viewers (accustomed to 8-12+ hours a day of offices, cubicles, and computers in the workplace) is reality tv described as "real men in danger" and "testosto-reality." Advertising dollars are flowing to shows like "Swamp Loggers," "Ice Road Truckers," and "Deadliest Catch."

You know, I'm a woman, but I can relate! What happens to our heads after days wrapped up in electronic, business, and technical communications - working exclusively in built spaces?

I watch my 2-year-old grandson aggressively driving his "digger" truck up the side of a dirt mound around the tree, pushing dirt in front of it until he can dump in over the other side. Very satisfying!

An element of danger, an encounter with the real resistence of the natural physical world, a great effort towards control of an unpredictable physical (not intellectual) reality - these seem to be the common elements of these shows that upper middle class guys are watching. There's a romance to blue collar jobs for them.

Where else can men who were once little boys playing with trucks in the dirt go for that element of raw physical risk and an experience of wrestling for physical control? 

Some guys I know buy, repair and ride motorcycles. Go to race tracks. Fish offshore. Run sled-dog races.

My work is all about career management. This article makes me wonder about whether what men do in their leisure time isn't a critical part of peak functioning in a cubicle world. And that maybe what folks do outside of work has a very real impact on ability to survive and thrive in the day job.

I actually think that (some) women too may need an antidote to a day spent indoors interacting with iPhones, laptops, colleagues and clients.

What I do to get this elusive high is sail off the coast of Gloucester, MA - and the emptier the bay is of boats, the fresher the wind, the better. Freedom all around. Afloat in a wind-wave-water-tide-sky environment that can change instantly - and require a physical response to avoid danger.

When the sailing season came to an end, I felt a little desperate - what are we going to do to experience wilderness in the long cold months ahead? All I could think of was snow mobiling up in the New Hampshire wilderness - I've never done it, don't know if I'd like it, but there might be thrill in it.

Not that I don't love my work. But the truth is that it's so left brain - as is so much of what many of us do. I do get a chance to be right-brain creative, too, in my work. Still....there's something missing.

You hear so much about work-life balance. Maybe we ought to be talking more about work-thrills balance. Men and women who work in built environments, what do you do for thrills? Does your career leave you hungry for something more raw? Or not?

 

 

 

Computer Crashes, Job Losses and Ducks in a Row

Just like that, my computer crashed. Died. Done. Dead. How could it be that one minute I am rolling along full speed ahead and then, out of nowhere, absolutely nothing...zero, zip, nada. My tech friend at work verified same..."Yup, I'd say she shot craps." Mortified, I just sat there in dazed disbelief staring at the blank screen of darkness and nothingness.

Mad at myself for being so stupid! Mad at myself for not doing a better job of verifying the existence of a backup system. Trusting that an 'internal system' was protecting my data. Yeah, right!

Reminded me of losing my job years ago and how discombobulated I felt. Whether your computer crashes or you lose your job, here are some tips you may wish to ponder:

• Always have backup protection and a fall-back plan.
• Make sure the backup protection is fully functioning and readily accessible when the worst case scenario happens.
• Do not freak out; do your best to stay calm when things go awry. (Easier said than done.)
• Get help immediately. Do not delay. Can be a game changer.
• Stay prepared for the worst; expect the best.
• Keep track of documents, receipts, dates, people, places, things.
• Somehow, someway, keep some cash reserves on hand for rainy days.
• Scramble to put an interim strategy into place to carry you through until you can figure out what's next.
• Do not beat up on yourself, unnecessarily.
• What's done is done and you can keep looking back and asking why and what if or you can simply get on with it and move forward with a why not perspective.
• Take a look to see what, if anything, needs an upgrade, be it your computer, or yourself.
• Explore your options; whether you buy a new computer, refurbished, borrow Auntie M's, get a replacement job, go back to school, or find temp work, consider what makes the most sense at this time.
• Get your ducks in a row before you make important decisions; allow yourself some time to think and process and then make decisions you feel are right, not rebound, ones.
• Realize that change is the name of the game and that no matter how well-prepared or unprepared you are, stuff happens!
• Learn a lesson once -- not twice. (Aun aprendo; I am still learning!)

cross-posted billiesucherblog

 

Job Hunters: Knowledge Is A Weapon ~ Use It To Your Advantage!

Imagine for a moment that you are starting a new business and decide to hire a top-notch advertising firm to help you with your marketing materials. Sooner or later, someone from the agency will ask you "So what exactly is your business," along with many other probing questions.

Now suppose that you told them "Oh, I don't know...don't have a clue really...just need an awesome brochure to get the word out." Right away it becomes obvious, there are some first steps as a business owner you will need to take prior to developing a knock-out brochure. First things first.

In the world of resume writing, though, I routinely get calls such as this:

Caller: Yes, I need help with a resume...

Me: Thank you for calling...how may I help?

Caller: Well, I have a couple of quick questions...how much will it cost me and how fast is your turnaround time?

Me: Happy to answer your questions...first, I have one for you. What do you want to do...what type of job(s) are you targeting?

Caller: Oh, I'm just shoppin' around...you know, just sort of lookin' around to see what's out there.

As a career management professional, when I hear words such as the above response or some derivative thereof, it's a large clue that the caller is not prepared to embark upon a resume-writing expedition. While I may think writing a resume is as easy as pie, I have found that many job seekers simply do not know how to do this task. Putting together a stellar professional resume takes time, thought, assessment, planning, preparation, clarification, focus, and direction, for starters...which brings me to the heart of my post...the word knowledgeable.

Take a close look at the letters that comprise k n o w l e d g e a b l e. If you wish to scramble the letters, you can make several news words: down, lag, low, bleak, now, be, glad, led, won, own, deal, etc...however, for the purpose of this post, I have chosen these three words to write about: know, edge, and able.

KNOW: You've no doubt heard the expression "You don't know what you don't know." In today's uber-competitive job market, knowledge is a weapon -- use it to your advantage. And the more you know about yourself and the job search process, the better your chances of experiencing success, sooner than later. So whether it is learning state-of-the-art job hunt strategies, putting together an award-winning resume, or selling yourself with confidence in an interview, know your stuff! Get to know your subject matter! And if you don't know your stuff, get help from a competent career professional. Time and again, I have witnessed the distinct advantage a knowledgeable job seeker has over one who is not well-educated in the job search realm. There are hundreds upon hundreds of smart, talented, highly skilled career management professionals who uphold the highest code of ethics, standards, and best practices in serving the job-seeking population. Do yourself a favor and find one now if you are stalled out and stuck in looking for a j-o-b.

EDGE: The other day, a client came into my office for help with a professional resume. It became abundantly clear that he was not ready to move forward with any conversation whatsoever about a resume. So, we backed up (first things first) and did a career coaching session where he began to discover some insightful and interesting (his words) things about himself. At one point he remarked "So I need to know all I can about me and looking for work in order to level the playing field, right?" Precisely...which brings me to my next word: edge, as in competitive edge. Know your competitive edge before you go to market. Do not be caught off guard or tripped up by some routine question that 'should' be easy for you to answer. Avoid putting yourself at risk unnecessarily because of your lack of knowledge about you and your brand. Know your competitive edge, and know how to speak of it with confidence and knowledge!

ABLE: Once you have well-schooled yourself on the various phases of the career transition process, and when you are ready and able, hopefully, you will find it much easier to speak comfortably and confidently about yourself in support of your candidacy for a position...be it in a phone conversation, in a professional resume, or at a face-to-face meeting with a hiring manager. When you know more about yourself, you will then be able to move forward with a greater sense of focus and purpose. Indeed, you can then begin to level the playing field as a knowledgeable job seeker.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime. ~ Chinese proverb

Social Media – A Fad or The Future?

“We don’t have a choice on whether we DO use social media; 

the question is how well we DO it” - Erik Qualman

 

FICTION: “Facebook is for kids”

FACT 1:  Actually, the 40 – 55 years age group is the fastest growing demographic on Facebook.

And, of course, this demographic also has the highest disposable income, lowest debt levels and strongest professional network. Which is why businesses and recruiters are flocking to set up Facebook pages to engage with this group.

FACT 2: Over 50% of the world’s population are under 30

 So in the next 10 years years  ”The Facebook Generation” will be leading businesses, hiring people, making key commercial decisions (what a scary thought!) - and, of course, buying products and services

So if you don’t learn to engage and interact with this generation using the tools they use – both you and your business will be in serious trouble.

FICTION: “Facebook is just a fad”

FACT 1: Facebook has 500 million users across the world.

So if Facebook were a country it would have the 3rd highest population in the on the planet. Hardly a fad?

FACT 2: Two months ago, in September 2010, Forbes released its list of the 400 richest Americans.

The biggest headline: Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted the largest wealth increase on the list, with his estimated net worth jumping 245% to $6.9 billion.  Love him or loathe him, Zuckerberg has changed the way people around the world connect and engage – and it continues to grow as more businesses start leveraging Facebook.

FICTION: “Twitter is just some silly thing that kids and celebrities use”

FACT: Actually 60% of Fortune 500 firms now use Twitter.

In my opinion, Twitter is the fastest, smartest tool to get real-time information on any market news. I often know more about industry news in my clients’ worlds than they do – simply because I use Twitter as a real-time news channel from my mobile phone.

It’s also a super way to engage and build relationships with people and organisations you’d have difficulty doing in the offline world.

With the advent of smart phones (iPhone, Droid and new Blackberry) Twitter has opened up all kinds of commercial opportunities for building a tribe of followers, potential customers and potential employees.

FICTION: “LinkedIn is just for job seekers who can’t find work”

FACT 1: 70% of clients, prospects and potential employees will Google you before meeting with you. And when they do, your LinkedIn profile will often be on the first page.

So just remember, your LinkedIn profile will paint a picture of you before you’ve even spoken to or met anyone. It’s very much your online branding tool regardless of whether you’re job searching or not.

Have you got a profile so that you gain an advantage even before you speak or meet? If so, does it reflect how you want to be perceived by clients, stakeholders, recruiters and potential employers?

FACT 2: Every recruiter and HR team I know use LinkedIn as a sourcing and networking tool.

Especially when trying to headhunt passive candidates who may not actively be searching – but are open to hearing about interesting opportunities.

FACT 3: LinkedIn is currently fairly unsophisticated. But in the pipeline are a series of upgrades which will transform how many firms use LinkedIn to recruit talent and how many of you will find jobs in the future.

FICTION: “You MUST be on these platforms. Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are the future”

FACT: Well actually it’s not about the platforms or tools – but about the message. About the way you use social media to engage, interact and build your brand.

The internet and social media are still very much in their infancy. What we’re seeing is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s much more to come – so don’t obsess about one or two platforms. Focus on your message and your brand so that you can adapt to the tools that seem most relevant to your needs and style.

FICTION: “You need to be really good with technology to fully leverage social media”

FACT: I’m rubbish with technology so if it were all about technology, I wouldn’t have a clue!

But I am good at relationship building and engaging with people – which is what social media is all about.

So focus on learning how to use social media as an engagement tool and brand-building platform – instead of worrying about how to use the technology and which button to press – you’ll figure that out as you go. So just get started.

Many “social media experts” will have you believe that social media represents the “biggest shift since the industrial revolution.”

That’s quite a statement.

Others will tell you it’s a complete time dump; just a fad which will pass.  The reality is that no one really knows where it’s heading. But one thing we do know is that social media is here to stay and will continue to play a bigger part of our lives and careers.

Serious businesses are making profits, selling products, building brands and hiring talent using social media tools.

And they’re doing it today - not some time in the future. Which means you simply can’t afford to ignore it….

By Sital Ruparelia