Career Hub

Is There Anything We Should Know?

The economy may be going through hard times, but there are jobs to be had in Washington DC. The new Obama-Biden administration has posted over 8,000 vacancies - but before you rush to get your application in, take a look at the application form:

The questionnaire includes 63 requests for personal and professional records, some covering applicants’ spouses and grown children as well, that are forcing job-seekers to rummage from basements to attics, in shoe boxes, diaries and computer archives to document both their achievements and missteps.

Only the smallest details are excluded; traffic tickets carrying fines of less than $50 need not be reported, the application says. Applicants are asked whether they or anyone in their family owns a gun. They must include any e-mail that might embarrass the president-elect, along with any blog posts and links to their Facebook pages.

The application also asks applicants to “please list all aliases or ‘handles’ you have used to communicate on the Internet.” 

Now obviously, the reality of political life means that requirements are more strict for these positions than is normal for a regular job, but the article did make me wonder ... How long can it be before companies start to ask for similar information?

I'm in the middle of writing a book on building an online presence, and I had planned to point out that if you participate in forum discussions, particularly on controversial topics such as politics or religion, you should use an alias that bears no relation to your real name.

But what if companies start to ask for those aliases as part of their hiring process? Does that mean you should consider just saying nothing on the Internet? Or at least nothing on any subject that might bother someone?

It seems to me that this isn't feasible - especially for those entering the workforce for the first time during a period when life is lived as much online as offline, where political campaigns organize their supporters through social networking sites and religious discussion takes place on huge and vibrant forums.

I don't know where all this is going, but I do think we're headed for a sea change in how much our employers know about us.

What do you think?

A Tale of Two Seasons

This post is for our readers currently in college…

Fall generally finds me in the thick of two different seasons: the on-campus recruiting season for full-time jobs and the “apple season” (my cousins have an orchard where they grow and sell over 85 different kinds of apples). In many ways, the seasons are similar: both generally run from late August to early November, with a peak in mid-September to October. By November, the apples are generally off the trees and offers are “on the table” as many companies complete the majority of their entry-level hiring decisions for the year.

This year, I feel that I am reaching the end of not just a season, but perhaps an era: Wall Street banks will never be quite the same post-reorganization and my cousins have decided that it is time—after almost 70 years—to sell the farm. I’m reminded of a piece Barbara Ehrenreich wrote back in 1985 entitled “How You Can Save Wall Street”:

A free-enterprise economy depends only on markets, and according to the most advanced mathematical macroeconomic theory, markets depend only on moods: specifically, the mood of the men in the pinstripes, also known as the Boys on the Street. When the Boys are in a good mood, the market thrives; when they get scared or sullen, it is time for each one of us to look into the retail apple business.

I am not an economist, and I won’t prognosticate about what this particular season means for the “pinstripe set,” but here are a few observations on the similarities between recruiting and the retail apple business:

Crop condition, valuation, and supply are dependent on climate, market demand, and assessed value—as well as the ability to make projections. Purchasers of large numbers of apples and companies who make a significant number of hires do so in good faith that supplies (or services) that are purchased will be needed later on—and will keep in the interim provided that proper storage conditions are provided. (Like apples, job offers received for on-campus interviews frequently have an expiration date.)

Demand is dependent on the ability to make projections; when there’s less perceived need—there are fewer opportunities to be picked. As can be expected, the number of overall recruiting opportunities is down slightly this year. The National Association of Colleges and Employers recently reported that many employers have scaled back on hiring expectations:

The decreased expectation for college hiring that occurred between August and October was broadly felt across industries. Only government as a sector saw a significant increase in hiring expectations, while manufacturing and professional services remain essentially flat. All other industry categories decreased their hiring expectations for the Class of 2009.

Regardless of what's available, the conditions have to be right for the picking: apple picking and on-campus recruiting are both processes of mutual selection. Just as the over-aggressive job seeker turns off an otherwise willing employer; twisting an apple stem will result in a selection of an under-ripened piece of fruit. The proper technique to pick an apple is to cup your hand beneath the fruit, roll it up gently towards the sky and see if it lands in your hand. If it’s ready, it will come. The same holds true for full-time positions—your chances of a fit increase when you and your prospective employer are both fully prepared to consider working together. If a company can’t hire you now, don’t give up: they may be able to make it happen later on.

This year, expect harvest times to be staggered—hiring will take place on more of an as-needed basis than a calendar-based one, and competition for the prime fruit will be fierce. If you’ve been passed over, assess your skills, enhance your strengths and polish your resume and online presence so that you can be picked when an opportunity becomes available. Once it does, choose what is offered to you carefully: take the time to make sure that the position you are selected to fill meets your needs—and that you can continue to grow with it. (There’s no need to look into the retail apple business just yet, though I do know of an opportunity…)

If there are any lessons to be learned this fall, it is that timing is sometimes beyond our control. If you are in the market for a new position, the best way to get started is to keep growing and to prepare for opportunity when it does come. How will you get ready?

Cross-posted at the Emerging Professional.

Doom & Gloom – What to do about potential job loss

In the past, paralyzed by the present or ploughing ahead?

It is certainly not a great position to be in – either fearful of losing your job or being downsized. I know, I have been there twice myself, once in the last major recession in the late 80’s and the first time from one of my first sales jobs – the whole salesforce of over 200 was let go in one meeting – now that was an experience.

There are usually some immediate reactions when the axe falls or is about to fall and these are all normal human reactions to what is a stressful time – so here are some thoughts and actions to take that will help:

1.Help more, judge less

With so much negativity floating around it is easy for that to rub off and you start to judge people and make negative assumptions about them and even wish them ill fortune.

Take the reverse approach and offer to help more, who can you introduce them too? How can you help them with their job? When you genuinely give then it will come to you as well as you seek out help and assistance.

One of my continuous actions is to help – particularly those who are going through what I have, if there is any way that my experience and learnings can help others avoid or minimize what might happen to them I am there to offer that guidance.

2.Focus on the future

I know I hear you saying – well that’s easy to say and a lot harder to do. Absolutely. But when it all boils down there really is nothing you can do to alter the past, it is gone, happened, you cannot change it – it’s history. However you can certainly affect the future and your place in it, so spend your energy looking forward. I am sure this current crisis offers way more opportunity than we are being led to believe – we just have to believe it ourselves.

3.Take responsibility

Can you honestly say that everything you did and said were right? Probably not, so take some responsibility for your behaviour. Even if the downsizing’s I experienced could not be avoided, there was probably things that I could have done differently that might have had some influence, so I take responsibility for that and try to ensure that it does not happen again. . One lesson I learnt after my first downsizing was always have an up to date resume and to go interview once a year – for practice and to know my market value, so when the second time came I was ready and taking action.

4. Seek learning

There are always lessons to be learned even in adversity, the most successful people have usually had hardship and failure many times over before finally getting it right. My second downsizing taught me that I needed to leverage what I was good at and to make a complete career change and I ended up in medical devices and ultimately National Sales Manager of a biotech company – with no degree and no science qualifications.

5. Expand reflection

It is a fine line between positive peer support and the misery club so you have to be extremely careful. But getting together with like minded people in a similar situation can help with recovery and faster action moving forward. Collectively learning and supporting can be a powerful combination if handled right.

6. Watch your temper

I know I was angry the first time I was downsized, the package was generous which helped cushion the blow but bottom line was my ability was being questioned (or at least I thought so at the time). Don’t overact – take time to cool off and reflect, it is nearly always a sound business decision and a cost of doing business that things have happened the way they have, its usually never personal – so don’t get angry and make it so.

7. Know when to speak

Sometimes saying nothing, even if you are correct, it might be the right thing to do – it could be a bad news meeting where you are surviving (for now) or in your termination meeting, or even at an interview with a prospective new employer – do not think just “am I right?” – but also “is my contribution going to help the situation or the people involved?” - Sometimes not and better to be silent.

Does Your Personal Brand Matter?

An interesting post at The Buzz Bin touched on some issues I've been thinking about for a while. In "I Don't Care About Your Personal Brand,' Geoff Livingston outlines why he opposes the idea of developing a personal brand. His post is aimed at people working in the online space, but his points apply to anyone. You should read the whole thing, but this is the part that caught my eye:

3) While personal brands are concerned with themselves, the market is also concerned about itself.

4) The market doesn’t care about the persona, only what value the persona contributes to the larger community.

This gets to the core of why I have never jumped on the personal branding bandwagon, despite having flirted with the idea for a while. In the end, I'm much less interested in having my clients focus on their 'brand' than on the value they can add to potential employers. Value-added is simple, direct and focused on the employer. Personal branding is something broader (to be sure value-added is a part of it, but not the only part) and seems to me much more focused on the individual.

In order to pinpoint a client's value proposition - exactly how he or she will help the company succeed - I  use many of the same approaches as a personal branding consultant, but the focus is different - not the self-indulgence of me (the candidate) but the outward focus of they (the employer).

For a long time, I attributed my reluctance to jump on the personal branding train as something related to my background. As a Brit, I'm always a little uncomfortable with anything that smacks of taking oneself too seriously. But after reading Geoff's post, I see that it's not just that.

It's this:

24) A personality oriented brand does not necessarily equate to successful results.

It's the fact that results (and actions) matter. Results and actions tell me what you will do for me. Results and actions tell me whether or not you will add value to my organization. Results and actions show me who you are much more effectively than any carefully crafted public image.

I know that many of my colleagues disagree (and many of the Career Hub bloggers will definitely disagree!) but for me, a focus on results will always be more effective than a focus on brand. After all, all products and services have brands, but how many of them deliver what they promise?

My personal favorite is my bank Chase, who tell me that 'the right relationship is everything' and then constantly leave me on hold for hours while they try to figure out why my online banking has gone awry one more time, leaving me yelling "THIS ISN'T THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIP!!!" as my blood pressure soars once again.  But they do send me the occasional Starbucks gift certificate, with a very nice message about how much they value my custom, so I guess that's supposed to make it all OK ;-)

I can't help wondering how much better they would be if they stopped spending money on branding experts and fancy loyalty programs and instead invested that money in actually adding value to my life.

And in the end, that's my point. Instead of worrying about personal brands, I think people need to think about results and value-added. I expect many of my colleagues will point out that these are not mutually exclusive ideas and I agree - but that would be to miss the point. I know that in some cases, with the right candidate and the right personal branding coach, a person's 'personal brand' will be built around the results they have achieved, but I think the idea of 'personal branding' leads to the same problems with people as it does with businesses - a focus more on the message (the right relationship is everything) than on actually getting stuff done.

Let's face it, if you can show that you have delivered great results and made a big impact on prior employers, you really don't need to worry about packaging it in a pithy branding message. It will be obvious to everyone.

And if, like Chase, you haven't ... well a nice brand message might open some doors for you, but eventually people will figure out that there's nothing there.

Cross-posted at Blue Sky Resumes Blog

Play the Kevin Bacon Game to Land the Job You Want

I was listening to jobradio.fm the other day and heard some great practical tips on leveraging your network to land your next job.

As you may know, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon was a trendy game in the last decade in which the players tried to connect any film actor in history to Kevin Bacon as quickly as possible and in as few links as possible. The Bacon number of an actor or actress is the number of degrees of separation he or she has from Bacon, as defined by the game.

All the rage on college campuses in the early 1990s, this trivia game is a variation on the famed "Six Degrees of Separation" concept widely popularized through exposure in the play by John Guare and adapted for the big screen in 1993 (featuring a stellar cast including Stockard Channing, Will Smith, and Donald Sutherland). According to this concept, if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is an average of six "steps" away from each person on Earth.

The idea actually has some pretty solid support and research behind it, such as an ABC Primetime investigation that verified it is a small world after all and a study by Microsoft researchers that examined records of 30 billion e-mails among 180 million people in various countries and found that any two strangers are, on average, distanced by precisely 6.6 degrees of separation.

What exactly does this mean for you? It means that you really can in all likelihood use networking to zero in on a valuable contact that will help you successfully conclude your job search, and you can probably do it in far fewer than 6 steps. After all, you are probably not trying to reach the Queen of England or the Pope--just someone who works in your field of interest or at a company where you would like to work.

So how does one play the Kevin Bacon Game to land a dream job? We all know by now that networking is one of the most effective ways (if not the most effective way) to search for employment. The Kevin Bacon strategy encourages us to think outside the box when considering who is in our network, to leverage that network to the utmost, and build on it.

Here are 3 key rules that will greatly expand your network horizons and help you to achieve success in your networking efforts:

>>> Look outside your normal network. Consider people such as your hairdresser, mechanic, doctor, manicurist, pharmacist, etc. who know a lot of people.

>>> E-mail everyone in your address book with specific information on the job you want. Ask each person to identify at least one person they know in your field of interest (or if possible who works at a company that interests you).

>>> Once you have made a new contact, never fail to ask "Who might you suggest I speak with next?"

You'll be surprised at how rapidly your network will expand, and amazed at the unlikely sources from which good job leads will flow.

Posted by: Laurie Smith

Are you perfect?

Just went to this You Tube video from a Twitter recommend by Guy Kawasaki - really has changed my whole thinking about the day. It explains what drives Tiger Woods to continue to want to improve - the pursuit of perfection. The scene setting is a little long - but worth the wait for the last 30 seconds - awesome

Cross posted on Reflections of a Square Peg

It's Getting Scary Out There!

It's certainly become apparent that the world has changed over the past few weeks and for many it has become a concerning and worrying time.

I have had several conversations with good friends and associates in the last few days who have come out on the wrong end of what's happening. I have been there twice myself in previous cutbacks and would not wish it to happen to you so here are 7 steps to take to make the most of the current climate:

1. RECOGNISE REALITY
The Ostrich approach is not going to work this time, regardless of whether your job or company looks threatened, the chances are someone you know or work with has been. Plan for the best and be prepared for the worst.

2. USE THE OPPORTUNITY
It's happening anyway so what is the best outcome that you can make from the situation? Where are there gaps that can be satisified with what you have to offer.

3. REINVENT THE VALUE
What you had to offer 3 months ago might not apply now. Take stock of your target audience, how have their needs changed and what can you do to still offer value to them?

4. LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES
You might have gone through this type of time before - what did you learn that time that you could pass on to others? Where else might your skills be needed, where before they might not have looked at you?

5. HAVE EMPLOYMENT FLEXIBILITY
Needs must and what might not have been a good offer or opportunity previously might now be the only option. It may only have to be for the short term.

6. USE AND HELP YOUR NETWORK
The number one rule in networking is to give - now more than ever. It's the worst networker in the world who only ever calls you when they need something. Reach out and offer to help in any small way, it will be remembered and come back to you.

7. REINFORCE YOUR BRAND
Remind yourself of what your unique promise of value is, your strengths and best skills and make sure you are doing everything to communicate that effectively to the people that need to know.

Cross posted on Reflections of a Square Peg

Job Search Success: A Matter of Luck? - Part 1

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us….” So begins Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities, set during the tumultuous French Revolution. Some would say we are experiencing similarly tumultuous times with the economy in disarray and job seekers attributing their chances of job search success to luck.

But what is job search luck after all? Is it really random? Certainly being in the right place at the right time matters; however, you do have to be out there networking (off line and online) and making contact in the “right places” to get noticed. There are other elements important to job search luck. The first element of L-U-C-K follows; subsequent posts will cover three more.

L – LEARNING
Learning comes in many forms. For example, there is continuous learning in your occupational field and industry to stay up-to-date and competitive. Learning about job trends and career management / job search techniques makes you savvy and speedy in making your next career move. Then there is learning from your  mistakes which, by the way, is necessary for growth!

One more form of learning that is vital is learned optimism, a term coined by Dr. Martin Seligman and promoted in his book Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. Being optimistic and having a positive attitude will invigorate you and your job search with energy and effortlessly attract others to help you.

Here are some additional sources to generate positivity:

• 5 Ways to Make a Positive Attitude by Phil Gerbyshak in his Make It Great! blog. Phil’s 5 simple ideas are one way to get started building positivity in the face of daunting negative input from the world around you.

• Check out Gretchen Rubin and The Happiness Project which chronicles her year-long research into happiness for her upcoming book of the same name.

• Learned Optimism Test adapted from Dr. Seligman’s book by Stanford University. Take the 48-item online test to see just how optimistic you are.

• What Makes Us Happy? 20-minute video presentations at “The Pursuit of Happiness” TED conference in 2004.

Lifelong learning is a non-negotiable element in improving your job search luck. Think of it as a developmental tool for your career success that you continually need to sharpen and use. Bottom-line: companies do not hire dinosaurs (as in old knowledge or skills) or sour pusses!

Part 2: Understanding your assets (next installment)

Cross-posted at Career Goddess Blog

Choose Your Own Adventure

Interested in exploring new opportunities but feeling guilty due to employment declines from Wall Street to Main Street? Do you dare disturb the universe by imagining what could be—if only you knew what it was? Are you wondering if the sky is falling—and if your employment prospects are tumbling after?

Pull yourself out of a “Chicken Little” moment with Alexandra Levit’s book How Did You Score That Gig? This slim tome of wisdom provides you with a slick strategy to choose your own adventure—as well as practical advice from others who have done it before.

Don’t have time for reading an entire book? Take the quiz at the beginning of the book and you’ll land in one of seven personality categories: are you an adventurer, a creator, a data head, an entrepreneur, an investigator, a networker, or a nurturer?

Flip to the category that suits you best and read up on the positions that may align with your personality style; Ms. Levit presents 60 “hot jobs” determined by an online survey of 20’s and 30's somethings. From actor and fashion designer (“creator”) to art curator and criminologist (“investigator”), she profiles successful executives in each category, and presents career trajectories and tips for breaking into the field.

Restless or determining a non-fit? Move onto another section and explore the alternatives.

Whether you’re looking for a new opportunity and not sure what you’d like to do, or if you’ve identified where you want to go but don’t know how to get there—this is a great way to jump-start your search. Packed with resources, career tips and insider insights, it’s easy to use. (So simple, in fact, that I recommend this format to the folks over at the Department of Labor who produce the Occupational Outlook Handbook--they'd be well advised to take a lead from Ms. Leavit in the next biennial redesign.)

For more information, check out How Did You Score That Gig? and the author’s Water Cooler Wisdom blog.

By Chandlee Bryan, Cross Posted at the Emerging Professional.

Can You See the Forest for the Trees in Your Job Search?

I've always been one to draw analogies from real-life experiences and link everyday scenarios to career-management challenges and efforts. Now in my second year of graduate school at a liberal arts university pursuing a master's in humanities, I followed the suggestion of my advisor (while meeting degree requirements) and am pushing the envelope with a class in the science discipline. There, with just one other humanities major, I am surrounded by pretty intense (and knowledgeable) math and science majors. The class is Forest Ecology. Not to be cute, but I came into this class totally green, a novice when it comes to nearly anything related to the physical sciences (with the sole exception of meteorology: I'm a buff for any- and everything weather-related, especially the study of hurricanes, my lifelong passion). Trees? Ecosystems? Species? I had rudimentary knowledge at best, my only qualification being I live on a woodsy five-acre parcel in a rural community. And I like trees.

Halfway into the semester with a challenging mid-term exam now behind me as well as two exciting field trips, it occurs to me that much of what I'm discovering relates well to the world of job seekers. According to Chad Oliver (a present-day silviculturist), there are five classes of "crown dominance" in any given forest, called stand development: Emergent, Dominant, Co-dominant, Intermediate, and Suppressed. What are known as lollipop diagrams are useful in depicting their spatial relationship to one another. I won't dwell on that, but relating it to you and your job-search efforts, the similarities became clear to me.

At the highest spatial level within a forest, the emergent specimen reigns supreme above all other classes in the canopy--it's that lone white pine you see against a canopy of hardwoods and conifers marching up a mountainside in Vermont. It's the job seeker who is really out there advancing her candidacy, taking solid initiatives in creating networking opportunities, ensuring she is vetted as a candidate for as many positions as possible that match her interests and qualifications, following up on all leads, social-networking on professional sites (twitter, linkedin, ziggs, zoominfo, etc.), developing 90-day business plans, managing relationships.

Dominant species are those high-achievers among the tree stand in the forest. They're the light-seeking specimens that have optimized their growing space, fully able to extend their crowns. Folks in this realm are masterful at seeking opportunities and maximizing those that are presented to them--they stand out among other candidates for their accomplishments and know how to effectively promote themselves.

Co-dominant describes those specimens that compete well with others at the top of the canopy--able to garner their share of available nutrients, light, etc., but are limited physically in growth at the sides of their crowns. In job-seeking, this candidate knows there is competition for the best available opportunities. He knows how to leverage his resources, tap recommendations from those with the greatest spheres of influence, and really make inroads through consistent search practices. But perhaps this candidate isn't fully tapping into every resource out there and maybe isn't making all the connections he could to advance his search efforts.

Moving spatially into what's known as the forest midstory are the two remaining types. Intermediate describes those specimens, ecologically speaking, that have comfortably found their own place beneath the upper-most canopy, they are shorter and they, too, are restricted in their growth--both with regard to height and width. In a hardwood stand, for instance, this might be the shade-tolerant maple under a hardy, light-seeking array of dominant oaks. In job-seeking, I'd relate this example to the individual who maybe isn't as motivated to make a change (clearly someone who is currently employed, possibly underemployed, but not so miserable as to be aggressively trying to climb to the upper canopy in terms of visibility). This steady performer is content on some level to exist with other, more aggressive candidates tracking down and successfully killing the best job opportunities--and willing to take longer to 'maybe make a change.'

Finally, we have the suppressed trees. As the name suggests, these poor guys are being crowded out by everyone else in the mid- and upper stories of the forest stand. They're not happy where they are, but are definitely limited through space, resources, etc. Their crowns are completely overtopped by all adjacent trees. Underachieving might come to mind, but it's not always deliberate. However, using survival of the fittest as a metaphor, and linking this to job seeking, suppressed candidates probably aren't going to win in the game of optimal job search. They're not adequately promoting their strengths, defining their value proposition, and making a place for themselves where they can emerge as truly viable candidates for the best opportunities.

Where in the forest of job search do you see yourself?

Posted by Jan Melnik.