Career Hub

Top Resume & Career Hurdles for Job Seekers: 15 Scenarios

People come to a career coach and certified professional resume writer for a number of reasons. One or more of the following may sound familiar to you.

 

 

 

 

 

1. "My resume and LinkedIn profile are attracting too low-level jobs."
2. "My resume and LinkedIn profile are attracting the wrong type of jobs."
3. "My resume doesn't communicate my true value."
4. "I’m not sure what job titles I should apply to out there - my company uses titles no one else is using."
5. "I’m not sure what my objective should be and what jobs I can get."
6. "I got off track and now I feel stuck in a sideline with little advancement potential - and don’t know how to get back into what I want to be doing."
7. "I’m not being paid what I think others are for what I do."
8. "I’ve done everything there is to do here, and I feel as though my career is getting stalled – I need more challenge."
9. "I want to be making more money, and I'm not sure how to go about getting a higher salary."
10. "I'm more of a generalist, so how do I go about getting a job when all the job ads list very specific skills, some of which I don't have?"
11. "I have a lot of skills and experience, but hardly ever all the requirements listed on job ads. I know I can do the job, but how do I convince them?"
12. "I want to change industries, but employers want you to have had experience in their industry; how do I break into a new sector?"
13. "I'm too senior for a lot of the jobs in my area but too junior for the ones I know I can do and want to target; what do I do?"
14. "I have a reputation for being a [fill in here] professional, but what I really do a lot of is [fill in here] and I want to build my brand around that. What do I do to change the image people have of me?"
15. Recruiters tell me I am "overqualified" so I don't even get a shot! What do I do?"

If you can relate to any of these issues (there is some overlap), you are not alone. There are ways to overcome hurdles like these with a skillfully written (and strictly honest) resume and LinkedIn profile and some career and interview coaching. Don't be hesitant to reach out for help to someone in the careers community.

Along the left-hand column of this Career Hub Blog you will find some of the top career leaders in the industry. Check out their websites and what they have written here and give them a call! Most will be happy to give you a free consultation about your career situation!

It can make the difference between getting a great job and just settling. Good luck!

 P.S. Feel free to add to the list of scenarios in comments below. I'd love to hear from you and others would too! JC

 

 

Job Interview Conversations: No Dogs Allowed

In a recent conversation with my client, I invited him to share some positive words to describe his brand.

Among those mentioned, he stated “loyal, honest, and hardworking.” As we reviewed his words, I invited him to pretend that he was a hiring manager – a hiring manager that has interviewed hundreds and hundreds of candidates.

So, tell me, how impressed are you when you hear a job seeker describe himself as
someone who is “loyal, honest and hardworking?”

His response:   “Now that I think about it, I probably sound like a dog or something.”

If you find yourself in job search mode, how about choosing more compelling words to align with the target job you are pursuing? Otherwise, in the interview (in person or on the phone), you will be citing words that the listener has heard time and time again. No new news to their ears.  Same ole same ole.

To better support your candidacy in a sea of competition, do yourself a favor and take some time to figure out  at least five distinct adjectives that well describe you. Beyond that, develop examples to provide proof and evidence to back up your claims.

If you are in love with the word loyal as a term to describe yourself, how about using a thesaurus to find another word with a similar meaning, such as:

 allegiant, ardent, attached, behind one, believing, coming through, constant, devoted, dutiful, dyed-in-the-wool, firm, on one's side, patriotic, resolute, staunch, steadfast, steady, tried-and-true, true, true-blue, trustworthy, trusty, unfailing, unswerving, unwavering.

If you want someone to know that you are honest, what other word might you find to convey that? 

If you are hardworking, what other less-frequently-cited job seeker word might you supply the hiring manager? 

Choose your words carefully – let them work for you, not against you as you explore new opportunities.

Bring Your A-Game to Career Transition

As an outplacement services professional, sometimes I am called upon by an employer to be on-site in order to offer career transition services within minutes of an employee discharge. Sometimes the conversation goes very well. Sometimes the conversation doesn’t go at all if the departing employee doesn’t wish to meet on-site. Sometimes, I sit in total silence with an individual until they are ready to talk. I don’t mind. I have been that person. I know exactly what it feels like to lose a job.

On one occasion a few years ago, I recall that a woman asked me to accompany her to the restroom so she could cry in privacy. I remember grabbing a box of Kleenex and off we went for the next little while. There are many ways that people learn they no longer have a job, be it in person or by phone, email or text. To date, I have not yet met anyone who has been notified of termination via a tweet. Perhaps you have.

One of my clients who recently lost his job and I were talking about words and how words can help us get from Point A to Point B. And how words can provide comfort, hope, reassurance, and encouragement. And how words can also hurt and sting and bite. He wondered how to connect the dots from being a person “in transition” to a person who is employed again. We spoke of these three words: acceptance, awareness and action.

Acceptance

Sooner or later, you realize that “it is what it is.” While my client and I aren’t particularly enamored with that expression, it somehow captures the essence of transition. And what it is may not be something that we particularly like, desire, want or prefer – starting over is simply the reality of a job loss situation. And the realization and acceptance that what was is behind us and what will be is waiting somewhere up ahead.

Awareness

The other day at a networking event, I met a job seeker who wanted to throw together a new résumé and see what’s out there.  He informed me that he was going to use a résumé template so he wouldn’t have to spend any money. Hearing this, I offered:

1.       So, do you have a target goal or some options in mind?

2.       What about your brand?

3.       Are you good to go on your skill set?

His answer to all three questions:  I don’t know what you are talking about. I just want a basic résumé. If you are looking for a job in today’s competitive market, I would encourage you to figure out what your brand is and does before you whip up that new résumé whether it is free or for a fee. The value of figuring out your brand and its value before you go to market will serve you well in the long run.

Action

Set yourself up to succeed by establishing routine office hours while you are in career transition. Discipline yourself. Focus. Stay on task. Do something each day on your work days to support your commitment to finding new employment. Track your progress. Respect your new job (finding a job) and the accountabilities that come with it. When you were gainfully employed, you may have had a performance evaluation. While you are in limbo, (between jobs), how about evaluating your own performance? Monitor your own progress. Measure what you are doing well and evaluate what needs some work. If the strategy you are employing isn’t working, how about changing your strategy just like you would if you were completing a project for your employer and something wasn’t working?

My client seemed relieved that we had tackled a conversation about acceptance, awareness and action as a part of the career transition process. Next time, I think he wants to talk about another “A” word – attitude. I can’t wait.

Personal Branding & Executive Resumes - What No One Is Talking About

Every once in a while I get to step back and look at the work I do with my clients from a larger, more expansive perspective. Ordinarily, we are laser focused on developing branded executive resumes and LinkedIn profiles that will attract interviews and job offers. But what is really at stake here?                

Nothing less than your life. I'm currently reading The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling by Stephen Cope, Director of the Institute for Extraordinary Living at the famed Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Western Massachusetts. I tell you I did a double-take! He's talking about personal branding using the vocabulary of yogic fulfillment!

Yet, the criticality of discovering who you are, who you are given to be in your life, is rarely mentioned in personal branding discussions. Personal branding sounds like it's "nice to have," optional, a smart thing to do for career advancement, for making more money, and achieving greater fulfillment, but - is it a tragedy if you don't do it, find it, live it out?

Steven Cope says it is. If people "miss the mark" by even a little - say, they're a priest when they reallly want to lead the choir - that person may well experience ill effects from boredom, depression, feeling out of sync with what they do with most of their waking hours. And the world will have an uncomfortable, conflicted priest instead of inspired sacred music making.

Another thing that happens is that people undervalue their gifts, and therefore continue to do what they do with a nagging sense of falling short of "the big thing" they should be doing.

This is the situation I see most often. Wiliam Arruda's Reach 360 Survey is a fabulous tool for helping my clients see the gifts that others see in them - that they are too close to to see - or that they discount because their gifts come so naturally to them.

Learning that others DON'T usually have their particular gifts and that they turn to them for their gifts is a real eye-opener. The process helps my clients achieve a new sense of themselves as highly valued for their unique, natural-to-them ways that they do their work and interact with others.

What does the world lose by inidividuals not valuing themselves for their intrinsic personal brand? A person on fire with their passions and coming from a place of inner alignment with the greatest life that they can have - who does his work skillfully and with joy.

So, when you come to write your executive resume, be sure to let employers and recruiters know who you are - someone no one can duplicate - along with why the company needs someone like you. Get your personal brand out there - and give the world a chance to be benefited by you, living out your greatest life.

 

Cross-posted on Jean Cummings' Blog: http://www.aResumeForToday.com/high-tech-resumes

 

 

And You Are a What?

I have trained, coached, taught, instructed, counseled, educated and helped hundreds and hundreds of clients over many years in private practice. To this day, I like the career management profession as much – if not more – than I did when I first jumped into the business.

That said, of all the professional titles I have held – speaker, consultant, trainer, adviser, résumé writer, author, blogger, etc., the most prized job title I have served in – to date – is the one that starts with “M” and ends with “R”. When I was growing up, I “never” wanted to be a mother and the thought of having kids surely wasn’t for me -- or so that is what I always told myself. And just like that, everything changed. The role of “parent” was added to the mix of job titles.

Blink and fast forward 11,000+ days later to the year 2013.

Our first-born baby girl is all grown up and soon, she will be married.

How fortunate, how lucky, how blessed, how honored, how grateful, and how humbled I am to be the one she calls Mother, Mom, Mama, Mamma, Ma, Madre.

I was thinking of all the things I want to tell her as she moves closer to walking down the aisle. And what I realized is this – she already knows what I think, how I think, how I feel and how deliriously happy I am for her. I know this because we talked as we went along, growing up together…I, the mother, finding my way – and she, the daughter, filling-in-the-blanks when I could not, would not or did not know how.

These things I have learned from being a mom to a young professional who will soon no longer share my last name…thank you for teaching me these lifelong lessons:

1. Encourage with actions and words on a consistent basis.
2. With every choice comes a consequence.
3. Do more, not less; expect more, not less.
4. Be a role model to your daughters and sons -- they are watching.
5. Teach self-advocacy at an early age.
6. Be a parent, then a pal.
7. If you screw up, step up.
8. Listen without interrupting.
9. Hold family meetings at least once a week so everybody is on the same page and don’t talk unless it is your turn.
10. Make time – lots of it – to spend with each of your children, especially if you have more than one.
11. Give your child unconditional love.
12. Learn new things.
13. Teach your children how to work and earn their own money.
14. Conclude each good-bye with I love you more than…

And finally, my daughter’s message to me this day as she embarks upon the next chapter of her life -- no more training wheels needed:

~~  She will leave you, but she will always come home to you. Your heart is in her heart, her home is in her heart. When she returns from being away, she will bring you treasures and stories and mementos to let you know that no matter what, no  matter where or when or how or why you are always on her mind and that to her, you are her world.  ~~

I Wonder

Over the week-end, I watched Searching For Sugar Man, a documentary about an extraordinary man named Sixto Rodriguez whose musical genius was unfamiliar to me, until now. If you have not seen the movie (awe-inspiring, amazing, intensely inspirational, remarkable, humbling, full of grace), perhaps you will find some time to run, don’t walk to do so. It will touch your heart and it will move your soul. Guaranteed. One of the songs from his Cold Fact CD is titled with these two simple words: “I wonder.”

And after listening to that song multiple times, I started wondering a whole bunch of things, including…why have I not written this post before? In my work with clients, I routinely hear a host of “I wonder” questions:

 

I wonder what’s going to happen to me?

I wonder what the next step will be?

 

I wonder how we’ll get by?

I wonder if you’ll hear me cry?

 

I wonder how we’ll pay the bills?

I wonder if you know how it feels?

 

I wonder if my job will go away?

I wonder if the company will stay?

 

I wonder who am I now?

I wonder about the where and the how?

 

I wonder about what’s out there?

I wonder how will I fare?

 

I wonder if you’ll pick my résumé?

I wonder if you’ll like what I say?

 

I wonder if I’ll get fired today?

I wonder why it’s this way?

 

I wonder why I’m so scared?

I wonder if they even cared?

 

I wonder what I should learn?

I wonder what bridges to burn?

 

I wonder how long will I wait?

I wonder if it will be sooner than late?

 

I wonder how my interview will proceed?

I wonder if I’m who you need?

 

I wonder about any regrets?

I wonder if I’m still a good bet?

 

I wonder if you’ve got my back?

I wonder if I’m on the right track?

 

I wonder if networking works?

I wonder about all of those perks?

 

I wonder about my gifts and my skills?

I wonder why job search gives me the chills?

 

I wonder if you’ll lend me a hand?

I wonder if I am still in demand?

 

I wonder if you are my friend?

I wonder when the job hunt will end?

 

I wonder about my future and past?

I wonder about a job that will last?

 

I wonder why I seem to stay stuck?

I wonder when I’ll have good luck?

 

I wonder how to best play my cards?

I wonder why my search is so hard?

 

I wonder why I can’t find new work?

I wonder why job search duties I shirk?

 

I wonder how I drifted so far away?

I wonder what price I will pay?

 

I wonder when more energy I’ll get?                      

I wonder why I’m not hired yet?

 

I wonder if today is the day?

I wonder if an offer is headed my way?

 

I wonder if I need to change?

I wonder what to rearrange?

 

I wonder about outcomes and bottom-line?

I wonder when a job will be mine?

 

I wonder about gifts and gratitude?

I wonder about a good attitude?

 

I wonder what’s next for me?

And I wonder and I wonder, do you see what I see?

The Censoring of Self in Your Job Search

Earlier this week, my client offered….”So, what you are saying is that I need to 'censor' myself and how I speak about myself.” While I hadn’t said those exact words, my client had deduced the essence of our conversation. Here is a definition of censor when used as a verb:

 “examine (a book, movie, etc.) officially and suppress unacceptable parts of it.”

 

Choose your words carefully when given the chance, jobseekers; someone who has your future in their hands is listening to you and making decisions about you – whether it is in your favor, or not.  If you tell an HR Manager or corporate recruiter that you hate your current job, that your boss is a jerk and that you despise looking for work, consider how you are diminishing your chances of getting hired with each additional negative word or thought expressed.

Examine your language to determine what can stay, what needs to go and what words warrant an upgrade in your networking and interview conversations.

Negative-sounding language will likely be used against you in a professional job interview. Once you start skidding toward the ditch with negative language, consider how each additional negative-sounding exchange may move you closer to the exit door.

Set yourself up to succeed when writing your résumé or sharing information about yourself and your story. Before you write your résumé and before you go to an interview, carefully contemplate the language you would like to convey about the wonderful product – you!

Offer words to your listening audience that engage and connect versus disengage and disconnect. If one of your networking connections or a hiring manager asks you “How’s it going today” and you reply…Oh you know, SSDD (same stuff different day), consider how the conversation may not go much further.

Realize that you are in full control of the words you select to speak about you and your amazing, unique and distinct brand. Purposefully and intentionally decide the words you will use to speak about yourself. Respect and honor the numerous gifts you have been given and keep sharing the good news about your knowledge, skills, abilities and value until someone, somewhere proclaims:

“We want to hire Y O U!”

Silver Linings Playbook and a Job Search Strategy in 2013

If you have seen the movie Silver Linings Playbook, (can’t wait to see it again!) you may recall Dr. Patel (Anupam Kher) and his dialogue with Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper).

Dr. Patel: “Pat, you have to have a strategy.”

I find Dr. Patel’s counsel especially applicable to today’s job seeker.

What is your strategy for seeking employment in the New Year?

What is your strategy for building and sustaining relationships?

What is your strategy for integrating social media into your job search?

What is your strategy for crafting a best practices résumé?

What is your strategy for developing your Linked In profile to support your professional brand?

What is your strategy for presenting the product You in an interview?

What is your strategy for starting over when the job you thought was a sure thing is offered to your competitor?

What is your strategy for learning something new, completing a degree, or earning a certification in the coming year?

What is your strategy for giving back, volunteering and helping someone succeed?

What is your strategy for letting go of thinking and old habits that keep you stuck in a rut?

What is your strategy for identifying organizations of interest to you with respect to employment?

What is your strategy for motivating yourself on a consistent basis?

What is your strategy for your job search in 2013?

"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the result." ~ Winston Churchill

cross-posted billiesucherblog

Another Blog Post About Presenting Naked

I love learning and I love going to different presentations to learn. I am always fascinated by the presenter’s style and how he or she goes about imparting information. More often than not, it is a PowerPoint presentation. Do you use PowerPoint in your presentations? And if you do, what would a person in the audience think about your particular style of sharing, teaching or training?

In October of this year, I came upon a blog post written by an HR professional named Ben Eubanks. It was an intriguing post titled Presenting Naked. What a catchy title! The highlight of the post:

“Next time you have a presentation to make that doesn’t involve high pressure and a lot of data, why not try to present naked? Drop the slides and just talk to the people who need to hear your message. When you have slides up behind you as you speak, they are partially distracted anyway, so it might actually help them to get more out of the discussion, not less.”

That blog post really helped me and it got me to thinking. It helped me decide with certainty NOT to use PowerPoint as I delivered a training session last week on professional résumé writing / personal branding / competitive job interviewing. Instead, I just talked. It was such fun and I so enjoyed sharing without the accompaniment of PowerPoint. 

Did the audience mind? Not one bit, it seems. In yesterday’s mail, I received such a thoughtful note from the seminar’s director. “There were fantastic comments about your program and more notes taken by this group than I can ever remember them taking.”

The next time you are invited to present to a group – be it five people, 500 or 5,000, how about it? Maybe you could “just talk to the people who need to hear your message.”

Thanks, Ben, for your “Presenting Naked” post!

cross-posted billiesucherblog

To Unlearn, To Relearn in Your Job Search

My client and I were discussing graduate school and what we remembered most from that learning experience. The subject of “unlearn” came up as one of the things that still stood out years later.

As a job seeker, are there any “things” you have had to unlearn and relearn in your quest for new employment? Here’s an unlearn example my client and I chatted about:

“You get a job, you work hard, you keep your nose clean, and you will be taken of.”

Nice thing to learn in the 70’s, 80’s and even the 90’s, but how about the 21^st century?

While “you get a job, you work hard, you keep your nose clean” still applies, the “and you will be taken care of” – not so much. What do you think?

What, if anything, might you need to unlearn and relearn as you explore new options and opportunities in today’s intensely competitive job market?

Updating your thinking and strategies to stay current with today’s economic times.

Noticing when something isn’t working and integrating new best practices for competitive advantage.

Letting go of old scripts that have no relevance in today’s world and relearning new ones that do.

Examining thoughts, beliefs and practices to discern worthiness of application now.

Always striving to advance knowledge, skills and abilities to stay current in such changing, turbulent times.

Recognizing that the job market of today is nothing like the one of yesterday, and the job market of tomorrow will be nothing like the one we know today.

Navigating your way forward in a constantly evolving world with learning that leads the way. 

cross-posted billiesucherblog