Careers-In-Transition Blog

As a career counselor, career guidance professional, and HR professional who has hired or placed 1,340+ professionals, the job market is improving.  More job postings, more newspaper ads, and some companies are hiring again.

The question above has been asked several times in the past few weeks as some of my clients see new hires jumping over them in title.  This is nothing new. One of my first comments is, “you made it through one of the worst economic downturns in history.  Be proud of that.”

It’s not terribly satisfying to have someone hired from the outside above you.  But this could be from several reasons:

First, did you go after a specialized certification in the past few years? Or continuing education?  Or did you learn the area you are in so that everyone comes to you for answers?  Are you the “go-to” person?  Or do you have an attitude-issue? Are you:  In at 8;  Out at 5.  Thirty minutes for lunch precisely.  If these have any hint of truth, your work habits indicate you are only there to collect a paycheck.

Or maybe you have done everything correctly (I hope so) and still have not been promoted.  If this is the case, did you have performance reviews?  Did you ask your manager or director what it takes to be promoted?  Don’t be shy…ASK.  Even now, don’t be shy.  Ask what is needed.

But maybe there are no answers, it’s just you were not promoted.  There are actions you can take.

Response One

Accept the outcome that you will not be promoted.  Continue what / why / how you conduct yourself at work and be complacent.

The outcome . . . . .you will not be promoted.

Response Two

Do something about it.  Speak with your manager / director and get specifics on what you need to do, what steps you need to take.  On this point, it’s really beyond me why you have not asked previously.  Don’t ever make the mistake “my company will take care of me.”  It’s not true.  As a soft rule, companies take care of no one.

The outcome . . . . .  if you listen and act, you could be promoted and it could be a long road because of your past.

Response Three

I seldom recommend leaving your current position.  But if you feel you can not be promoted, quietly and I mean tell no one, use your network, update your resume, find a trusted professional recruiter, and begin a search for a new opportunity.  View the job boards, don’t post your resume on a job board (HR will do periodic sweeps), and set out to find a new company.

If you are successful in the search, avoid the things that denied your possible promotion.  This needs to be a last decision step.  There could be worse problems at the new company.  But if you make up your mind, do this step very carefully.

The outcome . . . . .  you could have a new start.  But man o’man, you better join the new company with a new attitude.  And bust your buns when you get there.

And again, don’t ever forget where you came from.  Other people will be joining the firm in the future with the same set of circumstances.

As a career counselor, career guidance professional, and HR professional who has hired or placed 1,340+ professionals, the job market is getting some traction in several areas.  The changes in unemployment rate and the other economic barometers are generally showing favorable trends.

Let’s make an assumption that you are coming out of university and your GPA does not put you in the top 10% of the graduating class.  Join the club, because I was there several years ago.  The smart, i.e., good GPA graduates, got several job offers and the pick-of-places to go.  But the other 90%, what to do?

Solution One

My response was to go to graduate school and work to have a drop-dead Master’s degree GPA.  Having learned my shortfalls, my learning habits improved, my concentration improved and my GPA absolutely improved.  Yes, a 3.0 GPA was need to stay in graduate school, but a GPA 3.9 or 4.0 put me on a fast track to catch a break.

Solution Two

Another possibility is to find a second tier position maybe at less salary and again focus on improving yourself.  Become the absolute expert in your selected field.  Concentrate on improving yourself.  If you are still lackadaisical and just getting by with that work attitude of a 2.5 GPA, you will always be there.  Come on!  Get with a program and make a difference! You just do not want to make it your destiny to be “average.”  This is a not an example for you to follow or be proud of. Period.

Solution Two A

Once you have established yourself, find specific certification to pursue.  This is a must and can leap-frog you over many other employees. Get a project management certification, or a CPA, technical certifications, information security based certifications, financial certification, professional engineer, etc.  This specialized certification means you are super proficient in your field.  A certification tells the world you are special.  The certification is needed.

But after all this, the key is to bust-your-buns-and-perform.  You have to prove yourself daily.  You have to be a quicker study / a better technologist / a superior accountant / an advanced problem solver.  In other words, you need to stand out.  Volunteer for assignments no one wants; develop doable work plans that can be shared; provide a weekly status report even if not required; be the person in the department other team members go to seeking problem resolution; and be a nice person.

Finally, don’t ever forget where you came from.  Other people will be joining the firm in the future with the same set of circumstances.

There’s still more to the story and more will follow. If you have detailed questions or seek further assistance, please call  (248) 630 – 5555  or visit www.careers-in-transition.com

As a career counselor, career guidance professional, and HR professional who has hired or placed 1,340+ professionals, the job market is getting some traction in several areas.  Technology, Finance and Management from my perspective have all seen a more upward trend.

Like everyone new in the job market, what can you do to position yourself for a promotion?  Based on successfully establishing and running a “High Performing Employee” group for a $35Billion firm, there were criteria to select individuals for this group.  From this group, promotions were made.

Selection Criteria

The individual had to be selected from university. The main criterion was a GPA in the top 10% of a university graduating class. Some exceptions were made:  If a student had a substantial GPA for the last two of the four years, an exception could be made.  If a student had a substantial GPA in the major, an exception could be made.  But the GPA was critical in getting the best-of-the-best for consideration.

On-Site Interview

Every selected candidate was brought to the headquarters, interviewed by recently hired (and identified as fast-track employees), maybe taken to lunch in the company cafeteria and given a written test to determine how well they could think. The test was a pass/fail given without prompts and lasted ten or fifteen minutes.

Training and Monitoring

If and when hired, every new employee was put through an orientation and training class.   Orientation to learn the company; Training to provide knowledge of what was expected.  Then the new hire was assigned to a group.

Monitoring began at this point.  Who was able to excel at assignments?  Who took on extra assignments?  Was this individual a go-to person? Did the individual continue learning?  What was the quality of work? Was the person respected? Did the individual show exceptional attention-to-detail? Did the new employee receive top ratings in the performance management system?  Did the department director know this person?  Could the director state the quality of work was exceptional?  The department and HR took notes on these individuals.

The Bottom Line

An assessment was attempted before anyone could be presented to the Vice President for entrance into the “Hi-Perform Employee” group.  Was it 100% fail proof?  I tried and felt I had good success.

The process began at point-of-hire, and then lasted several years where performance was measured and finally ended up in a group of highly-motivated top performers group where promotions were sourced.

There’s much more to the story and more will follow. If you have detailed questions or seek further assistance, please call  (248) 630 – 5555  or visit www.careers-in-transition.com

As a career counselor, career guidance professional, and HR professional who has hired or placed 1,340+ professionals, my source for many articles come from people that finally caught a break.

From my experience in assisting out-of-work candidates, this is probably the best news a person, currently unemployed, could get at any time.  Wow!  Back to work with a definite start date, but there are some steps beforehand.

What Now?  Many firms require background checks and drug screens. You need to be prepared and any paperwork you need to sign must show complete confidence for all checks.

If you don’t anticipate problems and don’t have a problem, then what?

Some Thanks.  Remember who and how you got the position.  If there are people who assisted you, by all means thank them first and foremost.  Thank your family for the interruption in employment; thank your friends who have supported you.  This is critical.  My gray hair has taught me the best method is a simple, hand written note expressing your gratitude.  Also, go out-of-your way to show support and help to other unemployed friends and associates.  Kindness now will go a long way in the future.

Then change your social networking to reflect the new firm and new title.  If you know the specifics on the company, update your e-mail and boast about the company.  You never know who might be looking at social media.

Finally, get back to a professional wardrobe, shoes shined, “spiffed-up” my mom used to say, to begin your new job.

The New Assignment.  So, it’s your first day on the job. What are you going to do differently today than you did previously?
What can you do to minimize yourself not to be outsourced or downsized in the future? Is there one thing, or several?

We all know about proper training and expanded backgrounds in a specialty area. But how about little things that everyone can do? There is no special training needed for the following points.

Avoid personal calls and e-mail using company property. No personal e-mails and no personal calls. Use a mobile phone,
and hold from personal e-mail until you get home. Companies own the telephone and internet and pay for these services.  DO NOT USE. Period.

If you receive an inappropriate e-mail, respond immediately to the sender and tell them, do-not-send-these-emails-to-me.

Dress at or slightly above how the group / company dresses. No exceptions. Watch your personal hygiene. Quietly chew gum.

Do not get involved with company politics. Say nothing, do nothing. If possible, walk away.

Never say or do anything uncomplimentary to the new office. Everyone is watching the “new-bee,” that is, watching you.

And now some positive actions to include in your work day:

Arrive at the new assignment early, and leave  late.

Find out as much as you can about the new job. Ask questions, look at reports. Talk to your team.

Get to know people’s names ASAP.

If there are “after hour” activities, get involved. Softball, tutoring for high school students, whatever, get involved immediately.

Keep on being a substantial listener.

Don’t try and impress your co-workers. Let your actions in the future weeks show your work quality.

Keep your boss informed of your work activity, any roadblocks, small successes. If not required, you might self-impose a ”Status Report” to show your progress.

Observe and determine who the “go-to” person is for the group or department. This person will be key and someone you should align with.

Start out patiently and learn by observation, if possible. May people get thrown into a situation where they do not have the “observation-time.” If this is the case, learn as much as you can without turning people off.

When you sense a problem coming or encounter an unexpected situation, turn to a trusted mentor (may be outside the company) and ask for advice on a solution.

There are other areas, but if you need further assistance, please call (248) 630 – 5555  or visit www.careers-in-transition.com
for further information.

As a career counselor, career guidance professional, and HR
professional who has hired or placed 1,340+ professionals, my source for many articles come from people that need assistance.

Several of my blog followers still do not have job.  ARG!  This is tougher than tough, but I respond quickly and tell them do not give up.  My advice is simple and easy to follow:  Network, Network, Network.  Past this obvious suggestion, there are others.

First, going to the beginning, put a “New Year” plan in place.  Determine the shortfalls from the past.  Did you focus on the correct job for your qualifications?  If you didn’t focus on the correct job, narrow the focus for the New Year plan. Follow these minimum plan requirements:

Put together a Self-Marketing Plan that has:

-                     Industry focus

-                     Company focus within the industry (name
specific companies)

-                     Key people within each company with
emphasis on Hiring Managers

-                     Then plan how-to-get-to-these-key-people, the hiring
managers

Keep in mind, over 80% of all new hires come from your individual efforts, not from job boards or resume osting boards or staffing specialists.  The burden is on you, no one else.  You need to be deeply involved in your future!  This year needs to be a wake-up year; You need to be successful in your job hunt.

Second, if your background is old-school, determine how your strengths can map a future direction. For example, if you have strong analytical skills, adapt these skills to a possible new career.  You will need to do homework on where you can focus, but if you have the analytical skills and the corporate experience, try and put
these together for possible positions.  Companies like practical
experience coupled with a good knowledge base.

The “leap of faith” is huge for this step.  However, now you can use job boards and determine what kinds of jobs are available.  Put in the industry, and use a key word or description that outlines the specific area of interest, such as analysis, project coordination, trouble-shooting, technical writing, etc.  Then see the kinds of opportunities that are present.

Once you find an opening, take the bullet points from the results (above) and modify your resume to show your experience in the specific position.  Caution, you must have the experience…..

Third, eliminate all the extra, superfluous, non-focused information from your resume.  For experienced professionals your resume must be two pages, or perhaps a better way to state is your resume must not be one page.  And just put your phone number (you don’t need to indicate “phone number”) and your e-mail under your name.  Also eliminate “References Will Be Furnished Upon Request.”  Literally, this is in the superfluous category to eliminate.

If you would like a complete resume review, please call (248) 630 – 5555 or visit www.careers-in-transition.com   for further information.

As a career counselor, career guidance professional, and HR
professional who has hired or placed 1,340+ professionals, my source for many articles come from people that need assistance to be successful during the interview process.

If you are out-of-work, the best holiday present would be a new
job.  Hands down, that is the one wish everyone would want.
Unfortunately, no one I know is just handling out jobs.

From my perspective the holiday season is not the time to
sit back and relax if you are or are not employed.  Don’t ever stop
looking for the next opportunity and don’t feel comfortable in your current position. Things change quickly and dramatically.

Things of today can change in one second. Companies sold,
companies repositioned, companies move.  Your level in the company may provide you with some protection, but…..  Exceptions exist;  Technology.  But the technology needs to be current.  There still are positions with legacy-products, but this is unsteady ground.  If you are in technology, you must stay current.

Another area of concern is being 50-plus years old.  If you are over 50, my reading indicates it may take you over 12 months to find a
position and it may be at less salary.  Summary, don’t ever stop looking for that next opportunity.

But why the holiday, Hanukah, Christmas, New Year?

Single reason.  Parties, get-together times, etc.  And the importance of parties and get together events?  Networking.  These are perfect times to network with neighborhood, church, civic affairs, whatever and wherever.  You must network, network, network.

What do you need to network during the holidays or anytime?

You need a 30-second elevator speech.  The speech needs to be polished and professional.  Name, specialty, how you see making a difference, education, what you have done to make a difference, name of a reference (in a high place???) and critically, “I am looking for a new opportunity to show someone how I can enhance their  business.”

Next, you need a business card.  Name, phone, e-mail, specialty.
Short.  Sweet.  To the point.

Then you need to dress the part.  If you want to portray profess-ionalism, start with a professional look.  And next, you need to look the part.  In the past, the topic of facial hair for men has come up. Best advice, get rid of it.  Get your hair cut, Ladies, do the same.  Look as sharp and professional as possible.

And then when you do speak, speak with enthusiasm.  If you come across with no energy, or worse half-blasted, you don’t stand a chance to make a good impression.  You need to be at-your-best-at-all-times.  And be able to speak about your background and how you can make a difference.  Remember the name of the person.

Try and get a business card from them.  Again network and network.

You are never over networking.

When you can, take a minute to make a note on your informal
meeting.  Even if you must turn your back to a crowd and make the note during the party, do it.  Name, company, topics you discussed, the small talk.  This can be used for the next meeting.

Finally, just do it.  Nothing that I write or you read is better than you just being “forward and outgoing” at an event.

Just do it!

Call (248) 630 – 5555 or visit www.careers-in-transition.com
for further information.

As a career counselor, career guidance professional, and HR professional who has hired or placed 1,300+ professionals,
I continue to see “trends.”

First, don’t be discouraged about being out of work.  As mentioned, if there is 15% or 9% unemployment, that means there
is 85% or 91% employment.

As a staffing professional in technology and constantly in the technical marketplace, I want to make a few suggestions to assist
people in the “six months and not employed.”

First and foremost, nothing stands out more on a resume showing professionals that were downsized and have not found a new
position.

For example,

ABC Bank, Any-town , OH                            Jun 2000 – May 2011
Lead Developer

Okay, you list your strengths and what you can do for a potential client (remember to view web-sites and career sections to see   “what-company-is-looking-to-hire”) and if you match the job, educational, and other requirements, and you get the correct contact name in Human Resources, or you find a contact within the company to hand-deliver your resume and cover note, then you are ready to send a resume to the company.

There is one glaring item, however.  Do you know what it is?

I see it time and time again.  A first question is, what have you done since May 2011?

Today’s date is December, 2011. (Don’t be hung-up on the date. Six months have elapsed.)  My comment is……………..what have you done since your last employ?

Have you done nothing?  Have you looked for a job?  What?  My issue is potential employers look at the time since your last position as…………. Dead Time.  The comment from a potential
employer could point to you having lack of motivation, lack of interest, of just not caring.  In my past corporate recruiting experience, how-you-are-perceived-when-you-have-nothing-to-show could be devastating.

Today employers are not interested in what they can do for you; they want the best person to provide quality work for them.  In other words, what you can do for the company.

I realize how difficult the marketplace is and realize it takes time to land a position and the correct position.  Some suggestions for you to follow are:

-          Take a contract position, even if the position is our-of-town or out-of-state.  Take it!

-        Volunteer at a school or civic function to assist people learn your expertise. You will find a much better understanding once you have to explain how things work.  Do it!

-           Attend university classes/community college.  The timing may be bad, but semesters or short classes start constantly.  Take a class to better  yourself.  Start it! 

My point is simple.  You can not have “Dead Time” on your resume.  First impressions are so critical for you as you present yourself for a new position.  And companies………. Typically companies are looking for reasons not to hire, rather than reasons to hire.

Try and schedule classes in the evening so you will not have to drop the class when you land the next opportunity.

But do not have “Dead Time” on your resume.

These points should get you started in the right direction.  If you need further guidance or direction, please call (248) 630 – 5555 or visit www.careers-in-transition.com    for further information.

As a career counselor, career guidance professional, and HR professional who has hired or placed 1,300+ professionals,
my source for many articles come from questions I’m asked as a staffing professional.

Right now the question is, “Jim, I can not find a job.  What do I need to do?”  I’ve heard it again and again and again.  I literally see this asked in one form or another ten times a week.

Let me help you with a simple response:  Go Back To The Basics That I Taught You And Execute.”  I know it sounds football-ish,
or elementary, but this is factual, accurate, and super directional.  Go back to the basics………

First, don’t believe all the “doom and gloom” on television.  If there is 9% or 15% unemployment, there is 91% or 85% employment!

Get on the positive side of the equation.

Next, are you a post-and-pray job searcher, or a proactive job searcher?  Post and pray does not have high success percentages.
If, and that’s huge, if you have a unique skill, and if that skill is
well represented on your resume, and if a search targets that skill, and if-if-if, then you might get a call.

What does work?

First, I will almost guarantee you are not spending six to eight hours a day searching for jobs.  Guaranteed! What are you spending?  Two hours a day?  Okay, you spend three hours a
day.  Whoopee.  Anything less than six hours a day is like
doing nothing.  You may as well stick to the “post and pray.”  I still suggest posting your resume; just don’t expect that to be your only deal.

Okay.

What do you do?

Spend time networking.  Church. School.  Parent-teacher
associations. Everywhere and anywhere. Network.  Have a 30-Second elevator speech ready to tell who-you-are-and-what-you-are-looking-for, have a business card with your name, mobile number, e-mail address and specialty.

And don’t be shy!

I met a former “client” and his 16 year old son had to poke him to show his business card and give his 30-Second elevator speech.  Don’t be shy.

But if not job boards and you are networking, you are spending the needed hours, where should you be looking?

First, target specific companies.  Find a company you could or might be interested in and get information on the company.  Your time will not be wasted since if you are able to get an interview, a certain question will be, “tell me what you know about XYZ?”

Then go to the careers section.  Not every open job from the company will be on job boards; rather they will be on the careers section from the company website.

With this information, you can begin a precise job search.

Importantly, you can be specific in terms of adding a “Desired Job Title” to your resume, and show from past experiences how-you-can-add-value to the firm.  Companies don’t want to know what they can do for you; Companies want to know what you can do for them.  Period.

These points should get you started in the right direction.  If you need further guidance or direction, please call (248) 630 – 5555 or visit www.careers-in-transition.com   for further information.

As a career counselor, career guidance professional, and HR professional who has hired or placed 1,300+ professionals, my source for many articles come from people that need assistance to be successful during the interview process.

First, interviews today are many times conducted to eliminate a candidate or candidates.  So how do you know what to say?  When to say? How to say?

If a candidate has forwarded a resume that met the criteria of the job (additional blog material), has been presented to the department, and has passed the scrutiny of the department, the
first part of any interview is going to be department specific.  If the position is an embedded engineer opportunity, the questions are going to revolve around embedded engineering.  It he position is infrastructure, you guessed it, the questions will first revolve around infrastructure.

But past the “technical” knowledge, the majority of interviews today are characterized by “open ended” questions.

What do I mean by “open ended” questions?

The best definition of an open ended question is….. a minor question where the candidate must answer the question completely, accurately and in accordance to the person / area.

This is no easy road.  The best way is to prepare by viewing and
answering some open ended questions!

A first example question, for instance could be, “What does a company owe its employees?”

To respond, you will need to use all your experience to indicate the hard boundaries of what a company owes employees and the soft boundaries.

Is there a correct answer?  Based on my experience the
answer is “no.”

A possible path to prepare could be like this:

Some things are expected:  Safe workplace, proper tools
to do the assigned job, agreed to compensation, appropriate working conditions, practical hours, appropriate time off, a
right-to-work / right-to-leave policy, and so on.

These would be expected and should be honored by every employer.

Please develop additional points based on your experience.

What about “soft boundaries” or unexpected items from a company?  How about being paid on a regular basis?  How
about vacation – paid or unpaid?  How about work related training?  How about proper eating facilities?

Determine other areas that are expected and “soft” areas.  Write
down your answers so you can add and memorize.

Some other questions you might want to review are:

What is your “ideal” work day;  Work week?

What websites do you view on regular basis?

Is a sense of humor needed in the work place?

If a person contradicted your instructions, how would you handle? Why?

Do you see trends in the marketplace?

Is client satisfaction important in business?  Why or why not?

Interviews today are open ended and company representatives will let you express yourself.  The key is to be able to “express yourself” clearly, accurately and distinctly.  This also means you need to take upon yourself to gain as much knowledge about the
company as possible.  Websites, finding someone who works there, whatever, learn as much as you can about the company.

This will give you a leg-up to answer open ended questions.

Call (248) 630 – 5555 or visit www.careers-in-transition.com
for further information.