The Curve Ball

Posted: October 23, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Here’s the situation.  For some time, you’ve been looking for a particular kind of job. It’s probably much like your current or previous job and aligns with your planned career path. But then, someone gives you an opportunity that is in a wholly different direction.  Here is an example.  I know a woman who was a well-respected in-house attorney. She liked being an attorney and wanted to keep doing that for the rest of her career.  Then she was offered the chance to do fund-raising.  She took the chance, loved it, and is doing great. Maybe someday she’ll go back to being an attorney, or maybe not.

So, when you get that call, what do you do?  First, be interested. Never look a gift horse in the mouth.  Evaluate the risks and rewards of this opportunity with both a short- and long-term lens. From this opportunity can you learn new skills, make more money, broaden your network, prepare yourself for your next career move, or avoid getting RIFed? There might be lots of good reasons where making a sharp turn in your career is a good idea.  There also might be good reasons not to.

What I’ve learned is that career paths are rarely straight lines.  An old adage is that man plans, and God laughs.  While we love to make short- and long-range plans, the reality is that we cannot predict what will happen tomorrow, much less next year, or five years out. We can and should set goals, but we need to maintain the flexibility to allow events to move us forward.

A big key to flexibility is self-confidence.  Unless you work in a highly specialized field, or are a professional athlete, doing something different for a few years won’t diminish your skills, it will probably enhance them.  You’ll learn a new way of thinking and you’ll be more well-rounded.  You might even find that you’ll like it even better than what you do now.

Keeping in mind, that you may also be taking a risk.  You may find that you’re not very good at this new thing, or that you don’t like it. You might leave an okay job to try this new thing, and then lose that job. But if that’s the case, you’ll find another one, and you will have learned some new things about yourself.

So, when life throws you a curveball, lean in and hit it. Don’t expect your career to follow your plan exactly.  Have the confidence in yourself to be able to make the adjustments and move forward, ether way.  Remember, you are not defined by what you do.  If you are struggling with your job search, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

The Grammar Police

Posted: October 16, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

I recently reviewed resumes for a very senior position. I was blown away with problems of grammar, spelling and punctuation.  These were people with PhD’s!  You would think they would know how to spell and write in complete sentences.  Regardless of their qualifications, their inability to write correctly lost them the chance to be considered.

Now, in full disclosure, we all make mistakes.  I know that I’ve made some typos in this blog. I typically read every post 3-4 times before I post it, and I still make mistakes. But, I believe that you, friendly reader, are a bit more forgiving.  I’m trying to help you (and suggest you buy my book). I am not trying to get you to hire me.

Don’t let simple mistakes in your key documents derail your chance at your dream job.  Have someone else proofread your documents before you submit them.  When you read what you wrote, you know what it says, and your eyes tend to skip over the mistakes.  Make sure you are using a current version of whatever software you are using, and make sure you turn on both the spelling and grammar checking.  If you can get access to use, use a product like Grammarly, it’s phenomenal.  Finally, if English is not your native language, you need to do all of these things. Don’t miss a shot at a great job because you didn’t pay enough attention to your written documents.  Make sure the spelling and grammar are correct.  If the carpenter’s rule is measure twice – cut once, the job hunter’s rule should be proofread 3 or 4 times – submit once. If you are struggling with your job search, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

The Name Game

Posted: October 9, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Any Shakespeare fans out there?  You’ve heard this phrase before, but did you know it is from a piece of classic literature? “What’s in a name?  That which we call a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.”

This is a lovely sentiment, and when it comes a person’s given name it’s probably true.  For the most part, we can’t control the names given to us by our parents.  Sure, you could change it or go by a nickname, but your name is your name, and it’s part of who you are.

The same cannot be said of your email address.  Maybe it’s because I’m just old and grumpy, but I think if you are going to go out into the professional job market and look for professional job, you should take the ten minutes that are required to set up a professional sounding email address.

As an HR person I see lots of emails and resumes, and if Shakespeare is right, it shouldn’t matter; but I have trouble sending a job offer to kitten42@hotmail.com. I have a friend whose high school nickname was Pammy-Cakes.  That makes a great personal email address for her – or for Facebook – but not a resume.  Does it help or hurt if you apply for job with the email LovesToCook14 or GolfAddict27?

Set up an email address that is a variant of your name like bob.smith, bsmith2014, robert.m.smith, whatever.  You may need a use a number that makes it unique (there are lots of Bob Smiths) but don’t use your birth year- they don’t need to know how old you are.

I’ve written before about the importance of a first impression.  Don’t let that impression be marred because the recruiter gets an email from IHateWork@gmail.com.

BTW – The quote is from Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II – Juliet says this to Romeo suggesting that she has no problem with him being a Montague when she’s a Capulet.  Now you have some culture in your job search. 🙂 Be professional in all aspects of your job search, including your email address. If you are struggling with your job search, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Feeling Older?

Posted: October 2, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

I’ll just come out and say it, age discrimination in employment is real.  If you are over 50, you will have a more difficult time finding a job.  Sometimes it’s blatant and sometimes is subtle, but more likely it is completely unintentional. Full disclosure, I’m over 60 and I know what I’m talking about.

As a general rule, the longer your career, the more you know, the more varied experiences you’ve had, and that should mean that you are more prepared to solve complex problems, will require less training, and will likely be a more loyal employee. But, it also might mean that you command a higher salary and a larger title.

The other thing that sometimes comes with experience is a set of bad habits and a resistance to change. You learned how to do this task 20 years ago, you certainly don’t need some young pup (your new boss) telling you to do it differently. That’s called being a curmudgeon and is rarely a good thing in the workplace (or anywhere else).  Finally, younger workers typically have more recently been in school, are often more open to learning, know the current trends/techniques, and tend to be more comfortable with both technology and change. 

These are all generalizations, but in reality, most hiring managers are using generalizations and assumptions. That’s all they have. So, they think they are picking the person they believe will help their organization the most. 

To counter that, you need to be prepared to come out swinging.  Talk about your experience AND your flexibility.  Talk about your knowledge AND your ability to learn. Demonstrate your familiarity with current trends and technology.

If you are over 50 and a curmudgeon, you will face age discrimination, and maybe you deserve it.  But if you are over 50, and have continued to learn new skills, kept current in your field, and are open to change; well now you are a clearly better hire than those young whippersnappers that are still wet behind the ears. Don’t be a victim of age discrimination. Fight back by keeping yourself current, flexible, and open to learning and change.  If you are struggling, this might help:  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Its Back to School Time

Posted: September 25, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Okay, Labor Day is in our rear-view mirror, we are fully into back-to-school mode. Some schools just started and some a month ago, but everyone is back. So, what are you learning?  Are you reading any good books? Are you practicing a skill?

To be a successful worker, and especially a successful job seeker, you need a commitment to life-long learning.  When the economy is strong, as it is now, there is a debate whether college is worth the investment. It takes 4+ years out of your life and will cost you at least $40,000 and possibly much more. You could graduate with a mountain of debt. So why not just get a job?  I can’t explain the economics as well as Forbes magazine, so if you are really torn, read this article.

What I’m most concerned with today is what you learn after you graduate.  I can’t imagine doing the same job for 40 years, and even if I did, I’d need to be learning new skills or methods along the way.  I read all the time; fiction, nonfiction, business books, whatever. You don’t have to be a reader, but you do need to grow.

I can attest with a fairly high degree of certainty, that if you plan to be in the job market for at least 10 more years, there is something significant you don’t know now, that you will need to know to be successful. Maybe you’ll need to learn a new computer program, maybe a new language, maybe how to operate new technology, or maybe just how to get along with people that have different beliefs.  I don’t know what it is, but I guarantee its coming, so get ready for it.

So, when that time comes, you need to be ready to learn, and the best way I know is to never stop learning.  Keep your mind open. Spend time seeking out new information. Read, whether online or printed books, magazines, whatever. Expose yourself to new ideas.  Pick up a hobby and get good at it. Learn something new every day. If you are not one already, turn yourself into a life-long learner.  If you get in the habit of always learning, you’ll be ready to learn when you need to. If you are struggling with your job search, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Hey, I can help with that!

Posted: September 18, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

So, you’ve been out of work for some time; you’ve exhausted your network (you think); you’ve applied for every job you can find; you regularly attend one or two job clubs; and nothing is working!  I know it is an incredibly frustrating feeling.  Maybe a solution is to try giving rather than taking…

An excellent way to spend some of your now available time is to give some of it away.  I suggest you consider four categories of volunteer work:

Based on your profession – find ways, possibly through the local chapter of your professional association, to use your skill set to benefit a not-for-profit.  Find a local social service agency where you can relate to their mission and ask if they would be interested in some free professional assistance (I can almost guarantee they will be). If you are an HR person volunteer to conduct an HR audit. If you are an IT person volunteer to install computers. If you are a marketing person volunteer to help them with social networking. You get the idea – give them what you really want someone to pay you to do.

Based on your community – find a need in your community and see if they need some additional workers.  Regardless of your professional training you can most likely pick up trash, serve at the reception desk at your local hospital, read to children at a Head Start, or help direct traffic for a local 5k run.

Based on your passions – find a need with an agency that does what you love. If you love animals volunteer at an animal shelter. If you want to be outdoors volunteer at a nature sanctuary. If you love art become a museum docent.

Based on your faith – find a need at your house of worship that fits you. You can teach Sunday school, lead a mission trip, coordinate a community garden, or paint the nursery.

The bottom line is that there are better places where you can spend your time other than on the couch watching soap operas or surfing the net hoping to stumble on a new job posting.  Volunteering does wonderful things for you.  Volunteering can help you keep your skills sharp, meet new networking contacts, or maybe uncover new job opportunities.  Just as importantly, volunteering can meet the needs of others and help your community be a better place.  Volunteering keeps you keep busy and both physically and mentally active.  Finally, volunteering helps you feel good about yourself and provides energy to help you sustain your job search.

If you can’t find anyone to hire you yet, get up and find a way to give away what you have.  Others will benefit, you’ll feel better, and it just may help you find that next opportunity.  If you are struggling, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Today is 9/11

Posted: September 11, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , | Leave a comment

I had a good post ready for today, but it will have to wait until next week.  As I was typing today’s date, it hit me. Today is 9/11.  Oh, I was aware.  I attended a memorial event yesterday and I’ve been thinking about those events all week, but until I typed the date, it didn’t really hit me. Today is the day.

20 years ago, I was working as the HR Director for a retailer.  We had an all-hands meeting early in the morning, and during the meeting a job candidate came in (he was scheduled for an interview immediately after the meeting). I greeted him and we stood at the back of the room while the meeting wrapped up. 

He turned to me and said that he was listening to the car radio before he came in the building. The news reported that a plane had struck the World Trade Center, but he didn’t hear any details.  We both shrugged and assumed it was a small Cessna or something similar. That kind of thing had happened before.

When the meeting was over, I escorted him to his interview and went back to my office.  I turned on the TV to see if there was more to the story, just about the time the second plane struck the towers. Everything changed.  My staff joined me, and we spent the rest of the morning glued to the TV. 

I know that almost all who were alive at the time can tell you how they learned of the event, and how they were changed by it. I have similar memories of the Challenger explosion and my mother has told me about how she learned of President Kennedy’s assassination.  These seminal events become seared in our brains.

My point this morning is not a history lesson, it is about today.  I want you to find a new job and build a successful career, and I want to help you with that. But, I also want you to not ignore the world that is revolving around you.  Do not to forget the events that shaped our lives and brought us to this point in time. Never forget or discount the sacrifices others have made so that we can enjoy the lives we lead.

Step away from your job search today and spend some time reflecting on the events of 9/11. Regardless of your politics, too many lives were lost that day. We must honor those who ran toward the danger, without concern for their own safety, only to try to help others.  We’ll get back to working on your job search next week.

Happy Labor Day

Posted: September 4, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , | Leave a comment

It’s another holiday weekend – the end of summer.  On Monday we’ll celebrate labor, honoring the contributions the workingman has made to America. If you are unemployed, you may feel left out of this party.  But fear not, the right job is coming toward you as we speak. The economy is growing. The pandemic is waning (ever so slowly) and there are help-wanted signs everywhere. If you need a job, you can find one. 

It’s not just fast food and warehouse jobs that are open. The total “Quit Rate” in June (the last month that data is available) was almost 3.9 million people which equates to 2.7% of the workforce.  That is almost a full percentage point over June of last year.  Without any facts to back me up I going to assume that the vast majority of those people quit because they found a new and better job.  I’m also going to assume that companies then sought to fill virtually every one of those jobs.

There is a lot happening in this job market. If you want to be a part of it, and be able to rightfully celebrate Labor Day, jump into the pool.  Start networking.  Work on a killer resume and elevator speech.  Apply for jobs, and I bet you can be working in a manner of weeks.

If you are struggling, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Save the Words!

Posted: August 28, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , | Leave a comment

In my quiet time, I worry about odd things, and one of those is that the English language may lose three important words due to lack of use.  Unfortunately, these are words that we all know, and could, and should, use every day; but somehow we’ve stopped.  Those words?  “Please” and “you’re welcome.”  (Okay – one of those words is really two words, or really three, but give me some literary license, please.)

Let’s take these on one at a time.  I’ll bet that when you were a toddler, your parents told you multiple times every day to say please and thank you.  Somewhere around the teenage years you probably started dropping the please – and maybe the thank you.  As I interact with business professionals all day, many of them make requests of me.  They ask for information, for assistance, to be hired for a job, etc.  I could probably count on one hand the number of times someone included “please” in that request so far this month.  While please may still be common for toddlers, it seems to be slipping from the business vernacular.

As a side-note, “thank you” is not endangered – at least not from usage.  I hear “thank you” and “thanks” all day long.  Granted, many of them are perfunctory or insincere, but the word lives on.  I am concerned that all too often its use is insincere.  What bothers me most is when someone writes or types “Thx.”  Really?  You want to show your appreciation, but you don’t have enough time to use three more letters?  And how about saying the full “thank you” once in a while?  Wouldn’t that be nice to hear?

The first word/phrase I think we might lose is “you’re welcome.”  I rarely hear this anymore.  Instead I hear, “no problem”, “okay”, “no biggie”, “any time”, and other phrases that suggest that whatever they did for me was insignificant and not worthy of being thanked.  In my mind that is plain rude.  If someone is going to tell you that they appreciate what you’ve done for them – presuming that appreciation is sincere – then the least you can do is acknowledge the receipt of that appreciation by saying “you’re welcome.”

So, the purpose of this manners rant?  I wrote a post a while back about the importance of making a good first impression.  You can enhance and sustain that impression by being polite.  When you ask for an interview, say please.  When you get that interview, say thank you.  When the interviewer says, “Thanks for coming in today,” say, “You’re welcome, and thank you for the opportunity.”

Incorporating all three words/phrases into your everyday conversations will not only improve the quality of your relationships, you’ll also be saving these words from extinction.  Thank you for reading this blog. If you are struggling with your job search, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Get the Shot!

Posted: August 21, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

The last 18 months (at least as I remember them) …

February 2020 – there are growing concerns about a new virus.  A major outbreak in the Seattle area.

March 2020 – like a lightning bolt, suddenly we are on lockdown. Only essential workers can go to work. Most business closed and everyone working from home or out of a job. Surely this can’t last too long, can it?

 August 2020 – Life is better.  Masks, social distancing, testing. Schools are opening with many virtual learning.  Zoom is the big thing.

March 2021 – the vaccine is available, things are getting better, we’re going to be okay. We can start to take off our masks.

Present day – What has happened?  We barely have half of the eligible population vaccinated.  Governors are outlawing requirements to wear masks or get vaccinated. The hospitals are again reaching capacity. Cases and deaths are increasing.  Masks are back.  Is another shut-down looming?

There is a lot going on in society and business that we can’t control. But there is one thing we each can control. So, if you are looking for a job, get the shot. If you have a job, get the shot.  If you choose not to work, get the shot.  From a job-search coach’s perspective, here are three reasons why:

  1. Simple practicality – Being fully vaccinated will allow you to work for the growing number of companies that require all workers to be vaccinated.
  2. Your own heath – the vaccine is safe and effective, and you are much less likely to get the virus, or get seriously sick, if you’ve been vaccinated.
  3. Everyone else – Being vaccinated means that you are less likely to contract COVID-19 which means you are less likely to spread it to others who are not able to get vaccinated.

This is not about politics. This is about public health, personal responsibility, protecting yourself, and making yourself more employable.  GET THE SHOT!  If you are struggling with other aspects of your job search, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

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