Career Chaos

HOLDING A GRUDGE AGAINST YOUR PAST EMPLOYER?

If you have a grudge against your former employer, you’re just being human. Of course, you want to blame someone for being laid off – it wasn’t your fault, right? Maybe – maybe not.

While you may not be fully responsible for your job loss, you may own a piece of it. If so, it’s important to accept whatever you could have done differently and change your behavior before you move on to your next position. What part of your layoff could you possibly own? Most layoffs are decided after management rate employees for certain factors: productivity, interpersonal relations with boss and co-workers, job knowledge and skills, job apathy vs. creativity – and a few other things probably beyond your control. Any of these resonate with you?

Whenever a person does the same job for a few years, it’s easy to start approaching it in a routine way. Apathy can replace creativity and productivity can suffer. The boss who hired you may leave and his replacement is someone whom you find difficult to get along with. If you don’t keep training and learning, your job can outgrow you – not something you want to happen, but what have you done to prevent it?

Before you launch your next job search, do an honest self-assessment. Choose which behavior(s) you want to change – and then do it! If you don’t change now, you will probably repeat your negative ways and possibly set yourself up to be laid off again. Yes, I said laid off again – if you blatantly mess up, you could even be fired instead.

When it comes to that grudge you hold against your past employer for laying you off, is your desire for revenge really valid? And even if you still feel it is, you need give it up and stop living in the past. Put all your energy into fine-tuning and improving your work attitude and skills so you are more than ready when opportunity puts itself in your way. The past doesn’t matter anymore. Focus on the present with an eye to the future to move forward self-confidently with a positive attitude.

CAREER EVOLUTION, NOT CAREER REINVENTION

We hear a lot these days about the need to re-tool, re-train or re-invent ourselves into a new career to survive the workplace jungle. My suggestion is that we look at this process differently. Think of it as a "career evolution" that you're experiencing.

From global warming to global business, change is occurring rapidly. Many occupations have disappeared forever. But your skills and knowledge have not been lost. Your challenge is to determine how to transfer what you know into new occupations and new fields.

Look at your career as a small business - you are the CEO. Now, manage it! Create your career plan as a CEO creates his business plan. Look to the future; study the trends. Make your plan fluid and flexible. Relying solely on the past is not the ticket to future career success.

EMPLOYER REQUIRED SMART PHONES - YEA OR NAY?

Last week a reporter interviewed me for an article he's writing on how employer-supplied "smart phones" affect employees’ work-life balance. My first reaction was that work-life balance is a concept I haven’t heard much about lately. During the recession workers have been more focused on hanging onto their jobs at all costs – even cutting back to part time and reducing their salaries. But work-life balance? I haven’t seen people come out from under their desks and ask for that. Sure, there’s grumbling about long hours, work-related stress, and just-wait-until-this-recession-is-over-when-I’ll-look-for-another-job - but “balance” appears to be a dream right now for the distant future.

That being said, the issue of how smart phones affect work-life balance is an interesting one. When you accept or are assigned a PDA or Blackberry from your boss, how much of your life are you surrendering to your career? I can appreciate that fast-trackers like the idea of being on-call 24/7. An excellent example of how that works can be found in the movie, “The Devil Wears Prada,” where a career ladder-climbing fashion assistant always puts her personal life after the demands of her boss. But what about real life? What happens when you live your life on-call?

What does “on-call” can mean to you? If you categorize yourself as a 24/7 smart phone carrier, work issues will interrupt your movie, vacation, or son’s soccer game. Is this annoying, or do you just accept it as the way it is?

What does your business smart phone mean to those around you? What does your husband say when you leave the table at the restaurant during your anniversary dinner? Or how about your kids – do they “get it” that your work comes before them? Really?

The human mind is complicated. When it’s filled with only one thing (e.g., work), your creativity around that one thing will become stifled. Your brain needs to breathe! Only when you take a break and forget about work for awhile will you become more productive at your work. Really!

So when you interview for your next position, be sure to ask what is expected of you in the after-hours. Will you be assigned a smart phone? Then decide if this is the way you want to live your life before accepting a job offer.

WRITING RESUMES THAT GET RESULTS

Put yourself into the employer's shoes - why should they hire you? That is the question your resume must answer.

Realize that your resume is a snapshot of your career. It should reflect your achievements, plus represent your skills and abilities. It must be a positive expression of what you do and how well you do it. It needs to sell YOU!

So how do you write such a document? Start by identifying your strengths. Don't hesitate to sing your own praises - it's OK to promote yourself in a job search. In fact, it's expected.

Once you have a comprehensive list of strengths, prioritize it according to your accomplishments. The most important ones need to appear at the top of your resume. Did you know that your resume must catch the employer's eye within a few seconds, or it will get tossed?

Resumes are written according to a prescribed structure. There are self-help books you can buy to guide you. Better yet, hire a professional resume writer who is trained and credentialed to promote you at your best.

The final step is to proofread, proofread, proofread. Did I say proofread? Only candidates with flawless resumes get considered for interviews. And isn't interviewing the result you want from your resume?

BOOST YOUR JOB SEARCH ACTIVITY

Ready to kick it up a few notches?

If you are like most job seekers, you may have reached a place where you are burned out, burned up and just plain tired. But instead of giving up, the time has come to act like the long distance runner nearing the finish line - dig deeper for that extra spurt of energy to sprint across the line!

Now is NOT the time to stay home. Since looking for a job is a full time job in itself, challenge yourself to increase your weekly contacts. If you are making fewer than 20 each week, you are contibuting to your state of unemployment. Consider public speaking and publishing as two creative ways to get in front of your target market. Most people are getting jobs today through networking - the kind of face-to-face interaction that builds personal, ongoing relationships.

When you meet and greet people you must pull yourself out of that "black hole" where you may have fallen. Put a smile on your face, even if you don't feel it in your heart. Get to know others by asking questions to learn what you can do for them and their job searches. When you leave meetings, you will feel reconnected with humanity. You will be remembered for what you have to offer which will result in others wanting to return the favor.

Watch how many job leads begin to come your way! And don't forget that career coaching can help you reach that finish line!

"PLEASE" & "THANK YOU" DO COUNT

This week I received three thank you cards from individuals conducting job searches. What a surprise since none of them had purchased any services from me! Our only interaction had been brief phone conversations where we had discussed their challenges in the job market and I had made a few suggestions on how they could improve their resumes. I was impressed that these people had taken the time to acknowledge my time with them. And it made me feel appreciated to know that they weren't taking my time for granted.

In today's tight job market, there are a lot of people (job seekers AND employers) who are feeling overwhelmed, rushed, unappreciated and just plain tired. What a difference manners can make in easing the stress!

Here are three perfect times when a "thank you" can help you rise above the crowd. Remember, the preferred attention-getting method is handwritten or typed sent by postal mail. However, the most common method is email and is better than not sending a "thank you" at all.

1) Always, and I mean always, send a thank you following any job interview. If possible, individual thank yous should be sent to each interviewer you encounter. Pick up business cards at the interview to make sure you have correct name spellings and addresses.

2) Your references are precious commodities. Don't forget to thank them when they respond to employers on your behalf. When you land that right job, send a special thank you to each reference with information about your new position.

3) When a networking contact shares a job lead or gives you a referral, send them a thank you. Your database of networking contacts can become your career's life blood, a gold mine of resources to sustain you throughout your career, not just between jobs.

What other times come to mind when a thank you would be appropriate during a job search? Leave your suggestions as comments on this blog.

IS YOUR RESUME GETTING YOU INTERVIEWS?

If you're not getting the interviews you want and expect, maybe it's time to rewrite your resume. In this challenging economy hiring authorities don't have time to pour over your resume to determine if you are someone who qualifies. Make it easy for them. Give them the information they need at the top of the first page in a summary of qualifications. Include keywords pertaining to your industry and position so your resume can be recovered from any database into which it is downloaded.

Stick with a reverse chronological format. A functional resume is sure to frustrate its reader and will likely get tossed. Emphasize your quantifiable accomplishments for each position with each company, but don't bullet every statement in your resume...bullets lose their effectiveness when overused. Use action words to begin your phrases.

Keep personal information off your resume. Employers don't want to see anything that could potentially make them liable, such as age, marital status, and religious affiliation. And don't put your photo on it, either.

Contain your resume to two pages, if at all possible - one page if you have fewer than five years of work experience. Proofread your resume to ensure perfection; there's no room for error.

If you feel you aren't doing your resume justice, by all means, hire a professional resume writer to partner with you to get the job done. One of the most difficult things to do is to be objective about what to include in your own resume - get the help you need to ensure your resume will open the door to job interviews.

WHY I LOVE TO BLOG

I accept the challenge of my friend Patsi Krakoff to share why I enjoy blogging:

1. I love to reach out to help my audience who's facing career changes.

2. I love being "edgy" sometimes just for the heck of it.

3. I love making new friends who find me through my blog.

4. I love to challenge others to think outside that darn box.

5. I love being on the Internet - and blogging is a huge piece of that.

So who will accept my challenge to share why they love to blog?

I'm tagging my friends below:

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter

Janine Moon

Melani Ward

Maiya Rose Benda

Laura Berman Fortgang

CAREER CHANGE: CAN A RECRUITER HELP?

When you contemplate changing jobs, you may consider looking for a recruiter. But did you know that a recruiter is only interested in you if you meet certain criteria? Before we even go there, though, know that recruiters NEVER work for you - they work for the employers who contract with them.

So what criteria do recruiters use to assess if you are worth their time?

First, recruiters usually prefer candidates who are currently employed. If you're not working, an employer can usually find you on their own.

Second, recruiters usually can't make a match with a candidate who wants to change careers. Employers will only pay recruiter commissions for candidates who currently work in the field they're hiring for - they won't pay recruiter commissions if they have to train a candidate for an entirely new career. Training vs. commissions - see my point?

Third, recruiters usually want to find you - not the other way around. Many consider it a waste of their time to interview candidates if they don't have employer contracts for the positions these candidates want.

In today's Kansas City Star, columnist Diane Stafford explores recruiting practices and has some good advice for job seekers from an actual headhunter, "How to Attract a Headhunter."

GOT LAYOFF FEAR? BEAT IT BY BECOMING PROACTIVE - NOW!

Web 2.0 offers many ways to job search beyond posting your resume to a job board. Networking still rules as the #1 way to get a new job, so take advantage of online tools as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and more to meet new people, spotlight your career knowledge and expertise, and make it easy for the hiring people find you.

“Job seekers have only scratched the surface when it comes to using Web 2.0 to assist their search. They are learning that simply posting resumes on job boards and responding to online help-wanted ads is not enough. During downturns in the 80s and 90s, there were several instances of job seekers parading the sidewalks with sandwich boards that contained their resume. YouTube could become the sandwich board of the new millennium,” says John Challenger, chief executive officer of the outplacement firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Read the full article, "Job Market Outlook Grim for 2009" but keep in mind one thing - don't let yourself become a victim - take charge of your career now!