Research, Research, Research!

Posted on January 10, 2012 by R. A. M.

Living as we do in the internet age, there is no excuse for not being thoroughly prepared for a job interview. That preparation requires research. It is your pre-interview task to learn everything you can about the organization that will be interviewing you.

So, hop online and get busy. Become very familiar with the organization’s website. What is the organization’s mission statement, goals and long range plan? Check out other sites, too, by way of learning about the company’s reputation. If you know the names of those who will actually interview you, look them up online, too. Know as much about them as you can. If appropriate, check out the organization’s Investor Relations and sitemap. You’re bound to discover some useful tidbits there, such as seeing just how well (or not so well) the company is actually performing.

Also, use LinkedIn to locate people who already work for the organization. Some of them may be happy to speak with you about the company and your prospects there. You might even use LinkedIn’s introductions function in order to ask someone for an introduction to one of their connections.

What else can you do? Call the organization’s HR department or reception and ask about the company. Sometimes, they’re surprisingly forthcoming. Check out the news for mention of the organization, and thoroughly study the job description. Finally, if you found the job through a recruitment or placement agent, ask her about the company and your interviewers. You can never be too prepared.

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Resumé Items To Delete

Posted on January 4, 2012 by R. A. M.

We know what you’re thinking. Here is yet another piece telling you what to do to your much-traveled resumé. Well, yes, but it’s important to remember that no matter how tedious the project seems, it behooves you, if you still haven’t found a job, to remake this essential document periodically. It’s wise to give it a freshening up.

So, here goes! The most important thing to do is to get your resumé into a one-page format. Begin by eliminating your goals. Employers know that already. You want the job. Got it. Also, cut out any irrelevant work experience. It was a real character builder that you mowed lawns as a teen, but employers today could care less. It makes you look desperate and unfocused. The same is true of your hobbies. Who cares that you captain a bowling team or like to play Bingo? Don’t waste an employer’s time!

Now, it is also wise to remove the graduation dates from your resumé. You don’t want to obscure your age, but you don’t have to wave it around. If you do, you will be discriminated against. Also, don’t include a lot of persona information such as your marital status, religion, and social security number. It is now illegal for employers to ask about this stuff, so why offer it up? It is always dangerous to write down your social security number on a widely circulated document. Finally, don’t include your current work contact information or your references.

There, one page. Now, don’t you feel refreshed?

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Are You Too Old?

Posted on December 6, 2011 by R. A. M.

Senior business man working on laptop The question might better be, too old for what? If it’s getting hired for a new job, you and millions of other unemployed Americans have at least entertained the question, and many have concluded that their age does indeed impact their employability.

It’s a psychological fact that people tend to hire people who look like them. So, if the hiring committee is made up of four 30-somethings, that puts candidates who are late 40s, 50s and up at a distinct disadvantage even if they are more qualified than younger candidates. It is also true that employers have to pay much more in health care costs than they do when they hire younger people. This makes sense, in a way, even though it is discriminatory. Recently, some business employment ads have even outwardly discouraged over-forties from even applying for certain posts. Of course, this is illegal and was quickly stopped, but it certainly revealed an aspect of many employers’ private agendas, beliefs and preferences.

So far, it sounds like there isn’t much you can do if you’re over 40 and you encounter these attitudes and behaviors. But there is always something. For one thing, you can turn in a incredibly poised, polished and passionate resumé, then deliver the same in an interview. You know how to do this! You have a wealth of experience and a centered self-confidence that 30-somethings and younger can only dream of. Always lead with your best assets, be persistent, and believe that your time will come…again.

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Interviewing Your Interviewer

Posted on November 12, 2011 by R. A. M.

At your interview, you have done a great job. You’ve made and maintained eye contact with those speaking to you. You have mirrored their body language, helping them to feel more comfortable with you. You have been frank and articulate, elaborating where you needed to, and clearing up fuzzy areas in your complicated history.

Now comes the next big challenge, when one of the interviewers leans forward and says, “So, do you have any questions for us?” It’s a big moment, often the biggest of the entire interview, because how you respond may very well determine whether or not you get the job. In this moment, you need to separate yourself in a positive way from your competition. You need to demonstrate your savvy and wisdom, your knowledge of the company you’re talking to, and your deep desire to land this job. Make sure that your questions are thoughtful and focused. Work on them before the interview. It doesn’t hurt to do the research, and then reflect that effort by working some pertinent statistics into your queries.

Also, craft a question or two that demonstrates your thorough knowledge of the field. A prospective employer wants to know that about you. Go online and look into the background of the person or people who are interviewing you. No need to mention this is the interview, but it’s useful information as you prepare for and go through the interview experience. Finally, remember that the interview goes both ways. The employer wants to know you and figure out if you’re a good fit, while you want to know if the company is going to work out well for you and your long term goals.

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The Second Chance

Posted on November 11, 2011 by R. A. M.

You’ve been laid off. After the initial devastation and the three-to-six month grief cycle, you have made a momentous decision. You’re not going to opt for retraining because you truly loved the work you were doing. You loved it, and you want to keep doing it. So the question is, how can you get back in to the game the tossed you out in the first place?

It used to be a commonly accepted attitude that there were no second acts in American life, but we’ve lived through a sea change where today there are not only second acts; there are third acts, too. The question is, how does one jumpstart the second or third act in the same field?

It really begins with your resumé. Of course, your strengths in your field should be obvious to anyone who takes the time to look, but that’s part of the trouble. Your gifts and strengths may all be embedded in your resumé, but they may not be formatted well for today’s market. Seek a current resumé doctor and have yours vetted. Once it has been cleaned up and redone, make sure that it contains key words appropriate to the company you’ll be applying to. If you’ve been rejected once by that company, be persistent and talk to someone there until you find a sympathetic listener, a chair with an ear, who will give you some helpful advice about resubmitting your resumé. Diligence can pay off.

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Lying About Your Age

Posted on November 4, 2011 by R. A. M.

Mature Businessman It’s not a common occurrence to lie about ourselves when we apply for jobs. In fact, there was probably a time when most of us would never have considered such a thing.

But today we’re dealing with an economy and a job market that is far different than anything we imagined back then. It is so different that some companies in their job listings are actually including a proviso: “If you are over 40, don’t bother to apply.” Ageist? Of course. Illegal? Maybe, but companies are trying this, and it will take some time for challengers to stop them.

Meanwhile, the job applicant (that’s you) must at least face up to the fact that a lot of employers are thinking this way. Stated or not, this is an obstacle you must contend with if you are over 40.

From the employer’s point of view, this makes sense in such a brutal economy. Hiring older people usually means paying them more than younger hires, and absorbing a rise in health care premiums.

Lying about your age won’t get you the job you seek, but it may level the playing field. If you decide to lie (and this can simply mean removing dates that suggest your age, such as when you went to graduate school, or graduated from high school), you may have to change your recommendations, some of whom may know your age. This may apply to your job history, too. You will need to get creative if you decide to deceive interviewers, and you’ll need even more creativity to find a job in this market.

Volunteer Experience And Your Resume

Posted on October 28, 2011 by J. L. Eisenberg

happy male volunteer As many books, articles, lectures, and classes can attest to, resume-writing is a difficult process. To create a good resume, it is necessary to balance specific experience in the field you are applying for a job in with things that show how well-rounded you are. Volunteer experience can often be caught somewhere in between these two categories, and as such often gets misused or not used at all in the average resume.

When you’re writing your resume, it’s best to think of volunteer experience as part of the ‘specific experience’ category. While it can be nice to show your potential employer that you’re a gregarious individual, it’s not of enough importance to your resume to make it worth the space. Ideally, your volunteer experience would be in a job directly related to the one you are applying for. A previous internship in the field you are applying to work in would be a good example.

Even if your volunteer experience isn’t quite as specific to the job you’re hoping to get, it can still a useful part of your resume. To present non-specific volunteer experience as something relevant to the position you’re applying for, looks for the bits of it that are applicable to the job you want, and emphasize them on your resume. If nothing immediately appears applicable to you, you may have to think a little outside the box. For example, many volunteer positions involve a leadership aspect, a quality that nearly all employers are looking for.

If you really can’t think of anything, it’s best to leave your volunteer experience off of your resume. Remember, just because it’s not on your resume doesn’t mean it’s valueless. Just because it’s not in your resume doesn’t mean you can’t bring it up in interviews!

Career Counseling

Posted on October 25, 2011 by J. L. Eisenberg

If you’re approaching a job search or work-related crisis and wishing that you had taken fuller advantage of the Career Planning and Resources staff back in college, fear not: such a thing exists for those well beyond their college years. It’s called Career Counseling, and is growing increasingly popular among professionals needing a little extra help with their employment issues.

If you find yourself at a loss as to where you want your career to go, you may benefit by going to career counseling. Among other things, a career counselor can help you assess your skills and desires, and present options appropriate to your situation. When you’re feeling stressed out by the pressure of a job search, a career counselor provides an outside perspective that will help you to see the full range of possibilities you have before you.

To get started with career counseling, you must first find a counselor appropriate to your needs. Look for somebody with a background in the field you are hoping to work in; he or she will have more industry contacts and general expertise than a one-size-fits-all counselor. Similarly, try to find somebody who specializes in whatever you are hoping to get out of counseling. For example, a job-search counselor will be great at helping you write your resume, but not very helpful if you’re looking to apply to graduate school or another form of post-graduate training.

Finally, make sure that the person you are working with is accredited. Career counseling is a field peppered with individuals offering false guarantees of a higher-paying job in 30 days. Needless to say, these people will not be very helpful in your overall mission. Look for counselors who are licensed by the state and/or are a member of the National Career Development Association. A list of members may be found on their website, www.ncda.org.