It's a JUNGLE out there...whether you are hiring or looking for a job.
Come and share your positive ideas about job change, employment trends, workplace issues and more. You'll find it all in the Job Search Jungle!
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Last month, I had occasion to work with Walter Bond on a project where we were working with unemployed people from all walks of life. With over 20 years of experience in executive search and coaching, I was amazed by Walter’s ability to read people. As a former NBA player and entrepreneur, Walter meets a lot of people in his world and he can spot a poser from a mile away.
Many Americans are unemployed. Our goal that day was to work with a few people who were really struggling to hone their resumes, interview skills, personal appearance, and approach to their job search. Let’s face it; the world doesn’t owe us a living. Some of the people had advanced degrees; some were taking on line coursework towards a degree. As I worked one on one with each person, listening to their stories of getting laid off or fired, it was those people that were open to change that struck me as the ones that will really succeed after being given assistance.
I was amazed at how many people had such poor interviewing skills. One lovely woman had a strong background in bookkeeping and told us she loved it, but when asked what kind of job she was looking for answered, one that works with children. Another woman, with an advanced degree who really wanted to work in program management, had chosen to pursue work as an executive assistant in the hopes that she would land a job with an executive that would see her talents and ultimately chaperone her move her into a similar role.
Those that are willing to adapt and change will find new jobs. Finding new ways to attack a chronic problem is the only way out of a rut. If you’re one of these people, consider how you are answering interview questions. Over the next few weeks we will dissect basic interview questions a few at a time so the next time you are faced with the tough challenge, you will have the basic training to give the appropriate answers and succeed in getting the offer!
Carolyn Thompson
Tags: career, challenge, degree, education, interviewing skills series, Job Search, nterviewing skills, outreach, training, unemployment, Walter Bond
Season’s Greetings from the Jungle!
This week I did two interviews about holiday job search, which got me thinking about the seasons of the jungle. Follow the links to see more.
http://watch.ctv.ca/news/top-picks/holiday-jobs/#clip243570
http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/04/news/economy/job_seasons/index.htm
A little research turned up that the jungle has two distinct seasons; wet and dry. During a dry season, the days are hot and sunny, the vegetation becomes sparser, and watering holes dry up forcing animals to look elsewhere. Conversely, during a wet season, the air quality improves, freshwater quality improves, and vegetation grows significantly. The wet season is also referred to as “green season.”
Today, I got a call from one of my long time coaching clients who has been working two part time jobs to make ends meet since her husband’s death a few years ago. She has gone back to college to complete her degree and worked very hard to obtain the necessary computer skills to compete in today’s job market. She has an excellent background in customer service, community project management and has been working diligently to network and expand her personal sphere of influence. Exactly the right things to get that competitive advantage in your job search!
For the past year, she’s been on many interviews and has been passed over for countless positions she was well qualified for; moving from one dried up water source to the next, not because she couldn’t do the job, but because she has over 20 years work experience in total, and was considered overqualified. Many of the jobs she applied for required a bachelors or “equivalent” experience, and she lost out time and again to recent college grads with less life experience than she had, but she kept plugging away through her dry season.
TODAY, I got the call I’ve been waiting for. She got a job offer! In the salary range she was targeting! With benefits! I was so proud of her! Her comment to me was that once someone else showed they believed in her, she began to believe in herself.
She was the last person on my mental list of people who have been looking for some time that would be great employees! Now she will be enjoying the prosperity and growth of her green season.
If you have friends or family out there looking for work, let them know you believe in them. It will really help them find a new job!
For information on personal executive coaching, visit my website www.carolynthompson.net. I have a spot open now that my client found a job today!!!
Carolyn Thompson
Tags: believe, coaching, computer skills, continuing education, dry, economy, education, education vs experience, Job Search, networking, overqualify, success
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Jul 13, 2009 in
Career Path,
Job Search,
Lessons Learned,
Self Improvement Almost every day I receive an email that says something like “think before you print”, or “print responsibly to save a tree”. I was thinking about this, particularly this week, when we had our first run in with a “diploma mill.” I’d heard about this on 60 Minutes, but never came across one until this week. While verifying a candidate’s education, an alert came up that their degree was from an unaccredited institution.
This became a huge exercise in research as to what is an accredited institution. The Department of Education ( www.ed.gov) and the Council for Higher Education Association (www.chea.org) maintain current databases on accredited universities. I called CHEA and was helped immediately by the first person that answered the phone. She was amazingly well informed and was able to verify that not all online universities are fully accredited educational institutions. I was dumbfounded that someone could obtain tuition reimbursement from a publicly traded company to complete a degree with an unaccredited institution. Essentially, the candidate threw many thousands of dollars of tuition down the drain with an institution that claimed to be accredited, but is only accredited as an “online” institution.
There are reputable on line universities and distance learning opportunities such as the University of Phoenix. If you’re considering making an investment in online education, make sure you check with the Department of Education or the kind people at the Council for Higher Education to ensure sure your investment in your future is protected.
Even if it means buying books, turning in papers and taking notes in an actual spiral notebook, and taking a little longer to get through all your classes, completing your education is not the time to be worried about saving a tree.
For the past 20 years while I’ve been a recruiter, we’ve gone to the university registrar directly whenever possible to verify education or to obtain transcripts. It’s unfortunate that these disreputable organizations exist, taking people’s money and not giving the education in return for their financial and time invested. This person lost out on a really great offer because of this situation and now we’ve changed our policies to use The National Student Clearinghouse (www.studentclearinghouse.org ), a third party verification service, before approaching the university directly for transcripts.
Check out my webinar on Job Searching! http://www.carolynthompson.net/jobsearchwebinar.htm
Carolyn Thompson
Author of TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME…available on Amazon.com!
and TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB…available on Amazon.com!
Tags: accredited institution, advice, education, experience, verification service
Even the jungle has seasons. One of those seasons is a period of less rain called a drought or the dry season. We can think of it as the jungle’s downturn.
Recently the US and World economies have had a period of less prosperity or a drought just like a dry season in the jungle. This is a normal part of the cycle. Droughts help weed out the weak so new species can take hold. They also cause animals to adapt or move in search of food. You must adapt in order to survive and here are some tips on how to survive through this “financial drought.” Droughts tend to strengthen the jungle in the long run just like downturns help to weed out outdated companies or workers who need to improve on their skills set.
The strong survive. You must learn to search for opportunities in new ways and employ those strategies by adapting. If you do this, you will end up stronger in the long run and subsequently, be more successful.
When you suspect that you are going to be laid off or when the layoff actually occurs, you must be polite and accept the news with grace and dignity. You do not want to burn any bridges. Ask about your company’s severance package (if they are offering one) before you leave or get the correct contact information for the HR representative who can help you if you have any questions. You should also thank your manager or boss for the opportunity to work for him or her and ask politely if they would be willing to give you a good reference. Leave, go home and relax. Regroup over the next few days and then start your job search. Do not take months off because you will be sorry if it takes a while to find a new job and you have already taken time off. The average job search takes 2 weeks per ten thousand dollars (so a $50,000 candidate will take about two and a half months to find a job.)
Adapt. Be honest with yourself. Were you laid off or are you having a hard time finding a job because the job that you do is outdated or no longer needed? Do you have older software skills or is your education light compared to what is normally required to do the job that you want? If your answer to these questions is yes, you need to improve your skills to compete in the market.
If you are sending out resume after resume online and are not getting any call backs, you need to adapt the way that you are conducting your search. Be sure your resume is well written. A good resource for this is Ten Easy Steps To a Perfect Resume by Carolyn Thompson available on Amazon.com. You can also have a recruiter or friend read your resume for grammar and ease of understanding. If you know a company has a job and you have not heard back after submitting your resume, call the manager directly and ask if they have seen your resume yet. For example; if you applied for an AP Processor position and you haven’t heard back, call the company and ask to be connected to the AP Manager. When you get them on the phone, ask if they have seen your resume and offer to send it over for their review. Trust me, this works!
Remember, everything has a time of plenty and times that are lean. It is natural. By staying strong and adapting, you will come out of the other end stronger and better prepared than you were before.
Webinars on Resume Writing and Job Search Techniques are available at http://www.carolynthompson.net/webinars.htm
Jake Hanson
Senior Associate, CMCS
Tags: adapt, advice, drought, economy, education, layoffs, opportunities, resume, strategies
Four Gifts For Grads:
1. Even though you are smart and have accomplished completing your degree, you’re likely going to have to start at the bottom and work your way up just like any tree in a thick forest environment. All seeds start growing from within the earth and the more experience they have, the larger they grow until they are high above the rest getting the most light! If you set your expectations that you will learn the business from the ground up, you’ll get where you want to go eventually, right above the canopy!
2. If you’re thinking more education is the answer, think again! Yes, there probably will be more jobs in a couple of years when you get your additional degree, but you still need some practical work experience to combine with your education in order to get ahead. Starting at an entry level spot somewhere that has a tuition reimbursement program is often a better bet than pursuing another degree full time. Learn while you grow in your experience. A tree needs to grow upwards before it can really spread its branches. You will never make it through the thick rooftop of the jungle if your “branches” are too wide to penetrate the leafy ceiling. Ultimately, you don’t want to have more education combined with a lack of practical work experience, now or later!
3. NETWORK! 80% of all jobs are obtained through networking. Even in my office we are looking for an entry level/intern type person and only had 2 qualified responses! The tallest trees that form the canopy of the forest help the smaller trees and shade them from rough winds and other inhospitable elements while they are still young and new. Ask your parents, their friends, and your friends parents for help. Be patient, and keep your Facebook page looking professional, too!
4. Fail to plan, plan to fail! Create a plan based on solid market research and go after jobs at the companies where you want to work. Seek to meet people who already work there by volunteering at charity events their companies sponsor. Those people can refer you internally as jobs open up. Create some good solid roots that will support you and hold you steady as you grow. The better your foundation, and the more you network, the higher you will be able to grow in the job search jungle!
For more information on this topic visit: http://www.carolynthompson.net/jobsearchwebinar.htm
Carolyn Thompson
Author of TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME…available on Amazon.com!
and TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB…available on Amazon.com!
Tags: advice, education, entry level, expectations, experience, Facebook, graduates, networking, students, volunteer
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Feb 11, 2009 in
Building Confidence,
Job Search,
Self Improvement Tiger stripes are as individual and unique as human finger prints. They also act as the perfect camouflage in tall weeds and grasses. But, did you know that if you were to shave the fur from a tiger it would still have stripes?
To be a true tiger, an elite top member of the food chain, your stripes have to run deep beneath the surface. So, as you prepare yourself and your resume, to embark on a new job search because you’ve been laid off or fear that you’ll be laid off in the near future, remember, in the Job Search Jungle you can’t hide behind the stripes on your resume. You have to deliver.
Are you presenting factual information that faithfully represents your skills and work experience? In our current competitive job market with so many talented folks unemployed, employers are being extra particular with their next hire. The successful new hires must possess all the skill requirements of the job and be ready to hit the ground running! If you’ve already been laid off, now maybe the perfect time to update your skills and education by taking a computer class, attending a workshop, or finally enrolling in school to obtain your AA, BS, MS or MBA.
Make some inner stripes that will shine out on the surface and make you a true tiger in the Job Search Jungle!
Courtnie Cho
Partner, CMCS
Tags: education, layoffs, resume, training
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Jan 8, 2009 in
Self Improvement Crocodiles have been around for over 250 million years. They have outlived the dinosaurs. In contrast, you have been around for a much shorter period of time and your career probably took shape within the last decade or two. Right now, our economy is in a state of flux and things are uncertain. What can we learn from these amazing survivors, crocodiles?
Be opportunistic. Crocs see a fish and they eat it. They see a bird land on the water in the pond, they eat it. A zebra comes down to the river to drink, and the crocodile attacks. Crocs eat whatever they can, whenever they can. This helps them to survive. You should be opportunistic at the office too. Pick up responsibilities at work that no one else seems to want to do and do them well. Be the first to volunteer to help the new employee with a project. Offer to do that spreadsheet that no one else wants to put together. Come in on a Saturday to help out. Be productive, opportunistic and you will shine in your manager’s eyes.
Get plenty of rest. Take a hint from crocodiles. Picture a river delta in Africa where the crocodiles rest away the heat of the day so that they can be alert and ready to hunt in the evening or early morning. This is true for you too. Go to bed at a decent hour every night. Save parties and late nights for weekends. Work out, maybe get a massage. Take a break. If you take time to rest, then you will be ready to work hard when you need to and will get more done.
Protect yourself. Crocodiles have teeth and scales to protect themselves. Your career should have some armor too. What type? Education, skill set and work ethic all help armor you from layoffs. If you have a solid skill set, better education, and stronger work ethic than those around you, chances are that you will not be the next person downsized. Utilize your company’s education reimbursement benefit if they offer one, or invest in yourself if they do not in order to keep your skills and education current. Learn how to do something that others in your office are not good at or are weak in such as learn Macros and Pivot tables in excel if no one else knows how to do them well. Work ethic will help to protect you too. Be sure to put in a few extra hours at the office, follow up on projects and with clients. Be an asset to your organization.
Adapt, survive. That is the name of the game. Do not get stuck in workplace mud of laziness, exhaustion and an old, outdated skill set or you may find that you have become the next fossil.
Jake Hanson
Senior Associate, CMCS
Tags: adapt, advice, economy, education, opportunities, training
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Nov 5, 2008 in
Building Confidence
Wondering if you should blend in with the herd, or take a risk and stand out? In today’s predatory job market sticking to current skills and familiar jobs might seem the best way to stay safe, but life in the herd isn’t easy when resources get scarce. By taking a chance on a different kind of job, or playing up your more unusual assets, you might discover a different oasis where you’re the alpha beast. Who knows, the herd might follow, so keep reinventing those stripes!
Don’t know what makes you different? Consider your past experiences: Which ones give you the edge and perspective that’s unique to you? Remember the contributions you’ve made to former employers and managers; how did you set yourself apart from your colleagues? What particular strengths got you those jobs? Does your resume show off your experiences? Do you have specific examples of how and when you were able to save your previous boss time and money? Don’t be afraid to show your stripes – they’re what makes you unique!
Mario Valdez
Associate, CMCS
Tags: advice, education, resume, training
