Second Acts: The Job Shifters
Posted: February 22, 2012 Filed under: Career Management (General), Job Search, Trends--New and Changing | Tags: career changes, career management, career reinvention, changing trends, job seekers, job shifters Leave a comment »Changing trends in the modern workplace have become a fact of life–inescapable, sometimes disturbing, always requiring a flexible attitude from those currently employed or unemployed and trying to improve their situation. I frequently work with job seekers and career management clients who find themselves confronted by the need to determine their next steps and put a plan into action to carry out the necessary steps. That’s why I keep my eyes open for articles, blog posts and other published information that might prove helpful.
Job Shifters: A New-Old Term for Job Seekers Who Need to Make a Change
Recently I read an excellent article called “The Job Shifters”, by Laurent Belsie of The Christian Science Monitor (an international weekly newspaper), which you might find well worth reading and maybe sharing with others. The article presented the stories of six people who successfully reinvented their careers–often in very dramatic ways. Just as an example, Ryan Blair progressed from gang member/juvenile delinquent to a high-tech executive earning $100,000+…and then went on to start his own company, sell it for $25 million, and become CEO of a weight-loss and fitness direct-sales company with 2011 revenues of $231 million!
On the other end of the spectrum was a former magazine illustrator who lost all his work in a massive flood and ended up selling paintings for a few hundred dollars instead of earning thousands of dollars for magazine illustrations. At the same time, he gained quality personal time with his young daughter and found fulfillment in something he felt really passionate about. Career reinvention doesn’t always mean–or have to mean–a lot more money or even as much as you were making before.
Voluntary Job or Career Change vs. Forced Change
Of course, you know that not all job or career changes happen voluntarily. Sometimes they do happen because of factors such as a strong compulsion to do something different or a deep need to remove yourself from a toxic situation that is threatening your mental or physical well-being. Often, though, the change is forced on you by external factors over which you have little or no control. How you deal with such a situation can make a huge difference in the quality of your future.
As the article notes, what’s now being labeled the “Great Recession” resulted in 15.4 million Americans unemployed at the highest point, with 13.1 million still unemployed two years later. It goes on to state: “Out of that crucible, an increasing number of workers are trying to reinvent themselves to fit in with a fragile, fast-moving world. For some, it’s a voluntary change. For many, it isn’t. It’s a rough-and-tumble necessity. The future demands it.”
Safe Employment Choices: A Myth
These days, there’s really no such thing as a “safe” industry that will ensure you of being able to maintain a lifetime career. You need to develop a flexible attitude and approach to your career management, keep yourself current on new and emerging developments, and stay alert to possibilities that might allow you to play off of your strengths–including some you might not have had a chance to use in your current job or career field. This can be intimidating but also potentially revitalizing. Like much of life, it doesn’t come with any guarantees of safety; you more or less have to board the speeding train and hang on!
United We Stand–Strength in Numbers?
Posted: February 20, 2012 Filed under: Job Search | Tags: job market, job markets, job search, valuable employee Leave a comment »Although the US job market has seen some glimmers of light (more in some industries and geographical areas than in others), the future–both near and long term–still clearly holds challenges for many of us. If you’re not currently in an employment situation that’s stable, satisfying and financially sufficient for your needs, you might be tempted to throw up your hands and say, “That’s it! I’m stuck and there’s nothing I can do to make things better.” While understandable, that admission of defeat doesn’t achieve anything except to let you vent some of your frustration.
It might be true that one person alone can only accomplish a certain amount, although a number of people in history have shown how amazingly much one person can achieve. However, I prefer to look for support in pursuing challenging goals and keep an open mind about where that support might come from. I encourage my clients to do the same, because sometimes really great results can come from doing that.
United We Stand–Strength in Numbers
I’ve been thinking recently about all the existing and emerging challenges facing individuals and entire countries throughout the world–major economic crises, tight job markets in many countries (or at least a scarcity of jobs for some groups and individuals), a growing gap between the “haves” and “have nots,” and more. Two phrases came to mind, and they’re somewhat related to each other. One is “united we stand,” and the other is “strength in numbers.”
According to Wikipedia, “‘united we stand, divided we fall’ is a phrase that has been used in mottos, from nations and states to songs. The basic concept is that unless the people are united, it is easy to destroy them.” What I get from this today is that there’s a temptation for us to think we’re alone in the boat and need to look out for ourselves first and foremost. However, that can too easily lead to an undesirable–maybe even disastrous–outcome. Whether it’s conducting a job search for a suitable position or doing your best to be a productive and valuable employee in a position you already hold, “me first at all times” is not really an outlook you want to hold onto.
In a similar vein, I found a number of quotes referencing the concept of strength in numbers, but one of my favorites was this: “There is strength in numbers, and if we all work together as a team, we can be unstoppable.” (Craig Kielburger, founder of Free The Children, an organization to stop child slavery) What you might not be able to do alone, it’s absolutely possible you could accomplish with some active help.
Practical, not Pollyanna-ish
One definition of Pollyanna is “unreasonably or illogically optimistic.” There’s nothing wrong with optimism (remember, I’m an optimist); however, optimism needs energy and commitment behind it to transform a gloomy picture of the future into one that holds promise and encourages hope. I don’t know about you, but that’s where I’d like to put my efforts, even if I’m “only one person.”
Retirement Good News-Bad News
Posted: February 17, 2012 Filed under: Retirement, Trends--New and Changing | Tags: delayed retirement, job search, reemployment, retirement planning Leave a comment »We’ve probably all seen a variety of jokes based on the “good news-bad news” theme, which has been around a long time. Some of them even lean more than a little toward the depressing or macabre side. As I’ve said before, I’m essentially an optimist (or as I like to call it, a realistic optimist), so I tend to enjoy and pass along those that steer more toward hopeful or genuinely amusing situations. Sometimes that approach requires a fairly large amount of flexibility and imagination. In the case of the subject of retirement planning, even I can’t find something amusing to say about it; hopeful is a bit of a stretch but not totally out of reach. In November I wrote a post called “Recession & Retirement,” and today’s post is by way of revisiting that topic from a slightly different angle.
Good News-Bad News about Retirement
The good news is, people are generally living longer these days. The bad news is, people are living longer! Generations ago, the present concept of retirement didn’t even exist. People basically worked until they physically couldn’t any longer. Current and recent generations, however–which probably includes you–face the prospect of planning for a future when they’re no longer working but still need a decent income to meet expenses and provide a reasonable quality of life (I’m not talking around-the-world trips here).
To quote a recent article by Emily Brandon on U.S. News & World Report, “How Long Should I Work Before Retirement?“: “The age workers expect to retire has increased from an average of 60 in 1995 to 66 in 2011, according to a Gallup poll. The proportion of people aiming to retire early has plummeted from 50 percent in 1995 to 28 percent in 2011.”
Possible Benefits to Delayed Retirement
Yes, there are at least a few, according to Brandon’s article. They include giving your assets more time to grow, taking advantage of tax benefits (IRA contributions, etc.), receiving a larger Social Security check after retirement (if it’s still around when you retire!), and accessing potentially better or more affordable post-retirement health benefits (e.g., Medicare).
Possible Downside to Delayed Retirement
Is there a downside to the idea of delaying retirement in order to minimize the amount you have to save up to cover expenses after you retire? Certainly. For one thing, you might not have the option of delaying it if personal circumstances force you to leave the work force early. In another scenario, you might leave one job for another and find that the new position doesn’t work out, so you’re back in job search mode at an age when circumstances can tend to make reemployment more challenging, especially at or near the level you held when you left.
Like anything else, this is not an easy situation to consider and plan for. Inevitably, you just have to do the best you can, make the wisest career and financial choices you can. Starting now would not be too soon!
Empowered Employees: What This Means for You as a Job Seeker
Posted: February 15, 2012 Filed under: Trends--New and Changing | Tags: employee productivity, employee recruitment, employee retention, employee satisfaction, job seeker, postdigital enterprises Leave a comment »The term “empowerment” (as well as related variations) has become more than a little overused these days, and I was somewhat skeptical when I ran across an article called “The Empowered Employee is Coming: Is The World Ready?” (guest post on Forbes.com blog by J. Hagel, S. Gandhi and G. Rodriguez). However, it turned out to be a long but fascinating and very thoughtful article that has a lot to say about topics related to employee recruitment, employee retention and satisfaction, and employee productivity.
Who or what is an empowered employee?
Empowered employees can come in many shapes and sizes, but it appears that they might be evolving from what the article calls the “connected consumer.” This concept has been hugely reshaping how companies market to their customers and prospects. Now it could start affecting how they view and deal with both employees and potential employees, as well as many related aspects of the changing workplace that have already taken place or are coming.
Postdigital enterprises and empowered employees
According to the article, although companies are being pressured to maintain and intensify their efforts to reduce costs, it’s a “game in diminishing returns. Each additional increment…is harder and harder to deliver.” It suggests that a critical answer lies in shifting emphasis from cost to value.
This is the proposition that really intrigues me: “Rather than treating employees as cost items that need to be managed wherever possible, why not view them as assets capable of delivering ever increasing value to the marketplace?…There is little, if any, limit to the additional value that people can deliver if given the appropriate tools and skill development.”
Wow! And that’s only a fraction of the ideas presented in this article. I intend to go back and re-read it–and more than once–because it’s a lot to take in at one time. While I don’t have or plan to hire employees, many of my clients have or do, and I know they could find some useful thoughts from the article, so I intend to recommend it whenever and wherever I can!
JobBait.com Founder Mark Hovind Gone
Posted: February 13, 2012 Filed under: Job Search | Tags: job hunting, job hunting techniques, job seeker, job seekers Leave a comment »I don’t normally pass sad news along in this blog, but I think anyone who has been or will be a job seeker in the future might want to know about the recent passing of Mark Hovind, the founder and driving spirit behind JobBait.com. One of my professional colleagues posted information about this on an e-list we both belong to, or I might not have heard about it yet myself.
From all accounts, Mark was the kind of person anyone would be proud to know and grateful to for his many efforts in the world of employment. He worked extensively with very senior-level executives but also made time for what was apparently a considerable amount of volunteer “giving back.”
Mark’s widow announced that she won’t be able to continue Mark’s work, but she added, “However, I will be leaving his website up, temporarily, and the instructions on YouTube to help those that may be learning his fierce job hunting technique.” If you haven’t previously downloaded his four videos, you can find them on YouTube. Take a look while they’re still available.
Here’s another sample of Mark sharing his expertise with a wide audience, during a discussion with JibberJobber founder Jason Alba.
What does Mark Hovind’s passing mean for you?
Any time we lose someone who has contributed substantially to the knowledge base for job seekers, it’s a shame. You and practically every other job seeker on the planet can benefit—and probably have benefited–at some point from the work that such dedicated professionals do. Yes, they have businesses to operate and can’t do everything for free or at a cut rate. In fact, some of them make very good money at what they do. However, it’s not uncommon for them to also do something similar to what Mark Hovind did—giving their time and expertise to benefit others.
So if you visit JobBait.com in the near future and download Mark’s four videos, think about Mark’s contribution. He will be missed.
What are Your Valuable Core Competencies?
Posted: February 10, 2012 Filed under: Job Search, Resumes | Tags: core competencies, job search, job seekers Leave a comment »Those of us who write resumes often like to use the concept of core competencies–possibly as a keyword-rich section of its own, maybe woven into the thread of the resume through concrete examples of the competencies, or in numerous other ways. I’ve certainly done this with my clients’ resumes many times over the years, and I thought I was pretty conversant with what the concept involved. That was before I got curious and started researching the topic a bit more. If you’ve been in the habit of including your core competencies in documents (resumes or otherwise), you might be interested in some of what I discovered.
Defining Your Core Competencies
To define your core competencies for prospective employers as part of your job search campaign, you should probably begin by understanding how the concept started. According to research source Wikipedia, the idea of core competencies is part of a management theory that originated with two business-book writers named Prahalad and Hamel, who defined a core competency as “a specific factor that a business sees as being central to the way it, or its employees, works.” What? This concept refers primarily to a business? And you thought it referred to something you’re particularly good at and want to offer to employers!
Here’s a bit more from the Wikipedia entry that might seem as if it’s more about companies than about you (bear with me on this for a few moments). The competency has to meet three main criteria:
- Has to be hard for competitors to imitate
- Can be leveraged to a lot of products and markets
- Has to contribute to benefits experienced by end-consumers
Where do you fit in? If you look carefully at the above points, it becomes clear that they can apply to employees or job seekers just as well as they can to companies. Your core competencies need to center around factors that are in some way unique to you. They should also be something that most if not all of your competitors can’t quite match, should be potentially useful in many different situations and environments, and need to deliver clear benefits to those who receive your services–your employer, its customers and so on.
So Where’s the Value in Your Core Competencies?
Just listing a bunch of fairly generic terms in a core competencies section on your resume will not communicate the value. For instance, you might believe your competencies include business acumen, customer relationship building, problem solving, and a number of other items. However, each of those can be applied equally well to many other job seekers or currently employed individuals. Unless you can add something that sets you apart, the list is basically meaningless. Just as an example, take “problem solving.” What if you can truthfully say you solve serious, longstanding problems that previous efforts have not overcome? Now we’re getting somewhere! You’ve done something that others haven’t been able to do and that the company really needed. (By the way, don’t go negative on this and start pointing fingers at those who made the previous failed attempts!)
What this means, when boiled down, is that your core competencies aren’t really worth mentioning unless they add clear value. Your resume and any other communication vehicles you use in your job search must take that into account. Otherwise, all you have is a laundry list, and employers don’t hire laundry-list employees.
Win the Job Search “Game”
Posted: February 8, 2012 Filed under: Interviewing, Job Search | Tags: job offer, job opportunity, job search, job seekers. job interview Leave a comment »Obviously, you’re not likely to win (capture) every job you apply for during your job search, any more than you will win every game you play outside of work that involves competition. The odds are against achieving 100% success all the time. So sometimes you are going to lose the job search game and maybe in a situation where you really wanted or needed to win.
Winning vs. Losing: A Fresh Perspective
Jon Gordon often has thought-provoking entries in his motivational blog, and a recent one really caught my attention because it offered a fresh take on the “it’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how you play the game” philosophy. Jon states that both winning and losing matter, but that “in life what matters most is what we do with our wins and losses.”
Jon maintains that you’re ahead of the game if you refuse to give up after a loss and instead respond in a way that makes you stronger. He has developed a concept that he and his family follow, called LOSS (Learning Opportunity, Stay Strong). This is more than a touchy-feely concept that has little meat behind it. It’s something anyone–including disappointed job seekers–can practice and put to good use.
Choose Your Battles, in Job Search as in Life
You might actually be able to minimize your overall losses and disappointments in employment situations, at least to some degree. One useful job search tip is to scope out the lay of the land before you go after a particular opportunity. For instance, if you know or can connect with someone who has insider information, you might find out that the company’s CFO already has his or her eye on a candidate and is only going through the motions of publicizing the position. In that case, you could still decide to pursue the opportunity but might not put your full effort behind it as you would for a situation where you stood a better chance of being seriously considered.
If the best information you are able to obtain indicates that the opportunity you’re interested in is valid and it seems like a really good fit for your experience and talents, you probably have a good reason to go after it. That said, if you make it to an interview–maybe even to the second or third round of interviews–and end up losing out on the job, it’s natural to experience substantial disappointment. In some situations, you might even feel devastated, possibly because you had an overwhelming impression that you did exceptionally well in the interviews, were actually somehow led to believe that a job offer was imminent or just badly needed the job for some reason.
You can’t totally avoid disappointment or a great sense of loss in such situations, but you can reduce the likelihood and extent of it by choosing which battles you’re going to “fight” (which job openings to pursue) and how much effort you’re going to invest in those battles.
Learn from Your Losses
Did you make any mistakes at all in the situation where you lost a job opportunity you believed you had a strong chance of winning–say by somehow blowing an interview? Ask yourself that question each time and focus on identifying the honest answer–this isn’t something you’re doing for public consumption but to help yourself improve your odds for the next time. Even the best of us can make mistakes, take a misstep that we seriously regret afterward. If you did that, acknowledge it to yourself. Then figure out how you can try to avoid the same problem in your next job interview and keep it from happening again as you continue your job search. While life doesn’t hold any guarantees, this approach might just increase your win-rate and help you land the job of your dreams.
Your Job Search and Industry Trend Crystal Ball
Posted: February 5, 2012 Filed under: Job Search, Trends--New and Changing | Tags: employment trends, industry trends, job search, occupational outlook Leave a comment »Okay, so I made that up. There’s no such thing as a job search and industry trend crystal ball. Nevertheless, that’s one of the responses I received to a recent survey question about how I could do more to help clients–that is, he/she mentioned something about a crystal ball, and I added the rest! I have never been a fortune-teller, not in this life or any other I may have had. Facetiousness aside, what I would personally do and would recommend to the person who submitted the comment (the survey responses were anonymous) is to consult as many reputable and hopefully reliable sources as I reasonably could and base my actions on that.
Keep Up to Date with Occupation or Industry Trends
Whether it’s related to the occupation or industry you’re currently in or one you’re considering switching to, you need to stay on top of current and newly emerging trends by maintaining a list of information sources and taking time periodically to access and evaluate their information. Note: The sources can be online or offline, including live human beings–don’t limit yourself needlessly. For example: If you have an “in” with experts in your field, cherish those relationships and tap into them. Just remember to make them a two-way street by giving something in return when you can.
I don’t believe any one person can be expert and up to date on every occupation or industry out there now, much less the ones that will emerge in years to come. What you might find useful is to rank your research efforts by category, such as the following: specific to your occupation/industry; related to occupations/industries that somehow interact with yours; and a wider-view approach that helps keep you from focusing too narrowly on your own employment niche.
Occupation and Industry Trend Sources
Here’s a partial list of sources to identify trend information involving the career area you’re interested in and keep as current as possible, as well as to get an idea of what might be coming down the pike later:
- Google the phrase: “________ industry trends” (fill in the blank with your industry). You’re likely to get a long list of references. Be aware that while some resources are free, others are fee-based and the fee can be high. Also, some are not as current as you might like and need to be viewed with that in mind–check the dates of articles, for instance, and try to find the most recent.
- Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website, which has a huge amount of free data (almost too much, in some cases), including employment trends, industry status and salary ranges. Information available on the site includes a Career Guide to Industries and the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). Note: The OOH 2012-13 edition is due out in late March of 2012.
- Sign up as a subscriber on the BLS website. It’s free, and you can select the publications you want to receive updates on from a long list of them. It can also be a good idea to sign up as a subscriber on other resource websites that offer such an option (many do–some for free, some not).
- Identify and follow (read regularly) blogs that relate to your occupation and/or industry. I believe there are millions of blogs being published today, so you’re bound to find at least a few!
- If you’re not already a member of professional organizations related to your field of interest, try to find at least one and join it–ideally, one that not only has great online member resources but also local chapters that might give you an opportunity to establish in-person relationships with knowledgeable individuals.
10 Worst Cities for Job Seekers & Other “Fun” Facts
Posted: February 3, 2012 Filed under: Job Search, Trends--New and Changing | Tags: employment activity, employment trends, job search, job search plan, job seekers, new job, unemployment Leave a comment »You’ve all seen those article headlines: 10 best, 10 worst, 10 steps to take or avoid, top 10 vacation spots and so on. That’s because we’re apparently suckers for lists (sometimes the number isn’t 10, but the concept still works). For serious job seekers, however, the lists of topics such as best and worst places to live, look for employment, etc., can provide useful information–as long as they’re considered rationally.
The 10 Worst Cities for Finding a Job
An article by Danielle Kurtzleben on U.S. News & World Report (Jan. 20, 2012), gives one take on the situation. The writer notes that “vicious cycles of debt and irresponsible lending helped to cause the Great Recession, and now another vicious cycle of housing weakness and unemployment is keeping many cities from recovering.” Those of you living in California probably won’t be surprised but also won’t take much comfort from the knowledge that 7 of the 10 worst cities are in California, including the top 5.
What Does This Gloomy Economic Picture Mean for You?
Obviously, if you live in or near one of the listed cities, you might be thinking about the possibility of moving somewhere that has more positive employment activity. Of course, that assumes that if you’re currently a homeowner, you’ll be able to sell your home and finance a move.
On the flip side, if you live elsewhere and are considering relocating for a new job, you’ll want to keep in mind the existing conditions in the area you plan to move to. You might also see what information you can dig up on trends in that area that might make it less attractive down the road. For instance, are major industries in the area trending downward, and could that have an adverse effect on your industry, even if it’s currently doing reasonably well?
Information Sources for Employment Trends & Other Useful Data
A common difficulty with economic and employment-related data is that we usually don’t get it until months or years after the period it’s describing. Also, predictions for periods of 10 years or so are projecting so far into the future that they can become outdated long before the end of that time. That said, it can still be useful to consult respected sources for information on which cities, regions, industries and occupations seem to have the brightest prospects at this time. One good source is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and its Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). The 2012-2013 edition of the OOH is scheduled to come out sometime in March 2012 and will be available online for free.
Plan Your Job Search with the Best Information Available
You can collect vast reams of information these days, thanks to the Internet. The point is, whether it’s the top 10 worst cities to find a job or the 10 best places to get a good education for your children, you’ll eventually have to call a halt to the information-gathering and begin taking some kind of action. You will probably never be able to acquire all the possible information and base your decisions on having a complete, 100% reliable picture. That’s the ideal, but the reality is not able to match it. Use commonsense to decide when you’ve reached the point of diminishing returns and start moving forward with your job search plan.
Persistence in Your Job Search and Career Management
Posted: February 1, 2012 Filed under: Career Management (General), Job Search | Tags: career direction, career goals, career management, career management plan, job search Leave a comment »Banging your head against a brick wall and hoping to punch-through by sheer will-power is not recommended. However, persistence in pursuing your job search and career management plans can pay off, and the alternative–giving up–doesn’t offer anything that’s really worth having. As The Executive Blog puts it, “Believing in yourself is one way of improving yourself, mastering your craft, and engaging others to try out what you have to offer them. By all means, don’t be blinded by hopelessness. Giving up on what you tend to do best isn’t as easy as you may think. Rather, it will just make you miserable. So, why do it in the first place?”
Persistent Job Search versus Pig-Headed Stubbornness
Let’s begin by defining what persistence means in your job search or ongoing career management plan. Interestingly enough, a primary definition of persistence is “firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.” Now, obstinacy is a quality I associate more with pig-headed stubbornness, and I really don’t recommend adopting it as a model. Firm continuance, on the other hand, makes a lot of sense to me. If you hope to achieve your short- or long-term career goals, persistent effort ranks high on the list of factors that can produce the desired result.
What’s the important distinction here? Obstinacy wears blinders. It doesn’t allow you to acknowledge that anything you want or intend to do might not be the best course of action. It doesn’t open you to receiving advice or recommendations from others that could prove valuable to your efforts. (Mind you, it’s not mandatory that you accept all or any of the advice you receive–just that you consider it before you reject it.) People who believe they already know it all…probably don’t!
When to Persist and When to Move On
Remember the hit Kenny Rogers song, “The Gambler”? “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, Know when to walk away, know when to run.” Sometimes, you unfortunately do need to close the door on something you have been pursuing and refocus your attention and energy on something else. In a recent post, I mentioned the buggy whip analogy. One possible example in today’s world is the print newspaper industry. Years ago, type was set by hand. Then presses took over. Eventually technology totally transformed the industry. Now online resources are threatening the existence of long-established and once very successful print organizations, some of whom have already vanished. According to one online site, “The news organizations that survive will move to a ‘digital first’ strategy with all deliberate speed.” (Source: “Fewer Daily Newspapers Deliver Daily” by Paul Gillin, January 12, 2012)
If your profession or industry is a seriously endangered species, you might need to look at a completely new career direction that will allow you to use at least some of the skills and talents you possess. On the other hand, if you can identify a way to spin off from your current career into one that more or less directly builds on what you have been doing, give it your best shot and see where it takes you. Just don’t negative-talk yourself into giving up too soon. In that situation, persistence (but not blind obstinacy) stands a decent chance of paying off for you.
