Editor's Note: Job-hunting for the Under-represented
Not everyone gets a fair shake in job-hunting.
Finding a job is not easy for anyone, but
some folks face extra obstacles. Much of this
issue of QuintZine is dedicated to job-hunting
for the under-represented. Let's hope someday
special strategies for the under-represented won't
be necessary because everyone will get a fair shake.
Feature Article: Job-Seeking for the Differently-Abled
How can she talk to us if she's deaf?"
"There's not enough room in here for a wheelchair."
These fears and concerns are just a few of what
new QuintZine regular Contributor Maureen Crawford Hentz
describes as the
"Hidden Trap for Differently-Abled Job Seekers."
In her insightful article, Hentz suggests strategies that
the differently-abled can employ to effectively counterbalance
the hidden trap.
Quintessential Careers Site Award: HireDiversity.com
Declaring itself "the premier online service for
diversity career development and recruitment,"
HireDiversity.com
claims to "provide the highest quality services and networking
opportunities to clients while linking multicultural and
bilingual professionals with the fastest-growing,
most-profitable industry sectors both nationally and
internationally."
HireDiversity.com has "channels" for African-Americans,
Asian-Americans. Hispanics, disabled people, and women.
Visitors can post a resume and search jobs. The site also lists
Hot Companies, Who's Hiring, and Career Expos. It has a section
on government jobs and one on starting your own business.
Packed with lots of great information and resources,
these two volumes in Ferguson's Pathways to Career Success
series are quite helpful, if perhaps mis-titled. One's
career would seem to derive only peripheral benefits from
the resources offered in these hefty books. If we make
the natural assumption, however, that most successful
careers begin with college, perhaps we can make the leap
to the "career" portion of the titles. As suggested by
their subtitles, the guides provide abundant information
on colleges and college programs geared toward women and
minorities, as well as financial aid sources for these
under-represented groups. But work? Not exactly.
Jobing.com --
an employment site for jobs in Arizona, where job-seekers can search for jobs, post your
resume, research companies, and get career help. Free to job-seekers.
LatPro.com -- a leading
source for Spanish and Portuguese jobs, connecting job-seekers with recruiters and employers. Job-seekers
can search for jobs and post your resumes, or using a matching agent. Three levels of service, from a free service to a full
membership with extras.
StartupSeeker --
matches job-seekers who are looking for a management position in
technology, finance and operations, marketing, business development, and human resources
with a startup company with unique
employment opportunities at start-up companies. Free.
Find even more additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest
Additions section.
Anonymous writes: "I am a 27-year-old female student,
currently unenrolled, and looking for work. The problem
is that I haven't held a job in quite a long time,
since I was 17, and I really don't know what to say
when I'm asked what I've been doing, because I had some
trouble and had a brief hospital stay. What do you say
and how to respond without letting on my disability?"
Read Career Doctor
Randall S. Hansen's advice here.
Tim, a soon-to-be grad in life sciences, wants to know how to
go about getting a job in pharmaceutical sales.
Jay has been out of college for a year and is working for a
temporary agency. He's not happy with the work but doesn't
know what he wants to do. He wonders if there are assessments
he can take, particularly on the Web, that might give him
a clearer picture of career choices best suited to him.
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Time for diction lessons? Heavy regional accents have a
negative impact on hiring decisions, according to a
recent study by the University of North Texas, reported
by Taeyma Sapp in Business Week. After
listening to recordings of 10 men with college degrees
from various regions of the country reading the same
passage, 56 executive recruiters ranked candidates from
California and Minnesota as the most employable because
of their neutral accents. A New Jersey candidate with a
doctoral degree and a doctoral candidate from North
Georgia were ranked as the least employable.
Don't write off an employer just because
you get rejected for a job. That's the advice
of Kate Wendleton, founder of The Five
O' Clock Club, a career organization.
Writing in the advice column she co-authors
with Dale Dauten, Wendleton tells the story
of a candidate she didn't hire for an
accounting job. The candidate who was rejected
wrote Wendleton a note telling her how much he
still wanted to work for her company. A few
months later, he wrote again, reiterating
his desire to work for her. About seven months
hence, Wendleton needed to hire another
person. The rejected candidate who kept in touch
was at the top of her list; she didn't even
interview any new candidates. Just shows the
power of keeping your name and desire to work
for a company in the forefront of the employer's
mind.
A valuable resource for black women is
National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc.,
a nonprofit, volunteer organization involved
with community service, leadership develop and
enhancing career opportunities through networking
and programming. For information on NCBW chapters
and programs in your area, contact the national
headquarters at 212-947-2196, 38 West 32nd Street,
Suite 1610, New York, New York 10001-3816.
E-mail: NC100BW@aol.com.
See also the
Professional Women of Color (PWC),
a non-profit organization that provides workshops,
seminars, group discussions as well as networking
sessions to help women of color manage their personal
and professional lives. Contact PWC at: PO Box 5196,
New York, NY 10185, 212-714-7190.
Quintessential Careers: Our Latest Award!
"Congratulations! Your site has been awarded a Master of Content Award from NetMagick.Net.
When we came out with the Master of Content award, it was sites such as yours that we had in mind for recipients.
Quintessential Careers is a very well laid out site with outstanding additional resource links and is itself an
essential resource for those graduating college or seeking information on career choices. My daughter is currently
a college student and I'm going to send her to your site to start thinking ahead about her choices.
It is obvious the amount of time and effort you have placed into both your research and presentation. On behalf
of the judging panel for NetMagick.Net I want to thank you for the honor of asking us to review your site.
It was our pleasure!"
QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Pantsuits vs. skirtsuits for interviews
* Case-based and behavior-based interviews
* Online Assessments
* How a SWOT Analysis can help you market yourself
* Interviewing: It's more fun than you think
* Graduate school for working professionals
* Phone etiquette in the job hunt
* Guide to the company visit
* Letters of recommendation and references
* 10 questions to ask yourself if you still haven't found a job
* Completing a job application
* How to choose a college
* Changing Careers
* How to land an internship
* Temping
* How to make the most of an internship
* Build your career through volunteering
* Hot jobs for 2001
* Q&As with well-known career experts
. . . and much, much more!
Advertisements
RESUMES * JOB SEARCH CORRESPONDENCE FROM TRUSTED EXPERTS * COVER LETTERS
Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters is up and running,
providing quality job-search correspondence at some of
the lowest prices on the Web.
We create resumes,
cover letters, curriculum vitae, thank-you and
follow-up letters, and list-formatted documents,
such as salary histories and reference lists.
We also can provide critiques and makeovers of
your resume or cover letter. Credit cards accepted.
Check out Quintessential Resumes
and Cover Letters!
QuintZine
A publication of
Quintessential Careers
Publisher: Dr. Randall S. Hansen
Editor: Katharine Hansen
ISSN: 1528-9443
