Feature Article: Making a Lateral Career Move: The Pros and Cons
Secondary Feature: Volunteering Can Open Doors to a New Career
Bonus Feature: Are You Sabotaging Your Career? A Quintessential Careers Quiz
Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue
Career Kick! A Column by Teena Rose
Latest Additions: What's New on Quintessential Careers
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search
Notes from the Editor: About this Issue...
Given summer's potential as a fruitful season for job searches, it's also a good time
to implement your plan to change careers, if that's in the cards. This issue offers
several takes on career change:
A look at lateral career moves by Dr. Randall S. Hansen
Sharon Reed Abboud's exploration of volunteering your way into a new career
Dr. Hansen's quiz scrutinizing career sabotage. Whether or not you change careers, you need
to determine if you're doing anything to throw your career off track.
Teena Rose's quick guide to changing careers at midlife.
--Katharine Hansen, Master Resume Writer, Credentialed Career Master,
Certified Electronic Career Coach, and editor at
kathy@quintcareers.com
Feature Article: Making a Lateral Career Move
Making a Lateral Career Move: The Pros and Cons
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
You have been working hard, tracking your accomplishments, and promoting your personal brand within your organization -- all
the right moves to obtaining that promotion you know you deserve. Instead of the promotion, however, your boss calls you in for a chat
and tells you that you are being talked about for a lateral position that just opened up, a position with the same or similar title and pay grade
but in a different part of the organization.
Or, perhaps it's you who has decided that for whatever reason you will not get promoted within your department -- but you love the
organization -- so you are considering a lateral move with what you hope will be more opportunities down the line.
Are you thinking about engaging the services of a professional writer for your resume, CV, cover letter,
thank-you letter, or other career-marketing correspondence? Before you take this step,
consider how a professional resume writer could benefit you.
Are you considering a career change to a job in the non-profit sector? Consider volunteering for a non-profit organization as your first step.
Volunteering enables the job-seeker to gain valuable professional experience and establish contacts in the new job field. It is an excellent
way to make a difference while advancing your own career objectives.
Career changers, recent college grads, and stay-at-home parents transitioning back into a paid career may want to consider volunteering
as a job-search strategy. Volunteering enables you to test out job environments without making a long-term commitment.
Learn more in our full article.
Bonus Article: Are You Sabotaging Your Career?
Are You Sabotaging Your Career? A Quintessential Careers Quiz
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
We all know someone like my father. A great man with good intentions -- maybe even a star contributor, someone who
takes on extra work and even ventures to the office on the weekend to test out some new ideas -- someone who can
definitely list many revenue-enhancing accomplishments on his resume.
Yet, even with all these positives, you know something is not quite right because it's the other folks in your office who get
the promotions, big bonuses, or high-profile assignments while you sit by quietly (or not so quietly) steaming.
What gives? An easy target is your boss - maybe s/he is envious of your successes, or maybe s/he is just a bad boss.
Maybe it's your co-workers. Perhaps they are envious of you and stabbing you in the back -- or perhaps you have
a bit too inflated view of yourself.
Career Voyages is the result of a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education.
Targeted at students, career changers, parents, and career advisors, the site is designed to provide information on
high growth, in-demand occupations along with the skills and education needed to attain those jobs.
Site sections include: High-growth industries, emerging industries, what's new, other in-demand occupations, career
videos, career compass (a mini-assessment to help you determine what career you want), links, document library, and links
to In Demand and Tools and Technology online magazines about various industries.
Whether in 40s, 50s, or beyond, you're probably feeling underemployed, overworked, or worse, you feel nothing
because you've been unemployed. You're tired of the daily grind; you're bored (or frightened); and you're wondering
where the future went. Many start with big dreams and wishes, but one day, we wake up wondering why we've accomplished nil.
A startling revelation also comes when learning we don't always have control over our careers, incomes, and job tasks. Outside
forces are pulling at us as if we're puppets on a string. Feeling overwhelmed? Frustrated? Join the club. Adding fuel are the
massive layoffs across the U.S. industrial sector, meaning that millions of white- and blue-collar workers are forced into rethinking
their career paths. Maybe you should, too, regardless of whether you see your reflection in the job-cutting ax.
The mindset of yesterday's workers isn't dominating the thoughts of today's. In many ways, today's workers are smarter, more resilient,
and aren't afraid to take risks. Changing careers once, or several times, is becoming a fast-growing new facet of today's employee.
Career Voyages --
a really great and informative career site, it's designed to provide information on high growth, in-demand occupations --
along with the skills and education needed to attain those jobs. It's a collaboration between the
U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education. No cost to job-seekers.
HiringTruckDrivers.com --
a great job site for truck drivers, where job-seekers can find information about types of truck driving jobs and
search for trucking companies by state. Each company listing includes list hiring areas, requirements, and
benefits -- with a link to apply for jobs. No cost to job-seekers.
UK Jobs Network --
an excellent source for UK job-seekers because it's an
umbrella site for a growing network of UK job web sites, where you can
search (by job title and location) or browse job listings, as well as follow links
to the best UK career web sites to post your CV. No-cost to job-seekers.
vietnamworks --
for job-seekers searching for jobs with leading international and local companies in Vietnam,
where job-seekers can search job listings (by category, location, date, keywords), post your resume, and
register for a job-search agent. Also includes career advice/resources.
The site can be viewed in Vietnamese or English. No cost to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest Additions section.
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Career change? You're in charge, according to a study of nearly 1,000 workers in 33 countries
by BlessingWhite, a global consulting firm based in Princeton. At least half of employees today are actively managing
their own careers, the study showed.
Asked if they actively manage their career based on clear, personal goals, 51 percent agreed or strongly agreed.
Moreover, 57 percent of participants do not expect their employer to provide a career path for them.
"This research demonstrates conclusively that today's employees are taking charge of their own careers," said
BlessingWhite CEO Christopher Rice. "After two decades of corporate cutbacks, downsizings and restructurings
the employer-employee contract has been redefined. Our study confirms that more employees fully realize
their own career is their own responsibility."
Among the study's other findings:
Four out of five employees do not think there is anything wrong with staying in the same job if they are able to try new
things or develop their skills.
A majority of the participants (52 percent) indicated that they are looking for work that is satisfying when they make a job change.
While 45 percent of study participants reported that that they know what they want their next job to be, only 22 percent
think that they know what their employer wants their next job to be.
Half of respondents (48 percent) believe they have decent career opportunities with their current employer, while more than
a third (39 percent) expect their next career move to take them elsewhere.
"Employee careers are being driven by pursuit of personal growth and work that is personally interesting or meaningful," said Rice.
"If individuals understand what matters to them, what they offer, and where they can make a positive difference, then there's a
greater likelihood of increased employee engagement and contribution to the bottom line."
The BlessingWhite "State of the Career Report 2007" is based on the participation of 976 employees in the U.S., Europe and the Pacific.
Of these, 57 percent have leadership responsibilities and 30 percent work in organizations employing more than 10,000 people. Thirty-three
countries were represented in the study, with 75 percent U.S.-based.
If you are considering changing careers, what might be the reasons to stay or go? Nearly eight out of 10 employees report overall satisfaction
with their current positions, says the 2007 Job Satisfaction Survey Report released by the Society for Human Resource Management
(SHRM). Compensation/pay, benefits, job security, flexibility to balance work/life issues and communication between employees
and senior management are the top five contributors to job satisfaction, according to employees. In fact, over the past four years, survey
respondents ranked benefits and compensation/pay as the top two aspects most important to their job satisfaction. In 2007, 59 percent
of employees each reported that benefits and compensation/pay were very important to their job satisfaction. Furthermore, employees aged
35 and younger and 36 to 55 consider compensation/pay rate the most important job-satisfaction factor. Employees aged 56 and older indicated
that feeling safe in their work environment was their top priority.
Another reason to change jobs/careers is poor fit with your employer. Everyone wants a job that suits his or her work style
and personality, but a recent survey shows it's no easy task -- for job-seekers or employers. Nearly half (46 percent) of administrative
professionals said they have, at one time or another, misread a work environment. Similarly, 59 percent of human resource (HR)
managers polled admitted having misjudged someone's fit for a role. The vast majority (85 percent) of these managers also said their
companies have lost an employee because he or she was not suited to the firm's work environment.
The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a staffing service specializing in placing highly skilled administrative professionals,
in collaboration with the International Association of Administrative Professionals and HR.com. More than 300 administrative professionals
and 400 HR managers took part in the study.
To help job applicants and hiring managers make the right match, OfficeTeam suggests asking the following questions
during the employment interview.
Job Seekers
What is it like to work at your company?
What skills and attributes are needed to be successful in this role?
What characteristics does your company value most in its employees?
How do you define success at your company?
How is good performance measured and rewarded?
Hiring Managers
What type of work environment brings out your best performance?
What type of work environment are you least likely to thrive in?
What did you like best/least about your last job and why?
Considering your greatest accomplishments in previous roles, what were the factors that allowed you to be successful?
If your school, organization, business or other
entity has a Web site, we welcome you to link to Quintessential Careers.
If you already have a link from your site, we want you to know we
appreciate it. If you don't have a link to us, please
send a request to your site's Webmaster to establish a
link to Quintessential Careers. Thanks so much!
For more details (including sample HTML copy), see our
Link to Us page.
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QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Office Politics
* Gossiping at the Office
* Defending Yourself at Work
* How to Transition Back to Work: A Guide for Stay-at-Home Parents
* Women as Breadwinners
* Maternity Leave
* Your Job Search IQ
* Jobs on the Cutting Edge
* First Impressions Quiz
* Be Ready for an Unexpected Job Interview
* Your Blog as a Resume?
* Font Facts: Resume Typography
* Resume Bullet Points: Before and After
* Social/Online Networking from the Recruiter's Perspective
* Salary Negotiation Mistakes to Avoid
* Use Your Resume to Negotiate a Higher Salary
* GLBT Job-search Issues
* The Value of Internships Abroad and Study Abroad
* Top 10 Fears of Job-seekers
* For Job-hunting Success, Develop a Detailed Job-Search Plan
* Keep Your Career Dreams Alive
* MBA Career Portfolios
* Pre-Hire Background/Credit Checks
* Financial Aid/Scholarship Timetable
* Build Confidence and Avoid Insecurity in Job Interviews
* Empty Nest Job-seekers
* Are You Sabotaging Your Job-Search/Career?
* Lifelong Networking
* Networking for the Shy
* Working Night Shifts/Odd Hours
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more...
