Readers:
Dr. Randall Hansen, a nationally recognized career expert, is the Career Doctor.
Discover more about Dr. Hansen, read about the purpose of this column,
and find previous issues of this column at the home of The Career Doctor.
If you have any college, career, or job-related questions or comments that Dr. Hansen could
provide valuable assistance with, please
feel free to email him at: careerdr@quintcareers.com.
Dr. Hansen writes this column on a biweekly basis.
Rob writes:
I've found your website to be an incredibly helpful resource. I'm a
systems administrator laid off -- and still searching to find a job a year later.
Your site repeatedly urges job seekers to call companies and ask for
interviews, and to make commitments to do so in cover letters. Does this
advice still apply in today's technical job market?
Aside from the large number of ads which clearly state "no calls," I'm finding
that most employers in my profession make it difficult or impossible to
ascertain contact information. Some companies don't even list a phone
number or address on their web site, meaning that more serious detective
work is needed to make contact. When one does make the call, the
response seems to always be a variation on "don't call us, we'll call you."
If you could address this situation on your site, I think it'd be most helpful
to job-seekers in my position. Thanks for your attention, and the
wonderful web site.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
The bottom line is this: yes, technology and the current job market make it
even easier for employers to toss all etiquette aside. Employers do not even
need to bother to acknowledge job-seekers. The better companies, of course,
still do...but their numbers are small.
When we say it's important to follow-up, we mean to follow-up. Employers
often say "no phone calls" because they don't want hundreds/thousands of
people calling them to apply for the job. That wording does not mean,
however, that a week or so after you have applied, that you cannot follow-up
to be sure they have received your application. "No calls" is only for the initial
contact, not follow-up.
Of course, the best solution is to have a network contact within the company
who can feed you information and help make your case for an interview...and
that's more and more where job-seeking has to go. Building contacts through
professional organizations to provide you with more information about potential
openings, as well as more company information and inside details that can
improve your chances for getting an interview and job offer.
You still need to be politely aggressive in this job market. You need to find
a way to break through barriers and make yourself known above the simple
database searches of keywords that many companies are indeed using --
especially technology companies.
Fearing being too aggressive or seen as impolite and not following up ALL
your job leads is simply bad job-hunting.
We also have a new article on Quintessential Careers,
10 Reality
Checks of Job-Hunting...and follow-up actually is so important it is two of the ten!
Q:
Layne writes:
I'm coming up to my 55th birthday and thinking about changing careers.
What kinds of things should I do as an older job seeker to increase my
chances of success?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Well, the first thing you need to decide is your new career. Because baby
boomers are expected to transform the image of older workers and retirement
age, you also need to give some thought as to how long you see yourself in
this new career -- 10 years, 20 years?
So, assuming you have given some thought to your career change, you first
need to transform your experience, skills, and accomplishments to fit your
new career field. If you have absolutely no experience in your new career field,
now is the time to freelance, volunteer, or temp -- to gain valuable experience in
your new career. It’s also time to transform your old resume and revamp it to
best fit your new career. You may need to build your resume around key
skills clusters that are in demand in your new career -- what we refer to as
transferable skills. You’ll also want to begin networking in your new career
by joining one or more professional associations -- and getting actively involved.
Once you’re ready to start interviewing for fulltime jobs in your new career,
the most important thing to remember - that many older workers are accused
of doing -- is not to sound rigid or unapproachable. Many older workers often
portray a “this is how it’s always been done and I know more than you
because I’m twice your age.” As you might guess, that kind of attitude
doesn’t really go over well. Be positive - and showcase your creativity
and flexibility.
Will writes:
I have a whole lot of experience, but not a tremendous amount of in any
one area. How could I narrow down my choices so I know what kind of job
to pursue? Also, what would be the best way to lay out my resume?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
There’s good news and bad news here. As employers continue to downsize
and have employees multitask by combining job functions, there is certainly
a need for job-seekers who have multiple talents and abilities. On the other
hand, job-seekers without a specific focus will rarely ever get a second look
from employers.
So, as you mention, your task is to find a way to parlay your years of
varied job experiences into some cohesive strategy that plays itself out
on your resume. You don’t want to be seen as someone who does not
know what you want to do, or one who gets easily bored.
What is it you want to do next? If you truly have no clue, take the time to
conduct some self-assessment. First, spend some time reviewing all your
experiences (work, hobby, etc.) and make two lists - one with activities you
enjoy and one with activities you never want to do again. You could also
consider taking one or more assessment tests, many of which you can find online.
Once you have a better picture of your likes and interests, the next step
is researching careers that closely match your profile. Take the time to
do this important career exploration. There are a lot of online and print
resources that can help you in this process. My favorite is the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Once you’ve identified a career path (or paths), the next step is finding
employers in that field - and developing a strategy for breaking into it. In
any job market, but especially in this job market, your key to success is
building a new network for your new career. Find and join professional
organizations in your new career field, use alumni networks to find
people in your new career field.
And learn more about networking in the The
Art of Networking section of Quintessential Careers.
And all sorts of great resume-writing tools can be found in the
Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Q:
Anonymous writes:
Here is the situation. I’m a former police officer who was recently (wrongly)
convicted of a white collar crime. (I’m still pissed about that.) Anyway, I have
a two year degree in business and have had about 3 years of previous
restaurant management experience before becoming an officer and about
3 years in the radio industry. First question, how do I answer this question
on an application, and secondly I really don’t know which way I can turn
career wise from this point.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Well, of course, you don’t need to broadcast that you have a record;
however, if asked, you not only need to come clean, but you need to
adjust your attitude. What’s the punch line to the joke -- something like
80 percent of people incarcerated in prison are innocent (or so they say).
Employers are often willing to work with someone who appears to have
learned from a past mistake, but are very leery of job-seekers who seem
to have learned nothing from the experience. And even if you are one of
the few innocent people convicted unjustly, no employer wants to hear it.
Once you’re ready to face the issue, discover the lesson you learned so
that you can have a positive spin on the conviction if and when it arises
during the job application/interview process. Just remember to not raise
the issue unless asked about it. But never lie about it, smooth it over,
or argue the conviction.
As for your career and where you go…that’s the next thing you need to
figure out. You obviously have a lot of valuable skills and experience, and
should be able to package that nicely in a resume once you determine
your career direction. Follow the strategies for researching careers that
I mentioned in my previous answer.
