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.
Jeffrey writes:
I had an interview on Jan. 9. Then, after the interview, I sent a thank-you letter on
Jan. 10. The hiring manager gave me some reply as follows: "Thanks for coming
and talking with us. I think the entire interviewing team was impressed with your
enthusiasm and that quality will certainly play a factor in our decision… As I
mentioned to you, we will likely be able to provide you more information about
your status soon.”
But so far, (until today) I have not received any more information from him. My
question is: When can I do "second-time" follow-up? I hope that he doesn't
think I am desperate. If I should send "second-time" follow up, what can I say
and how to say? Please advise.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
I think the new mantra for job-seekers -- until (or if) we see a vastly
different job market -- needs to be “patience, patience, patience.”
Many employers are taking their time filling job slots, perhaps saving
some money in the budget by not replacing someone so quickly,
perhaps to really take the time to find the ideal candidate for the open
position. Regardless of the reasons, for job-seekers, it means a
prolonged interview process, with longer waiting periods and greater anxiety.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that so far you have done
everything perfectly in seeking this job. It sounds as though you
interviewed well, you wrote an immediate thank-you letter, and you
even have gotten some feedback about how you did.
What’s your next step? Call the hiring manager -- starting today.
Since you were given no definite timetable as to when the employer is
going to fill the position, you should take the initiative and keep in contact.
You will not sound desperate -- you will sound interested -- if you do it
correctly. In your follow-up phone call, do not whine about how long its
taking to fill the position or that it is inconvenient to you or that you
really, really want the job. Instead, simply restate your interest in the
position, talk about your fit with the position, and stress how you are
ready to make an immediate contribution. If you have some news,
such as completion of more training or career development, share that as well.
Job-seekers must follow-up all job leads. Be aggressive and assertive,
but not rude, annoying, or sniveling.
Sarika writes:
I am thinking of a career change that will let me plan events or set
up for events. I have no experience in planning events; however, I do
have a great interest in it. How can I go about getting my foot in the
door -- or where can I go to get some basic experience. Obviously,
I'm thinking of small events at first (parties, bridal showers, etc.) but
I'm not sure where to turn w/no experience.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Congratulations because you are already about half way to a successful career
change. So many job-seekers know they want to change careers but have no
idea what they want to change into - and you have already looked at your
interests and determined that event planning is the new career for you.
The next step has to be for you to gather more information about the field,
to build your network of contacts, assess your skills and accomplishments
(to see how many will transfer from your current career to event-planning),
consider additional training/career development, and gain experience.
There are numerous print and online resources to gather information about
event-planning, but the best method (once you have a basic understanding
of the field) is conducting informational interviews with people working in jobs
you want to have. And not only will you learn vital inside information from
these interviews, you will also be establishing a network in your new career field.
You’ll need to read about transferable skills -- those skills that are universally
used -- to see what skills carry over from your current career. From your
informational interviews, you may also discover you need additional training/professional
development.
Finally, you’ll need to gain experience. I suggest -- if you are currently
employed -- volunteering with a few caterers and event planners in your area.
You’ll learn the ropes while gaining valuable experience and more network contacts.
You could also spread the word to your personal network of friends and family
that you are now an event planner and ready to tackle any job, regardless of how small.
Q:
Allison writes:
I thought I'd take a chance and see if I could have a question
answered that I didn't find addressed on your Quintessential
Careers Website. (Excellent site, by the way).
I am required to turn in a resume for a school district with whom
I am applying. I have been in the same type of position for 9 years,
doing relatively the same type of work (counseling). Since each of
the jobs I have held have virtually the same description, how do I
address that under the work experience?
I wondered if I should do a functional resume and bullet all the skills
I have acquired through the years and then just list the schools (or
districts) in which I have worked under the work experience.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Kudos first for planning in advance -- and for doing the research -- in regards to
your resume. Resumes are extremely important documents, and I am always
amazed at how many bad resumes I see - poor focus, too wordy, ugly/boring
appearance, with typos and misspellings. Resumes are one of the main tools
with which prospective employers judge you -- and help them decide whether
to call you for an interview.
The key element of resumes you are missing is that a resume is not some
statement of job duties or descriptions. A resume is about showing how you
took a job and made it your own -- and helped the employer in the process. A
resume highlights your key accomplishments in every job. And even when
you have held similar jobs over a long period, you should still have quantifiable
accomplishments in every position.
So, you certainly could make a functional resume, where the job-seeker chooses
about three broad functional skills areas, but what would you list under the
functional categories? Not job duties. But I think a standard chronological resume
would work fine for you as long as you take the time to sit back and examine
your accomplishments in each job.
Here are some Quintessential Careers resume resources that you may find useful:
Anonymous writes:
I have been in the information technology field for the last 13 years, because
of some weird circumstances I was sent to jail for the past 6 months and
now I'm out on parole. How do I get my career back on the right path?
How do I tell potential employers about my parole, but not hurt my
chances of landing the job.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Probably the most important three elements to your success are realistic
expectations, patience, and practice.
Be realistic. Unless your skills are in such high demand, don’t
expect employers to jump at giving you a second chance. The good news
for you is that your incarceration was for such a short time that your skills
and experience are current. It’s much harder for job-seekers who served
much longer jail terms to regain the edge in their former careers.
Have patience. It doesn’t help that today’s job market is still so bad,
and that information technology job-seekers without a record are facing
long job-searches. You may get lucky, but be prepared. And you might
take a look at smaller companies, which are often more flexible than
larger ones. But keep in mind that you may need to take a survival job,
switch careers, or get additional training or certifications before you land
another full-time professional job.
Practice your pitch. Remember that you never want to bring up your
record, but you must be prepared to explain it when it does arise. Use
mock interviews to practice explaining the facts behind your situation.
Be honest -- with yourself and the prospective employer -- and be sure to
focus on what you’ve learned and why it would never happen again .
I would also recommend reconnecting with your network of contacts, working
with a career counselor (perhaps from your former college), and working or
volunteering part-time to get new experience on your resume and dissolve
that 6-month gap of prison time.
