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.
Olga writes:
How much money do I ask for my first job? I am applying for a job in the printing business
in computer graphics or desktop publishing. I have a professional certificate education.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
You ask a great question, and it’s one where many job-seekers fall short.
Before applying for any job -- and most certainly before any job interview for the
position -- job-seekers must conduct a little research in salary and other
benefits and compensation.
And there is no reason not to do conduct research -- because there is so much
information available.
For general salary information, often times the best source is one of your industry’s
professional organizations -- because many of these groups conduct salary surveys
on a regular basis. Another source is your network within the industry; conduct your
own informal survey of professionals you know to gain knowledge about salaries, job
titles, career tracks, etc. Your school’s placement office (and teachers/professors)
should also have some basic salary information. And, of course, there are multiple
sources online (such as salary.com) that provide salary information by job title
AND location (factoring in cost-of-living).
For company-specific information, you may need to do a little more digging and
use a bit more finesse. Interestingly, some companies are putting salary information
on their corporate career centers. For other companies, you may need to have an
inside contact to get you the information.
Please remember two things, though. First, even though you are armed with all this
great salary information, you always want to push salary discussions to later job
interviews -- and certainly not on your first interview. You will lose negotiating power
if you disclose your requirements too soon. Second, always look beyond salary to
some of the other benefits ("perks") that the company offers, including things such
as vacation days, personal days, health insurance, life insurance, education
reimbursement, profit-sharing, retirement savings, etc.
One final piece of advice -- especially for first-time job-seekers -- never sound too
desperate and never accept just any job offer.
Mary writes:
When going on a job interview the interviewer asks the specific questions that you
are to answer and after answering all these questions the interviewer may ask if I
have any questions? What should be the questions that I ask so that I know if
this is the job for me, especially if I am changing jobs?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
You raise a great question here. While career experts often spend a lot of time
teaching job-seekers the art of selling themselves in a job interview, it is often
unsaid how important it is for the employer to also sell you on the opportunity…
and the importance of job-seekers to find an employer and a job that fits them well.
So, while it is always important for job-seekers to ask questions at a job interview --
because it shows the employer you are interested -- you should also have a plan for
asking the types of questions you need answered to provide you with enough information
to make such an important decision if a job offer should come your way.
With larger companies, more and more of this information is being placed on the
pages of their online career center, so be careful not to ask something that can easily be found.
Some types of questions you could ask to learn more about the company and the opportunity:
Can you discuss your take on the company’s corporate culture?
What are the company’s values?
How would you characterize the management philosophy of this organization? Of your department?
Does the organization support ongoing training and education for employees to stay current in their fields?
Why did you come to work here? What keeps you here?
Is there a formal process for advancement within the organization?
What are the traits and skills of people who are the most successful within the organization?
Annabel writes:
Hello. My name is Annabel, and I'm interested in a career in event planning. However, I’m
not totally sure what it’s about - besides planning meetings and such -- and what to study
in college and how to break into the field. Can you help me with this? Thank you.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Based on the number of questions I get about event planning, this field must
be one of the hot and trendy career paths for young adults. From what I understand,
more than $75 billion is spent annually on conducting meetings, conferences and
special events. Planning a meeting, conference or event for an organization or
business, whether for profit or not, is a complex process that involves much more
than facility selection, menu choices, and budgeting.
As an event planner, you may be in charge of organizing events that range from
small gatherings, to large banquets. Event planners need strong organizational
and inter-personal skills. Just about all types of companies and organizations
sponsor some types of special events - from trade shows and sales conferences
to fund-raising events. Event planning careers provide opportunities to be employed
by corporations, non-profits, clubs, hotels, cruise lines, convention centers - or even
running your own event planning business.
While there are some certificate programs available for event planners, I would
recommend a four-year business degree with an emphasis on marketing and hospitality
management.
You can gain experience by working part-time, interning, or volunteering with
organizations that do special events. Consider starting with a local catering company,
or perhaps a local non-profit that is gearing up for its annual fundraiser. Condcut
informational interviews with folks in all areas of the industry.
Seasoned verterans of event planning can also gain the designation of
Certified Meeting
Professional (CMP), from the Convention Industry Council.
Two industry magazines that you might want to review include Special Events Magazine
and Event Solutions Magazine.
Finally, here are a few event planning professional organizations:
Nancy writes:
Do you have any suggestions on how to explain/validate long periods of professional
work gaps in a resume? I am a "Stay at Home Mother" and need some convincing
and creative ways to describe this recent position on my resume.
I would appreciate any input.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
I know I risk the wrath of some of the women reading this column, but I
don’t really like to see resumes that under experience list something cute,
such as "Household Manager" or "Domestic Coordination Specialist," as job
title for women who stay at home to manage their households and parent
their children. Of course, with a traditional chronological resume, if you don’t
list something for when you stayed at home, you will have huge gaps between jobs.
So, you really have three options. First, you can take the approach listed
above and make your time at home a category under experience. And while
I realize there are many responsibilities involved -- I was fortunate enough to
be a stay-at-home dad for a few months a long, long time ago - I still don’t think,
from an employer’s prospective, that it qualifies to go in this section.
Second, you can reorganize your resume into a functional or hybrid resume that
is organized around skills clusters (such as communications, leadership,
organizational, etc.) rather than specific jobs and experience. Unfortunately, this
style of resume is a bit on the outs right now because employers fear you are
hiding something by taking this approach.
Third, you can look beyond your household and compile all the volunteering, freelancing,
or other part-time or educational experiences you may have had and use those to show
that you were still using and perfecting your skills.
Remember that the goal of your resume is to get your foot in the door -- to get you that
job interview -- and once in the interview, you can decide how to position yourself - your
experiences, skills, and accomplishments -- in order to sell the employer on your candidacy.
Learn more about mastering resumes by using one of more of the excellent resources
found in the Resume and CV Resources
section of Quintessential Careers.
