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.
Mark writes:
I have a problem that is kind of work related, but more to do with my family.
I love my job and my company seems to really appreciate me. My problem is
that my wife complains that I am simply not home enough and calls me a
workaholic. She keeps making comments like, “I think you love your work more
than me.” That’s not true, but I have been known to forget some dinners and other
stuff when I am deeply involved in a project at work. I don’t know what to do. Any thoughts?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Because of a number of factors -- part societal, part financial, and part technological --
many people are working harder and longer than ever before. Add a longer commute for
some workers, and you have a situation where you could be away from home more than
you’re there… and that sounds like the situation you face.
But are you a workaholic? Loving your job and working hard at it does not make you a
workaholic. But when your job begins to consume you and becomes your main reason
for being, then you need to distance yourself from the situation and take a hard look
at yourself. You must strive for a balance between work and life.
How do you know if you’re a workaholic? If you find most of the following statements to
be true, then please seek help.
Just about all my friends are co-workers.
Most of my conversations, whether at home or at work, revolve around work-related issues.
I don’t have any interest nor time for hobbies.
I am working more hours than I ever have in the past.
If I do take vacation time, I always check in with my employer regularly.
My family complains that I never make time for them.
The more I work, the more money I make, and thus the better I can provide for my family.
I have not taken a sick day or personal day in years -- or ever.
I almost always take work home with me.
When I do spend time at home, I can usually be found in my home-office doing work.
Clarence writes:
Its been over 18 months since I last held a full-time job in the electronics field.
I have placed many, many resumes with employers. Many told me they have
hiring freezes, most have cut back and not hiring at all, and the rest are seeking
individuals with core experience. Also, I'm 50 years old. Question: Do I keep
taking the rejections in stride and keep placing resumes, hoping for a break.
Or, should I drop my field and try to get a loan to go back to school and start
over again at age 50!
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Of all the career fields, I think technology has been hardest hit during these last few years
when our economy has been struggling and some jobs moved overseas -- and the outlook
for the rest of 2004 is certainly weak at best.
According to a recent poll taken by Robert Half Technology, chief information officers
seemed cautious about their third quarter hiring expectations. Eight percent of executives
expect to add to their IT department while 3 percent anticipate cutbacks and 88 percent
plan to maintain existing levels. Additionally, 41 percent of those surveyed believe that the
most in-demand skill for IT workers is UNIX.
I know you did not plan to be out of work for 18 months -- no one ever expects a job hunt
to last too long -- but what have you been doing all this time (besides looking for a new job)?
Ideally, besides looking for a new job, you have been doing some consulting or gaining
some new skills and training. If you want to stay in the field, I would immediately get
working on both of these areas because employers don’t want to hire anyone -- especially
someone in the technology field -- who has been doing nothing for 18 months.
At your age, will you experience some age discrimination? It’s certainly possible,
especially in the technology field, but there are numerous things you can do on your
resume and in the interview to deflect some of it.
Are you too old to change careers? Not at all. In fact, there is growing evidence that the
baby boomers are going to totally transform the stereotypes of older workers and the
rules of career change later in life. Read the next Q&A for more on this topic.
Q:
Kate writes:
I'm new to your website, it's a great information source. Here’s my situation. I
have worked at the same company for the last 22 years. I'm 54 years old and
ready for a complete change in my life. I think I’m about to get a retirement
package and so I’m thinking of a change to something related to helping people.
I wouldn't mind going back to school. I don't know and I don't know where to
start or how to figure out what I want to do? Any suggestions who be greatly
appreciated. Help!!
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
I have enjoyed researching the baby boomers ever since I first worked at
People Magazine -- where this demographic group was thoroughly
loved. And, of course, I am a member of the cohort.
And now as boomers move toward retirement, many experts are predicting
that our current views of working and retirement will be totally revamped once
these folks put their mark on this next stage in their lives.
For many, retirement will indeed no longer signal the end of working, but more
so a career and lifestyle transition, where the retiree has multiple options --
such as continuing to work, returning to school for additional training or education,
becoming more involved in volunteer work, or simply enjoying leisure and travel
possibilities -- a mix of working, learning, relaxing, and trying new things.
Dr. Ken Dychtwald, author of Age Power, describes the transition between
working and retiring as middlescence, which he says occurs to people sometime
in their 50’s to 70’s. Middlescence is a time of growth and reinvention -- and this
the perfect time for you to consider a career change.
You can start planning for your next career stage by examining your likes and
dislikes, and strengths and weaknesses. Start researching various “helping”
careers. Conduct informational interviews. Consider talking with a career coach
or other career professional. Remember to take your time.
Cathy writes:
For the first time in 23 years, I am conducting a job search that includes the
Internet. I understand the importance of having a resume in text format to
submit where requested.
I am also hearing that most recruiters, employers, etc. prefer resumes now be
submitted electronically. Is this true? Maybe it's the old-fashioned marketer in
me, but my tendency is to search the web for jobs and then send my resume the
traditional way by mail so I can differentiate by different fonts, paper style,
appearance-related factors. Could this be working against me?
If so, even when I am asked to attach my resume as a Word document, I fear that
various PCs will alter formats, fonts and spacing -- so it's back to the plain Jane text,
or is it?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
While I totally agree with you about the power of print resumes, I have to sadly
state that their influence in job-hunting is definitely on the decline. Job-seekers
will still need these documents for job fairs, interviews, and a direct-mail campaign,
but because the Internet has so dramatically changed how we search and apply
for jobs, you know need to focus on having a text resume.
Employers want text resumes -- especially electronic versions (submitted online
or via email) -- because they can easily deposit every resume into a massive
database and then use keywords to search and find the resumes that most match
their needs.
Text resumes are almost completely void of any style -- and when printed, they
look pretty ugly.
So, not only are resume formats changing, but so is the content. As you work on
your electronic resume, you must be focused on keyword and keyword phrases
for your occupation and industry. Where we often avoided industry jargon in the
past, now we embrace it. Of course, accomplishments are still extremely important,
but you must now also try to phrase them the way you think a hiring manager
might conduct a resume database search.
One final thought, though. I always recommend -- when possible -- to follow-up an
emailed resume with a formatted resume sent through the mail. I think job-seekers
who use this combination approach have an edge over those who do not.
