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.
Pete writes:
I have been reading your past columns on your website and would like to seek your advice.
I have a post-secondary education in business, with a major in accounting and am also a
designated accountant (i.e. CPA). After six years working in this field, I have done well in
all the positions I have held and always have high praise from my managers/co-workers,
but I find myself unhappy as most of the work does not interest me (i.e. either too easy
for me or too stressful). Do you think a career change is the answer to my problem?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
My cardinal rule of career coaching is if you are unhappy in your work, then
it is time to do something. If you don’t, the unhappiness will continue to
grow and spread not only to your job performance, but also to your personal life.
I think many of us are smart enough and talented enough to perform well in multiple
types of jobs and careers, the harder part is finding the ones that we’re both good
at and passionate about.
But before you consider changing careers entirely, since you have a fair amount
invested into accounting, perhaps you should first explore all options in your field.
It sounds like you have held jobs that are on opposite ends of the spectrum, and
that you might be happy in the middle somewhere. Explore your options. Do you
have a mentor? A former accounting professor? Solicit advice.
If you’ve been a reader of my column for any length, you know that I value people following
their bliss, their passion. By conducting some quality self-assessment, you may find
yourself looking at other careers that use your skills for numbers, but you also may
find that while you have a knack for numbers, that your passions lie elsewhere.
I’m also a big believer in everyone taking the time to have a “career weekend” annually,
where you can assess where you stand -- professionally and emotionally -- whether you
have achieved personal career goals you set in your prior retreat, as well as establish
new career goals for the year ahead. These goals can relate to any aspect of your career,
from establishing plans for getting a raise or promotion, changing jobs, changing careers,
going it by yourself (as an entrepreneur or consultant), or heading back to school.
And for those who need a little help with managing your careers, check out this latest quiz on
Quintessential Careers: Career
Activist Quiz.
Q:
Lindsey writes:
Hi Dr. Hansen.
I have a bunch of questions related to getting a raise. Is there a time of year that
is better for employees to approach their supervisors about a pay raise? If so,
will it benefit employees a great deal to wait until such time? How should I be
prepared for the meeting? What are some common mistakes workers make
when asking for a raise?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
The best time to ask for a raise is at your annual review, but you can certainly ask
for a meeting to discuss raises at any time… the ideal time, if you don’t have an
annual review, is at the end of an organization’s fiscal year as they are planning
for the next one -- so that they can incorporate your raise into that plan (and while
there is still money in the budget). Of course, if you just landed a major client,
saved the organization a ton of money, or otherwise had a major success… those
would be good times to ask for a raise too.
Employees need to remember that asking for a raise is like being on the job-hunt again.
No matter how good you are, no matter what your accomplishments since your last raise,
unless you can document and quantify your successes and accomplishments, you will
not get the raise you hope for.
Thus, the biggest mistake is not going into the raise meeting with a bulleted list of
accomplishments.
The second biggest mistake is thinking you will receive a big raise. Most employers go
by percentage increases, and those percentages are usually pretty low... so employees
should have realistic expectations for how much to expect.
Finally, you should have outside documentation, such as industry salary surveys, to
show how much you are underpaid compared to your peers. Never make requesting a
raise into a personal battle; keep it professional at all times.
Greg writes:
I’m a recent college graduate, took part of the summer off to travel, and am
now in the job market… and it is depressing, frustrating, and not what I
expected. There are just not that many job postings, and the ones I do
like and apply to, I rarely hear back anything. I have had two phone interviews.
Help!
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
I get worried, when I get letters such as yours, that we are not doing enough
as your professors to prepare you for the harsh reality of job-hunting. What
did you expect? That there would be five amazing employers waiting for your
return so they could all offer you a job? But hang in there, because
perseverance is critical
The reality is that the job market is still an employer’s market, meaning that
the employers still call the shots. And the Central Florida market is simply
a tough nut to crack.
That said, let me once again reiterate that the most successful job-seekers
will follow a three-prong job-search strategy.
The first prong is networking. Networking is all about having as many eyes and
ears seeking information on job openings for you. If you have a very small network
of family and friends, one of your most critical goals should be expanding your
network by conducting informational interviews, joining local professional
organizations, and attending job fairs.
The second prong is job postings. There are lots of places to find job postings,
and I would experiment with all of them until you get the right mix for you. Many
organizations post openings in the career/employment section of their Website.
There are numerous region-specific Websites (including newdpaper sites),
as well as industry/profession-specific job sites.
Finally, of course, there are some of the big, big national and international job
sites.
The third prong is a direct (cold call) sales pitch mailed or emailed to the hiring
managers at companies where you would like to work. Not many job-seekers
seem to take this approach any more. This strategy involves identifying a set
of organizations that appeal to you, tracking down the name (and proper spelling)
of the hiring managers, and then sending off a cover letter and resume package to
each of them.
Bottomline… you need to be doing multiple activities related to your job-search
every day so that you can get the interviews -- and job offers -- you desire.
You can find additional information and resources in the
Job Search 101
tutorial found on Quintessential Careers, which includes the 10
things you need to know and do to land your first job.
Q:
Cathy writes:
I am having difficulty answering the question "What are your career goals
and how do you see a career here meeting those goals?" I don’t even know
where to begin. Please help me!!!
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Everyone should have some career goals. Career goals relate to where
you see yourself in the next five to ten years, and it is through these
goals that many of us develop a career roadmap. Of course, many folks
-- like me -- have multiple career goals along with multiple careers!
If you have gotten along fine in your career without having any goals,
that’s okay too. I’m betting you probably had them somewhere, but just
never formalized them into something like what you’re being asked for
in this question.
Of course, in a job interview, you have to always remember that every
answer you give to every question asked MUST relate to the employer
and show your fit with the organization. Thus, in an interview, you have
to show how the job you have applied for will fit into -- and help you
advance your career goals.
Please note. If one of your career goals is something like to retire within
two years, I would not mention it. I am not suggesting you lie, I am
suggesting that you do not have to disclose all your career goals --
only the ones that are applicable to the job at hand.
