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.
Dr. Hansen writes this column on a biweekly basis. 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.
Anonymous writes:
Sorry to bother you, but can you tell me how I am supposed to find job leads on the Internet?
I am so frustrated right now about finding a job. Call me dazed and confused over this whole
thing.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
For most job-seekers, the Internet is just one of several tools you should be
using to find a new job. The Internet -- all the vast number of job sites -- offers
no guarantee of finding that perfect job. And many job-seekers spend way too
much time searching online than performing other activities that are much more
likely to lead to job leads and job interviews. For the very latest insights on this
topic, please read the 2006
Quintessential Careers Annual Report: New Twists and Turns Mark a Decade of Internet Job-Hunting.
Let’s start with the Internet. The best way to use this tool is for research. Yes,
it probably makes sense to post your resume on one or two of the major job boards,
including our own Quintessential Careers Job Portal,
as well as a few of the niche sites (industry-specific or
location-specific). It makes
more sense to go to the career centers of major companies and conduct research
there (as well as apply to jobs that interest you). Job-seekers can find a wealth of
information about organizations by spending a little time online. For more information,
read my article, Step-by-Step
Guide to Researching Companies.
Your most valuable tool of job-hunting, however, is still networking. Of course, you
can network both online and in person. Think of career networking as relationship
building. All you are doing when networking is making connections with people;
you are NOT asking people for jobs. Instead, you make connections and share information.
When you are actually job-hunting, some of the information shared will be job leads.
Network with your family, friends, former co-workers and bosses, and alumni and former
professors. You can also network with larger groups of people in community and religious
organizations, with professional groups and associations, and at social events.
There are also numerous social networking Internet sites. For more information,
check out these Key Career
Networking Resources for Job-Seekers, available on Quintessential Careers.
Finally, let’s not forget the old school, but still very viable, direct contact method
where you identify a set of employers, research their needs and obtain the name and
title of their hiring managers (not HR), and send them a directed cover letter and resume.
Michelle writes:
I recently declined a very attractive offer a few weeks ago. The salary was a substantial
increase along with the title. However, there was a significant reduction in company holidays
which led to my ultimate decision to decline. My current job allows for a lot of flexibility if
needed but my career options are limited.
After declining the offer, I've been second guessing it ever since. Is it to late to go back to the
offering company? What are your thoughts/suggestions? Am I wasting my time on something
I've already turned down?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
In marketing, we have a term called cognitive dissonance. It’s a sensation of unease
that consumers feel whenever they make a high-risk purchase and start second-guessing
their decision. And that’s what you are feeling now. You chose the safe option, to stay
with the boring and safe job with lots of flexibility over the great career move with more
time commitment.
I have to say, though, I have never heard of a job-seeker declining a job offer solely on the
number of company holidays. Perhaps you could have negotiated more vacation time,
which would have given you the same results in the long-run, but that’s a moot point now.
Before you contact the employer, though, make sure you do really want this offer.
I would say your chances are slim to none for receiving the offer again. You can certainly try,
especially if you were extremely polite and left the process on good terms. But by now, I am
sure the company has moved on to their next candidate -- even if they were gracious enough
to give you another offer.
You obviously are not totally happy in your current position, yet it obviously has some nice
benefits for you. Is there any way to approach your boss and see about carving out a new
position for you? Perhaps your boss does not even know that you are feeling so bored in your job.
Q:
Tiffany writes:
I was wondering if there is a way I could get help with like what career I want.
I want to know so I can take the class in high school that I need. I want to
really do something with kids like be a baby doctor so is there anyway you
can help me and find out what I need to do and I want to know like the salary
and how many years of college medical school and stuff?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Can I preface my answer with a mini-lecture? I think there is way too much
growing pressure on teens to choose careers while in high school. I mean,
at age 15 how can one truly know enough about oneself to choose a career
where you expect to be happy for the next 40 years? I deal with folks in their
40s and 50s who have still not discovered their true career passions!
So, it’s great to do as much self-discovery as possible, and it’s great to do
career research, but can we let teens be teens? And do we really need to
legislate that high schools force students to choose career tracks? Enough
already!
Lecture over. The best thing you can do is to begin exploring careers focusing
on children, such as pediatric medicine. Why not start with your own doctor?
See if you can conduct an informational interview and learn all about his/her job?
But there are also plenty of other jobs that deal with children, such as teachers,
social workers, librarians, counselors, and so many others.
If your research leads you to stay with pediatrics, know that you will have four years
of college and four years of medical school. And you need to be strong in the
sciences, get great grades (now and through college), have strong communications
skills, and score high on the medical school entrance exam. If you attend a college
with a strong pre-med program, they will offer you a lot of guidance.
Not that salary should be a deciding factor, but on average, according to the
Association of American Medical Colleges, doctors make about $160,000 annually.
For now, focus on taking math and science classes in high school and conducting
as much self-exploration and career research as possible.
Q:
Alice writes:
It's a great pleasure to read your articles on Quintessential Careers.
I have several questions about an average MBA program.
What is the average tuition for an MBA student?
How long is the payback time for students to re-coup their investment?
What is the placement rate for an average MBA compared to an average graduate students?
Do you have the information or would you please tell me where to find the information? Thanks.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
The value of the MBA degree ebbs and flows, partly with the economy, partly
with the supply of job-seekers with an MBA, partly with the demand for the
MBA credential, but I personally believe that for those job-seekers looking to
make the next step up the corporate ladder, it is an invaluable tool for success.
MBA tuition varies depending on the type of program you are seeking, but you
can expect to pay tens of thousands of dollars. If you’re lucky, you may have an
employer who is willing to pay for your MBA in exchange for some commitment to
stay with the company for a few years beyond the completion of the degree. In that
situation, you won’t have the costs, but you also will not see a big jump in salary.
The other option is to pay for the MBA on your own. If you have solid work experience
before completing the MBA, you should expect to see a decent bump in salary
(anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 or more) -- and recoup your tuition costs in one
or two years.
As for placement, it again depends on the MBA program. Some of the top schools
have quite a few recruiters who seek out those grads. In other programs, placement
is not so strong. It’s best to do your research and ask each program about its placement record.
