Editor's note: To fully comprehend the concept of career portfolios that Kimeldorf refers to in this interview, you may wish to read:
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Q: |
What do you feel is the most exciting or hopeful trend in job-hunting?
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| A: |
I think the temporary nature of employment in America has finally hit home.
This phenomenon has created a community of job-seekers that now really is
inclusive and helpful. This community now includes people who are unemployed
and the rest of us who are temporarily employed. As a result, more and more
people are willing to help their fellow job-seekers. Most of us are willing to help
people with informational interviews or with networking because we know we
might be job hunting next.
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| Q: |
The consensus among economists is that the economy is in a downturn -- perhaps
even a recession. How are you preparing your readers for tougher times?
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| A: |
In a temporary world of work think of yourself as a portable container of skills.
I favor this image because the word "portfolio" means a portable collection. I
invite people to adopt what I call a "portfolio mindset," which, briefly, means
making a portfolio, reading and studying those career books that make sense to you ...
then put it all into play! Don't wait by the keyboard or the phone -- go out and hit the bricks!
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| Q: |
A career counselor recently expressed concern that information about
careers and skills found in books of occupational codes and in literature
accompanying assessment-type instruments is very outdated. She
observed that many technical, highly skilled, 21st century careers
are just not listed in the resources career counselors use. On the
other hand, it has been reported that seven out of 10
jobs in the "new economy" are traditional rather than high-tech. The
highest proportion of Internet-related jobs are in sales and marketing,
at 33 percent. What is your view of the "new economy?"
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| A: |
Gosh the phrase "new economy" was first coined by Robert Weggman and others
almost 20 years ago. Know what, the new economy looks an awful lot like the old
economy. We are fond of putting up charts showing the rise in the number of jobs
for ____________ [fill in blank with current labor market trend, e.g., engineers,
web masters, programmers, etc]. But we rarely want to look at the charts
showing the rise in employment for custodians or housekeepers. Hmmmm ...
that's the old economy, but sadly, far more people are hired as custodians than Web designers.
Throw out the charts and occupational outlook books. Find out what you have a
passion for and develop your connection with that job through reading, 'Net-surfing,
emailing, interning, volunteering, and creating in that chosen field. Then
go looking for work and you'll find that your job search is really a search for
information and meaning. You'll also actually enjoy the search for the occupational
grail when the target is near your heart.
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Q: |
In what ways do you believe technology will continue to change job-seeking
and the career development field? Do your books talk about online
portfolios, especially given that you now publish all your books online?
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| A: |
Yes, my Career Portfolio Sampler at publishingonline.com contains samples
from employees in sheltered workshops, high school, community college,
and my own portfolio. Both books, Portfolio Power and Career
Portfolio Sampler contain advice about sending portfolios up online.
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Q: |
What's the biggest "reality check" your readers face once they
successfully make it into the workplace? What surprises them most?
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| A: |
That they or their supervisor might be gone within nine months. Therefore,
one should keep a portfolio documenting accomplishments and learning
on the job. You will profit from taking it to your next employee evaluation --
or your next interview -- whichever comes first.
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Q: |
Thinking "outside the box," what's the best way for job-seekers to figure
out what career will give them the greatest happiness? What techniques --
beyond assessments -- do you advise for really getting at a job-seeker's
career passion?
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| A: |
I think we often carry the answer deep inside, in a raw, unformed fashion.
Through brainstorming the soul, we allow the idea to surface. This brainstorm
can and should take multiple forms and connect with our different "intelligences"
or learning styles. Take paper-and-pencil tests, take online tests (but don't
give your actual email name, use an alias to avoid spam), talk to good
friends, partners and ex-employers. Research on the ‘Net, talk to strangers
in bars, attend career workshops or conferences. And do the hard thinking
and analysis, the kind you find in the exercises that go with [Richard Nelson
Bolles's classic] What Color Is Your Parachute? It will come to you
in the middle of the night, during a shower or bike ride, while doing
something totally unrelated ... it will surface.
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|
Q: |
What's the biggest mistake job-seekers make that your advice
could correct or prevent?
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| A: |
Relying on resumes, portfolios, or applications to get you a job.
These are only tools or servants of your job hunt.
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Q: |
What's the biggest myth about job-hunting?
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| A: |
That there is one best technique, one best book, one best job-hunt method,
one best expert. Go find a job and become your own expert in the process.
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Q: |
Obviously, you've written volumes on career portfolios, but briefly, why are they such a powerful tool?
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| A: |
Marshall McLuhan wrote insightfully, "The medium is the message." If you want to
be a job seeker in this new millennium then use a visual medium, a portfolio.
A resume is from the last millennium. Both resumes and portfolios will help
you focus your job search and provide you with the language you need
during networking and interviewing. But please take a portfolio to the job interview.
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|
Q: |
We love the idea of career portfolios, but we've often wondered
exactly how one gets an employer to pay attention to them. Anytime we've
taken something resembling a portfolio to an interview, the employer flipped
through it for about five seconds, showing minimal interest. How does one
go about introducing the concept to the employer and getting the
employer to take notice?
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| A: |
Well, I have a hard time with the above observation because I have personal
experience and so many anecdotal stories supporting the opposite: people
bored during an interview glom onto a visual statement of your worth. Bring the
portfolio and when they ask you about a skill or competency that is also illustrated
in the portfolio, simply say, "Two years ago I was in charge of just such a project.
In fact, I have a sample of it here in my portfolio. Would you like to see it?"
I've never heard anyone say, "no" to that question. And if they did, I might not
want to work for them.
I might also point out that most employers ask for resumes, and everyone
tends to write them. Many studies have shown that employers don't believe
most of what they read in resumes. In fact, some experts believe that most
resumes rarely get read, few get read by hiring authorities until just before
the person enters the interview, and only a very few get read and pondered
well in advance of the interview. Yet we all dutifully show up at the interview
with resumes in hand. I think we therefore can do no less than take a
portfolio to the interview. If I had to place my money on which one will
get seen at the interview I'm putting my pile of blue chips on the portfolio.
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Martin Kimeldorf is a teacher and writer in the Pacific Northwest. He writes about
many topics such as intergenerational volunteering, bicycling, cooking, leisure
wellness, Internet research techniques, portfolios, and a host of other topics
found at
.
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