Career Doctor: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips #1

Career Doctor Q-TIPS #1:
Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips

These tips have been gathered from job-seeker Q&A's with the Career Doctor, Dr. Randall Hansen. For more information, go to The Career Doctor.

If you're just starting your career and don't know quite what you want to do, take a look at your strengths and weaknesses. Take a look at the classes you liked in school and at the things you like doing in your spare time - hobbies, activities, etc. Also take a look at the jobs you've had. Was there anything about them that you liked? Then take a look at the classes you did not like in high school and at the jobs you've had and why you haven't liked them. From these exercises, you should have an idea of things you like and dislike doing -- and probably things you're good at and things you're not so good at.

Second, go to the Career Assessments section of Quintessential Careers. These assessments are designed to help you further discover the things you like and dislike and to suggest what types of jobs and skills sets may be best for you. Third, reflect on these first two steps and see if you can see a direction for your next job/career search.

Remember that jobs and careers are ever evolving, so any path you take is likely to change -- and the best thing you can do is keep growing, learning, preparing for that change. No choice you make today is irreversible - you have plenty of time to discover what you really want to accomplish in your life.

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Are you a high-school student stressing over what to major in when you get to college? It's great to be thinking, contemplating, and exploring, but don't stress too much over the decision just yet!

Enjoy the rest of high school! Choosing a career is a journey, and certainly not something you have to decide right away. If you really want to get a leg up, check out the six-step process that may help you think more about your career and a college major in our article, Choosing a College Major: How to Chart Your Ideal Path.

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If you've been job-hunting for awhile without success, maybe you lack a job-hunting strategy. It takes a coordinated effort to get a job. First, take a deep breath and relax. Stress and frustration -- even when we are doing our best to cover it -- shines like a big red blinking light that turns away employers. You need to exude confidence and a positive attitude.

Take a look at our article, Ten Questions to Ask Yourself if You Still Haven't Found a Job. Second, what kind of job are you looking for? What have you done previously and gotten bored with? What skill sets do you offer potential employers?

Finally, remember that looking for a job is full-time work, and there is no set timetable for how long it will take.

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Don't put all your job-hunting eggs in the Internet basket. Job-hunting on the Net should be only a small part of your job search, as should chasing want ads. Spend the bulk of your time is identifying employer prospects and designing a direct-mail and networking plan to help you land a job in one of the companies.

Network with former coworkers and other professionals in your field. Read our article, Networking Your Way to a New Job. And to maximize your Internet job-hunting experience, try our tutorial: A Guide to Jobhunting on the Internet.

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Ever wonder why employers require probationary periods? Not all employers require them, but many do. These periods usually last from three to six months, and are designed to legally protect the employer but can also benefit the employee. These probationary periods -- to be fair -- should apply to all new employees. Depending on the language, employers can terminate an employee during this probationary period without reason and without notice with input from human resources for up to three months.

How can you avoid getting terminated during this process? Do your job! Showcase your skills and abilities and prove yourself invaluable to your supervisor and to the company. One of the benefits of most probationary policies is that you get at least one detailed evaluation -- designed to help you understand how you are doing -- and assuming the evaluation is positive, you may be able to use it to get new job responsibilities or a pay raise -- or both.

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If you'd like to do contract, consulting, or freelance work, don't focus all your efforts on recruiters. Unless they specialize in placing consultants, they should be a very low priority. Your best bet for building a client base is your network of personal and professional contacts. These people know and respect you -- and they may be potential clients or may be able to refer you to others in their network who may be potential clients.

Other potential sources of clients include past employers, professional associations, civic and community associations, and specialized "free agent" Web sites. You can find more specific information about finding clients, as well as explanations about the ins and outs of consulting in our article, The Word is Out: Becoming a Free Agent is a Hot Career Path.

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Worried about the effects holding a job will have on your teenage children? Just about all the research supports the idea that part-time employment for teens can be very beneficial in building important time-management and life skills. These part-time jobs help teens experience and prepare for the workplace, build a sense of self-worth and pride, build and strengthen money management skills, and develop key project-management skills.

As long as their grades or social lives do not suffer, these part-time jobs all seem like great experiences for young people. Make sure your children know that you expect school to come first and that any sign of weakening grades may result in the loss of their jobs.

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Career-changers need a strategy. Because very few companies are willing to train workers from scratch in a totally new career field, you may need training to move into a new career. It's very hard to go immediately from one field to another without first gaining new credentials in the form of education, training, and experience.

Try developing a short-term plan for yourself that includes continuing in your current career while taking classes in your desired new field. Once you've mastered the skills, you may want to work or volunteer part-time in the new career so you can build a portfolio of your skills and abilities. Then go after a full-time position. For more information and resources, read our The 10-Step Plan to Career Change.

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What's the best way to negotiate for a higher beginning salary? It's a bit of a cliche, but the key to successful salary negotiation is information. If you know the industry going rate, the salary range for the position you're seeking, and are prepared to state your case for a higher salary when the offer is made, you will be in great shape to get a higher starting salary. Even in a good employment market, some companies do not negotiate salary; so even when you have all the information, you still might not be able to negotiate a higher salary.

For links to a helpful salary negotiation tutorial and other salary resources, go to Quintessential Careers: Salary Negotiation Tools.

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How can you schedule job interviews when you work all day? Try to schedule your interviews for "after hours." Truly interested prospective employers will be willing to schedule interviews then.

You can also try lunchtime interviews, though those often don't work well for either party. You might also take a few personal days and try to pack several interviews into those days. If you have a good relationship with your supervisor, you might consider talking with him or her about putting some flexibility in your schedule to allow you to take the time for interviews.

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Does it really matter what you majored in during college when looking for a job? In many cases, no. The important thing is getting the degree. So, while some jobs may be a better fit for your major, your potential job prospects are endless. If you haven't found a job that interests you, consider talking to some of your old professors. Sit down and think about what you really like doing the most. What are the aspects of your major that really excited you? What are your strengths?

You can also get some ideas by going to Quintessential Careers: Career Exploration, where you can find links to some great resources about choosing a career.

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What if your resume is working well to get you interviews, but you never seem to get a job offer? Ask yourself these questions: Did I write thank you letters after each interview? Did I follow up with the employer rather than waiting to hear back? Was I as proactive as I could be?

Contact one of the employers that did not offer you the job and ask if they would be willing to discuss why you did not get an offer. Most probably won't tell you, but perhaps you'll get lucky, and one will be honest with you.

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Deciding to go to graduate school is a serious decision -- perhaps an even bigger decision than when you first chose to attend college. Many factors will figure into your decision: Will your career be better with a graduate degree; will the graduate degree allow you to redirect your career; what graduate school and what graduate program/degree is best for your career choice; will you attend full-time or part-time; will your current employer pay for all or part of your graduate costs; will you stay with your current employer during graduate school and/or once you get the graduate degree; what is the best time (if any) to make this decision.

You can find a discussion of some of these issues in our article Tips for Working Professionals in Search of Advanced Degrees.

Also, seek out a mentor in your field. Talk with the placement office of the grad program you are considering and ask about placement for people in your situation. You might also try to make contact with people doing the job you want to do and conduct informational interviews with them.

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On a job application, don't confuse a request for your supervisor's name with a request for references. Even if you had a poor relationship with a former supervisor who you know won't say good things about you, be honest on your application and put your direct supervisor's name down. But, by all means, do not use that person as a reference if he or she is not going to say anything good about your work performance. And don't leave that part blank on your application -- that will only draw attention to the absence.

Remember that job-hunting is all about marketing yourself -- you are the product and you need to put the best polish on the product. Do not offer any negative information. Your goal should be to get a job offer, so keep that focus in mind. And if, during the interview, the interviewer asks why your current boss is not one of your references, simply state that the you feel the people on your reference list can do a better job of discussing all your unique qualifications.

Don't ever say that you are having problems with your current boss -- and certainly NEVER say anything negative about your current (or former) boss. Stick to the truth; don't ever lie.

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If you've interviewed with an employer but haven't heard anything by the time you expected to, follow up. Don't start calling every day, but get on that phone and show your interest in the job, using the chance to make a statement that you are the best qualified for the position. The squeaky wheel theory -- as long as you don't get annoying or abusive -- really works. By calling and showing interest in the position, you are showingyour commitment to wanting the job.

Follow-up is extremely important in job-hunting, and job-seekers must take initiative! And before you even think about making follow-up calls, be sure you've sent a thank-you letter or note following the interview. You cannot wait for the prospective employer to call you back; be proactive and aggressively pursue the job by calling the person who interviewed you and asking them about the status of the job search and what you should expect next. If you wait for the potential employer to call you back, you will likely miss out on some great job offers.

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Should you refuse a job because you are waiting for an offer from an employer you like more? Be careful about making decisions too hastily or burning bridges too quickly. Too many job-seekers have been sure they would get a better offer from a better company and have turned down perfectly acceptable offers -- only to never receive another offer.

So, if you're sure you would not want the first job you're offered, send a letter turning it down gracefully -- while keeping the door open for future possibilities. But, if you're not sure, try to stall for more time and/or more job offers.

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Before you consider changing careers, pinpoint why you want to make a career change. Are you burnt out with your current career? What don't you like about your current career? Once you've identified these dislikes, spend time examining what you like to do -- not just in your current job, but in your spare time, at home, etc. Examining your dislikes and likes is just the first step of making a career change.

You can read the other nine steps in our article, The 10-Step Plan to Career Change.

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Interested in a career in the advertising field? The advertising industry is an exciting and dynamic industry, where lower-level employees often work long hours for lower-than-average pay. The two major paths in advertising are the creative side (art, copy-writing) or the management side (sales, account planning). You can work in advertising on the client side (the advertisers) or on the agency side.

A great source of information and resources is the Advertising Educational Foundation. Another great site is Advertising World, from the Advertising Department at the University of Texas. Finally, you can find some good information at the U.S. Department of Labor's Career Guide to Industries - Advertising.

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It's that age-old job-hunting conundrum: How can you gain the "real-world" experience employers are looking for when they won't give you a job that would enable you to get the experience? College students can ward off this dilemma by working in internships or co-ops while in school.

Employers are looking for college grads who not only have the academic knowledge, but also have some real-world experience. If you don't have experience directly in your preferred career field but have work, volunteer, and/or extracurricular experience, you can develop a functional resume focusing on some of your key technical and transferable skills. Read more about how to write such a resume and use these skills in our article: Should You Consider a Functional Resume?

To get experience in your field, assuming you are supporting yourself with some kind of job, volunteer your applicable services to a local non-profit organization, such as a cultural arts center, museum, theatre company, etc. These groups never have the money to hire a professional, and you can add the experience to your resume.

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One of the best sources of information about careers and jobs, including working conditions, education and training, salary, and much more can be found in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. You can browse the entire document, or search by keywords.

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One of the best ways to start thinking about what you would want to do in a career is to first do some self-analysis. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Make a list of the things you're good at doing. Them make a list of the activities you enjoy. What are the types of activities you like doing? Once you've completed these analyses, proceed to one or more of the assessments we describe at Quintessential Careers: Career Assessments. Our favorites include the Kiersey and Ansir scales.

Next, once you've discovered a few career possibilities, go to the Occupational Outlook Handbook and/or one of the general job sites and do a search to get a feel for the types of jobs in that career field.

Finally, talk with people in your network -- family, friends, teachers, colleagues, etc. -- and ask them if they know of people in the type of careers you're thinking about so you can get some firsthand information about careers in that field.

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We've known plenty of students who are pursuing an MBA but don't know why or what they are going to do with it once they earn it. If you think you might fit that description, check out our Job Resources for MBAs, where we have gathered the best job, career development, and networking sites for MBA candidates and grads.

Be aware also that one of the toughest sells on the job market is an MBA with no experience. Because of the degree, the employer is somewhat obligated to pay the person more than a job-seeker with a bachelor's degree, but if the job-seeker with the bachelor's degree has more experience than the one with the MBA, guess which one the employer will hire?

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Most studies show that people with a college education make a much higher income than those with just a high school diploma. Our College Planning Resources for Teens has articles about choosing a college, strategies for visiting colleges, and choosing a college major -- as well as links to the best college-related sites for teens.

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Worried about confidentiality when you post your resume online? There certainly is validity to wanting to be discreet about job-hunting when you are currently employed. You wouldn't want your current employer to do a search for a position and get your resume from one of these job sites. The good news is that many job boards now offer you a confidentiality option -- thus your resume is still out there getting viewed, but you control who actually knows it is your resume. A few other job sites even allow you to block your resume from going to certain companies, thus allowing no chance that your current employer will see your resume.

You can find a list of our top 10 job sites in The Top 10 Job Web Sites. And to maximize your Internet job-hunting experience, try our tutorial on Job-hunting on the Internet.

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If you feel you don't have the grades to apply to a four-year university, consider a community college. Students who attend community colleges usually follow one of two routes: Either they go into a career that requires only an associate's degree or certification -- or they use their associate's degree as a stepping stone to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a bachelor's degree.

You can find a wealth of information about community colleges at the American Association of Community Colleges site, including the Top 10 Community College Associate Degrees & Certificates. Poor grades in high school do not have to stop you from achieving your dreams. Going to community college and developing good study habits and getting good grades can be a springboard to take you to great heights -- whatever those heights might be!

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If you've ever left an interview with confidence that you would get an offer but instead received a rejection letter, review this list: Think back to the interview. First, why did you feel so confident? Was it rapport? Was it the answers you gave to the interview questions? Second, were you interviewing with the human resources department or a hiring manager? Were you getting a courtesy interview, or were you being screened for the next round of interviews? Third, think back to your body language and other nonverbal cues (such as how you were dressed, hand gestures, eye contact, etc.) -- were you sending the right message?

Did you do any kind of follow-up after the interviews? Did you send thank you notes/letters to all those who interviewed you? Did you call the people who interviewed you and ask them about the next step in the process? Were you proactive or reactive in your approach? Do you have something in your background that could hurt you? How are your references? Do you have bad credit or other personal problems? (There are services that run background checks for you and give you the results -- for a fee.)

In job-hunting, you cannot wait for things to happen to you -- you need to aggressively pursue the job/career opportunities that interest you.

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Writing a thank-you note or letter is such a small gesture -- and such an easy task -- and yet many job-seekers don't do it. By doing so, you will help differentiate yourself from others, and that small gesture might be just enough to give you the edge to get the job offer. You should send a thank-you to every person you interview with -- make sure you get the proper spelling of their names and their titles. The content can be quite simple -- from thanking the person for taking the time to interview you -- to quite a bit longer -- if you want to reinforce or highlight positive aspects of the interview.

Read our article, FAQs About Thank You Letters. Besides some great advice, the article also includes links to some great sample thank you letters.

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If you went back to school to prepare for a career very different from the one you were in before returning to college, you'll probably need to build a resume around both your recent degree and the transferable skills from your previous experiences (work and school).

Examine the skills that employers in your new field are looking for in job candidates and consider whether you demonstrated some of those skills in your previous jobs -- regardless of the field. You can read more about how to do this analysis by going to Strategic Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique.

Then rebuild your resume around those skills, most likely in a functional resume. You can find the best sources of information at Quintessential Careers: Resume Resources.

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Is your job search limited to sending out resumes? If that's all you're doing, and you're not getting results, ask yourself these questions: Are you calling those companies where you sent your resumes and asking for an interview? You cannot wait by the phone expecting these employers to call you -- you need to be proactive and call them!

Are you taking advantage of your network of friends, colleagues, and family by trying to get job leads from them? Are you using the career services office of your college/alma mater? The alumni network of your college? Are you looking online for jobs?

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If you're in the market for a good executive search firm, check out one of our favorite resources on the Web to find recruiter, Oya's Directory of Recruiters, with recruiters organized by specialty and by location. It's an extremely useful service.

You can also try the National Association of Executive Recruiters, where you can also search by specialty and location. Offline sources of recruiters include your network of friends and colleagues (especially those with personal experience), your industry's professional association(s), and even a phone book or chamber of commerce directory.

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If you're asked in a job interview why you are looking for a new job, remember that job-hunting is all about marketing yourself -- best positioning your experiences, education, and skills to convince a potential employer you have what it takes to help the company succeed, to enhance the company's success.

Preparation is a critical success factor. One answer you don't want to give to is that you deserve to be paid more. The best way to answer the question about why you seek a new position is to state that you have accomplished all your goals with your current position and that you are looking for a new challenge. This answer is even better if you can say that you've mastered one or more new skills (or furthered your education), and thus seek more responsibilities and new challenges. The key to this response is how you express it more than what you say -- interviewers will try to interpret your body language.

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Here are some tips regarding reference lists:

Never put references on your resume. Make a list on a separate sheet of paper that matches your resume (and cover letter).
Never include references with your resume and cover letter, unless specifically requested the prospective employer.
Choose people who know you professionally and can speak well of your skills, abilities, and accomplishments. Always list your strongest reference first.
Make sure you ask people if they mind serving as a reference for you -- and then contact them again when you think they may be contacted by a potential employer.
Try to use people who know you professionally, but if you are a recent college graduate or are returning to the workforce, you can list a personal (character) reference.
Make sure you completely identify each reference, including name, title, company, address, phone number, e-mail address.

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The resume of choice for most career-changers is a functional resume, which is organized around skills clusters. Examine the skills you've acquired through all your experiences and determine which ones are best transferable to your new career.

We usually talk of transferable skills as falling into five major categories: communications; research and planning; human relations; organization, management, and leadership; and work survival. The key is identifying those key skills. Read our article, Strategic Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique.

Once you've analyzed your transferable skills, the next step is the development of your functional resume. A good article, including links to some sample functional resumes, is: Should You Consider a Functional Resume?

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To find out what your job is worth on the job market, check out some of the salary sites at Quintessential Careers: Salary Negotiation Tools. Which are the best? It totally depends on your industry, since some salary information is more readily available than others.

Our all-time favorite salary site is Salary.com, which provides information gathered through the compilation of proprietary research and published reports. The site's "Salary Wizard" enables users to research salary ranges for thousands of job titles in a comprehensive set of career fields, sorted by occupation and region. And it's all free.

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If you're a college student unsure if your chosen field is right for you, do one or more internships in the field. Do some networking with people in the field you've chosen. Learning more about their responsibilities and duties, as well as their backgrounds, should give you more of a feel for the types of jobs in the field -- and possibly even land you an internship in their office. See if your major's department has internship listings. Also go to your career services office and see if they have any leads on internships in your field.

Look for internships on the Web. Check out Quintessential Careers: College Internship Resources, where we list the best internship sites on the Web.

Then read our article on strategies for making the most of internships.

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The one rule of job-hunting that no one ever talks about enough is the need to be proactive. You can send out tons of resumes and cover letters, post your resume online, and apply to job postings, but you won't get as many interviews (and, in turn, job offers) if you wait for the employers to call you.

Job-seekers need to be aggressive in finding a job; it is not a passive activity. Call all those companies to which you have sent your resume and ask about the status of filling those positions. Of course, one of the other rules of job-hunting is that the best way to find a job is through networking, not just sending out resumes or posting your resume on job boards.

Get our book about networking from your library or your favorite bookstore. It's called A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market (Ten Speed).

You can also visit the networking section of Quintessential Careers.

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When potential employers ask for a salary history is a lot trickier than you might think. First, there's a strategy involved. Second, there's a technique involved.

First, the strategy. You have to know going into these types of employment ads that employers are using your salary history as a screening device, often to screen out candidates who make more money than they are offering. Employers also ask for salary histories because it gives them an edge in negotiating a job offer (if it comes to that) because they hold all the cards -- that is, they have all the information and you have limited information. Decide how best to use some strategy of your own, realizing that if you ignore the request, you may not even get a shot at the interview.

Second, the technique. Never put salary information on your resume or cover letter. Why waste valuable space on these key marketing documents? Instead, make a separate salary/employment history page (using the same style as on your cover letter and resume). You certainly don't want to lie on this sheet, but you can control the information. For example, if you were in sales, you may have had a salary, commissions, and bonuses. You control how much information you disclose.

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To find part-time jobs that you can perform from home, you need a plan and a strategy. You can find employers willing to hire professionals part-time, but you might instead consider the route of freelancer/consultant.

You can get freelance jobs through networking with current and former employers, friends and associates, etc. You may need to change the focus of your resume and your pitch, but many companies outsource work. You can also post your specialty and review work proposals at several freelance sites, such as Guru.com, eLance.com, Ants.com, and more. All of these sites (with descriptions) can be found at Quintessential Careers: Jobs for Consultants & Freelancers.

Read more tips from the Career Doctor in Career Doctor: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips #2.

Review all our Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips.

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

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Career Doctor Q-TIPS #1: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips

These tips have been gathered from job-seeker Q&A's with the Career Doctor, Dr. Randall Hansen. For more information, go to The Career Doctor.

Review all our Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips.

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

Career Doctor Q-TIPS #1:
Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips