Career Doctor: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips #6

Career Doctor Q-TIPS #6:
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.

Wondering about the protocol for including salary history with resumes? NEVER send a salary history with your resume and NEVER list salary history information on your resume. Employers use salary history for a variety of reasons. They want to see if your current salary is beyond the salary range for the position you are seeking, if you have made steady progress on salary in previous positions, and to gain the edge in salary negotiations -- since they will have all your information and you will have very little of theirs. For information dealing with this issue, see the Quintessential Careers Salary Negotiation Tutorial. Here's where you can find other salary negotiation resources.

Go to the next tip.

Career changing is a big step. Career-changers may want to read The 10-Step Plan to Career Change. Assuming there will be career opportunities in the area into which you've chosen to transition, the next step is determining where and what type of education or training you will need. Once you've determined your educational requirements, try to get experience in your new field while getting that education -- even if it's volunteer work -- just get the experience.

Go to the next tip.

For psychology majors with an interest in business, the list of job possibilities is almost endless. Business many psychological theories, from management to marketing. Quintessential Careers Career Exploration, such as Ashland University's What Can I do with a Major in .... ? and click on "psychology" to download a .pdf document. These sites will give you a broad range of jobs and career paths. Also, get some experience. You can get an internship in an area of business that interests you. The internship will help solidify your decision about a career in business and will give you the much needed experience that most employers are looking for -- even from recent college graduates.

Go to the next tip.

If a company has a "business casual" dress code, should a man still wear a nice suit to an interview there? How to dress for interviews continues to be a complex area as more companies adopt business casual dress codes. The rule of thumb is that you never want to dress below the dress code when interviewing, but dressing too far above it can also be risky, possibly signalling that the person doesn't fit into the culture of the organization -- and fit is a big issue. Try to fit the part. Find out more about the dress code of the executive staff. Do they always dress casually, or just on certain days? Is the dress code different when working internally than when dealing with external clients? For some general attire advice, go to Dress for Success for Men.

Go to the next tip.

Ever get asked a question in a job interview that doesn't seem to have anything to do with the job? "Whom do you admire most and why?" is an example. We call this type of question a "wild card" or "off-the-wall" question, which is meant to see how well you think on your feet and whether you will get flustered. While you can prepare for most of the standard interview questions, these wild-card questions can catch even the experienced interviewee off guard; thus, the key is to not allow yourself to get rattled by it. Keep in mind that there really are no wrong answers, but some answers are better than others.

As with all interview answers, it's best to answer in a way that helps you state your case that you are the right person for the position. The answer to the "most admired person" question, for example, could be a famous leader, enabling you to discuss the value of leadership and the leadership traits you have; or perhaps a famous businessperson, allowing you to cite the value of business acumen and your key business skills; or perhaps an athlete, opening the door to talking about the value of teamwork and your experiences as a team player. For interview prep, check out this article Types of Job Interviews, which looks at the common aspects of all job interviews and then takes you through the differences between traditional job interviews and behavioral-based interviews. Read up on all aspects of job interviewing -- including how to answer common questions -- by going to Quintessential Careers' Job Interviewing Tutorial.

Go to the next tip.

Going to college -- even if it is part-time while you are working full-time -- is highly worthwhile. There is such a wage gap between high-school grads and college grads that one study found that high-school grads rarely achieve even a middle-class income, partly because we are in a knowledge-based economy that places a high value on a four-year college degree.

Go to the next tip.

If you have minimal experience and a high school education but want to get ahead, talk to your network of family, friends, former teachers, etc. -- people who know you. Ask if they know of companies that have job openings -- or know other people who might know people who have job openings. Networking is the best source for finding job leads.

Next, look around at the companies and stores around your town or city. There are lots of jobs, from cashiers, stockers, waiters, receptionists, and more that a high-school grad can fill. Some will pay minimum wage, but others will pay more. Some may even have an employee training program and/or college tuition program. Don't settle for the first job offer you get -- unless it is exactly what you want. Check out the want ads of your local newspaper(s). Even with the recent slowdown in the economy, employers are still often in need of hard-working employees. Don't depend on this method, but it can be a good source of job leads. Explore the Web.

Go to the next tip.

Increasingly, employers are demanding experience from all job-seekers, including those "entry-level" positions that college grads fill. Why the trend? Because these so-called entry-level jobs are no longer training positions; employers want employees who can make an impact from day one. What can you do about it? Position yourself as having the key skills that employers seek in job candidates. Identify those key skills you gained from your educational experience as well as from those odd jobs while in college. And don't put down those odd jobs; while they may not have been in your field, you still gained valuable business skills and experience while working them. Read about these transferable skills -- and how college grads especially can take advantage of them -- in our growing section on transferable skills at Quintessential Careers. Once you've identified those transferable skill sets that you have mastered, you can then go about developing a new resume. Then read our article, Should You Consider a Functional Resume?

Go to the next tip.

Job-hunting on the Internet should just be a small part of your overall job-search strategy; a slightly larger part if you are in a technical field. Networking is still the most effective job-hunting tool. If you're interested, you can go to Key Career Networking Resources on the Web. A good place to start an Internet job search is with our top 10 favorite sites. Go to The Top 10 Job Web Sites. And here is where you can find the The Top 50 Job Sites.

Go to the next tip.

What if a previous employer has changed its name? Should you use the new name on your resume or the old one? Both. A very simple protocol for handling company name changes on your resume is to simply list the current name of the company, and then, in parentheses and in smaller type, list the name of the company when you worked there. So, for example: Bank of America (formerly NationsBank). Make sure you follow all the other rules of resume-writing. See a quick overview at Quintessential Careers: Resumes Do's and Don'ts, or go for a more detailed review by using Quintessential Careers: Resume Tutorial.

Go to the next tip.

If the compensation package that a prospective employer has offered you is significantly below your expectations, make sure that you have exhausted all your options in terms of salary negotiation. Yes, there are companies that simply will not negotiate on salary, but given the current job market, that number has to be fairly small. Second, is salary the bottom line for you? Would you consider the offer if you could get major concessions on other elements of the compensation package other than salary, such as vacation time, bonuses, insurance premiums, etc.?

Spend some time reviewing the Quintessential Careers: Salary and Job Offer Negotiation Tutorial. Once you've exhausted all those options, you can write a letter of withdrawal. No sense burning any bridges that could come back to haunt you later in your career. It's human nature to want to stick a jab in the letter about the low pay, but you need to avoid doing something like that. Instead, simply write a professional letter declining the offer. Follow this link to find Quintessential Careers: A Sample Letter Declining a Job Offer.

Go to the next tip.

It's probably not a good idea to spend money on a high-priced career-counseling firm, some of which can charge as much as $5,000 unless the firm can guarantee you the exact job that you want in a company that you want -- but then they would be more like an agent than a career counselor. There are certainly key points in our lives where we may need the professional advice of a career counselor -- when you're contemplating a career change or when you're lost and facing a major career decision -- but it's hard to imagine what information could be possibly worth $5,000.

Most career counselors work with you in developing a job-hunting strategy, polishing your job search correspondence, and building your interviewing skills and techniques -- most of which you can do on your own. A good place to start looking for career counselors is The National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc., which certifies professionals as National Certified Career Counselors. Finally, spend some quality time at one of the major career sites, such as Quintessential Careers. These sites can give you plenty of good advice and get you on your way, assuming you are a self-directed individual.

Go to the next tip.

We've all had bosses who were unsupportive at best and conniving at worst. Don't use that type of supervisor as a reference if s/he is unlikely to give you a good recommendation. Consider instead other people you can use as a reference -- other managers and colleagues at your level who know your accomplishments or a supervisor from another division. You might also use a subordinate that you worked closely with. Or, try to find someone you worked closely with who is no longer at the company. If asked why you haven't included your current supervisor, simply respond that s/he does not know you are currently looking for new employment -- and that you would like to keep it that way. If you really want to know what your supervisor is saying about you -- and you're willing to pay for that information -- consider using one of the reference-checking services listed at Quintessential Careers: Job References & Portfolio Services.

Go to the next tip.

Be sure you are totally truthful about the accomplishments you list on your resume. Have you really accomplished all the things you say you did on your resume? Remember that a resume is a statement of facts. While you can put a spin on your accomplishments, the bottom line is that they all must be truthful statements.

Go to the next tip.

Career changers face many challenges, but one of the most important ones is gaining experience in their new career field. You've got to build your resume with the training, skills, and accomplishments that make you an attractive job candidate. You may need to obtain additional training. Also try to gain some experience in your new field, perhaps by volunteering for a nonprofit organization. Join a professional association or organization -- and then do some networking. You might also consider job-shadowing people in your would-be field to get a better feel for their jobs -- and to build your network. Finally, another way to build your resume is through temping - but be sure you have the skills to do the job first. Take a look at our article on temping.

Go to the next tip.

Though a noble and rewarding profession, teaching unfortunately has a high burnout factor because it has seen a deterioration in respect from just about all stakeholder groups. Career-changing teachers have unlimited avenues to follow, though simply changing the scenery by transferring to a different school or different school district might cure the burnout. If you do want to leave teaching, some obvious career paths include corporate trainer, researcher/fact checker, sales representative, or human resources management. Enhancing your computer skills opens the door to many other kinds of jobs, such as help-desk technician.

Even beyond these ideas, there are many other possibilities based on your personality and interests. Sit down and plan your future. A great article to help you on your way is The 10-Step Plan to Career Change. And once you have a few career choices in mind, you might consider conducting informational interviews with people in those careers. Informational interviews are a great way to gain a better understanding of an occupation or industry -- and to build a network of contacts in that field. Read more in Quintessential Careers: Informational Interviewing Tutorial.

Go to the next tip.

Responding to blind ads of any kind is a personal choice. If the advertised job seems right for you, you can certainly apply. If you choose to respond to these types of "blind" ads, though, know that the odds are slim that you will get an interview. In other words, do not make these ads your sole method of job-hunting. Take advantage of other avenues of finding a job, such as networking, headhunters, and cold calling.

Go to the next tip.

The salutation in your cover letter should always avoid sexist greetings -- and try to avoid stilted greetings, such as "Dear Madam or Sir." If you don't know the name of your intended recipient (and you should always at least TRY to find out):

address the cover letter to "Dear Boxholder" -- a favorite of ours;
address the cover letter to "Dear Hiring Manager for "XYZ"
address the cover letter to "Dear Friends" -- though some find that too informal;
don't include a salutation; instead simply put "Re: Job XYZ" (where XYZ is replaced with the job listing code or name).

You can find other cover letter advice at our Cover Letter Do's and Don'ts.

Go to the next tip.

Because of the massive downsizing and rightsizing that began in the 1980s and continues today -- and the current dotcom fallout -- employers are less likely to use job-hopping (or what appears as job-hopping) as a reason not to interview someone. On the other hand, keep in the back of your mind that the purpose of your resume is to get you an interview -- and you want to remove as many roadblocks as possible. Thus, if you've had short stints in your jobs, you may want to consider a functional resume. Functional resumes focus on your key skill sets and accomplishments, de-emphasizing your actual employment history. You can read more in our article, Should You Consider a Functional Resume?. Be prepared, however, to explain the short job stints in your interviews -- and how you are now in a position to settle down and make a long-term commitment to your next job.

Go to the next tip.

Providing salary-history information on a job application gives the prospective employer the edge in future salary negotiations through knowing exactly what you're currently earning. Should you tell a little "white lie" and pump up your salary history? While the idea may seem appealing, it's best to stick with the truth. Some employers will check your salary history -- and some will go as far as asking to see a pay stub or last year's W-2 form. Read more about completing these forms in our article, A Job-Seeker's Guide to Successfully Completing Job Applications. And for more information on salary negotiation, check out the Quintessential Careers Salary Negotiation Tutorial.

Go to the next tip.

How should you deal with interview questions about grades if your academic performance has been less than stellar? Take comfort in the fact that many employers are more interested in a job-seeker's previous accomplishments and in what skills they could bring to the job. GPA is some measure of academic success, but what it really measures is questionable -- and there are certainly no conclusive studies that tie academic success to workplace success. One way around an average overall GPA is to focus on the upper-division courses or courses in the major. This GPA is generally higher. So, if you have a 2.1 overall, but a 3.1 in your major, use your major GPA on your resume and in your interviews.

Second, examine mitigating circumstances. Did you hold a part-time (or full-time) job while attending college? If you held down part-time jobs to pay for college, or worked full-time while attending college, you can talk about the lessons learned from multitasking and balancing work and education.

Third, examine your extracurricular activities. Did you participate in an extraordinary number of extracurricular and/or volunteer activities? Use these activities to help explain that you were seeking a well-rounded education that included both classroom learning and experiential learning. Finally, if the employer is irrevocably focused on GPA, you probably don't want to work there anyway. The degree is what matters -- not always the path one takes to get it.

Go to the next tip.

Here's our advice for someone struggling for a major and/or career path.

Step 1: Examine the things you like to do -- at work and at play. What activities give you the most joy and get you energized?

Step 2: Examine the types of activities that you dislike performing -- and never want to perform again.

Step 3: Now look at your strengths and weaknesses. What are the types of skills and activities where you excel? What are the types of things where you have troubles?

Step 4: With this newfound knowledge of yourself, go back and take a few of the assessment tests. The career services office at your college probably has a few you can take -- or go online and take a few of those. Here's a great article that includes a review of all the major online assessments: Online Career Assessments: Helpful Tools of Self-Discovery.

You can find these steps -- and more -- in the article, Choosing a College Major: How to Chart Your Ideal Path.

Go to the next tip.

If you have an employment gap on your resume, try a two-pronged approach -- one for your resume and one for your interviews. On your resume: consider converting your chronological resume to a functional format. Functional resumes focus on your accomplishments in key skills areas; your employment history is summarized at the end of your resume -- and gaps become less apparent. You can read more about functional resumes in Should You Consider a Functional Resume?

In the interview: It's best to position this employment gap as time well-spent on improving or challenging yourself. If you took some educational courses (or even just read a lot), you should focus on the attainment of new skills and knowledge; if you volunteered your services, you should focus on your accomplishments; and if you did some consulting, you should focus on the gap as a time to spread your wings and try to make it on your own. As you can tell from these examples, you need to position the gap as having some redeeming value. Finally, remember that while you may be self-conscious about the gap, some interviewers may never even notice it, so don't volunteer potentially negative information; wait for the employer to raise the issue before offering an explanation.

Go to the next tip.

Taking the time to follow up and thank interviewers for their time and consideration is important. Writing thank-you notes is such an easy thing to do, and yet so few job-seekers actually do it. The delivery method you choose for thank-you letters is not as important as the action itself. The method totally depends on how you've been communicating with the employer before the interview and your sense of the corporate culture at the interview; however, we favor email or regular mail over faxing. Obviously, if you have been emailing the company before the interview, then you can send your thank-you letter via email. But even if you did not communicate via email before the interview, you can also send the thank you via email if you get the sense at the interview that email is an important communications tool at the company (and your interviewer provides you with her email address).

Be sure to also take the next step after emailing the thank-you note -- following up with a phone call or another email to see where the employer is in the hiring process. To get a better sense of this issue (and some more detailed advice) check out our article, The Art of the Follow-Up After Job Interviews.

Go to the next tip.

How can you best identify the keywords to use when searching job-search sites? First, examine your current mix of education, skills, and accomplishments. Make a list of the words and phrases that best describe your strengths. Then, take a look at some of the jobs that interest you. Make a list of some of the common skills that these jobs require. Once you have these two sets of words and phrases, then look for areas of overlap -- and focus on the areas where you want your next career move to be. Remember, you do not need to include all your diverse skills sets, only those that you want to continue working with. And don't ever use words such as "middle management." No one hires for middle management. Employers are looking for strategists and leaders who have the skills and expertise to make an impact on the company and improve its performance.

Go to the next tip.

After a promising second interview, should you send a second thank-you letter? It's often the little things that gives one job-seeker an edge over the others. And following proper etiquette is certainly one of those little things. If you had been invited to spend a weekend at someone's house a second time, you would send a thank-you note, right? So, yes, by all means send a thank-you note. You should always send thank-you notes after every interview -- to each person who interviewed you. The thank-you note after the first round of interviews is likely to be on the formal side, such as the examples found at Sample Dynamic Cover Letters.

A handwritten note of thanks for second interviews is a nicely personal gesture. You could even bring the note paper and envelope with you to the interview so that once your interview is complete, you can find a quiet place and write a quick note of thanks and drop it in the mail. The content of the note should be short and simple. Thank the interviewer for his or her time and reinforce your rapport and fit; restate your unique selling proposition; and close with a proactive statement about getting to the next step in the process. You can find other great information in our article, FAQs About Thank You Letters.

Go to the next tip.

There are a lot of factors to consider when contemplating whether to seek one or more graduate degrees. Read our article, Considering Graduate School? Answer These Five Questions Before You Decide. While you're finding the ideal programs for you, you'll also want to start preparing for any standardized tests you'll need to take, such as GREs or GMATs, which most graduate programs require -- along with ordering transcripts from your undergraduate college, writing personal essays for each program you apply to, and requesting several letters of recommendation to support your application. Make sure you apply to several schools.

Go to the next tip.

If you're interested in grad school for dentistry, check out Becoming a Dentist, from the ADL Dental Laboratories. You can also find tons of great stuff -- including information about the Dental Admission Test (DAT) -- at the American Dental Association Website.

Go to the next tip.

Students earning bachelor's degrees in anthropology can do any number of things related specifically to their major, including: anthropologist, archeologist, analyst, researcher, teacher, and many others. You can find loads more information at one of our favorite sites for students, the what can I do with a major in anthropology section of the "What Can I do With a Major in..." from the Career Services staff at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. You can find all sorts of this type of career information in the Career Exploration section of Quintessential Careers.

Go to the next tip.

Considering making a career move while pregnant? There are a lot of issues for all parties involved. The biggest ones center around you: First, have you thought about your health benefits? Many employers have a waiting period for coverage on all benefits, and some medical plans have limits on "preexisting conditions." If this is not an issue for you, then move on to the next issue -- are you visibly pregnant? We've known several women who went well into pregnancy without showing. Third, have you thought about the ramifications of getting what might be your ideal job, just to then go on maternity leave? Most new employees need several months to really get settled into a position and a company -- and you would be leaving just as you hit that point. Fourth, if you are trying to switch careers -- perhaps the toughest form of job-hunting, read our article, The 10-Step Plan to Career Change.

Go to the next tip.

If you feel you've tried everything and still can't land a job, check out our article, Ten Questions to Ask Yourself if You Still Haven't Found a Job, published on the Quintessential Careers site. There are no magic formulas that get you a new job. Job-hunting is often a long-term project that takes a lot of sweat and effort. There is a misconception that even in the best markets all people can easily find a new job in a short period of time.

Job-seekers sometimes project a sense of disappointment or failure when discouraged about their job prospects. Those vibes can easily be detected by potential employers, turning them off to your potential. You may need to re-evaluate your entire job-hunting strategy, such as by talking with a close friend or colleague, a career counselor, or someone in the career services office at your alma mater. You need to have an objective opinion about your search.

Go to the next tip.

Some people have a misunderstanding about the use of networking. It's not so much about building a rapport with the hiring manager -- that's what interviewing is all about; rather, it's about building a circle of contacts who know your current situation and want to help you succeed in finding a new job. Read our article, Networking Your Way to a New Job.

Go to the next tip.

Never, never -- never ever -- include any negative information in your cover letter. Negative information immediately puts your cover letter (and entire application) into the trash. Think of your cover letter as a sales document. Thus, talk only of the great things about you and how you are going to make a contribution to your future employer. Discuss what you can bring to the employer; discuss your key skills and qualities.Take some time to go through our tutorial on cover letters. Go to the Dynamic Cover Letters Tutorial For Developing a Stunningly Effective Cover Letter. You'll find more than 100 pages of advice, hints, and samples to help you create successful cover letters. You might also want to read: Cover Letter Success is All About Specifics.

Go to the next tip.

If you've included your salary request in your cover letter but wish you had asked for more, ask yourself how much you really want the position. Is the position a "dream job" at a "dream company?" If you really want the position, go for it. Try to determine if your current demands are in the salary range. Then go to the interview and knock their socks off. Don't mention salary requirements until the employer does; spend the time leading up to the first mention of salary by showing how you'll make critical contributions to the company. Once salary is raised, be prepared with reasons why you now feel you warrant a higher salary; perhaps you have since gotten a promotion, further education, or earned a certification. Most employers are willing to negotiate. For more information, tips, and strategies regarding salary negotiation, I suggest you go to our Salary and Job Offer Negotiation Tutorial.

Go to the next tip.

Most corporate career centers give job-seekers explicit instructions for how they want to receive cover letters and resumes. Some request that you email the material, some request that you submit it via a form from the company's Web site, some request that you fax it, and a very small few ask you to mail it. Some will include the name of the hiring manager, while others will simply ask you to respond with a job number. Email cover letters are a bit different from regular cover letters, though most of the same rules apply. We have an article, titled Tips for a Dynamic Email Cover Letter.

Go to the next tip.

How long can you safely take between receiving a job offer and accepting or declining a job? You usually establish the timetable when the offer is presented. Employers always want to know sooner than later -- mainly because they want to conclude the search, but also because they don't want to keep their other candidates dangling for too long in case you turn down the offer and they have to go to their next-choice candidate. If you were not given a timeframe, reply in some fashion within a week.

Even if you feel you need more time to make a decision, it's best to reconnect with the hiring manager by calling him or her to request the time. If you wait too long, the employer will probably just assume you are no longer interested and move on to candidate #2, leaving you out in the cold. A final issue to consider. If you need a long time to make a decision about the offer, it's probably not the right job for you. In theory, by the time an employer makes an offer, you should have a pretty good idea about whether you would want to work at the company or not. What's stopping you? Are you waiting for another job offer? Are you not sure you want to make the change? Was the offer lower than you expected? Take some time to consider why you seem hesitant.

Read more tips from the Career Doctor in Career Doctor: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips #7.

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.

Job-Hunting Tools:

Career Tools:

Career Categories:

Career Doctor Q-TIPS #6: 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 #6:
Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips