Career Doctor Q-TIPS #7:
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 looking for a way to spotlight your skills and knowledge on
your resume, consider a very trendy "Summary of Qualifications"
section. (Sometimes also called "Key Skills," "Qualifications,"
"Professional Profile," or "Key Accomplishments.") In this section
you can showcase your knowledge from all your education and work
experiences. You can think of this section as an executive summary of
your entire resume.
A scannable, or text-based resume is designed specifically for
databases. Scannable resumes follow all the rules of regular resumes,
but the design and format are much different, focusing on keywords
and jargon that may be used when an employer searches its resume
database. These searches are done using keywords and phrases that
describe the skills and education required for the position. Thus,
when writing a scannable resume, it is extremely important for you to
use familiar industry terms acronyms (jargon) that describe your
skills and experience. Read our article, Scannable
Resume Fundamentals.
If you are changing careers and believe that a chronological resume
is not having good results, you may want to check out Susan Britton Whitcomb's
Resume
Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer
(Jist), which comes highly recommended by many career experts.
The book is a comprehensive (almost 600 pages!) review of all types
of resumes, and as you might guess given its size, spends a good deal
of time on functional resumes. Also check out our article,
Should You
Consider a Functional Resume?, which discusses the merits and
problems with functional resumes.
Another solution is get the experience now through volunteering your
relevant professional services to local non-profit organizations; you
help a worthy organization and gain the experience you need to move
to a better job.
One of the biggest problems we see with cover letters is a lack of
specificity. There is NO such thing as a "general cover letter;"
well, there is, but we call it a BAD cover letter. Cover letters are
all about specifics -- about showcasing how you can make a difference
to the company. You really need to read:
Cover
Letter Success is All About Specifics.
If you have some sort of negative issue in your job history (such as
getting fired), don't raise it -- ever -- but especially not in your
cover letter or resume. Even in the interview, let the employer bring
it up. Once the issue has been raised, the best answer is always the
truth. Admit that you made a mistake -- and, more importantly, show
how you have learned from that mistake. Read our article,
Getting Fired: An
Opportunity for Change and Growth.
Asking questions in any interview situation is critical for
job-seekers; when job-seekers ask questions during interviews,
potential employers perceive it as a sign of interest in the company.
In our interviewing resources section you'll find
Questions
You Can Ask at the Interview, all of which could be asked during
an interview.
Interested in career opportunities in podiatry? There are
approximately 14,000 practicing doctors of podiatric medicine in the
United States. And according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau
of Labor Statistics, which publishes the Occupational Outlook
Handbook, the job growth for podiatrists is expected to be 10 to 20
percent because "more people will turn to podiatrists for foot care
as the elderly population grows." The Handbook continues, "Employment
of podiatrists would grow even faster were it not for continued
emphasis on controlling the costs of specialty health care." In
addition to growth, the need to replace podiatrists who leave the
occupation will create employment opportunities. Relatively few
opportunities from this source are expected, however, since most
podiatrists continue to practice until they retire; few transfer to
other occupations.
According to a survey by the American Podiatric
Medical Association, average net income for podiatrists in private
practice was about $116,000 in 1997. Those practicing for less than
two years earned an average of about $61,000; those practicing 16 to
30 years earned an average of about $146,000.
Many disappointed job-seekers have been heard to say, "but the
interviewer said I was perfect for the job." If the interviewer
indicated you had a great interview, but you don't hear anything, ask
yourself some questions. First, did you follow standard rules of
job-interviewing etiquette and write thank-you notes (or letters) to
each person who interviewed you? Second, did you ever call the
employer back and express your interest in the position?
You may also want to read two articles. First,
FAQs About Thank
You Letters, which includes all the reasons you should write
thank-you notes -- and provides sample letters. Second,
The Art of
the Follow-Up After Job Interviews, which discusses what
job-seekers should do after job interviews.
If you're not getting job offers, the problem could be with
your interview style, your references, or something else. Call one of
the people you interviewed with -- the one you felt you had the most
rapport with -- and politely ask the person to critique your
performance. Once you have broken the ice, you should ask in a
non-confrontational manner why you didn't get the job offer.
If you're a younger teen looking for a job, the best idea is to
develop your own business, such as yard maintenance or pet sitting.
Check out our article about younger teens and jobs:
Job Ideas for Teens
15 and Younger: Beyond Babysitting.
If you have the right mix of skills, experience, and job-hunting
expertise (and maybe a little luck), you should be able to find a job
in any economy. But job-seekers who report that they've sent out
hundreds of resumes are usually mistakenly using a scattershot
approach to getting a job. That is, you have fired off your resume to
hundreds and hundreds of employers without really having a plan or a
precise target in mind. And a scattershot approach rarely works.
Think about what you really want to do. What kind of job are you
looking for? What kind of company do you want to work for? Have you
thought about a career path? Before you send out another resume,
spend some time really thinking about these issues. You may want to
read a great article by Kathryn Lee Bazan:
Research Your
Next Job by Targeting Your Preferences and Ideal Companies. Then,
spend some time developing a plan, assisted by our
Job Search 101
tutorial. It's free -- and full of lots of ideas for helping you map
out your plan.
Once you're done with the first two resources and
ready to target specific companies, go to our
Guide to
Researching Companies, where you'll find key resources for
getting the specific information you need for your job search.
If you've received an honorary doctorate, should you list it on your
resume? There are two groups of people who generally have the right
to use "Dr." before their names -- and they have all spent about 20
years or so getting educated. The first are those with an earned
professional degree, such as in medicine (MD), optometry (OD),
osteopathic medicine (DO), pharmacy (Pharm.D), podiatry (PodD, DP,
DPM); divinity/ministry (BD, MDiv), law (LLB, JD), and others.
The second are those with an earned doctoral degree, the highest degree
you can earn for graduate study. The doctoral degree classification
includes such degrees as Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Doctor of
Public Health, Doctor of Nursing Science (D.NSc.), Doctor of
Psychology (Psy.D.), and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
Many universities (and now colleges) grant a degree called an honorary
doctorate to persons they want to honor or recognize (usually a
dignitary, benefactor, or notable alumni). However, neither the
university nor the honoree are naive enough to believe the honor
actually conferred a full doctorate, thus most people with honorary
degrees are discouraged from using them in public, though certainly
many do. In the end, of course, it's the job-seeker's decision.
The key for those who are confused about their career direction is to
spend time doing some self-assessment. Once you've completed your
self-assessment, you can try to marry those things you like and are
good at with jobs and careers. Go to the
Career
Assessments section of Quintessential Careers. You'll find some
great advice about self-assessment and using self-assessment tools,
as well as links to some of the best assessment sites on the Web.
Also read this article by Kathryn Lee Bazan:
Research Your
Next Job by Targeting Your Preferences and Ideal Companies. Don't
worry too much about finding that one perfect job because, as the
business environment continues its rapid change, what is in demand
today may be obsolete tomorrow.
A significant rule of job-hunting and interviewing is to never, never
say anything bad about former bosses or employers -- no matter how
much you want to ventilate. Simply come up with a reason for leaving
your last job. A common response is something along the lines that
you had achieved all you could, and it was time to move to a higher
level of challenges. Focus on accomplishments and challenges, not
learning -- and don't make the answer too self-centered. You could
also say the organizational structure was such that you really had
nowhere to go internally, so unfortunately you are looking at new
opportunities and employers.
You might want to review key interviewing issues with the
Quintessential Careers
Job Interviewing Tutorial, which is designed to help you become
more knowledgeable about all aspects of job interviews, from the
importance of establishing rapport, to nonverbal cues, to types of
interviews and types of interview questions (and how to best answer
them).
Think your mundane job could not become a career? Even the most basic
of jobs have some degree of career paths/promotions. If you want to
stay with your current employer but begin to pursue a promotion, you
should read this article, Moving
Up the Ladder: 10 Strategies for Getting Yourself Promoted. The
article outlines key strategies to use as you begin to map your
future.
Focusing on job duties is one of the classic job-seeker mistakes. Don't focus
on your duties -- focus on your accomplishments! Accomplishments are
so much more meaningful to prospective employers than run-of-the-mill
litanies of job duties or responsibilities. Spend some time
brainstorming about your skills and accomplishments -- in all your
jobs and education -- with an eye toward the type of job you want
next. Eliminate any skills that you no longer want to perform;
otherwise, you will be stuck in another job doing things you no
longer enjoy. Once you have compiled this list of accomplishments and
skills, it's time to work on your resume.
Salary information of any kind is strategic information that you
should guard carefully; never provide the employer with more
information than you have to. You need to decide whether you are
comfortable giving a salary requirement. If you have inside
information and know the range of the position you're applying for --
and are comfortable stating your requirement -- than go ahead and do
so. A number of employers use salary requirements to screen (and
sometimes eliminate) job-seekers. If you fall below the salary range,
you may be labeled as under-qualified, and if you fall above the
range, you may be labeled as too experienced -- or too expensive. If
you do not provide a requirement, however, you also run the risk of
being screened out because you did not follow the employer's request.
Never list any kind of salary information -- history or requirements --
on your resume. Salary requirements -- if you plan to state them --
belong in your cover letter. Simply add a line to your cover letter
that states something like: "My salary requirement for this position
is $42,000." Other options include using a range ($40,000 to
$44,000), stating your salary flexibility, or stating that your
requirement is a competitive salary.
If you're feeling uneasy because your undergraduate major is in an
area where you will likely need a graduate degree for career success,
first conduct some self-assessment. What is it that you really want to do
with your life? What are your short-term and long-term goals? How
would you like to combine your interests and majors?
Second, talk with your major adviser. Talk about your concerns for a career prior
to attending graduate school. Ask about options for fellowships and
other grants that may pay for all or most of your graduate work.
Third, go to the career services office of your college. These
professionals are ready and able to help you tackle all these issues,
from helping you define a clearer vision of your career, to potential
internships, to helping with finding employment upon graduation, to
guiding you regarding graduate programs and financing. We have a
great article on the subject:
It's
Never Too Early -- or Too Late -- to Visit Your College Career
Office. The article is written by Mary Keen Krikorian of Hartwick
College.
Fourth, go to the Web and do some exploring. You can start
at the Career
Exploration section of Quintessential Careers.
Interested in a career in environmental science or studies? Go to the
Career
Exploration section of Quintessential Careers, where we have
several resources, including our favorite "What can you do with a
major in...?" Web sites. Here is just a partial list of careers for
graduates in environmental studies: agricultural scientist or
technician, conservation agent, environmental analyst or technician,
EPA inspector, forester, laboratory analyst, naturalist, park ranger,
planner (urban or regional), teacher, wildlife manager, and writer --
as well as many other careers.
Another great site to go to is The Environmental Careers
Organization, whose mission is (in part) "the promotion of
environmental careers, and the inspiration of individual action. This
is accomplished through internships, career advice, career products,
and research and consulting." One other good site is
Environmental Jobs and Careers.
Want to work on a cruise ship? There are any number of "cruise ship
jobs" Web sites, but all of them charge a fee, starting at $40. We
have serious reservations about job-seekers ever having to pay for
job information or leads, so we really can't recommend any of them.
Finally, develop a list of the cruise ship
companies you want to work for and conduct a "cold calling" job
campaign. You can read more about this proven job search method by
going to our article, Cold Calling: A
Time-Tested Method of Job-Hunting.
The keys to successful job interviewing are three-fold: research,
preparation, and practice. Job-seekers can usually discover what kind
of interview to expect by doing some basic research; in fact, some
companies even post this information on their corporate career
section of their Web sites. Once you have some knowledge about the
type of interview(s) to expect, the next step is preparation; prepare
your answers and anecdotes to properly respond to anticipated
questions. Finally, practice giving your answers to the questions;
the trick is being rehearsed while sounding spontaneous when at the
actual interview. Go to Quintessential Careers: Job
Interviewing Resources, where you can also find short
descriptions of each type of interview -- as well as descriptions of
many other terms -- in our Job-Seeker's
Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
We also have a growing library of interviewing articles at Quintessential Careers, which you can find
at: Job
Interviewing Articles. And if you want to know about case
interviews in great detail, please read Mastering the Case
Interview.
At the end of the interview, assuming you feel it was a good
interview for a job you want with an employer that is a match with
your values, you as the job-seeker should ask for the job. There is
really no harm in asking. It certainly reinforces your position as
someone who not only is interested in the job, but is the best
candidate for the position. The worst the employer can do is tell you
the company is still interviewing other candidates; and perhaps, the
interviewer will think you a bit overconfident.
How do you do it?
Wait until the end of the interview, as things are wrapping up. Then
simply restate the key skills/education/experience that the employer
is seeking and how you fit exactly with what the employer is looking
for. Stress the overall fit between you and the organization (in
terms of values, culture, etc.), and then simply state that you want
the job offer. One caveat: Be sure you really want the job before
making such a bold request because if the employer then offers you
the position they will expect you to accept it rather quickly -- and
perhaps on the spot. A less risky interview closer if you are
interested, but not quite sure if the fit is perfect, is to end the
interview by telling the interviewer that you are interested in the
job and asking about the next step in the process.
Answering questions about how and why you left previous employers is
always a tricky issue for job-seekers. If you left under negative
circumstances, the key is to put a positive spin on the story. Most
of us - at one time or another -- have been fired, asked to resign, or
been rightsized -- so that's not really the issue. One final note
about your response: be sure that besides your verbal response to the
question, that your nonverbal gestures are not telling another story.
Be confident and positive.
In all situations, from your cover letter to the interview, you must
be able to showcase your accomplishments and achievements in your
previous experiences -- and build a platform for showing how you'll be
able to do these same things (and more!) for a new employer.
If you've had one or more short job stints, de-emphasize the job(s)
in your resume by taking advantage of a functional resume format, in
which you stress your key skill sets, placing your employment history
at the end of your resume. You can read more about constructing
functional resumes in this article:
Should You
Consider a Functional Resume?.
If you've been out of the job market for awhile, take a spin through
our Job Search
101 tutorial. The tutorial is really designed for new college
grads, but if you've been out of the game, it can be a great
refresher in developing and executing a job-search plan that will
lead you to the job and career you seek.
If you're looking for a way to spotlight your skills and knowledge on
your resume, consider a very trendy "Summary of Qualifications"
section. (Sometimes also called "Key Skills," "Qualifications,"
"Professional Profile," or "Key Accomplishments.") In this section
you can showcase your knowledge from all your education and work
experiences. You can think of this section as an executive summary of
your entire resume.
