Career Doctor: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips #7

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.

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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.

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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.

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In their cover letters, those with very little experience may need to deploy transferable skills from past jobs and education to show that they indeed have the critical experience. Read: Strategic Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique.

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.

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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.

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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.

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To prepare job-seekers with the keys to successful phone interviews, we offer a series of articles. Check out Phone Interview Etiquette Can Propel You to the Next Step in the Hiring Process. A companion piece to that article is our collection of Phone Interviewing Do's and Don'ts.

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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.

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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.

Key sources for information about education, careers, and jobs in podiatry include the podiatrists section of the Occupational Outlook Handbook, American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine, and the American Podiatric Medical Association.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

One article in particular that you should find useful is: Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Resume. If you need more help with your resume, go to the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Finally, you can find a collection of environmental job and career sites in the Jobs in Agriculture, Zoology, and the Environment section of Quintessential Careers.

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Want to work on a cruise ship? There are any number of "cruise ship jobs" Websites, 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.

Instead, review some of the jobs sites in two sections of Quintessential Careers: Cool, Unusual, and Seasonal Jobs and Jobs in Hospitality & Tourism.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

For help with focusing on your achievements, read: For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.

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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?.

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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.

Read more tips from the Career Doctor in Career Doctor: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips #8.

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 #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.

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 #7:
Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips