Archive for the ‘Career Counseling’ Category

  • 21 Feb

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    Do you know WHO you are online? “An old wine in a new bottle???”

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    If you think you control your online fate by not participating in any Social Media Networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc, you must think again. Even better, try popping your name in Google’s search window.

    The results could be fascinating, riveting or downright appalling.

    I submitted my name with a little fear and trepidation and found references to speeches I had long forgotten about, a video of me created 4 years ago at the Skoll World Forum in Oxford England, books and a vast assortment essays I had published, reviews of those books and essays, and I found (in the prestigious de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection online) a letter which I had written to an author almost 20 years ago. After perusing 24 of my Google pages, I stopped in my tracks when I discovered a reference to me as “an old wine in a new bottle.” I can only hope they meant a vintage champagne. I did not have the courage to continue reading my Google dossier but I will and you must also.

    Today, at least 50% of employers will check your online presence and those same techies will eliminate more than 35% of all candidates because of their online persona.

    You may not control your Google profile but you absolutely need to be aware of what’s there. That way, if, per chance, you’re applying for a management position in a sausage factory, you can proactively explain just how you came to be photographed in that big Animal Rights rally.

    On the other – much more positive – hand, Social Media Networking offers a great opportunity to not only differentiate yourself from other candidates but also to bring your more traditional credentials to life. We’re all competing for visibility with employers and, ultimately, for that job offer. If your credentials look just as good as many others on paper, you have to find a way to make your less tangible attributes – your commitment, passion, personality and motivation – stand out. With all due respect to the mighty Groundhog of Punxsutawney, this is no time to bolt back into your den.

    Just look at this Social Media utilization chart. It indicates there were over 300 million unique participants in 2009, and we know that number is increasing exponentially. Today there are more than 65 million people registered on LinkedIn alone.

    Global Web Traffic to Social Networking Sites

    Soooo, gird your loins and take your first Social Media steps forward. The best way to learn how to use these tools and to see the ways in which they can be of help is to sign-up and give one or two a test drive. Believe me, if I can “tweet and blog” you can too.

    Once you begin to dip your toes in these virtual waters, keep the following in mind:

    • Make certain each Social Media profile (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs etc) you create is professional.
    • Keep your direct and web contact information up-to-date.
    • Check to be sure your profile/personality is consistent from platform to platform. You cannot hide your wild side any place online.
    • Pay attention to your headline – just as a book’s title should make you want to read it, your headline should capture your reader’s attention, promote your skills and demonstrate how you can help.
    • Select a picture that conveys intelligence and enthusiasm. Ask yourself: is this someone with whom I would like to work?
    • Last, but FAR from least, never ever post anything on any platform that you would not want your mother or daughter to see!

    Happy Tweets!

  • 18 Feb

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    Ten Tips to Beat the Waiting Game Doldrums

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    Boomer or budgie – the waiting game can be maddening: waiting to hear if they have received your resumé; waiting to hear if they have read your resumé; waiting to see if they will call you for an interview; waiting to see if they will call you back after your first interview; waiting to learn if you will or will not be offered the job. With the paucity of jobs open and the glut of qualified applicants today, all of this could take months. Even worse, if there’s no job offer and if you have done nothing but twitch and bite your nails whilst waiting, you have wasted precious time.

    The good news is that we do learn to be more patient as we grow older. The bad news is that we have less time to be patient as we grow older.  Soooo, it’s time to take back some control: time to use those days, weeks, months to gear up for the next opportunity.

    Tips:

    1. Eggs:  Never, ever put them all in one basket! Pursue several opportunities simultaneously. What you learn from one will build upon what you need to know for another. The efficacy of the way in which you present yourself for one will inform your next “self” sales pitch.

    2. Intelligence Gathering:  Network, network, network and then network some more. Find someone who works where you want to work or who knows someone in that organization. Use your friends, family, paper rolodex and online networks. You need to get the inside scoop: what works; what needs to be fixed; what’s the strategic vision and what’s the organizational culture – collaborative or stressed, competitive or satisfied? This info is crucial for you to be able to communicate the ways in which you are a good fit and articulate the value added you bring to help the organization meet its goals.

    3. Insights and Perspectives:  Scour industry specific publications, niche business journals and online blogs and pipelines to determine what’s happening in that industry, who are the thought leaders? Form your own opinions and do not be afraid to articulate them. Innovative leaders are looking for new, actionable ideas. They are not seeking clones nor are they satisfied with the status quo. They want fresh, independent insights and perspectives to help achieve their vision.

    Remember President Lincoln’s Cabinet? He deliberately appointed a contentious “Team of Rivals,” and that team became one of the most successful Cabinets in US History.

    4. Compelling Story:  Put your best foot forward. Metaphorically and realistically speaking – polish your boots. The competition is fierce and you need to be able to demonstrate you are the best of the best. Create a compelling story. Answers alone may be quickly forgotten but stories create an impact and are memorable. Focus on what you have to offer and why it will be of value – what’s in it for the organization. You know to compose your story with active verbs but do not forget the blockbuster nouns – key words – that capture you, your strengths and your industry savvy. If your key words’ vocabulary needs a boost, explore Google’s Key Word search tool.

    5. Qualify and Quantify:  Provide metrics to quantify your successes and specific examples to qualify your accomplishments. Create bullet points to remind you of each anecdote during the interview. If you have to flip through pages of notes, you defeat the purpose of the exercise; it will appear as forced documentation rather than spontaneous elaboration or sharing.  You want to engage the interviewer so he or she is genuinely interested in what you have accomplished and how you have done it. Caveat Emptor: be brief. The best storytellers leave their audience eager to hear more.

    6. Questions:  Formulate questions to ask the interviewer, such as: what do you see as the most critical elements of this job; what are you looking for in a candidate; why is the current job holder leaving; how would you prioritize the organization’s top goals; when and why did you join the organization and what continues to interest you most? Listen carefully and then use the information you have researched on the organization and this field to follow-up on the interviewer’s answers. Don’t merely match questions tit for tat; create a dialogue. You are interested in this position and are not just desperate for any job.

    7. Continually Update Your Resume:  Note everything you are learning as you move forward. For example, if you’re becoming more fluent in social networking, provide some data to let the interviewer know you understand what differentiates each of these online tools, how to use each to your best advantage and how you would use them to the organization’s advantage.

    8. Current Events:  Keep on top of what’s happening economically. Understand how the ways in which you want to work and the organizations with which you’d like to work relate to and affect what’s going on in the context of the community, state and global economy.

    9. Beyond the Economy:  Relate current political, cultural and social events to the broader context of history and literature. Check out “deep thinking on the web.” Nothing is happening now that has not happened before. Technology may change. Human nature does not. Competition in the workplace? Remember how Julius Caesar was stabbed by his fellow Senators in the Roman Forum? Are today’s hallowed halls of the US Congress equally welcoming to our leaders?

    10. Relax: Enjoy this opportunity to learn more about yourself. If you value yourself, others will too.

  • 14 Feb

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    How You Handle Rejections Could Mean the Difference Between Having a New Career and Wishing You Had One!

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    Every Job Rejection Presents a New Learning Opportunity

    If you’ve reached aged 60 and still live in fear of rejection, you haven’t really lived. Certainly in my 60+ years I have been rejected in every conceivable way, but I always pick myself up, assess the circumstances – sometimes more objectively than others – and then move my more informed self forward.

    Of course rejection devastation is appropriate at times – like kindergarten. Who could forget those Valentine’s Days when missives to your heart were scant and some of your classmates barely had time to open all of theirs? Then, too, high school could be particularly brutal when “popular” girls were admired for their cashmere twinsets and not their brains.  But life goes on and the longer you live the more context you have to put each of these peccadilloes in perspective.

    Rejection – whether it be personal or work related – often has little to do with who you are. I don’t know many people more vulnerable than authors. They pour their heart, soul and intellect into every page of their manuscripts. Their writing may be brilliant but publishers with seeming reckless abandon reject them (unless they are already on some prestigious best-selling list) out of hand with such excuses as “the market just isn’t there for your book.”

    Still, many authors who have been rejected zillions of times, pick themselves up from the floor, print out another copy (a publisher never returns the rejected copy) and send it out again. They persevere because they believe in themselves and their work. I recently learned that a current best-selling author (I won’t embarrass him by mentioning his name) with more than 10 million books in print and still selling experienced 85 rejections over 7 years before his first book was published.

    NB:  Just as you should never submit your resumé to an unknown entity at the employer of your dreams, never send your manuscript to a publishing house without having the name of an editor who has agreed to read it – or at least open the package.

    There could be many valid reasons why you do not get the job of your dreams. It may have nothing to do with the credibility of your skills and accomplishments but, rather, that your talents are not a good fit. How well did you research the organization’s needs?

    Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Be open and prepared to hear the criticism. Do not be defensive! Your interest shows the hiring manager you care and he or she is more likely to remember you if another more appropriate position opens in their organization. Use what you learn to better market yourself for the next opportunity.  Last but far from least – be sure to thank them for taking the time to do this!

    Happy Valentine’s Day.

  • 12 Feb

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    What Do Job Boards and Black Holes Have in Common?

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    Too much I fear. There’s a reason they have names like “Monster.”

    I cannot imagine any scenario where a Job Board would be of value today. If that’s the way you choose to search for a job, you might as well print out 1000 copies of a generic resumé, hire a helium balloon, drift out over Nebraska and pitch them over the side of the gondola.

    Finding a job should not be like playing “Wheel of Fortune,” where you let the fates take control of your spin. Finding a job is very much under your control. It is proactive and involves a lot of highly focused research and preparation. To be precise, you need to figure 95% of your time for research and prep and 5% for the actual interview where you secure the job.

    First, you need to decide (in your head and heart – not some job board) what you would like to do. Second, brand what you do so others will recognize it. Third,  identify those organizations where you’d like to work and why they need someone like you. Fourth, find the individual in that organization who will best understand the value you bring. Finally, write to that enlightened person to tell them what you can do to optimize their organization’s success.

    Make no mistake, we are talking about a sales pitch. Put yourself in the employer’s shoes. If you were an employer looking for an individual with an office cleaning service, for example, which of the following would grab your attention?

    1.  Owner of Acme Office Cleaners submits a traditional resumé:

    • Objective: We are looking for more offices to add to our portfolio of satisfied clients
    • Education: Certified in all Whamo products
    • Chronology: History of the business, beginning with first client’s one room office to current 10 clients with average of 2500 square feet each
    • References: Supplied upon request

    2.  Owner of Turbo Cleaners submits a sales pitch:

    Acme Cleaners has never had a dissatisfied customer. No space is too large or too small; no soil too tough for our team of crack professionals. We are speedy and extremely efficient. Call us today and we will have a team at your office within 24-hours. If you’re not satisfied with the results, we will come back at no additional charge. Acme is a certified and fully insured cleaning enterprise, and we guarantee to meet the quotes of any competitors delivering equal service.

    Turbo wins hands down in my book!

    You can create the same captivating sales pitch for any business or organization with whom you’d like to work. Today, especially, no one has the time to pore over traditional resumés to try to determine if that person does or does not have what it takes to move their company forward. After you’ve done your due diligence to learn what an organization needs, you can show them what and how you can deliver. It takes time and care but it does produce results. While those other resumés are still floating over Nebraska, you will be walking into an interview, where the employer is eager to convince you that this company and this job are the ones for which you’ve been waiting.

    Does this mean you do not need a resumé? Absolutely not. Think of the resumé as a blueprint for your sales pitch. You need to ground the pitch in real details and data to document who you are and what you have accomplished and to articulate that history and those credentials (all part of your brand) so your potential is clear – to you as well as others.

  • 09 Feb

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    Gray Hairs – the Secret to Successful Boomer Enterprises???

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    That’s right! Stop pulling or, even worse, dying that gray hair. It’s your badge of gravitas – a sign that you are wise and experienced and quite possibly your greatest asset in launching a new enterprise.

    Tired of doing the same old tedious job? Been pushed out of that boring position due to our bum economy? I was going to say it does not matter what your situation, but it does. If you’re bored and have no interest in changing the stagnant-quo or have been made redundant and look forward to the comforts of a rocking chair, this blog’s not for you.

    On the other hand, if you’d like to jump start your life again, it’s never too late. It just takes a big dollop of gumption and an abundance of passion. For heaven’s sake with today’s life span, we’re looking at another 30 years ahead of us. Let’s make the most of them. I’d passed the mid-term mark when I launched CyberSeniors with 12 brave, gray-haired students in Maine and in five years of blood, sweat, tears and little sleep grew it into more than 28,000 senior students nationwide. Further, I have developed more enterprises since then and have no intentions of stopping as long as the creative juices are flowing.

    Just look at the hundreds of Civic Ventures Fellows and Purpose Prize Winners who, after they had turned 60, embarked on a new careers to help solve some of the world’s most critical social problems. Their stories of passion, commitment, perseverance and success are inspiring. One example, Tim Will, a former telecom executive, had thought he was retiring to North Carolina. Once there, however, he was struck by the number of laid off factory workers in his region. Tim brought broadband and economic prosperity to Appalachia by training those laid off workers in sustainable farming and connecting them, via the internet, to gourmet chefs dedicated to supporting “locally grown” produce in nearby Charlotte, North Carolina. Today, Tim is creating jobs and protecting the environment.

    Then, too, if you need some practical tactics to move your inspiration forward, I’d recommend Will Keyser, a 71-year-old neighbor from Vermont. Will has a portfolio of fascinating businesses which he currently manages simultaneously with great aplomb. One of those enterprises is Work Savvy, LLC with a website rich in resources for Senior Start-ups.

    Before we know it some young whippersnapper is going to attempt to die his or her hair gray. We must warn them that no amount of white shoe polish will imbue them with the experience wrought from 60+ years of living and working. We’ve earned those stripes!

  • 05 Feb

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    15 Secrets to Mastering the Phone Interview: What – No pajamas!

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    Talk about personal setbacks… Yesterday, phone interview guru, Paul Bailo, appeared in Fortune Magazine’s “Dear Annie” column to say: absolutely no PJ’s for the telephone interview!

    His advice: “Wear business attire.” Bailo goes on to explain, “Of course the interviewer can’t see you, but ‘you won’t feel, or sound, as businesslike in your pajamas.’”

    “Businesslike?” How does Bailo know we Savvy Seniors are not interviewing to fulfill a passionate desire to become super models for a new “Boomer” line in Victoria’s Secret closet?

    Not many groundbreaking “interview secrets” in this column, but I do like Bailo’s idea to: “Have a photo of your interviewer on your computer screen. This could be from LinkedIn, Facebook, the company website, or anywhere else your interviewer’s face might appear online. (You have Googled him or her in advance, right?) It makes the interview a little more like an in-person conversation.”

    Caveat Emptor:  I think it might be safer to print and post the interviewer’s photo some place slightly to the side your computer screen just in case you feel compelled to hurl a dart at it, should you not pass the “first five minutes” benchmark…

  • 31 Jan

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    Job Interview Prep

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    When the wind chill here in Maine plummets well below zero and caresses your face like an exfoliant during your early morning constitutional on the beach, it’s time to focus on the interior: a warm fire, in-house blossoms, coffee and a little research on the Web.

    Economies and cultures may differ but job-seeking and anxiety-inducing interviews know no boundaries.

    Interview Prep is basically the same – no matter the job or the continent in which you live. Here, African Writer and Editor, Temitayo Olofinlua, offers sound advice:

    “So your CV made a real good impression, and you were called for an interview? Congratulations! Now you have to scale the next hurdle-the interview. (To be honest I hate interviews. They are just not real. All they succeed in doing is this: they put you on the spot and assail you with questions that make you stare, stammer or ramble away in the desperate hope that it all makes sense). Preparation is key while getting ready for an interview.

    Before the Interview

    This starts right after the (invitation) email, phone call or text message. It’s polite to say thank you and confirm if you’d be available for the interview. It’s a ‘little act’ that goes a long way to demonstrate courtesy.

    The invitation should show the date, time and location of the interview but it’s not sufficient to get you there on time. It’s advisable to take a trip to the interview venue a day before just to get a good idea of the location and distance.

    We all understand how traffic emerges from nowhere; you should give a generous time allowance for this. Remember lateness increases your stress levels which can affect your performance. There is no harm in getting to the venue 30 minutes earlier. Punctuality is the soul of a business; show that and you may be on the road to a successful interview.

    Pack a file. Yes, it’s such a shame when you realise that you have to go back home because you forgot your NYSC certificate. So pack the required essentials-the certificates, invitation letter, awards, stationery and a jotter. It is also important to have photocopies at hand. Most companies are going paperless but there are still a couple of them who would ask you for the certificates. Packing a file ahead of time gives you the opportunity to focus on other things like what you should wear.

    What you will wear will generally depend on the company you are applying to. However the safest route seems to be the corporate – a suit or a fitted shirt, pants/skirts. The important key here is neatness, no scruffiness allowed. All collars should stay where they belong; same with the underwear. Please no blings, flashy earrings or jeans; unless it’s an interview for a deejay position. Dress appropriately; it sure makes a good first impression.

    Knowledge is power. The applicant needs a firm knowledge of the organisation and the way s/he can contribute to the success of the organisation. Visit the company’s website, read up as much as you can. If you can get the company’s annual report(s) – companies quoted on the stock exchange will have this in circulation – by all means do. Know the company’s mission, vision, history and management.

    And very importantly, what exactly the company does. This shows that you are passionate about the company. It also saves you some embarrassing moments during the interview. You don’t want to look blank when asked to talk about company products.

    During your research about the company, it is important to bear in mind questions to ask your interviewer(s).

    It is also important for you to literally ‘embody’ your CV, i.e. be the person that your CV says you are. And continually seek ways in which your past experience can make your potential job more realisable. Why would anyone sound unsure or hesitant when asked what year they graduated from high school, or university. Or at what age they graduated?

    The ‘Interview’ Before the Interview

    Read through your application and try as much as you can to answer questions like why do you need the job? What skills are related to the job that you seek? What position are you applying for and how do you hope to execute the job? You should be physically and psychologically prepared so have a positive attitude.

    So you think you are ready? Brush up on your knowledge of current affairs. Then, attempt some play-acting-let someone act as an interviewer posing likely questions to you. This gives you an idea of what to expect; it also helps you relax and sometimes laugh at your failure at some questions. As such you are better prepared to address knotty questions. Throughout the preparation it is important to stay calm. Interviews can be as long as a day (a series) or merely a few minutes, but it’s advisable to eat, and to visit the toilet before you step out for the day. The Boys Scout slogan ‘Be Prepared!” means a great deal more when it comes to interviews.”

  • 26 Jan

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    Resumé Blasphemy

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    Nick Corcodilos, in his Ask the Headhunter blog, shares what he calls his “blasphemous resumé” philosophy.

    The idea, he says, is to create a “working resumé, where you provide the employer with just what he or she is looking for: proof of your understanding of the work that needs to be done, proof that you can do the work, do it the way the employer wants it done, and proof that you can do it profitably.”

    Prescient as that might be, I find the real piéce de résistance in Corcodilos’ blog is this extraordinary “working resumé” from Leonardo Da Vinci. One of Corcodilos’ readers, Phil Hey, at Briar Cliff College, Sioux City, Iowa, sent him Leonardo’s 1481, job-seeking letter:

    Leonardo DaVinci’s letter to Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, applying for a job in 1481:

    Having, most illustrious lord, seen and considered the experiments of all those who pose as masters in the art of inventing instruments of war, and finding that their inventions differ in no way from those in common use, I am emboldened, without prejudice to anyone, to solicit an appointment of acquainting your Excellency with certain of my secrets.

    1. I can construct bridges which are very light and strong and very portable, with which to pursue and defeat the enemy; and others more solid, which resist fire or assault, yet are easily removed and placed in position; and I can also burn and destroy those of the enemy.

    2. In case of a siege I can cut off water from the trenches and make pontoons and scaling ladders and other similar contrivances.

    3. If by reason of the elevation or the strength of its position a place cannot be bombarded, I can demolish every fortress if its foundations have not been set on stone.

    4. I can also make a kind of cannon which is light and easy of transport, with which to hurl small stones like hail, and of which the smoke causes great terror to the enemy, so that they suffer heavy loss and confusion.

    5. I can noiselessly construct to any prescribed point subterranean passages either straight or winding, passing if necessary underneath trenches or a river.

    6. I can make armoured wagons carrying artillery, which shall break through the most serried ranks of the enemy, and so open a safe passage for his infantry.

    7. If occasion should arise, I can construct cannon and mortars and light ordnance in shape both ornamental and useful and different from those in common use.

    8. When it is impossible to use cannon I can supply in their stead catapults, mangonels, trabocchi, and other instruments of admirable efficiency not in general use — In short, as the occasion requires I can supply infinite means of attack and defense.

    9. And if the fight should take place upon the sea I can construct many engines most suitable either for attack or defense and ships which can resist the fire of the heaviest cannon, and powders or weapons.

    10. In time of peace, I believe that I can give you as complete satisfaction as anyone else in the construction of buildings both public and private, and in conducting water from one place to another.

    I can further execute sculpture in marble, bronze or clay, also in painting I can do as much as anyone else, whoever he may be.

    Moreover, I would undertake the commission of the bronze horse, which shall endue with immortal glory and eternal honour the auspicious memory of your father and of the illustrious house of Sforza.

    And if any of the aforesaid things should seem to anyone impossible or impracticable, I offer myself as ready to make trial of them in your park or in whatever place shall please your Excellency, to whom I commend myself with all possible humility.

    Leonardo Da Vinci

    At last, we know the reason behind that enigmatic smile!

  • 22 Jan

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    The Boomers’ Guide to Good Work

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    The Boomers’ Guide to Good Work, a free booklet created by Ellen Freudenheim for Civic Ventures, contains many valuable nuggets of information. Contents include: “What Works for You?” and “Think Outside Your Fishbowl.”

    Ellen Freudenheim is the author of Looking Forward: An Optimist’s Guide to Retirement.

    A lifestyle guide for boomers, Looking Forward has been recommended by The Wall Street Journal and ranks among the best-selling retirement books. Freudenheim is also a guest columnist for Retirement Weekly, a service of MarketWatch from DOWJONES, and a frequent guest on national television and radio news programs. She has also written six other books, including Healthspeak, a dictionary of 2,000 health care terms.

    Civic Ventures is is a think tank and incubator, generating ideas and inventing programs, including The Purpose Prize, to help society achieve the greatest return on experience.

    Grab your flippers and jump in!

  • 13 Jan

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    College Alums? You Can Go Back to the Well

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    This NY Times article, You Can Go Back Again, describes the ways in which your old college career office has begun opening its doors – and resources – to those who graduated years ago and are seeking career changes and new jobs.

    Take advantage of these opportunities – many are free. It’s not just the information and skills training. Just as important is the network because, as the article notes, this is not pure altruism on the part of your alma mater. The college has a vested interest in the success of this outreach. The career office provides a way for them to stay in contact with graduates, and successful alumni may be more likely to help others find jobs, or even contribute money to the school’s endowment. So it’s a win-win for everyone – the best possible scenario!

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