ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2008 > January
January 2008
Ever boo-hooed in the office?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We have all felt pinched at work when the stress of it all becomes overwhelming.
It certainly doesn’t help when things are a mess at home too.
Have you ever bawled at work in front of your coworkers or the boss when the going just got too tough? Or did you head to the restroom or leave the building to cry in solitude?
If not, do you think it is acceptable when people crack and cry in a professional environment?
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Create a crowd pleasing résumé!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How can your résumé be visible on a site receiving hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of résumés each week? Start with a good résumé and next, apply some of the ideas below to get your résumé to the top of the “Internet pile”.
- Timing is everything. Pretty simple, huh? Let’s start with the most simple way to make your résumé stand out. The most recent résumé postings are on top. You will want to post your résumé over and over again, making a few changes here and there to make it seem like new information. This can put you closer to the top on the job boards.
- Wear different hats. Make a résumé for each type of job you are going for. You should have a different résumé specific to the industry you are going toward. Get résumé help if you need to, but a sales résumé should have numbers, percentages and awards in a quick and concise format. Your résumé for management should emphasize your career growth and promotions due to your success throughout your career. With little change, you have now have two résumés. So don’t be afraid to create a specific résumé based on a job description you just MUST have.
- Be a crowd pleaser. Now companies have an idea of the qualifications they are looking for. Find those qualifications in your own background. Let’s say they want sales experience. You were in marketing, but had to sell your team on ideas you had for projects. That counts. Put it in the résumé in a way that will represent you in the light the employer is looking to hire. There are a few ways to tell any story. Your career history is a great story. Tell it the way you think will be best for each audience.
- The final option - do you take Visa? Many of the career sites offer an upgraded or ‘featured résumé’ service for a small or even large fee. It ranges per site. This might seem like a gimmick but it isn’t. How does it work? When you pay for an upgrade, the career site puts your résumé above everyone else’s based on how much you paid, even those who were just posted today and did not pay.
Adopting some of these simple measure will be sure to get your résumé noticed! Got any other tips to share?
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Watch that debate? Presidential election talk at work…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A USA Today/Gallup Poll published in USA Today last week indicated that 62% of people surveyed were enthusiastic about voting for President in this year’s election. With the tight race between Hillary and Obama and the horse race going on over on the Republican side of the ticket, there is definitely a lot to talk about.
It is hard to escape the election with plasma TV’s tuned to CNN are everywhere. The election surrounds us in office hallways, elevators, airport gate areas and restaurants.
I love to engage in a good dialogue and think we can challenge our assumptions, learn about candidate positions and discover what is most important to us when we size up the candidates together. It is also the privilege of living in a democracy which allows us to debate.
I usually throw out a starter question and feel out if a person is following the election news. Brian, my hair designer and I had a spirited 30 minute session today on Hillary and Obama and he told me he likes to talk about politics with his clients because it broadens his perspective.
On the other hand, some office settings are off limits and don’t encourage this type of talk. There might even be a judgment made about you that could be career limiting. So like religion, it might be best in these places to avoid election talk.
When I am unsure, I tread lightly with work colleagues until we get to know each other. At a recent holiday party where I was pretty confident the crowd was of a different political persuasion, I found myself consciously lowering my voice and glancing around when discussing my views on the election with a few friends.
I imagine the talk will heat up before the primary on Feb. 5th. My question is, should you bring political discussions into the workplace? Are you frustrated if you can’t?
Prayer Room at the office?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Six engineers who worked at a technical facility in Cary, North Carolina for a relatively large organization went to their manager to find out if the company would provide a room at the facility for them to pray during the day, specifically around noon.
After careful thought and consideration, the company’s leadership team took an old supply room and converted it into a room that could be used for prayer and reflection.
These six engineers were of the Muslim faith, which advocates prayer five-times a day.
Establishing the room drew concern from other employees, and it was decided to ensure the room was available for all employees regardless of faith had the opportunity to reserve time in the room.
All employees receive two 15-minute breaks and 60-minutes for lunch. The six-gentleman who participated in the Islamic prayer process were given make adjustments in their schedules, adjust breaks, lunch time, etc. as long as their personal time (payer, lunch and breaks) was managed within the 90-minutes of total allotted time.
This became a win-win for the employees and the company.
This is an example of how one company managed one dimension of diversity an effort to retain talent within the organization.
Does your office have a prayer room? Has the option ever been discussed or was the notion shelved?
Recession-proof your career
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, it’s official. The latest job numbers have just come out and we’ve learned that the unemployment rate has inched up to a two-year high of 5%.
Historically, of course, this number is not the worst we’ve seen, but today’s job seeker is feeling the effects with war-time oil prices topping $100 a barrel, gasoline at an all time high, and a precarious housing market this is most unwelcome news.
Even if you’re happily employed, this is not the time to coast thorough your days assuming that you won’t ever be affected. Just like we should be saving our pennies for a rainy day, we should also be collecting career capital now, so that we have a support structure to help pull us out of a tight spot should things go south professionally.
What is career capital? Essentially, it is the connections and credibility we earn through our achievements and our relationships within our professional networks. It’s working with integrity and building trust among our peers. It’s following through on our word and sharing credit and praise freely and genuinely.
Not unlike economic capital, our career capital is our professional bank account that we build up while we’re happily employed. We hope that we never have to make a withdrawal, but it’s there in the event of a sudden lay-off.
While few jobs are totally recession-proof, we can increase our chances of absorbing the impact of an unexpected career crisis if we’ve properly prepared ourselves.
Get started today by creating and maintaining a list of your most recent career accomplishments. You’ll be glad you have this handy should you need to revise your resume in a pinch. Join a social networking group like Linked In and make it a point to share on-line recommendations with your colleagues. Save any letters of praise and commendation you may receive and make an effort to congratulate others on their hard work in writing.
Always make an effort to get to know people in your field. Plan to attend an industry event or a professional networking event at least once a month. Or, if it’s more your style, find a cause you feel strongly about and set aside time to volunteer regularly.
The sooner you get out there and start making deposits to build your career capital, the better prepared you’ll be in the long run.
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Job seeker disability? None of your business!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The U.S. Census reports that close to one in five Americans have some type of disability.
Many of these individuals are not working. This makes you wonder if you are one of the people that are seeking work with a disability, how should you handle it in your job search?
You shouldn’t handle it at all unless it will affect your performance.
If your disability does not affect you performing the job you are applying for it is wise not to mention the disability.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you do not have to say anything.
So it is business as usual, with no guilt for job seekers with a disability when applying for a position which you can perform.
7 Deadly Sins of résumé writing
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1. Pride: Résumés may proudly represent your successes, but back them up with numbers so those reading your résumé can understand how you were able to accomplish your professional successes. It is key to be proud of your accomplishments without taking credit for the entire team’s work. It is not a good idea to include photos of yourself in the résumé, unless you are acting or modeling.
2. Envy: Résumés should never mention you did your boss’s job on a regular basis or acting “Acting Vice President” because you did all the work anyway. Be humble. The truth will come out in the interview. Too many acronyms can immediately get your resume in the circular file if the HR person reviewing it cannot understand your successes. Spell out acronyms at least the first time if they are uncommon.
3. Anger: Résumé writing must be completed without emotion. Even if you were fired, mistreated or sexually harassed. There is no place for this information in a résumé. Keep it to yourself. Focus on the good things, your successes.
4. Greed: It is important that a résumé not list any sort of salary requirement. A cover letter could mention a range only if required. If you are forced to give a salary requirement, give a $10,000 range to an employer.
5. Sloth (laziness): Be sure that you articulate how you made a difference specific to your background. Do not use a friend’s résumé with the same title with your company. It is uncommon for a position to be exactly the same as another person’s. Take the time to make your résumé strong and based on your personal information.
6. Gluttony: Do not take all the credit for projects you worked on in your résumé. Give credit where credit is due. You will be called on this exaggerated information in the interview most of the time.
7. Lust: The only place in a résumé where lust could come through to a reader is in the e-mail address. Many people put e-mail addresses that are inappropriate for a résumé (making sexual references in one way or another). Be sure that your e-mail is professional.
Navigating career changes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In today’s job market, career change is an inevitable part of career advancement. Most people will end up changing jobs within their chosen profession multiple times throughout their careers. Others will make the jump from one career field to another as they gain more experience and discover new interests. Technology may change, but the basic truths of career transition still hold true.
Stay in control of the changes you will face as you move through your career by mastering the following:
KNOW WHAT YOU’RE WORTH - Research updated salary information in your chosen profession with on-line resources such as www.salary.com and the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm
UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WANT - Do you want to do the same kind of work, just at another company? Do you want to change your job function, but stay in the same general industry? Or do you want to keep your job function, but gain experience in another industry? If you want to do both, are you prepared to go back to school or take a transition job? Until you know the answer to those questions, you’re not prepared to begin a job search.
NETWORK NOW FOR THE JOB YOU WANT TOMORROW - Going to a networking event and expecting to walk out with a job lead is like walking into the gym and expecting to loose five pounds while you’re there. You have to actively cultivate real relationships with your networking contacts. This takes time and a genuine interest in helping others grow. People must trust you before they’re willing to help you.
CONDUCT INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS - If you’re thinking of changing to a new profession entirely, it can be extremely helpful to talk to someone who is currently working in that field. Ask the people close to you if they know anyone who has experience in your area of interest, then request an introduction. An informal chat with an industry insider over a cup of coffee can help you determine whether or not you want to pursue that particular career path.
DON’T ASSUME - People change careers at all stages of their professional life. Don’t assume that you’re too old. Don’t assume that you can’t afford to go back to school. Don’t assume that you can’t master something. Life is about choices. At the end of the day, we create our own limitations.
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New Year’s resolutions, job-style
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many people are drafting plans right now for all the ways they are going to overhaul their lives in 2008. Some popular resolutions are losing weight, spending less money and quitting cigarettes. A lot of people, though, make job-related New Year’s resolutions. For some, the resolution is to find a new job or career. But others might resolve to improve their efficiency or performance at their current jobs — for example, meeting all deadlines or getting to work earlier every day. (One that I should make is to keep my work area tidier!) Have you made (or are you planning to make) any New Year’s resolutions pertaining to your work? If so, what will it take for you to keep them, and what will be the benefits of doing so? Have you made any job-related resolutions in the past and kept them?
