You know when your car needs a tune up. The engine stops running smoothly, there’s a few sputters and jerks when you take off, and the cloud of exhaust doesn’t look good. If you just keep moving, the problem doesn’t go away — it gradually gets worse and eventually you aren’t going anywhere. Your car needs that tune up or there will be permanent damage.
Your career can be the same way. You gradually become aware that something isn’t “right” but you aren’t sure what it is. You keep plugging away at your job and things start to sputter. Eventually you realize that you aren’t going anywhere. What should you do before there’s permanent damage to your future?
One logical thing to do is give your career a tune up; looking at the overall picture of your job history and current position, checking your skills to see if they are current, evaluating the things that need to change and figuring out how to change them. You could do this yourself with research and advice from experts. Of course, you’d be trying to figure out which experts to heed and what to research, but it can be done.
People who have expertise with engines can easily do their own tune ups because they know what to prioritize. Career tune ups can be challenging because most of us don’t know which one of the little issues is the most important in the long run. This is where investing in the right coaching services can make the difference between a career that goes nowhere and one that takes off. So, how do you pick the right coach?
It’s a lot like picking the right mechanic. You look for experience, certifications, and happy customers. You might try them out by having a small job done and see how you fit with their personality because that will matter to you over time. The credentials aren’t just pieces of paper; they represent completion of strict standards that can be verified. Career coaches work the same way.
We offer Coaching Services in three different packages and an a la carte selection that pretty much guarantees you will find help for your career. Just like the professional mechanics, we have listed the credentials so you can verify them and be confident you are getting help from the best. Your career will get the tune up it needs, attention to the places you need help in and the help will be there. Pretty soon your career will be humming smoothly and you will take off!
That may sound like a dumb question, but it really is one designed to make you think. A job gives you a paycheck to be able to do things like buy groceries, pay bills, and support your child’s activities. That is not a bad reason to have a job. In fact, I’d say it is the only reason to have a job. If you need money, get a job. Right?
But a career is different.
Two people can be working side by side at the same task in the same workplace and one will have a job while the other has a career. One is focused on the paycheck, the other is focused on the future. If you are taking the time to improve your skills, paying attention to more than your job description, and getting ready for the next opportunity, then you have a career.
Improve your skills by learning to do things that intimidate you a little bit. Read more. Write more. Take some classes or tutorials about using software that might be helpful. Learn to do your job and be open to learning how to do any other jobs around you.
Pay attention to more than your job description by noticing how things happen. What’s involved with getting the product to the shelves or the service to the customer? How is this business managed? What other businesses feed into it or support it? Expanding your perspective opens your eyes to networking possibilities and possible career paths.
Get ready for the next opportunity by keeping your resume up to date and looking for ways to stay current with the job market. Seek out an executive resume writer to help bring your resume current. The Job Search Resources page has a lot of ideas here. It may say “Job” in the title, but it says “Career” in the result. The difference between a job and a career is the attitude you have about your long-range plans.
It is very likely that your next job application will be done electronically. In some ways this makes the process easier, I think, since many find it laborious to fill out paper applications by hand. Still, there are some issues you can run into with an electronic application that could cause problems if you’re not paying attention.
- Read the instructions. Don’t assume you know how this particular company’s software will work just because you have filed online in other places. There might be a nuance that makes a difference to the person (or computer) screening the applications. When hundreds of applications are being screened, little things can get you in the wrong category.
- Load your resume in the right format. There’s a reason why Professional Resume Services offers both ASCII and PDF versions of your resume in our professional resume packages. We don’t know what your (hopefully) future employer will want. Having both versions gives you the best chance of having the right one.
- Check all the information carefully! It happens all the time: the resume is attached and the little boxes of the electronic job application magically fill up. But those little boxes don’t have the information in the right place and, again, a little thing makes a big difference in getting your application passed through the initial filter. You need to look it over with the idea that you are proofreading, even though your resume was already proofread. Otherwise, you could end up verifying that your college degree was earned at your last job when you carelessly submit it. That scenario isn’t as farfetched as it sounds–so check to make sure the right information is in each box.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” — Dr. Seuss, “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!”
I tell my kids this all the time–the more you read, the smarter you’ll be, the places you’ll go, the people you’ll see. OK, so that’s my own little Dr. Seuss version of getting them interested in reading. Books and other reading material feed your intellect and affect the way you look at life. One recent buzz around Facebook was the challenge to list the ten books that have changed the way you look at life, right off the top of your head. Not classic books, or intellectual books, just the books you read that somehow lingered in your life. I made my list and it was super hard to keep it at ten. Librarians will tell you that people going through a crisis will often ask for books about someone going through a crisis because it helps to see how others cope with challenges.
In your career, reading a wide range of topics will give you a wide range of perspective on the way people think and strategies you can use for your advancement. It’s like a balanced diet. You need stuff from every food group in order to be healthy and you need to read both fiction and non-fiction to have a healthy view of the world. There is a difference in quality when it comes to what you read. Just as there is a difference in quality of food; you will start to see that difference as your reading variety changes.
Reading anything regularly increases your ability to comprehend and articulate ideas. If what you read is well-written, it helps you develop a sense of spelling and grammar, which gives you a professional edge in your communication.
If you’re unemployed, I’d say it’s a good idea to read something work/career related every day. This is easy to do by subscribing to a few blogs, but working through a book is important. Blogs and websites like those on the Job Resources Page are carefully concentrated chunks of information like an energy bar; a book is like a banquet that has been planned and prepared by a chef.
Dr. Seuss is right: the more you learn, the more places you’ll go. Your career will be enhanced by reading regularly.
Recently, a young woman named Mita Duran died after one of the too-frequent 30-hour work days she put in as a copywriter for an international ad agency. The comments on this story number in the thousands; some fault the energy drinks she was consuming to stay awake, some fault the work culture that expects such long hours, others say they do it and it hasn’t killed them yet.
The overwhelming impression you get from the comments is that it is common to be expected to put in increasingly longer hours if you are going to have a job and keep it.
I’m wondering how many people die from job related stress. It probably affects our lives more than we are willing to admit, but there are ways to make things a little bit better:
- Make sure you are taking breaks and walking around. Your body needs it.
- Drink more water than your drinking coffee or energy drinks. (You can walk to the bathroom for your breaks!) Your body needs to be hydrated and too much caffeine in your system will damage it.
- Eat healthy. Take a snack that has protein and nutrients in it instead of straight sugar/fat/carb bombs that make your blood sugar shoot up and then crash.
- Do stretches at your desk, and raise your computer so you can stand sometimes. I’m thinking about getting one of those huge balls to sit on. I hear it’s great for the stomach and core.
- Put up a photo of a calm scene…the ocean, a mountain lake, etc. Gaze into it and imagine going there.
These tips are oriented to a desk job, but whatever your job entails there will be some positive actions you can do. Today’s work climate means you have to deal with the stressful conditions you encounter when working long hours. Hopefully, it comes in seasons and there are breaks. Sometimes the work load is an incentive to look for a new job, and we can certainly help you with that.
Nobody should be dying on the job. Change your work lifestyle in 2014 and your body (and mind) will thank you.
People judge on appearances. It would be nice if they did not, but the reality is that they do. That’s why the way your resume looks on the page is an important factor of resume writing. It’s one thing we look for when asked to critique a resume. You could have all the facts written accurately and still be rejected because the reader is looking for something you are blind to.
A recent blog post about the logic of stupid poor people is popping up in different areas of the internet. Author Tressie M Cottom makes some valid points about the reasons someone would spend a lot of money on an item of clothing or an accessory, and it isn’t to feel good – it is to make themselves acceptable and “gain access to a limited set of rewards granted upon group membership.” In many cases, this goal is a job that will improve their lives and the lives of their family. She says it isn’t that poor people are stupid. Rather, it is that they are blind to the nuances in wardrobe selection signalling you fit into the club. To get in, you have to be acceptable to the gatekeeper and, in the case of a job, that gatekeeper is the interviewer.
Ms. Cottom cites instances where jobs were granted based on wardrobe choices. She also has sat in on interviews where a candidate was rejected for attire deemed “unsuitable” for the position. It seems arbitrary to reject someone based on a shirt, but the well-qualified job applicant did not know what the interviewing VP’s idea of “suitable” was. Just like a resume can have all the right stuff without the best presentation, you can be a good fit for a job and miss the chance to prove it because you didn’t research the unwritten clothing code in that particular workplace.
How do you discover this unwritten clothing code and find out which status symbol might be a good investment? Find out as much as you can about the company and management. Look at their website and the pictures of their staff. Talk to people who work there. What does management wear? Which labels? What styles? Unless this is a very casual company, go business formal, conservative, and expensive. You don’t have to actually spend the money for full price (look for bargains and consignment shops), but your interview outfit should be the best in your wardrobe.
You are trying to figure out the things that will impress. Shallow, maybe, but if a silk tie with your suit or a designer bag will signal you can fit into their club and get that job, it is an investment.
Two Qualities All Resumes Should Show
Resumes
Your resume is a compilation of your career for the purpose of evaluation. The reader of your resume is looking for indications you will be suitable for a specific opening and that reader uses your resume to determine if an interview should be scheduled. One way to categorize what will be looked for is summed up in two areas: learn and lead.
The ability to learn is essential no matter which position you are filling in an organization. From the top executive to the lowest rung of the career ladder, if you aren’t continually seeking to learn how to increase your effectiveness, you are dead weight. This can be shown in a resume through several means:
- seminars and classes attended
- organizations and volunteer activity
- certifications
The ability to lead is really the ability to think and act independently for the good of the group. Some of this ability isn’t going to show in a resume — having the strength of character to avoid gossip, for instance. Still, a resume can show that you have accomplished goals. The positions you have held in any organization, the time spent as a member and the activities you participate in all show leadership by example even when they are not “head” positions. Your references will reveal what kind of person you are, which indicates what kind of worker you probably will be.
During an interview, you are assessed in the light of your resume. The impression the resume gave is adjusted to include the face-to-face interaction and the whole package is considered. Will you be able to learn the job? Will you be able to do the job well even when distractions occur? Will you be a positive force in their particular workplace? If your resume hasn’t shown that you might fit, you will probably not be called in for that interview.
If your resume hasn’t resulted in being called in for any interviews, maybe it’s time to look at it again. Does it show that you know how to both learn and lead? Is it well written? Professional Resume Services has carefully built a site with many ways to help you develop an excellent resume for distribution. Explore the tips and services and see how your resume can be one that gets you that interview and the opportunity to learn and lead in a new job.
An interview can be a very intimidating experience if you have never had one or have not been hired after the last one or two you endured. Fear of failure can be overcome, though, with some practical strategies for success.
- Do some research — read up on interviewing skills and make notes on what you learn. Google “interview skills” and see if there is more to add. Write down where you think you missed the mark, or what worries you. Ask the person who interviewed you where you could improve and if you could be considered for future positions. Be honest with yourself; now is the time to look in the mirror and be accurate, not idealistic.
- Get some help — your list is where you start. Do you know anyone who can give you a few practice interviews? Are you acquainted with any managers or employers? Think about parents of friends, family members, etc. Ask them to look at your list and give you an idea about improving things.
- Look for community offerings — libraries, community colleges, government agencies may have opportunities to attend workshops or use their computers to find information.
- Record yourself introducing yourself — and don’t hit delete when you watch it the first time. Is the list you came up with accurate? What should you add? What were you surprised to see you do when you talk? Practice a bit then record yourself again.
- Practice speaking in front of people — and expect to make mistakes. We all do!
- Practice looking at people when you talk to them — if this makes you uncomfortable, start slow and look at their nose or eyebrow. I’m not talking about an unbroken stare, but you should look at the person you are speaking with frequently.
- Practice listening to people — an interview is a conversation to see if you will fit into the workforce already in place. If all you are doing is waiting for the interviewer to stop so you can hit the talk button, you are not paying attention and you probably will not fit in.
Knowing what to expect and preparing for it will give you confidence. Knowing job rejection can be good helps. So does seeing FAIL as an acronym for First Attempt In Learning. Hone your skills and keep at it, because that’s how you get better.
