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By Tim Tyrell-Smith
All companies have some sort of advisory board. The board’s role is to provide an outside perspective, strategic suggestions, and critical feedback.
Often these boards include people from different industries, much larger organizations, or different disciplines to bring new ideas under consideration. They help evaluate decisions on how the company will grow, how fast, and by pulling which levers.
In the end, the decision on which way to go falls with the company.
During a job search, career change, or as you seek to negotiate a promotion or pay raise, where are you getting advice and feedback on your career?
Many options are available to you:
• Start or be a part of an accountability group, meeting weekly to help keep members focused on key objectives. As a part of this group, you will get and give critical feedback.
• Hire a career coach, someone who is trained to provide guidance and directional feedback along the way, helping you negotiate new positions, think through a career change, or struggle with a new boss.
• Start or join a career or job-search reading group. Think of this like a study group from college. You pick up a great book, read it, and discuss the content against what’s happening in your career. Count on more support here but likely less critical feedback.
• Find one key person in your life to provide straight-shooting advice along your journey, career advice from a successful relative, family friend, or anyone who can be a voice of reason when you are unsure how to move ahead.
Did you know you could create your own board of career advisors?
If you are actively looking for work or career direction today, here’s how to get started:
Recruit Your Board
Identify three to five people who know you and would be interested in playing a role to support your career. Consider a family friend who is employed and review your situation with fresh eyes. Try a former supervisor, coach or professor who has worked with you in some capacity. Be clear as to what role you’d like them to play and how often you’ll need them.
Schedule the First Meeting
Find a quiet place like an office, conference room, or private room at a local restaurant. This first meeting should be no more than 90 minutes, including you speaking (30 minutes) then listening (60 minutes).
Present Yourself
For 3o minutes, share your story. If you are looking for work, formally present your marketing materials (resume, cover letter, one page bio, and business card), deliver your elevator pitch, and provide specific job search objectives (target industry, geography, job level, function and target companies). If you’re looking for feedback for a career change, help your board understand your motivations for the change, how you are a fit with the new industry or function, and your plans to ease the transition (education, internships, etc).
More Advice and Complete USNews Article
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Updating a Résumé for 2011
By ELIZABETH GARONE
Q: I am a senior executive and haven't looked for a job in more than 10 years. How can I make my résumé more current by today's standards?
--Boston, Mass.
A: While the résumé as you know it from 10 years ago is still alive and kicking, there have been a number of modifications to it. No longer do job candidates simply present a Word document of their qualifications. Today, they need to craft a package both online and off to present to a prospective employer. This needs to include both a résumé and an online profile as well as an easy way for a prospective employer or recruiter to move back and forth between the two.
Embrace technology. The biggest change is also the most expected one: a move toward technology. An online networking presence is no longer just an option but a requirement.
In today's executive search market, if you're not on LinkedIn, you don't exist," says Wendy Enelow, author of "Expert Resumes for Managers and Executives" and "Best Resumes for $100,000+ Jobs." Ms. Enelow suggests including live email links on your Microsoft Word résumé and live links to your LinkedIn profile. "Make it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to contact you with one click to your email and one click to your LinkedIn profile," she says.
Don't make assumptions. The job market is in a transition stage when it comes to applications and how they are submitted, says Mary Henige, General Motors' director of social media and digital communications. Therefore, a lot of how you present yourself should depend on the hiring manager's preference, she says. If you're not sure what that is, it's best to cover all of your bases. "I recommend that a candidate include both a link to his or her résumé and an attachment but to never assume it's one way or another unless it's clear," says Ms. Henige.
Expansion is good. The one-page rule for résumés no longer holds true, according to Howard Seidel, a partner at Essex Partners, a Boston-based senior level career management firm. "While one page makes sense when you have little experience, it doesn't make sense when, as a senior executive, you have 10, 20 or more years of experience," he says. "Executive typically do themselves an injustice by keeping the résumé to a page." Mr. Seidel suggests expanding to two or three pages but giving the first page enough punch to entice the reader to delve further.
Overused is out. At first glance, "team player" and "innovative" might sound like good words to use on your résumé, but that would be a mistake, according to Krista Canfield, a spokesperson for LinkedIn. The business networking site recently combed through millions of user profiles and came up with a list of the top 10 overused terms. These included innovative, dynamic, motivated, extensive experience, results-oriented, proven track record, team player, fast-paced, problem solver, and entrepreneurial.
"Your online profile is a valuable piece of professional real estate," says Ms. Canfield. "The problem with using generic words and phrases in your profile and résumé is that hundreds, if not thousands, of other professionals are describing themselves the exact same way." She suggests replacing the overused terms with descriptions of those specific projects that you have worked on, which resulted in concrete results for your clients.
More advice and complete WSJ article
--Boston, Mass.
A: While the résumé as you know it from 10 years ago is still alive and kicking, there have been a number of modifications to it. No longer do job candidates simply present a Word document of their qualifications. Today, they need to craft a package both online and off to present to a prospective employer. This needs to include both a résumé and an online profile as well as an easy way for a prospective employer or recruiter to move back and forth between the two.
Embrace technology. The biggest change is also the most expected one: a move toward technology. An online networking presence is no longer just an option but a requirement.
In today's executive search market, if you're not on LinkedIn, you don't exist," says Wendy Enelow, author of "Expert Resumes for Managers and Executives" and "Best Resumes for $100,000+ Jobs." Ms. Enelow suggests including live email links on your Microsoft Word résumé and live links to your LinkedIn profile. "Make it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to contact you with one click to your email and one click to your LinkedIn profile," she says.
Don't make assumptions. The job market is in a transition stage when it comes to applications and how they are submitted, says Mary Henige, General Motors' director of social media and digital communications. Therefore, a lot of how you present yourself should depend on the hiring manager's preference, she says. If you're not sure what that is, it's best to cover all of your bases. "I recommend that a candidate include both a link to his or her résumé and an attachment but to never assume it's one way or another unless it's clear," says Ms. Henige.
Expansion is good. The one-page rule for résumés no longer holds true, according to Howard Seidel, a partner at Essex Partners, a Boston-based senior level career management firm. "While one page makes sense when you have little experience, it doesn't make sense when, as a senior executive, you have 10, 20 or more years of experience," he says. "Executive typically do themselves an injustice by keeping the résumé to a page." Mr. Seidel suggests expanding to two or three pages but giving the first page enough punch to entice the reader to delve further.
Overused is out. At first glance, "team player" and "innovative" might sound like good words to use on your résumé, but that would be a mistake, according to Krista Canfield, a spokesperson for LinkedIn. The business networking site recently combed through millions of user profiles and came up with a list of the top 10 overused terms. These included innovative, dynamic, motivated, extensive experience, results-oriented, proven track record, team player, fast-paced, problem solver, and entrepreneurial.
"Your online profile is a valuable piece of professional real estate," says Ms. Canfield. "The problem with using generic words and phrases in your profile and résumé is that hundreds, if not thousands, of other professionals are describing themselves the exact same way." She suggests replacing the overused terms with descriptions of those specific projects that you have worked on, which resulted in concrete results for your clients.
More advice and complete WSJ article
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
What do hiring managers want?
As a recruiter, I was just talking to a client, a Director at a mid-size company, about a couple of positions he’s trying to fill and specifics of what he wants to see in a good candidate.
I wish many of the people in my job search classes could have listened in on the conversation because he clearly answered what many job seekers want to know… “What do hiring managers really want?”
Certainly, in both of the open positions he has, he needs specific skills for those roles. However, more important to him than having all the technical/functional skills were characteristics that were critical for him to find.
Those characteristics could be summarized by…
Positive Attitude, Communication Skills, and Professionalism!
He related to me how he believed those traits were the most important, and somehow the most difficult to find. He recently had to let someone on his team go because although the person had strong technical skills for the job, they did a poor job of communicating with others in their job, and their professionalism (i.e. appropriateness, and attitude) was lacking. They did a good job of executing the technical aspects of their job, but did more harm than good when it came to working with others and helping them understand the requirements and process.
He told me about multiple candidates they’ve talked to that also had the technical skills, however, fell short when it came to projecting those other qualities. He expressed concern that he couldn’t afford, in this economy, to hire average employees. He needs people that can not only do the job, but represent his department effectively and positively to the rest of the company.
People come in to interview often express sour grapes rather than optimism. They dress inappropriately or sloppily making a poor first impression. They ramble on or give one word answers to questions, or generally don’t articulate ideas well. They are unprepared and don’t know basic information about the company or position. They can’t ‘think on their feet’ well. They act intimidated when talking to superiors. They are not very self-aware about their own strengths, weaknesses, or abilities. They try too hard to impress instead of showing sincere interest in others. They come across as overly concerned with what’s in it for them.
So often I hear from job seekers something like:
“I don’t understand why I didn’t get that job! I was a perfect fit. My skills and experience matched up exactly with what they said they were looking for. They don’t know what they want!”
Actually they do know exactly what they want, and usually within a couple of minutes of talking to the job seeker it becomes clear to me why they didn’t get hired.
Complete Article and More Advice From "The Wise Job Search"
I wish many of the people in my job search classes could have listened in on the conversation because he clearly answered what many job seekers want to know… “What do hiring managers really want?”
Certainly, in both of the open positions he has, he needs specific skills for those roles. However, more important to him than having all the technical/functional skills were characteristics that were critical for him to find.
Those characteristics could be summarized by…
Positive Attitude, Communication Skills, and Professionalism!
He related to me how he believed those traits were the most important, and somehow the most difficult to find. He recently had to let someone on his team go because although the person had strong technical skills for the job, they did a poor job of communicating with others in their job, and their professionalism (i.e. appropriateness, and attitude) was lacking. They did a good job of executing the technical aspects of their job, but did more harm than good when it came to working with others and helping them understand the requirements and process.
He told me about multiple candidates they’ve talked to that also had the technical skills, however, fell short when it came to projecting those other qualities. He expressed concern that he couldn’t afford, in this economy, to hire average employees. He needs people that can not only do the job, but represent his department effectively and positively to the rest of the company.
People come in to interview often express sour grapes rather than optimism. They dress inappropriately or sloppily making a poor first impression. They ramble on or give one word answers to questions, or generally don’t articulate ideas well. They are unprepared and don’t know basic information about the company or position. They can’t ‘think on their feet’ well. They act intimidated when talking to superiors. They are not very self-aware about their own strengths, weaknesses, or abilities. They try too hard to impress instead of showing sincere interest in others. They come across as overly concerned with what’s in it for them.
So often I hear from job seekers something like:
“I don’t understand why I didn’t get that job! I was a perfect fit. My skills and experience matched up exactly with what they said they were looking for. They don’t know what they want!”
Actually they do know exactly what they want, and usually within a couple of minutes of talking to the job seeker it becomes clear to me why they didn’t get hired.
Complete Article and More Advice From "The Wise Job Search"
Monday, June 6, 2011
5 LinkedIn Tips You Didn't Know
BY Amber Mac
Whether it's Mark Zuckerberg talking about killing pigs or a Hollywood blockbuster under its belt, Facebook has plenty of attention in our lives. Twitter falls into the same camp. From Justin Bieber's noisy 10 million followers to hordes of social media gurus tweeting the benefits of 140 characters or less, it's easy to discover how and what makes Twitter work. However, there is one social network that lacks drama but makes up for it with a devoted business community and plenty of compelling features.
Here are five LinkedIn tips you should try today.
1. Use "Signal" to discover relevant news and information
When you're logged in to LinkedIn, take a tour of a new-ish feature called Signal. This tool lets you easily monitor updates within your network, but more importantly you can filter information so you can also see what people in your extended circle (2nd and 3rd connections) are posting. You can also do the same filtering by industry or location, so you can weed through the noise.
2. Export your connections
Go to "My Connections" to view a list of all your LinkedIn contacts. This address book is a really handy way to get email addresses and updated information, but most importantly you can export this list. At the bottom of the page click "Export Connections," which will put all this contact info in a format suitable for your address book (Micorsoft Outlook, Yahoo! Mail, etc.).
3. Create a resume
It may not be as dramatic as Twitter or as ubiquitous as Facebook, but LinkedIn attracts dedicated users who are serious about business. Here's how to connect with them using the fast-growing service's most powerful new tools.
Here are five LinkedIn tips you should try today.
1. Use "Signal" to discover relevant news and information
When you're logged in to LinkedIn, take a tour of a new-ish feature called Signal. This tool lets you easily monitor updates within your network, but more importantly you can filter information so you can also see what people in your extended circle (2nd and 3rd connections) are posting. You can also do the same filtering by industry or location, so you can weed through the noise.
2. Export your connections
Go to "My Connections" to view a list of all your LinkedIn contacts. This address book is a really handy way to get email addresses and updated information, but most importantly you can export this list. At the bottom of the page click "Export Connections," which will put all this contact info in a format suitable for your address book (Micorsoft Outlook, Yahoo! Mail, etc.).
3. Create a resume
If you've already filled out your LinkedIn profile information, it's easy to use it to create a foundation for a resume. The Resume Builder will suck in your professional past and you can use any of the pre-built templates to make it look good. From an Executive style presentation to a more casual layout, this tool will take some of the pain out of the resume building process. You can export the resume, share it easily, and edit as you wish.
Friday, June 3, 2011
10 Jobs With High Depression Rates
No one said managing other people’s money was an easy job. But these days making investors happy is taking a toll on financial advisors’ own health.
A report from health.com lists financial advisors as one of the 10 professions where workers are mostly likely to experience major depression in a given year.
Others on the list include health care workers, social workers, administrative staff support and maintenance/grounds people.
There’s a lot at stake when managing someone’s retirement nest egg. Job performance doesn’t just impact an advisor’s own livelihood, but rather it means the difference between helping someone retire comfortably or losing someone a portion of their assets on a bad investment.
Deborah Legge, PhD, tells health.com, “There is so much responsibility for other people’s finances and no control of the market. There is guilt involved, and when (clients) are losing money, they probably have people screaming at them with regularity.”
Since the financial crisis there’s been an increase in the number of reported suicides among financial advisors. In March, a Toronto-based financial advisor was found dead in his home after being sued by investors. In February, a Smith Barney broker named to Barron’s list of Top Advisors jumped from a bridge to his death. Deutsche Bank broker Russell Smith left a note to some of his clients before committing suicide in October 2008:
“Since you are reading this, I have just taken my life. It was necessary because the alternatives were totally unpalatable. I consider you a friend first and a client second. That said, I had a fiduciary relationship with you that charged me with putting your interest first. I can say that I always tried to do that. However, some of the investment recommendations that I chose did not work.”
Here’s the complete list of depression-prone professions.
A report from health.com lists financial advisors as one of the 10 professions where workers are mostly likely to experience major depression in a given year.
Others on the list include health care workers, social workers, administrative staff support and maintenance/grounds people.
There’s a lot at stake when managing someone’s retirement nest egg. Job performance doesn’t just impact an advisor’s own livelihood, but rather it means the difference between helping someone retire comfortably or losing someone a portion of their assets on a bad investment.
Deborah Legge, PhD, tells health.com, “There is so much responsibility for other people’s finances and no control of the market. There is guilt involved, and when (clients) are losing money, they probably have people screaming at them with regularity.”
Since the financial crisis there’s been an increase in the number of reported suicides among financial advisors. In March, a Toronto-based financial advisor was found dead in his home after being sued by investors. In February, a Smith Barney broker named to Barron’s list of Top Advisors jumped from a bridge to his death. Deutsche Bank broker Russell Smith left a note to some of his clients before committing suicide in October 2008:
“Since you are reading this, I have just taken my life. It was necessary because the alternatives were totally unpalatable. I consider you a friend first and a client second. That said, I had a fiduciary relationship with you that charged me with putting your interest first. I can say that I always tried to do that. However, some of the investment recommendations that I chose did not work.”
Here’s the complete list of depression-prone professions.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Start-Ups Tag Facebook for Career Networking
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
11 Money-Smart Steps All Grads Should Take
By Wise Bread
Graduation season is upon us, and now is the time for soon-to-be and recent graduates to start thinking about what their futures hold. Graduating can be a scary and confusing time for young adults who aren’t quite sure how to make the transition from college life to the real world, but here are eleven tips to help make the transition a little easier.
1. Get Educated About Taxes
The government is going to take money out of your paycheck, so you might as well learn about the different types of taxes, brackets, and deductions. By educating yourself about taxes, you can learn where your money is going and how to better shelter your income, ultimately keeping more money in your bank accounts.
2. Be Careful With Credit Cards
If you have credit cards, don’t overuse them, no matter how tempting it is. Only spend money you have and be sure to pay off your balance in full each month. If you aren’t capable of exercising restraint when it comes to credit cards, use a debit card or only pay for things with cash. Also, check your credit score on a regular basis to make sure it’s accurate.
3. Sign Up For LinkedIn
LinkedIn is like Facebook for professionals. It enables you to connect with your personal and professional contacts, showcase your resume, and make new connections that can ultimately help you find a job. Take the time to fully fill out your profile so you can be more marketable to potential employers.
4. Start an Emergency Fund
An emergency fund—money stored in case of an unexpected occurrence such as a job loss or sudden medical problem—is absolutely vital given the state of the economy. If you can, try to stash away some money each month so you have funds to fall back on should you lose your job (or, if you haven’t graduated yet, until you land your first job). Your goal should be to have enough money to support yourself for at least a few months – but any bit can help.
5. Get Educated About Retirement
It is never too early to start thinking about retirement. Educate yourself about 401(k)s and IRAs so you can start getting prepared. If you currently have a job or when you get one, find out if your company does any 401(k) matching. If they do, take advantage of it—it’s essentially free money.
6. Make Your Facebook Account Employer-Friendly
Go onto your Facebook profile and make it employer friendly. This means removing all inappropriate pictures and information or, at the very least, making your profile as private as possible so potential employers cannot see pictures from your crazy weekend in Vegas or your spring break trip to Cancun.
Tips 7 - 11 and Complete US News Article
Graduation season is upon us, and now is the time for soon-to-be and recent graduates to start thinking about what their futures hold. Graduating can be a scary and confusing time for young adults who aren’t quite sure how to make the transition from college life to the real world, but here are eleven tips to help make the transition a little easier.
1. Get Educated About Taxes
The government is going to take money out of your paycheck, so you might as well learn about the different types of taxes, brackets, and deductions. By educating yourself about taxes, you can learn where your money is going and how to better shelter your income, ultimately keeping more money in your bank accounts.
2. Be Careful With Credit Cards
If you have credit cards, don’t overuse them, no matter how tempting it is. Only spend money you have and be sure to pay off your balance in full each month. If you aren’t capable of exercising restraint when it comes to credit cards, use a debit card or only pay for things with cash. Also, check your credit score on a regular basis to make sure it’s accurate.
3. Sign Up For LinkedIn
LinkedIn is like Facebook for professionals. It enables you to connect with your personal and professional contacts, showcase your resume, and make new connections that can ultimately help you find a job. Take the time to fully fill out your profile so you can be more marketable to potential employers.
4. Start an Emergency Fund
An emergency fund—money stored in case of an unexpected occurrence such as a job loss or sudden medical problem—is absolutely vital given the state of the economy. If you can, try to stash away some money each month so you have funds to fall back on should you lose your job (or, if you haven’t graduated yet, until you land your first job). Your goal should be to have enough money to support yourself for at least a few months – but any bit can help.
5. Get Educated About Retirement
It is never too early to start thinking about retirement. Educate yourself about 401(k)s and IRAs so you can start getting prepared. If you currently have a job or when you get one, find out if your company does any 401(k) matching. If they do, take advantage of it—it’s essentially free money.
6. Make Your Facebook Account Employer-Friendly
Go onto your Facebook profile and make it employer friendly. This means removing all inappropriate pictures and information or, at the very least, making your profile as private as possible so potential employers cannot see pictures from your crazy weekend in Vegas or your spring break trip to Cancun.
Tips 7 - 11 and Complete US News Article
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