In the midst of the Republican Party's race to select its presidential candidate, we have seen lots of personal "dirt" unearthed. Infidelity, corruption, and questionable financial deals are among the few issues that have been raised. It begs the question, does your personal life really impact your ability to secure a job? As the GOP canididacy - and every day life - has proven, your personal life does make a difference in your employability.
Credit Score
On the surface, one might think a low credit score would not impact your ability to land a job. However, did you know that it is very difficult obtain a government security clearance with a bankruptcy or even a low credit score? The same holds true in banking, finance, and the insurance industry. Employers often look at your credit score as an indication of your ability to make decisions and hold responsibility.
Online Presence
In an earlier blog post I discussed how to manage your online presence. If an employer is conducting a search of your name, what will they find? Pictures on facebook of you drinking heavily or participating in illegal activities are a definite red flag to employers. However, they will also look at comments you make on blogs and on social media sites such as www.twitter.com and www.facebook.com to get a sense of your values and beliefs.
Consider the types of pages, businesses, and causes that are among your "likes" on Facebook. Are any of these organizations controversial or indicative of your religious or sexual preferences? These types of personal beliefs should be kept just that - personal. Remember that when you post something online, it stays there for other people to find, so beware!
Convictions
Everyone makes mistakes in their life. However, some are more costly than others. If you have been convicted of a felony in your life, you need to be ready to counteract the negativity that will follow. Try to offer a simple straightforward explanation of the conviction followed by the changes you have made in your life since the conviction. Read this earlier blog post for more information.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Reprioritizing Cost vs. Worth
When you go shopping you are in a constant battle between what something costs (the amount of money that you will have to give to purchase the item) and what something is worth (the value that you place upon the item).
Let's consider an easy example: aluminum foil. To one person, the regular store brand will sufficiently meet her aluminum foil needs. The name brand-and the higher price-isn't worth it. But another person will pay the higher price for the name brand because of the increased value-worth-that he perceives. Perhaps he considers the quality better or places a lot of faith in the company that produced it.
Neither view is wrong...but how you view cost and worth can have an impact on your career.
Let's take one aspect of how this plays out in your career: dress and grooming. When I worked in a career services department I had a student frantically contact me because he had a job interview that day and wanted some advice. I agreed to meet with him, and when I entered our conference room for our appointment I was struck by how unappealing his appearance was: ill-fitting, mismatched clothes and wild, uncombed hair. When I (gently) brought the matter of his appearance up to him, his immediate response was that he couldn't afford to buy better clothes or get a haircut at the time. Mind you, this is the same student who I often saw purchasing soda out of school vending machines, where the markup is typically much more than buying it at the store.
Do you see how cost and worth are at play here? A soda-in fact, frequent sodas during the week-had a higher worth to this student than buying clothes and getting a haircut that would display him as someone who takes his professional life seriously.
But here's the catch: we are all this student. In our professional lives there are lines that we don't cross because we don't see the value proposition. We balk at paying a professional to write our resume for us or for to hire a career coach to help us pursue our career dreams because, in our minds, we can do it ourselves. It's just not worth it. But what is the cost of being another week out of work? Or spending another day in a miserable, soul-sucking job?
If you are feeling stuck or trapped in your current situation, examine your cost vs. worth viewpoint. Use the questions below as guides:
What is my career worth to me, and how is where my money goes reflective of that?
How does my perception of cost vs. worth play out in career roadblocks I encounter?
What am I willing to sacrifice/not sacrifice monetarily for career satisfaction?
Let's consider an easy example: aluminum foil. To one person, the regular store brand will sufficiently meet her aluminum foil needs. The name brand-and the higher price-isn't worth it. But another person will pay the higher price for the name brand because of the increased value-worth-that he perceives. Perhaps he considers the quality better or places a lot of faith in the company that produced it.
Neither view is wrong...but how you view cost and worth can have an impact on your career.
Let's take one aspect of how this plays out in your career: dress and grooming. When I worked in a career services department I had a student frantically contact me because he had a job interview that day and wanted some advice. I agreed to meet with him, and when I entered our conference room for our appointment I was struck by how unappealing his appearance was: ill-fitting, mismatched clothes and wild, uncombed hair. When I (gently) brought the matter of his appearance up to him, his immediate response was that he couldn't afford to buy better clothes or get a haircut at the time. Mind you, this is the same student who I often saw purchasing soda out of school vending machines, where the markup is typically much more than buying it at the store.
Do you see how cost and worth are at play here? A soda-in fact, frequent sodas during the week-had a higher worth to this student than buying clothes and getting a haircut that would display him as someone who takes his professional life seriously.
But here's the catch: we are all this student. In our professional lives there are lines that we don't cross because we don't see the value proposition. We balk at paying a professional to write our resume for us or for to hire a career coach to help us pursue our career dreams because, in our minds, we can do it ourselves. It's just not worth it. But what is the cost of being another week out of work? Or spending another day in a miserable, soul-sucking job?
If you are feeling stuck or trapped in your current situation, examine your cost vs. worth viewpoint. Use the questions below as guides:
What is my career worth to me, and how is where my money goes reflective of that?
How does my perception of cost vs. worth play out in career roadblocks I encounter?
What am I willing to sacrifice/not sacrifice monetarily for career satisfaction?
Saturday, January 28, 2012
High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup
This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!
1. Back to Basics: The 15 Most Important Resume Tips for Young Professionals
"When you list bullet points under each job on your resume (and you should always list bullet points under each job), be sure to list the most important task, accomplishment or responsibility first."
2. Following Up After a Job Interview
" ... 22% of hiring managers dismiss candidates who don’t send a thank you note after the interview."
3. Find Your Superpower, Watch Your Career Take Flight
"Research suggests that leaders who identify their core strengths, and play to them, are more satisfied in their work and better paid."
4. What Every Job-Searching Veteran Needs to Know
"A common problem for job-seeking veterans is helping civilian, non-military hiring managers understand their work history."
5. 5 Green Jobs that Will Increase in Demand
"As more companies strive to adhere to greener initiatives, you can guarantee that the need for individuals skilled in a variety of green technologies will grow significantly in the next couple of years."
1. Back to Basics: The 15 Most Important Resume Tips for Young Professionals
"When you list bullet points under each job on your resume (and you should always list bullet points under each job), be sure to list the most important task, accomplishment or responsibility first."
2. Following Up After a Job Interview
" ... 22% of hiring managers dismiss candidates who don’t send a thank you note after the interview."
3. Find Your Superpower, Watch Your Career Take Flight
"Research suggests that leaders who identify their core strengths, and play to them, are more satisfied in their work and better paid."
4. What Every Job-Searching Veteran Needs to Know
"A common problem for job-seeking veterans is helping civilian, non-military hiring managers understand their work history."
5. 5 Green Jobs that Will Increase in Demand
"As more companies strive to adhere to greener initiatives, you can guarantee that the need for individuals skilled in a variety of green technologies will grow significantly in the next couple of years."
Friday, January 27, 2012
Working at a Start-Up Company: Consider Both Sides
The recent recession’s impact on corporate America and new government policies and programs designed to encourage entrepreneurship like, Startup America, may result in job seekers finding more opportunities at start-up companies than in the past.
Working for a start-up company can be quite different than working for an established company. Start-ups typically appeal to those who are adventurous and not risk averse. Below are some observations that can help you weigh whether you’d be a good fit for working at a start-up company.
Be Part of Something New: Participating in the start of a new business can be exciting, energizing, and adventurous.
Share Opinions and Contribute: Many companies encourage you to share opinions and contribute ideas, but at a start-up company, you’re likely to have more opportunities to do so. And, your contributions may have a greater impact on the company’s success.
Wear Multiple Hats: Start-up companies typically have smaller staffs and budgets, so employees are often expected to perform more than one job function. In doing so, you may vastly broaden your skill set.
Enjoy Camaraderie: Camaraderie often results when employees team together to achieve a common goal. This is often the case at start-ups because they’re smaller and employees feel a greater responsibility for helping the company to succeed.
Recognize the Risk: Working at a start-up company tends to be more risky, since survival is uncertain.
Don’t Expect Structure: Since start-ups usually haven’t been operating for long, they tend to have fewer established processes and business protocols in place.
Prepare for High Stress: A start-up company can mean more challenges, longer hours, and pressure to perform within a short window of time. All of this can result in high levels of stress.
Expect Less Pay: Start-up companies generally work with limited capital and heavy start-up costs, thus needing to keep tight controls on overhead costs, including employee compensation. Expect to make less working for a start-up company, at least in the short term.
Working for a start-up company can be quite different than working for an established company. Start-ups typically appeal to those who are adventurous and not risk averse. Below are some observations that can help you weigh whether you’d be a good fit for working at a start-up company.
Be Part of Something New: Participating in the start of a new business can be exciting, energizing, and adventurous.
Share Opinions and Contribute: Many companies encourage you to share opinions and contribute ideas, but at a start-up company, you’re likely to have more opportunities to do so. And, your contributions may have a greater impact on the company’s success.
Wear Multiple Hats: Start-up companies typically have smaller staffs and budgets, so employees are often expected to perform more than one job function. In doing so, you may vastly broaden your skill set.
Enjoy Camaraderie: Camaraderie often results when employees team together to achieve a common goal. This is often the case at start-ups because they’re smaller and employees feel a greater responsibility for helping the company to succeed.
Recognize the Risk: Working at a start-up company tends to be more risky, since survival is uncertain.
Don’t Expect Structure: Since start-ups usually haven’t been operating for long, they tend to have fewer established processes and business protocols in place.
Prepare for High Stress: A start-up company can mean more challenges, longer hours, and pressure to perform within a short window of time. All of this can result in high levels of stress.
Expect Less Pay: Start-up companies generally work with limited capital and heavy start-up costs, thus needing to keep tight controls on overhead costs, including employee compensation. Expect to make less working for a start-up company, at least in the short term.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Military to Civilian Transition Culture Shock
The transition from a military career to a civilian career can be a very eye-opening experience. This is especially the case when you went straight from high school into the military, served a 20+ year career, and are now facing the task of adapting to the civilian workforce.
You may have noticed from my other posts that I am a big proponent of the motto "Be Prepared." I am a co-leader of two girl scout troops after all! The same applies to the military to civilian transition. If you know, in advance, some of the challenges you may face, you can tackle them much easier. Here are a few I have compiled:
You may have noticed from my other posts that I am a big proponent of the motto "Be Prepared." I am a co-leader of two girl scout troops after all! The same applies to the military to civilian transition. If you know, in advance, some of the challenges you may face, you can tackle them much easier. Here are a few I have compiled:
- In the military, a supervisor is involved in all aspects of his team's life - both work and personal. This is very different from the private sector. Supervisors in the private sector do not get involved with their employee's personal life.
- For obvious reasons, fitness is a high priority in the military. That is not the case for many civilian workers. It is often hard for a former military service member to relate to someone who is disinterested and unwilling to take care of their health and fitness.
- Most every task that is assigned in the military comes with very detailed instructions and guidelines. Many veterans become frustrated with the lack of step-by-step instructions and the overall lack of structure they may face. In fact, the company is quite structured - just not to the same level as the military.
- Economic conditions do not often affect the military the way they do the civilian world. In the military you don't often have to worry about profit margins and your company going out of business. You know that you will have a job every week in the military. Unfortunately, in the private sector, the economy plays a large role in a company's success and often causes reductions in force.
- In the military you wear military provided uniforms and are provided clear-cut expectations of what you must wear to work every day. When you enter the civilian work force, the expense of purchasing a work wardrobe is quite costly. However, don't forget about the stress of figuring out what is appropriate and expected of you to wear to work every day.
- Don't forget the small things that you will have to change such as the way you state the time and the way you write your dates. Chances are, if you don't conform the civilian way of telling time, the first time you tell your team to return from lunch at 1300 on 1 October they may look at you like you are crazy.
Use Twitter To Help You Score A Dream Job and Network
Recently, I found an article at The Huffington Post where they posted tweets that were bite-size advice for post grads.
This made me realize how great Twitter can be for post grads. Twitter is not just for spewing whatever thoughts come to your head and sharing funny anecdotes with friends and trying to stalk celebs.
Here are some of my favorite tweets from the article:
(Photos courtesy of http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Twitter can be a great networking source, a way to connect with potential employers and get great career advice. Here's how to use Twitter to advance your career:
1. Be professional with your tweets. Don't use Twitter when you're out drinking with your friends or use it to type your every thought. A general rule is that if you wouldn't want your mom or a potential employer to read it: don't write it! If this makes Twitter boring for you, simply have two accounts. Use one for fun and one for networking! Remember to have a professional looking photo as well.
2. Engage in Twitter Chats. Here's a great how-to for moderators and participants. Simply google "twitter chats and (your desired field)" to find out how many chats there are related to the career your desire. In these chats you can find some great advice, meet new people to network with, engage in a conversation and much more. It can be a great way to get yourself out there. Here is another list of some great business Twitter chats.
3. Follow your favorite companies to get updates on their hiring process and try to get in touch with them in a new way. For example, I am a writer so I try to follow all of my favorite magazines. Once an online magazine tweeted that they wanted guest writers and an email address so I tweeted them and emailed them and they actually replied! You never know who you could get in contact via Twitter that you might not have even known how to get in touch with otherwise.
Tell us, how have you used Twitter to your professional advantage?
This made me realize how great Twitter can be for post grads. Twitter is not just for spewing whatever thoughts come to your head and sharing funny anecdotes with friends and trying to stalk celebs.
Here are some of my favorite tweets from the article:
(Photos courtesy of http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Twitter can be a great networking source, a way to connect with potential employers and get great career advice. Here's how to use Twitter to advance your career:
1. Be professional with your tweets. Don't use Twitter when you're out drinking with your friends or use it to type your every thought. A general rule is that if you wouldn't want your mom or a potential employer to read it: don't write it! If this makes Twitter boring for you, simply have two accounts. Use one for fun and one for networking! Remember to have a professional looking photo as well.
2. Engage in Twitter Chats. Here's a great how-to for moderators and participants. Simply google "twitter chats and (your desired field)" to find out how many chats there are related to the career your desire. In these chats you can find some great advice, meet new people to network with, engage in a conversation and much more. It can be a great way to get yourself out there. Here is another list of some great business Twitter chats.
3. Follow your favorite companies to get updates on their hiring process and try to get in touch with them in a new way. For example, I am a writer so I try to follow all of my favorite magazines. Once an online magazine tweeted that they wanted guest writers and an email address so I tweeted them and emailed them and they actually replied! You never know who you could get in contact via Twitter that you might not have even known how to get in touch with otherwise.
Tell us, how have you used Twitter to your professional advantage?
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Tips for Answering the Salary Question in an Interview
Whether they are asking the question when calling you to schedule the interview or asking you in the interview, your answer to the dreaded salary question can define your success in negotiating your annual salary - and possibly your success in landing the position. The key strategy when planning how to answer the question about salary is advance preparation. Here are some tips that can help you prepare for and field this question successfully.
- Become acquainted with sites, such as www.salary.com, that provide a range of salaries that you can expect in your local area. Generate a personal salary report and keep it with your job search records so you can easily access the information.
- When discussing salary, the most important rule is "the first person to name a number loses." Try to avoid naming your exact number with the following strategy. When asked how much you would like to make, ask the hiring manager to provide you with additional information about the job or ask them to give you an idea of where your range of experience should fit in their company's salary range.
- If you have to name a number, instead of telling the interviewer how much you would like to make, quote your sources. For example, if you have done your research on www.salary.com, you may say something like this, "Prior to applying for this position, I did some research on salary.com. They state that this type of position in (insert your city) should make between (offer them the entire salary range)." Most importantly, you then need to ask "How does that compare with what you are paying?"
- Be advised, you may not get what salary.com says you will get based on your years of experience, it is known to be a bit high. However, it is better to start with a higher number and negotiate lower. It is very difficult to negotiate upward.
- Be aware of non-verbal cues when you state your salary range from salary.com. Try to get a sense from the interviewer's non-verbal communication as to how receptive they are to your numbers.
- Never be afraid to negotiate salary. It is expected from you in the job search process. If you don't negotiate salary, most likely you are leaving money on the table.
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