On Thanksgiving Day 2008 one of the most profound and influential leaders in the field of career development, John Holland, died. If you’ve ever had a high school guidance counselor or college career development specialist, try to help you figure out what you should be when you grow up, then you probably ran across his work in the form of an assigned Holland Code.

What John Holland pioneered was a paradigm by which all people could rate themselves within a set of interest areas that could be measured using his self-reporting inventory. The strongest interests which are self-reported resulted in a profile which could be matched to a variety of workplaces favorable to people with similar profiles. The point being that you are happiest working in a place and doing things that are interesting to you.

Holland identified six paramount interest areas within which we all fit. Briefly they are (in no order of importance):

Realistic (R)- Having an inclination toward active, hands-on, physical activities.

Investigative (I)- Being interested in problem solving, discovery, and always having curiosity.

Artistic (A)- Wanting to show expression in a variety of ways from writing to fine arts to cooking and more.

Social (S)- The desire to be around, involved, and working with people.

Enterprising (E)- Being inclined to practice persuasion, competition, and displaying self-confidence.

Conventional (C)- An interest in order, stability, and in establishing and maintaining pre-determined conventions.

By taking instruments like the Self-Directed Search® and the Strong Interest Inventory®, a Holland Code was yielded such as AEI or RIA. These codes were then used to identify career directions.

Holland or RIASEC codes, along with the type codes coming from another widely used instrument, The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), both try to assist individuals by positioning them in a conceptual framework within which all people can be placed.

The very notion of coding people seems to irk several people, including some career counselors. When I say that I use these instruments with clients, a reaction I often get is something to the effect of, “Oh, do these things really work?” I infer a couple of things from that type of question. One, can people, with all their differences and diversity, really be pigeonholed into a clean and tidy model? Two, don’t you take away the richness and nuance of a person by placing a label on them?

For me, these reactions miss the point. The goal isn’t so much to typecast people like a manufacturer would wrenches (this one is a 14cm and this one is a 3/8 inch). But rather these instruments are useful gateways through which an exploration can take place to discover what makes a person tick. Topics ranging from what proclivities and tendencies a person has to suggestions about what may be the best workplace fit can occur following one of these tests. In short, these instruments are to be used as tools for self-understanding. When trying to solve a problem like what kind of work you should be doing for the rest of your life, more information, not less is called for.

The other thing I like about tools like the Strong and the MBTI is the conceptual premise supporting them. It basically says that all people have worth and value. That anybody can make it. There is opportunity for you no matter who you are or what your background is. There are no “bad” codes or types. Strengths can be found in anyone. That is an optimistic, hopeful, and dare I say, spiritual way of viewing human nature.

John Holland left us with more than just a test. He contributed to an idealistic tradition that believes that as a society we should focus on what is best about each other. We all continue to benefit from that attitude and practice.

Let’s talk about salary negotiation. “What!?”, you may ask. Isn’t this a terrible time to even think of raising a negotiation about salary, especially if you’re so fortunate to have made it far enough along in an interview process to be even having this conversation?

Well, conventional wisdom would seem to suggest that a potential employee is in quite a weak negotiating position during these recessionary times. With so many bodies trying to fill a decreasing number of positions it makes a certain sense that the most talented cream will rise naturally to the top taking the top dollar spots that are available. Meaning that leaves the rest of us to take the crumbs that are left and for that we’d better be grateful, right?

But look, even down economic times should not mean we have to demean ourselves. If we have the gumption, experience, and talent to find that we are being offered a job we can still owe it to our professional selves to trade our quality services for reasonable, if not optimal compensation.

So, unless you’ve got the bargaining capability of a Moroccan merchant, which most of us don’t have, then it’s helpful to follow a set of recommended negotiation tips that have been shown to work over time. Among the most important is knowing the “internal equity” of the position you are considering. In these times, knowing what the standard salary range is for the type of position, in that type of company, and in that industry is research that needs to have been done before any such discussion. The dollar amount of that range probably has come down some in the past year, so timely research is necessary.

Practically speaking, you are limited to negotiating within that internal equity range. Internal equity can be found through working your network of knowledgeable contacts; going to salary reporting sites such as http://salary.com, the Riley Guide http://rileyguide.com/salguides.html, and the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov . Also look at industry-related sites and of course find out as much as you can from the organization’s or company’s web site. (Regarding the organization, try to find out as much as you can about its culture and values while you’re at it.)

Also important is knowing what your bottom-line deal-breaking salary limit is. Keep in mind that money isn’t everything. Think about what else you might want from this job besides money. If the offer made to you is in the neighborhood of your deal-breaking figure, then be prepared to counter with alternative compensations. For example, see if the deal can be sweetened with other financial or career development goodies such as three or four-day work weeks, increased comp time, a tele-commuting option, tuition reimbursement for college classes, increased opportunities for supplemental pay, stock options, and 401K contributions.

Let the organization make the first offer and then try to stick to your money and alternative compensation strategy, which may have to include some quick improvisation. Sounds a bit daunting, doesn’t it? Well, I’m certainly not suggesting salary negotiating is easy, but rather that it requires preparation.

Finally, it is perfectly reasonable to give yourself twenty-four hours before signing off on any deal. You need time to reflect on what went on, so that you can either feel comfortable with what was discussed or so that you can return to covering any left-out considerations. There’s never a bad time to position yourself in whatever is for you the most advantageous way, even in a down economy.

Among the interesting facts contained within the U.S. Labor Department’s February (2009) national monthly labor report are some pertaining to education. Although lay-offs across all levels of education were at record highs (at least since 1992) those individuals with more education fared better than those with less. Look at the following unemployment figures from the report:

Unemployment rate for college graduates… 4.1%

Unemployment rate for those holding only a high school diploma… 8.3%

Unemployment rate for those with no high school diploma… 12.6%

Clearly, the level of education attained impacted unemployment rates. The moral of the story would seem to be, GET AN EDUCATION!

Sure, this is not new. Conventional wisdom has been for some time that the more schooling you have the better will be your job prospects, and by extension, the less chance there will be of losing your job once you have one. Obviously, an advantage to having an education is that it increases your qualifications, but perhaps as important is that it shows others that you have a willingness to have a plan. And it is those who have a thoughtful and well executed plan who end up with greater job security.

Of course, there are no guarantees. The current recession is chock full of examples of well-educated, rational planners who got taken down by economic forces beyond their immediate control. But I’m talking about proper career positioning of yourself, which is better than just going along for a ride on the swings of a capricious marketplace.

Always maintaining a self-learning curve is among the best positioning tactics around. (Think about it. When is a good time to not be learning?) Matriculating into a formal education program is great if that’s part of a self-growth plan. Systematically determining a strategic career plan, either by yourself or with the assistance of others, is a smart thing to do.

For many, further schooling will necessarily be part of that plan. Unlike the old days, however, when getting a degree was basically the only pre-requisite to a new career, these days getting more formal education may be at best a steppingstone among many to keep you moving along a career track. But that’s okay. If you’re not avoiding adulthood by hiding out in graduate school, going back to school may be the best option for many of you. It’s hard to think of an example when learning was counterproductive.

The bigger issue here is one of self-investment. Mature and successful people know that chances of a return are most often there for people who risk some investment in themselves. Furthering your education, whether during a recession or not, can be just that sort of investment. It increases your knowledge base, the scope of your network, and confidence in yourself, all of which enhance your career positioning.

Remember, the value of going back to school is not just having an additional line item on your resume, but rather in the self-improvement that you should be consciously trying to derive from it. There really is no distinction between personal development and career development.

Personal branding is hot right now in career development and it should be. In a competitive job market, it is more important than ever to craft yourself as a unique and desirable image and package. When recruiters and HR hiring managers look at your resume and listen to you in an interview, they should clearly be impressed with the self-reflective thoroughness that is expressed by your presence and delivery. What you want is for them to see you as a self-confident amalgamation of ambitious and competent characteristics prepared to sell yourself in the workforce marketplace.

Does branding sound dehumanizing to you, like you’re being treated similar to soap powder? Well, it shouldn’t. If you don’t toot your own horn, who will? Job hunting today isn’t just about randomly searching for openings and hoping that there is a fit between your past experiences and what management is looking for. You’ve got to be a lot more strategic than that.

There is an analogy between the way marketing experts brand products and how we should brand ourselves. Marketing is about communicating value to interested stakeholders. It is a systematic process of identifying markets, attractive product traits, and dissemination methods. This information results in the greatest number of people who want an effective problem-solving product getting it.

The best marketing people know how to best establish the link between what others want and what you have to offer. When job searching or career shifting, we should do the same. Each of us should engage in a systematic process of identifying those personal traits that best communicate our interest, aptitudes, past relevant experiences, and career values. We then determine the most effective way of presenting these attributes. In short, we should be able to answer the questions “Who really are you?” and “What value do you bring?”

This approach is completely consistent with our American and New Hampshire ethic of individualism. It’s rooted in a belief that all of us are one of a kind and that we all have something of value to offer. Furthermore, it suggests that who we honestly are as a person should drive the direction of our career development. To whatever extent possible, we should stop being square pegs trying to fit into round holes.

And I would recommend that when starting a personal branding process you don’t even think about what job openings are out there. To do so will only intrude to the point that you will stray from your true self to instead trying to be what you think others might want you to be. There will be time for trying to match your brand with available positions later. For now, be deliberatively self-analyzing. What will emerge will be a crystalized snapshot of yourself in this time. And I’m willing to bet that for the most part, you’ll like what you see. Sure, you may notice gaps between your current self and your fantasized-imagined-hoped-for self, but that’s okay. These gaps become arrows pointing you towards future self-improvement paths.

When we dive into the job search with a definite sense of self, we project an assurance that others will notice. The personal branding process will yield that poise and is the best place to start your job hunt or career makeover.

Resumes matter. And they matter in a couple of important ways. One is its obvious and traditional use as a tool necessary for you to be considered for a job interview. This use has not gone out of style and although there have been changes in the way resumes are posted to reach a wider exposure, they are still looked at by recruiters and hiring managers who decide how far along that organization’s hiring process you will proceed. How well this tool works for you depends on the amount of care put into its development.

The other and less talked about benefit of resume writing is in the process of designing and writing the document itself. Compiling a resume causes you to focus on presenting yourself in a clear and economic way. You get to the core of what your job-related value is. You display your brand. This prepares your job search and career development by making it lucid in your own mind, about who you are and what you can bring to the table. This kind of focus is necessary when competing for fewer positions along with a lot of others — many of whom have not purposefully cultivated their individual and professional brand.

I recently attended a panel session with five recruiters representing organizations ranging from healthcare, engineering, state government, accounting, and non-profits. This was a chance to hear what matters to those tasked with filling positions (and they had positions to fill) from among lots of applicants. In general, here is some of what I took away from them regarding resumes:

How clearly the formatting of your resume can make or break it. Poor flow, mismatched indentations and bullets, fonts too small, “creative” visuals, and burying your qualifications are all resume killers.

If you are entry level, get that Grade Point Average right up front where it is easy to spot. Among the private sector professionals, anything less than a 3.0 means you are toast. (Think about it, if you can’t get a 3.0 in college, you are probably either in the wrong major or you’re partying too much).

As a resume writer I must be careful how I say this, but your resume shouldn’t look as if it was written for you. If during an interview, you are asked about something on the resume and your reaction is like this is the first time you heard about it, then whoops. These guys have seen it happen. If I write your resume, you are part of the process. You give me the information, I will write it, we will review it, you own and know it.

Obviously, an entry level candidate knows that one page is the max, but what about middle and executive management levels? I often see resumes of experienced professionals that are really long. And they are usually really long because they are packed with lots of history and past job-related detail. One useful rule for the experienced pro is that unless your face has been on the cover of Time Magazine, then keep it to two pages. History shouldn’t go back more than six to twelve years and boil your qualifications down to about a half dozen key bullets. Writing an autobiography may have its place, but this isn’t it.

In these uncertain times it’s useful to update your resume. It’s amazing how quickly it can get out of date and look like it needs a make-over. Some things in life are never finished, they just keep evolving into different iterations. Resumes are among them.