Tag Archives: Career

Job Fair Reflections

Posted on by Bill Ryan

The second state wide Job Fair and Career Expo sponsored by NH Department of Employment Security and WMUR-TV appeared to be a smooth operation. It will take some time, of course, to know how many attendees will get jobs as a result of this event. But at the last job fair in April, despite its being most known for getting overrun by too many people, it actually produced north of 350 jobs for New Hampshire citizens.

As one who volunteered to work at the fair I got only varied snapshot views. I didn’t get much time to see the employers’ booths. What I did see seemed to be heavy on commission sales jobs. I guess a job fair is a place to refill high turnover ranks. In the early morning I parked cars. I noticed right away, once folks stepped out of their cars that the crowd could be divided into two groups, those who dressed for success and those who did not. True, not every job required a coat and tie, and if your work history has been in jobs that did not require that attire, then you very well might not show up at a job fair wearing one. But on the other hand, showing up in “casual Friday” mode is not a useful tactic. Fortunately, as the day went on my admiration for the attendees increased.

I then performed resume reviews along with about five other professionals for four hours. About 35-40 people met with me looking for feedback and any advice that might give them an edge in this competitive environment. I applaud these people for sitting and waiting for a long time in order to speak with one of the reviewers. It shows a strong commitment to their job search.

However, I continue to notice that too many resumes are not showing the principle of professional branding. Good resumes need good leads that let a reader know right away who this person is and what they want to do. This simple notion still has not yet penetrated the conventional wisdom of resume writing. There are other improvement details that come up in these reviews of course, but none as important as building this paper as a self-marketing document. I also offered a presentation to about fifty people on the topic of career transition. The group was attentive and took notes more diligently than many graduate level classes that I have sat through.

Fewer people showed up to this job fair than in April. I wonder why. The unemployment picture is no better. Was it that too many thought there would be a repeat of an overwhelmed venue? Was it because many are starting to think that the Recession is coming to an end? Was it because people are starting to give up looking for a job? (Let’s hope it’s not that one!) Whatever the reason, I’m more inclined to be impressed by those who threw themselves into a hard day trying their best to navigate an uncertain event with more than 5000 others. When you are out of work and wanting to work, looking for a job is your job. Making a job search plan and pounding away at it as you would a job for which you were hired is what needs to happen.

So, to those who stick with fighting against the odds and getting themselves back up each day to try yet again, I say congratulations. The NH Job Fair and Career Expo had many of you in attendance. I really, really hope that many of you find that a satisfying job came as a result of the fair.

Working the 2nd Big NH Job Fair and Career Expo

Posted on by Bill Ryan

The second of two job fairs this year jointly sponsored by WMUR-TV and the NH Department of Employment Security is being held Thursday August 27 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. 150 organizations are scheduled to be there allegedly looking to fill 1100 open positions.  A large turnout is again expected as there was in April, but this time the venue should be better able to accommodate the crowd.

Job fairs like this one can be worth your time to attend. But to get the most out of going, some preparation is necessary so that you can maximize the experience. Approach this like it is a hard day at work. How you conduct yourself may make the difference between getting a job or not. Here are some do’s and don’ts that I recommend you consider prior to going to the fair.

Know who the employers and recruiters are who will be present at the fair. The WMUR site has a list at http://www.wmur.com/money/20264097/detail.html. Plan on visiting primarily those booths that matter to your hiring and career goals.

Have a well prepared resume and elevator pitch ready to present to recruiters. Both should reflect a professional job candidate who knows him or herself well and who can answer the question, “Why should we hire you?” What you do not want to do is to just drop off a resume and move on.

Research the companies, and if possible the open positions, that are available. Know the economic status and workplace culture of the company you plan to visit and be prepared to speak with their representatives in a way that shows you have done your homework.

Ask the recruiters intelligent questions that show you know about the company and that you care enough to have researched them. However, now is not the time to ask about salaries and benefits.

Display a professional demeanor. Refer to the recruiter by name and have good eye contact and a firm handshake. Dress appropriately. And at the risk of sounding like your mother, don’t fidget with your hair or say “um” and “you know” a lot, and don’t forget to smile. These things do matter!

If you are recently out of college, be prepared to talk about your GPA. If it is less than 3.0, then hopefully you can refer to a higher GPA earned in your major.

Even if a company is hiring outside of your field, it may still be worth networking with the recruiter to see if they represent a company that may be worth tracking for future opportunities.

At the very least, this is a time to practice your presentation with a recruiter. Do not let them intimidate you. They actually like speaking with potential employees. That is why they are there.

Use the time at the fair to network, network, network… and not only with just recruiters. Mix it up with other job seekers and any other professionals with whom you come into contact.

It is not a good idea to go on with recruiters about how bad your last job was or the philosophical issues you had with previous colleagues. Also, don’t take the stance of being desperate even though that is probably how you feel. Saying that you’ll do “… anything, anything, just please give me job!” rather than presenting yourself as qualified for something specific is not good form.

Even though we seem to be entering the mixed blessing of a jobless economic recovery do not be too discouraged to pick yourself up and throw yourself into this and other job fairs. I’ll be there to do resume reviews along with a workshop entitled Career Transitions from 2:30-3:25. I hope to see some blog readers there.

Best of luck to you!

What We Share With Ireland

Posted on by Bill Ryan

My wife and I recently returned to New Hampshire from a ten-day vacation to County Galway in Ireland. While there I wanted to get a sense of how the global economic decline was impacting the Irish. The news has been that they have been experiencing their own boom and bust story and I wanted to see how it may be similar or different from our own. I found that we share much that is troubling.

Historically, Ireland has not been known as an affluent country. In many ways it never seemed to shake its reputation of being a poor country from which millions escaped potato blight and the oppression of the English. Here in America, the Irish immigrants seemed to be more known for scruffiness and drunkenness until President Kennedy’s presence helped to polish their image.

Then, during the 1990’s we started hearing of a different tale coming out of Ireland. An Irish economic emergence, which was to become known as the Celtic Tiger, was recognized worldwide. Suddenly, we heard that more young people were walking the streets of Dublin with cell phones glued to the sides of their heads than were youth in New York City. Multinationals and major American firms were setting up shop. Apple, for example, established its European headquarters in Ireland. A well respected educational system combined with strong national pride had led Ireland to be a major player in software, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Property values, commercial development, and the overall standard of living began to increase.

Even the brutal politics of the North softened as Sein Fein and Unionists decided to oppose each other free of violence. Musically, the Chieftains moved over to make room for Riverdance and Celtic Women. Western Europe’s poorest country had suddenly become chic.

But along with much of the western world, Ireland’s economy began to sour, and precipitously. Last Autumn they, along with Iceland, had hit a brick wall. The Celtic Tiger era seemed to grind to a sudden halt. It didn’t take being in the country long by reading newspapers and speaking to the very open and chatty residents to see what had happened. Their story sounded familiar, albeit with a different accent.

The banks had over-speculated on property, construction, and commercial development. The largest banks, for example Associated Irish Banks (AIB) suddenly found 25% of their assets distressed. In order to remain solvent, commercial and residential lending needed to be sharply reduced or curtailed. The big national debate now is about the necessity of the government’s National Asset Management Agency (Nama) plan, which is their version of a bank bailout complete with all of the controversy we see here. Unemployment is rising and the youngest generation of workers is getting their lesson in impermanence by having to tighten belts for the first time in their lives.

So, what do I take from this dual sob story? It is that ordinary citizens have been alerted to the high impact which can result from the interaction of banks and real estate on everyone’s lives. These high stake business relationships can greatly affect the lives of people many degrees removed the principal players. Both Irish and Americans citizens are appropriately asking themselves whether or not greater oversight and regulation should be asserted to those in the banking industry and the politicians they report to.

If a bad decision hurt just themselves that would be one thing, but unfortunately their bad decisions can create black holes into which we all get sucked. The result of actions taken by unelected and enormously influential banking representatives has been economic calamity, especially in higher unemployment. Should not the people have a say in the possible negative outcomes of their decisions, which are contrary to our respective national interests?

Americans share much with the Irish both culturally and economically. And although it is not realistic to expect boom times to go on forever, it is nevertheless reasonable to expect business, especially a wide ranging one like banking, to be mindful of what is best for their respective nations. If they cannot regulate themselves in that endeavor, then someone will need to step in and do it for them.

The Most Important Decision of Your Life

Posted on by Bill Ryan

An unfortunate piece of legacy wisdom regarding career development suggests that it is very important that a young adult make their just-out-of-school career choice extremely carefully or else they may inflict irreparable harm to their future. Imagine feeling that such a weighty life/work decision, like what to do for the rest of your life, needs to be made by someone who has no significant employment experience. Talk about pressure!

Aside from quick thinking action-adventure movie heroes with lightening quick reflexes, most of us, particularly those just beginning adulthood, do not make the most high quality decisions under extreme stress. For big life decisions, like determining a career direction, there needs to be time and guidance to assess options, weigh benefits and risks, and in short, apply a rational process that results in a decision, which hopefully leads to success. The reality is we are transitioning from a world in which career choice was a onetime monumental decision to a world in which career is now comprised of iterations that are unified by a multi-faceted and dynamic theme. 

I am from the much-ballyhooed Baby Boomer generation. Among the unique traits that we possess is that we are probably the last generation in which large numbers of us will have worked our entire careers in one job or industry, perhaps even with just one single employer. Boomers have gone from hip to dinosaurs in thirty quick years. 

Well, so it goes. But among the rapidly outdated notions we still possess and which we should be increasingly hesitant to pass along to young people is the one professing this up-and-coming cohort should approach career decision making the way we did. Not only is the pressure non-productive and unhelpful, but unnecessary. 

Initial career steps are more like speed boats in a relay race, not slow-moving ocean liners. Careers, like life itself, are fluid, changeable, and developmental. We progress and we grow. Choosing a career at the onset of your working years is essentially choosing an uncharted journey, one in which the routes are yet to be planned and the ultimate destination is unclear. 

Now, that is not to say that there are not some major decisions in life that have some relative permanency. Marriage, parenting, vocations of high dedication, like for example becoming a priest, are commitments which also see growth and change, but within well-defined parameters. A career is not this. Its structure over time is much more set by you, as opposed to for you by tradition or antiquated rules. You are completely in charge of this piece of your destiny. 

This is the message Boomer parents and grandparents should be getting out to young people. It starts with asking children and adolescents if what they are thinking, feeling, and how they are behaving is working for them. And as they approach their robust individuation years, helping them to see how the person they are becoming can best interact with the big wide world. 

We are all better off knowing viscerally that we will always be building on what was built by ourselves at an earlier time. Also, a helpful message and attitude is that there really is no sharp distinction between life and career. We don’t dive into one to escape from the other. What we do is who we are. 

So, let us adjust the way we prepare youth for career decision making. Let us make the point that what is most important is adaptability, experimenting, and continuous learning, not how expert one is at predicting what will make them happy for the rest of their lives. Helping to prepare our young people for the world to come, rather than the world being left behind, is a valuable gift to leave the next generation.

 

Working From Home

Posted on by Bill Ryan

Working from home. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Think of the pressures that get relieved. No commuting, no having to put up with people you would rather not spend time with at a workplace, dress however you like, the convenience and comfort of having all your stuff around you. What is not to like?

Working at home is the fantasy of many and the reality for some. I am a year into being one of the “at-home” workers. To be clear, I work at home part time, but it is a whole lot more than had ever been the case throughout most of my working years. The experience has given me some perspective on the relative productivity and satisfaction that can come from this arrangement.

Also, with much of the workforce either proactively structuring their careers for an at-home work setting or because they are being driven into staying at home due to layoffs or furloughs, the home-as-office scene needs some examination.

When I retired from my primary career a year ago, I knew that I would be working out of a home office, at least some of the time. I put some money and sweat equity into making a home office that I love. It is designed and decorated the way I want, and it has the gadgets I want, including a custom-built computer. The view out of my two windows is New Hampshire country. I feel lucky to have it.

But to be honest, in the months leading up to “working” in this space I was afraid that I would not be very productive. I expected to be distracted by all the things that typically need doing around the house and I thought that I would miss being around people. In my career as a teacher, I was surrounded by students and co-workers throughout most of my day. Could I be disciplined enough to get something done working alone in a home office?

I have to say, it has been good. I can remain focused and when it comes to my one-man career development business, I am able to work at a pace that usually feels relaxed and is surprisingly constructive. Of course, a big advantage that I have is that my kids are grown. I do not know how a home office worker could get anything done with young kids in the house!

I also have a part time job that is separate from my business. It is based in Manchester, about 18 miles away. Much of that job could be done quite effectively in my home office. But this employer has given me a beautiful office in which to work that is housed in an extremely attractive building. I do find for this job I travel to the Manchester office to be most productive. There is something psychological going on there which I have not yet figured out.

But what is clear to me is that there is some nuance between work tasks and work settings that should be considered if you find yourself employed at home. Whatever that relationship is, it would be wrapped up in the type of personality traits you have. To oversimplify, the extraverts may have a need for web conferencing and multiple data lines to interact with people more, while the introverts may be satisfied with a less people-oriented environment.

Making your work profitable and worthwhile at home requires assessing yourself openly and determining what type of work will satisfy you in that setting. Peel back the layers of the work-at-home fantasy and see if this is practical. Some parts undoubtedly will be. Intentionally consider what your balance of assets and liabilities is. Working from home has become an option for a greater number of us. But like every major life decision it requires some clear-headedness. 

Getting Cover Letters Right

Posted on by Bill Ryan

Next to a well-constructed resume the only other written document that counts big time in your hunt for a new job is the cover letter. And just like a resume, getting a good one requires a lot of thought, research, and for many of us, guidance. Unlike the resume, which is about you, the cover letter is mostly about the company or organization to which you are hoping to apply. To be more precise, the cover letter is your attempt to show that you would be a great fit for an organization whose needs you know well.

The mistake commonly made with cover letters is that writers think it is just another variation on the resume. In other words, it is just another means of presenting yourself, like how you approached the resume. Therefore, cover letters often read like a rehash of language found in the resume. This will not impress hiring managers. 

Remember, when writing a cover letter, display that you have discovered the organization has a need for talent to satisfy some function or problem they are experiencing. Your tone should not be to say, “I’m here and I need a job and I would like to work for you”, but rather, “I understand that you have a need for [something very specific] and I’d like to suggest that my background, training, and interest will meet that need.”

This should not be too hard to do if you are attempting to secure a position for which you are qualified. Where this gets problematic is if you are grabbing at job straws because you are desperate. Even during times of despair, knowing who you are professionally and building upon the career you have already established, positions you better than what might be otherwise the case.

Other errors with cover letters include making them too short or too long or too generic. This should be a highly customized document. If using a professional writer, don’t hire one who simply writes it for you, but rather one who works with you through multiple drafts. Working together on the writing process and on conducting the necessary research will mean you will come up with a genuine co-authored piece that will be much more effective.

If you are going it alone, be very careful to stay away from trite phrases and clichés. “I’d like to be considered for…” and “Allow me to introduce myself…” are deadly to someone who reads many of these. Assuming that you are passionate about the idea of taking the position and working for the organization, then let that enthusiasm come through in your writing. Start off with something like, “I was excited to read in HealthCare Journal about Jordan Hospital’s expansion of your Medical Records and Health Information Department. This move is consistent with Jordan Hospital’s well known progressive health care service to Central New Hampshire. I have a history of success with electronic data storage and retrieval technology that could augment this initiative.”

The second paragraph is where you really show what it is the organization is looking for. Totally pick through their web site, any ads they have posted, and the brains of networking contacts to show that you know this company and what they want. Use keywords from their publications and in any way possible show that you have done your homework.

Also, as much as possible look for ways to quantify what your accomplishments have been when trying to make the connection between yourself and their needs. Never lose sight of the objective of cover letters, which is that they need something specific you have done or are doing or something like to it. Emphasize that you can do for them what they want. If they want to know much about you specifically, then they will read your resume.

It is all about giving yourself an edge these days. Knowing how to prepare quality cover letters is an important part of what you need to do.

The Advantage of Networking

Posted on by Bill Ryan

One of the great advantages of living and working in New Hampshire is that it can be a relatively close-knit community both socially and professionally. Our individual path often crosses each other’s paths. It’s not unusual to hear through our workplace networks about how each of us is progressing or not. The twists and turns, dips and rises of your career journey are on display, for better or worse, in this state than they might be in a more densely populated setting. This being the case, how we conduct our careers should be influenced by this openness. 

If you’ve had a reasonably successful career, this level of exposure may help set the stage for future opportunities. More to the point, if you have been smart about establishing and maintaining valuable professional relationships, then you are better positioned for landing on your feet if a sudden work transition is forced upon you. Layoffs are an epidemic in New Hampshire right now as they are elsewhere. The decreasing level of job security is resulting in growing uncertainty among workers across industries. Being prepared for how to react to a job termination is a wise move to make during these tough times. And a significant part of this preparation should involve an understanding of networking.

Networking accounts for anywhere from 75% to 95% of all the open positions filled in the U.S. Employers can often be reluctant to advertise for jobs, preferring instead to be notified of the so-called passive job candidate, that is a referral from a trusted source. Your task is to become referenced, tested, and known by colleagues, both present and former, who can attest to your qualifications. While still employed you should be not only building relationships that will enhance your career but achieving an expertise by which you become better known. This makes it easier for your referral contacts to describe you in terms that make your value more readily apparent to potential future employers. 

One inaccurate perception of networking is that it is all one way, in that it consists only of others doing something for you. If that were true, networking would just be another word for exploitation. Networking works best when it is reciprocal such that both parties are prepared to give to one another by leveraging common interests, enlisting each other’s support, and sharing information, values, ideas, advice, and of course referrals.  

Approaching a networking contact by first reaching out to help them is a sound proposition. If you have already secured yourself as a colleague or contact who is quick to aid others, then it won’t seem disingenuous when you are reaching out in hope of getting some support coming back to you.  However, if your work style has not been of the open and cooperative type, then quality networking will be more difficult to accomplish.  

Giving of yourself to others may not always have short term benefit, but it can certainly set the stage for longer term utility. And besides, like your mother told you, it’s a nice thing to do! 

New Hampshire has the potential for being a network-rich environment. In many ways, this small pond makes it easier to become a big fish. The best way to strengthen yourself while employed, and to prepare for a time when you may suddenly not be, is to enhance and strengthen the kind of employee you are. Networking should not just be a tactic deployed after a layoff, but rather a skill that you are developing all the time. When done well, the personal and professional relationships you build will benefit you no matter what your employment status becomes. Networking is not only practical, but also enriching. 

NHBR Debut

Posted on by Bill Ryan

The New Hampshire Business Review has picked me up as a contributing writer! My debut appearance can be found at http://nhbr.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090703/INDUSTRY18/906309929.

I look forward to contributing more pieces concerning the intersection of career development and New Hampshire business news. Please look for more pieces and let me know what type of topics you’d like to see covered. Your suggestions are very much welcomed!

Decision Making Examined

Posted on by Bill Ryan

How well you cope with and react to improving your career is driven primarily by the quality of your ability to make decisions. Whether a job change is forced on to you by a layoff or the nagging dissatisfaction of being stuck in a bad line of work finally crystallizes into the realization that change is needed, how well you can make an important decision will determine how satisfying an eventual outcome of change will be.

It seems that some people have the gift of decisiveness whereas other people flounder, allowing themselves to be bounced around by circumstances. Even though you might be closer to the latter, it is still possible to examine the nature of decision making and how you approach this mental exercise. For all of us, decision making is made up of five sequential steps: 

1. Identifying the problem

2. Knowing the cause of the problem

3. Developing possible alternatives

4. Prioritizing those alternatives

5. Appraising likely outcomes

When it comes to making decisions regarding your career this is often done with much uncertainty, which can make following these steps, particularly #5, harder. Nevertheless, it can still be helpful to be systematic when confronting a big career change challenge. Are you finding that one or more points in this sequence are hanging you up? Why do you think this is so?

Carrying on with making lists of five, career development researchers have identified five decision-making styles:

a. The Rational style, which is structured and logical

b. The Intuitive style, which relies on gut feelings and impressions

c. The Dependent style, which needs the support of others

d. The Avoidant style, which puts off decision making for as long as possible

e. The Spontaneous style, which is quick and impulsive

Now, if you listen to your inner parent / teacher speaking you’re probably hearing the message that having a Rational style is best. It is hard to argue with a viewpoint that says careful examination of facts and likely consequences should be applied in making a decision like career direction. The Intuitive style, on the other hand, sounds like your inner artist talking, encouraging you to go with the natural flow. But the other three appear to be more like styles of indecision. If you see yourself as reflecting one of these styles, then I would recommend a re-examination of how you make or do not make decisions.

When I look at the Intuitive style in juxtaposition to the Rational style I’m reminded of the right brain / left brain construct, which implies a balanced cognitive approach. A combination of Rational and Intuitive styles suggests a greater individual awareness of self and environment, which can lead to better career choices.

Knowing and feeling through a situation and self-encouraging an interplay of thought and emotion may allow you to identify and evaluate plausible alternatives and outcomes as you process choice. Since we now know that significant personal career decisions will occur developmentally across the lifespan, then working to refine, and when necessary, practice a workable decision-making style will result in outcomes that make life more satisfying. And isn’t that the point of a career? 

A Livelihood Can Be a Life

Posted on by Bill Ryan

I’m going to start this piece off by stating something that for some readers may be too obvious, but which I think is worth saying anyway. There is a big difference between searching for a job and searching for a career.

For the sake of simplicity, I see a job as something you do for money, whereas a career is something you do to give meaning and purpose to life. Many of you may be perfectly content separating livelihood from living and see a job merely as a means to a financial end. Living, for those of this mindset, consists of contentment found in mainly choosing things and experiences that make life interesting and stimulating. Together they make up a life that is at a minimum, good enough. Getting paid for being sufficiently stimulated, by whatever means, appears to be the primary goal. Money is generally necessary for this kind of lifestyle and therefore getting and keeping a job that pays decently becomes important. Fine. It is a perfectly conventional viewpoint about work. And one I don’t recommend. 

Work in a capitalist democracy such as ours displays its greatest value not in just how productive the society becomes, but in how everyone has the potential to express their unique contribution to both the greater good and to themselves. I do not see a benefit in drawing too sharp a distinction between living and work. I am alright with thinking that what you are is what you do. Now, some of you may think this sounds like a workaholic Boomer talking, who has not yet learned how to chill. Perhaps. Rather, I am suggesting that integrating work and life, career and self, can result in a fuller sense of being and completeness. 

It is good to have an identity. It is of value to see yourself and to have others see you as comprised of those significant elements of our lives, be they family member, citizen, leisure-lover, or worker. To define yourself in terms that exclude or downplay your work and how you spend such a large amount of time and energy denies yourself much of the richness you could be feeling from life. 

I am impressed by people who know something very well, be it a skill or body of knowledge. These people enjoy sharing their expertise through reaching out and teaching others or by making available the products and services they can craft expertly. To develop a talent to the point in which you are an artisan means you can be living a great life. You have meaning and purpose. You give yourself a gift beyond what money alone can provide. 

It is easy to blame our employer or simple circumstances for our despair with work. Having each week be a countdown to the weekend starting with a Blue Monday is sad. If you associate Wednesday with Hump Day, then your career is not on track. It’s not working for you.

Take time to reflect on what you are doing. Are you just working or are you living? Life does not have to be just getting by or getting through it. You can have a relationship with yourself that is highlighted by growth and mastery. You can be somebody and your work can be a big satisfying part of who you are. 

Despite the current Recession, this is a great time to form a career in America. We are not as constricted by class, family legacy, race, or gender roles as we once were or as is still the case in many parts of the world. Here, a true meritocracy is coming about. [Update: In the years since I wrote this paragraph, I have become more aware of how gender roles and meritocracy can lack fairness. I address this issue in future essays.] 

The upcoming years should be open to entrepreneurial solutions and our collective value propositions. Now is the time to find your place and to carve out your niche. Do not let the difficulty of shifting to this way of thinking hold you back. Enjoy the congruence of livelihood and life. You can be happier than you ever thought possible.