Tag: Job-search

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Coping Strategies for Job Search: Develop a Plan/Keep a Journal

Let’s face it; the single most important stress factor to any job seeker is financial.  “Will I find a new job before I run out of cash?” Will I deplete my savings?  Will I lose my home?  All are very real possibilities which can be overwhelming.  To be sure, the worst case will result if one becomes paralyzed by those thoughts and fails to engage in the process.  Realistically, this is uncommon for accomplished professionals who have overcome challenges throughout their careers.  You have the personal attributes and skill sets to be successful in your job search.  Your goal is to find the best possible situation in the least amount of time, resulting in minimal disruption to your life style.

I am a planner by nature, and by training.  When I am faced with a new or challenging situation my fallback position is to execute the problem-solving/planning cycle.  Analyze your situation; evaluate options, set goals; track activity; re-assess; make adjustments; then set new goals.  Developing a plan, committing that plan to paper, and working that plan gives me a measure of comfort which helps manage my stress level.  So, while in job search I employed my organization and planning skills which never failed me.

The starting point for your plan is to assess your skills and experiences. Then, determine where your background matches opportunities requiring your profile.  The obvious starting point is to find another employer in the same industry segment, doing the same job.  But, that is just a place to start.  In all likelihood the best opportunities will be somewhat different from your last situation.  It is likely that a smaller, emerging company in a different segment will be your next employer.

Elements to factor into your plan:

  • Establish a realistic time frame to find a job which includes the worst case scenario.
  • Clearly define your compensation and geographical requirements
  • Clearly define your primary and secondary employer targets
  • Ensure that your primary strategy involves networking
  • Build an effective yet flexible weekly routine
  • Keep a diary
  • Communicate, communicate, communicate

My average search takes 90 days from start to finish.  Depending on the complexity of the assignment and the season of the year, a search can vary by 30 days, plus or minus.  I tell people in job search that the old adage of one month of search time for each $10K of salary is still appropriate.  This statistic should help the job seeker develop a realistic time frame for their search.  For most people, especially those who have neglected their networks, it may take up to 90 days just to reassemble and engage your network.  Most jobs are still filled via networking activities so, prepare to spend 80% networking.

An important element to the success of any plan is a system to track your effort and results.  Job search is no different.  Keep a record of who you have talked with, the nature of that discussion and follow up issues.  Analyze your efforts.  If your plan seems to be working, stay on it.  If it needs some adjustments, make those adjustments and establish new goals.  Write down your thoughts and feelings for successes and failures.  Plan your work and work your plan.  This is the single most important way to ensure a successful job search, and minimize your stress.

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com

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You Are What You Think About: Coping Strategies for Job Search

In my last post I mentioned that managing the stress of job search is critical as your behavior is being evaluated by hiring managers during this time. Job search is a stressful time for everyone.The stress is unavoidable even for the strongest person.It affects us on many levels including our self-esteem, and our financial well-being.For most of us, unemployment is un-natural, alien territory.If you are unable to work through the stress of the company’s selection process your prospects are dim.So, now is a good time to talk about job search stress management strategies.Be advised that I am not a Psychologist.What follows are some common sense ideas that I have found useful which have been validated by others.

 

It helps if one has gone through unemployment before so you have an established set of expectations.Experience is a great stress reliever.Personal experience with unemployment and job search gives one confidence.You know that eventually you will find suitable employment.Having experienced unemployment helps you see beyond your current situation to know that eventually you will land a new job.If you have never been unemployed, there is a wealth of helpful information available on the subject.

 

If you are unemployed, job-search is your job.Like any job, you must plan your work and work your plan.Developing a plan and keeping it current gives one a sense of control which helps mitigate stress.For those of you who have experienced unemployment it will be useful to write down your recollections from that past experience as a preamble for your current job search plan. Although job search is your full time job, it should not consume all of your time.Your plan must factor in strategies to cope with the ups and downs of unemployment.35 to 40 hours a week devoted to job search should suffice.That will give you time to reconnect with friends and family; to work in some physical exercise; and to engage in other extra-curricular activities.These activities are important to keep you balanced during your job search which will relieve your stress.Exercise can be a very effective stress management strategy.It burns off nervous energy and is as a great way to sharpen your image.Make sure to factor these activities into your plan.

Components of a Job Search Plan to mitigate stress.

  • Have a realistic time frame to find the next situation.
  • Assemble a support group of positive people and keep them in the loop.
  • Keep a journal of the experience.
  • Stay focused on positive thoughts, and issues within your control.
  • Look for the lesson in each negative situation; reflect; then move on.
  • Take care of your physical self
  • Volunteer or take on short term jobs.

 

Managing stress is largely about your ability to control your emotional reaction to events.You can choose to be angry or despondent, or not.When a negative thought pops into your mind, recognize the emotion and then refocus your thoughts on something positive, like accepting a job offer, or the excitement of the first day on your new job.I believe that your thoughts direct your actions, consciously and subconsciously.If you dwell on negative, worst-case failure situations you will surely generate that outcome.Stay positive, directing your thoughts toward success in the goals you have set for yourself.

 

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com

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The search process is never on your timetable. How Often Should You Follow Up

The job search timetable can be a very frustrating for people actively seeking employment.   The need to know if one is still in consideration for a job, and the next step in the process can be overwhelming.   Lean management teams have employees working to the max, so scheduling interviews and meetings can be problematic.  You want updated information, but you don’t want to be seen as a pest.  So how does one manage the emotional roller coaster while continuing to demonstrate interest in the position.   How often should the candidate contact the hiring manager or recruiter?   What is the line between demonstrating one’s interested in the position, and becoming a stalker?  Last week I encountered both extremes.

 

Jane was a candidate for an IT search I am working.  She had the habit of emailing me for updates, almost hourly.  It was a real burden to my productivity responding to each inquiry. Based on her spotty work history over the last five years she was already a questionable candidate. Her impatience and constant follow-up led me to believe that there might be more to that story.  Needless to say, I did not recommend her to my client.

 

Sue, on the other hand, is a prime candidate for an excellent job.   Although she's not a candidate for one of my searches she is someone I've known for quite a while.   Her strategy is to check in weekly via email.   She sends pertinent articles on her industry which the hiring manager should find interesting. That strategy seems optimal to me as it isn't obtrusive; it demonstrates that she is current in her field; and that she is a team player willing to share information.  So instead of pestering the hiring manager about next steps, she subtly reminds them of her interest and qualifications while providing a value-added service.

 

The fact of the matter is that the employer’s selection process is beyond the candidate’s control or that of any third-party recruiter.   The hiring process is certainly very important to employers, but is not their only responsibility. You can be sure that hiring managers have a number of equally important activities occupying their time. So, the candidate’s ability to influence the timing of the selection process is largely beyond their control.  Although stressful, and possibly difficult to deal with, the candidate needs to develop coping strategies to manage their stress.  This is vitally important as the hiring manager is watching your behavior during this period, factoring it into their selection process. In other words it's a bad sign if you are perceived as impatient with their selection process. It will be assumed that you have difficulty handling stress making you unsuitable for the job.

 

If the job opportunity is real, and you are a viable candidate for the position, then you can be sure that the client has every interest in moving you forward in the process.  It is important to remember that no news is “no news.”  In other words, if there is nothing new to report, there will be no update.  You must have other tasks to occupy your time so as not to obsess over any one opportunity.  More to follow on that point.

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com

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On Cover Letters: Are You Trying to Get My Attention?

“Are you kidding me? Are you trying to get my attention? Well you did, but not the way you had hoped!” That was my reaction to the most recent cover letter I received with resume attached. The only positive thing I can say was that the sender’s timing was perfect as I was beginning to draft this series of blog posts on job-search correspondence. I did read the letter and then scanned his resume, which I would not have done save for this article. This cover letter, with a subject line reading “Senior Executive: Consumer Packaged Goods Industry” was 367 words long, yet never spoke to the candidate’s career goals or parameters for his ideal job. So much for helping me help you.

From the opening paragraph of his email introduction, I would have never guessed that he was accomplished CEO with experience in mid-cap and small cap food and beverage focused consumer packaged goods. Following his intro paragraph he offered five bullet points, actually sentences with bullet points, demonstrating his value proposition. Only two of those points spoke to objective performance metrics. This whole section came across as very tactical. Was I being introduced to a CEO or a Manager. The third paragraph said that he was doing consulting/project work for small to medium sized companies, followed by an attempt to reinforce his value proposition. This section was heavily laden with buzz-words and trite cliché’s that stepped on his message. To close, he told me that he had received a BS in Accounting and would welcome an opportunity to meet for further discussion. I never learned what he was looking to do now. I would have expected far better from a viable CEO candidate.

His email introduction was clearly a mass mail effort, probably sent to a large number of Executive Recruiters. The football analogy would be a “Hail Mary” pass. For all I know, he may have sent this same intro letter to a large number of potential employers and Private Equity Groups. If so, he really tarnished his personal brand. When writing a cover letter, remember, you are making an introduction seeking help in your job-search efforts. You may be interested in a networking relationship; applying for a specific job; seeking to be placed in a recruiter’s data-base; or looking for a referral to one of the preceding. Viewed in this way, would you send the same letter to all of these people? Of course not! Mass mailing is not the issue as you can personalize mail merge to a large degree. The point is to customize your intro letter to fit the audience. Mass mailing is not appropriate for one-off introductions for networking assistance, or when asking for a referral. Those introductions must be highly targeted and personalized.

When sending a resume to an executive recruiter, a short three to five sentence paragraph will suffice. We are looking to know the parameters around the position you seek, the industry segment, your compensation requirements, and any limitations you may have to relocation. Your resume should provide the details I need to initiate further conversation.


In following blog posts I will offer advice on the various types of job-search correspondence. In the meantime remember to stay focused on the needs of your audience, and keep your correspondence short and to the point.

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
www.newcenturydynamics.com

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Your Resume is Not Getting Traction: It Is Not Easy to Contact You!

Isn’t cell phone technology fabulous!  And what about those apps!  Awesome!  My little iPhone has dramatically improved my efficiency, allowing me to spend more time out of the office, building relationships.  The GolfLogix app has been especially helpful with club selection and tracking my golf stats.  I will likely develop that thought further if I ever set up a Blog about golf.  The point is that I probably spend more time using my iPhone on the job than I do at my computer.  It is great to be able to respond promptly to an email message from a client or a text message from a candidate via my iPhone.  I never miss a call to my desk as I instantly receive a message from my Voip Service. This feature provides the caller’s phone number and a text version of their message.  The ability to touch a phone number or email address to respond is vital.  It would be an understatement to say that my iPhone is fast becoming my preferred business tool.  In fact, it is very fair to say that the apps I have on my iPhone create a virtual office wherever I happen to be, so long as I have my iPhone with me.  I am certainly not unique in this regard.  

I become irritated when my candidates or prospective candidates fail to appreciate the importance of my iPhone in my work.  I am certain this will come as no surprise to anyone reading this post.  The first thing I tell my candidates is “help me help you.”  The first rule is to make it easy to find you.  Make it easy to find your resume and make it easy to contact you.  By contact, I mean via text, email, or voice.  My correspondence includes my complete contact information including my website, blog, and LinkedIn profile.  All of my correspondence!  A savvy candidate will add that information into their electronic address book across all of their devices.  Likewise they should provide a complete signature section to make it easy to respond to them;  wherever I am and on my schedule.

Help me help you.

  • Label your resume file as follows:  last name_first name_year
  • Provide complete contact information in all of your correspondence.
  • If using MS WORD for your resume complete the ‘file properties’ menu.
  • Put my complete contact information in all of your address books.
  • Become very familiar with my website content and blog posts.

If a candidate can follow these rules it is a signal to me that I am dealing with a savvy professional.  Savvy, at least as it concerns the effective use of technology.  But that is a good start!  Reviewing their resume and talking with them on an introductory call will confirm that opinion.  I am confident that any hiring manager or internal recruiter will think the same.  So, put yourself in the place of your audience; a recruiter or a hiring manager.  Let them help you, by helping them.  Embrace the technology!

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com

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Your Resume is Not Getting Traction: Not Enough Focus on Accomplishments

“Just the facts, ma’am.”  For those of us old enough to remember the television series “Dragnet,” that phrase was made famous by Detective Joe Friday.   Detective Friday stayed at peak productivity by focusing his interviews on the facts.  The facts speak for themselves, or at least they should.  Irrelevant, or superfluous information is a waste of precious time.   Detective Friday maximized his productivity and effectiveness by sticking to the facts.

 

During my corporate career, I learned many principles of effective communications.  Two of those points stand out above the rest, at least to me.  The first principle is:  Tell them what you are going to tell them; tell them, and then tell them what you told them.  Every presentation has a beginning, a middle, and an ending.  The beginning states the objective of the presentation;  “tell them what you are going to tell them.”  The middle presents your case; “tell them.”  The ending, or summary, “tells them what you told them.”  Your resume format follows the same principle to a point.  Your Career  Summary sets the stage.  It reveals what you plan to tell them in the body of your resume.  Your job history is the meat of your resume.  It speaks to the relevant details of your career, which are the key accomplishments.  Your Career Summary is your personal positioning statement.  Your job history is supporting evidence.  One must support the other.

 

Focus On Your Accomplishments:

 

  • Career Summary positions your general contributions.
  • Skill Sets provide definition to your strengths
  • Employment Summary: bullet-point significant accomplishments, “the facts.”

 

 

The second principle is to know your audience.  Who are they?  What is their background?  What are they looking for?  What do they want to hear?  What code words are they looking to hear?  How much time do you have to make your point?  Knowing your audience is fundamental to delivering a successful speech.  This principle is equally important to crafting an effective resume.  When you consider the audience for your resume, understand that they are looking to maximize their productivity as well.  “Just the facts, ma’am.”

 

 

As with any communications vehicle your resume must make an impact on the reader.  When the reader puts your resume down, she should be able to recall your top three attributes; your unique selling proposition. Yeah, I get it!   So, your resume must be highly focused and to some extent repetitive.  Repetitive in the sense that key themes are reinforced throughout the document.  All too often I see resumes where facts have been obscured by superfluous adjectives which render the message trite and meaningless.  “Just the facts, ma’am.”

 

Think back to successful networking events you have attended.  Who did you meet that stood out from the pack, someone you remembered?  You can probably still tick off two or three key points about that person.  He must have impressed you enough to remember him.  His message was likely to have been clear, concise, and to the point.  Your resume should be no different, except that it lacks the full dimension of a face-to-face meeting.  A resume is consumed by only one of the reader’s senses, her vision.  Coupled with the fact that resumes are briefly scanned for content, the burden is on you to get your message across, understood, and remembered.  The content must necessarily leap off the page to be absorbed by the reader.  The best way to make an impact to be remembered is to present key information in short bursts.  To be remembered, focus on the facts of your accomplishments and reinforce your theme throughout your resume.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com

 

 

 

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Your Resume is Not Getting Traction: It Does not Present you as a Savvy Professional

I have long been fascinated by Corporate Cultures, especially those of successful organizations.  What is it that sets those cultures apart?   All companies have a culture.  In fact, all groups have a culture even though it may not be recognized.  Formal groups have a shared history, code of conduct, set of values, and language which defines the group.  Some cultures are more obvious as with the uniformed services.  Or, as with Fraternities and Sororities, who have a secret handshake.  Many religions are identifiable by their manner of dress.  Other cultures may be more difficult to discern, but, insiders will recognize other members.  Small details taken together can be very revealing.

Cultures even have sub-cultures.  Elite military units have a culture that is different from the Army as a whole.  C-level corporate executives can be distinguished from middle management.  Marketing, Finance, and Operational personnel have their own sub-cultures with their own nuanced code.

Your resume presents your cultural affiliation.   You must actively manage your resume to ensure that you are sending the right signals.  Are you the real deal, or a poser.  If you are the real deal, but, using the wrong code words, you may not be recognized as a part of the group.

A Resume for a Savvy Professional:

  • Leave off Personal interests and “references available upon request.”
  • Use industry/position specific terminology.
  • Significant accomplishments should be predominant
  • Executive/Career summary must address your functional discipline, level of accomplishment; and industry/segment expertise.
  • Give a short, one line explanation for employer changes.
  • Label your resume file: “last name _ first name_ position_ date.”
  • Your email address should incorporate your last name to be professional
  • Use File/Properties menu option to list key words and other data.
  • Use appropriate key words in the body of the resume.
  • Avoid trite phrases and meaningless buzz-words.

 

 

You will be judged from the moment your email arrives in the recruiter’s mailbox.  Your email address and your resume file name speak volumes.   Your executive summary will reveal your cultural orientation by the language you use, or don’t use.  Do you use concise plain-speak, or buzzword-riddled gobbledygook?    Is your language familiar to other professionals at your level and from your professional discipline?  If not, you will not be taken seriously.

All too often I see resume attachments with “resume” as the file name.  A very common mistake for a rookie, and a cost to my productivity as it requires extra time to catalogue and file.  Even worse is a highly personal, even ironic email address.  Not a professional introduction by any standard.  The ideal email address will consist of your last name and first name or initial.  Better still is to have a personalized email with your surname as the domain name.   Likewise, your resume attachment file name should be formatted as:  lastname_first name_position_year; or something very similar.   Violating these two syntax basics will cast doubt as to your authenticity.

The ability to present your credentials and capabilities in a clear and concise manner is crucial.  The greater your rank the greater the expectation of your ability to communicate.  Avoid run-on sentences ripe with meaningless buzz words and phrases that would only impress a junior level manager.  Don’t waste my time, get to the point.  Pay attention to these details and the economic value of your verbiage to be viewed as a savvy professional.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com

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Your Resume is Not Getting Traction: It Just Isn’t Interesting

How do you choose your leisure reading?  When you read the newspaper, visit a website, or pick up a magazine what grabs you attention?   Is it a compelling headline?  An interesting picture, or some other graphic?  Do you scan the article or do a deep-dive for total comprehension?  How do you decide which route to take?  I would imagine that time pressures hold sway.

Consider spending your day wading through a mountain of resumes, hoping to find a handful of candidates that match your specs?  I recruit for a living and I find that thought oppressive.  Would you like to sift through boring, poorly formatted resumes all day.  Madness!  It could drive one to drink!  No one wants to read boring material.  It is no different for a recruiter.  To be productive we scan resumes and put them in piles.  You want your resume to land in the right pile, the “I have got to call this guy” pile. If you want your resume to stand out, you must internalize that thought.

Rules for Crafting an Interesting Resume:

  • Provide a short Executive Summary at the beginning to set the stage.
  • Executive Summary – Executive Level, Industry Segment, Functional Discipline
  • Use paragraph format for Executive Summary, and Job Responsibilities.
  • Italics for job responsibilities will make the resume more interesting to read.
  • Use bullet-point format for Accomplishments and Skill Sets.
  • Use bold and underline functions to make headers stand out.
  • Give a brief description of each employer and the purpose of each position.

Your resume is your career story.  Like any good story, it needs a plot, a theme and some drama.  Use your executive summary to set the stage by positioning your career experience.   Are you a turn-around expert, a business development guru, an M&A specialist or maybe you are all about IPOs.  You get the point.  The positioning statement is your theme. Regardless of your functional discipline there are only a handful of themes in business.  As you think about your career, I am confident you will find a common thread, a theme that defines your experience.   Now, reinforce your theme throughout the body of your resume.  

 

Think like a marketing professional.  These folks are tasked with creating interest by communicating the benefits of their brand.    After all, isn’t your resume about communicating your message?   Tell your story with impactful-language in an interesting format.  The words you choose must stimulate an immediate emotional response.  They must be powerful and precise, evoking a sense of energy and excitement.  Eliminate trite buzz words! Buzz words are buzz killers!

 

The purpose of a resume is to present your job history, but the goal is to get an interview.  Too many details too soon may well obscure your message.  First establish interest on the part of the recruiter, then fill in the details.  I am not recommending a one, or even a two page resume.  My message is to eliminate space devoted to non-essential information. I advise my candidates to have a very detailed resume available when a recruiter is ready to dig deeper into their background.  Even so, that document is not appropriate for first contact.  Build your resume with points that matter. 

 

When I consider the time I have spent in meetings, presenting to my team and superiors, or sitting through someone else’s presentation; I often wonder if management just wants to be entertained.  Work can be enjoyable and should be.  Why subject a recruiter to a boring resume?  To stand out, make your resume interesting and entertaining.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com

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Your Resume is Not Getting Traction: 1. It is Not Easy to Read

Are you invisible?  Don’t laugh.  If your resume is not generating interest, you may as well be invisible.  If your resume is not read do you exist?  If your resume is not read and its content appreciated, your job-search is dead in the water.  And, when I say “read” I mean scanned.  A recruiter will spend less than 30 seconds evaluating your resume.  If your resume is not generating interest, it is a safe bet that it is not reader-friendly.  You may be the ideal candidate for a particular job, yet fail to get into the queue just because you crafted a resume that recruiters don’t want to read.  I can tell you from experience that there is a direct correlation between the quality of candidate’s resume and the amount of interest it generates.

 

To craft a resume that generates interest, start by putting yourself in the reader’s place.  Think of your own reading habits, especially on a busy day when time is short.  Do you like the thought of reading densely-packed pages of small-type-faced words?  That is a turn-off, happily to be avoided.  I am confident that you know exactly what I mean.    To maximize my productivity, I want to receive the most information I can in the least amount of time.   I will likely put aside a difficult-to-read resume, and move on.  Unfortunately, that usually means that other candidates make it to the hiring manager.

 

Follow these rules to help craft a resume with impact.

 

  • Use header and footer function to retain continuity.
  • Use Table function to hold formatting for employers, job titles and dates.
  • PDF is the best format for integrity in transmission.
  • 12 pt. type face size for the body of the resume, larger for headers, 14 to 16 pt.
  • Use spacing to break up jobs held and to transition from different formats. 
  • White space is important!  Use it liberally.
  • Use 1” margins
  • Use underlining to separate employers.

 

A resume is really more of a marketing tool than a detailed work history.  Even if you are trying to convey your history, your goal is to engage the reader with every word, coaxing him into reading more.  You are trying to tell a story, your story.  If you cannot present your story in an interesting way, why make me suffer through a bad read?  As a professional you have likely attended many PowerPoint presentations that use short sentences and bullet points.  You know that these presentations are effective because they distil the key points in a way that is easy to grasp.  The message literally jumps off the page!  The sentences are short and the words have impact.  Your resume should use these techniques too!

 

Most of my work is with C-level Executives so I don’t get too involved in Automated Tracking Systems, but I do have a resume data-base.  When I search my data-base I use key words that match the client’s ideal candidate profile.  This task is always more productive when candidates have taken advantage of their resume’s file properties menu.  It is important to populate your resume with key-words, and don’t neglect the “file properties” feature.

 

Finally, always leave your audience wanting more.  The important point of a resume is to get you into the game.  If you provide the most important information in an interesting, easy to read manner you are more likely to get a phone call from a hiring manager.  At that time you can begin providing more detail about your experience and accomplishments.  I definitely recommend that you develop a highly detailed CV that recaps your complete career history and accomplishments.  That document will serve as basis for your resume, bio, and key accomplishments.  However, that is not a document to use for an introduction in a job-search.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, President

New Century Dynamics Executive Search

www.newcenturydynamics.com

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Five Reasons Your Profession Is Hurting Your Career

 

Originally Posted by Richard Kirby of Executive Impact on

When I graduated from college with a degree in electrical engineering, that was the only credential I could use to market myself to prospective employers. In an ideal world, employers would have gotten to know me and determined that I had potential to do many things, tested me to define my talents and motivations, and established an individualized development plan that would launched me onto a path to become “the best that I could be” in their organization. Unfortunately, the world was not ideal then and still is not.


I was stereotyped (branded) as an engineer and hired to do a job that engineers do. I succeeded, so I was given opportunities to make more money and get promotions by doing more engineering stuff. But, seven years out of college, I was a registered professional engineer who was burnt out on engineering … and decided I needed a change. I proactively moved into HR training and development (training engineers), then into marketing, then into sales.
The point of all this is that, had I been passive and let my employers lead me in my career, I would have gotten “stuck” in a sequence of engineering roles. I would have had far less autonomy, enjoyment and income.


So, I want to propose to you a pretty disruptive (but, for many, necessary) challenge to your status quo: Choosing a profession and sticking with it may be a bad strategy for your future happiness and income. Here are five reasons your current profession may be hurting your career…


1. You are in a profession that does not match “you”. With thousands of possible choices and the vast majority of people not having insightful guidance, it is highly likely you are not even close to being in one that is an excellent fit.


2. You are in a profession that has poor prospects for the future. Face it. Your entry level customer service job at the local bank branch is never going to get you very far.


3. Your profession doesn’t allow you to grow your career. Sitting in a call center answering customer complaints will isolate you from others who could help you in your career. It will also numb your mind.


4. You are in a profession that is associated with a depressed or dying industry. All of my corporate career was in the telecom industry and (other than mobile) that industry has been in trouble for over a decade, so becoming an expert could be career-limiting.
5. You are in a profession/industry that is not well respected. Even if you are the top producer in your state for Amway, I am still going to start itching if I have to sit and listen to your pitch about becoming one of your “down-lines.”


As mentioned in Chapter 3 of Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!):
“A survey by The Conference Board indicated that employee job satisfaction dropped from 61% in 1987 to 45% in 2009. This has been an ongoing trend. I believe that two major factors contributing to job dissatisfaction are self-limiting beliefs and mismatches with current professions.”


It’s hard to correct counterproductive beliefs in a 600 word blog post, but getting you thinking about your choice of profession just might be within my power. I hope so, because the vast majority of people I meet are in a profession that is not a strong match.
Sometimes people who are unhappy in their work are in the wrong culture, working for the wrong type boss, or at the wrong level in the organization. For many, though, they are in the wrong profession. If you have some doubt, then I hope you will rethink your choice (if it was a choice at all) of profession and begin considering new options. Good luck and best wishes!

Richard Kirby is an executive career consultant, recruiting manager, and author of Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!).

 

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