On choosing a career path

Haven't posted for a while... because I've been struggling with this subject, as it relates to young folks trying to decide. I think back to my own story and realize that my early choices were absolute nonsense. How many, I wonder, have the same issues? From my experience, many, if not most people make wrong choices, especially the young.

I have read many books on the subject, plus a whole bunch or articles published on the internet. Most of what I see is not particularly helpful, or just plain not believable. And the books - What Color is your Parachute,The Passion Test, Pathfinder, Now What?, to name a few... while quite good and insightful, they are daunting in their length and depth. Few teens that I know of would ever spend the effort necessary.

Which leads me to a project which I am now undertaking - can I create a simple, straightforward, easy to read, effective guide for teens to help them choose a career path that has a good chance of being right?

If any of you have ideas along these lines, please share!! I will keep you informed as I go.

Thanks.

Interview Tip: Listen Well

I found this in my files this morning – this advice is really on target.

Interview Tip: Listen Well

by Carole Martin 

If you thought interviewing was only about answering questions, you’ve been missing the point. You’ve also been missing an opportunity to gather valuable information. Listening is one of the most underused skills in a job interview. Most candidates go into an interview thinking about how they will answer the questions, and they forget they are also there to learn about the job and company. They fail to listen, observe and read between the lines.

A List of Questions Isn’t Enough

Reena sat in an interview answering questions. When she was asked, “Do you have any questions?” she was ready and took out her list of questions.

Sounds like she did everything perfectly, right? Not quite. She forgot to listen to what had been said during the interview and then follow up with related questions. If she had been listening, she would have heard the emphasis placed on retention. There were two questions asked about her plans for the future: How long she planned to stay with the company and why she had only stayed with her last employer for two years. If she had been listening, she might have been struck by the focus of these questions and followed up with something like, “I’ve heard some concerns about retention. What is the turnover rate for this department?”

She might have discovered the turnover rate was quite high. In fact, retention was a big problem for the company. Once that fact was discovered, her next question should have been, “Is there a specific reason employees leave?” She may have, or may not have, received a forthright answer, but she would have been able to make her own judgment and observe the interviewer for signs of discomfort with the question.

Put Up Your Antenna

Jerry listened throughout the interview and picked up the series of questions pertaining to stress and long hours. When the time came, he asked, “On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being high, how would you rate the stress and pressure levels in this department?” And then he could have asked, “Is this the norm or a seasonal workload?”

He had already worked in an office where he was expected to work 60-plus hours a week. He didn’t want to walk into that situation again. He noticed the two interviewers look at each other when he asked this question, and they rated the stress levels at six. After noting the interviewers’ responses to his first question, Jerry continued to ask more questions about the subject. He listened carefully, reading between the lines. He gathered information he wouldn’t have gotten had he not been tuned in and listening. He now had enough information to make a decision as to whether he wanted to work for this company or in this particular department.

The Rewards

When all you can think of are your answers to the interviewer’s questions, you miss a premium opportunity to garner information about the situation you will enter if you take the job. Just as importantly, you miss an opportunity to impress interviewers in a way few people do. Listening tells the interviewer you have heard what was said -- and sometimes what was not said. The best questions you can ask come from listening.

There are few better ways to make an impact with a perspective employer than by catching the details of what the interviewer is saying, and then spinning those points into observations or well-crafted questions. Smart employers see curiosity as a valuable trait, and you accentuate your curiosity by listening intently.

So turn up your listening and intuitive skills, and read between the lines. You’ll be surprised by what you hear.

I found this in my files this morning – this advice is really on target.

Interview Tip: Listen Well

by Carole Martin 

If you thought interviewing was only about answering questions, you’ve been missing the point. You’ve also been missing an opportunity to gather valuable information. Listening is one of the most underused skills in a job interview. Most candidates go into an interview thinking about how they will answer the questions, and they forget they are also there to learn about the job and company. They fail to listen, observe and read between the lines.

A List of Questions Isn’t Enough

Reena sat in an interview answering questions. When she was asked, “Do you have any questions?” she was ready and took out her list of questions.

Sounds like she did everything perfectly, right? Not quite. She forgot to listen to what had been said during the interview and then follow up with related questions. If she had been listening, she would have heard the emphasis placed on retention. There were two questions asked about her plans for the future: How long she planned to stay with the company and why she had only stayed with her last employer for two years. If she had been listening, she might have been struck by the focus of these questions and followed up with something like, “I’ve heard some concerns about retention. What is the turnover rate for this department?”

She might have discovered the turnover rate was quite high. In fact, retention was a big problem for the company. Once that fact was discovered, her next question should have been, “Is there a specific reason employees leave?” She may have, or may not have, received a forthright answer, but she would have been able to make her own judgment and observe the interviewer for signs of discomfort with the question.

Put Up Your Antenna

Jerry listened throughout the interview and picked up the series of questions pertaining to stress and long hours. When the time came, he asked, “On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being high, how would you rate the stress and pressure levels in this department?” And then he could have asked, “Is this the norm or a seasonal workload?”

He had already worked in an office where he was expected to work 60-plus hours a week. He didn’t want to walk into that situation again. He noticed the two interviewers look at each other when he asked this question, and they rated the stress levels at six. After noting the interviewers’ responses to his first question, Jerry continued to ask more questions about the subject. He listened carefully, reading between the lines. He gathered information he wouldn’t have gotten had he not been tuned in and listening. He now had enough information to make a decision as to whether he wanted to work for this company or in this particular department.

The Rewards

When all you can think of are your answers to the interviewer’s questions, you miss a premium opportunity to garner information about the situation you will enter if you take the job. Just as importantly, you miss an opportunity to impress interviewers in a way few people do. Listening tells the interviewer you have heard what was said -- and sometimes what was not said. The best questions you can ask come from listening.

There are few better ways to make an impact with a perspective employer than by catching the details of what the interviewer is saying, and then spinning those points into observations or well-crafted questions. Smart employers see curiosity as a valuable trait, and you accentuate your curiosity by listening intently.

So turn up your listening and intuitive skills, and read between the lines. You’ll be surprised by what you hear.

The Meaning of Life: Discover Your Purpose

The Meaning of Life: Discover Your Purpose

Posted using ShareThis

Discover Your Passion

After a 90-minute dialog with a client recently, I sent her an email summarizing our observations. I include it here so you can get the “flavor” of this process.

Hi, Rachel,

It was good talking with you this morning! I hope at some point in the not too distant future you’ll find a way to come back here for a visit!

As we discussed, networking to find the type of position you want is going to be a whole lot more effective than searching in newspapers and the Internet, and then submitting a resume. That is what most people do and it really puts everyone of them, including you at a disadvantage - you are in competition with all those other people for a single job, via a resume and no personal interaction (unless you happen to get an interview). But in order to network effectively, you need to be able to express clearly what the ingredients of an ideal position should be.

Here are some observations from our talk:

1.   All three events you mentioned reflect the importance to you of interactions with people. The first one you mentioned was the selling of lingerie at Macy’s. The particular aspects of this that have meaning for you appeared to be: that you are able to intuitively connect with people, that you are sensitive to their “place” - i.e. being able to read people, their moods, needs, what will help them fulfill their need; that you are able to fulfill that need, and receive feedback that this indeed occurred. You got enjoyment from being able to meet the needs of the customer.

A Probing Interview – Unusual, but Effective. Worth Thinking About

You won’t often hear these questions in a job interview. But the way you answer reveals a great deal about you, and how you would fit into an organization’s culture. It is worthwhile to consider this possibility and prepare for it.

• Take a minute and think about your most outstanding, significant professional achievement.  What about you made this achievement possible?
• What do you value deeply?  How are those values reflected in your work?
• We all seem to have events in our lives that turn us in a new positive direction.  Sometimes they are the things that make us go “aha!”  What was one of the most memorable experiences for you? 
• As a result of that experience, what would you bring to our organization?
• Tell me about a time when you were a member of a group that collaborated to achieve amazing results, perhaps even in the face of many challenges.
• I know that I have had some great experiences as a customer and as a provider.  I would like to hear about the most memorable experience you had as a customer.  Now can you share with me the most satisfying experience that you had serving someone else? 

Unusual? You bet. Be prepared!

Job Objective

An effective resume needs a clearly stated Job Objective.  And it must be focused on the employer, not on yourself.  Let me explain.  I have seen many resumes with an objective that focuses on

“opportunities for advancement”

“contributing to the company while improving my skills”

“allow myself to grow”

“to obtain long term employment with growth potential”

“put to use my diversified abilities to advance with the company”

Excuse me?  This is all just a bunch of gobbledygook.  If  I were an employer reading this resume, I would immediately drop it into “file 13”.  Why?  Because it says nothing about my expectations as the employer.

The Job Proposal

Nearly every applicant for a job submits a resume, and usually a cover letter. The resume is a tool to market you to an employer.  It describes the successful application of your competencies. It provides insight about your motivation, commitment and degree of expertise. And it indicates a level of performance that you have already achieved, and therefore should be able to repeat and build on for a new employer.  The cover letter more clearly connects you to the requirements of the position. 

Let’s go a step further. What if you were to demonstrate to the employer how you would perform in this job if it were offered to you? You can achieve that by preparing a Job Proposal that speaks to the specific  needs and interests of a specific person in the company. Here is an example.

Résumés - Sample Profile (Summary, Highlights) Statements

résumé

Resumes - You Need a Summary, Profile or Professional Highlights Section

Resume Profie and Professional Highlights Examples

Accomplishment or Success

•    Outstanding record in recruiting, training and motivating Yearbook staff.
•    Consistently rank among the top 3 admissions assistants.
•    Proven ability to get any individual into the best shape of his life.
•    Successfully published photographs in regional magazines.
•    Completed over 20 systems projects during 2 Summer internships.
•    Successfully implemented a personal financial plan that generated 35% yearly growth over 4 college years.
•    Number One ranked waiter for 7 straight months.
•    Earned an Outstanding Achievement raise at MacDonald's.
•    Designed and implemented highly successful teaching assistant training programs.
•    Successfully transformed college newspaper, improving its appearance and readability while reducing costs.
•    Planned, managed, and supervised school cultural events for up to 1,000 people.
•    Succeeded in only 6 months, to educate myself in real estate and implement a highly profitable real estate investment.
•    Proven track record of producing and directing award-winning video projects.
•    Planned all aspects of Eagle Scout project, involving the participation of over 60 volunteers.


Background

•    Lifelong exposure to family real estate business.
•    Sharp insight into the subtleties of both Spanish and Portuguese, with extensive background in both cultures.
•    Lifelong exposure to restaurant business.
•    Over 10 years’ interest and in-depth involvement with programming.
•    Grew up in a family business where selling is a way of life.

Commitment - values

•    Committed to bringing about real, practical results in people's lives.
•    Highly committed to Total Quality principles and eager to support them.
•    Self-confident; committed to financial success in sales.
•    Deeply committed to clients' health improvement through proper diet.
•    Deep commitment to supporting the Scouting movement in third world countries.
•    Committed to taking responsibility for personal decisions, actions and results.
•    Sincere commitment to children's enjoyment of and skill in reading.
•    Compassionate, professional approach and commitment to service-oriented work.
•    Enthusiastic and committed to professional excellence.
•    Committed to high quality education for young children.

Commitment - motivation and enthusiasm

•    Strongly self-motivated, enthusiastic and profit oriented.
•    Enthusiastic, creative, eager to assume responsibility.
•    Effective classroom teacher who loves teaching.
•    Strongly motivated by belief in power to change events.
•    Highly motivated to achieve goals.
•    Lifelong consuming interest in natural history research and photography.
•    High energy coupled with enthusiasm and dedication to law enforcement.
•    Strong motivation to help others live life fully.

Communication

•    Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills; effective negotiator.
•    Skill in clearly interpreting and explaining processes and procedures.
•    Outstanding communication and presentation skills.
•    Highly effective in presenting arguments in a convincing manner, and gaining acceptance of ideas and recommendations.
•    Excellent communicator: able to draw people out and put them at ease.
•    Communicate well with a wide range of personalities and organizational levels..
•    Effective in public speaking and media presentations.
•    Accomplished public speaker and presenter.
•    Excellent mediator, moderator, facilitator.

Creativity or intelligence

•    Creative idea generator.
•    Innovative teacher, not afraid to try something new.
•    Sharp, innovative, quick learner; proven ability to adapt quickly to a challenge.
•    Sharp business acumen with extensive background in personal investing and financial planning.
•    Exceptional talent for creating design solutions that are both artistically innovative and commercially successful.
•    Creative flair in implementing events; thorough in handling details.
•    Exceptional talent for drawing unusual connections from information and ideas.
•    Demonstrated exceptional ability to integrate information from different fields and   specialties.

Credentials or training

•    Credential in Financial Planning at UT - Arlington.
•    Trained by one of the area's most reputable portrait studios.
•    Licensed clinical worker; extensive internship experience.
•    Graduate degree in clinical psychology; training in drug dependency treatment.
•    Solid theoretical grounding in public administration and law enforcement.
•    BFA in Fashion Merchandising and Retail Management.

Culture and language

•    Effective and knowledgeable in working with cultural/social differences.
•    Excellent command of both English and Arabic languages.
•    Readily transcend cultural and language differences.
•    Familiar with European culture, politics and economy, through study, travel and lifelong residence on the European continent.
•    Demonstrated sensitivity to different cultures and their needs.

Experience

•    Extensive student broadcasting experience from internships and summer employment.
•    3 years' experience in investing and financial planning for self and clients.
•    Extensive contacts in the arts/entertainment field.
•    2 years' experience as student counselor and advisor.
•    Extensive student project experience; working knowledge of all phases of film production.
•    Extensive experience as first-level supervisor of service staff in major restaurant chain.

Interpersonal Relations

•    Work cooperatively with a wide range of personalities.
•    Exceptionally adept at developing rapport with people.
•    Demonstrated ability to forge links between diverse student groups.
•    Able to build and use cross-functional networks.
•    Sincerely enjoy helping people.
•    Skilled in resolving and promoting harmonious relationships.
•    Skilled in developing useful internal partnerships.
•    Diplomatic and tactful with professionals and non-professionals at all levels.
•    Skilled in handling the public with professionalism and sensitivity.
•    Communicate with children and parents with warmth and diplomacy.

Leadership and management  

•    Ability to prioritize, delegate, and motivate.
•    Consistently achieve objectives within time and budget.
•    Adept at making good use of resources including staff, supplies, equipment, systems and computers.
•    Successful in building and managing a highly effective publishing staff.
•    Successful in managing a number of assignments concurrently.
•    Sensitivity in integrating a wide range of program priorities.
•    Effectively handled position of major responsibility on a continuous path of professional advancement.
•    Inspires and supports others to work at their highest level.
•    Talent for picking the right people for the job.
•    Able to pull together and manage all aspects of a complex project.
•    Effective in promoting a positive, productive work environment.

Professionalism and poise

•    Poised and competent as a professional business representative.
•    Skilled in handling clients with professionalism and sensitivity.
•    Personable, articulate; professional in appearance and manner.
•    Poised and professional with both management and support staff.
•    Very sociable, able to put clients at ease.
•    Project a professional, fashionable image.

Reputation and credibility

•    Proven ability to gain customers' confidence and trust.
•    Excellent professional reputation among stockbrokers, financial planners, investors, bank officials.
•    Excellent references from past employers and professors.
•    Industry reputation for professionalism and competence.

Self-management

•    A decision maker; well organized, resourceful, work well independently.
•    Extremely dependable in completing projects accurately and on time.
•    Results-oriented professional; can be counted on to take calculated risks, and get the job done, without supervision.
•    Strong belief in likelihood of own success.
•    Equally effective working in self-managed projects and as member of a team.

Skills and effectiveness in a variety of areas

•    Excellent organization, communication, and writing skills.
•    Strong skills in organizing work flow, ideas, materials, people.
•    Adept in organizing and integrating a number of documents into a coherent whole.
•    Sharp and creative in problem solving and needs assessment.
•    Outstanding skill in assessing clients' needs for rehabilitative services.
•    Special talent for assessing and improving office systems.
•    Able to accurately establish priorities and adapt quickly to changing needs.
•    Adept to tuning in to clients' priorities to assure accurate needs assessment.
•    Able to pinpoint problems and initiate creative solutions
•    Effective in persuading others through my enthusiasm for good ideas and products.
•    Special talent for motivating and influencing people.
•    Successful in generating new business and enlarging client base.
•    Exceptional ability to quickly master new software and apply its full range of capabilities.
•    Skill in refining and translating researchers' goals into computer systems.
•    Effective in developing programs and reaching project goals.
•    Special talent for inspiring creative excellence on a shoestring.
•    Specialist in developing self-worth and self-esteem.
•    Finely tuned sense of colors, textures, and fabrics.

Special knowledge or technical expertise

•    Well versed in Texas State Insurance laws.
•    Knowledgeable and experienced in restaurant staff management.
•    Familiar with the scope and quality of college radio programming.
•    Technical expertise in the applications of manufacturing materials.
•    Working familiarity with the Harris and Montgomery County area.
•    Extensive experience with new construction, remodeling, and housing rehabilitation.

Teamwork

•    Easy to work with; a cooperative and supportive colleague.
•    Able to inspire loyalty by setting high expectations and serving as role model for others.
•    Skilled at encouraging participation and interaction and creating a positive, enthusiastic work climate.
•    Strong support of quality approach, instilling commitment to quality and excellence.
•    Able to work collaboratively in a team effort.
•    Excellent at working in team setting to meet deadlines.
•    Enthusiastic team member whose participation brings out the best in others.

Work style

•    Take pride in achieving the best possible results.
•    Dedicated, professional attitude; mature and willing to work.
•    Sharp eye for details, while maintaining the project overview.
•    Keen perception for extracting the relevant data.
•    Help develop others to the best of their abilities.
•    Thrive on organizing complex projects and following through to completion.
•    Resourceful and committed, can be counted on to get the job done.
•    Self-starter; highly motivated, ambitious and goal-oriented.
•    Thrive in a dynamic and challenging environment.
•    Able to maintain a sense of humor under pressure.
•    Remain calm and work well under demanding conditions.
•    Able to handle a multitude of details at once, meeting deadlines under pressure.


Adapted from:
    Bolles, R. N.,  The 1992 What Color Is Your Parachute?
    King, J. A., and Sheldon, B.,  The Smart Woman's Guide to Resumes and Job Hunting      Lafevre, J. L.,  How to Really Get Hired
    Marino, K.,  The College Student's Resume Guide
    Parker, Y.,  The Resume Catalog: 200 Damn Good Examples
    Parker, Y.,  The Damn Good Resume Guide
    Rose, I. B.,  Attribute List

Accomplishment or Success

•    Outstanding record in recruiting, training and motivating Yearbook staff.
•    Consistently rank among the top 3 admissions assistants.
•    Proven ability to get any individual into the best shape of his life.
•    Successfully published photographs in regional magazines.
•    Completed over 20 systems projects during 2 Summer internships.
•    Successfully implemented a personal financial plan that generated 35% yearly growth over 4 college years.
•    Number One ranked waiter for 7 straight months.
•    Earned an Outstanding Achievement raise at MacDonald's.
•    Designed and implemented highly successful teaching assistant training programs.
•    Successfully transformed college newspaper, improving its appearance and readability while reducing costs.
•    Planned, managed, and supervised school cultural events for up to 1,000 people.
•    Succeeded in only 6 months, to educate myself in real estate and implement a highly profitable real estate investment.
•    Proven track record of producing and directing award-winning video projects.
•    Planned all aspects of Eagle Scout project, involving the participation of over 60 volunteers.


Background

•    Lifelong exposure to family real estate business.
•    Sharp insight into the subtleties of both Spanish and Portuguese, with extensive background in both cultures.
•    Lifelong exposure to restaurant business.
•    Over 10 years’ interest and in-depth involvement with programming.
•    Grew up in a family business where selling is a way of life.

Commitment - values

•    Committed to bringing about real, practical results in people's lives.
•    Highly committed to Total Quality principles and eager to support them.
•    Self-confident; committed to financial success in sales.
•    Deeply committed to clients' health improvement through proper diet.
•    Deep commitment to supporting the Scouting movement in third world countries.
•    Committed to taking responsibility for personal decisions, actions and results.
•    Sincere commitment to children's enjoyment of and skill in reading.
•    Compassionate, professional approach and commitment to service-oriented work.
•    Enthusiastic and committed to professional excellence.
•    Committed to high quality education for young children.
Commitment - motivation and enthusiasm

•    Strongly self-motivated, enthusiastic and profit oriented.
•    Enthusiastic, creative, eager to assume responsibility.
•    Effective classroom teacher who loves teaching.
•    Strongly motivated by belief in power to change events.
•    Highly motivated to achieve goals.
•    Lifelong consuming interest in natural history research and photography.
•    High energy coupled with enthusiasm and dedication to law enforcement.
•    Strong motivation to help others live life fully.

Communication

•    Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills; effective negotiator.
•    Skill in clearly interpreting and explaining processes and procedures.
•    Outstanding communication and presentation skills.
•    Highly effective in presenting arguments in a convincing manner, and gaining acceptance of ideas and recommendations.
•    Excellent communicator: able to draw people out and put them at ease.
•    Communicate well with a wide range of personalities and organizational levels..
•    Effective in public speaking and media presentations.
•    Accomplished public speaker and presenter.
•    Excellent mediator, moderator, facilitator.

Creativity or intelligence

•    Creative idea generator.
•    Innovative teacher, not afraid to try something new.
•    Sharp, innovative, quick learner; proven ability to adapt quickly to a challenge.
•    Sharp business acumen with extensive background in personal investing and financial planning.
•    Exceptional talent for creating design solutions that are both artistically innovative and commercially successful.
•    Creative flair in implementing events; thorough in handling details.
•    Exceptional talent for drawing unusual connections from information and ideas.
•    Demonstrated exceptional ability to integrate information from different fields and   specialties.

Credentials or training

•    Credential in Financial Planning at UT - Arlington.
•    Trained by one of the area's most reputable portrait studios.
•    Licensed clinical worker; extensive internship experience.
•    Graduate degree in clinical psychology; training in drug dependency treatment.
•    Solid theoretical grounding in public administration and law enforcement.
•    BFA in Fashion Merchandising and Retail Management.
Culture and language

•    Effective and knowledgeable in working with cultural/social differences.
•    Excellent command of both English and Arabic languages.
•    Readily transcend cultural and language differences.
•    Familiar with European culture, politics and economy, through study, extensive travel and lifelong native residence on the European continent.
•    Demonstrated sensitivity to different cultures and their needs.

Experience

•    Extensive student broadcasting experience from internships and summer employment.
•    3 years' experience in investing and financial planning for self and clients.
•    Extensive contacts in the arts/entertainment field.
•    2 years' experience as student counselor and advisor.
•    Extensive student project experience; working knowledge of all phases of film production.
•    Extensive experience as first-level supervisor of service staff in major restaurant chain.

Interpersonal Relations

•    Work cooperatively with a wide range of personalities.
•    Exceptionally adept at developing rapport with people.
•    Demonstrated ability to forge links between diverse student groups.
•    Able to build and use cross-functional networks.
•    Sincerely enjoy helping people.
•    Skilled in resolving and promoting harmonious relationships.
•    Skilled in developing useful internal partnerships.
•    Diplomatic and tactful with professionals and non-professionals at all levels.
•    Skilled in handling the public with professionalism and sensitivity.
•    Communicate with children and parents with warmth and diplomacy.

Leadership and management   

•    Ability to prioritize, delegate, and motivate.
•    Consistently achieve objectives within time and budget.
•    Adept at making good use of resources including staff, supplies, equipment, systems and computers.
•    Successful in building and managing a highly effective publishing staff.
•    Successful in managing a number of assignments concurrently.
•    Sensitivity in integrating a wide range of program priorities.
•    Effectively handled position of major responsibility on a continuous path of professional advancement.
•    Inspires and supports others to work at their highest level.
•    Talent for picking the right people for the job.
•    Able to pull together and manage all aspects of a complex project.
•    Effective in promoting a positive, productive work environment.

Professionalism and poise

•    Poised and competent as a professional business representative.
•    Skilled in handling clients with professionalism and sensitivity.
•    Personable, articulate; professional in appearance and manner.
•    Poised and professional with both management and support staff.
•    Very sociable, able to put clients at ease.
•    Project a professional, fashionable image.

Reputation and credibility

•    Proven ability to gain customers' confidence and trust.
•    Excellent professional reputation among stockbrokers, financial planners, investors, bank officials.
•    Excellent references from past employers and professors.
•    Industry reputation for professionalism and competence.

Self-management

•    A decision maker; well organized, resourceful, work well independently.
•    Extremely dependable in completing projects accurately and on time.
•    Results-oriented professional; can be counted on to take calculated risks, and get the job done, without supervision.
•    Strong belief in likelihood of own success.
•    Equally effective working in self-managed projects and as member of a team.

Skills and effectiveness in a variety of areas

•    Excellent organization, communication, and writing skills.
•    Strong skills in organizing work flow, ideas, materials, people.
•    Adept in organizing and integrating a number of documents into a coherent whole.
•    Sharp and creative in problem solving and needs assessment.
•    Outstanding skill in assessing clients' needs for rehabilitative services.
•    Special talent for assessing and improving office systems.
•    Able to accurately establish priorities and adapt quickly to changing needs.
•    Adept to tuning in to clients' priorities to assure accurate needs assessment.
•    Able to pinpoint problems and initiate creative solutions
•    Effective in persuading others through my enthusiasm for good ideas and products.
•    Special talent for motivating and influencing people.
•    Successful in generating new business and enlarging client base.
•    Exceptional ability to quickly master new software and apply its full range of capabilities.
•    Skill in refining and translating researchers' goals into computer systems.
•    Effective in developing programs and reaching project goals.
•    Special talent for inspiring creative excellence on a shoestring.
•    Specialist in developing self-worth and self-esteem.
•    Finely tuned sense of colors, textures, and fabrics.

Special knowledge or technical expertise

•    Well versed in Texas State Insurance laws.
•    Knowledgeable and experienced in restaurant staff management.
•    Familiar with the scope and quality of college radio programming.
•    Technical expertise in the applications of manufacturing materials.
•    Working familiarity with the Harris and Montgomery County area.
•    Extensive experience with new construction, remodeling, and housing rehabilitation.

Teamwork

•    Easy to work with; a cooperative and supportive colleague.
•    Able to inspire loyalty by setting high expectations and serving as role model for others.
•    Skilled at encouraging participation and interaction and creating a positive, enthusiastic work climate.
•    Strong support of quality approach, instilling commitment to quality and excellence.
•    Able to work collaboratively in a team effort.
•    Excellent at working in team setting to meet deadlines.
•    Enthusiastic team member whose participation brings out the best in others.

Work style

•    Take pride in achieving the best possible results.
•    Dedicated, professional attitude; mature and willing to work.
•    Sharp eye for details, while maintaining the project overview.
•    Keen perception for extracting the relevant data.
•    Help develop others to the best of their abilities.
•    Thrive on organizing complex projects and following through to completion.
•    Resourceful and committed, can be counted on to get the job done.
•    Self-starter; highly motivated, ambitious and goal-oriented.
•    Thrive in a dynamic and challenging environment.
•    Able to maintain a sense of humor under pressure.
•    Remain calm and work well under demanding conditions.
•    Able to handle a multitude of details at once, meeting deadlines under pressure.


Adapted from:
    Bolles, R. N.,  The 1992 What Color Is Your Parachute?
    King, J. A., and Sheldon, B.,  The Smart Woman's Guide to Resumes and Job Hunting     
    Lafevre, J. L.,  How to Really Get Hired
    Marino, K.,  The College Student's Resume Guide
    Parker, Y.,  The Resume Catalog: 200 Damn Good Examples
    Parker, Y.,  The Damn Good Resume Guide
    Rose, I. B.,  Attribute List

Two Critical Questions

(I found this article in my archives and unfortuanately have no idea where it came from, so I can give proper credit. But this is as valid and critical today as it was then… whenever that was. My apologies to the author).

Does it seem as if you're at the mercy of companies when it comes to your job search? You are, for the most part - except at two critical times when you are in a position to influence by asking questions. Yet you probably don't.

The first time is at the end of the first interview with a new company. The second is at the end of your tenure with a company - when you resign or are asked to leave.

PASSION POWER – Recommended Reading:

The Occupational Adventure Guide – A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams, by Curt Rosengren (eBook)

The ‘What Color is Your Parachute’ Workbook – How to Create a Picture of Your Ideal Job or Next Career, by Richard Bolles (This is the “Flower Exercise” found in all the “Parachute” editions)

‘Discover Your Passion’ Workbook – An intuitive search to find your purpose in life, by Gail Cassidy

Zen and the Art of Making a Living – A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design, by Laurence Boldt

Wishcraft – How to Get What You Really Want, by Barbara Sher

I Don’t Know What I Want, But I Know It’s Not This – A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Gratifying Work, by Julie Jansen

An Effective Approach that Leads to Your Ideal Work

I am often asked about figuring out what career path to follow. One of the resources I have found useful is the book “What Color Is Your Parachute”, by Richard Nelson Bolles. Particularly helpful is the companion publication “The What Color Is Your Parachute Workbook – How to Create a Picture of Your Ideal Job or Next Career”. The end result of the workbook process is a “flower” – a model for the picture of the “Ideal Job”. Each petal of the flower addresses an important aspect to consider:

1. My favorite kinds of things that I like to work with
2. My favorite kinds of information that I like to work with
3. My favorite people to work with
4. My favorite rewards at work
5. My favorite spiritual or emotional setting
6. My favorite outcomes, immediate and long-range
7. My favorite physical setting
8. My favorite transferable skills

So after working through the entire process you end up with a “flower” where each petal displays your preferences, prioritized in order of importance to you.

The key here is that if you can find work that incorporates (ideally) your top choice in many of these categories, you will have a very satisfying job and career.  Herein lies the difficulty: how do you identify such work?

Seek Out Individualized Help in Your Community

There is a great deal of help available in our cities and communities, mostly free of charge.

I live near Asheville, North Carolina.  The Mountain Area Job Link organization is outstanding in its delivery of services to job seekers and those needing help with career related challenges (http://www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/JobLink/).  Be sure to check for similar services in your area!

Resume Blunders

These quotes were taken from actual resumes!

"I demand a salary commiserate with my extensive experience."

"I have lurnt Word Perfect 6.0 computor and spreadsheet progroms."

"Received a plague for Salesperson of the Year."

"Reason for leaving last job: maturity leave."

"Wholly responsible for two (2) failed financial institutions."

"Failed bar exam with relatively high grades."

How to Handle Liabilities

What do you say when your grades are just so-so or you have little or weak job experience? What if you were fired from your last job? How would you explain that you are changing your career path?

We all have liabilities, and the way we handle them in an interview is an important factor in whether or not we get selected for the job.

A liability is any personal factor or experience that hinders our chances of getting an offer for a particular job. Think about that. What it implies is that what is a strength for one position may be considered a liability for another. A mature, experienced job candidate may well have a liability in a position as management trainee, but a strength for a position as general supervisor.

A liability is just a part of who you are and should never be apologized for during any aspect of your job search!!

Typical Interview Questions

I suggest that you review all these questions, and think about how you will answer them. Planning is essential to avoid coming across as unprepared.  Worse yet, you may answer in a way that will keep you from getting the job.

On the other hand, don't invent answers.  It is equally important to be truthful and sincere.  No employer will hire someone that can't be trusted.

Write down how you want to answer each question. Then review your answers with colleagues, relatives, counselors - anyone that can give you feedback. Adjust  your answers.  Finally, do lots of practice interviews. Practice, practice, and practice, until you can answer any question naturally, intelligently, and with poise.

Questions You May Want to Ask your Interviewer

You are coming to the end of the interview. Everything seems to have gone well. Quite often the interviewer will ask you… “Well, do you have any questions for me?” Here are some you may want to ask:

• Why is this position open?

• How often has it been filled in the past five years? What were the main reasons?

• What would you like done differently by the next person who fills this position?

• What are some of the objectives you would like to see accomplished in this job?

• What is most pressing? What would you like to have done in the next 3 months?

• What are some of the long term objectives you would like to see completed?

• What are some of the more difficult problems one would have to face in this position?

• How do you think these could best be handled?
  
  

Interview DOs and DON'Ts

You've worked hard to get this interview! Now, make it count!

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

• Try to learn all you can about the company and the interviewer.

There are many ways to find information about the company: the Internet, company brochures, financial statements, articles written about the company, its own employees. To find out about the interviewer may be a little tougher, but not impossible: subordinates or colleagues of the interviewer may provide valuable information, such as interviewing style, valued skills and qualities, special issues or problems being faced.

What Qualities are Employers Looking For?

If you project many of these attributes, you enhance your chances dramatically! Take a good look at yourself. What are you projecting? Which of these qualities are most important for the position you are after? How can you best project that you possess these qualities? How can you prepare yourself? It's not just how you answer specific interview questions; it's about attitude, body language, ways of communicating, thoughtfulness, planning, preparation. Think it all through, in advance. Get your support folks to help you.

• Ability to Communicate - how you talk; are you tactful and diplomatic; do you present arguments convincingly; do you field questions well; do you gain acceptance of your ideas; do your communications flow logically, are they concise; do you talk at the right level for your audience, do you emphasize key points in your written communications; can you talk comfortably to people at different levels.

What is a Resume that Works?

A RESUME THAT WORKS is, above all else, a resume that will be read. The purpose of a resume is to help you get an interview. If, as the result of submitting your resume, you get an interview with a prospective employer, you have a resume that worked!

Resumes are mostly used to screen people out of consideration! A resume that works screens you in! A resume that works stands out from all the others. It will get you the attention you deserve.

Employers don't spend much time reading each resume. Thirty seconds is a fair estimate. Maybe as little as 15 seconds, unless you get their attention immediately, in that first glance-through.

Think of your resume as an advertisement about yourself. Your resume must be built with the same techniques that advertisers use, to give you the edge over your competition. The resume must have a strong impact on your prospective employer.

Completing the Application

Every step in the job search/preparation process is important. No less so is completing the application form.  

This may seem trivial, but surprisingly many applicants are rejected because of carelessness. Your employment application tells an employer a great deal about you before you ever meet. It creates perceptions about your neatness, your ability to follow instructions, your ability to organize your thoughts. Here are some suggestions:

Getting Interviews

Warm calling, i.e. getting interviews through contacts, is still the best way. But there is another method which has proven successful for a great many job seekers. It is the in-person call, with a twist. Here, step by step, is how you go about it:

• Find out who makes the hiring decisions before you make your visit. Do your research and find out the full name of the hiring authority.

• Prepare your cover letter and resume in advance. Address the envelope to the hiring authority and seal it.

The Story of Job, The Seeker

There once was a very fine craftsman named Job, who had fashioned many beautiful, fine quality jewels in the land. He had worked hard all his life, learned from skilled masters, knew how to use the tools of his trade, and was committed to creating splendid, eye-catching designs. Job, The Seeker his friends called him, for he was well known for his dedication to seeking personal happiness and satisfaction in his work.

Employees are a Risky Investment

Let’s say I am the Projects Manager for systems development with a medium sized corporation. Our work has been expanding and I need several more programmer analysts in the next couple of months.

I am very apprehensive about this. If I make the wrong decisions about whom I hire, it could be a very costly proposition.

Employees are my most costly and complex assets. Why?

So What Does a Really Effective Resume Look Like?

Your resume must capture the attention of a prospective employer in the first 15 to 30 seconds of reading. And then it must hold the attention until the end... and the end result must be an interview! That is, after all, the intent of submitting your resume - it is to get the interview.

Read this resume critically. You will see that it contains all the key ingredients. You can do the same, with effort and dedication to the task.

An Effective Resume

Today I’m posting the essence (somewhat abridged) of an email to a friend who asked for a review of her resume. It just may be helpful to you. I’ll soon post a resume sample that illustrates these points.

“I had a little time today to take a look at both the job description at XYZ Company and your resume.  Here are some observations – your resume will need to reflect your own way of expressing yourself, so I won’t actually make the changes, but only suggest.  We can dialog back and forth as you go, if you wish:

Boosting Self Confidence

Way back in 1992 I came across an article that is just as valuable today. It was written by Joni E. Johnston, PsyD, in the Texas Alcalde - UT Austin's Alumni Magazine. Here it is:

With self-confidence comes motivation, and together they bring success. If you believe you can do something, chances are you will behave in such a way that confirms you can. Psychologists have labeled this the "circular effect" - your performance is determined by your self-perception. 

Challenging Times

Nationwide unemployment is around 10%. That does not include those who have in effect given up and stopped searching. Which makes finding a good job, the right job for you, all the more difficult. For every job that opens up, there are potentially dozens, if not hundreds, of applicants. It's tough to compete in such an environment.

So, what to do? Let's start with a few things NOT to do: