It’s been a bit of a wobbly start to 2012 for the UK economy and the job market as a whole. Unemployment among 18-25 year olds is the highest it’s been for decades and industry mutterings such as “graduates without existing work experience have little or no chance of receiving a job offer in an organization’s graduate program” can’t be helping the confidence levels of recent grads. Thankfully, we know that fresh graduates are an optimistic and resilient bunch who aren’t easily discouraged! Still, it is worth recapping the news to allow us to understand the current situation better: ... Read more

There are jobs that last a lifetime, and jobs that are over before they really start. In between is the job that has a predictable arc with a start and a finish; you just need to know when it’s... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] ... Read more

According to CEO Update’s March 4^th issue, new association job listings are up an eye-popping 45 percent in the first two months of 2011. At the same time, the article also says, some hiring managers are receiving fewer resumes.

After the multi-year recession, this is fantastic news for job seekers. It’s certainly better than the alternative! However, as with most things, there is a downside. … Read more

Executive-level clients frequently ask me if they need a cover letter. They’re not convinced anyone reads them, and they often wonder if writing them is worth the time and effort.

These concerns are not completely unfounded. About one-third of hiring managers will never look at a cover letter, another one-third will go back and look after reading the resume, and the final one-third will go through the resume IF the cover letter catches their attention. Since you don’t know which category the reader will fall into, it’s best to play the odds and include a well-written one.

Even if these statistics convince people they need a cover letter, they’re still not sold on the fact that it should be a good one. I’m here to convince you otherwise! Consider the following:

1)      Applicant Tracking Systems search cover letters: Keywords are terms that companies use to automatically screen candidates when they receive hundreds of resumes. The cover letter gives you an additional opportunity for including potential keywords.

2)      The economy is ROUGH: This is no secret. In an economy where there are multiple candidates for each job, it’s to your advantage to use any edge you can.

3)      Personal stories can make a difference: If you strongly believe in an organization’s mission and you don’t bring this out in the cover letter, you could be missing an opportunity. Especially in associations, leaders look for candidates who believe in their cause. In fact, Michelle Obama ultimately got her job with the City of Chicago after Valerie Jarrett (the hiring manager) was moved by her cover letter.

Though writing a powerful cover letter takes time, it may not be as much as you thought. They should just be one page and “less is more” – 3 to 4 paragraphs is all you need. Plus, once you have your first letter written, you should only need to customize a few sentences for each new position.

The internet has added a whole other dimension to reputation management. With the anonymity and easy access it brings, the chances have increased that you’ll end up being the target of a negative comment at some point. While most people will take an isolated remark with a grain of salt, if you’re seeking a leadership position, it is vital that you are seen in the most positive light.

The first step involves doing what is known as an “ego search” – googling your name. Hopefully, you haven’t found anything damaging, but don’t stop there. Online content can change in the blink of an eye, so make it a rule to search yourself at least once a week.

So, what can you do if you come across something online that you wish wasn’t there?

1)      Bury it: Most people don’t search results past the first few pages. Push the negative information farther back by putting out positive information. An article, blog comment, or press release can be distributed by you and will likely rank high in the search engines.

2)      Take legal action: If there is something you need completely eliminated, talk to a lawyer or consider a service like reputationdefender.com, a company which helps people manage their online reputations.

Whether you’re in job search mode or not, be proactive and keep your online identity spotless. You never know when someone is going to find you online and consider you for a position. Control what they see and make sure it’s positive!

When I first entered the careers field as an executive talent agent a decade ago, I asked those with expertise and experience for their words of wisdom and advice. Universally, at some point in the conversation, the colleague offering advice about executive careers would say that the candidate’s resume could make or break their campaign. I carefully researched and discussed differing resume writing styles with experts and soon found out what made some writers better resources, in my opinion, for my executive clients. Along the way, I learned to recognize different stylistic preferences and grew to respect, even revere, various approaches.

During the intervening years, the world of executive career management including recruiting, and in turn the role the resume plays in a job search has been changing. I think it is not an exaggeration to remark that we are living a revolution. Dramatic changes in communications, technology and the economy all have shifted the relationship between prospective employee and potential employer which in turn, are forcing career industry professionals to adapt. The Career Thought Leaders Consortium is one fine example of this trend

Many in our profession have recognized this sea change and have polished their skills, updated their knowledge, added new services and transformed their businesses.  They  continue to push our field forward and provide the high quality  services that more sophisticated clients demand. Executive clients today are more knowledgeable.  They can get information via Internet search, through virtual communities and online discussions.  Unfortunately for some,  they master this arena by spending their own time in the job market while in transition.

What I am getting around to is that today we are light years away from the olden days of paper resumes and are living with a complexity beyond the days of broadcast faxes and mass emails. Today, a candidate’s competitive advantage is not just a great (but static) resume documenting a fantastic track record of accomplishments. Their future career success stems from how an individual communicates and distributes and makes available their reputation and unique problem-solving capabilities to those who can hire them and offer them additional opportunities to learn and grow their success.  Sounds like a networking process doesn’t it?  Sure, the individual has to have the goods, but just putting it in writing is not enough, just communicating this in one well-crafted document is too little and just sharing this when asked is usually not enough to ensure  a career.

The best possible resume is a good starting point for discussion; a better strategy is not only to build a strong reputation (good resume content,) but to also be visible.  Achievements have always been necessary and still are necessary, but are not sufficient for success.  How an individual communicates their value has broadened from just a “dam good resume” occasionally distributed when the candidate was actively looking or asked to submit their credentials to being a full time, non-stop personalized PR campaign.  This means being visible and searchable online.

We’ve been learning that having a personal website or online portfolio or Linkedin profile alone seldom attracts enough attention or generates enough desired contacts from prospective recruiters or hiring managers. These online pieces are major parts of a larger effort that includes an online resume, a marketing presence that is vibrant, updated regularly and contains relevant data differentiate those who get noticed. Think: what did you do today, what will you be doing tomorrow that demonstrates your abilities. It is said that past performance is no guarantee for the future. To be competitive, executives have to prove themselves, visibly speaking, in real time. In addition to producing results, they engage others.  They develop new connections. They interact. They give to others. And when the timing is right, they learn about a new position and make a move. In other words, the resume is now an important part of the overall marketing plan implementation process.  There is an intention to attract attention and pull opportunities towards the candidate.  Contrast this to when all career marketing/job searching efforts were designed to push the candidate to potential employers.

Today’s environment means game-changing strategy and a new style for executing an effective search for candidates and the modern career industry professionals who support them.  The best solution is for every employee to always have the mindset and behaviors of a potential candidate:  maintain their visibility with up to date information and messaging. There’s no worry about anyone discovering they are looking for a new job because they are always open to new opportunities that are able to find them even when they are not actively looking for leads to a new job. They never are out of “job search mode” but their standard MO is inviting connections, sharing  ideas and being approachable.

Do you have clients that are dissatisfied in their current job but express an interest in staying in the same occupational area? For example, Jane is a teacher with a high need for achievement and currently works with a severely retarded population. She expresses frustration in not seeing a great deal of improvement in her students on a day-to-day basis. Instead, Jane might derive greater satisfaction in working with high-potential students.

The best kept secret for a free and excellent career values assessment is the Work Importance Profiler (WIP). It is one of the O*NET™ career exploration tools. The WIP is based on the Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA) that was developed as a result of extensive research conducted by Dawis & Lofquist in 1984. According to the TWA theory, clients have work satisfaction when they possess the skills and abilities needed to perform the job well and the job satisfies their important needs and values.

The WIP assessment is designed for clients who are 16 years or older and read at, or above, the 8th grade level. This assessment highlights the test-taker’s top two work values, and gives scores for each of six career values and the work needs that underlies them. The six career values and the needs associated with them are as follows:

1. Achievement: ability utilization, and achievement.
2. Independence: creativity, responsibility, and autonomy
3. Recognition: advancement, authority, recognition, and social status.
4. Relationships: co-workers, ethics, and social service.
5. Support: company policies and practices, supervision – human relations, and supervision – technical.
6. Working Conditions: activity, compensation, independence, security, variety, and working conditions.

Here are instructions for your clients to take the Work Importance Profiler (WIP):

1. Go to http://www.onetcenter.org/WIP.html
2. In the drop down box, select Work Importance Profiler.
3. Click on Software tab and download the WIP-Software; it requires Microsoft Windows application.
4. Take the assessment.
5. Print out the two pages that provide scores: one page shows the values, and the other page shows the needs.

I have found that it is not necessary or particularly helpful for clients to finish the last portion of the assessment in which they select a job zone and review occupations in that job zone that match their values.

For further information about the WIP, download the WIP User’s Guide. It can be accessed at the same location as the WIP-Software, mentioned above.

After your clients gain awareness about their top values, encourage them to search occupations in O*NET™ OnLine at http://online.onetcenter.org/find and compare their values, and other descriptors, with occupations. Each occupation description includes relevant information for the following things: tasks, tools & technology, knowledge, skills, work activities, work context, job zone, work styles, work values, related occupations, and wages & employment.

With WIP results, your clients gain a greater understanding of what’s important to them in a job. Do your clients a big favor by asking them to take the WIP and coaching them in finding a job that matches their highest work values and needs.

Source: O*NET™ Work Importance Profiler User’s Guide

Copyright 2010. Nancy Branton.

If you want to ride a Google Wave into your next career perhaps this adapted how to list will compel you to think differently about how to bring your brand to a new level. Thinking on a different plane may allow you to advance your career path – real-time. Here are a few tips from the ever-invasive Google brain. Think about how these ideas will help you maintain an advantage.

Stay Connected – Google Wave allows you to keep in touch more instantly than IM. Tagging key conversations and knowing what’s going on real time matters.

Share Files – Google Wave allows you to share large files and sharing information may be a critical way to advance your brand, career and help others.

Share Photos - As you know full resolution now rules the digital footprint world. Google Gears can help you drag and drop images. Just remember that the world of work now thinks in pictures more than ever. Catch this wave.

Collaborate Collaborate – Google Docs does some of this kind of work but real time collaborations on critical issues matter. Executives always should be working on critical documents and collaborating, including those in career transition.

Newsletters and Information – You don’t need email or listserv to do this on Google Wave. Create a new Wave and add some collaborative friends.

In the early 1980s the country was in the midst of a major recession as bad as the one we are currently experiencing. Unemployment was in the double digits and so was inflation. Yet I was able to negotiate a fifty percent salary increase when I took a job with a new firm in Washington, DC. Although I would like to be able to say that my success was due to my extraordinary skill as a negotiator, it wasn’t. I was still in my twenties at the time; this was the first time I ever really had to negotiate about my own compensation and, in hindsight, I made a lot of mistakes. The things I did do right though, were to negotiate with the right employer, at the right time and I was able to convince them that I was the right candidate for the job. Then and only then did we seriously talk about money.

In a tough economy most individuals don’t think they have the ability to negotiate salary. Regardless of the state of the economy, if you are able to get a job offer you probably are in a better position to negotiate than you think. When it comes to negotiating, as in every aspect of your life, you limit yourself by what you think you can do. If someone wants to hire you, it is because you offer something that they value. As a result you are in a position to negotiate for additional money, benefits and opportunities. There are, however, right and wrong ways to go about it. Here are some tips to help you negotiate better even when the job market is weak.

1. Take the time to learn how to negotiate, Negotiating is something you can learn. Like good writing and math, negotiating skills have to be learned. Take a class, attend a seminar or read a book on the topic. The ability to negotiate effectively will help you throughout your working career, not only when are negotiating about compensation. Every day at work you negotiate about deadlines, to get resources, about time off and to get assignments that will propel your career forward and enable to earn more money. Ultimately your career success depends on your ability to effectively negotiate. Time spent learning how to negotiate is time well spent and will pay dividends throughout your career.

2. Get a potential employer to “fall in love” with you before you talk about money. The time to be asking for things is after an employer has already decided to hire you. .Focus on what is important to the employer and what you can do for them. In tough times making or saving money is always important. So is your ability to make your prospective boss look good. Employers want to hire people who bring value and they are willing to pay what is necessary to hire them. Once the employer has decided to make you an offer, then, and only then, should you start discussing the terms of employment. Until that time, whenever the subject comes up talk about the job. Be enthusiastic about wanting the job. Show that you really want to work there. Ask for the job. No one wants to hire a person who is only looking for a paycheck. If asked what you are looking for in terms of compensation, say something like “I am sure that if I am the right person for the job and the job is right for me, something that is fair will be readily worked out.” Then ask some questions about the job. You will look good to the employer and defer the conversation until a time that is more appropriate.

3 The only difference between being employed and being unemployed is your self confidence. You are same person when you are unemployed as you were when you were working. You have the same skills and same experience. The value you can bring to an employer doesn’t change just because you don’t have a job. The only difference is your confidence. If you exhibit confidence you can not only negotiate effectively, it will help also you land the job you want. Competition for your services will also make you seem more valuable in the eyes of a prospective employer. Talking with several prospective employers at the same time will not only increase your confidence but will enhance your bargaining leverage.

Once you are hired, do a good job and continually seek out new challenges. As you take on added responsibilities and learn new skills, there will be opportunities to negotiate further improvements.