Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission
Metro Orlando has long been established as the nation’s epicenter for modeling, simulation and training (MS&T) technology. The MS&T sector in Metro Orlando features:
* 100+ companies
* 16,847 workers
* Gross Regional Product of $2.5 billion
As the largest MS&T cluster in the country, it has evolved over the past 40 years from its roots in military training to provide applications in such diverse fields as:
* Aviation and aerospace
* Education
* Emergency services
* Entertainment
* Homeland security
* Information technologies
* Medical technologies
* Microelectronics
* Optics and photonics
* Transportation
Backing the MS&T industry in Metro Orlando are a number of renowned research, support and educational facilities, such as:
* National Center of Excellence in Simulation
* University of Central Florida’s Institute for Simulation and Training
* Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s aviation simulation programs
Metro Orlando’s strong MS&T standing has earned the region the distinction of being designated a National Center of Excellence in Simulation and Training. The extensive resources and expertise available in Metro Orlando, through the convergence of prominent MS&T organizations, reinforce the region’s position as an unmatched locale for new and expanding companies within the industry.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
UF study: Temp jobs not a dead end
South Florida Business Journal
Those temp-to-perm jobs may not be so bad, after all.
In fact, a new University of Florida study finds that those hired by temporary agencies actually earn higher hourly wages and are better educated than permanent employees.
“There has been concern by some advocacy groups that the temporary help industry is creating an entire class of people who are churning through temporary-help jobs and can’t escape from that cycle,” said Sarah Hamersma, a UF economist and lead author, in a news release. “We find no reason to believe that a large number of temp workers are ‘stuck’ in a secondary labor market.”
Hamersma and Carolyn Heinrich, a University of Wisconsin public affairs professor, studied occupational records, wages and earnings for 5,877 Wisconsin workers between 1995 and 2004.
Of the 3,964 employees who held at least one temporary job, 3,947 held a permanent job at some time in those 10 years, the study found. Further analysis found that, of those who changed jobs over a four-month period, more than three-fourths of those in temporary positions moved into traditional jobs, while only 23 percent took another temporary job.
The study also found temporary workers received about 15 percent more pay than those in traditional positions. The study suggests they are paid more because job conditions are less desirable.
“Paying temp workers more is consistent with having to handle the insecurity and other characteristics that are inferior to a regular job,” Hamersma said in the news release.
One of the biggest drawbacks of temporary work is its short duration, which makes it difficult for employees to build a foundation of experience necessary for job security, Hamersma said.
More than half of all temporary jobs in the sample – 56 percent – lasted no more than three months, and an additional 25 percent lasted no more than six months, she said.
“While I was surprised at how short those jobs were, what was even more surprising is that 45 percent of non-temporary jobs lasted less than three months,” she said. “Unfortunately, we don’t know why – whether workers quit or were fired, got sick or had child care issues.”
Those temp-to-perm jobs may not be so bad, after all.
In fact, a new University of Florida study finds that those hired by temporary agencies actually earn higher hourly wages and are better educated than permanent employees.
“There has been concern by some advocacy groups that the temporary help industry is creating an entire class of people who are churning through temporary-help jobs and can’t escape from that cycle,” said Sarah Hamersma, a UF economist and lead author, in a news release. “We find no reason to believe that a large number of temp workers are ‘stuck’ in a secondary labor market.”
Hamersma and Carolyn Heinrich, a University of Wisconsin public affairs professor, studied occupational records, wages and earnings for 5,877 Wisconsin workers between 1995 and 2004.
Of the 3,964 employees who held at least one temporary job, 3,947 held a permanent job at some time in those 10 years, the study found. Further analysis found that, of those who changed jobs over a four-month period, more than three-fourths of those in temporary positions moved into traditional jobs, while only 23 percent took another temporary job.
The study also found temporary workers received about 15 percent more pay than those in traditional positions. The study suggests they are paid more because job conditions are less desirable.
“Paying temp workers more is consistent with having to handle the insecurity and other characteristics that are inferior to a regular job,” Hamersma said in the news release.
One of the biggest drawbacks of temporary work is its short duration, which makes it difficult for employees to build a foundation of experience necessary for job security, Hamersma said.
More than half of all temporary jobs in the sample – 56 percent – lasted no more than three months, and an additional 25 percent lasted no more than six months, she said.
“While I was surprised at how short those jobs were, what was even more surprising is that 45 percent of non-temporary jobs lasted less than three months,” she said. “Unfortunately, we don’t know why – whether workers quit or were fired, got sick or had child care issues.”
Monday, December 21, 2009
Put Your Career on the Fast Track
Tech Careers
Achieving impressive, but consistent, career growth is every professional's dream. Yet, many believe that aiming for professional success is a difficult undertaking that often requires complex Machiavellian strategies or political tact. Not true. The best recipe for long term success is plain old PHP (planning, hard work, and persistence). Speaking of success, what actions if taken now will fire up your career and take you a step closer to your dreams? We have outlined a few simple tips.
Realize that you are in charge
Many individuals I come across are bright, talented, hard working professionals. Despite their tremendous potential, however, they are very passive when it comes to their career. When I ask them about their next career move or strategy, I often get a blank stare or a cold response: "I don't know." These individuals appear to be waiting, as if, for their boss or superior to grant the next promotion or to catalyze the next big thing, a wait that often translates into many wasted years -- precious years. It is very important to realize that you are in charge of your career, not someone else. Once this realization sinks in, the rest will follow automatically.
Develop an action plan
Where do you want to be in the next five years? ten? What can you do to take you closer to your long term goals? Answering these questions in detail will provide building blocks for your Action Plan.
Caveat: A plan that is conceptualized but not written will, most likely, [let's admit] not be executed, so it is critical for you to put the action plan on paper, on the wall, on the bulletin board -- wherever it will scream at you to take ACTION.
Take stock
During all my coaching sessions I stress on doing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What opportunities do you anticipate (or can create) in the coming year? And how can you grab them (literally)? Do you perceive any threats to your professional ambitions?
Get the dust off your resume
How often do you update your resume? Once every few years, right? Not a good strategy. At the end of every work week you must make a list of achievements for that week. These regular reports will be a big help when it is time to actually update your resume.
Establish a PD (professional development) budget
We are living in the Information Age, an age where knowledge moves faster than fashion. Unless you participate in ongoing professional development, your skills will soon be, well, obsolete. Continuously investing in professional development -- training, professional associations, education, certifications, professional literature, etc. -- will help you stay abreast with the latest advances in your field, and also a step above the competition. Set aside an annual budget (if your employer doesn't sponsor) for your professional development and growth. This will be your wisest investment ever.
Challenge yourself
Achievers constantly compete with themselves, always pushing the bar to deliver more with each attempt. Push yourself to perform better. Aim for 110%, 120% ....
Become a valuable resource
Do people come to you for advice? If not, take steps to become an expert in your profession or area of interest. From internal employees to the media, you must be looked upon as a valuable resource. Regularly seek out publishing (articles, books, etc.), networking, and public speaking opportunities.
Achieving impressive, but consistent, career growth is every professional's dream. Yet, many believe that aiming for professional success is a difficult undertaking that often requires complex Machiavellian strategies or political tact. Not true. The best recipe for long term success is plain old PHP (planning, hard work, and persistence). Speaking of success, what actions if taken now will fire up your career and take you a step closer to your dreams? We have outlined a few simple tips.
Realize that you are in charge
Many individuals I come across are bright, talented, hard working professionals. Despite their tremendous potential, however, they are very passive when it comes to their career. When I ask them about their next career move or strategy, I often get a blank stare or a cold response: "I don't know." These individuals appear to be waiting, as if, for their boss or superior to grant the next promotion or to catalyze the next big thing, a wait that often translates into many wasted years -- precious years. It is very important to realize that you are in charge of your career, not someone else. Once this realization sinks in, the rest will follow automatically.
Develop an action plan
Where do you want to be in the next five years? ten? What can you do to take you closer to your long term goals? Answering these questions in detail will provide building blocks for your Action Plan.
Caveat: A plan that is conceptualized but not written will, most likely, [let's admit] not be executed, so it is critical for you to put the action plan on paper, on the wall, on the bulletin board -- wherever it will scream at you to take ACTION.
Take stock
During all my coaching sessions I stress on doing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What opportunities do you anticipate (or can create) in the coming year? And how can you grab them (literally)? Do you perceive any threats to your professional ambitions?
Get the dust off your resume
How often do you update your resume? Once every few years, right? Not a good strategy. At the end of every work week you must make a list of achievements for that week. These regular reports will be a big help when it is time to actually update your resume.
Establish a PD (professional development) budget
We are living in the Information Age, an age where knowledge moves faster than fashion. Unless you participate in ongoing professional development, your skills will soon be, well, obsolete. Continuously investing in professional development -- training, professional associations, education, certifications, professional literature, etc. -- will help you stay abreast with the latest advances in your field, and also a step above the competition. Set aside an annual budget (if your employer doesn't sponsor) for your professional development and growth. This will be your wisest investment ever.
Challenge yourself
Achievers constantly compete with themselves, always pushing the bar to deliver more with each attempt. Push yourself to perform better. Aim for 110%, 120% ....
Become a valuable resource
Do people come to you for advice? If not, take steps to become an expert in your profession or area of interest. From internal employees to the media, you must be looked upon as a valuable resource. Regularly seek out publishing (articles, books, etc.), networking, and public speaking opportunities.
Friday, December 18, 2009
The Top 5 Resume Killers and How to Avoid Them
By: Roger Lear
In today's job market, when you apply for a job you have a lot of competition. What will make your resume stand out and get the employer to call you for an interview? What will get your resume or online application noticed? After 22 years of reading and screening resumes I have developed a list of 5 top resume killers that guarantee that you will be put in the back of the line. This list takes into assumption that you already know how to spell and are qualified for the job in which you are applying.
1. No clear objective. If you are applying to a homeowners claims adjuster position at an insurance company, your objective should be "Homeowners Claims Adjuster". It should be bold and at the very top of the resume. The majority of resumes have too much information at the top. Make your objective clear, concise and to the point.
2. One resume fits all. No two companies are alike and therefore, no two resumes should be the same. No matter what job you are applying to, make sure you format your job responsibilities to match that position. Most people have many skills they perform in their jobs. Highlight the skills that fit the job you are applying to so the resume screener can easily see keywords that match.
3. No cover letter. Technology has made it so easy to just click and send your resume to 50 jobs in the matter of minutes. If you are doing this, you certainly are not going to get a lot of responses. Each job you apply to should have a well written cover letter that summarizes your experiences (matching the job requirements). It also should ask for an interview and have clearly defined contact information.
4. Not showcasing accomplishments. If you want to write a great resume, indentify the skills in the job you are applying to and clearly define your actual accomplishments in your previous jobs. Many resumes are just bad job descriptions. If you are a general manager at a restaurant, talk in numbers on how you saved food cost, liquor cost or labor costs by using actual numbers. "Responsible for saving the company $123,000 in food cost by..." Paint your picture with your actual accomplishments.
5. Missing Dates/Confusing Dates. Use months and years in all dates in a resume (June 2007-March 2009). This becomes complicated if you have a lot of short stays, but always get your time line correct. Put reasons for leaving (like layoffs or moves) for short stays only. If employers have to fill in the blanks on your career timeline, most will pass.
After years of reviewing resumes I can offer you this advice. Once you complete your resume, anyone (neighbors, family members) should be able to read it quickly, know what you do and how good you are at doing it! This is done by simple and clear objectives and listed accomplishments in each previous and current job. Does your resume pass this test?
In today's job market, when you apply for a job you have a lot of competition. What will make your resume stand out and get the employer to call you for an interview? What will get your resume or online application noticed? After 22 years of reading and screening resumes I have developed a list of 5 top resume killers that guarantee that you will be put in the back of the line. This list takes into assumption that you already know how to spell and are qualified for the job in which you are applying.
1. No clear objective. If you are applying to a homeowners claims adjuster position at an insurance company, your objective should be "Homeowners Claims Adjuster". It should be bold and at the very top of the resume. The majority of resumes have too much information at the top. Make your objective clear, concise and to the point.
2. One resume fits all. No two companies are alike and therefore, no two resumes should be the same. No matter what job you are applying to, make sure you format your job responsibilities to match that position. Most people have many skills they perform in their jobs. Highlight the skills that fit the job you are applying to so the resume screener can easily see keywords that match.
3. No cover letter. Technology has made it so easy to just click and send your resume to 50 jobs in the matter of minutes. If you are doing this, you certainly are not going to get a lot of responses. Each job you apply to should have a well written cover letter that summarizes your experiences (matching the job requirements). It also should ask for an interview and have clearly defined contact information.
4. Not showcasing accomplishments. If you want to write a great resume, indentify the skills in the job you are applying to and clearly define your actual accomplishments in your previous jobs. Many resumes are just bad job descriptions. If you are a general manager at a restaurant, talk in numbers on how you saved food cost, liquor cost or labor costs by using actual numbers. "Responsible for saving the company $123,000 in food cost by..." Paint your picture with your actual accomplishments.
5. Missing Dates/Confusing Dates. Use months and years in all dates in a resume (June 2007-March 2009). This becomes complicated if you have a lot of short stays, but always get your time line correct. Put reasons for leaving (like layoffs or moves) for short stays only. If employers have to fill in the blanks on your career timeline, most will pass.
After years of reviewing resumes I can offer you this advice. Once you complete your resume, anyone (neighbors, family members) should be able to read it quickly, know what you do and how good you are at doing it! This is done by simple and clear objectives and listed accomplishments in each previous and current job. Does your resume pass this test?
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Orlando: Home of Medical Simulation
Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission
From the creation of simulated trauma patients used to train military medics, to virtual 3D people used to diagnose and treat patients, the place to be for some of the latest gaming and digital media technology for health and medical applications is Orlando, Florida.
Orlando is one of the top 12 clusters in the country for digital media, as well as one of only two cities in the world with a large-scale 'medical city' complex underway. The digital media and medical sectors are converging, bringing new innovations to life. Numerous people and organizations are leading the way.
* 360Ed has teamed up with the Florida Department of Health and the University of Florida College of Medicine to develop Burn Center, an interactive, 3D, game-based technology used to train medical professionals at trauma centers, hospitals and universities across the country. The purpose of the program is to improve the triage and care of critically injured victims of burn, bomb and blast disasters.
* To become better doctors, the new University of Central Florida College of Medicine is engaging its first class of medical school students in playing games. A web-based avatar program developed by UCF Assistant Professor David Segal is helping students learn how to properly evaluate and diagnose a variety of patient ailments. The digital patients can respond to questions, sneeze, cough, age and even call students in the middle of the night with an illness.
* Engineering & Computer Simulations Inc. (ECS) developed a virtual world called Nexus to help first responders train and collaborate during natural disasters. The company also has a contract with the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) to train military medical professionals.
* Emergency Medicine Learning & Resource Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and advancing emergency medicine, disaster management, pre-hospital emergency care and public health by providing annual continuing medical education and research activities. Its 45-foot Mobile Simulation Lab (motor coach) trains emergency providers around the state. The Lab utilizes simulation technologies to train real lifesavers on everything from ER care, to pandemic flu, nerve agents, blast
injuries and more.
* Virtual Reality Medical Center (VRMC) merges special effects with simulation technology at its Center for Injury Creation Science. Attracted to Metro Orlando because of the strength of the region's simulation and training industry combined with the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, the company develops prosthetic tissue and wounds for medical training purposes, among several other focus areas. These prosthetics can be adhered to mannequins or human actors and create a realistic training environment for combat medics or first responders.
From the creation of simulated trauma patients used to train military medics, to virtual 3D people used to diagnose and treat patients, the place to be for some of the latest gaming and digital media technology for health and medical applications is Orlando, Florida.
Orlando is one of the top 12 clusters in the country for digital media, as well as one of only two cities in the world with a large-scale 'medical city' complex underway. The digital media and medical sectors are converging, bringing new innovations to life. Numerous people and organizations are leading the way.
* 360Ed has teamed up with the Florida Department of Health and the University of Florida College of Medicine to develop Burn Center, an interactive, 3D, game-based technology used to train medical professionals at trauma centers, hospitals and universities across the country. The purpose of the program is to improve the triage and care of critically injured victims of burn, bomb and blast disasters.
* To become better doctors, the new University of Central Florida College of Medicine is engaging its first class of medical school students in playing games. A web-based avatar program developed by UCF Assistant Professor David Segal is helping students learn how to properly evaluate and diagnose a variety of patient ailments. The digital patients can respond to questions, sneeze, cough, age and even call students in the middle of the night with an illness.
* Engineering & Computer Simulations Inc. (ECS) developed a virtual world called Nexus to help first responders train and collaborate during natural disasters. The company also has a contract with the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) to train military medical professionals.
* Emergency Medicine Learning & Resource Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and advancing emergency medicine, disaster management, pre-hospital emergency care and public health by providing annual continuing medical education and research activities. Its 45-foot Mobile Simulation Lab (motor coach) trains emergency providers around the state. The Lab utilizes simulation technologies to train real lifesavers on everything from ER care, to pandemic flu, nerve agents, blast
injuries and more.
* Virtual Reality Medical Center (VRMC) merges special effects with simulation technology at its Center for Injury Creation Science. Attracted to Metro Orlando because of the strength of the region's simulation and training industry combined with the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, the company develops prosthetic tissue and wounds for medical training purposes, among several other focus areas. These prosthetics can be adhered to mannequins or human actors and create a realistic training environment for combat medics or first responders.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
One of the Fastest Growing Economies in the U.S.
Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission
FEATURE: Despite the national economic slowdown, Metro Orlando's economic engine continues to hum. That’s because in terms of economic vitality, Orlando tends to lead the State of Florida and the state tends to lead the nation. A Global Insight study predicted that job growth in Orlando during the next five years will occur at the fastest rate in the country. Each year, Metro Orlando appears among the top 25 metros in the nation for economic strength; a ranking compiled by Policom Corporation based on economic growth and stability. If Florida were a country, it would have the 19th largest economy in the world.
BENEFIT: Business leaders in Metro Orlando can rest assured that they are in a region with a solid economic base and room to grow. This also provides a sense of security that family members will find plenty of job opportunities in their respective fields. The strong economy in Metro Orlando has also allowed local companies to look at ways of expanding their options by adding new product lines or services.
FEATURE: Despite the national economic slowdown, Metro Orlando's economic engine continues to hum. That’s because in terms of economic vitality, Orlando tends to lead the State of Florida and the state tends to lead the nation. A Global Insight study predicted that job growth in Orlando during the next five years will occur at the fastest rate in the country. Each year, Metro Orlando appears among the top 25 metros in the nation for economic strength; a ranking compiled by Policom Corporation based on economic growth and stability. If Florida were a country, it would have the 19th largest economy in the world.
BENEFIT: Business leaders in Metro Orlando can rest assured that they are in a region with a solid economic base and room to grow. This also provides a sense of security that family members will find plenty of job opportunities in their respective fields. The strong economy in Metro Orlando has also allowed local companies to look at ways of expanding their options by adding new product lines or services.
Tips for Job-Hunting During the Holidays
by Susan Johnston,
While the holidays might seem like a slow period for hiring, career experts say the season also presents an opportunity for job applicants to make an impression.
"Around the holidays, many job seekers are preoccupied with family gatherings and other distractions that keep them away from their searches," says Shawn Graham, author of "Courting Your Career" and director of MBA career services at the University of Pittsburgh. "As a result, the volume of applications for non-seasonal work is often lighter -- and that gives you, as a candidate, a greater chance of being seen."
Adds Mary Rosenbaum, a career coach and personal branding strategist at Your Career by Design, "Most companies work on their strategic plans during the fourth quarter and tend to be more open to a variety of potential hires that might fit with their strategic goals for the coming year."
Industries that use a bonus structure, like legal or financial firms, also anticipate turnover during the first quarter, because some employees leave after collecting their annual bonus.
So, how can job seekers stand out during the holiday season? Here are four ways to start:
Call during off hours.
"As the holidays approach, people are in and out of the office, and those who are at work often use that time to play catch up," says Graham. "Recruiters could use that time to give applicants of interest a longer look."
Since support staff may be out of the office, job seekers have a better chance of reaching an actual hiring manager or recruiter. One of the ways Graham suggests reaching managers when they aren't running in and out of meetings is to call before the start of the business day or after 5 p.m.
Avoid holiday gimmicks.
Some job seekers use cutesy ideas like sending a plate of Christmas cookies along with a cover letter or printing their resumes on holiday paper in the hopes that they'll get noticed. But Graham and Rosenbaum warn that these gimmicks can backfire.
"I'm not a fan of the holiday-inspired gimmick ploys," says Graham. "It's better to be more conservative. Make sure the content of your email is written persuasively and impactfully." By focusing on your skills rather than gimmicks, you also won't have to worry about offending people who celebrate different holidays.
Use events to build relationships, not beg for a job.
Holiday parties, end-of-the-year conferences, and other events all afford opportunities for networking. But job seekers can also organize holiday drinks with people they want to connect or reconnect with, since people tend to be more open to socializing during this time of year.
"Get people together for holiday drinks at Joe's Pub or something," suggests Rosenbaum. "The idea right now is to have more face time and build a relationship. What you should be doing now during the holiday time is contacting them in a way that puts them on a more equal footing." She adds that if you're unsure about someone's holiday traditions, you can simply offer their family your best.
Don't lose focus.
Staying motivated during the holidays could give you can edge over those applicants who put their search on hold. According to Graham, "The biggest thing is to keep at it. Around the holidays, it's easy to get caught up in all the distractions. Set aside that time every day and continue to look for opportunities."
Says Rosenbaum, "The idea is for people not to assume that because it's the holiday season that they shouldn't redouble their efforts. This is a really good time of year. People are much more willing to go out for drinks and spend a little more time. Use this time to forge relationships, not just look for the job."
While the holidays might seem like a slow period for hiring, career experts say the season also presents an opportunity for job applicants to make an impression.
"Around the holidays, many job seekers are preoccupied with family gatherings and other distractions that keep them away from their searches," says Shawn Graham, author of "Courting Your Career" and director of MBA career services at the University of Pittsburgh. "As a result, the volume of applications for non-seasonal work is often lighter -- and that gives you, as a candidate, a greater chance of being seen."
Adds Mary Rosenbaum, a career coach and personal branding strategist at Your Career by Design, "Most companies work on their strategic plans during the fourth quarter and tend to be more open to a variety of potential hires that might fit with their strategic goals for the coming year."
Industries that use a bonus structure, like legal or financial firms, also anticipate turnover during the first quarter, because some employees leave after collecting their annual bonus.
So, how can job seekers stand out during the holiday season? Here are four ways to start:
Call during off hours.
"As the holidays approach, people are in and out of the office, and those who are at work often use that time to play catch up," says Graham. "Recruiters could use that time to give applicants of interest a longer look."
Since support staff may be out of the office, job seekers have a better chance of reaching an actual hiring manager or recruiter. One of the ways Graham suggests reaching managers when they aren't running in and out of meetings is to call before the start of the business day or after 5 p.m.
Avoid holiday gimmicks.
Some job seekers use cutesy ideas like sending a plate of Christmas cookies along with a cover letter or printing their resumes on holiday paper in the hopes that they'll get noticed. But Graham and Rosenbaum warn that these gimmicks can backfire.
"I'm not a fan of the holiday-inspired gimmick ploys," says Graham. "It's better to be more conservative. Make sure the content of your email is written persuasively and impactfully." By focusing on your skills rather than gimmicks, you also won't have to worry about offending people who celebrate different holidays.
Use events to build relationships, not beg for a job.
Holiday parties, end-of-the-year conferences, and other events all afford opportunities for networking. But job seekers can also organize holiday drinks with people they want to connect or reconnect with, since people tend to be more open to socializing during this time of year.
"Get people together for holiday drinks at Joe's Pub or something," suggests Rosenbaum. "The idea right now is to have more face time and build a relationship. What you should be doing now during the holiday time is contacting them in a way that puts them on a more equal footing." She adds that if you're unsure about someone's holiday traditions, you can simply offer their family your best.
Don't lose focus.
Staying motivated during the holidays could give you can edge over those applicants who put their search on hold. According to Graham, "The biggest thing is to keep at it. Around the holidays, it's easy to get caught up in all the distractions. Set aside that time every day and continue to look for opportunities."
Says Rosenbaum, "The idea is for people not to assume that because it's the holiday season that they shouldn't redouble their efforts. This is a really good time of year. People are much more willing to go out for drinks and spend a little more time. Use this time to forge relationships, not just look for the job."
Friday, December 4, 2009
Feds Offer $235 Million For Health IT Leadership
A new grant program will help leading communities advance and track their use of health IT to improve quality of care and become role models to other communities.
By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee, InformationWeek
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services announced a $235 million grant program to fund communities strengthening their health information technology infrastructures and data exchange capabilities.
In a press teleconference on Tuesday, U.S. health secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the new Beacon Community Program grants will help communities of healthcare providers "get a handle" on improving care through the meaningful use of IT. The grants will help these communities -- including non-profit healthcare providers and government entities in rural and urban settings -- to advance and study improvements gained in patient quality of care through meaningful use of health IT.
The awards will be made to approximately 15 non-profit organizations or government entities representing geographic healthcare communities.
The grants will not be awarded to healthcare providers to start up health IT initiatives, but rather to communities that are already national leaders in their use of IT to advance healthcare quality, safety, efficiency, and population health. The establishment of the 15 cooperative agreements in designated regions "will be awarded based on merit," said Dr. David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health IT.
These "communities [will] become models for the rest of the country," said Sebelius. They will help other communities "look at the benefits of using technology and how to get those benefits," she said. The Beacon Communities will provide valuable lessons about the meaningful use of health IT to improve performance and quality of care, she said.
The Beacon Communities will be asked to track goals and measure improvements in efficiencies and quality of care that can be traced to the meaningful use of e-medical records and other health IT, said Blumenthal. Those improvements could include reductions in hospitalizations, smoking rates, blood pressure in patients with hypertension, or blood sugar in diabetics, he said.
Beacon Communities will also be asked to coordinate their efforts with state health information exchange programs and regional extension centers, which are "boots on the ground" assisting local healthcare providers in their deployment of health IT systems, said Blumenthal. The Beacon Communities will also be expected to maximize their efforts by leveraging other federal programs and government entities -- like the VA and Dept. of Defense -- that are also focused on promoting the exchange of health data. The Beacon Community Program funding comes from the $2 billion allotted for discretionary program spending in the $20 billion federal stimulus HITECH legislation signed into law as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earlier this year.
So far, about 75% of the $2 billion HITECH discretionary funds have been allocated, said Blumenthal. That includes the Beacon Communities Program, as well as other recent initiatives, including the $80 million health IT workforce training program announced by HHS just before Thanksgiving.
President Obama was adamant about including health IT funding in ARRA because "improving quality of care is too important to wait for [healthcare] reform passage," said Sebelius. The new grants announced today, as well as other HITECH initiatives, are "all building blocks" of healthcare reform, she said.
Of the $235 million allocated for the Beacon Communities Program, $220 million will go toward grants for the 15 Beacon Community cooperative agreements for projects that include clinical decision support, creating infrastructures for goal setting, and governance in the use of e-medical records, said Blumenthal.
Of the reminder, $10 million will be used for an independent evaluation of the program and $5 million for technical assistance to the communities.
Applications to the government for the Beacon Community cooperative agreement grants are due in February 2010.
The new program's moniker is symbolic. Beacons "shed light locally and provide a point of location and guidance to those seeking direction," said Blumenthal. The new Beacon Communities "will be of service to others for meaningful use [of health IT]" and improving quality of care, he said.
By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee, InformationWeek
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services announced a $235 million grant program to fund communities strengthening their health information technology infrastructures and data exchange capabilities.
In a press teleconference on Tuesday, U.S. health secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the new Beacon Community Program grants will help communities of healthcare providers "get a handle" on improving care through the meaningful use of IT. The grants will help these communities -- including non-profit healthcare providers and government entities in rural and urban settings -- to advance and study improvements gained in patient quality of care through meaningful use of health IT.
The awards will be made to approximately 15 non-profit organizations or government entities representing geographic healthcare communities.
The grants will not be awarded to healthcare providers to start up health IT initiatives, but rather to communities that are already national leaders in their use of IT to advance healthcare quality, safety, efficiency, and population health. The establishment of the 15 cooperative agreements in designated regions "will be awarded based on merit," said Dr. David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health IT.
These "communities [will] become models for the rest of the country," said Sebelius. They will help other communities "look at the benefits of using technology and how to get those benefits," she said. The Beacon Communities will provide valuable lessons about the meaningful use of health IT to improve performance and quality of care, she said.
The Beacon Communities will be asked to track goals and measure improvements in efficiencies and quality of care that can be traced to the meaningful use of e-medical records and other health IT, said Blumenthal. Those improvements could include reductions in hospitalizations, smoking rates, blood pressure in patients with hypertension, or blood sugar in diabetics, he said.
Beacon Communities will also be asked to coordinate their efforts with state health information exchange programs and regional extension centers, which are "boots on the ground" assisting local healthcare providers in their deployment of health IT systems, said Blumenthal. The Beacon Communities will also be expected to maximize their efforts by leveraging other federal programs and government entities -- like the VA and Dept. of Defense -- that are also focused on promoting the exchange of health data. The Beacon Community Program funding comes from the $2 billion allotted for discretionary program spending in the $20 billion federal stimulus HITECH legislation signed into law as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earlier this year.
So far, about 75% of the $2 billion HITECH discretionary funds have been allocated, said Blumenthal. That includes the Beacon Communities Program, as well as other recent initiatives, including the $80 million health IT workforce training program announced by HHS just before Thanksgiving.
President Obama was adamant about including health IT funding in ARRA because "improving quality of care is too important to wait for [healthcare] reform passage," said Sebelius. The new grants announced today, as well as other HITECH initiatives, are "all building blocks" of healthcare reform, she said.
Of the $235 million allocated for the Beacon Communities Program, $220 million will go toward grants for the 15 Beacon Community cooperative agreements for projects that include clinical decision support, creating infrastructures for goal setting, and governance in the use of e-medical records, said Blumenthal.
Of the reminder, $10 million will be used for an independent evaluation of the program and $5 million for technical assistance to the communities.
Applications to the government for the Beacon Community cooperative agreement grants are due in February 2010.
The new program's moniker is symbolic. Beacons "shed light locally and provide a point of location and guidance to those seeking direction," said Blumenthal. The new Beacon Communities "will be of service to others for meaningful use [of health IT]" and improving quality of care, he said.
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Four Most Common Networking Mistakes
By Caroline Levchuck
Take a tip from Miss Manners: Etiquette is important.
And perhaps nowhere more so than at networking events.
You may already know that networking events are one of the best ways to find job leads and expand your Rolodex. But attending events is only half the battle. You also need to know how to behave at them.
If you talk too much, say too little or arrive unprepared, you can ruin your chances to leave with a job lead.
This Ain't No Party
Remember why you're here.
The purpose of a networking event is to help you advance professionally. It's a social event -- but a professional one. Think of it as a conference social or a business dinner.
The cardinal rule of networking events: Never get drunk. We all remember what happened to Melanie Griffith in "Working Girl."
You want the people you meet to remember you as capable, competent and polished -- not as the guy or gal who was wearing a lampshade on their head at the end of the evening.
Dress appropriately. Err on the side of conservative and choose an outfit you could wear to a job interview. Your attire should say, "I'm a professional," not "I'm a party girl (or boy)."
After all, you're not at a party.
Do Your Homework
Don't arrive at a networking event without a plan of attack.
First, find out which person or organization is sponsoring the event. Next, see if there will be speakers, presenters or any special guests in attendance. Last, make a list of people you expect to be there and want to meet.
Do a little research on each of them. A little knowledge goes a long way. If you know something about the people you approach, it's much easier to start a conversation -- and keep it going.
Pitch In
Don't forget to prepare your elevator pitch.
You'll need it to introduce yourself to people at a networking event.
An elevator pitch is brief -- brief enough to share during an elevator ride. In your pitch, give a three-minute summary of who you are, your experience and abilities.
Practice your pitch before the networking event so that it'll sound natural. Be confident, but not pushy. Remember, a networking event isn't a formal interview. And don't forget to smile.
Quality, Not Quantity
Focus on the quality, not quantity, of your connections at networking events. You'll get better results by making a few good connections than by handing out dozens of business cards indiscriminately.
And first impressions matter, so mind your manners.
Always stay focused on the person you are talking to and maintain eye contact. Don't scan the room trying to decide whom you'll talk to next.
Also, show interest in the people you meet. You can make a great impression by asking a few thoughtful questions. Above all, be genuine and sincere.
A strong professional network is based on relationships, and it takes time to build a relationship.
Take a tip from Miss Manners: Etiquette is important.
And perhaps nowhere more so than at networking events.
You may already know that networking events are one of the best ways to find job leads and expand your Rolodex. But attending events is only half the battle. You also need to know how to behave at them.
If you talk too much, say too little or arrive unprepared, you can ruin your chances to leave with a job lead.
This Ain't No Party
Remember why you're here.
The purpose of a networking event is to help you advance professionally. It's a social event -- but a professional one. Think of it as a conference social or a business dinner.
The cardinal rule of networking events: Never get drunk. We all remember what happened to Melanie Griffith in "Working Girl."
You want the people you meet to remember you as capable, competent and polished -- not as the guy or gal who was wearing a lampshade on their head at the end of the evening.
Dress appropriately. Err on the side of conservative and choose an outfit you could wear to a job interview. Your attire should say, "I'm a professional," not "I'm a party girl (or boy)."
After all, you're not at a party.
Do Your Homework
Don't arrive at a networking event without a plan of attack.
First, find out which person or organization is sponsoring the event. Next, see if there will be speakers, presenters or any special guests in attendance. Last, make a list of people you expect to be there and want to meet.
Do a little research on each of them. A little knowledge goes a long way. If you know something about the people you approach, it's much easier to start a conversation -- and keep it going.
Pitch In
Don't forget to prepare your elevator pitch.
You'll need it to introduce yourself to people at a networking event.
An elevator pitch is brief -- brief enough to share during an elevator ride. In your pitch, give a three-minute summary of who you are, your experience and abilities.
Practice your pitch before the networking event so that it'll sound natural. Be confident, but not pushy. Remember, a networking event isn't a formal interview. And don't forget to smile.
Quality, Not Quantity
Focus on the quality, not quantity, of your connections at networking events. You'll get better results by making a few good connections than by handing out dozens of business cards indiscriminately.
And first impressions matter, so mind your manners.
Always stay focused on the person you are talking to and maintain eye contact. Don't scan the room trying to decide whom you'll talk to next.
Also, show interest in the people you meet. You can make a great impression by asking a few thoughtful questions. Above all, be genuine and sincere.
A strong professional network is based on relationships, and it takes time to build a relationship.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
6 Reasons They Didn't Call You Back
Are They Just Not That Into You?
by Larry Buhl
In the best of times responding to a job listing can feel like sending your resume out to sea in a bottle. But at least you received a call or an email acknowledgement. Now, with the volume of applicants higher than ever, you're more likely to hear nothing.
If there is a resounding silence from your queries, keep looking and networking. But you can also do some sleuthing to give you a better chance of standing out next time. Recruiters and career experts agree that, if you didn't get an interview or phone call -- or even a thank-you email -- it may be due to at least one of six reasons.
1. They're just not that into you.
You're good, but someone else more closely met the qualifications. In a tight job market employers can usually get exactly the type of candidate they want. A polite "thanks, but no thanks" letter or email would be nice. But don't expect it these days.
2. They may be into you, as soon as they get to you.
Companies receive so many submissions these days that they don't even have time to send out letters or confirmation emails. "I know a major software company that's taking more than three weeks just to send out acknowledgement notes, and some companies are spending months sifting through resumes for just one opening," workplace etiquette expert Sue Fox tells Yahoo! Hot Jobs.
3. They would have been into you if you had followed directions.
"Many job listings use the word 'must,' not 'it would be nice to,'" according to Dave Opton, CEO and founder of ExecuNet. "If it says you must have experience in X, then tailor your resume to show that," Opton says.
If you're answering a job listing, be sure you respond in exactly the way the company wants. And be aware that if you're not applying for a specific job but rather sending out dozens or hundreds of form letters, your resume is likely to end up in companies' spam folders.
4. They might be into you if you apply for a more appropriate job.
Independent recruiter Cheryl Ferguson tells Yahoo! HotJobs that many job seekers are overqualified, under-qualified, or otherwise just wrong. "If we need to fill a specific job, and you're not right for it, don't assume that we're going to find the right fit for you. A lot of times people send me resumes, and I want to ask, 'Did you even read the job description?'"
5. Your presentation could use some work.
"A lot of mistakes I see are a lack of cover letter, and an objective statement on the resume that is all wrong for the job opening," says Lindsay Olson, partner and recruiter at Paradigm Staffing. "Even worse are obviously mass emails where the candidates had no clue what they were applying for."
6. There isn't any job.
Sometimes, due to last minute budget cuts, a position is eliminated before it's even filled. Other times, according to Olson, companies reel in resumes even when they know there isn't any opening. "Some companies want a big applicant pool because they think they may be hiring in the future," Olson said.
How can you learn what happened?
If you feel like your resume is out at sea, and you'd at least like confirmation that you're out of the running, there are things you can do.
1. Contact the company.
Yes, the ad had a NO CALLS warning, and there wasn't a name anyway. But if you're pretty sure you're right for the job, and you've heard nothing after a week, you can still call someone to find out if you're at least in the running. Try to find the hiring manager (HR is too busy, and they almost never want to hear from you).
"If you do follow up by phone, don't leave a voice mail," Opton says. "Early in the morning or after five you're more likely to reach a real person."
2. But don't be a pest.
"If you've had an interview and sent your thank-you letter, wait a week to call," Fox says. One or two emails are OK, but three will probably look desperate, she adds. "And never, ever, show up at the company without an interview and demand to be seen. It will backfire."
3. Re-read the job posting.
Did the resume you sent really fit the job requirements? Or were you hoping they would find another job just for you? "I love it when a candidate has done the homework and already knows the company and the position," Ferguson says. "It makes it easier for both of us."
4. Take a look at your resume.
Get a second opinion, and a third. Does it present you in the right light? Is it professionally formatted? Does it feature accomplishments, rather than merely job titles and dates?
5. Step up the networking.
"It's always best to network your way into a position," Opton says. "You'll get a lot more individual attention than someone responding to a job listing."
by Larry Buhl
In the best of times responding to a job listing can feel like sending your resume out to sea in a bottle. But at least you received a call or an email acknowledgement. Now, with the volume of applicants higher than ever, you're more likely to hear nothing.
If there is a resounding silence from your queries, keep looking and networking. But you can also do some sleuthing to give you a better chance of standing out next time. Recruiters and career experts agree that, if you didn't get an interview or phone call -- or even a thank-you email -- it may be due to at least one of six reasons.
1. They're just not that into you.
You're good, but someone else more closely met the qualifications. In a tight job market employers can usually get exactly the type of candidate they want. A polite "thanks, but no thanks" letter or email would be nice. But don't expect it these days.
2. They may be into you, as soon as they get to you.
Companies receive so many submissions these days that they don't even have time to send out letters or confirmation emails. "I know a major software company that's taking more than three weeks just to send out acknowledgement notes, and some companies are spending months sifting through resumes for just one opening," workplace etiquette expert Sue Fox tells Yahoo! Hot Jobs.
3. They would have been into you if you had followed directions.
"Many job listings use the word 'must,' not 'it would be nice to,'" according to Dave Opton, CEO and founder of ExecuNet. "If it says you must have experience in X, then tailor your resume to show that," Opton says.
If you're answering a job listing, be sure you respond in exactly the way the company wants. And be aware that if you're not applying for a specific job but rather sending out dozens or hundreds of form letters, your resume is likely to end up in companies' spam folders.
4. They might be into you if you apply for a more appropriate job.
Independent recruiter Cheryl Ferguson tells Yahoo! HotJobs that many job seekers are overqualified, under-qualified, or otherwise just wrong. "If we need to fill a specific job, and you're not right for it, don't assume that we're going to find the right fit for you. A lot of times people send me resumes, and I want to ask, 'Did you even read the job description?'"
5. Your presentation could use some work.
"A lot of mistakes I see are a lack of cover letter, and an objective statement on the resume that is all wrong for the job opening," says Lindsay Olson, partner and recruiter at Paradigm Staffing. "Even worse are obviously mass emails where the candidates had no clue what they were applying for."
6. There isn't any job.
Sometimes, due to last minute budget cuts, a position is eliminated before it's even filled. Other times, according to Olson, companies reel in resumes even when they know there isn't any opening. "Some companies want a big applicant pool because they think they may be hiring in the future," Olson said.
How can you learn what happened?
If you feel like your resume is out at sea, and you'd at least like confirmation that you're out of the running, there are things you can do.
1. Contact the company.
Yes, the ad had a NO CALLS warning, and there wasn't a name anyway. But if you're pretty sure you're right for the job, and you've heard nothing after a week, you can still call someone to find out if you're at least in the running. Try to find the hiring manager (HR is too busy, and they almost never want to hear from you).
"If you do follow up by phone, don't leave a voice mail," Opton says. "Early in the morning or after five you're more likely to reach a real person."
2. But don't be a pest.
"If you've had an interview and sent your thank-you letter, wait a week to call," Fox says. One or two emails are OK, but three will probably look desperate, she adds. "And never, ever, show up at the company without an interview and demand to be seen. It will backfire."
3. Re-read the job posting.
Did the resume you sent really fit the job requirements? Or were you hoping they would find another job just for you? "I love it when a candidate has done the homework and already knows the company and the position," Ferguson says. "It makes it easier for both of us."
4. Take a look at your resume.
Get a second opinion, and a third. Does it present you in the right light? Is it professionally formatted? Does it feature accomplishments, rather than merely job titles and dates?
5. Step up the networking.
"It's always best to network your way into a position," Opton says. "You'll get a lot more individual attention than someone responding to a job listing."
Friday, November 20, 2009
Five Deadly Interview Mistakes
Making a good impression on the job interview is as much about what not to do as what to do. Here's how to avoid the most common deal-breakers
By Carl Wellenstein
Attending an interview with the intent to impress the hiring manager ) is dangerous if you go about it in the wrong way. Below are the five most common mistakes you can make.
1. Thinking the interview is about you. In an effort to "get their message across," some interviewees monopolize the conversation with long-winded responses, focusing on how they can enhance their skills and expand their experience.
What you really want is a balanced interview with you talking no more than 60% of the time. Keep in mind that the interviewers are not interested in enhancing your skills or broadening your experiences. They will be trying to assess whether you already possess the know-how they need and how well you might fit into the company's organizational culture. When answering questions, limit your responses to two minutes. If they want you to give examples or provide other information, they'll ask.
2. Failing to translate your skills and experience. You use words and examples that are common to your function or industry and assume interviewers will understand them or be able to translate them to applications in their industry.
Initial interviewers may not be familiar with the acronyms and terms specific to your previous jobs and, as a result, they might assume you communicate poorly with nontechnical people. Don't expect your interviewers to translate your experience to apply to their industry. That will be your task. You need to use terms and analogous descriptions they will understand in the context of their industry or type of work.
3. Being unprepared. True, sometimes interviewers aren't prepared themselves, but that doesn't mean they'll forgive you for the same mistake.
The obvious preparation: Research the company on the Internet and in the news and talk to someone who has some inside knowledge about the company. If it's a publicly held company, check out annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC. The not-so-obvious preparation: Anticipate what they'll be asking you about: your strengths and weaknesses, why you left your last company, why you chose your career path, and what your positive and negative work experiences have been.
4. Lacking candor. You can't think of any personal weaknesses, you've overcome all your weaknesses, or you say you haven't given it a lot of thought. Mistakes? Not you. You rose through the ranks and never made mistakes.
No one progresses in a career without making mistakes and learning from them. Trained interviewers will be looking to see if you readily acknowledge and admit your weaknesses and can describe mistakes you've made and what you learned from them. Adding a humorous story about a mistake you made, how others may have chided you about it afterward, and what you took away from the experience can endear you to an interviewer. When confronted with a tough interview question about your past, don't give a measured response that sugarcoats reality, as interviewers will quickly see it as disingenuous.
5. Not asking any questions. The interview is coming to a close and the interviewer inquires as to whether you have any questions. You reply that you don't, or you ask a few insignificant questions that you could have easily answered if you'd visited the Web site or knew anything about the company or its industry. Unless you're the only qualified candidate, your job prospects with this company probably just ended.
Interviews are two-sided events. The employer wants to determine whether you're the right person for the business, and you need to know if the employer is the right one for you. Always take a note pad with you when you go for an interview. Prepare your questions and write them on your note pad. You want the interviewer to see that you have questions.
Keep in mind there are only three things interviewers really want to know about you:
• Do you have the right skills and experience to do the job we want done?
• Do you have the personal characteristics that will fit in with our organization's culture?
• From what I hear you say, do I believe you're telling me the truth?
By Carl Wellenstein
Attending an interview with the intent to impress the hiring manager ) is dangerous if you go about it in the wrong way. Below are the five most common mistakes you can make.
1. Thinking the interview is about you. In an effort to "get their message across," some interviewees monopolize the conversation with long-winded responses, focusing on how they can enhance their skills and expand their experience.
What you really want is a balanced interview with you talking no more than 60% of the time. Keep in mind that the interviewers are not interested in enhancing your skills or broadening your experiences. They will be trying to assess whether you already possess the know-how they need and how well you might fit into the company's organizational culture. When answering questions, limit your responses to two minutes. If they want you to give examples or provide other information, they'll ask.
2. Failing to translate your skills and experience. You use words and examples that are common to your function or industry and assume interviewers will understand them or be able to translate them to applications in their industry.
Initial interviewers may not be familiar with the acronyms and terms specific to your previous jobs and, as a result, they might assume you communicate poorly with nontechnical people. Don't expect your interviewers to translate your experience to apply to their industry. That will be your task. You need to use terms and analogous descriptions they will understand in the context of their industry or type of work.
3. Being unprepared. True, sometimes interviewers aren't prepared themselves, but that doesn't mean they'll forgive you for the same mistake.
The obvious preparation: Research the company on the Internet and in the news and talk to someone who has some inside knowledge about the company. If it's a publicly held company, check out annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC. The not-so-obvious preparation: Anticipate what they'll be asking you about: your strengths and weaknesses, why you left your last company, why you chose your career path, and what your positive and negative work experiences have been.
4. Lacking candor. You can't think of any personal weaknesses, you've overcome all your weaknesses, or you say you haven't given it a lot of thought. Mistakes? Not you. You rose through the ranks and never made mistakes.
No one progresses in a career without making mistakes and learning from them. Trained interviewers will be looking to see if you readily acknowledge and admit your weaknesses and can describe mistakes you've made and what you learned from them. Adding a humorous story about a mistake you made, how others may have chided you about it afterward, and what you took away from the experience can endear you to an interviewer. When confronted with a tough interview question about your past, don't give a measured response that sugarcoats reality, as interviewers will quickly see it as disingenuous.
5. Not asking any questions. The interview is coming to a close and the interviewer inquires as to whether you have any questions. You reply that you don't, or you ask a few insignificant questions that you could have easily answered if you'd visited the Web site or knew anything about the company or its industry. Unless you're the only qualified candidate, your job prospects with this company probably just ended.
Interviews are two-sided events. The employer wants to determine whether you're the right person for the business, and you need to know if the employer is the right one for you. Always take a note pad with you when you go for an interview. Prepare your questions and write them on your note pad. You want the interviewer to see that you have questions.
Keep in mind there are only three things interviewers really want to know about you:
• Do you have the right skills and experience to do the job we want done?
• Do you have the personal characteristics that will fit in with our organization's culture?
• From what I hear you say, do I believe you're telling me the truth?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Two Words To Boost Your Career: Thank You
By Rosalie Maggio
Beginning with the "thank you" for your first job interview and ending with the "thank you" for your retirement party, your career can benefit enormously from simple notes of gratitude written along the way. Frequent, well-written thank-you notes can foster professional success in unimaginable ways, and they are especially important after a job interview.
The Mechanics
Thank-you notes should be printed on letterhead stationery or personal-business stationery, or -- for a little warmer tone -- handwritten on fold-over note cards. You can simplify the process by sending an email thank-you message (more on this later), which is not as distinctive as a handwritten note but far better than no message at all. As you're writing, don't worry about being creative or clever or profound. People are so charmed to receive thank-you notes at all that they are seldom very critical. "Thank you very much" are words that everyone likes to read.
After the Job Interview
An essential job-seeking technique as well as a gesture of courtesy is to thank the people who interview you. Write a note immediately after the interview and before a decision has been made.
1. State what you liked about the interview, the company, and the position.
2. Emphasize briefly and specifically your suitability for the job.
3. Address concerns about your qualifications that came up during the interview.
4. Mention any issue that you didn't have the opportunity to discuss. But primarily say thanks.
5. If you felt you had a particularly friendly interview, you might close with a sentence or two referring to something you talked about unrelated to the interview (like sports, common interests, or family).
Keep in mind that several people spent time setting up the appointment, doing the paperwork, interviewing you, and doing the paperwork again. They'll appreciate a little recognition.
A few letter-writing experts dislike the "thanks again" that concludes so many thank-you letters and notes. However, it is a popular and benign way of reminding the reader of the purpose of your note. If you like it, use it.
A Sample Note
A sample thank-you note for a job interview might look like this:
I enjoyed this morning's discussion of the research position you want to fill. I was pleased to know that my advanced degree is definitely an asset, and I was impressed by the team spirit among the other employees I met. Thanks so much for your time and for the congenial interview.
Other Factors To Consider
You can email your thanks, but in most cases, it's not as impressive. The point of a thank-you note is that it is personal and somewhat formal. However, if the company you're interviewing with tends to do business by email and if most of your contacts have been through email, then it's definitely the way to go. Once you're hired, you'll want to send thank-you notes -- or notes of appreciation, which is almost the same thing -- to the interviewers, your new boss, and anyone else you dealt with throughout the interview process. Saying thanks is one of the least expensive, easiest strategies in creating a favorable environment for yourself wherever you go. Harvey Mackay, founder and chairman of the Mackay Envelope Corporation and bestselling author of "Swim with the Sharks (Without Being Eaten Alive)," says, "Anyone too busy to say 'thank you' will get fewer and fewer chances to say it."
Beginning with the "thank you" for your first job interview and ending with the "thank you" for your retirement party, your career can benefit enormously from simple notes of gratitude written along the way. Frequent, well-written thank-you notes can foster professional success in unimaginable ways, and they are especially important after a job interview.
The Mechanics
Thank-you notes should be printed on letterhead stationery or personal-business stationery, or -- for a little warmer tone -- handwritten on fold-over note cards. You can simplify the process by sending an email thank-you message (more on this later), which is not as distinctive as a handwritten note but far better than no message at all. As you're writing, don't worry about being creative or clever or profound. People are so charmed to receive thank-you notes at all that they are seldom very critical. "Thank you very much" are words that everyone likes to read.
After the Job Interview
An essential job-seeking technique as well as a gesture of courtesy is to thank the people who interview you. Write a note immediately after the interview and before a decision has been made.
1. State what you liked about the interview, the company, and the position.
2. Emphasize briefly and specifically your suitability for the job.
3. Address concerns about your qualifications that came up during the interview.
4. Mention any issue that you didn't have the opportunity to discuss. But primarily say thanks.
5. If you felt you had a particularly friendly interview, you might close with a sentence or two referring to something you talked about unrelated to the interview (like sports, common interests, or family).
Keep in mind that several people spent time setting up the appointment, doing the paperwork, interviewing you, and doing the paperwork again. They'll appreciate a little recognition.
A few letter-writing experts dislike the "thanks again" that concludes so many thank-you letters and notes. However, it is a popular and benign way of reminding the reader of the purpose of your note. If you like it, use it.
A Sample Note
A sample thank-you note for a job interview might look like this:
I enjoyed this morning's discussion of the research position you want to fill. I was pleased to know that my advanced degree is definitely an asset, and I was impressed by the team spirit among the other employees I met. Thanks so much for your time and for the congenial interview.
Other Factors To Consider
You can email your thanks, but in most cases, it's not as impressive. The point of a thank-you note is that it is personal and somewhat formal. However, if the company you're interviewing with tends to do business by email and if most of your contacts have been through email, then it's definitely the way to go. Once you're hired, you'll want to send thank-you notes -- or notes of appreciation, which is almost the same thing -- to the interviewers, your new boss, and anyone else you dealt with throughout the interview process. Saying thanks is one of the least expensive, easiest strategies in creating a favorable environment for yourself wherever you go. Harvey Mackay, founder and chairman of the Mackay Envelope Corporation and bestselling author of "Swim with the Sharks (Without Being Eaten Alive)," says, "Anyone too busy to say 'thank you' will get fewer and fewer chances to say it."
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Right People Can Help You Find Your Calling
By Caroline Levchuck
Finding the job you want isn't always easy. And, when you don't know what job you want, it can seem impossible.
What's a job seeker to do? You can spend hours doing research, along with some serious soul searching. But you may still come up blank.
There are people who can help. Some are pros; some you already know. But either way, they can assist you in answering the age-old question of what to do with your life.
Career Counselors
Career counselors can help you shape your career path, including find a job. They rely upon a host of resources, such as personality tests, expert knowledge and experience. If you're really confused, a good career counselor can help you explore many different career options.
There are career counselors for every stage of your career and every budget. School-based counselors offer career advice to students free of charge. Independent career counselors or consultants will often require you to pay an advance fee for a set number of sessions. Others won't limit the number of sessions and will work with you until you land a job.
The best way to find a skilled, dependable career counselor is by word of mouth. Ask people you trust for referrals. You can also screen a counselor through the Better Business Bureau before signing up at http://www.bbb.org.
Personal Coaches
Personal coaches can be very helpful to job seekers.
Coaches focus on helping people identify their values, dreams and goals. But, a word of warning: If you're looking for advice, career coaching might not be for you. A good coach won't tell you what he thinks you should be doing because he believes that, deep down, you already know. Simply put, coaches work to uncover existing knowledge -- and to eliminate self-doubt.
If you know someone who has visited a personal coach, ask for a referral. You can also consult the International Coaching Federation (http://www.coachfederation.org) for trained and certified coaches in your area. To help you find the right coach before making a commitment, most coaches will even offer a free, 30-minute phone session.
Mentors
People frequently find mentors in their workplaces to guide and nurture them in their present position and up the corporate ladder.
But, even if you don't have a job, you can still have a mentor.
Many colleges and alumni associations offer mentoring programs. You can also join a local business or professional association and inquire about a mentor program. Even if there isn't one, you may still find someone to mentor you informally.
Another idea is to find someone who works in a field that interests you. Set up an informational interview. If the two of you click, ask if you can e-mail or phone them from time to time with questions. If you're lucky, it may be the start of a mentoring relationship.
Friends and Family
Everyone you know probably has an opinion about what you should be doing in your career. Most times, we don't care to hear these opinions.
But, if you're stuck, it might not hurt to solicit opinions from friends and family members as to what career they think you should pursue. Likely, they know you well enough to know your strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. They're probably also familiar enough with your past to know what you should avoid.
Ask direct and earnest questions, such as, "What do you think my strengths are?" and "Have you ever imagined me in a certain career?"
Your friends and family may dream bigger than you would ever dare.
Finding the job you want isn't always easy. And, when you don't know what job you want, it can seem impossible.
What's a job seeker to do? You can spend hours doing research, along with some serious soul searching. But you may still come up blank.
There are people who can help. Some are pros; some you already know. But either way, they can assist you in answering the age-old question of what to do with your life.
Career Counselors
Career counselors can help you shape your career path, including find a job. They rely upon a host of resources, such as personality tests, expert knowledge and experience. If you're really confused, a good career counselor can help you explore many different career options.
There are career counselors for every stage of your career and every budget. School-based counselors offer career advice to students free of charge. Independent career counselors or consultants will often require you to pay an advance fee for a set number of sessions. Others won't limit the number of sessions and will work with you until you land a job.
The best way to find a skilled, dependable career counselor is by word of mouth. Ask people you trust for referrals. You can also screen a counselor through the Better Business Bureau before signing up at http://www.bbb.org.
Personal Coaches
Personal coaches can be very helpful to job seekers.
Coaches focus on helping people identify their values, dreams and goals. But, a word of warning: If you're looking for advice, career coaching might not be for you. A good coach won't tell you what he thinks you should be doing because he believes that, deep down, you already know. Simply put, coaches work to uncover existing knowledge -- and to eliminate self-doubt.
If you know someone who has visited a personal coach, ask for a referral. You can also consult the International Coaching Federation (http://www.coachfederation.org) for trained and certified coaches in your area. To help you find the right coach before making a commitment, most coaches will even offer a free, 30-minute phone session.
Mentors
People frequently find mentors in their workplaces to guide and nurture them in their present position and up the corporate ladder.
But, even if you don't have a job, you can still have a mentor.
Many colleges and alumni associations offer mentoring programs. You can also join a local business or professional association and inquire about a mentor program. Even if there isn't one, you may still find someone to mentor you informally.
Another idea is to find someone who works in a field that interests you. Set up an informational interview. If the two of you click, ask if you can e-mail or phone them from time to time with questions. If you're lucky, it may be the start of a mentoring relationship.
Friends and Family
Everyone you know probably has an opinion about what you should be doing in your career. Most times, we don't care to hear these opinions.
But, if you're stuck, it might not hurt to solicit opinions from friends and family members as to what career they think you should pursue. Likely, they know you well enough to know your strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. They're probably also familiar enough with your past to know what you should avoid.
Ask direct and earnest questions, such as, "What do you think my strengths are?" and "Have you ever imagined me in a certain career?"
Your friends and family may dream bigger than you would ever dare.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Smart Risks vs. Foolish Risks
5 Risks That Could Help Your Career
by Margaret Steen, for Yahoo! HotJobs
Playing it safe with your career may seem smart. But to really get ahead, you may need to take some risks.
"Nothing gives your career a boost like succeeding at a risk," says Sheila Wellington, author of "Be Your Own Mentor" and a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. "It helps you break out of the pack."
Still, before you take a risk -- whether it's quitting your job or confronting your boss -- consider whether it's smart or foolish.
Make sure you know yourself and your organization well enough to understand what happens if you take a risk and it doesn't work out. Will failure damage your career, or will coworkers admire your initiative? Will you be devastated, emotionally or financially, if you don't succeed? Or do you have a high tolerance for failure?
That's what Wellington and other experts say you should consider when evaluating career risks such as these:
* Taking on a tough project. Succeeding where others have given up is a great way to make a name for yourself.
"It's a way to get ahead, to take something that's big and dangerous," says Norm Meshriy, a career counselor and principal of Career Insights in Walnut Creek, California.
But look at what has happened to others who have tried. Have they had their reputations tarnished? Or have their efforts been rewarded?
* Changing careers. It's exciting to think about making a fresh start. But especially in today's economy, make sure you have a Plan B.
"The biggest risk in terms of a job transition is going to a different job in a different industry," says Michael Beasley, owner of Career-Crossings in Portola Valley, California, and a consultant with Right Management. You'll have a lot to learn -- right at the time when you need to be proving your worth to your new employer.
* Taking a contract job. If you have to choose between a contract job at a company where you really want to work and a permanent position at a less desirable company, taking the contract job is the bigger risk -- but could have the bigger payoff.
The key to your decision is "finding out every single thing that you can know" about the company, Beasley says. Assess your chances of being hired on permanently at the end of the contract.
* Taking time off between jobs. This risk can have big personal payoffs. It can also give you time to explore new career options. You can make it less of a career risk by keeping your network current and having a compelling story to tell about what you did with your time.
* Confronting your boss. Disagreeing with your boss in anger, without having thought through what you're going to say, is a foolish risk. But arranging a meeting with your boss outside of the office and offering a rehearsed, well-crafted explanation of how you feel can be a risk worth taking, Meshriy says.
You may not get the answer you want, but you will get better insight into your situation.
Whenever you are contemplating a risk, remember that doing nothing can also be risky.
"Your performance will suffer if you're not happy in your job, or an opportunity could slip away," Beasley said.
by Margaret Steen, for Yahoo! HotJobs
Playing it safe with your career may seem smart. But to really get ahead, you may need to take some risks.
"Nothing gives your career a boost like succeeding at a risk," says Sheila Wellington, author of "Be Your Own Mentor" and a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. "It helps you break out of the pack."
Still, before you take a risk -- whether it's quitting your job or confronting your boss -- consider whether it's smart or foolish.
Make sure you know yourself and your organization well enough to understand what happens if you take a risk and it doesn't work out. Will failure damage your career, or will coworkers admire your initiative? Will you be devastated, emotionally or financially, if you don't succeed? Or do you have a high tolerance for failure?
That's what Wellington and other experts say you should consider when evaluating career risks such as these:
* Taking on a tough project. Succeeding where others have given up is a great way to make a name for yourself.
"It's a way to get ahead, to take something that's big and dangerous," says Norm Meshriy, a career counselor and principal of Career Insights in Walnut Creek, California.
But look at what has happened to others who have tried. Have they had their reputations tarnished? Or have their efforts been rewarded?
* Changing careers. It's exciting to think about making a fresh start. But especially in today's economy, make sure you have a Plan B.
"The biggest risk in terms of a job transition is going to a different job in a different industry," says Michael Beasley, owner of Career-Crossings in Portola Valley, California, and a consultant with Right Management. You'll have a lot to learn -- right at the time when you need to be proving your worth to your new employer.
* Taking a contract job. If you have to choose between a contract job at a company where you really want to work and a permanent position at a less desirable company, taking the contract job is the bigger risk -- but could have the bigger payoff.
The key to your decision is "finding out every single thing that you can know" about the company, Beasley says. Assess your chances of being hired on permanently at the end of the contract.
* Taking time off between jobs. This risk can have big personal payoffs. It can also give you time to explore new career options. You can make it less of a career risk by keeping your network current and having a compelling story to tell about what you did with your time.
* Confronting your boss. Disagreeing with your boss in anger, without having thought through what you're going to say, is a foolish risk. But arranging a meeting with your boss outside of the office and offering a rehearsed, well-crafted explanation of how you feel can be a risk worth taking, Meshriy says.
You may not get the answer you want, but you will get better insight into your situation.
Whenever you are contemplating a risk, remember that doing nothing can also be risky.
"Your performance will suffer if you're not happy in your job, or an opportunity could slip away," Beasley said.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Gartner's Top 10 Technologies
Gartner's published their annual list of the top 10 strategic technologies, and that's always interesting. It's also interesting that five of the 10 are on the list for the first time. IT is changing:
1. Cloud computing We've been hearing about this for the past few years.
2. Advanced analytics BI (Business Intelligence) plus. Analytics keep gaining importance.
3. Client computing* Companies are providing employees with stipends to purchase their own systems and then giving them the ability to access business applications through virtualized environments.
4. Green IT Anything that reduces energy consumption and a corporate carbon footprint.
5. Reshaping the data center* A new design for data centers which uses pods and adds power, air conditioners and generators only as needed.
6. Social computing Facebook, Twitter, etc.
7. Monitoring user activity* Getting harder with cloud computing, targeted attacks, etc.
8. Flash memory* Fast, rugged, and uses less energy than hard disks. Costs more initially, but the price gap is getting smaller. Also called SSD (Solid State Disks).
9. Virtualization for availability VMware's VMotion; Microsoft's Live Migration.
10. Mobile applications* Moving applications to cell phones.
How many of these affect you? Yet, it's more important than ever to get up to speed and stay current. Things change so quickly in IT, and this includes both the technologies and the jobs. Enroll NOW in our CSTA (Computers: Systems, Terms and Acronyms) Program where we cover ALL of these up and coming technologies.
* First time on the list.
1. Cloud computing We've been hearing about this for the past few years.
2. Advanced analytics BI (Business Intelligence) plus. Analytics keep gaining importance.
3. Client computing* Companies are providing employees with stipends to purchase their own systems and then giving them the ability to access business applications through virtualized environments.
4. Green IT Anything that reduces energy consumption and a corporate carbon footprint.
5. Reshaping the data center* A new design for data centers which uses pods and adds power, air conditioners and generators only as needed.
6. Social computing Facebook, Twitter, etc.
7. Monitoring user activity* Getting harder with cloud computing, targeted attacks, etc.
8. Flash memory* Fast, rugged, and uses less energy than hard disks. Costs more initially, but the price gap is getting smaller. Also called SSD (Solid State Disks).
9. Virtualization for availability VMware's VMotion; Microsoft's Live Migration.
10. Mobile applications* Moving applications to cell phones.
How many of these affect you? Yet, it's more important than ever to get up to speed and stay current. Things change so quickly in IT, and this includes both the technologies and the jobs. Enroll NOW in our CSTA (Computers: Systems, Terms and Acronyms) Program where we cover ALL of these up and coming technologies.
* First time on the list.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
5 reasons why you're not getting interviews and HR is one of the reasons.
Here are 5 reasons you may not be getting noticed.
1) Your resume isn't very good. I see a lot of resumes and perhaps 5% stand out. First impressions matter and if your resume does not attract the reader's attention in the first 10-20 seconds then your chances of obtaining an interview fall to almost zero. What an employer really wants to know is why they should invite you for an interview. The only compelling reason is that you appear to be a good fit for the position they are trying to fill. EVERY resume that you submit must be tailored specifically to the opportunity you are applying for. Also, the most pertinent information needs to be in the top 1/3 of the resume which, is about 10-20 seconds worth of reading. If you ask 10 people to give you an opinion on resume formats, you'll get 15 different answers. So at the risk of offering contradictory advice, I'll give you what I believe works best based on my experience. A resume should begin with a professional summary listing your capabilities followed by a list of your core skills or, when appropriate, your major achievements. The combination of these should match as closely as possible the job description you're responding to. If a company is looking for a marketing manager who can work with new product development teams to identify and satisfy customer demands; doesn't it make sense to tell the employer up-front that you are an experienced marketing manager with a successful track record of working with product development teams? Doesn't it also make sense to list some of your achievements in identifying customer needs and how you satisfied them? If you were the hiring manager, wouldn't you want to read more? Next, avoid the BS, fluff and over generalizations that accompany most resumes. After every sentence ask yourself, will someone pay me for this?
2) You're not really qualified for the positions you are applying for. This occurs when you hit the send button without much regard to the qualifications the employer is looking for. If the position requires a CPA with 10+ years of experience and you once worked next to an accountant, you're not qualified. Don't waste your time applying for positions you're not at least 95% qualified for. Sending out resumes for positions you're not qualified for is simply not going to get you anywhere.
3) The job description for the opportunity you're applying for is poorly written. If job candidates can be criticized for writing poor resumes, than HR professionals and hiring managers can be criticized for writing poor job descriptions. This is one area that you, as the job seeker, can do nothing about. In many cases, the job description does not adequately detail everything that the hiring manager is looking for. Like resumes, many job descriptions are too often too vague, lack critical information, and are filled with fluff and boilerplate.
4) You lack any real job search strategy. Searching for a job is a process. It requires thought, planning and execution. Basically you need to focus you energy in two areas:
1) Breaking through the noise (the 500 other applicants) and
2) Looking for opportunity that is not posted all over the internet or given to 100 recruiters. You can accomplish the first by crafting a resume that meets the needs of the hiring manager 100% as outlined above. You can accomplish the second by targeting specific companies and reaching out to people within those organizations and presenting them with a reason to talk to you.
5) Not learning from your mistakes As the saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. If you're current approach is not working, ask yourself why. If you think you can improve your odds by doing something different, do it.
Let me know your thoughts!
1) Your resume isn't very good. I see a lot of resumes and perhaps 5% stand out. First impressions matter and if your resume does not attract the reader's attention in the first 10-20 seconds then your chances of obtaining an interview fall to almost zero. What an employer really wants to know is why they should invite you for an interview. The only compelling reason is that you appear to be a good fit for the position they are trying to fill. EVERY resume that you submit must be tailored specifically to the opportunity you are applying for. Also, the most pertinent information needs to be in the top 1/3 of the resume which, is about 10-20 seconds worth of reading. If you ask 10 people to give you an opinion on resume formats, you'll get 15 different answers. So at the risk of offering contradictory advice, I'll give you what I believe works best based on my experience. A resume should begin with a professional summary listing your capabilities followed by a list of your core skills or, when appropriate, your major achievements. The combination of these should match as closely as possible the job description you're responding to. If a company is looking for a marketing manager who can work with new product development teams to identify and satisfy customer demands; doesn't it make sense to tell the employer up-front that you are an experienced marketing manager with a successful track record of working with product development teams? Doesn't it also make sense to list some of your achievements in identifying customer needs and how you satisfied them? If you were the hiring manager, wouldn't you want to read more? Next, avoid the BS, fluff and over generalizations that accompany most resumes. After every sentence ask yourself, will someone pay me for this?
2) You're not really qualified for the positions you are applying for. This occurs when you hit the send button without much regard to the qualifications the employer is looking for. If the position requires a CPA with 10+ years of experience and you once worked next to an accountant, you're not qualified. Don't waste your time applying for positions you're not at least 95% qualified for. Sending out resumes for positions you're not qualified for is simply not going to get you anywhere.
3) The job description for the opportunity you're applying for is poorly written. If job candidates can be criticized for writing poor resumes, than HR professionals and hiring managers can be criticized for writing poor job descriptions. This is one area that you, as the job seeker, can do nothing about. In many cases, the job description does not adequately detail everything that the hiring manager is looking for. Like resumes, many job descriptions are too often too vague, lack critical information, and are filled with fluff and boilerplate.
4) You lack any real job search strategy. Searching for a job is a process. It requires thought, planning and execution. Basically you need to focus you energy in two areas:
1) Breaking through the noise (the 500 other applicants) and
2) Looking for opportunity that is not posted all over the internet or given to 100 recruiters. You can accomplish the first by crafting a resume that meets the needs of the hiring manager 100% as outlined above. You can accomplish the second by targeting specific companies and reaching out to people within those organizations and presenting them with a reason to talk to you.
5) Not learning from your mistakes As the saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. If you're current approach is not working, ask yourself why. If you think you can improve your odds by doing something different, do it.
Let me know your thoughts!
Monday, October 26, 2009
How To Find a Good Boss
By Marilyn Haight
Whether you get hired for a new job, promoted, or reassigned to a new position, you will most likely have a new boss. Each time that happens, you must develop a new professional relationship with the person you rely on for direction, development, and future advancement. You need to quickly determine if this new boss is a good match for you and your career goals. But how can you tell? Try these five questions.
1. Does your boss showcase your work? If you're not sure, you could ask him, "What leadership opportunities will I have in my job?" If he says something like, "There's only one leader here -- me," you may have what I call a "Suppressor Boss." A boss who replies, "We're all leaders here; you'll be in charge of projects that need your expertise," will have no problem appreciating your role and contribution.
2. Does your boss solve problems? Try asking, "How should I escalate problems to you when I think you need to get involved?" If she insists you must solve your issue alone, then she could be a "Confounder Boss" who ignores problems, which makes them worse. A good boss might say, "Give me detailed examples; I'll determine the cause and work with managers at my level to correct the issues."
3. Does your boss let you complete your work? When in doubt, try asking him or her when you can start handling tasks from start to finish. If the answer is, "I'm a hands-on manager; we do everything as a team," you've got trouble. This is a "Player Boss" who does parts of your job he likes and leaves problems for you. If you hear, "Tell me when you think you're ready; I'll give you guidelines and be available only when you need me," you'll know your boss trusts your skills.
4. Does your boss listen to your suggestions? If not, tell her that when she cuts you off you wonder if she values your opinion. A reply like, "I have the final word," could mean she's a "Manipulator Boss." A good boss will say something like, "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware I was doing that. Please bring it to my attention next time it happens." A good boss always listens attentively.
5. Does your boss treat you and your co-workers equally? If you notice preferential treatment among your co-workers, try asking your boss, "What measurements will you use to evaluate my job performance?" If he says, "Every case is different; I use my judgment," he could be a "Dumbfounder Boss" who uses the wrong measures to evaluate job performance. A better answer, like, "Your work will be evaluated according to the documented standards we've already agreed upon," will signal your boss's fairness.
Listening skills, problem-solving, a sense of fairness, and an ability to trust are just some of the hallmarks of a good boss. A good employee will learn to spot and appreciate those attributes, and then move toward building a mutually successful relationship.
Whether you get hired for a new job, promoted, or reassigned to a new position, you will most likely have a new boss. Each time that happens, you must develop a new professional relationship with the person you rely on for direction, development, and future advancement. You need to quickly determine if this new boss is a good match for you and your career goals. But how can you tell? Try these five questions.
1. Does your boss showcase your work? If you're not sure, you could ask him, "What leadership opportunities will I have in my job?" If he says something like, "There's only one leader here -- me," you may have what I call a "Suppressor Boss." A boss who replies, "We're all leaders here; you'll be in charge of projects that need your expertise," will have no problem appreciating your role and contribution.
2. Does your boss solve problems? Try asking, "How should I escalate problems to you when I think you need to get involved?" If she insists you must solve your issue alone, then she could be a "Confounder Boss" who ignores problems, which makes them worse. A good boss might say, "Give me detailed examples; I'll determine the cause and work with managers at my level to correct the issues."
3. Does your boss let you complete your work? When in doubt, try asking him or her when you can start handling tasks from start to finish. If the answer is, "I'm a hands-on manager; we do everything as a team," you've got trouble. This is a "Player Boss" who does parts of your job he likes and leaves problems for you. If you hear, "Tell me when you think you're ready; I'll give you guidelines and be available only when you need me," you'll know your boss trusts your skills.
4. Does your boss listen to your suggestions? If not, tell her that when she cuts you off you wonder if she values your opinion. A reply like, "I have the final word," could mean she's a "Manipulator Boss." A good boss will say something like, "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware I was doing that. Please bring it to my attention next time it happens." A good boss always listens attentively.
5. Does your boss treat you and your co-workers equally? If you notice preferential treatment among your co-workers, try asking your boss, "What measurements will you use to evaluate my job performance?" If he says, "Every case is different; I use my judgment," he could be a "Dumbfounder Boss" who uses the wrong measures to evaluate job performance. A better answer, like, "Your work will be evaluated according to the documented standards we've already agreed upon," will signal your boss's fairness.
Listening skills, problem-solving, a sense of fairness, and an ability to trust are just some of the hallmarks of a good boss. A good employee will learn to spot and appreciate those attributes, and then move toward building a mutually successful relationship.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
5 Fatal Job-Search Errors
by: Liz Ryan
The other day I received a resume attached to an email message. The email message itself was lovely, but the attached document was labeled "BrittneyRoxYall.doc." Evidently young Brittney (let's hope Brittney is young) forgot what she'd titled her resume and sent it off as an attachment, without changing the document's name.
It is fantastic to see that Brittney has healthy self-esteem. That's a big plus for Brittney in her job search. However, I couldn't consider Brittney a candidate for the job I was filling, once she'd made that unfortunate clerical error. Little items like a mislabeled resume can hurt a job seeker, so take note of these five fatal job-search errors:
Mislabeling Your Resume
Brittney learned the hard way that a resume on your hard drive must be labeled BrittneyJonesResume.doc or some other simple and obvious name when it's sent to employers via email. Even better is to label each resume with your name and the name of the employer it's going to, a la BrittneyJonesResumeAbbottLabs.doc. That way, if you tweak your resume for different job openings (and I hope you do) you'll always know which version of your resume you've sent to each employer.
The Shotgun Approach
A resume that starts out "Objective: to make a contribution to my next employer in any Marketing, PR, Product Management or Operations role" is bound for the trash bin, whether the job in question is a Marketing, PR, Product Management or Operations job. These days, you don't go to the print shop and order resumes in boxes of 100 anymore. You can and must customize your resume as often as needed, and very possibly for every job you pursue. So why would a prospective employer want to know about your qualifications for jobs you're not applying for? Take out the extra roles and focus your resume on just the job you're applying for today.
Ignoring the Job-Ad Instructions
I wrote a job ad that said, "Please send me an email message that answers these three questions." Then, I listed three questions that job applicants should answer in a paragraph or two. Oh dear! Of 95 applicants, only a handful answered the questions. That's an easy way for employers to screen out candidates, so it's worth your time to read and re-read the job ad carefully, and respond to it in the way the ad specifies. No sense being dropped out of the pipeline before you've had a chance to shine!
Failing to Customize
When a job opening gives you a chance to write a cover letter, write a good one! Take 15 or 20 minutes to research the employer online (visiting the company's own website and news sites, for starters) in order to say something company-specific in your cover letter. "I am interested in the job because it sounds interesting" doesn't cut it in this job market. Try, "Given your recent acquisition of Sun Microsystems, I'm guessing that the IT Integration Specialists you're seeking now should be folks who've been through data-integration projects in the past, as I have. At IBM, I ..." and so forth.
Drowning in Boilerplate
A good 2009 resume or cover letter is strong and human-sounding, not dry and full of corporate-speak fluff. Take out the "strong team orientation," "results-oriented professional," and "bottom line focus" before you send another resume into the market. Replace that awful stuff with mini-stories that point out your best qualities, like "At ABC Graphics, our team won the President's Award for on-time delivery."
Don't let a basic job-search error slow down your job search!
The other day I received a resume attached to an email message. The email message itself was lovely, but the attached document was labeled "BrittneyRoxYall.doc." Evidently young Brittney (let's hope Brittney is young) forgot what she'd titled her resume and sent it off as an attachment, without changing the document's name.
It is fantastic to see that Brittney has healthy self-esteem. That's a big plus for Brittney in her job search. However, I couldn't consider Brittney a candidate for the job I was filling, once she'd made that unfortunate clerical error. Little items like a mislabeled resume can hurt a job seeker, so take note of these five fatal job-search errors:
Mislabeling Your Resume
Brittney learned the hard way that a resume on your hard drive must be labeled BrittneyJonesResume.doc or some other simple and obvious name when it's sent to employers via email. Even better is to label each resume with your name and the name of the employer it's going to, a la BrittneyJonesResumeAbbottLabs.doc. That way, if you tweak your resume for different job openings (and I hope you do) you'll always know which version of your resume you've sent to each employer.
The Shotgun Approach
A resume that starts out "Objective: to make a contribution to my next employer in any Marketing, PR, Product Management or Operations role" is bound for the trash bin, whether the job in question is a Marketing, PR, Product Management or Operations job. These days, you don't go to the print shop and order resumes in boxes of 100 anymore. You can and must customize your resume as often as needed, and very possibly for every job you pursue. So why would a prospective employer want to know about your qualifications for jobs you're not applying for? Take out the extra roles and focus your resume on just the job you're applying for today.
Ignoring the Job-Ad Instructions
I wrote a job ad that said, "Please send me an email message that answers these three questions." Then, I listed three questions that job applicants should answer in a paragraph or two. Oh dear! Of 95 applicants, only a handful answered the questions. That's an easy way for employers to screen out candidates, so it's worth your time to read and re-read the job ad carefully, and respond to it in the way the ad specifies. No sense being dropped out of the pipeline before you've had a chance to shine!
Failing to Customize
When a job opening gives you a chance to write a cover letter, write a good one! Take 15 or 20 minutes to research the employer online (visiting the company's own website and news sites, for starters) in order to say something company-specific in your cover letter. "I am interested in the job because it sounds interesting" doesn't cut it in this job market. Try, "Given your recent acquisition of Sun Microsystems, I'm guessing that the IT Integration Specialists you're seeking now should be folks who've been through data-integration projects in the past, as I have. At IBM, I ..." and so forth.
Drowning in Boilerplate
A good 2009 resume or cover letter is strong and human-sounding, not dry and full of corporate-speak fluff. Take out the "strong team orientation," "results-oriented professional," and "bottom line focus" before you send another resume into the market. Replace that awful stuff with mini-stories that point out your best qualities, like "At ABC Graphics, our team won the President's Award for on-time delivery."
Don't let a basic job-search error slow down your job search!
Friday, September 18, 2009
10 Questions Never to Ask in Job Interviews
by: Liz Ryan
You know enough to bring a list of questions to a job interview. When the interviewer asks you, "So, do you have any questions for me?" the last thing? You want to say is "No." But that could be the best option if you're at a loss for words, because some interview questions are better left unasked.
Here are 10 highly unsuitable interview questions that should never make an appearance, unless you don't want the job:
1. "What does your company do?"This was a reasonable interview question in 1950 or in 1980, before the Internet existed. Today, it's your job to research any company you're interviewing with before setting foot in the door. We need to show up for a job interview knowing what the employer does, who its competitors are, and which of its accomplishments (or challenges) have made the news lately.
2. "Are you going to do a background check?"It is amazing how many job candidates ask this question, which provokes alarm on the part of the interviewer, instead of the more general, "Can you please tell me a little about your selection process, from this point on?" Lots of people have credit issues that cause them worry during a job search, or aren't sure how solid their references from a previous job might be. If you're invited for a second interview, you can broach any sensitive topics from your past then. Asking "Will you do a background check?" makes you look like a person with something to hide.
3. "When will I be eligible for a raise?"Companies fear underpaying people almost as much as they fear overpaying them, because a person who's underpaid vis-a-vis his counterparts in the job market is a person with one eye on the career sites. Instead of asking about your first raise before you've got the job, you can ask (at a second interview) "Does your organization do a conventional one-year performance and salary review?"
4. "Do you have any other jobs available?"A job search requires quick thinking about straight talk, and if a job is far below your abilities, you're better off saying so than beating around the bush with this question. You don't have to take yourself out of the running; you can say, "The job sounds interesting, but frankly I was earning 30% more and supervising people in my last job. Could you help me understand the career path for this role?" That's the cue for the interviewer, if he or she is on the ball, to highlight another job opening that might exist.
5. "How soon can I transfer to another position?"You're broadcasting "I'm outta here at the first chance" when you ask this question. If you like the job, take the job. If it's not for you, wait for the right opportunity. Almost every employer will keep you in your seat for at least one year before approving an internal transfer, so a job-search bait-and-switch probably won't work out the way you'd hoped.
6. "Can you tell me about bus lines to your facility?"Get online and research this yourself. It's not your employer's problem to figure out how you get to work.
7. "Do you have smoking breaks?"If you're working in retail or in a call center, you could ask about breaks. Everyone else, keep mum; if your need to smoke intrudes so much on your work life that you feel the need to ask about it, ask your best friend or significant other for smoking-cessation help as a new-job present. Lots of companies don't permit smoking anywhere on the premises, and some don't like to hire smokers at all. Why give an employer a reason to turn you down?
8. "Is [my medical condition] covered under your insurance?"This is a bad question on two counts. You don't want to tell a perfect stranger about your medical issues, especially one who's deciding whether or not to hire you. Ask to see a copy of the company's benefits booklet when an offer has been extended. This is also a bad question from a judgment standpoint; no department managers and only a tiny percentage of HR people could be expected to know on a condition-by-condition basis what's covered under the health plan. Anyway, your pre-existing condition won't be covered under most corporate plans for at least a year.
9. "Do you do a drug test?"If you have a philosophical objection to drug tests, wait until they ask you to take a drug test and tell them about your objection. Otherwise, your question sounds like, "I'd fail a drug test," so don't ask.
10. "If you hire me, can I wait until [more than three weeks from now] to start the job?"Employers expect you to give two weeks' notice. If you're not working, they'd love to see you more quickly. If you ask for tons of time off before you start working -- unless you have a very good reason -- the employer may think, "How serious is this candidate about working?" In any case, a start-date extension is something to request after you've got the offer in hand, not before.
You know enough to bring a list of questions to a job interview. When the interviewer asks you, "So, do you have any questions for me?" the last thing? You want to say is "No." But that could be the best option if you're at a loss for words, because some interview questions are better left unasked.
Here are 10 highly unsuitable interview questions that should never make an appearance, unless you don't want the job:
1. "What does your company do?"This was a reasonable interview question in 1950 or in 1980, before the Internet existed. Today, it's your job to research any company you're interviewing with before setting foot in the door. We need to show up for a job interview knowing what the employer does, who its competitors are, and which of its accomplishments (or challenges) have made the news lately.
2. "Are you going to do a background check?"It is amazing how many job candidates ask this question, which provokes alarm on the part of the interviewer, instead of the more general, "Can you please tell me a little about your selection process, from this point on?" Lots of people have credit issues that cause them worry during a job search, or aren't sure how solid their references from a previous job might be. If you're invited for a second interview, you can broach any sensitive topics from your past then. Asking "Will you do a background check?" makes you look like a person with something to hide.
3. "When will I be eligible for a raise?"Companies fear underpaying people almost as much as they fear overpaying them, because a person who's underpaid vis-a-vis his counterparts in the job market is a person with one eye on the career sites. Instead of asking about your first raise before you've got the job, you can ask (at a second interview) "Does your organization do a conventional one-year performance and salary review?"
4. "Do you have any other jobs available?"A job search requires quick thinking about straight talk, and if a job is far below your abilities, you're better off saying so than beating around the bush with this question. You don't have to take yourself out of the running; you can say, "The job sounds interesting, but frankly I was earning 30% more and supervising people in my last job. Could you help me understand the career path for this role?" That's the cue for the interviewer, if he or she is on the ball, to highlight another job opening that might exist.
5. "How soon can I transfer to another position?"You're broadcasting "I'm outta here at the first chance" when you ask this question. If you like the job, take the job. If it's not for you, wait for the right opportunity. Almost every employer will keep you in your seat for at least one year before approving an internal transfer, so a job-search bait-and-switch probably won't work out the way you'd hoped.
6. "Can you tell me about bus lines to your facility?"Get online and research this yourself. It's not your employer's problem to figure out how you get to work.
7. "Do you have smoking breaks?"If you're working in retail or in a call center, you could ask about breaks. Everyone else, keep mum; if your need to smoke intrudes so much on your work life that you feel the need to ask about it, ask your best friend or significant other for smoking-cessation help as a new-job present. Lots of companies don't permit smoking anywhere on the premises, and some don't like to hire smokers at all. Why give an employer a reason to turn you down?
8. "Is [my medical condition] covered under your insurance?"This is a bad question on two counts. You don't want to tell a perfect stranger about your medical issues, especially one who's deciding whether or not to hire you. Ask to see a copy of the company's benefits booklet when an offer has been extended. This is also a bad question from a judgment standpoint; no department managers and only a tiny percentage of HR people could be expected to know on a condition-by-condition basis what's covered under the health plan. Anyway, your pre-existing condition won't be covered under most corporate plans for at least a year.
9. "Do you do a drug test?"If you have a philosophical objection to drug tests, wait until they ask you to take a drug test and tell them about your objection. Otherwise, your question sounds like, "I'd fail a drug test," so don't ask.
10. "If you hire me, can I wait until [more than three weeks from now] to start the job?"Employers expect you to give two weeks' notice. If you're not working, they'd love to see you more quickly. If you ask for tons of time off before you start working -- unless you have a very good reason -- the employer may think, "How serious is this candidate about working?" In any case, a start-date extension is something to request after you've got the offer in hand, not before.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Why Your Resume Gets Tossed
by Sara Goldsmith, WetFeet.com
The average recruiter sees 5,000 resumes a year. Any legitimate reason she finds to make one disappear makes her life that much easier -- and yours that much harder. Here, top-level recruiters reveal how candidates blow their chances to get a foot in the door.
Numbers Don't Add Up
If accomplishments can be quantified, do it -- but use discretion. Brandishing borderline performance numbers signals a lack of experience and bad judgment. "Phrases like 'managed a budget of $500,000' or 'led a team of two' might catch my eye in a bad way," warns Olaf Weckesser, a former recruiter for McKinsey & Co. Better to spin it as "managed company's largest budget."
Adds Alexandra DeMarino, a Citigroup recruiter: "If a small number is impressive, you absolutely have to put it in context." Because you can't provide context for academic numbers, don't include GMAT scores below 650 if you're targeting a top firm. DeMarino suggests bragging about nothing less than a 3.7 GPA.
Formality Takes a Vacation
Don't succumb to the informality of email. "If you send a cover letter by email that starts with 'Hi,' it and your resume will probably end up in the trash," says Cynthia Shore, an assistant dean at the University at Buffalo School of Management and former director of its career-resource center. Treat an email as you would a proper letter: Instead of "Hi," write "Dear Mr. Case." Instead of "Thanks," conclude with "Sincerely."
Keywords Are Overused
It's true that recruiters sometimes use scanners to sort through resumes looking for certain keywords. But resumes appear contrived when candidates consciously try to include them. Describing a business-development position using such terms as "needs assessment" and "contract analysis" in order to squeeze in more keywords is a misguided strategy. Assume that a human being -- not a computer -- will be reading the resume. After all, these days fewer than 25 percent of all recruiters even use scanners.
Things Get Too Personal
"If you mention your age, we have to trash your resume," says Jeremy Eskenazi, vice president of talent acquisition at Idealab!, the California incubator firm. Since it's illegal for a company to solicit a candidate's age, race, or marital status during the hiring process, firms have adopted a "don't tell" policy to avoid potential bias suits. Many won't risk even having it handed to them.
It Looks Too Fancy
"A recruiter who receives resumes in pretty plastic folders will likely toss them," says Dave Opton, CEO and founder of ExecuNet, an online executive recruiting service. "I don't have time to take the damn things apart." Another faux pas: Folding a resume so that it fits into a standard business envelope. Heavy-stock paper that retains its crease can be a nuisance. Says Opton: "They're easier to store and photocopy if they're flat."
Also, don't try to differentiate your resume with boxes or ornate lettering. When recruiters see a resume that's designed differently, they think the person's trying to hide something. Instead, focus on content. Your resume will rise to the top of the pile.
The average recruiter sees 5,000 resumes a year. Any legitimate reason she finds to make one disappear makes her life that much easier -- and yours that much harder. Here, top-level recruiters reveal how candidates blow their chances to get a foot in the door.
Numbers Don't Add Up
If accomplishments can be quantified, do it -- but use discretion. Brandishing borderline performance numbers signals a lack of experience and bad judgment. "Phrases like 'managed a budget of $500,000' or 'led a team of two' might catch my eye in a bad way," warns Olaf Weckesser, a former recruiter for McKinsey & Co. Better to spin it as "managed company's largest budget."
Adds Alexandra DeMarino, a Citigroup recruiter: "If a small number is impressive, you absolutely have to put it in context." Because you can't provide context for academic numbers, don't include GMAT scores below 650 if you're targeting a top firm. DeMarino suggests bragging about nothing less than a 3.7 GPA.
Formality Takes a Vacation
Don't succumb to the informality of email. "If you send a cover letter by email that starts with 'Hi,' it and your resume will probably end up in the trash," says Cynthia Shore, an assistant dean at the University at Buffalo School of Management and former director of its career-resource center. Treat an email as you would a proper letter: Instead of "Hi," write "Dear Mr. Case." Instead of "Thanks," conclude with "Sincerely."
Keywords Are Overused
It's true that recruiters sometimes use scanners to sort through resumes looking for certain keywords. But resumes appear contrived when candidates consciously try to include them. Describing a business-development position using such terms as "needs assessment" and "contract analysis" in order to squeeze in more keywords is a misguided strategy. Assume that a human being -- not a computer -- will be reading the resume. After all, these days fewer than 25 percent of all recruiters even use scanners.
Things Get Too Personal
"If you mention your age, we have to trash your resume," says Jeremy Eskenazi, vice president of talent acquisition at Idealab!, the California incubator firm. Since it's illegal for a company to solicit a candidate's age, race, or marital status during the hiring process, firms have adopted a "don't tell" policy to avoid potential bias suits. Many won't risk even having it handed to them.
It Looks Too Fancy
"A recruiter who receives resumes in pretty plastic folders will likely toss them," says Dave Opton, CEO and founder of ExecuNet, an online executive recruiting service. "I don't have time to take the damn things apart." Another faux pas: Folding a resume so that it fits into a standard business envelope. Heavy-stock paper that retains its crease can be a nuisance. Says Opton: "They're easier to store and photocopy if they're flat."
Also, don't try to differentiate your resume with boxes or ornate lettering. When recruiters see a resume that's designed differently, they think the person's trying to hide something. Instead, focus on content. Your resume will rise to the top of the pile.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Deceptive Targets in the Job Hunt
5 Methods That Waste Your Time
by Caroline M.L. Potter
Time is money -- whether you've got a job or not. While it may be tempting to chase down every possibility when you're searching for work, don't. Many can lead you down a blind alley -- where you may lose the contents of your wallet.
A focused search using tried and true methods, especially networking, will lead to your next job, not tactics that smack of desperation.
Avoid these five job-hunting "don'ts" that will yield the poorest of results, according to leading workplace advisor Liz Ryan.
1. Spray and pray.
Don't blindly send your resume unsolicited, electronically or otherwise, to any company without first making verbal contact. Says Ryan, founder of AskLizRyan.com, "Tossing out un-customized cover letters and undifferentiated resumes in huge volumes and crossing your fingers is a job-search non-starter. That doesn't work, and it hasn't worked in 10 years, or more." Establish a connection before sending a customized cover letter and, adds Ryan, "You can even customize your resume if a job opening calls for it."
2. Stand in line for a job fair.
Admits Ryan, "Sad to say, but most job fairs are a waste of time. Avoid the huge cattle call-type job fairs where zillions of employers have booths, yet no one is taking resumes." There are some job fairs that have value. Ryan, a former human resources executive, points to company-specific open hours and college placement job fairs. Tap your network to learn if anyone can recommend worthwhile fairs. "Ask around before you head off to a job fair or risk having your time wasted and your ego dashed."
3. Earn certifications nobody wants.
It's common to feel less-than-confident in your skills if you're having a hard time finding work, but don't rush out to spend money on any additional training unless you're certain it will yield improved results. Ryan reveals, "Before you sign up for a certification training program, check the job boards to make sure that employers are asking for it. There's no sense investing time and money in a certification no one wants."
If you're getting the hard-sell from an educational institution, Ryan says, "Ask the people at the school that's doing the certifying, 'Which local employers have hired your graduates in the past year?' If they can't tell you, run away."
4. Pay a headhunter.
Don't dole out money to any kind of recruiter or sign a contract agreeing to do so. "Real headhunters, also known as search consultants or third-party recruiters, won't take your money. They get paid by employers to fill open jobs." She warns, "If a recruiter calls or emails you to say s/he's got jobs open, and then invites you to his or her office for a counseling session and presents you with a range of career-coaching services, bolt for the exit. Real search professionals won't take a dime from their candidates."
5. Sign up with a resume fax-blast service.
This old-school -- and desperate -- tactic is a total turn-off to potential employers and smacks of spam. Ryan says, "Services that send out hundreds or thousands of your resumes might have been worthwhile 20 years ago. Today, they're worse than pointless, because it irks employers to get unsolicited resumes. Forget the fax-blast services and do your own careful research to reach decision-makers with messages they actually want to hear."
by Caroline M.L. Potter
Time is money -- whether you've got a job or not. While it may be tempting to chase down every possibility when you're searching for work, don't. Many can lead you down a blind alley -- where you may lose the contents of your wallet.
A focused search using tried and true methods, especially networking, will lead to your next job, not tactics that smack of desperation.
Avoid these five job-hunting "don'ts" that will yield the poorest of results, according to leading workplace advisor Liz Ryan.
1. Spray and pray.
Don't blindly send your resume unsolicited, electronically or otherwise, to any company without first making verbal contact. Says Ryan, founder of AskLizRyan.com, "Tossing out un-customized cover letters and undifferentiated resumes in huge volumes and crossing your fingers is a job-search non-starter. That doesn't work, and it hasn't worked in 10 years, or more." Establish a connection before sending a customized cover letter and, adds Ryan, "You can even customize your resume if a job opening calls for it."
2. Stand in line for a job fair.
Admits Ryan, "Sad to say, but most job fairs are a waste of time. Avoid the huge cattle call-type job fairs where zillions of employers have booths, yet no one is taking resumes." There are some job fairs that have value. Ryan, a former human resources executive, points to company-specific open hours and college placement job fairs. Tap your network to learn if anyone can recommend worthwhile fairs. "Ask around before you head off to a job fair or risk having your time wasted and your ego dashed."
3. Earn certifications nobody wants.
It's common to feel less-than-confident in your skills if you're having a hard time finding work, but don't rush out to spend money on any additional training unless you're certain it will yield improved results. Ryan reveals, "Before you sign up for a certification training program, check the job boards to make sure that employers are asking for it. There's no sense investing time and money in a certification no one wants."
If you're getting the hard-sell from an educational institution, Ryan says, "Ask the people at the school that's doing the certifying, 'Which local employers have hired your graduates in the past year?' If they can't tell you, run away."
4. Pay a headhunter.
Don't dole out money to any kind of recruiter or sign a contract agreeing to do so. "Real headhunters, also known as search consultants or third-party recruiters, won't take your money. They get paid by employers to fill open jobs." She warns, "If a recruiter calls or emails you to say s/he's got jobs open, and then invites you to his or her office for a counseling session and presents you with a range of career-coaching services, bolt for the exit. Real search professionals won't take a dime from their candidates."
5. Sign up with a resume fax-blast service.
This old-school -- and desperate -- tactic is a total turn-off to potential employers and smacks of spam. Ryan says, "Services that send out hundreds or thousands of your resumes might have been worthwhile 20 years ago. Today, they're worse than pointless, because it irks employers to get unsolicited resumes. Forget the fax-blast services and do your own careful research to reach decision-makers with messages they actually want to hear."
Monday, July 27, 2009
A good time to look for a new job (yes...you read that correctly)
Beth Gilfeather
One of the big contributors to why the job market is so weak today is employee retention believe it or not (not necessarily the lack of newly created positions). This lack of job hopping is happening for several reasons to include misperception of market conditions, negatively perceived salary trends and plain old fear of getting caught. All of these obstacles can be addressed and easily overcome. Start looking for a new opportunity and YOU can help stimulate this job market.
In recruiting, we love attrition! It causes a daisy chain of vacancies that must be filled (Bob leaves his job and opens up a position, Sue leaves her job to take this position and opens up her job, etc..).
1- In some instances, people aren't looking right now because they think nothing is happening. Not true! While demand for new hires is certainly down, there are certain verticals that are doing better than others. The technology vertical is one of them. Sales is also a vertical that is picking up. To help you get a more positive (and accurate) perspective on the state of the job market, you'll need to jump online:
Make sure to use job boards like Simplyhired.com and Indeed.com (not just the run-of-the-mill Monster and Careerbuilders of the world). These sites "aggregate" postings from all over the web (not just from their paying customers) and this will give you a much better sampling of the jobs that you are interested in. Not only will it pull more jobs to you, their search capability is excellent and will allow you to really focus in on what you want.
You can also search the web using an effective boolean string. Try this one: (intitle:job OR inurl:job) KEYWORD or KEYWORD (MA OR Massachusetts) 01432..05544. I have used Massachusetts in this sample, but you can list your own state and zip code range. This will ensure you only pull back jobs in your location. Use a website called zipmath.com and go to "applications" and choose "Zip codes in a radius" to establish the zone you want to search in. Make sure to list the first and last zip in sequential order and separate it by two periods. You can also run this string replacing the word "job" with "position" or "career"
2- People also aren't looking because they think the salaries will be too low. No, we aren't seeing 20% pay raises like we experienced back in the day. However, people are getting good offers right now. We all need to wake up and smell the coffee here. Salary levels have changed. Just like how your home value has gone down, our professional "worth" has too to some extent. As a result, I think we all need to adjust to the new economy which will be about fair, reasonable, merit-based jumps in salary. I think it's perfectly acceptable to want to shoot for a 10% increase when expecting a job offer (and hopefully they can do this or even more). But we need to recognize that salaries are going to go through the same cycle that everything else has in the economy (a correction). So don't expect for an employer to pay you any more just because you need to make more money. Here's the good news...the days of the "low ball" seem to be over. We witnessed a lot of companies over the past 6 months try to put out a low offer and inevitably lose the candidate as a result. Companies are realizing this and are in a better position to be reasonable and fair having been burned by this in Q4 and Q1.
3- Afraid of getting caught is probably the biggest reason people aren't looking. You certainly don't want to be the one who has demonstrated your disloyalty to the company when cuts are being made. If you do, you will likely find yourself terminated or conveniently laid off. And if you are lucky enough to not get terminated, get ready for the bitter attitude you will continue to get from your boss. There's no reason you have to risk your job to conduct a job search.
Use a confidential resume and make sure to take off not only your name and address but also your current employer name. Companies will often run searches on Monster and the web using their company name as the search term to pull back "confidential" resumes of current employees looking to leave.
Don't use your work email to conduct your job search. First of all, your company can monitor this and find out. Or an innocent subject line that reads "your interview tomorrow" could be easily displayed on your desktop when your boss is over at your desk.
Always list your cell phone, not work phone. If you work in an open environment, it is completely obvious when you are trying to hide something on a phone call. This will only lead to suspicion.
If working with an agency, make sure they aren't openly marketing your background if you don't want them to and make sure they aren't sending your resume out without speaking to you first.
Don't ever put your resume into an open database or resume emailing service. You have no control over where it will go.
Bottom line: There are jobs out there. They pay well and you don't have to get caught looking for a new job.
One of the big contributors to why the job market is so weak today is employee retention believe it or not (not necessarily the lack of newly created positions). This lack of job hopping is happening for several reasons to include misperception of market conditions, negatively perceived salary trends and plain old fear of getting caught. All of these obstacles can be addressed and easily overcome. Start looking for a new opportunity and YOU can help stimulate this job market.
In recruiting, we love attrition! It causes a daisy chain of vacancies that must be filled (Bob leaves his job and opens up a position, Sue leaves her job to take this position and opens up her job, etc..).
Unfortunately today, less and less candidates are jumping ship. Why?
-They are afraid there aren't any good jobs to choose from (or any jobs at all to choose from)
-They are afraid the salary they get offered will be too low
-They are afraid they will get caught and terminated, "laid off" or ostracized as a result
1- In some instances, people aren't looking right now because they think nothing is happening. Not true! While demand for new hires is certainly down, there are certain verticals that are doing better than others. The technology vertical is one of them. Sales is also a vertical that is picking up. To help you get a more positive (and accurate) perspective on the state of the job market, you'll need to jump online:
Make sure to use job boards like Simplyhired.com and Indeed.com (not just the run-of-the-mill Monster and Careerbuilders of the world). These sites "aggregate" postings from all over the web (not just from their paying customers) and this will give you a much better sampling of the jobs that you are interested in. Not only will it pull more jobs to you, their search capability is excellent and will allow you to really focus in on what you want.
You can also search the web using an effective boolean string. Try this one: (intitle:job OR inurl:job) KEYWORD or KEYWORD (MA OR Massachusetts) 01432..05544. I have used Massachusetts in this sample, but you can list your own state and zip code range. This will ensure you only pull back jobs in your location. Use a website called zipmath.com and go to "applications" and choose "Zip codes in a radius" to establish the zone you want to search in. Make sure to list the first and last zip in sequential order and separate it by two periods. You can also run this string replacing the word "job" with "position" or "career"
2- People also aren't looking because they think the salaries will be too low. No, we aren't seeing 20% pay raises like we experienced back in the day. However, people are getting good offers right now. We all need to wake up and smell the coffee here. Salary levels have changed. Just like how your home value has gone down, our professional "worth" has too to some extent. As a result, I think we all need to adjust to the new economy which will be about fair, reasonable, merit-based jumps in salary. I think it's perfectly acceptable to want to shoot for a 10% increase when expecting a job offer (and hopefully they can do this or even more). But we need to recognize that salaries are going to go through the same cycle that everything else has in the economy (a correction). So don't expect for an employer to pay you any more just because you need to make more money. Here's the good news...the days of the "low ball" seem to be over. We witnessed a lot of companies over the past 6 months try to put out a low offer and inevitably lose the candidate as a result. Companies are realizing this and are in a better position to be reasonable and fair having been burned by this in Q4 and Q1.
3- Afraid of getting caught is probably the biggest reason people aren't looking. You certainly don't want to be the one who has demonstrated your disloyalty to the company when cuts are being made. If you do, you will likely find yourself terminated or conveniently laid off. And if you are lucky enough to not get terminated, get ready for the bitter attitude you will continue to get from your boss. There's no reason you have to risk your job to conduct a job search.
Use a confidential resume and make sure to take off not only your name and address but also your current employer name. Companies will often run searches on Monster and the web using their company name as the search term to pull back "confidential" resumes of current employees looking to leave.
Don't use your work email to conduct your job search. First of all, your company can monitor this and find out. Or an innocent subject line that reads "your interview tomorrow" could be easily displayed on your desktop when your boss is over at your desk.
Always list your cell phone, not work phone. If you work in an open environment, it is completely obvious when you are trying to hide something on a phone call. This will only lead to suspicion.
If working with an agency, make sure they aren't openly marketing your background if you don't want them to and make sure they aren't sending your resume out without speaking to you first.
Don't ever put your resume into an open database or resume emailing service. You have no control over where it will go.
Bottom line: There are jobs out there. They pay well and you don't have to get caught looking for a new job.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
How to Answer 'Tell Me About Yourself...'
By: Jon Jacobs
A new acquaintance recently asked for guidance handling the open-ended interview question I used in the headline of this post. "Although it sounds benign, it can be lethal," he observed. "What do you feel is the answer a hiring manager/recruiter/other is looking for? Just as important: What do they not want to hear?"
He's smart to be looking for effective ways to field that deceptively simple question. It probably trips many people - and in fact probably tripped me up more than once.
While job-hunting in 2006 and early 2007, I faced the question numerous times. Later, when I had the opportunity to hear what career coaches and hiring managers had to say, I realized I'd been going about answering it all wrong.
More Than Where You've Been
The key is to not to make the question a jumping-off point for a career-path version of the "autobiography" your third-grade teacher asked you to write. Remember how everyone tackled those? "I was born in Metropolis, Ohio. My father is a car dealer. I have a sister, Patty, two brothers, Joe and Bill, and a dog, Spike. My hobbies are baseball, model trains and coin collecting....."
In other words: Resist the natural tendency to tick off each of your career roles and transitions in a single narrative.
The interviewer isn't looking for completeness. Instead, she is looking for a coherent "story" that provides indications you're a good fit for the opening. That means your answer should briefly convey both:
· A sense of who you are and where you're going - why the opening you're applying for represents a logical culmination of where you've been. You needn't make that point explicit, but if you can suggest it in your answer, you'll score points. And:
· Something about your previous career that prepares you for the role you're interviewing for. Just as with a resume, take pains to focus this part of your answer on accomplishments, not just responsibilities or functions. For each past or present job you discuss, mention an anecdote about a challenge you faced, a project you completed or a learning experience you had that's directly relevant to the new role. If you can also relate that challenge or project to your motivation for wanting the role, so much the better.
Don't Ramble
You needn't go through each and every job you've had. Feel free to skip over any of them. Nor must you explain why you left jobs: The interviewer surely will question you about that later.
The best answer to "tell me about yourself" will have the Goldilocks quality: just enough detail, without getting tedious or long-winded. Concise but not too concise. I envision this answer taking up to two minutes, assuming the interviewer doesn't break in with tributary questions while you're speaking.
If you can, try to watch yourself from outside while answering. Imagine one fraction of your mind perched in a corner of the wall and keeping tabs on how you're coming off. Be on guard against rambling. If you catch yourself starting to delve deeper and deeper into one situation or one past job, cut yourself off and move on.
When I had to job hunt a few years ago, I rehearsed answers to, "describe your three biggest strengths and your three biggest weaknesses." Surprise - not a single interviewer asked me that question. All the rage in the 1980s and early '90s, it seems to have all but vanished from modern practice. Instead, today's obligatory question is "tell me about yourself." Whether you meet by phone or face-to-face, it's often the first substantive thing out of the interviewer's mouth.
I hope this helps you develop a response that keeps you in the game.
-- Jon Jacobs
A new acquaintance recently asked for guidance handling the open-ended interview question I used in the headline of this post. "Although it sounds benign, it can be lethal," he observed. "What do you feel is the answer a hiring manager/recruiter/other is looking for? Just as important: What do they not want to hear?"
He's smart to be looking for effective ways to field that deceptively simple question. It probably trips many people - and in fact probably tripped me up more than once.
While job-hunting in 2006 and early 2007, I faced the question numerous times. Later, when I had the opportunity to hear what career coaches and hiring managers had to say, I realized I'd been going about answering it all wrong.
More Than Where You've Been
The key is to not to make the question a jumping-off point for a career-path version of the "autobiography" your third-grade teacher asked you to write. Remember how everyone tackled those? "I was born in Metropolis, Ohio. My father is a car dealer. I have a sister, Patty, two brothers, Joe and Bill, and a dog, Spike. My hobbies are baseball, model trains and coin collecting....."
In other words: Resist the natural tendency to tick off each of your career roles and transitions in a single narrative.
The interviewer isn't looking for completeness. Instead, she is looking for a coherent "story" that provides indications you're a good fit for the opening. That means your answer should briefly convey both:
· A sense of who you are and where you're going - why the opening you're applying for represents a logical culmination of where you've been. You needn't make that point explicit, but if you can suggest it in your answer, you'll score points. And:
· Something about your previous career that prepares you for the role you're interviewing for. Just as with a resume, take pains to focus this part of your answer on accomplishments, not just responsibilities or functions. For each past or present job you discuss, mention an anecdote about a challenge you faced, a project you completed or a learning experience you had that's directly relevant to the new role. If you can also relate that challenge or project to your motivation for wanting the role, so much the better.
Don't Ramble
You needn't go through each and every job you've had. Feel free to skip over any of them. Nor must you explain why you left jobs: The interviewer surely will question you about that later.
The best answer to "tell me about yourself" will have the Goldilocks quality: just enough detail, without getting tedious or long-winded. Concise but not too concise. I envision this answer taking up to two minutes, assuming the interviewer doesn't break in with tributary questions while you're speaking.
If you can, try to watch yourself from outside while answering. Imagine one fraction of your mind perched in a corner of the wall and keeping tabs on how you're coming off. Be on guard against rambling. If you catch yourself starting to delve deeper and deeper into one situation or one past job, cut yourself off and move on.
When I had to job hunt a few years ago, I rehearsed answers to, "describe your three biggest strengths and your three biggest weaknesses." Surprise - not a single interviewer asked me that question. All the rage in the 1980s and early '90s, it seems to have all but vanished from modern practice. Instead, today's obligatory question is "tell me about yourself." Whether you meet by phone or face-to-face, it's often the first substantive thing out of the interviewer's mouth.
I hope this helps you develop a response that keeps you in the game.
-- Jon Jacobs
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Is Print Recruitment Advertising Dead?
by John Zappe
Jun 24, 2009, 5:37 am ET
At a time when one of America’s largest newspapers is worth perhaps $1 — assuming it can be sold at all — is there any likelihood that the print industry’s single largest revenue category will ever even come close to approaching the $6, $7, and $8 billion glory days of a decade ago?
Not likely, say observers of the market (here’s just one) who have warned of the demise of the newspaper Help Wanted for years. The Conference Board, which once used the volume of employment ads in 51 of the nation’s newspapers as an index of labor health, discontinued its Help Wanted Advertising Index in July 2008. The Board explained the decision this way, “Because print advertising no longer comprehensively captures changes in labor-market demand, The Conference Board will focus its efforts on other indicators that better reflect today’s labor market …”
Earlier this month the Newspaper Association of America released the results of the first quarter newspaper revenues showing all categories down. But no classified category is down more than recruitment, off 67.4 percent from the first quarter of 2008. That’s a near disastrous showing, made worse because 2008’s first quarter was itself down by 35.4 percent from 2007.
In dollars, the drop means America’s daily newspapers took in $205.441 million in recruitment advertising from Jan 1 through March 31st. Compare that to the $119 million Monster took in from its North American job postings or compare it to CareerBuilder’s $141 million for the same period.
You don’t have to be a math wizard to see that just two online sites — the two biggest, to be sure — took in more job posting revenue than did all of the nation’s 1,400 or so daily newspapers. The newspapers also took in $3.1 billion in online revenue, with employment ads accounting for a piece of that total.
The accompanying chart shows the rise in employment advertising through 2000; its sudden drop with the tech crash of 2000 and then 9/11; it’s improvement into 2006; and, now, what is likely to be its final decline.
So definitive has been the crash of newspaper employment advertising that many newspapers are running help-wanted ads only on some days, rather than seven days a week. The Chicago Tribune, an owner of CareerBuilder, became the first major market daily to curtail recruitment advertising, when in early 2008 it decided to run ads only two days a week.
The rapid decline in newspaper employment advertising coincides with recruiter sentiment that newspapers don’t provide the same value as online job boards, employee referral programs and, increasingly, social networks.
In 2006, ERE in collaboration with Classified Intelligence surveyed several hundred recruiters visiting ERE and found they considered print advertising to be the least effective means of attracting candidates from among the five choices. Those choices were employee referral programs, job boards, career fairs, print, and social networks. We asked the decision-makers among the survey respondents about their spending on various media in 2006. Some 43 percent expected to spend less that year on print, while about that same percent expected to increase their spending on social networking sites, referral programs, and job boards. The numbers bear out those predictions.
That’s the glass-half-empty look at print recruitment advertising. If there is a half-full point of view, it’s not evident. We could point to ads in The New York Times, Las Vegas Review-Journal, and a few others that list available openings and point to online sites for more information. The Chicago Tribune does something similar with ads it runs for CareerBuilder during the week.
Recruitment advertising agencies that used to earn 15 percent commissions on newspaper ads that cost upwards of $3,000 on a Sunday have embraced other media, generating fees from buying online advertising, designing online campaigns and building career sites, and managing search engine marketing campaigns.
Executives from these agencies no longer spend time placing what used to be called in-line display ads in the daily newspaper. Now, they advocate using newspapers for integrated campaigns and for special events like on-site open houses and career fairs, where a wide net is desired.
Jun 24, 2009, 5:37 am ET
At a time when one of America’s largest newspapers is worth perhaps $1 — assuming it can be sold at all — is there any likelihood that the print industry’s single largest revenue category will ever even come close to approaching the $6, $7, and $8 billion glory days of a decade ago?
Not likely, say observers of the market (here’s just one) who have warned of the demise of the newspaper Help Wanted for years. The Conference Board, which once used the volume of employment ads in 51 of the nation’s newspapers as an index of labor health, discontinued its Help Wanted Advertising Index in July 2008. The Board explained the decision this way, “Because print advertising no longer comprehensively captures changes in labor-market demand, The Conference Board will focus its efforts on other indicators that better reflect today’s labor market …”
Earlier this month the Newspaper Association of America released the results of the first quarter newspaper revenues showing all categories down. But no classified category is down more than recruitment, off 67.4 percent from the first quarter of 2008. That’s a near disastrous showing, made worse because 2008’s first quarter was itself down by 35.4 percent from 2007.
In dollars, the drop means America’s daily newspapers took in $205.441 million in recruitment advertising from Jan 1 through March 31st. Compare that to the $119 million Monster took in from its North American job postings or compare it to CareerBuilder’s $141 million for the same period.
You don’t have to be a math wizard to see that just two online sites — the two biggest, to be sure — took in more job posting revenue than did all of the nation’s 1,400 or so daily newspapers. The newspapers also took in $3.1 billion in online revenue, with employment ads accounting for a piece of that total.
The accompanying chart shows the rise in employment advertising through 2000; its sudden drop with the tech crash of 2000 and then 9/11; it’s improvement into 2006; and, now, what is likely to be its final decline.
So definitive has been the crash of newspaper employment advertising that many newspapers are running help-wanted ads only on some days, rather than seven days a week. The Chicago Tribune, an owner of CareerBuilder, became the first major market daily to curtail recruitment advertising, when in early 2008 it decided to run ads only two days a week.
The rapid decline in newspaper employment advertising coincides with recruiter sentiment that newspapers don’t provide the same value as online job boards, employee referral programs and, increasingly, social networks.
In 2006, ERE in collaboration with Classified Intelligence surveyed several hundred recruiters visiting ERE and found they considered print advertising to be the least effective means of attracting candidates from among the five choices. Those choices were employee referral programs, job boards, career fairs, print, and social networks. We asked the decision-makers among the survey respondents about their spending on various media in 2006. Some 43 percent expected to spend less that year on print, while about that same percent expected to increase their spending on social networking sites, referral programs, and job boards. The numbers bear out those predictions.
That’s the glass-half-empty look at print recruitment advertising. If there is a half-full point of view, it’s not evident. We could point to ads in The New York Times, Las Vegas Review-Journal, and a few others that list available openings and point to online sites for more information. The Chicago Tribune does something similar with ads it runs for CareerBuilder during the week.
Recruitment advertising agencies that used to earn 15 percent commissions on newspaper ads that cost upwards of $3,000 on a Sunday have embraced other media, generating fees from buying online advertising, designing online campaigns and building career sites, and managing search engine marketing campaigns.
Executives from these agencies no longer spend time placing what used to be called in-line display ads in the daily newspaper. Now, they advocate using newspapers for integrated campaigns and for special events like on-site open houses and career fairs, where a wide net is desired.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
How To Get A Job
Fortune Magazine on-line has an excellent presentation on their Website that provides detailed information about how to market yourself.
Please check it out here and follow their excellent advice to land that next opportunity:http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/storysupplement/flyp/
It's all about targeted marketing of yourself!
Consultis of Orlando
Please check it out here and follow their excellent advice to land that next opportunity:http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/storysupplement/flyp/
It's all about targeted marketing of yourself!
Consultis of Orlando
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Ten Dying IT Skills
Ten Dying IT Skills
By Linda Leung
There are some things in life, like good manners, which never go out of style, and there are other things, like clothing styles that fall in and out of fashion, but when an IT skill falls out of favor it rarely ever comes back. Here's our list of 10 dying IT skills. If any of these skills are your main expertise, perhaps it's time to retrain.
1. Asynchronous Transfer Mode: ATM was popular in the late-1990s, particularly among carriers, as the answer to overworked frame relay for wide-area networking. It was considered more scalable than frame relay and offered inherent QoS support. It was also marketed as a LAN platform but that was its weakness. According to Wikipedia, ATM failed to gain wide acceptance in the LAN where IP makes more sense for unifying voice and data on the network. Wikipedia notes that ATM will continue to be deployed by carriers that have committed to existing ATM deployments, but the technology is increasingly challenged by speed and traffic shaping requirements of converged voice and data networks. A growing number of carriers are now using Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), which integrates the label-switching capabilities of ATM with the packet orientation of IP. IT skills researcher Foote Partners listed ATM in its IT Skills and Certification Pay Index as a noncertified IT skill that has decreased in value in the last six month of 2008.
2. Novell NetWare: Novell's network operating system was the defacto standard for LANs in the 1990s, running on more than 70% of enterprise networks. But Novell failed to compete with the marketing might of Microsoft. Novell tried to put up a good fight by acquiring WordPerfect to compete with Windows Office, but that move failed to ignite the market and Novell eventually sold WordPerfect to Corel in 1996. Novell certifications such as Certified Novell Engineer, Master Certified Novell Engineer, Certified Novell Certified Directory Engineer, and Novell Administrator were once hot certs in the industry but now they are featured in Foote Partners' list of skills that decreased in value in 2008. Hiring managers want Windows Server and Linux skills instead.
3. Visual J++: Skills pay for Microsoft's version of Java declined 37.5% last year, according to the Foote Partners' study. The life of J++, which is available with Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0, was not a smooth one. Although Sun Microsystems licensed Java to Microsoft to develop J++, Microsoft failed to implement some features of the official Java standard while implementing other extensions of its own. Sun sued Microsoft for licensing violations in a legal wrangle that lasted three years. Microsoft eventually replaced J++ with Microsoft .Net.
4. Wireless Application Protocol: Yes, people were able to browse the Internet in the late 1990s before Apple's iPhone. Web site operators would rewrite their content to the WAP's Wireless Markup Language, enabling users to access Web services such as email, stock results and news headlines using their cell phones and PDAs. WAP was not well received at the beginning because WAP sites were slow and lacked the richness of the Web. WAP has also seen different levels of uptake worldwide because of the different wireless regulations and standards around the world. WAP has since evolved and is a feature of Multimedia Messaging Service, but there are now a new generation of competing mobile Web browsers, including Opera Mobile and the iPhone's Safari browser.
5. ColdFusion: ColdFusion users rave that this Web programming language is easy to use and quick to jump into, but as many other independent software tools have experienced, it's hard to compete with products backed by expensive marketing campaigns from Microsoft and others. The language was originally released in 1995 by Allaire, which was acquired by Macromedia (which itself was purchased by Adobe). Today, it superseded by Microsoft .Net, Java, PHP and the language of the moment: open source Ruby on Rails. A quick search of the Indeed.com job aggregator site returned 11,045 jobs seeking PHP skills compared to 2,027 CF jobs. Even Ruby on Rails, which is a much newer technology receiving a major boost when Apple packaged it with OS X v10.5 in 2007, returned 1,550 jobs openings on Indeed.com.
6. RAD/Extreme Programming: Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s the rapid application development and extreme programming development philosophies resulted in quicker and more flexible programming that embraced the ever changing needs of customers during the development process. In XP, developers adapted to changing requirements at any point during the project life rather than attempting to define all requirements at the beginning. In RAD, developers embraced interactive use of structured techniques and prototyping to define users' requirements. The result was accelerated software development. Although the skills were consistently the highest paying in Foote Partners survey since 1999, they began to lose ground in 2003 due to the proliferation of offshore outsourcing of applications development.
7. Siebel: Siebel is one skill that makes a recurring appearance in the Foote Partners' list of skills that have lost their luster. Siebel was synonymous with customer relationship management in the late-90s and early 2000s, and the company dominated the market with a 45% share in 2002. Founded by Thomas Siebel, a former Oracle executive with no love lost for his past employer, Siebel competed aggressively with Oracle until 2006 when it was ultimately acquired by the database giant. Siebel's complex and expensive CRM software required experts to install and manage. That model lost out to the new breed of software-as-a-service (SaaS) packages from companies such as Salesforce.com that deliver comparable software over the Web. According to the U.K.'s ITJobsWatch.com site, Siebel experts command an average salary of GBP52,684 ($78,564), but that's a slide from GBP55,122 a year ago. Siebel is ranked 319 in the job research site's list of jobs in demand, compared to 310 in 2008.
8. SNA: The introduction of IP and other Internet networking technologies into enterprises in the 1990s signaled the demise of IBM's proprietary Systems Network Architecture. According to Wikipedia, the protocol is still used extensively in banks and other financial transaction networks and so SNA skills continue to appear in job ads. But permanent positions seeking SNA skills are few and far between. ITJobsWatch.com noted that there were three opening for permanent jobs between February and April, compared to 43 during the same period last year. Meanwhile, companies such as HP offer consultants with experience in SNA and other legacy skills such as OpenVMS and Tru64 Unix for short-term assignments.
9. HTML: We're not suggesting the Internet is dead but with the proliferation of easy to use WYSIWYG HTML editors enabling non-techies to set up blogs and Web pages, Web site development is no longer a black art. Sure, there's still a need for professional Web developers (see the ColdFusion entry above for a discussion about Java and PHP skills) but a good grasp of HTML isn't the only skill required of a Web developer. Professional developers often have expertise in Java, AJAX, C++ and .Net, among other programming languages. HTML as a skill lost more than 40% of its value between 2001 and 2003, according to Foote Partners.
10. COBOL: Is it dead or alive? This 40-year-old programming language often appears in lists of dying IT skills but it also appears in as many articles about organizations with legacy applications written in Cobol having a hard time seeking workers with Cobol skills. IBM cites statistics that 70% of the world's business data is still being processed by Cobol applications. But how many of these applications will remain in Cobol for the long term? Even IBM is pushing its customers to "build bridges" and use service-oriented architecture to "transform legacy applications and make them part of a fast and flexible IT architecture."
About the Author
Linda Leung is an independent writer/editor in California. Reach Linda at leungllh@gmail.com.
By Linda Leung
There are some things in life, like good manners, which never go out of style, and there are other things, like clothing styles that fall in and out of fashion, but when an IT skill falls out of favor it rarely ever comes back. Here's our list of 10 dying IT skills. If any of these skills are your main expertise, perhaps it's time to retrain.
1. Asynchronous Transfer Mode: ATM was popular in the late-1990s, particularly among carriers, as the answer to overworked frame relay for wide-area networking. It was considered more scalable than frame relay and offered inherent QoS support. It was also marketed as a LAN platform but that was its weakness. According to Wikipedia, ATM failed to gain wide acceptance in the LAN where IP makes more sense for unifying voice and data on the network. Wikipedia notes that ATM will continue to be deployed by carriers that have committed to existing ATM deployments, but the technology is increasingly challenged by speed and traffic shaping requirements of converged voice and data networks. A growing number of carriers are now using Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), which integrates the label-switching capabilities of ATM with the packet orientation of IP. IT skills researcher Foote Partners listed ATM in its IT Skills and Certification Pay Index as a noncertified IT skill that has decreased in value in the last six month of 2008.
2. Novell NetWare: Novell's network operating system was the defacto standard for LANs in the 1990s, running on more than 70% of enterprise networks. But Novell failed to compete with the marketing might of Microsoft. Novell tried to put up a good fight by acquiring WordPerfect to compete with Windows Office, but that move failed to ignite the market and Novell eventually sold WordPerfect to Corel in 1996. Novell certifications such as Certified Novell Engineer, Master Certified Novell Engineer, Certified Novell Certified Directory Engineer, and Novell Administrator were once hot certs in the industry but now they are featured in Foote Partners' list of skills that decreased in value in 2008. Hiring managers want Windows Server and Linux skills instead.
3. Visual J++: Skills pay for Microsoft's version of Java declined 37.5% last year, according to the Foote Partners' study. The life of J++, which is available with Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0, was not a smooth one. Although Sun Microsystems licensed Java to Microsoft to develop J++, Microsoft failed to implement some features of the official Java standard while implementing other extensions of its own. Sun sued Microsoft for licensing violations in a legal wrangle that lasted three years. Microsoft eventually replaced J++ with Microsoft .Net.
4. Wireless Application Protocol: Yes, people were able to browse the Internet in the late 1990s before Apple's iPhone. Web site operators would rewrite their content to the WAP's Wireless Markup Language, enabling users to access Web services such as email, stock results and news headlines using their cell phones and PDAs. WAP was not well received at the beginning because WAP sites were slow and lacked the richness of the Web. WAP has also seen different levels of uptake worldwide because of the different wireless regulations and standards around the world. WAP has since evolved and is a feature of Multimedia Messaging Service, but there are now a new generation of competing mobile Web browsers, including Opera Mobile and the iPhone's Safari browser.
5. ColdFusion: ColdFusion users rave that this Web programming language is easy to use and quick to jump into, but as many other independent software tools have experienced, it's hard to compete with products backed by expensive marketing campaigns from Microsoft and others. The language was originally released in 1995 by Allaire, which was acquired by Macromedia (which itself was purchased by Adobe). Today, it superseded by Microsoft .Net, Java, PHP and the language of the moment: open source Ruby on Rails. A quick search of the Indeed.com job aggregator site returned 11,045 jobs seeking PHP skills compared to 2,027 CF jobs. Even Ruby on Rails, which is a much newer technology receiving a major boost when Apple packaged it with OS X v10.5 in 2007, returned 1,550 jobs openings on Indeed.com.
6. RAD/Extreme Programming: Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s the rapid application development and extreme programming development philosophies resulted in quicker and more flexible programming that embraced the ever changing needs of customers during the development process. In XP, developers adapted to changing requirements at any point during the project life rather than attempting to define all requirements at the beginning. In RAD, developers embraced interactive use of structured techniques and prototyping to define users' requirements. The result was accelerated software development. Although the skills were consistently the highest paying in Foote Partners survey since 1999, they began to lose ground in 2003 due to the proliferation of offshore outsourcing of applications development.
7. Siebel: Siebel is one skill that makes a recurring appearance in the Foote Partners' list of skills that have lost their luster. Siebel was synonymous with customer relationship management in the late-90s and early 2000s, and the company dominated the market with a 45% share in 2002. Founded by Thomas Siebel, a former Oracle executive with no love lost for his past employer, Siebel competed aggressively with Oracle until 2006 when it was ultimately acquired by the database giant. Siebel's complex and expensive CRM software required experts to install and manage. That model lost out to the new breed of software-as-a-service (SaaS) packages from companies such as Salesforce.com that deliver comparable software over the Web. According to the U.K.'s ITJobsWatch.com site, Siebel experts command an average salary of GBP52,684 ($78,564), but that's a slide from GBP55,122 a year ago. Siebel is ranked 319 in the job research site's list of jobs in demand, compared to 310 in 2008.
8. SNA: The introduction of IP and other Internet networking technologies into enterprises in the 1990s signaled the demise of IBM's proprietary Systems Network Architecture. According to Wikipedia, the protocol is still used extensively in banks and other financial transaction networks and so SNA skills continue to appear in job ads. But permanent positions seeking SNA skills are few and far between. ITJobsWatch.com noted that there were three opening for permanent jobs between February and April, compared to 43 during the same period last year. Meanwhile, companies such as HP offer consultants with experience in SNA and other legacy skills such as OpenVMS and Tru64 Unix for short-term assignments.
9. HTML: We're not suggesting the Internet is dead but with the proliferation of easy to use WYSIWYG HTML editors enabling non-techies to set up blogs and Web pages, Web site development is no longer a black art. Sure, there's still a need for professional Web developers (see the ColdFusion entry above for a discussion about Java and PHP skills) but a good grasp of HTML isn't the only skill required of a Web developer. Professional developers often have expertise in Java, AJAX, C++ and .Net, among other programming languages. HTML as a skill lost more than 40% of its value between 2001 and 2003, according to Foote Partners.
10. COBOL: Is it dead or alive? This 40-year-old programming language often appears in lists of dying IT skills but it also appears in as many articles about organizations with legacy applications written in Cobol having a hard time seeking workers with Cobol skills. IBM cites statistics that 70% of the world's business data is still being processed by Cobol applications. But how many of these applications will remain in Cobol for the long term? Even IBM is pushing its customers to "build bridges" and use service-oriented architecture to "transform legacy applications and make them part of a fast and flexible IT architecture."
About the Author
Linda Leung is an independent writer/editor in California. Reach Linda at leungllh@gmail.com.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Boost Your Salary: The Six Hottest High-Tech Jobs
by Amelia Gray, FindtheRightSchool.com
If you're looking to bring your salary up to 21st century compliance, training in IT can take you there. It's a big, high-tech world out there, but with the right training, you can secure a challenging career in a growing field.
Top Career Training for Tech Jobs
Specialization is key in the high-tech world. Focus your interests on one element of the industry -- images, for example -- and you'll find yourself a range of opportunities for training and career advancement. Check out some of the hottest IT jobs around, and learn how you can use career training to prepare for them.
1. Systems Analyst
Stand at the front lines of a company's IT evolution as a systems analyst. This top IT career is expected to skyrocket through 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), with about 140,000 careers for network systems and data communications analysts expected to enter the field. Salary is another perk, with analysts earning mean annual wages of $70,760 in 2007.
Career Training: Consider a bachelor's degree in management information systems, computer science, or information science.
2. Support
You're the guru in this job, which has you solving computer crashes and installation issues for multiple computers. IT support careers are valuable simply for their range. You may find work at a corporation's internal support desk, or steer towards retail or phone support. Computer support specialists saw mean annual wages of $45,300 in 2007, the BLS reports.
Career Training: An associate's degree gives you the technical training you need to work in many entry-level support positions. If you have a degree or extensive support knowledge already, a certificate can keep your skills current.
3. Graphic Design
Express your artistic side with this high-tech career. Graphic designers can be found in mom-and-pop operations and Fortune 500 companies alike, creating logos, photo illustration, print layouts and more. Want to work for yourself? About 25 percent of graphic designers are self-employed, the BLS reports. Overall, graphic designers enjoyed mean annual salaries of $45,340 in 2007.
Career Training: A bachelor's degree in graphic design is recommended for most careers in the field, though some technical careers may be possible with an associate's degree.
4. Programming
Work behind the scenes to create the programs and applications you use every day with a career in programming. In 2007, programmers used their advanced knowledge of code to earn mean annual wages of $72,010, the BLS reports. Keep your training current and you may be able to join them.
Career Training: About eight out of 10 programmers held an associate's degree or higher in 2006, the BLS reports; nearly half had a bachelor's degree. Degrees in computer science, information systems, and mathematics are popular.
5. Web Design
Specializing in Web design may seem like narrowing your graphic design focus, but a targeted level of training in Web design can be useful to get your foot in the door of an established business or design company. The BLS notes that graphic designers with Web site design currently have the best prospects for employment.
Career Training: An associate's degree or certificate program in Web design proves your specialty in the field. Some hiring managers may prefer a bachelor's degree.
6. Software Engineering
Like computer programmers in overdrive, software engineers control every aspect of a software's design, development, and testing. They're paid handsomely for their advanced knowledge, with applications software engineers earning $85,660 in 2007, according to the BLS. The career is expected to see a lot of growth in the coming years; 226,000 new jobs for applications software engineers are expected to enter the market before 2016.
Career Training: A bachelor's degree in computer science or computer engineering is typically required for the job.
Online IT Training Pays Off
While no educational program can guarantee a particular career or salary, hiring managers in the fields above often prefer or require formal education among applicants. Use an online degree in IT to train for a job or keep your skills current.
Amelia Gray is a freelance writer in Austin, Texas.
If you're looking to bring your salary up to 21st century compliance, training in IT can take you there. It's a big, high-tech world out there, but with the right training, you can secure a challenging career in a growing field.
Top Career Training for Tech Jobs
Specialization is key in the high-tech world. Focus your interests on one element of the industry -- images, for example -- and you'll find yourself a range of opportunities for training and career advancement. Check out some of the hottest IT jobs around, and learn how you can use career training to prepare for them.
1. Systems Analyst
Stand at the front lines of a company's IT evolution as a systems analyst. This top IT career is expected to skyrocket through 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), with about 140,000 careers for network systems and data communications analysts expected to enter the field. Salary is another perk, with analysts earning mean annual wages of $70,760 in 2007.
Career Training: Consider a bachelor's degree in management information systems, computer science, or information science.
2. Support
You're the guru in this job, which has you solving computer crashes and installation issues for multiple computers. IT support careers are valuable simply for their range. You may find work at a corporation's internal support desk, or steer towards retail or phone support. Computer support specialists saw mean annual wages of $45,300 in 2007, the BLS reports.
Career Training: An associate's degree gives you the technical training you need to work in many entry-level support positions. If you have a degree or extensive support knowledge already, a certificate can keep your skills current.
3. Graphic Design
Express your artistic side with this high-tech career. Graphic designers can be found in mom-and-pop operations and Fortune 500 companies alike, creating logos, photo illustration, print layouts and more. Want to work for yourself? About 25 percent of graphic designers are self-employed, the BLS reports. Overall, graphic designers enjoyed mean annual salaries of $45,340 in 2007.
Career Training: A bachelor's degree in graphic design is recommended for most careers in the field, though some technical careers may be possible with an associate's degree.
4. Programming
Work behind the scenes to create the programs and applications you use every day with a career in programming. In 2007, programmers used their advanced knowledge of code to earn mean annual wages of $72,010, the BLS reports. Keep your training current and you may be able to join them.
Career Training: About eight out of 10 programmers held an associate's degree or higher in 2006, the BLS reports; nearly half had a bachelor's degree. Degrees in computer science, information systems, and mathematics are popular.
5. Web Design
Specializing in Web design may seem like narrowing your graphic design focus, but a targeted level of training in Web design can be useful to get your foot in the door of an established business or design company. The BLS notes that graphic designers with Web site design currently have the best prospects for employment.
Career Training: An associate's degree or certificate program in Web design proves your specialty in the field. Some hiring managers may prefer a bachelor's degree.
6. Software Engineering
Like computer programmers in overdrive, software engineers control every aspect of a software's design, development, and testing. They're paid handsomely for their advanced knowledge, with applications software engineers earning $85,660 in 2007, according to the BLS. The career is expected to see a lot of growth in the coming years; 226,000 new jobs for applications software engineers are expected to enter the market before 2016.
Career Training: A bachelor's degree in computer science or computer engineering is typically required for the job.
Online IT Training Pays Off
While no educational program can guarantee a particular career or salary, hiring managers in the fields above often prefer or require formal education among applicants. Use an online degree in IT to train for a job or keep your skills current.
Amelia Gray is a freelance writer in Austin, Texas.
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