Life Long Learning – A Wise Investment in You
Lifelong learning is an absolute necessity for everyone, especially when we consider how much our lives can change in the span of a year due to technology alone! How many of us have iphones, Blackberries and HD TV in our homes? This simple statement demonstrates how we need to develop our skills throughout our lives, not only for personal use but for employability factors as well. Our careers are constantly evolving as well. How we receive communication, how we are managed and how we perform our jobs, changes constantly with technology. Some of us work from home now, who could have imagined that a mere decade ago?
As workers, we are exposed to the rapid pace of change all of the time. Jobs have been eliminated because of these changes and this trend does not seem to be slowing down. When new technology is introduced, processes somewhere are streamlined which means someone could be out of a job. How are you keeping pace?
Challenges of Life Long Learning
Wearing my many hats as career coach, employment counselor and recruiter, I have met with many clients that have found themselves searching for new jobs but face a skills gap in their experience. Many workers have been long tenured in their roles. These workers did not upgrade their skills or how they performed their jobs during their career journey. Upgrading or new training may not have even occurred to them because there was a perception of long-term employment or security within their organization. These workers appeared onto the job market with excellent work histories but lacked the up to date skills that employers of today’s streamlined workforce demand. An example of this may be a bookkeeper who always worked on in-house or proprietary systems. Administrative clerks in a company that never upgraded to the recent versions of Microsoft. Even equipment operators with in-house certifications found out these papers were not transferrable to new employers. Many IT professionals also experience the gap because their companies may not have continuously upgraded programs or equipment. These workers cannot compete with new graduates of business colleges who have the shiny new versions of programs or skills.
What Can You Do
The solution is simple, become a continuously learner throughout your life. That answer is not so simple however. It is not always possible to find funds that will allow you to take a courses. Perhaps there are other commitments in life that leaves little room or time to learn. Fortunately, continuous learning and training can be tackled from a variety of different approaches.
Self Funding
By investing in yourself and paying your own way, you are in control of your learning. The expense can in many cases be written off on taxes but the obstacle to self-funded learning can be finding the money to do this. There are small courses available for office skills through community programs, night schools and other resources within your local area. Examples of this may be basic bookkeeping courses, Microsoft Office courses or very basic computer courses that can teach you to email. Many of these types of courses are inexpensive and very part time. Many courses are accessible over a period of an evening or two over a few weeks. Larger education commitments may require more resourcefulness.
Community Employment Resource Centers
There are a number of employment resource facilities available within your local area. These centers typically service unemployed workers but will be able to direct you to nearest training facilities for computer skills, IT training, equipment operation or forklift courses as well as short-term certificates. If you are unemployed, these centers can assist you in accessing benefits through unemployment that could help with the funding for training as well. Speak to a local case manager and see where this possibility can take you. You can find these services by contacting your local employment office or performing an internet search for services in your local area.
Employer Funded Programs
Depending upon where you work, many companies do have employer funded training. These programs will typically sponsor training as long as it is job related. Some programs will reimburse you immediately; others will pay once you have completed the course. You must present the employer with a transcript at the end. Others will pay the bill up front. Speaking with your manager or Human Resources representative can provide you with the information and direction you will need to get started.
Other Options
If you are unable to access training through employer funding and you just do not have the means to pay, not all is lost. What can you do to support your continued growth? You may consider reading up on your trade or vocation through journals, credible websites and other publications. Stay current with market place trends and read about technology changes or corporate changes within your field. Joining associations to network with people in your career path is great because you can find out what is going on out in the world of your profession. Which company is upgrading to new equipment or technology? Who is hiring? Who is laying off? Through professional networking groups, you can meet your peers and or their managers. This can be the open door to your next offer as well! You can get started today on LinkedIn depending upon your field of work.
In your workplace, you can ask about learning new roles or positions. This is not about moving upwards within the company but perhaps laterally for a while. By cross training in a variety of roles, you can gain some valuable experience. This can assist in making you more employable and agile in the job market. The more opportunity we can have to learn how to do something new or different, makes us more desirable for hire with future employers.
I had the pleasure early in my career to work with a wonderful woman who was new to the field of recruitment and staffing. I asked her what she wanted from me as a manager and her request has stayed with me for many years. Her response was “I want every possible experience I can have here for my resume and for my future”. That response could be interpreted many different ways including “this person is not going to stay in this job” but it really was an entry-level role. I did my best to provide her with her request. The employee stayed with me for several years and as a manager I learned a valuable lesson that day. Let employees learn, encourage them to learn as much as they can, give them the chance to see new things, always provide the opportunity for growth because our futures need continuous learning.
The journey to life long learning can begin with something as simple as a foreign language CD purchased from a bookstore. It can be all of the things discussed in this blog. The important message to take away from here is to make sure that you are giving your career room for growth, stretching and ongoing challenge. This learning will take on new forms as you evolve in your role(s) but you will be the ultimate winner and hopefully the most sought after candidate at a job interview.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Best Tips For Posting Your Resume On Line - Be Noticed!
10 Effective Tips To Post Your Resume On Line
Posting your resume on line with job boards can provide you with access to a number of hidden opportunities. Many companies, recruiters, and HR departments pay for the privilege to search or “mine” these databases before they ever post their open opportunity. Posting your resume on line following these tips can increase your chances to find your next job!
Many job boards offer the opportunity for job seekers to create an account with them and post your resume free. Here are 10 great tips to keep in mind when posting your resume on line.
1. Keep your contact information hidden. Only divulge this information once a recruiter or company has made contact with you. At this time, you can decide if you would like to proceed with contact and a potential interview.
2. Confirm that you retain ownership of your content once posted. Ensure that you can go back and edit your information as many times as you need.
3. Choose reputable websites only.
4. Create a specific job searching email or professional email address such as maryadmin2@yahoo.ca. The added benefit is a customized email for your job search that does not interfere with your daily email or your personal email address which may not be job seeking friendly.
5. Keep your confidential information to a minimum. You do want to be found after all. Current employer information is acceptable to remain hidden. However, too much hidden information will lower your response rate from HR departments seeking to hire your skills.
6. Hiding your current employer is a very good idea. Many HR advisors use alerts to discover employees searching for work. Keep your current employer information hidden.
7. Use sites that are popular and easy to access
8. Maximize you use of key words and catchy phrases. You need your resume to stand out in the pile so the more key words used, the faster your resume rises to the top.
9. Use plain text when posting on line, make sure you also make use of the spell check features where offered.
10. Once you post your resume, do not let it sit there. Databases sort resumes by date of submission with the newest resumes first. Make sure that you check in and renew your on-line resumes every two weeks to keep it current. If you do not have any response after 30 days, remove it and try another site.
Make your resume stand out with powerful keywords
Sites like Monster provide large amounts of characters to post your on-line resume. Monster for example allows the objective portion, up to 2000 characters! So, your objective can state, “to find work as an accountant using my skills in ....” List all of your skills here. Posters are often given the final word such as “Describe your dream job”. Monster allows posters 500 characters for this purpose. Typically, this can be a repeat of your objective again maximizing your key words.
Posting your resume on line with job boards can provide you with access to a number of hidden opportunities. Many companies, recruiters, and HR departments pay for the privilege to search or “mine” these databases before they ever post their open opportunity. Posting your resume on line following these tips can increase your chances to find your next job!
Many job boards offer the opportunity for job seekers to create an account with them and post your resume free. Here are 10 great tips to keep in mind when posting your resume on line.
1. Keep your contact information hidden. Only divulge this information once a recruiter or company has made contact with you. At this time, you can decide if you would like to proceed with contact and a potential interview.
2. Confirm that you retain ownership of your content once posted. Ensure that you can go back and edit your information as many times as you need.
3. Choose reputable websites only.
4. Create a specific job searching email or professional email address such as maryadmin2@yahoo.ca. The added benefit is a customized email for your job search that does not interfere with your daily email or your personal email address which may not be job seeking friendly.
5. Keep your confidential information to a minimum. You do want to be found after all. Current employer information is acceptable to remain hidden. However, too much hidden information will lower your response rate from HR departments seeking to hire your skills.
6. Hiding your current employer is a very good idea. Many HR advisors use alerts to discover employees searching for work. Keep your current employer information hidden.
7. Use sites that are popular and easy to access
8. Maximize you use of key words and catchy phrases. You need your resume to stand out in the pile so the more key words used, the faster your resume rises to the top.
9. Use plain text when posting on line, make sure you also make use of the spell check features where offered.
10. Once you post your resume, do not let it sit there. Databases sort resumes by date of submission with the newest resumes first. Make sure that you check in and renew your on-line resumes every two weeks to keep it current. If you do not have any response after 30 days, remove it and try another site.
Make your resume stand out with powerful keywords
Sites like Monster provide large amounts of characters to post your on-line resume. Monster for example allows the objective portion, up to 2000 characters! So, your objective can state, “to find work as an accountant using my skills in ....” List all of your skills here. Posters are often given the final word such as “Describe your dream job”. Monster allows posters 500 characters for this purpose. Typically, this can be a repeat of your objective again maximizing your key words.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Using LinkedIn for Your Job Search
TIPS FOR USING LINKEDIN
Did you know that 8.5 million experienced professionals use LinkedIn around the world representing more than 130 industries? Members use this site to sell their product or service, find a job, form a partnership or make connections with other people. People with more than 20 connections are 34 more times likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people less than five connections! LinkedIn is also a great source of groups where members of common fields can post questions or receive updates regarding their industries.
LinkedIn is a very common tool used by recruiters for sourcing talent and head hunting so this alone is great motivation to be utilizing this site if you are seeking change and new challenges in your career. Did you know that you can use the techniques of sourcing on LinkedIn to find your next job? LinkedIn can be a great starting point to find people you may want to meet for an informational interview as a step towards your new career.
Getting Started On LinkedIn
1. Create your profile but make sure you complete it 100 percent. This includes a picture of yourself, hopefully a current one! Your profile will consist of your education, past work history, current work history and a brief bio about yourself. Some profiles include blogs, books that have been recently read and groups.
2. Join Groups. There are dozens of industry specific groups that may be of interest to you. Groups allow you to network with new people from your industry or industries.
3. Make connections with members. Find your co-workers from the past and present or business contacts like former clients. The more connections you make, the better the network you build. Connections should know you personally or have done business with you in the past.
4. Get recommended. LinkedIn allows you to recommend your connections as well as allow your connections to recommend you. These informal references are a great testimonial to the work you can accomplish.
Job Hunting Using LinkedIn
1. Use your status line to announce your job searching intentions with statements like “Open to Opportunities” Keep your status lines professional at all times. Unlike Facebook, we probably should not know about your weekend. Be aware if you link an account from Twitter to LinkedIn, that status update will populate to LinkedIn. I once told my business contacts about the great chicken soup I made on the weekend!
2. Use your recommendations as informal references when job searching. Future employers will perform a Google search of your name and your LinkedIn profile will appear. Future recruiters or human resource professionals will look for your profile and review your information.
3. Use LinkedIn to research companies that you may want your next role in. Search for company employees by performing a company name search. Review their profile to learn about their background, education etc.
4. Using the advance search feature on LinkedIn, you can search for jobs by clicking on the Jobs tab at the top of your profile.
5. Use LinkedIn to research companies like a head hunter! Using the search function type in key words for a position like “Sales Manager” and the city you live in. A list of LinkedIn members will appear. Research the appropriate profiles for former employment and current employment. It is from this information you now have company names where you may be interested in cold calling your resume. Do not cold call your resume to the person’s profile you were just examining. You will need to call the company and determine the name of the best person to submit your information to for that potential interview.
Special Notes on Social Networking
Please be aware that every profile you create on the internet can be viewed publicly unless you ensure proper security measures are in place. Perform a Google search of your name to see what you find. While profiles like Facebook or Twitter are your own personal expression, companies may not feel that your form of personal expression is for them and may not hire you. Our world is an open network, which allows for little privacy. Taking the extra measures to ensure that you keep your personal social profiles confidential may make the difference between being hired or not.
Did you know that 8.5 million experienced professionals use LinkedIn around the world representing more than 130 industries? Members use this site to sell their product or service, find a job, form a partnership or make connections with other people. People with more than 20 connections are 34 more times likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people less than five connections! LinkedIn is also a great source of groups where members of common fields can post questions or receive updates regarding their industries.
LinkedIn is a very common tool used by recruiters for sourcing talent and head hunting so this alone is great motivation to be utilizing this site if you are seeking change and new challenges in your career. Did you know that you can use the techniques of sourcing on LinkedIn to find your next job? LinkedIn can be a great starting point to find people you may want to meet for an informational interview as a step towards your new career.
Getting Started On LinkedIn
1. Create your profile but make sure you complete it 100 percent. This includes a picture of yourself, hopefully a current one! Your profile will consist of your education, past work history, current work history and a brief bio about yourself. Some profiles include blogs, books that have been recently read and groups.
2. Join Groups. There are dozens of industry specific groups that may be of interest to you. Groups allow you to network with new people from your industry or industries.
3. Make connections with members. Find your co-workers from the past and present or business contacts like former clients. The more connections you make, the better the network you build. Connections should know you personally or have done business with you in the past.
4. Get recommended. LinkedIn allows you to recommend your connections as well as allow your connections to recommend you. These informal references are a great testimonial to the work you can accomplish.
Job Hunting Using LinkedIn
1. Use your status line to announce your job searching intentions with statements like “Open to Opportunities” Keep your status lines professional at all times. Unlike Facebook, we probably should not know about your weekend. Be aware if you link an account from Twitter to LinkedIn, that status update will populate to LinkedIn. I once told my business contacts about the great chicken soup I made on the weekend!
2. Use your recommendations as informal references when job searching. Future employers will perform a Google search of your name and your LinkedIn profile will appear. Future recruiters or human resource professionals will look for your profile and review your information.
3. Use LinkedIn to research companies that you may want your next role in. Search for company employees by performing a company name search. Review their profile to learn about their background, education etc.
4. Using the advance search feature on LinkedIn, you can search for jobs by clicking on the Jobs tab at the top of your profile.
5. Use LinkedIn to research companies like a head hunter! Using the search function type in key words for a position like “Sales Manager” and the city you live in. A list of LinkedIn members will appear. Research the appropriate profiles for former employment and current employment. It is from this information you now have company names where you may be interested in cold calling your resume. Do not cold call your resume to the person’s profile you were just examining. You will need to call the company and determine the name of the best person to submit your information to for that potential interview.
Special Notes on Social Networking
Please be aware that every profile you create on the internet can be viewed publicly unless you ensure proper security measures are in place. Perform a Google search of your name to see what you find. While profiles like Facebook or Twitter are your own personal expression, companies may not feel that your form of personal expression is for them and may not hire you. Our world is an open network, which allows for little privacy. Taking the extra measures to ensure that you keep your personal social profiles confidential may make the difference between being hired or not.
Informational Interviews - Great Networking For Future Jobs
Effective Tips for Informational Interviewing
Effective job searching requires a combination of strategies that will lead to a new role. Search strategies include the use of job postings found through on line resources or newspapers and referral opportunities provided by friends and acquaintances. An often-overlooked strategy for job seeking is an informational interview. This type of networking can provide insider knowledge about company and employment requirements to work there. Through this activity, information can be found about the business in general, corporate culture within the organization, types of roles that are hired and the skills or qualifications needed to work there. Informational interviews are an excellent source of information that allows you the opportunity to discover if they are the right fit for the business or industry. It also allows you to try the company on before you commit to employment within the occupation or business.
Getting Started – How to Prepare For an Informational Interview
1. Prepare a target list of occupations and companies that are of interest to you and create a list of opportunity for your job search.
2. Research the organizations that are your intended target list of opportunity. Find the key people in place that hire for roles from the list or currently occupy those positions. Using a website like LinkedIn may be very useful for discovering managers and organizations on your target list.
3. Prepare a letter or email requesting an informational interview from contacts on the list.
4. Create a list of questions that you will use as the guide for the interview.
5. Dress professionally for this interview as this is a networking opportunity that could lead to a successful hire. Leave a good first impression.
6. Do not ask for a job during the interview, this interview is for research purposes only.
7. Always thank the person for their time. It is appropriate to follow up with a card or email
Informational Interview Questions
In order to gather the information from the interview it is acceptable to bring a notepad, pen and a list of questions to the meeting. A list of prepared questions allows both parties to stay on topic with the process and adhere to time constraints. Some sample questions to consider may be:
1. What does a typical workweek look like for you?
2. How did you enter into this field?
3. What type of training or formal education did you require?
4. Tell me about the pace of the job, is it typically fast, slow or moderate for this role?
5. Do you work alone or in a team most often?
6. Can you tell me a little about your work life balance?
7. Does this job require much over time or travel?
8. What do you like most about your job?
9. What do you find challenging?
10. What do you feel are the most important skills and traits needed for success in this role?
11. What are the typical working conditions like?
12. What types of changes are coming in this field either with technology or within organizations like this?
13. How long have you held this role or been with this company? What does retention look like in this field?
14. What are the biggest issues or new trends in this field?
15. Are there associations or publications I should be reading or connecting with to enter into this field?
16. What types of career backgrounds find the best success in this organization?
17. What are career advancement opportunities like in this field?
18. Are there entry-level roles for this industry and where can they be found?
19. Can you tell me about the corporate culture or environment of this company or industry?
20. Is there any other advice or information that you can share with me that we have not discussed?
During the interview process, pay close attention to the workplace surroundings you are visiting. What does the office look like? Are employees in cubicles or separate spaces? Is the workspace modern and updated or old and worn looking? Observing other employees if possible, do they seem engaged in work appearing happy or do they look stressed. The opportunity to experience an informational interview also allows job seekers a brief glimpse of corporate culture within an organization.
Next Steps – Following Up
After completing an informational interview with a company or group of companies, it is important to follow up with a thank you in the form of a card or an email to the person you met with. This person may become part of a network for future searches or referrals.
The second part of follow up for the interview is to review all of the information you gathered during your meeting. A thorough review of notes may highlight organizations that would be beneficial to join. Other pieces of information may be to find technical publications or reading lists for the role to keep you up to date with industry standards or changes. Follow up with any contacts or further suggestions are also important as this may lead to more connections within the industry or a future job offer. Where possible, maintain a connection to the person you met with for further information or possible employment opportunities.
Job searching requires careful planning and strategies that utilize many different approaches. Informational interviews are a very good way to source information about roles, organizations and corporate culture. These interviews provide details about employer’s needs or possible future vacancies. Through this process, exploration of different organizations, industry trends, corporate culture as well as job roles may be discovered.
Effective job searching requires a combination of strategies that will lead to a new role. Search strategies include the use of job postings found through on line resources or newspapers and referral opportunities provided by friends and acquaintances. An often-overlooked strategy for job seeking is an informational interview. This type of networking can provide insider knowledge about company and employment requirements to work there. Through this activity, information can be found about the business in general, corporate culture within the organization, types of roles that are hired and the skills or qualifications needed to work there. Informational interviews are an excellent source of information that allows you the opportunity to discover if they are the right fit for the business or industry. It also allows you to try the company on before you commit to employment within the occupation or business.
Getting Started – How to Prepare For an Informational Interview
1. Prepare a target list of occupations and companies that are of interest to you and create a list of opportunity for your job search.
2. Research the organizations that are your intended target list of opportunity. Find the key people in place that hire for roles from the list or currently occupy those positions. Using a website like LinkedIn may be very useful for discovering managers and organizations on your target list.
3. Prepare a letter or email requesting an informational interview from contacts on the list.
4. Create a list of questions that you will use as the guide for the interview.
5. Dress professionally for this interview as this is a networking opportunity that could lead to a successful hire. Leave a good first impression.
6. Do not ask for a job during the interview, this interview is for research purposes only.
7. Always thank the person for their time. It is appropriate to follow up with a card or email
Informational Interview Questions
In order to gather the information from the interview it is acceptable to bring a notepad, pen and a list of questions to the meeting. A list of prepared questions allows both parties to stay on topic with the process and adhere to time constraints. Some sample questions to consider may be:
1. What does a typical workweek look like for you?
2. How did you enter into this field?
3. What type of training or formal education did you require?
4. Tell me about the pace of the job, is it typically fast, slow or moderate for this role?
5. Do you work alone or in a team most often?
6. Can you tell me a little about your work life balance?
7. Does this job require much over time or travel?
8. What do you like most about your job?
9. What do you find challenging?
10. What do you feel are the most important skills and traits needed for success in this role?
11. What are the typical working conditions like?
12. What types of changes are coming in this field either with technology or within organizations like this?
13. How long have you held this role or been with this company? What does retention look like in this field?
14. What are the biggest issues or new trends in this field?
15. Are there associations or publications I should be reading or connecting with to enter into this field?
16. What types of career backgrounds find the best success in this organization?
17. What are career advancement opportunities like in this field?
18. Are there entry-level roles for this industry and where can they be found?
19. Can you tell me about the corporate culture or environment of this company or industry?
20. Is there any other advice or information that you can share with me that we have not discussed?
During the interview process, pay close attention to the workplace surroundings you are visiting. What does the office look like? Are employees in cubicles or separate spaces? Is the workspace modern and updated or old and worn looking? Observing other employees if possible, do they seem engaged in work appearing happy or do they look stressed. The opportunity to experience an informational interview also allows job seekers a brief glimpse of corporate culture within an organization.
Next Steps – Following Up
After completing an informational interview with a company or group of companies, it is important to follow up with a thank you in the form of a card or an email to the person you met with. This person may become part of a network for future searches or referrals.
The second part of follow up for the interview is to review all of the information you gathered during your meeting. A thorough review of notes may highlight organizations that would be beneficial to join. Other pieces of information may be to find technical publications or reading lists for the role to keep you up to date with industry standards or changes. Follow up with any contacts or further suggestions are also important as this may lead to more connections within the industry or a future job offer. Where possible, maintain a connection to the person you met with for further information or possible employment opportunities.
Job searching requires careful planning and strategies that utilize many different approaches. Informational interviews are a very good way to source information about roles, organizations and corporate culture. These interviews provide details about employer’s needs or possible future vacancies. Through this process, exploration of different organizations, industry trends, corporate culture as well as job roles may be discovered.
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