10 common career myths | by Alan Norton
In: Biz| CV - Resume| IT
10 Oct 2010Career prospects have changed dramatically from previous generations. Alan Norton offers this wake-up call for IT pros who may still cling to certain expectations — like salary increases, job advancements, benefits, and a nice retirement package.
After nine years working for the same company, I suddenly found myself one day disillusioned with the traditional concept of career. I had earned a salary grade increase only to have it taken away due to a corporate business unit buyout. I don’t like to admit it, but I was bitter and angry. I couldn’t stomach the notion that my career had gone nowhere in almost 10 years of dedicated hard work.
I sit down now 14 years later to try to analyze why I had become so cynical about the entire concept of career. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps I bought into the idea of a career with one company. Perhaps I was blind to the changes going on in the corporate world around me. Or perhaps cynicism is part of the aging process. I do know that the concept of career as it existed in my mind when I started my career no longer exists. Here are 10 reality checks to help you get your expectations in line with the changes that have happened and are happening today.
Note: This article is also available as a PDF download.
1: College will gain you entry
It used to be that a college degree was the ticket to a successful professional career and an above average salary. The reality is that not enough of those high-paying jobs exist for college graduates today and may not for quite some time. More people are graduating by percentage than ever, which means more competition for new IT openings. Wikipedia states that of the general U.S. population aged 25 and older, more than 52% have some college and 27.7% have a Bachelor’s degree. You will still need a degree to be considered for most professional IT positions — it’s just less certain now that the all-important diploma will be your ticket to the career of your dreams.
2: You will climb the career ladder
I once idealistically believed that sometime between my fifth and 10th year working for one company, I would receive my first promotion. My second promotion would come before my 20th year. It didn’t work out that way. I had to change jobs to get my promotion — and changing jobs can sometimes be a risky proposition.
The recession has taken its toll. Millennials now expect fewer promotions. Also, the career path for software engineers, database administrators, and other IT specialists is limited at most companies that do not specialize in IT services. If you are a technician or specialist and ambitious and want to climb the corporate ladder in such a company, you may have to transition to a managerial position with a broader career path. It’s not common to see a tech successfully make the transition to management but it can be done.
3: You will work for one company
Japan has traditionally been known for its employee/corporate loyalty. In a survey of young Japanese workers, 75% were willing to change jobs if something better came along. How times have changed. Even IBM, once well known for its policy of lifetime employment, has had to change its no-layoffs policy. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, fewer than 10% of all employees stay with a company for more than 20 years.
4: Your career will bring you happiness
Well, maybe. But current trends suggest that it is becoming harder than ever. Patrick Thibodeau notes that IT job satisfaction is at an all-time low. Those just beginning their career expecting to find happiness on the other side of their formal education may have unrealistic expectations.
The longer you work, the more certain it will be that you will find yourself unhappy on the job. Maybe it will be the boss who takes credit for your work, the fourth or fifth time you are overlooked for a promotion, the peer who stabs you in the back, or the manager you just can’t work with. Unhappiness happens.
5: You will have one area of expertise
It is more likely than ever that your last job before retirement will be…..
cont.d>>>
Tips for looking for a job on the sly | by Toni Bowers - TechRP
In: CV - Resume| Tips & Tricks
10 Oct 2010In some cases, the only thing worse than a job you hate is no job at all. So, if you’re not in the position to walk away from your current job while you’re looking to go someplace else, you’ll want to keep your job search on the down low. Here are some tips for doing that.
Don’t tell anyone at your current job that you’re looking for a new job.
I know this one is tricky for many people. It’s hard to keep something like a job search from coming up in conversation when you’re bonding with your co-workers over chicken wings during lunch. Also, if you do land a job and give your notice, the co-workers you feel particularly close with may feel hurt by your keeping a secret from them. But the only way you can keep something entirely quiet is to keep it to yourself.
Use your own voice mail, email, etc., in your job search.
Not only is the use of company resources unethical but their usage may be monitored.
Use non-company contact information
List only home or cell phone numbers on your resume. It would be pretty difficult to field recruiter calls in your office with no one finding out, unless you sit in a windowless office with lead walls. And if you suddenly shut your door after you answer your phone, people will make their own assumptions, with a secretive job search being the best of the assumptions; the worst being that you’re having an affair or that your doctor is calling to prescribe a medication you don’t want anyone knowing about.
Interview on your own time
I don’t know about you, but if I dress up at my office, …
Cont.d >>>
Tips for looking for a job on the sly
3 Oct 2010In some cases, the only thing worse than a job you hate is no job at all. So, if you’re not in the position to walk away from your current job while you’re looking to go someplace else, you’ll want to keep your job search on the down low. Here are some tips for doing that.
Don’t tell anyone at your current job that you’re looking for a new job.
I know this one is tricky for many people. It’s hard to keep something like a job search from coming up in conversation when you’re bonding with your co-workers over chicken wings during lunch. Also, if you do land a job and give your notice, the co-workers you feel particularly close with may feel hurt by your keeping a secret from them. But the only way you can keep something entirely quiet is to keep it to yourself.
Use your own voice mail, email, etc., in your job search.
Not only is the use of company resources unethical but their usage may be monitored.
Use non-company contact information
List only home or cell phone numbers on your resume. It would be pretty difficult to field recruiter calls in your office with no one finding out, unless you sit in a windowless office with lead walls. And if you suddenly shut your door after you answer your phone, people will make their own assumptions, with a secretive job search being the best of the assumptions; the worst being that you’re having an affair or that your doctor is calling to prescribe a medication you don’t want anyone knowing about.
Interview on your own time
I don’t know about you, but if I dress up at my office, about 30 people will ask if….
Cont. >>>
CareerBuilder surveyed 2,500 employers between May 18 and June 3, 2010 and here are some of the results:
- Forty-eight percent of human resource managers surveyed reported
they typically review 25 applications or less for open positions. - Thirty-eight percent said, on average, they spend less than a minute reviewing a resume; 18 percent spend less than 30 seconds.
Because of stats like these, managers have almost developed a
shorthand reading process that lets them cull exactly the information
that is relevant and applicable from resumes they receive. And it’s an
unfortunate phenomenon that resume mistakes and weirdness just jump out
at them.
Most of the managers in the survey said they pay more attention to
resumes that are tailored for the position they’re offering. That means
they can spot fairly quickly the generic, one-size-fits-all resume and
they don’t respond favorably to it. This means if a job description asks
for experience in network administration, you should lead with that
experience, even if it’s not a huge part of your job or actually
occurred at a previous job and not the one you’re in now.
The survey also revealed some more goofy blunders that the hiring
managers have seen in resumes. Some of them are hard to believe but you
never know–someone might benefit from seeing them. They are:
- Candidate put God down as a reference (no phone number).
- Candidate listed her hobby as alligator watching.
- Candidate claimed to be a direct descendant of the Vikings.
- Candidate’s email addr…
How to Make a Visual Resume with PowerPoint in 3 Steps & Stand Out from the Crowd | by Jessica Drew
In: News
5 Jul 2010Almost every employer requires traditional CVs, but visual resumes are increasing in popularity and can make you stand out of the crowd and land the job. After looking at hundreds of visual resumes (there are thousands on YouTube), I can say that these types of resumes can either be ingenious masterpieces or flops (or at the worst case, something that’s just painful to watch).
Why make a visual resume? With the job market in a vice, the competition is fierce. Visual resumes are becoming more and more popular, but not everyone and their mom are submitting a visual resume along with their traditional one (yet) – so at the moment they can really help you stand out.
More and more employers are seeking to get to know a potential employee on a personal level and visual resumes can give employers this insight. Visual resumes tell a story and this can give potential employers an interesting snapshot of who you are – making them want to learn more and visit your website or blog, read your traditional resume or better yet, give you a call.
Job search engine sites are getting hip to the idea of visual resumes; Jobster.com allows users to upload visual resumes right onto their site, while MyWorkster.com has a place for a link to a visual resume on a user’s profile.
What Not To Do: Don’t be an Elle Woods or an Aleksey Vayner
In the feature film “Legally Blonde,” bubbly and blonde protagonist Elle Woods gets accepted into Harvard Law School because of her visual resume, which shows her flouncing around in a pink bikini. Sex appeal is something you definitely do not want to show off in your visual resume.
Secondly, don’t lie in your visual resume like Aleksey Vayner, a Yale graduate who was pursuing a career as an investment banker. Vayner’s resume, which he uploaded to YouTube in 2006, was full of outlandish lies and hilarious. The visual resume showed Vayner, who had a thin and lanky build, supposedly bench pressing a 495lb weight and hitting a tennis ball at 140 mph. The resume went viral – the entire blogosphere got a great laugh. MSN and several other national news organizations even picked up and broadcast the story. Bottom line; you don’t want anything even remotely like this happening to you. Showing your sense of humor in a toned down way is a good thing – looking ridiculous will just give everyone in human resources something to talk about around the water cooler.
Video vs. PowerPoint
This tutorial is about how to make a visual resume using PowerPoint, not with a video camera. There are a couple reasons why I think this the PowerPoint resume method is superior.
First, videotaping takes a lot of time. You have to get a haircut, dress up, find someone to film you, think long and hard about what you’re going to say (and more importantly – how you’re going to say it), re-record the whole thing since you’ll inevitably mess up at least ten times and then edit the entire piece. PowerPoint is simple, quick and easy.
Secondly, after viewing hundreds of video resumes, I came to the conclusion that…
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- Tags: business life, cv, powerpoint, ppt, resume, Video
Recruitment companies are recruiting again. The ‘war for talent’ has started once more (did it ever stop?) and thousands of recruitment consultant jobs are being advertised on the job boards and recruitment-to-recruitment specialist agencies are getting steadily busier.
It’s a sad and ironic indictment of our recruiting industry that the one universal role that we struggle to recruit for is the one of recruitment consultants for ourselves. Even recruitment-to-recruitment companies find it easier to locate and place recruiters at their client companies than to fill their own internal gaps – you work it out??!!
For a start, let’s tell people realistically how hard they need to work in their first year including what hours they need to work to be considered doing the job. If the culture in your business is that no-one leaves before 8pm at night it seems only fair to point that out during the interview and not reveal it to them in week 3 of their probation period. Likewise if there is an office bitch (most often a bloke) that makes rookies life hell for the first three months Warn them! If you as the boss only come in after 10am and frequently leave before 5pm (why??) tell them that’s the way it is. If you’re embarrassed to, then maybe you need shut up and change your hours to reflect how hard your team work. If their first three weeks are going to be spent cold calling to build up your client vacancy list then tell them to expect the worst, i.e., lots of rejection, low morale, wanting to give up, etc.
The way I see it is if you paint the job as the worst they could ever imagine but talk about the rewards once you get past the initial boot camp feel then you are getting someone whose job expectation is based in reality which ultimately will lead to job satisfaction. If you bullshit the job up, their expectation is artificially high and unreal and will definitely lead to job dissatisfaction and the churn and burn we have come to expect in our recruitment industry just keeps on rolling on. Tell it how it is and remember to keep it real!
It is imperative that we don’t make the same mistakes we made previously when re-staffing our teams. Forget about ‘double dip’ if you want to send your recruitment company or team down the swanee, then follow the ten most common mistakes we make when recruiting recruiters:
1. Hiring ‘experienced’ recruiters
They are on the market for a GOOD reason. Proceed with caution – you may just end up with someone else’s problem recruitment consultant.
2. Recruiting low energy people because we like them
If they’re low energy in the interview process how do you think they’ll be after 6-12 months with you? Do you really want to have to light a fire under people?
3. Not checking references
You may as well give them the keys to your house and car whilst you’re at it.
4. Making compromises when we take someone on (settling)
If you settle for second best, they will always be second best. Don’t you deserve ‘FIRST BEST’?
5. Hiring to ‘fill a desk’
The goal of recruiting is to find the right person at the right time. Logically, that means one source is never enough. You’ll want to tap into diverse mediums to find the best candidates. Social media is no exception. Each platform has its own unique demographic. You’ll want to consider that audience when making the decision about which applications to use for your recruiting efforts.
Regardless of the application, there are some common elements of using social media for recruiting. Here are six things to consider:
1. Create an online presence that reflects who you are.
Having a nice avatar, succinct bio and current contact information will make people want to connect with you. Be sure to organize your social media profiles to provide potential contacts with a better idea of who you are so they have a reason to communicate with you and form a relationship.
“It’s about being human”, explains Bill Boorman, author of the Recruiting Unblog. “People connect with people, not brands. Connect with everyone because you never know who will make that referral or connection for you.”
2. Make the most of your time.
A large part of any success with social media is involvement. This is especially true if you want to use social media for recruiting. While mobile applications can help with this, Boorman agrees, “It takes a big investment of time to build a talent community.” To target your efforts, he suggests asking people directly which channels they use and looking at what your competitors are doing. “Consider directing your messages to a single point, like a relevant blog or company website.”
3. Individualize your approach.
At some point, you have to connect with people you don’t know and become a part of their conversations. “I actually find it easy,” says Chris Havrilla, national recruiting manager for Hitachi Consulting, a global leader…
Ten Things You Can Do Today to Earn Respect in the Workplace | by WhatWouldDadSay
In: Biz| Communication
4 May 2010
Millennials, or Generation Y, are those individuals born between 1980 and 1995. These young adults are entering the workforce enmasse and, once baby boomers begin to retire, but only after our 201k/s become 401 k/s again, will become the new middle management working class. These young adults, in three years or so, will be the predominant factor in the next great companies. They will be doing the work. They will be prepared. Fingers crossed.
A precursor to career advancement is earning respect from your bosses and your co-workers. It is like the sophomore basketball player who might be good enough to make the varsity in a couple of years. He is earning the respect of his coaches and teammates even now, by working hard, attending extra practices, doing all the drills and so on. This respect, whether or not accompanied by an increase in talent, has earned him a place on the bench. I might well be wrong…“frequently wrong, never in doubt”…but I think some Generation Y workers could care less about “respect.” Instead they believe that charisma and sheer talent as they define it will serve them into the future. They believe that their place on the bench is assured, just ‘cuz.
Here are ten things to earn respect now in the workplace.
1. Master email communication. Learn every tool and technique there is to better communicate via email. To the point: write well. Don’t use “ur,” when you should use “you’re.” Get in the habit of re-reading your emails and editing them. I am not sure if sloppy spelling and poor writing can be switched off when you get that middle manager spot. Study a basic punctuation textbook again…the first time, chances are you didn’t see the value of it. Eats, Shoots and Leaves is my favorite.
2. Don’t complain. Or even whine. Have you ever noticed how performers hardly ever complain, they simply figure out a way to solve problems? If you complain now, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of bitchin’ and moaning.
3. Learn new stuff. Trust me, you probably do not know everything you will need to know in the future. Get a mentor and find out what you don’t know now. Us boomers feel very paternal toward this group. We want to help. Taking charge of this process will earn you respect.
4. Don’t say stupid stuff. When chit chatting in the office, be careful what you say.
10 Reasons To Delete Your Facebook Account | by Dan Yoder
In: News
3 May 2010This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. It was originally published on the author’s blog.
After some reflection, I’ve decided to delete my account on Facebook. I’d like to encourage you to do the same. This is part altruism and part selfish. The altruism part is that I think Facebook, as a company, is unethical. The selfish part is that I’d like my own social network to migrate away from Facebook so that I’m not missing anything. In any event, here’s my “Top Ten” reasons for why you should join me and many others and delete your account.
10. Facebook’s Terms Of Service are completely one-sided. Let’s start with the basics. Facebook’s Terms Of Service state that not only do they own your data (section 2.1), but if you don’t keep it up to date and accurate (section 4.6), they can terminate your account (section 14). You could argue that the terms are just protecting Facebook’s interests, and are not in practice enforced, but in the context of their other activities, this defense is pretty weak. As you’ll see, there’s no reason to give them the benefit of the doubt. Essentially, they see their customers as unpaid employees for crowd-sourcing ad-targeting data.
9. Facebook’s CEO has a documented history of unethical behavior. From the very beginning of Facebook’s existence, there are questions about Zuckerberg’s ethics. According to BusinessInsider.com, he used Facebook user data to guess email passwords and read personal email in order to discredit his rivals. These allegations, albeit unproven and somewhat dated, nonetheless raise troubling questions about the ethics of the CEO of the world’s largest social network. They’re particularly compelling given that Facebook chose to fork over $65M to settle a related lawsuit alleging that Zuckerberg had actually stolen the idea for Facebook.
8. Facebook has flat out declared war on privacy. Founder and CEO of Facebook, in defense of Facebook’s privacy changes last January: “People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people. That social norm is just something that has evolved over time.” More recently, in introducing the Open Graph API: “… the default is now social.” Essentially, this means Facebook not only wants to know everything about you, and own that data, but to make it available to everybody. Which would not, by itself, necessarily be unethical, except that …
7. Facebook is pulling a classic bait-and-switch. …
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- Tags: facebook, friendfeed, social-life, twitter
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- 10 common career myths | by Alan Norton
- Tips for looking for a job on the sly | by Toni Bowers - TechRP
- Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from
- Tips for looking for a job on the sly
- CareerBuilder survey reveals more goofy resume blunders | Toni Bowers by TechRP
- How to Make a Visual Resume with PowerPoint in 3 Steps & Stand Out from the Crowd | by Jessica Drew
- Top 10 mistakes when recruiting recruiters | by Ripper On Recruitment
- 6 Tips for Effective Recruiting on Social Media | by Sharlyn Lauby (Mashable)
- Ten Things You Can Do Today to Earn Respect in the Workplace | by WhatWouldDadSay
- 10 Reasons To Delete Your Facebook Account | by Dan Yoder
alessandro pautasso
