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Monday Staff Meeting: Professional and Personal Development For Job Seekers

pdxjobs — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:47:45 +0000

(What questions would you like to see addressed in these Monday Morning staff meeting posts? Send us an email at: sharry@orcms.com)

Posted by Dr. Sean Harry

Filling in the gaps – professional and personal development for job seekers.

At the beginning of your job search you have very likely been conducting an assessment of your skills, knowledge, and abilities. Assessment is about helping you determine what you are capable of and willing to do in your next position.

At this point you have, no doubt, found an area or two where you have some gaps. You may need an additional degree, or some specific training. Maybe a professional certification is in order. Well, before you shell out the big bucks to go back to school or enroll in a course of study, there are some important things you should know:

If you are receiving unemployment benefits you need to talk to your caseworker to see how going back to school will affect you. In the state of Oregon you must be willing and able to accept work in order to receive your weekly benefits. Enrolling in school can make you ineligible, so you better ask first.
The state employment department MAY offer the courses you need. As part of NAFTA and other trade agreements, states receive money to retrain workers whose jobs have been shipped offshore. See if you qualify for any of these funds under the Dislocated Workers or Trade Adjustment Acts.
Be sure the degree or certification you are seeking will fill the bill for potential employers. The best way to do this is to conduct informational interviews with people who would likely hire you for the new position. Schools may counsel you to join their program, but they aren’t always on top of the latest requirements for specific jobs. Afterall, their job is to “get butts in seats” for their programs.
Check the Internet for free training. Some of the best schools in the country allow you to take their courses online for FREE. Of course, you don’t get academic credit from their institution unless you are officially enrolled. But if you are seeking to enhance you skill or knowledge base, you may not need the actual credit. Check out http://see.stanford.edu/see/courses.aspx (Stanford), http://oyc.yale.edu/ (Yale), and http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm (MIT) to get started.
Look into Community College options. They are usually less expensive than enrolling in a University, and you can take one or two classes without being officially accepted to the school.
Think of volunteer or internship opportunities. One of the challenges we all face when going into a new field is that the employer wants both formal training and work experience. If you have the training, but not the experience, you can sometimes pick it up by giving your time to a worthy organization. You have the time, and they need to volunteers. Win. Win.

Being unemployed and looking for work can be a good time to fill in the gaps by getting more training. Just remember to check out ALL the options before you spend the money, you’ll be glad you did.

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Dr. Sean Harry has more than 20 years of experience in training and motivating people to achieve their goals and reach their highest potential. He has helped accomplish this as a Career Coach, as a University professor, as a Pastor, and as a Motivational Speaker.
You can find him on twitter: @sharrypdx, and @careers20

Monday Staff Meeting: Who is to blame for the recession?

pdxjobs — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:06:15 +0000

(What questions would you like to see addressed in these Monday Morning staff meeting posts? Send us an email at: sharry@orcms.com)
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Posted by Dr. Sean Harry

Who is to blame for the recession? Who will bring us out of it? Back in February Mike Neiss wrote a blog post for TomPeters.com in which he blamed my generation (the Baby Boomers) for the recession. That got me thinking…

Then there is this post about a man who turned his job loss into a new life. Very inspiring, and I must admit a bit scary for some of us!

For me, these two posts raise a deeper question about the recession, massive job losses, and the future of work in America. Every economic shift creates change in the way we live and work, but I believe this one is going to fundamentally shift work-life balance. We are seeing a major shift in the tektonic plates deep within the core of the fabric of our work lives. I don’t know what will come of this shift. No one does. However, it will behoove us all to think about permanent changes may take place because of what we are currently experiencing. Here are some of my predictions:

The impending retirement of millions of Baby Boomers will accelerated. With it comes a whole list of concerns – knowledge transfer, loss of experienced labor, succession planning (and lack thereof), and additional burden on the Social Security system. Companies have been thinking about this for awhile, but this economy is going to make it happen much faster. I am seeing clients in their 50s who are making the decision to begin early retirement now. I watched the interviews about Captain Sully (the pilot who safely landed the plane on the Hudson River in January) and thought, “wow, what would have happened if someone with less experience had tried that stunt?” Unfortunately, today many companies are laying off their “Captain Sullys” in this economy. Chances are that many of these people will opt for retirement. What happens then?
Many people getting laid off are going to opt for lower paying jobs with fewer responsibilities. Not everyone will leave their corporate job for a $10/hr job at Starbucks, but some will. When they do, these people will enjoy their life more. They will have more time for things that are important to them — family, friends, spirituality, and travel. I’m not naive enough to think that the mountains of corporate greediness will disappear, but I AM hopeful that more people will choose to focus on life goals that are not completely driven by the desire to increase their own personal wealth.
“Green” and “sustainability” will become mainstream. It has to! This is where the federal government (incidentally the ONLY sector still growing in this economy) will be dumping loads of money. How are you (and your company) preparing to take advantage of this opportunity?
Recruiting and HR practices will change. I’m not sure in what way, but I believe they will change dramatically. The current focus of many Human Resource departments is on being the watchdog for company lawyers. Too often HR says, “we can’t do that, or we’ll get sued.” They are concerned about “allowing our managers to ‘be human’ by getting ‘too close’ to their workers.” The generations after mine put a ton of emphasis on relationships. They will not tolerate working for a company where they are a faceless, nameless commodity. Our recruiting practices are already seeing a shift in this direction. HR practices will soon follow. Companies that don’t focus on the personal side of their employees will find it difficult to attract and retain good talent. We all know that the number one asset of ANY company is the people who work there!
Free-Agency will become the normative approach for job seekers. This phenomenon has been on the the horizon for awhile. I believe that this current economic crisis is going to change the way people define themselves in relation to their work. My father held the same position for 40 years. His father worked for the state until the day he died. My father’s grandfather, however, did whatever he needed to in order to put food on the family table. He was a farmer, a logger, built roads, ran a store. . . he was a free agent. With people changing careers in 3-5 year cycles, I believe that my children will live more like my great-grandfather than my dad. They will do whatever is necessary to make a living. They won’t define themselves by their company affiliation. To me, these are good things!

This recession is bringing about some major changes in the way we (and our children) will approach work in the coming years. As with any major change, there is both opportunity and danger involved. What are YOU doing to prepare to capitalize on the opportunities and mitigate the dangers of our current times?

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Monday Staff Meeting: A real life networking success story. . .

pdxjobs — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:52:34 +0000

(Read more “Monday Staff Meeting” posts by Dr. Harry)

Posted by Dr. Sean Harry

One of our clients recently shared this networking story with us.

“Joe” found a job posting online that looked perfect for him. He checked his LinkedIn network and found that a former work colleague was working at that company so he reached out. Following good networking etiquette, Joe didn’t ask for help getting to the hiring manager or for any favors from his old friend. Joe simply called to re-ignite the relationship and to ask some questions about the company culture, how his friend liked working there, etc. Joe focused the conversation on what he could do to help his old friend. They talked for about 30 minutes. During that time Joe and his old friend caught up on work, family, their careers, and a variety of other topics. It felt good to reconnect.

After half an hour or so, Joe said, “Well, I better let you get back to work. That’s about all of the questions I have. I’d ask you more about the position I’m interested in applying for, but you probably don’t know much about it.”

Joe’s friend responded, “Actually, I know quite a lot about that position. I am the hiring manager.”

Silence.

Joe had not intended to use his relationship to gain any favorable treatment so he apologized to his old friend and told him that he hoped it didn’t make him feel awkward. A bit embarrassed, Joe signed off by saying, “I’ve put my application in through you website. I don’t want you to be surprised if you see it.”

His friend replied, “Joe, send your resume DIRECTLY to me. You fit the bill, and I want to include you in our formal interview process. Ultimately our entire management team will make the decision, so I can’t promise anything. But, I DO think you are a very qualified candidate.”

Joe did all the right things when it comes to networking and it has paid off. He focused on the needs of his friend. He reached out to rekindle an old relationship, but didn’t ask for any favors or special treatment. He learned about the company and got more information about the job – but he DIDN’T ask for a job!

Great work Joe! Thanks for showing us the right way to use networking in the job search!

Filed under: Career Advice , portland twitter, portland jobs, Portland Job Seekers

Monday Staff Meeting: Getting the MOST Out of a Job Fair

pdxjobs — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:46:12 +0000

By Dr. Sean Harry*

Thank goodness for spring! You are looking for a job, and spring is Job Fair time. But before you head off to your next Job Fair adventure, there are a few things you should know

There are going to be LOTS of people there and very few jobs . . . if any. You may be going to a Job Fair looking to find a job, but employers go for a completely different reason. Most companies don’t show up with jobs to offer. Companies are there to promote themselves and assess job seekers. They are seldom there to offer jobs.

Company representatives will see dozens (perhaps hundreds) of job seekers at the fair. The chances of them remembering you from the Job Fair are slim. Your best bet is to get a verbal commitment for a conversation at some time in the future. Get a name and email address, and follow up immediately after the event.

Take plenty of copies of your resume and business cards. Give them out liberally – even to other job seekers.

Have a strategy, set goals, and know what you want to get out of the Job Fair. Since landing a job at a Job Fair is not realistic, your goals should simply be to make a certain number of connections that will lead to a face-to-face meeting within the next week or two. A good goal is to come away with 3 solid follow-up “leads”.

Other job seekers might be your best bet for making contacts. Don’t neglect making connections with other job seekers. They can be a great source of information and support.

Use the job fair to assess opportunities. While specific jobs may be few and far between, you can tell what areas of the economy are gearing up for growth. Companies are not going to waste their time or money by going to a Job Fair if they have no plans for growth in the near future. Be aware of the companies and industries represented. They may be hiring soon.

Follow up. My mentor, Kathie Nelson says, “The money is in the follow up.” A Job Fair is a great place to meet people. If you want to turn those meetings into potential job offers you MUST follow up.

Follow the advice of my good friend, Cleon Cox III – “Meet people, learn something, and have fun!”

Job Fairs can be a lot of fun and very instructive for your job search. Just be realistic about what you hope to accomplish from attending the fair, and you won’t walk away empty-handed. Go looking for a job and you will be disappointed. Go looking to make connections and you will succeed.

*This is the first “Monday Staff Meeting” post by Dr. Harry, a new series to help job seekers in Portland Oregon.