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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.

——————————Related Posts—

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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: 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: The Hiring Game

pdxjobs — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:50:51 +0000

Posted By Dr. Sean Harry

A reader recently commented: “Dealing with recruiters, hiring managers, and HR is a game where the odds are stacked way against you. One never knows what it is that gets you eliminated from consideration. And often times, they just go with an internal candidate they identified way before they advertised the position you applied for.”

This is a VERY interesting observation. Many people feel its true that applying for a job is a “game” and that the odds are stacked against the applicant before the game ever begins, but think about it from the standpoint of the employer. Who would YOU rather hire? Someone you don’t know that you pulled out of a stack of 1,000 resumes? Or someone you know or have met through someone you know? I’m sure MOST of us would rather hire the latter. People hire people they know, because finding someone who is the “right fit” is often MORE important than finding someone who has the skills you need. You can always train people new skills. But if someone is not a good fit for your organization. . . well, you can’t really change that, can you?!

Then there is the cost of hiring. Consider that it costs about 1.5 to 2 times the annual salary of the employee per hire. That means, if I am paying someone $70k per year the cost to hire them is somewhere between $105k and $140k. If they end up not fitting into the organization I might have to pay that out again in 6 – 18 months. However, if I hire someone I know (or meet through a friend, colleague, current employee, etc) my chances of finding a good fit are much better – thus saving the cost of hiring someone else within 6 to 18 months. Again, which would YOU prefer?

Since THAT is the game, the secret for job seekers is to activate your network to be the person with the odds stacked in YOUR favor. Use your friends, colleagues, and former co-workers to find out where the opportunities are. Have them submit your resume or introduce you directly to the hiring manager. When you do get in front of the hiring manager, don’t focus on your needs. Instead focus on THEIRS! Show them what you can do for them – how you will help them achieve their business goals and cause their business to grow. Give them concrete examples of how you have helped previous employers make or save money. And don’t forget to make sure that you and the company are a good fit.

If you need help activating your network, find a good coach or mentor. Use Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks to help you – but remember, ALWAYS focus on what you can do for others. People don’t care what you know or are capable of until they know you care about them and their needs!

Happy Hunting!
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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

*Read more “Monday Staff Meeting” posts by Dr. Harry, a new series to help job seekers in Portland Oregon.

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.