Making Career Changes

HR - Friend of Foe?

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 16:10:00 -0500

Some of my best friends are HR professionals. They're almost always very caring individuals who entered the field to help people. But then they learn that their real job is protecting the company by keeping the company from making employment mistakes. And standard HR practice puts in place all kinds of processes and procedures to try to make sure that mistakes don't happen.

If you're seeking a job, HR folks can be your friend -- or they can be your foe.

If you're looking for a job in which you have previous experience doing the same job in the same industry, HR can be your best friend. In America's extremely inefficient hiring process, that experience is valued as the highest proof that you can do the job. And it provides great cover for HR and the hiring manager if you fail.

But if you're making a career change -- same job/different industry; different job/same industry; or God forbid, different job/different industry -- HR's job is to screen you out. And if you by some means get past them, then their job is to strongly advise those with hiring authority that they are taking a big risk. In this case, you'll find HR to be your foe.

That's why if you're making a career change, you need to do two things to be successful:

1. Figure out how to make a direct approach to the person that has the authority to make the hiring decision, by-passing HR so that you can get your foot into the door.

2. Develop information and stories that illustrate that you can do the job -- proof that the hiring manager and HR can feel comfortable with when going against their established policies and procedures.

Understanding how the system works will help you immeasureably, and knowing how to make foes into friends is valuable!

Jim Hughes is a life coach who helps individuals make successful career changes. To learn more or to contact Jim, see www.mapmakercoaching.com.

Career Changes and Social Networking

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 16:01:00 -0500

Just about everyone recognizes that social networking is your best ally in finding a job. It doesn't replace self initiative -- making calls, knocking on doors, and doing your research. But it can get you into places you couldn't get into alone, helps you learn of leads you'd never discover yourself, etc.

Since you're reading a blog, you're also probably aware that there are several folks trying to figure out how to make businesses out of social networking, generally using a web application. Wired News has an interesting article that talks about a company trying to develop a business out of using social networking to FIND and HIRE folks. While lots of places do that on their own -- usually offering a reward for bringing someone to the table -- this is a somewhat new twist. Interesting reading.

Jim Hughes is a Christian Life Coach helping individuals make successful career changes. To learn more about coaching or to contact Jim directly, visit Mapmaker Coaching.

Career Change: What about Assessments?

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 12:49:00 -0500

I'm frequently asked, "What assessments would be helpful in guiding me in my career decisions?"

It sometimes seems like there are an infinite variety of career assessments available, and they all promise to give you some insight into what career would be right for you. And in truth, most assessments do provide information that can be useful. I have taken many of them myself over the years, and I've yet to find one that doesn't give me what I think is reliable information about myself. Actually, assessment is a big business. There are entire businesses built on providing assessments, and if you want, you can spend a lot of money in this way to learn more about yourself.

The problem that I continue to observe, however, is that few people who take these assessments learn enough from them to be able to do anything different -- or to make decisions about what careers they would do best in and be happiest in. The problem is not the assessments themselves. They are scientifically valid (at least most of them), and they are providing correct results.

The first problem is that taking a multiple choice test and then looking at printed results does not make you process the information and learn from it. They provide fast results with little effort. Unfortunately, like most endeavors, quick and dirty doesn't get the job done very well.

The second major problem is that most instruments provide a piece of the puzzle in clarifying what your ideal job would be. Because you only get a piece here and a piece there, it is often difficult to put all of that together into a coherent picture.

Because of these results, I have chosen not to offer assesments as part of my coaching practice. No doubt, doing so would be a good source of income. And I would probably even get more clients that way. I do use assessment results that clients already have, and occasionally I'll ask a client to take a Self-Directed Search.

What I have found works, if a client is willing to do the work, is the Flower Exercise from What Color is Your Parachute (see link below). Richard Bolles, who wrote the book, developed the exercise to help you define your ideal job. The exercise entails writing some short stories, doing some analysis, and doing some prioritizing. It takes more effort and time than doing some assessments, BUT THAT'S WHERE THE VALUE COMES FROM. Going through the process produces real learning, and the exercise touches on each facet that goes into making up the ideal job, so when you get through, you have a clear, definitive description of your ideal job.

You can do the exercise on your own. You just have to set aside some time and do it. Many people, however, find it easier to work through the exercise with the support and assistance of a coach. If you'd like to investigate that option, email me and we'll set up a time to talk about it.

Jim Hughes is a Christian Life Coach helping people make successful career changes. For more information about coaching, or to contact Jim directly, visit Mapmaker Coaching.

Katrina Brings Career Changes and New Neighbors

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Fri, 9 Sep 2005 10:10:00 -0500

Like everyone I know in the Houston area, I've been doing what I can to help Hurricane Katrina victims. It's been amazing to see the outpouring of help and love that's occuring on a daily basis.

I've had the opportunity to volunteer at Second Mile Ministry, getting to meet individually with some of the folks who come through to receive food, clothes, and even gas vouchers. I get to hear their stories, learn about those who have offered them a place to stay, and talk to them about their plans for moving forward. And best of all, I get to pray with them.

While most left before the storm, several were in New Orleans during and after the storm. Many have told me stories of escape and survival that can only be attributed to God's hand. One family had not had a car until three days before the storm -- they were able to escape with other family members "because God provided us a car." One grandmother with an infant grandchild told me about the priest who gave them a key to the Catholic school across the street. They weathered the storm in the school, then returned to the school when the levee broke and ended up spending two days on the roof before the Coast Guard rescued her along with many neighbors.

Several have told me stories of complete strangers coming up to them and offering them housing, and then taking care of every need.

Virtually every person I've talked to has lost all of their physical possesions except what they were able to bring with them. If their homes were not flooded, then it seems that a tornado associated with the storm wiped their possessions out.

Yet to a person, they are optimistic in the face of having their lives redefined. They are getting their children into school, finding long term housing, and finding jobs. Traumatized? Yes. Defeated? No way.

While Second Mile is a faith-based organization, everyone who needs help in our part of town is being referred to us, and there is certainly no requirement that those receiving help be people of faith. Yet, to a person, in talking to them, they have expressed strong faith in God and his providence. While my job has been to encourage and help them, I've been on the receiving end of seeing faith in action and a spirit that lifts me up.

Every single person I've talked to is making a career change of one type or another as part of moving on. Most are planning to work in the Houston area. Some already have job offers.

I'm glad to have them as new neighbors. Houston will be a better place because of them.

Career Changes: Dealing With Job Loss

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Fri, 2 Sep 2005 12:11:00 -0500

It’s been a while since the last podcast. Part of the reason for that is that we took some vacation time, spending some of it taking in the beautiful vistas and refreshing cool of Northern New Mexico. Now that we’re back, I’ll be blogging regularly on career change and, as part of that will post several podcasts each month. There will be a lot of material on the blog that does not make it to podcasts, so for those of you who have discovered the podcast, I want to encourage you to visit the blog and to subscribe to it as well. There are lots of RSS feed readers out there that allow you to be notified and read new posts, so if you don’t already, just use one of those to keep up with the blog as well as the podcast. I love these services because I can quickly see what’s new and determine if it’s something of interest.

Today, let’s talk for a few minutes about what to do if you’ve been working for the same company for 15 or 20 years and you suddenly find yourself laid off and forced to make a career change. Today, I want to focus on the emotional and physical effects of having your job leave you. It may be a layoff, a reduction in force, a downsizing, an early retirement, or any other of the phrases we have attached to losing your job.

If you find yourself in this position, you’ve got a lot more questions than answers. You’re likely in shock, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed, and you’re undoubtedly feeling stressed. Having worked with hundreds of folks in this situation, here are the principle points I cover with them during our initial conversation, even before we talk about specific career change strategies.

It’s important to understand that during the coming months you will be experiencing the grief cycle. It generally begins with denial, moves to anger, then next to bargaining, followed by depression, and eventually to acceptance. These emotions may happen in this order, or in some other order. You may bounce back and forth, angry one day and in denial the next. You will go through this cycle, even if you have been expecting to be forced to make a career change and even if you have decided to make the leap yourself. Anytime we lose anything of significance, even if we didn’t particularly like things about it, we’ll go through grief. Just recognize that it’s natural, and something that you will experience. Denying that you are experiencing any of the effects of grief or stress – and I’ve had lots of folks do just that – simply is proof that you are in the first stage of the cycle, denial.

You must develop effective strategies for dealing with the grief cycle and the stress of job loss to be effective in developing and implementing strategies for making a successful career change. Failure to deal with grief and stress associated with job loss will sabotage your job search. Grief and stress have physical, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive effects. I’ve put a couple of posts discussing these on another of my blogs that deals with caregiving (http://caregivingnotes.blogspot.com/2005/08/caregiver-stress-reactions-and.html and http://caregivingnotes.blogspot.com/2005/08/grief-cycle-and-caregiving.html ). The effects are the same for those who have suffered job loss, so I encourage you to read them and apply them to your situation.

Here are some of the important strategies for handling grief and stress that result from job loss.

Develop a productive routine immediately. You have a new “job” while you’re making your career change. You’re working for yourself. Get up, get dressed, and keep “work” hours focusing on making your career change. Develop a plan for your week and for your day. Avoid the temptation to just lay back and react. Not only will your career change and job search move more quickly, but also you’ll feel better emotionally and physically.

Take extremely good care of yourself. Increase (or start) a daily exercise program. This is one of the most effective ways you can release stress. Eating right is also very important. If, like many of us, you’re carrying around some extra pounds, this is a great time to make changes to a healthy diet that will produce weight control. Since you’re also more likely to suffer illness during times of high stress, be aware of potential symptoms and consult your physician.

Find or develop a support group, and increase your networking activities. There are lots of reasons for doing this. First, you need people that will provide support and accountability as you navigate your career change. Many churches have job ministries that help fill this need, or you can assemble your own support group from friends and family. You also need to replace the social aspect of work, so develop a core of people you can talk to during the week. You should also increase your participation in networking activities. Plan to attend several networking events weekly.

Add or increase devotional time. Career changes and job searches are spiritual journeys. We’re naturally led to consider our purpose in life and the forces that affect our lives. It is a natural time to draw closer to God, both to seek understanding and to seek help and comfort. A regular quiet time daily, for reading, meditation, prayer, and worship will produce amazing results.

I can’t stress the importance of adopting these strategies enough. Once you do, then your specific career change and job search strategies will fall into place and be much more effective.

If you have questions or would like to correspond with me directly, you can email me at the link shown in the sidebar.

Jim Hughes is a Christian Life Coach helping individuals make successful career changes. To determine if coaching might benefit you in making your career change, visit Mapmaker Coaching.

Midlife Career Changes to Education

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Thu, 1 Sep 2005 08:19:00 -0500

We've just finished taking some vacation, so time to get back to blogging. For those who have asked, there will also be more podcasts coming.

Here's another interesting article about midlife career changes to education. Most states have programs to help midlife professionals successfully make the transtion from the corporate world to teaching. As both the son of educators and the spouse of an educator, I can tell you that it is a rewarding career, but also one where good training and teaching skills are important. Like a change to any other career, you want to be the best you can be, so learning the skills and techniques of pedigogy are important in making the transition to being a good teacher. Each state's programs are a little different, so if you're also thinking of a relocation along with your career change, be sure to investigate your planned new location's requirements.

Jim Hughes is a Christian Life Coach helping people make successful career changes. To learn more about the benefits of coaching or to contact Jim directly, visit Mapmaker Coaching.

Career Changes: A 1000% Better Chance of Finding a Job

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 09:00:00 -0500

Want to increase your chances of finding a job by at least 1000%? Read on.

When you're seeking a job, how you communicate makes a big difference. This is not rocket science, so down deep you probably already know this. The hierarchy of effectiveness of communication modes is the same as for everything else:

1. Face to face communication.
2. Telephone conversations where you actually talk to a live person.
3. Physical mail.
4. E-mail, voice mail, or fax.

Face-to-face conversation most effectively establishes trust between two people so that what is said is heard. It also is the best way to capture another's attention. Attention may be the most precious commodity in America, and especially when you're seeking employment. Nothing substitutes for an in-person conversation. Statistics on job search strategies continue to show that those which rely on face-to-face approaches greatly outperform those which rely on virtual approaches.

Having a telephone conversation, if you absolutely can't get face-to-face, can also be effective. You can develop a level of trust and gain a level of attention with a phone conversation, but it is a magnitude less effective that an in-person conversation. That's because communication is highly visual -- body language is extremely important in establishing trust. We're more likely to be understood and believed when people can see us as opposed to just hearing us.

Physical mail is a big step down from even a telephone conversation. But it does have the physicality of paper and ink that makes it more real and that captures more attention that email, voice mail, or fax. It's a one way communication, which you should attempt to avoid if at all possible. But in those situations where you absolutely can't make your approach in person or by phone, this is next best. It's most effective when sent to a decision maker by name, rather than something general or something sent to H.R. And for sure use physical mail for thank you notes.

Least effective by a long shot are email, voice mail, and fax. They are too easy to ignore. You know that, because you do it all the time. Use these techniques only to provide additional information after you have established trust with your recipient through in-person or phone communications. That way they have a much better chance of getting attention.

Most job seekers use the communication hierarchy in reverse order. They'll use email, voice mail, or fax as a first step. Or they'll mail out resumes with cover letters. Few will begin with in-person approaches or telephone conversations. There are a couple of reasons for this ineffective behavior:

We perceive that there's less risk of personal rejection from using email or a mailing. It's a one-way conversation, and we don't face the risk of the person on the other end rejecting our effort to our face and having to hear "I'm not interested." But in reality, we need to understand that we're unlikely to get even enough attention for the person to make such a decision by just emailing or mailing them something.
It's easier to email, apply online, or mail a resume than it is to make a phone call or get an appointment to see someone. We like taking the easy way out. But it's precisely because it's the easy way that it's so ineffective. Potential employers are looking for people who show an extra level of iniative, and nothing shows that more than approaching them in person, or as a fall back, on the phone. It's definitely worth the extra work.

If you're still questioning the validity of what I'm saying, just dig out your long lost copy of What Color is My Parachute and look at the statistics of the five best and five worst ways to find a job. And if your copy is dated, and you think that email and job sites have become more effective and replaced the necessity of in person and phone approaches to be successful, drop by your local bookstore and take a look at the statistics in the 2005 edition.

If you're relying on job sites and emails and mailing resumes to get you a job, you need to know that you have a 95% chance of not being successful. Making the change to communicating in person will immediately increase your odds of success by at least 1000%. What are you waiting for?

Jim Hughes is a Christian Life Coach helping people make successful career changes. To learn more about coaching or to contact Jim directly, visit Mapmaker Coaching.

Career Changes: From Healthcare to Art or Teaching

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 18:50:00 -0500

Here are two great stories of people who have made career changes to do something they love, although in both cases, it meant less pay.

The first story is about a guy who left healthcare and became a coach and teacher. "I got into teaching because I wanted to make a difference," he says. Lots of people share that purpose.

The second story is about a guy who was an R.N., and changed careers to become an artist. When both of his parents died, he thought about how short life is, and decided to make the change.

Often we follow career paths that are not our true passions. They may be financially attractive, but often we find that something is missing. If you identify with these stories, then maybe you should spend some time getting to know yourself better to see if a career change might be right for you. The exercises in What Color is Your Parachute are a good start for helping figure this all out.

Jim Hughes is a Christian Life Coach helping people make successful career changes. To learn more about coaching or to contact Jim, visit Mapmaker Coaching.

Career Change: Becoming a Stay-at-Home Dad

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Sat, 13 Aug 2005 08:11:00 -0500

Tom Golata, after being laid off from his customer service and support roles in high tech, made the career change to stay-at-home dad, while his wife began work as a consultant (read full story). While not an easy transition, he's thriving in this career change, getting to spend time with his children and starting a photography business as well.

Becoming a stay-at-home dad can be a great option for the family, especially when your career leaves you. Would this work for you? Here are a few things to consider before choosing this option:

How much of your self-esteem is tied up in being in the traditional bread winner role?
Do you have a hobby or a business idea that can be turned into a part-time business to provide the fulfillment of working? While being a stay-at-home Dad is a full-time job, just as being a stay-at-home Mom is, the most often asked question in America is, "So what do you do?" If answering, "I'm a stay-at-home Dad" is too much a blow to your self esteem, having a part-time business can help.
Is your spouse willing and comfortable with role reversal? How much of her self esteem is tied up in being the primary caregiver for the children?
As the children grow up and become increasingly independent, what would you like to be prepared to do career-wise?

Jim Hughes is a Christian life coach helping people make successful career changes. To learn more about coaching or to contact Jim directly, visit Mapmaker Coaching.

Making Career Changes to Something That Makes a Difference

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 08:45:00 -0500

A growing trend in our generation is to make a career change that results in order to do something that makes a difference. Here's an interesting article from the Times Online that says that nearly three-fourths of recent graduates in the UK plan a career change before age 35, and that for many, it will be to do something that makes a difference such as teaching. My wife, who's an education professor here in Houston, has many students who are leaving corporate positions to become teachers, so this is certainly not limited to the UK.

Bob Buford, founder of the Halftime movement, coined a phrase that describes this well, "moving from success to significance." Bob talks about having success in career, but having a growing feeling that there must be more that one could achieve than serving themselves and their company. That more is serving others -- doing something significant, not merely successful.

What is it that your skills, ability, and experiences could enable you to do that would make a difference in the lives of other people -- that would add significance to your life in place of mere success?

Jim Hughes is a Christian life coach helping people make successful career changes. To learn more about how coaching could benefit you in making your career change or to contact Jim directly, visit Mapmaker Coaching.

Making Career Changes: First Impression Do's and Don'ts

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Tue, 9 Aug 2005 17:05:00 -0500

We've all grown up on "dress for success," and certainly, how we dress during our employment application process is a significant piece of how people judge us. First impressions are huge factors. Making a good first impression goes a long way, and making a poor first impression is hard to overcome.

That's why you should pay careful attention to other things that give first impressions:

Your email address
Your phone greeting
Your business card
Your resume
Your cell phone ring tone.

Do use an email address that looks professional, preferably one with yourname@somedomain. DON'T use one that is cute and designed for your intimate friends (partyguy, dogsbestfriend, etc.)

Do use a phone greeting that identifies you by name, and make it very business like. You don't want to leave a perspective employer guessing if they got the right number. DON'T use some cute greeting or one your 4-year old has recorded that's really nice for the grandparents but hard for others to understand.

Do have personal business cards. They can be ones you print yourself on the computer or free ones such as from VistaPrint or ones you have printed at your local printer or office supply store. Do keep them simple and businesslike. DON'T get cutesy.

Do print your resume on good paper using a standard font and a simple, readable layout. A good white ink-jet or laser paper is fine. A serifed font such as New Times Roman is a good choice because it says "business." DON'T use colored paper (buff or light grey if you must) to try to attract attention or use a font like Comic Sans or add decorations.

Do keep your cell phone either turned off or on vibrate while meeting with potential employers. DON'T EVER let it ring with your favorite rap or rock cell tone.

The opportunity to make a good first impression is priceless. Don't blow it by being cute.

Jim Hughes is a Christian Life Coach helping people make successful career changes. To learn more about coaching or to contact Jim directly, visit Mapmaker Coaching.

Making Career Changes: Keep Your Integrity

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Mon, 8 Aug 2005 08:34:00 -0500

Show Notes:

Podcast Title: Making Career Changes: Keep Your Integrity

Host: Jim Hughes, Christian Life Coach

You've all seen stories about people making career changes who have lied in an attempt to make themselves look more qualified. In fact, it has just the opposite effect -- no one wants to have an employee whose character has been demonstrated to be untrustful. Trustworthiness is priceless, so avoid even the hint of stretching the truth on your resume.

For a more detailed discussion, see my earlier blog post.

Jim Hughes is a Christian Life Coach helping clients make successful career changes. To learn more about coaching or to contact Jim, visit Mapmaker Coaching.

Resumes, Mail Order Degrees, and Integrity

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Sat, 6 Aug 2005 08:25:00 -0500

I once had a boss who suspected everyone of cheating on expense accounts. This was back in the day before everyone issued corporate credit cards, and anyone making a trip would receive a cash advance from the company to finance the trip. Most folks would take the check to the bank to cash it and then buy travelers' checks. My boss, though, was not a travelers' check guy, and thought that anyone that put the fee for travelers' checks (a couple of dollars at most) on their expense account had to be cheating.

Someone said in response to those charges, "My integrity is worth too much to me to trade it for a few dollars I might get for cheating on an expense account." I think this sentiment also applies to ways one might lie to get a job.

We're all familiar with high profile cases of people who have lied on their resumes or bought mail order diplomas in order to look better when applying for jobs. These are blatant cases of individuals trading their integrity in hopes of gaining financial reward. The only explanation for their behavior is that they must not value their integrity very highly.

So how much do you value your integrity?

Would you trade it for a few dollars on an expense account?
How about for a few hundred dollars on your tax return?
How about trading your integrity for a promotion or a new job?

A couple of thoughts if you're sometimes tempted to embellish your resume or add a mail order degree:

1. Your integrity is much more valuable than any job you might get by doing so. Your integrity defines who you are.

2. Your chances of getting caught are actually pretty high. Then you'll either not get the job, or if you get it, you'll be fired. You offer resumes and diplomas as proof of your qualifications. Employers nearly always take steps to verify that these are true and accurate. False information provided in the employment application process is always grounds for dismissal. No one wants to have someone work for them whose integrity has been demonstrated to be flawed.

So, when preparing your resume, do tailor it to highlight your strengths and experience that offer proof that you can do the job that the employer needs done. Don't, however, ever succumb to the temptation to shade the truth or outright lie in an attempt to make yourself look more attractive to an employer.

Your integrity is worth to much to trade for anything, even a job.

Jim Hughes is a Christian Life Coach helping clients make successful career changes, including retirement. To learn more about how coaching might benefit your career change or to contact Jim, visit Mapmaker Coaching.

If you're thinking of starting your own business

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Thu, 4 Aug 2005 09:49:00 -0500

Here's an interesting career change story from Pittsburg. I think the writer was trying to extract some advice for career changers, but what I saw was a guy forced to make a career change who saw possibilities for a new business and who was fortunate enough to develop the skills and something that differentiated his way of creating video from the competition to become successful. It's worth the read and doing some thinking about what led to his success, especially if you're thinking about starting a business as your career change. What would differentiate you from everyone else out there who is doing the same thing?

Money Considerations for Baby Boomer Career Changes

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Wed, 3 Aug 2005 08:14:00 -0500

Here's an interesting short article on some financial questions Boomers who are considering career change should think about before leaping from the Baby Boomer Blog. While there you may be interested to note that they are shooting a TV series on Boomers to air next year.

What's Jim Hughes have to offer?

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Tue, 2 Aug 2005 11:38:00 -0500

If you prefer to listen, click below

Show Notes:

Host: Jim Hughes, Christian Life Coach

"What's Jim Hughes have to offer?"

I think that's a good question, so I'll try to give a brief answer: Experience in recruiting, hiring, and resource development from several perspectives.

I worked for Texaco for 32 years before my early retirement in 2002. While most of my career was in research management, it seems like I was never far from also being involved in recruting, managing the hiring process, or helping others with career development. So I have a lot of insight about the hiring process from inside a large corporation.
After leaving Texaco, I started my life coaching business, and have often worked with clients whose goal is a career change.
I've also led a ministry for people who are between jobs for the last several years, helping people make the transition from being laid off to finding new employment. So I've also developed a lot of perspective from the other side of the table.

So what I have to offer is my experience and my insight developed over the past 35 years.

Another good question is "Why am I doing this blog and podcast?" Here's the short answer:

It's a way to help people looking for help in making a career change.
It helps me process and preserve some of the things I've learned.
It's a viral marketing strategy for my coaching business. Some who read the blog and listen to the podcast just need some information and guidance. Others need help developing and executing their career change strategy -- coaching.

To learn more about me and my coaching business, just follow this link to Mapmaker Coaching. If you'd like to have a conversation with me to determine if coaching might be right for you, you'll find an email link on the Mapmaker site.

Career Changes: Resume Must Be Tailored for New Career

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Mon, 1 Aug 2005 20:42:00 -0500

Following up on my two previous posts, here's a link to a good discussion of why your resume needs to provide proof that your can perform in the new career you've chosen and some hints on how to write it.

Making Career Changes: How easy will your career change be?

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Sat, 30 Jul 2005 11:11:00 -0500

If you're among those considering making career changes, understanding the basic dynamics behind the relative ease or difficulty of the type of career change you are considering is important.

Here's the hierarchy of ease of making a career change:

1. The easiest career change to accomplish is one where your career change is to the same job title in the same industry.

2. More difficult to accomplish is a career change to a different job title in the same industry or to the same job title in a different industry.

3. Significantly more difficult is making a career change to a different job title in a different industry.

Understanding why this hierarchy is true builds on my discussion of understanding the primary driver behind the hiring process in a previous post. (You can listen to my podcast on this topic if you prefer.) Bottom line, the hiring process is driven by avoidance of risk.

The least risk to an employer is hiring someone who has demonstrated that they can do the job by having done the job in the same industry as the employer's. That provides the most proof that the person being considered can do the job. That's why most position descriptions include a requirement that applicants have some number of years of experience doing the same type of work in the same industry.

A notch higher on the risk profile for the employer is hiring someone who has done the same job in another industry or who has done a different job in the same industry. Either introduces a whole new concept of uncertainty about whether the person can satisfactorily do the job and the chance that a hiring mistake will be made.

From the employer's perspective, that risk rises to almost impossible to overcome levels when they consider someone who wants to change to a new job title in a new industry. The employer has a difficult time finding the level of proof that the individual can do the job that they need to be comfortable with the hiring decision.

Strategies for Career Changes to a Different Job Title and/or Industry

1. If you want to make a career change to a position having a different job title in a different industry, consider doing so in two steps, rather than one. First obtain a position and experience with either the desired different job title or desired different industry, because that is much easier to accomplish. Later, take the next step to achieve the other change.

2. Provide as much proof as you can to demonstrate that you can perform well in the new job title or new industry. You will need to translate your past experience and expertise to the new title or industry so that the potential employer can readily see it as proof. Don't expect them to do it. Your resume should be specifically tailored to provide this proof. Also, you will need to develop stories you can tell about times when you demonstrated these abilities.

3. Generally, you will need to go around HR departments to be considered. HR has a responsibility to protect the company from making hiring mistakes, and part of that is to prevent unqualified applicants from getting in the door. To help in this duty, they put up "qualifications" like specific experience that will be used to screen you out. You will need to get your information in front of decision makers in a way that they can see your qualifications and over-ride the process set up to protect them.

What Drives the Employment Process?

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 11:30:00 -0500

This entry is a Podcast. To listen, just click the icon "Play Podcast."

Show Notes:

Host: Jim Hughes, Christian Life Coach

The employment process is driven by minimizing risk that the employer will make a mistake in hiring. Click here for a further discussion of this subject.

Advice If You're Considering Moving to Real Estate

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 22:13:00 -0500

Here's a good article with some good advice and cautions if you're thinking about a career change to become a real estate agent just because the real estate market is hot. I know a number of people who have made that jump during the past few years. A few are making it, several are struggling, and several more are leaving it to go back to their former careers.

Career Change Example: Teacher to Builder

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 22:03:00 -0500

Here's and interesting story about a teacher who became a builder. It includes some good points to consider if you are thinking about a career change.

Internet: Friend AND Foe of Job Seekers

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 15:49:00 -0500

The Internet has made major changes to job seeking during the last decade. Some of these changes are good, and some of them bad. Some uses of the Internet for job seeking, whether just changing jobs or changing careers, are effective. Some are disappointingly ineffective. Some are effective uses of your time and energy. Some are distractions at best, and harmful to successful completion of your job search at worst.

If you haven't read my previous post, which explains that mitigating risk is the primary driver in the hiring process, you might want to do so as it provides a foundation for understanding why much of what is available via the Internet is ineffective.

First, let's deal with what doesn't work well.

1. Internet sites that promise to match job seekers with employers don't work well. In fact, for people who rely on these sites as their only strategy to find a job, about 5 people in 100 actually find a job. If you're in IT, finance, or medical fields, the success rate is higher, around 10%. If you're in any other field, the success rate is generally less than 1 in 100. (Source: 2005 edition of What Color is Your Parachute)

These sites do list real jobs, and that information is valuable in itself. But these sites also receive an incredible number of resumes and responses. While the logic behind these sites seems to have so much promise, they often simply fail to make the promised matches.
Nearly everyone I have worked with who has posted to these sites hears from people wanting to talk to them about jobs not related to the positions they apply for -- what I call positions with low barriers to entry. These are generally sales positions of one type or another where the company will provide you training while you allow your trainer to work all of your friends and family to sell them your product. These operations use the Internet sites as an ongoing source of lead generation disguised as jobs.
Only 15-25% of all open positions are ever advertised anywhere. If you rely on positions listed on the internet, you are restricting yourself to only a small portion of these positions, and ignoring most of the available postions!

These sites are good places for research. They provide information on positions that are being listed and companies that are hiring. They also have abundant information on writing resumes and other job searching skills. Use them primarily as research sites.

2. Electronic submission of resumes has become almost standard operating procedure for employers of any size, but also is very inefficient.

This practice started with the promise that software could help scan resumes and pick out the most promising candidates for human review. The fact is, the software doesn't work very well, especially if you don't very carefully tailor your resume for what the software is looking for.
Further, the databases that handle the resumes continue to get larger and larger as the number of resumes build. It's estimated that there are now millions, maybe hundreds of millions, of resumes in these databases. Finding anything meaningful is suspect.
Additionally, it is intimidating for humans on the hiring end to sift through all the data these systems spit out, so if other options for finding people to fill the positions appear, they take them.

You may have to submit your resume to a company using an online system, but if so follow up by sending a physical resume by mail and by email -- or even better, have a contact inside the company hand it to the hiring manager (not HR).

Now let's cover what is good about using the Internet for job searching.

1. The Internet is an amazing tool for doing research on companies and positions.

Most organizations of any size provide information on open positions within their organization on their web sites. You can find out a lot about what types of needs a company has just by studying their web site.
You can often find out who the decision makers who will decide who gets interviews and utimately the job by doing some Internet research. Many job postings will provide the title of the person the position will report to, or the name of the organization within the company. You can then do a Google search and often find the name and even the contact information you need to present yourself to the decision maker. This is extremely valuable information. (If this doesn't work for a given situation, go to your local library and enlist the help of a librarian -- they have access to subscription sources that may provide the information. Alternatively, put out the word in your network that you need a contact inside that company.)
You can learn a lot about the company and whether that is an organization you would fit into and like to work for. Start with a Google search, and don't forget to do a Technorati search -- no telling what is out there on blogs of people who work for that company.

2. The Internet is a valuable source of advice and tips and techniques for job seekers and those interested in making career changes.

Monster, Career Builder, and other matching sites all have abundant and helpful information of this type.
Many universities and state and federal sites are good sources of employment information, including interest and career testing.
Many career coaches and career counselors post good information on career selection and career change.

The Bottom Line

Use the Internet for research on positions, companies, to get contact information, and to get career advice, tips, etc.
Minimize reliance on Internet sites for finding you a job. One professional recruiter suggests that you spend no more than 5% of your time and energy on the Internet for your job search.

The Employer's Perspective: Minimize Risk in Hiring

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 08:29:00 -0500

It's important to understand the employers' perspective while you're doing your job search or making your career change.

While ultimately the employer's goal is to fill the position, their decision making is all about minimizing risk. A whole system and set of practices has grown up around risk avoidance in making employment decisions. Understanding this can give you a significant advantage in finding the job you want.

Simply stated, the major risk is that the employer will hire someone who can't or won't do the job in a satisfactory way, and then the employer will be in a position of having to either live with an unsatisfactory employee or go through the pain of having to fire the new employee. No hiring manager wants to be in the position of having made the decision to hire someone that turns out to be a major mistake for the company.

There are several ways that employers try to avoid this risk. Employers follow a heirarchy that looks something like this:

1. They look to hire someone they know. Employers always prefer to fill positions from within because they know the person and they know something about the person's performance. In the minds of employers, this has the least risk because there is proof concerning the person's character and ability.

2. If they can't hire someone they know, they look to hire a person that someone they know and trust knows. This has the next least risk, because there is trusted testimony about the person's character and ability.

3. If neither of these avenues fill the need, then employers look to hire someone that can present proof of their character and ability. This proof generally takes the form of a proven track record. The potential employees have completed the educational and training programs that have been shown to produce people with the right abilities, they have a number of years of satisfactory performance in a similar position with another company that offers proof that they can do the job, and they can give specific examples of times they have effectively done the tasks that the position requires. The hiring process that most employers follow is designed to gather this proof -- and to quickly eliminate any applicant whose information suggests that they might not meet one or more of the criteria.

Understanding the employer perspective makes understanding why some job search strategies are effective and why other strategies are not straightforward.

1. Strategies that rely on submitting resumes through internet search engines and matching services, responses to want ads and professional journal ads, mailing resumes at random, and using employment and search firms are statistically the least effective ways to find a job. They all present the most risk to the employer, and entail the most work for the employer in trying to develop some level of proof that the applicant will be a satisfactory employee. These are the strategies for which employers have set up an intricate set of screening stages which are all aimed at determining why an applicant is NOT qualified for a position. Experienced resume screeners spend less than 15 SECONDS looking at a resume before making a decision -- and that decision is made with a bias of eliminating the applicant from consideration.

2. Strategies that include the testimony of someone who the employer knows and trusts produce much higher success. This is why networking is so valuable. Just having someone inside the company hand your resume to the hiring manager makes all the difference in the world, even if they don't have first hand knowledge of your work.

3. Strategies in which you make personal contact with the employer at your initiative are even more successful -- because then the employer has a level of first-hand knowledge about you. (It's interesting that the employer's feeling of risk goes down as your perceived level of personal risk increases! It feels personally less risky to toss resumes over the wall than to have to risk rejection by making calls and personal visits.)

Summary? Effective job search strategies require personal interaction with the employer and the presentation of proof that you can do the job.

A Great Resource

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 11:27:00 -0500

This entry is a Podcast. To listen, just click the icon "Play Podcast."

Introduction to Making Career Changes and discussion of What Color is Your Parachute.

Host: Jim Hughes, Christian Life Coach

Link to What Color is Your Parachute

Faith and Job Loss

jim@mapmakercoaching.com (Jim Hughes) — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 07:15:00 -0500

When our career or job leaves us, we think something went wrong with our faith. We ask questions like,

"Why has God allowed this to happen to me when I'm one of the good ones -- one of his followers who is active in serving him and his church?"
"Why haven't my prayers for daily provision, stability in my life, and protection from job loss been answered?"
"What's wrong with me that God has sent this time of struggle?"

We're like the people who asked Jesus, "Is this man's blindness because of sins of his parents or because of his sins?" We seek direct cause and effect for losses we suffer in life. We want to think that when something bad happens to us that it's because God is angry with us -- because that's the way humans behave.

In fact, we've constructed a reverse theology that's built on this very logic. It's basic tenet is that God won't allow bad things to happen to his followers if they are faithful in obeying him and if they are faithful in praying for his protection and provision. That's a comfortable theology to live with, but it's false. It's simply not in agreement with what the Bible relates to us about God.

The Bible is full of accounts of good people suffering loss. Rather than a book about people who love God never having problems -- never suffering losses of health, loved ones, home, and livelihood -- the Bible gives us example after example of people who have suffered terrible loss and hardship persevering and overcoming through God's power and accomplishment and provision.

We are amazed at their continuing trust in God after what has happened to them. Job is a perfect example. Job is described as a man who loved God and was a great example to all of one who followed God. Yet God allowed Job to lose his means of livelihood, his family, and even his health. How did Job respond? He continued to trust God. In fact, the Bible says Job maintained his integrity. And when all was said and done, God blessed Job many fold, restoring what had been lost and more.

Life according to the Bible is not about never suffering loss and having to endure hardship. It is about maintaining absolute trust in God when you to suffer loss and difficulty in life, and that God will get you through it, not by your own power, but through his power and accomplishment.

That's the true faith perspective to have when your job or career leaves you. So you need a new set of questions:

"What is God going to teach me about trusting him through this loss?"
"What can I learn about worshipping him and serving him when things are not going the way I want them to?"
"Where is God leading me through this experience?"
"How will God's power and accomplishments be shown through my difficulties?"

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT)