“No way – I am a different generation to you – it’s not that easy!”.

Taking a look at the gentlemen in question we had your 20-something and your 30-something.  This got me thinking is it really a generation thing or is it something that should be well thought through regardless of generation?

Leaving your job should be based on a number of factors.

Role – are you happy in the job day to day – is there enough of a challenge for you or do you need a new challenge? Can the role be changed to another in the same company?

Progression – are you learning new skills or being exposed to a new industry.  Learning is important in every role and keeps you engaged.

People/Culture – do you like who you work with?  Do you have mentors around you that inspire you?  Does the company strive to provide a positive culture/environment.

Location – sometimes a company can relocate or maybe you move house.  The location needs to a resonable commute that you are prepared to endure, rush hour or not!

Salary - Maybe there are company-wide salary freezes, or minimal pay increases.  Money should not be the only reason to move on.

When considering leaving your job you need to pinpoint your reason for leaving.  Look at your past few roles, is there a pattern?  What do you need to focus on in your new search.

These articles may be of further interest  – how colleagues shape our days and the 5 point plan to securing your next job.

It’s important to select a role that provides short and long term benefits. You need to choose a job that you are going to enjoy doing, one that is challenging and satisfying in the aspects that you feel are important. It should be a job and company that will help you develop your skills and provide you with marketable experience.

While the Interviewer will hopefully give you some information, asking questions can provide a greater insight to the company and the job itself enabling you to make a more informed decision.

There are two benefits in asking good questions; firstly you get the information you need and secondly; if they are good questions asked in the right way you will impress the interviewer as someone who is thorough, analytical and professional. Delivery is as important as content. Sometimes you’ll need to phrase the questions in a certain way or use humour to ensure that you don’t project yourself as arrogant or hard faced.

You should ask questions about those aspects of the job or the company that concern you most. Since you rarely get the chance to ask ten questions in one go you should use those that appeal to you first.

I have included ten of my favourites in four sections and you can also prepare for interview questions and learn how to sell your skills using our interactive tutorial.

About the job itself

Assuming that you have a job description and/or the interviewer has described the job in some detail you will want to ask questions that will give you more information about the key issues. Three possible questions are:

1) What are the reasons that the job came about – if it’s an existing job why did the person move on? If it’s a new job why has it been created?

What you are seeking here is clarity ie does the Interviewer /Manager really knows the reasons for the job AND are they logical. For example if it’s a new role you need to be convinced that the rationale for creating the position is sound and that you are going to have the support and resources required to do the job properly. If the job is a replacement job why did the person move .It’s a great sign if they were promoted to a new role in the same Company – not so good if they moved on from the Company after a short period of time. If they are still with the company it may be worth asking if you could speak with them about the role. Its an unorthodox request but can provide you with another perspective on the role and the issues and challenges associated with it.

2) What are the key challenges in the first few weeks and months of the role?

Often the answer to this question will give you the meat of the job – and will outline the immediate issues and challenges. If this is different from what has been described you need to resolve the differences. If it’s the same it gives you some confidence that the role will be as described.

3) How will you assess that I’m doing a good job? What will I have achieved in 6 months or 12 months?

In understanding how your performance will be assessed you better understand (again) the key issues of the job and what factors will be used to appraise your output. This is a reasonableness check for you. If you think that the job is too easy or too hard and the appraisal mechanism or resources available don’t reflect this then this should affect your decision on the job or at least provide you with further questions.
You also get an idea of what achievements will be noted on your resume in 6-12 months and whether this aligns with your goals.

4) How and where does this position fit into the structure of the department? Do you have an organisational chart?

Sometimes jobs have titles that portray a certain level of responsibility. If you ask the Interviewer to show an organisation chart and describe just how the people in the department or division work together with a particular emphasis on your role you will get a better idea of how you will fit in and whether it’s a role you want.

About the Organisation

In building your career it helps if you are working for an organisation that has a clear vision and good values and one that emphasises the importance of developing its people

5) What is the organisation’s Vision and values?

If the Organisation is large with a web site you are likely to have researched this question prior to the Interview. However it’s still useful to ask possibly with reference to the division -what is its vision are what are its values? You can then deduce whether they correspond with yours.

6) I have noticed from reading your last annual report that your organisation faces the challenge of … in its key business sector? What other major challenges does it face in the near future?

Again your research may have revealed that the Organisation competes in a business niche or sector with specific challenges and issues which may be positive or negative. By phrasing the question as above you indicate that you have done some research and understand some of the issues but are interested to learn more -all good traits to display in an interview.

7) Assuming I have tackled the role successfully in 2-3 years what other opportunities would be open to me and do you have recent examples of people moving on within the organisation?

The nature and seniority of the role will determine the way you ask this question but essentially you are trying to understand whether it’s usual for the Organisation to promote from within. You want to hear both reassuring words about the Organisation’s commitment to you and your career AND have recent examples to back it up

About your manager

Issues and conflicts with one’s direct manager are one of the key reasons that people want to move jobs so it would be helpful to understand more about their pedigree and perspective on work

8) Can you tell me about your background and how and why you joined this organisation?

This is a great question to ask. You want to learn about the pedigree of the person who is likely to be your mentor for the next phase of your career and from whom you will need to learn. Most managers are only too happy to talk about their background and you can often deduce all sorts of traits and qualities from their answer

9) What do you perceive as your strengths and what are the qualities you do and don’t like to see in your team members?

This is more of the same and is really three questions in one – you’re asking them where they see their strengths which is obviously important for your ability to learn from them and to see if there are any unexpected issues arising from the qualities response

About the assignment process

10) What is the next step in the selection process from here and when should I expect to hear from you next?

This is obviously helpful to you in understanding the process and time line’s involved which maybe important with regard to other opportunities you are considering.

The coachee (you) and the Coach (me)

A lot of people wonder why they would work with a Career Coach or would like to understand more about what they would get out of the partnership.

From time to time in your career you may need to seek some guidance or assistance with a career dilemma or situation that you would like an external opinion on.  Talking to a Career Coach enables you to present the situation in an environment where all the facts are taken into account and more questions asked about what you think you could do.  This new thinking will enable you to connect to an option that feels like the right thing to do.  You will also discuss what would happen if you took other routes. 

You may need some assistance with your job search, resume or interview skills.  One-off sessions are a great way to refine your skills and ensure you can prepare and practice with someone who has extensive recruitment and coaching experience.

Career Coaching Programs are also available to people who are looking for a new career and have no idea where to start.    Maybe you would like a promotion and need to work on certain areas of your skill set.  By meeting a Career Coach on a regular basis you benefit from a sounding board, someone who has a defined structure to get you closer to your goals.  You will have access to new thinking and various tools that support your plan.

We have helped a number of clients achieve their career goals.  Find out more how myambition can help you by sending an enquiry.  You never know what we may achieve together!

So how do you maintain a spring in your step when there seem to be so many hurdles to leap?

1 – Stick to your plan – keep in mind the kind of role you are looking for and remember to tailor each application accordingly

2 – Spend time researching recruiters – identify which recruiters advertise the roles you are looking for on a regular basis and then contact them – they may be a specialist in the area.  Seek advice and feedback.

3 – Be proactive – identify your network, people who work in the areas you want to get into.  Go along to networking events or lunches and proactively mingle with this crowd.  You never know who may know someone who is recruiting.

4 – Reflect and review – when you get feedback from interviews think about what went well and what you could have done better.  Think about what has worked to get you this interview.  What area of your experience sparked an interest at interview.

It can be hard to keep a positive outlook if you keep getting knock backs but what is the alternative option?

Good Luck.

It’s the role of an executive recruiter to read resumes in depth and part of their professional livelihood to ensure that they don’t miss a key skill or passage of experience in a job seeker’s resume. The corporate line or HR manager often doesn’t have the same luxury of time. They will quickly glance through the resume looking for the key parameters required for the role and will usually sort the responses into three potential interview piles: yes, no and maybe.

They will often spend no more than five seconds glancing through your work.

If the resume is too long, too short, badly presented or illegible, the resume immediately goes in the no pile. If they can’t readily see what they are looking for on the resume it also goes in the no pile. This is where the job seeker has the right skills or experience for the job but hasn’t displayed them and this happens in almost every recruitment assignment. If it happens to you it’s unforgivable. Both you and the employer miss out on a great opportunity.

To be considered for interview, build an effective resume which will ensure you reach the yes pile. If there aren’t enough resumes in the yes pile, the recruiter will probably look through the maybe’s in a little more detail.

Depending on the recruiters preference, they will interview some or all of the yes pile.

Now you see the extent of the problem. It’s very easy for you to get lost in the five second screening test. Your resume must stand out. Here are 15 tips to ensuring that it does stand out in a positve way.

15 tips to ensure your resume stands out

1. Get focused on the objective of your resume

The objective of your resume is to win you an interview. It’s that simple. It’s not the life and times of your role. Keep it stylish, professional and succinct. Make it want to be read.

2. Know what recruiters look for

In the five second screening recruiters are looking reasons not to pick your resume. If they don’t see the labels they are looking for they will not put you in the ‘yes’ pile.

These labels are generally:

• Personal details (name location etc)
• Knowledge (qualifications, schools and universities)
• Skills (technical and technological)
• Experience (employer brand names and responsibilities, achievements)
• Career objectives

Evaluate our suggested layout for an effective resume by using our step by step interactive tutorial for resume writing.

3. Make it relevant to the job or employer in question

Spend the time to make sure your resume fits the job application (or employer) otherwise you’re unlikely to win an interview. This means tailoring the skills and experience you have to the job or employer in question. It does not mean being liberal with the truth. If you have to do that then you are not right for the role.

4. It’s your advert – there is no right or wrong

There is no right or wrong. It’s your advertisement and your resume. As such, it should reflect you. If you engage a resume writing service ensure that you spend the time to review and be satisfied with the final document.

5. Style – You are a professional, make it look professional

Even though 99% of resumes are now delivered electronically it is still imperative that your resume is professionally crafted. When it comes to formatting, less really is more. Keep the fonts legible and consistent and maximise use of space. There is no need to include your photo to your resume but for those that do want to, ensure it is a professional mug shot. If you do prefer to stand out and send your resume via traditional mail, make sure that paper your resume is printed is of a quality grade.

6. Length – 3-5 pages max

Depending on the stage of your career, your resume should really be no more than five pages long. Remember, it only needs to get you to interview. You can provide additional information on request.

7. Structure – Ensure a mix between functional / chronological

American resumes tend to be ‘functional’ displaying skills and experience but they often lack depth and don’t equate experience with employers. European resumes tend to be chronological and often gloss over skills. Try to achieve the best of both worlds in your resume.

8. Personal details

You don’t need to put age by law but your potential employer will often try to guess. You can help them or hinder them. They will also want to know where you live and if you have a valid work visa. If it’s not obvious, state that you do. Whatever you do, put your contact details where they can be found.

9. Knowledge (qualifications, schools and universities)

Potential employers will be more likely to interview you if you have the right educational and professional qualifications and less likely if you don’t. You can’t do anything about this at resume preparation stage except document what you do hold in entirity. This includes what stage you are at and your pass rate. This is important at all stages in your career.

10. Skills (technical and technological)

If it’s not obvious in the body of the resume, often a brief paragraph detailing your technical and technology skills will help to sell you.

11. Experience (employer brand names and responsibilities, achievements)

Employers like to see who you’ve worked for. They want to see job titles and a concise description of responsibilities and achievements so that they can start to visualise how you can add value to them in this position. Help them by equating your achievements to the requirements of the job.

12. Career objectives

If you’re starting out in your career or wanting to make a career change then restate your career goals.

13. Referees

I would suggest that you leave referee names off your resume but include a line saying that references can be provided on request. In this way you have more control over the recruitment process.

14. Salaries

This is an emotive issue. Employers will want to know your salary but it’s unlikely to be a deciding factor on whether to interview so I would leave it off the initial resume.

15 Objective review

Once you’ve prepared your resume, leave it a day or so and then try and read it objectively with the image of the one hundred resumes in your mind. If you have a close friend who will give you constructive advice ask them to review it also. We would also be happy to give you our professional view.

Telephone interviews can be quite the ‘norm’ for some businesses or recruiters.  Some use them as a sounding board for whether they should meet you.  Others may want to verify a particular area in your skill set that was not clear in your resume.  Whatever the reason it is important that you take this interview just as seriously as a face to face meeting.  Your communication skills will be tested!

Some helpful hints if you have a telephone interview:

Background noise – make sure you are not caught on the hop and that you are in an environment where you will not be distracted.  If need be ask if you can walk to somewhere quiet or call them straight back.  You want to be able to actively listen to the questions and respond clearly.

Speak clearly – Being able to communicate over the telephone is far harder than face to face.  The listener is not able to watch you speak and observe your body language.  If you have an accent you may speak really fast and the caller may not be able to catch certain important words or comments.  So be mindful to slow down, speak clearly and seek confirmation that they have understood what you have said.

Be prepared – A recruiter or employer may call to find out a bit more about your skill set or may schedule a time to telephone interview you as they are short of time or have the luxury of multiple relevant candidates.  Be prepared to answer interview questions in just the same structured, thought out way as if you were face to face.  Be succinct and confirm that the listener has the information they were looking for.

The process – Ask what happens next.  After the telephone interview find out when you might hear from them just as you would if you were meeting face to face.

You may be reading this wondering if telephone interviews really differ from face to face interviews.  Well they do not really. 

The only key difference by not being present is that you are not able to show off how well presented you are, your manner, your handshake, the walk to the room where you get to build rapport with the interviewer. The upside of a telephone interview is that when you do perform and are called in for a meeting you already know they are keen on your experience; the rest should be easy, right!

What are your experiences?

Whether it is twitter, facebook or linkedin, it seems you need to be spending some time online in your personal or professional life.

One of my coaching clients was working on re-branding herself at work and one of the first things I asked was whether she had a Linkedin profile.  Consider this an online version of your resume if you like, except a bit less detail and a bit more oomph!  She had a profile as she knew she ‘needed to be on there ‘ but was not sure why.

Linkedin is a great career tool.  Here are my reasons why you absolutely must have a profile and how you can get the most from it.

Profile - consider this a less wordy and far more interesting version of your Resume/CV.  Here you get the chance to say what you are interested in not what you have just experienced.

Connections – Think of everyone you know in business, old colleagues, referees, contacts, friends and connect to them and then see who they are connected to and connect to them to expand your network.  My profile is made up people I have met briefly, people I work with, people I would love to collaborate with in the future.

Content – You can use Linkedin for research through the use of the Q&A section and also the Polls.  If you are an expert in an area start to answer questions for other users and create interesting polls for people to support your blog or research.

Get a new job – or let a job get you -  By far the most interesting and exciting part of Linkedin is the fact that it can be used as a recruitment tool by employers and recruitment companies alike.  There are many stories of people securing their new role as ex-colleagues ‘found’ them on Linkedin.

Still concerned?  Some of my clients think that their employers will ’see’ them on Linkedin and think they are looking for a new job.  It is not the case.  Being part of this online community of professionals is merely keeping your professional footprint up to date.  Being able to have access to many resources has to benefit your current job and future career. 

Still stuck? -  Linkedin has a learning centre that is packed with hints and tips to support you.

So become one of my links,develop your profile, check out my profile and connect!

Now the first time I did this I was lucky – the awesome piece of machinery survived the fall and responded immediately to my furious CPR of the on/off button.

The ninth time I dropped it, there was nothing that would help.  My phone had flatlined.  I very suddenly felt disconnected from my life, my work emails, my social media (tweet tweet!)

Now some say the Law of Attraction is a powerful thing.  You put out there what you want – and you get it.  So I had been addicted to my iPhone for a while.  Checking my emails too often, being accessible when I should have been otherwise engaged.  My wall paper should have read “Open all hours”.  I was saying to my friends how I had a love/hate thing going on with the iPhone.  “I wish I could just text and talk like the old days…”

Well my wish was granted.

I am now getting acquainted with a mate’s old phone while waiting for the new iPhone to be released. I am in iRehab!

Thou shalt not to be dependant on iPhone…. 

I am realising that the world is not going to fall down if I do not update my twitter, linked in or facebook account everyday! Check my emails 40,000 times.

It is quite refreshing.  By the time I get my hands on the new phone I will have a different relationship with it.  They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Question is though…does the new phone come with a bubble wrap cover?

Career Management means different things to different people.  To some it could be just being in a job, to others being paid well or learning new skills.

I took part in a poll recently on linked in The poll asked as business women what did we want developing or supporting most.  At this moment in time the poll’s results are fairly evenly split with 27% of respondents wanting career management developing or supporting.  (Love that 6% of the respondents were male.)

So how do we all actively manage our careers?  Can we look to our managers, expect to learn new skills with our training and development teams and as mentors or coaches can we coach this skill?

My take is career management is YOUR responsibility.  Your employer owns your contract and you own your career.  Yes… you can seek support but unless YOU have a plan how are you expected to manage it?

One of my clients I am coaching at the moment is doing just that.  Having floated from role to role, positively I should add, her path or responsibilities being laid out and presented to her by her employer she is now at the point where she feels like she should be in control of the next stage.

So here are a few tips to get you in control of your career.

The big picture:

1 – Draw your career as a map – when did it start, where are you now, when have you excelled and where did you feel like you were cruising. Expect zig zags!

2 – What patterns in your personal life may have shaped your professional life – take a look back at your map and see if there is anything that influences your career highs or lows.  More zig zags?

Analysis & Feedback

3 -Assess your skills – what do you think you are good at?  Where are your skill gaps? include both hard and soft skills

4 -  Tap into your network and ask people what they think you are good at?  What could you do better?  Where are the gaps?

Craft & Design

5 – Craft and design your plan – what do you want to get more exposure too?  What would you like to excel in?  Perhaps you want a complete change?  Draw the map of the future.  What does it look like if you are able to make decisions consciously? What personal events may be on the horizon? Wedding? Master degree planned? Overseas trip?

I have done this exercise for myself many times over and enjoy sharing the experience with my clients I coach.

Interestingly with this poll, the least important thing wanting to be developed was communication skills.  So hopefully you know how to communicate so go get what you want by asking for it!

Take hold of your career, plan your journey and enjoy the ride.

Even if it is a bit bumpy from time to time.

PS – My title is Career Manager - is yours?

Backing your team, whoever your team is, is so important for the players in the World Cup series.  Wearing your colours with pride.  Cheering the players on.  Encouragement at its best!

Thinking about this in a business sense got me thinking about my own team at work.  Now I am part of a small team in my workplace but also a very important part of a bigger team.  We are all aiming for success in our own way to achieve the goals (pardon the pun) our business has set.  We need to champion each other on – support each other when the going gets tough and above all run round the pitch like crazy when we have scored a goal! 

Come on England! 

(you can take the girl out of England but not the England out of the girl!)