life@work

Welcome to life@work

2013-03-19T16:17:23-07:00

life@work is a 7-year collection of blog posts written about job search, career change, career happiness, career trends, managing, motivation, goal setting and all kinds of other topics that you the Careerist want to know more about.

To find a post you're interested in, use the Categories cloud at right, type your query in the Search box or peruse the Archives.

In the meantime, here are links to 10 of my most popular posts:

Top Ten In Demand Careers in the Next Ten Years

Build Your Strengths Rather Than Fix Your Weaknesses

How to Stand Out in a Job Interview

The Best Free Job Search Apps

Can't Stop Working? Try These Tips

Five Keys to Finding Motivation

How to Boost Your Self Confidence During a Job Search

What to Do When You're Overwhelmed by Too Many Career Ideas

How to Give an Effective Performance Review

How to Get the Most Out of an Informational Interview

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4 Reasons Why You Should Hire Someone Else to Write Your Resume

2012-10-29T13:44:54-07:00

I used to be a human resources director, I've read approximately 58 gazillion resumes, I read articles about resume writing frequently, and still when it came time to update my own resume, I hired a certified professional resume writer rather than write it myself.

Your resume's critical job is to win you job interviews. There's a lot of competition for interviews, so you want your resume to be compelling and top-notch.

It's not easy to write a compelling, top-notch resume - especially your own.

Here are my top 4 reasons to hire a professional to write your resume:

1. She understands how to sell you

A good resume writer knows how to present you so that your audience will feel compelled to meet you to learn more. She is completely up-to-date with what works and what doesn't work on a resume in your industry and at your level.

A lot has changed in just a few years, and a good resume writer keeps up with the trends.

2. He is a keyword expert

Keywords are gold, and a good resume writer is an expert miner. He learns about you and your expertise, accomplishments and goals and inserts keywords as needed to get the attention of both humans and machine scanners.

3. She's got a way with words

When you hire a resume writer, she will transform your boring bullet points and trite cliches about your excellent communication skills into attention-grabbing, persuasive copy that makes you sound like the unique rock star you are. This is an art.

4. He's not afraid of horn tooting

We're afraid of sounding too egotistical and arrogant, so we shy away from the kind of self-promotion that is required in a top-notch resume. A professional writer knows how to highlight your achievements so you sound confident and self-assured.

There are many excellent resume writers to choose from. Here are my tips for selecting one that's right for you:

Choose a writer that is professionally certified

There are a number of credentials indicating professional certification, including:

CPRW - Certified Professional Resume Writer

NCRW- Nationally Certified Resume Writer

ACRW - Academy Certified Resume Writer

CARW – Certified Advanced Resume Writer

CERW – Certified Expert Resume Writer

MRW – Master Resume Writer

Ask to see sample resumes

Choose a writer who has written resumes for your level and industry.

Ask about cover letters and LinkedIn profile writing

Your resume, cover letters and LinkedIn profile should reflect one another.

Ask for a price quote and about a satisfaction guarantee

A resume writer can't guarantee you will get your dream job, but they can guarantee your satisfaction with their work.

Most resume writers work with people all over the country (or in some cases, internationally), so you don't have to limit your search to writers in your area.

If you've hired a resume writer before, what was the biggest benefit?

Networking Strategies for the Career Changer

2012-10-24T08:38:52-07:00

My client, Megan, is in her late 40s and wants to change careers. The jobs Megan is considering to target are not easily found online. She's unsure of what are the most common job titles that are most relevant for her to pursue and how to tap into job openings (or whether there even are job openings).

I've said this before: changing careers is not for the faint of heart or the person who's in a big rush! Megan, however, is making very good headway because she's learning that developing new contacts is key to her success.

Here are some of the smart networking choices she's making that you can make as well:

Join

Megan has joined two professional associations here in Seattle that relate to her field of interest. They are well-attended and active communities, made up of new and seasoned professionals.

Participate

Rather than just attend a monthly lunch meeting, talk with two people and call it good, Megan is an active participant in these groups. She volunteers at events so she can help out and get to know some people in the group. She talks with the speaker at the end of the meeting and asks a couple of follow-up questions which leads to a conversation. She shows up to a special interest group (a small group that meets around a particular topic of interest) monthly.

As a result of her efforts she has a list of ten people to set up informational interviews with, has decided not to pursue a Master's degree in this field but rather earn a certificate in a specialty area, has learned some key tips on how to make her LinkedIn profile better, and has won the opportunity to be a consultant "intern" for three months.

Ask questions

Megan has given a lot of thought to what strengths and skills she'd like to leverage, what kind of an organizational culture attracts her and what kind of people she'd like to work with. She has a running list of questions she is not shy about asking that will help her understand what her next steps are in the research and job search process.

She is careful not to weigh any one person's comments too heavily but rather speak with many people and get a general picture from different perspectives. In this way she avoids being too swayed by one person's experience and can stick with the process.

Connect online

Megan hadn't delved into LinkedIn very much before deciding to change careers, so she's taking time to develop her profile and to add connections to her network as she gets to know them. She has joined several LinkedIn groups and is participating in discussions. She has set aside a certain amount of time to look at the discussions so she can stay focused without letting too much time get away from her.

She's thinking about Twitter and how she might use that tool to help her achieve her goals. Rather than signing up for all the tools and groups out there, she's thinking about her goals and then deciding which tools can help her. And rather than simply joining LinkedIn, she's participating.

Capture notes

Megan is getting a lot of information and talking with a lot of people. She's developed a system that works for her to keep track of what she's learning, who she's talked to and when she wants to follow up with people.

She's a little old school and uses a spiral notebook and paper calendar, but she could easily keep notes electronically using Evernote, Jibber Jobber, or your basic spreadsheet.

Megan's networking efforts are leading to serendipitous opportunities, new professional relationships, and are are giving her more clarity about how she can enter a new field.

What networking strategies have worked for you?

Ask the Career Coach: "How Exactly Do I Set up an Informational Interview?"

2012-10-18T13:57:31-07:00

Today I'm debuting a new "Ask the Career Coach" feature on life@work. If you have a question related to career change, career development or job search, just ask me!

Today's question was sent in by Steve, a 38 year-old massage therapist who is thinking about going back to school to become an RN. He writes:

"I know I need to be networking, and there's a lot I need to learn about the pros and cons of nursing school, the job market for RNs here, and just what exactly a day in the life of a hospice nurse (the area I'm most interested in) is like. What is the best way to contact somebody to ask for an informational interview? It seems so awkward and fake and I'm putting off doing it. What do I say?"

Informational interviews aren't just for college students and recent grads - they're still a fantastic way to research a field or a company. As long as you are just meeting to get information and aren't asking for a job, people are usually willing to say yes to a request if their schedule permits.

Here are my tips for setting up an informational interview:

Send an email or call them

In many industries, voice mail is rather quaint and email is the preferred method of communication. Choose the mode that you guess that person uses the most. Each has its pros and cons.

Unless you already know the person, don't send a text message. It's too familiar.

Mention how you're connected or how you heard about them

Do you have a mutual friend or colleague? Did you hear them speak at a conference? Did you read their blog? Let them know how you discovered them.

Make your request short and specific

Whether you send an email or talk on the phone, say who you are and what you want in just a few sentences. Make it clear you're asking for information only, and suggest a meeting format (phone or coffee) and length (20 minutes is a good start).

Here's an example of how to get started:

"Hi, I'm Steve Jackson and Karen Smith suggested I contact you. I'm a massage therapist and am looking into becoming a hospice nurse. As part of my research I'm contacting some friends of friends who are nurses and asking them questions about how they chose the field and what their work environment is like. I'm wondering if you would be willing to talk with me sometime for about 20 minutes about your experience as a hospice nurse."

Be patient

Remember that people are busy, so you should allow them plenty of time (for example, two weeks) to get back to you. Don't take it personally if you don't hear from them! There are all kinds of reasons why they are not returning your call or email, and they probably have nothing to do with you.

Use your discretion about how persistent you want to be in following up. If you follow up and then don't hear back and they are a "warm" lead, perhaps your mutual contact can help you connect. If you are contacting them cold, assume they don't have the time and/or are not interested, and move on to someone else.

What other suggestions do you have for Steve on what to say when requesting an informational interview?

How to Recover from "Success Amnesia"

2012-10-12T08:05:00-07:00

Do you have "success amnesia"? Is it much easier for you to recall your mistakes and what's gone wrong than it is for you to remember your successes?

If so, most of us can relate. We humans are supremely adept at remembering, noticing and imagining everything negative. The good stuff? It flashes brightly for a moment and then is gone.

Our positive experiences leave a weaker imprint on our minds than negative. We're also wired to recognize danger immediately. So no wonder it's daunting to attempt to change something big (like our job for example) - a lot of us are focusing on our shortcomings and on everything that could go wrong.

But if you want to sell someone else on your outstanding capabilities, relevant experience and general awesomeness, the first person you need to genuinely impress is yourself.

Most of us not only downplay our successes in our minds but also don't receive direct, helpful and timely feedback on our successes from our managers. So it becomes doubly hard to counter our tendency to forget our past accomplishments and acknowledge how competent we are.

To start recovering from success amnesia, go to your computer or grab a piece of paper and give these exercises a try:

Write down the problems you've faced at your job.

Take some time to remember specific situations you've handled. What action did you take and what were the results? No problem is too small. Record ten examples or so from the last five years.

Write about the successful projects you played a part in

Again, think about specific examples going back at least five years. What part did you play? What were the results?

Write down the qualities that it took to solve those problems and accomplish those successes.

Examples of qualities include intelligence, compassion, creativity, diligence, thoroughness, trustworthiness, and persistence.

Write down the skills and knowledge you used to solve the problems and accomplish those successes.

Examples of skills include persuade, direct, delegate, analyze, motivate, budget, program, organize, lead, maintain and negotiate.

To come up with examples of knowledge that you have, think about the kinds of information you rely on to do your job, whether that be rocket science, accounting principles, how to market consumer products, the intricacies of the emergency services world, and so on.

Write down your significant successes outside of work.

Write down the problems you've solved, your major accomplishments from the last five years, and what it took to succeed. You want to remind yourself of your competence in all areas of your life.

Ask people who know and like you to tell you your five most outstanding qualities.

If this feels too strange, then pretend to be your best friend, your manager, your former co-worker, or whoever would be on your list to ask. What are you known for? If it's hard for you to toot your own horn, see if you can let in the positive views that others have of you.

Commit to recording your successes.

Writing down what you do well (and then looking at your list every once in a while) helps you avoid success amnesia. Use Evernote or just keep a paper file - whatever works.

Commit to savoring positive experiences.

Savoring goodness has been shown in studies to boost positivity. When something good is happening, notice it! Think about it in a way that makes it last. Appreciate the feeling that it gives you, and talk about it with someone else.

Appreciate your talents.

What seems easy or basic to you may seem incredible to someone else. You're used to being able to do what you do, so it's easy to forget that to some other people your skills are quite valuable. Keep this in mind when you think about signing up for a big new project or looking for a new job.

When you notice and savor your successes, you feel more confident, have a stronger resume and LinkedIn profile and perform better in job interviews. Worth doing!

What other tips do you have for remembering and recording successes?

How to Revive Your Job When You've Just About Had It

2012-10-08T14:53:00-07:00

Are you tired of the "same old same old" at work? Do you have a thousand complaints about who you work with and how things are done? Are you constantly stressed about the security of your job?

Work negativity can take many forms, and they all feel pretty terrible. When you're feeling blah, angry or afraid much of the time, your job performance suffers and so does the overall quality of your life.

You may be tempted to jump right into a job search, but often it's possible to give your current job some CPR and revive it.

Here are some ideas of what you can think about and do, depending on what form your negativity is taking when you're:

Feeling Bored

If you're not interested in your work anymore (assuming you once were!) you might be able to get back some of what's missing or you might need to think about a new way you could make your work more interesting.

What project could you take on that would be more interesting?

Who could you delegate an uninteresting part of your job to (who might find it interesting)?

How could you change your approach that would breathe new life into part of your job? (For example, can you enlist others to work with you, can you learn something new, could you revise the way you do it, or how about reminding yourself about the value of the work?)

Feeling Critical

If you're criticizing everything and everyone you're hurting yourself and helping to create a toxic environment for others. Even if you're justified in your complaints, the more you tell yourself how awful it is and allow your anger and hositility to build, the worse you're going to feel. Doing something to alleviate your distress is your best option.

Strategize about what you can do that's in your control. Can you "manage up" more effectively? If you feel critical because everyone around you is critical, how can you stop taking in their complaints? What problem that's driving you crazy could you help solve? If there's someone on your team whom you can't stand, how can you change your thinking so they don't get under your skin quite so much?

Focus on anything that's going well. We often overfocus on the negative and forget to notice the positive (we're hardwired to do so!)

Amp up your networking. Talk to people on the outside and remind yourself that there is an outside. Don't wait until you've decided to leave a job to begin networking. It starts with email or coffee dates to reconnect with people you don't see often.

Feeling Fearful

Fear spreds through an organization like a virus and has been especially prevalent in the last few years. Reorgs, new management, layoffs - they all feed the grapevine and cause a lot of drama. No wonder you're stressed and panicky. Here are a few suggestions:

Dispute catastrophic thinking. Notice when you're brooding about worst case scenarios and dispute those thoughts on paper. Is it really true that you're this close to losing your house? Be honest about what worries are unlikely to happen.

Focus on what's in your control. Is there a way you can sock more money away and increase (or start) your rainy day fund? Who can you reconnect with to touch base about what's happening elsewhere in your field? What's a way you can contribute even more value to your organization?

Small changes can lead to big results. Try some of the above ideas, but if you're still negative most of the time then explore opportunities outside your team or organization before you become completely burned out.

How have you been able to breathe new life into a job you've had?

Want to Change Jobs? 3 Essential Steps to Actually Doing It

2012-10-05T16:28:06-07:00

If you're researching your next possible job or engaged in an all-out job search, you've no doubt become familiar with your favorite procrastination techniques.

I get it. Even though the idea of working somewhere else doing something else is really exciting, the process of getting there is, well, not so fun. Setting up informational interviews? Reconnecting with old co-workers? Searching online for salary data? I know you'd rather be watching Modern Family or unplugging the fridge, pulling it out and vacumming behind it. (A task completed only by people in job transition, by the way).

Since you may already be working full-time and have other things going on in your life, like family, friends, sports and onerous cleaning tasks, it can be hard to fit in the job change tasks. You might be tempted to set a few vague goals and hope you get to them.

You may be a "go with the flow" type person who keeps a fluid (or non-existent) calendar and task list. But if you want to get any traction with changing jobs, you need to get energized, get organized and set specific deadlines for yourself.

I've coached people through job and career changes for the last nine years, and I can honestly say that every single person who was successful were able to:

1. Get Energized

It's time to be honest and acknowledge that changing jobs is going to take a concerted effort on your part. You don't necessarily have to devote 40 hours a week to it, but you need to commit energy and time, possibly over many months.

Basically you need to have a pep rally for yourself and get into the mindset of "Yeah, I'm gonna do this!" There's a lot of work ahead so take the time to get very clear about why you want a change, how changing jobs will make your life much, much better, and then decide to become active and assertive about accomplishing it.

2. Get Organized

Finding a new job is a multi-step process involving research, networking, and possibly a resume overhaul. Becoming organized will help you make the most efficient use of your limited time. You'll want to decide on your top priorities, create an action plan and decide on a system for capturing and tracking information.

You'll also want to decide when you're going to work on job change tasks. Will it work best for you to spend an hour every night on it after work, or five hours over the weekend, or what? Set appointments with yourself and put them on your calendar.

Even if you wing it in most other areas of your life, commit to an organized job transition plan! You're much more likely to stick with the process when you are focused and directed.

3. Set Specific Deadlines

Especially if you're employed right now, it's hard to stay motivated to do what it takes to change jobs if you don't feel a certain sense of urgency. For many people, deadlines are critical to them getting things done.

Also, it's easy to stay in analysis and research mode for a long time and put off doing some of the more intimidating job change tasks. This is really when deadlines become essential.

First decide when you want to start your new job or career. Even though you aren't in control of many of the parts of the process, setting a goal start date will help you stay focused. Do you want to start your new gig in three months? Two years? Decide now.

Look at the action plan you created and identify the first small step. Decide when you'll get that step done and plan the time on your calendar. Create priorities for the upcoming week and then commit to looking at your plan and your calendar each week until you're in your new job.

You won't know all your action steps yet, and that's OK. You just need to know the first few and then depending on what you discover through those steps you'll be able to determine the next few.

Don't worry if you need to adjust your deadlines - the key is to always have them and be working towards them. If there's no deadline, there's no urgency, and if you don't feel urgency, you won't take action.

Also I encourage you to team up with at least one other person and check in weekly with your (or each other's) plans and progress. Reporting in to someone helps you stick with your plan.

For many people, changing jobs is a doable goal that's within reach. There's a lot to do, but when you're focused and organized you can make it happen.

What else do you think is important for job-changers to do to stay motivated and focused?

How Kaizen Can Help Your Job Search

2012-07-10T14:22:13-07:00

It's tempting to take a "weekend warrior" approach to a job search in hopes that going all-out in a sprint will let us be done with it already.

But we'll have more success and will feel overwhelmed less often if we adopt a more easy partnership with the job search process and agree to hang out with it for the longer haul.

A continuous improvement, or kaizen, approach to your job search ensures you build momentum without burning out. You make continuous adjustments to your job search strategy along the way as you discover what's working and what's not.

The idea is simple - take very small, incremental steps toward your goal every single day. Focus on the daily small steps.

The reason that I especially recommend a kaizen approach to job seekers is that searching for a job is a fearful experience, and a kaizen approach does a lot to reduce your fear.

When you are just focusing on thinking about your very next tiny step and are implementing it, your mind is distracted away from the bigger picture, "Oh my God, what if I never get a new job," thoughts and fears.

Also kaizen is the antidote to entropy, a state that job seekers do not want to find themselves in. Says Ingrid E. Cummings, author of The Vigorous Mind: Cross-Train Your Brain to Break Through Mental, Emotional and Professional Boundaries, "Nothing can ever defeat entropy, but keeping it at bay via small incremental steps consistently taken - that's cookin' with gas; that's the strike zone."

Our culture emphasizes big, dramatic change and swift action to enact it. But really, most significant changes are the results of days or weeks or months of taking consistent, small, incremental steps. And focusing on the small steps keeps you more flexible and able to adapt to changes and setbacks along the way.

Don't worry about planning the next 50 small, incremental changes you want to do, either - just plan the next few and then see where you are and plan the next few, and so on.

I'd love to hear: How will you take a more kaizen approach to your job search?

How to Give an Effective Performance Review

2012-01-17T13:00:38-08:00

Most of us crave meaningful feedback at work. It's natural to want validation and acknowledgment for our accomplishments, and many of us wish we could hear constructive criticism more often to help us learn and grow.

Yet the tool that organizations give managers, the dreaded performance review, is pretty universally loathed. Most managers aren't well-trained on how to give effective feedback. They forget the importance of direct, positive acknowledgment. They shy away from direct confrontation when they have a criticism (or go the opposite route and criticize far more often than is useful).

My number one tip for effectively reviewing performance is to do it frequently and informally. Nip problems in the bud. Catch people doing things right and say so directly. Be specific and be timely.

But you still need to give an official performance review using the process and form that your employer has selected. Here are my golden rules for giving effective reviews:

1. No surprises

Don't store up all of your grievances for review time. Address performance issues as they come up instead of waiting for the annual review. The best performance reviews document what you and your employee already know.

2. Make goals and revisit progress throughout the year

Don't set goals in January and then ignore them until the next January. Make goals relevant, adjust them as necessary throughout the year, and touch base about progress regularly.

3. Be specific

Provide a context and situation for your praise and criticism. For example, how is your employee a good communicator? What examples do you have to support your comments?

4. Don't just make your employee write it

Self assessments are a fine part of the process, but to make the review effective, you need to add your two cents. Spend some time and show a little care here.

5. Be on time

Haven't we all had our own reviews delayed by weeks or months (or years?) It's not exactly a recipe for feeling appreciated or motivated. The value of a review decreases rapidly every month it's overdue.

For more tips on how to give effective reviews, check out this article on WikiHow.

How do you think becoming better at giving reviews would benefit you? Please share in the comments below.

How to Get the Most Out of an Informational Interview

2011-12-14T12:42:32-08:00

Many mid-career people I coach are surprised that informational interviewing is still going on for the over-25 set.

If you're curious about what's happening at a certain company you're interested in, want to know what kind of experience is really needed to break into a related field, want the skinny on what other organizations you might want to target, or have any one of a thousand other career development questions, asking for an informational interview is the best way to get your questions answered and get acquainted with new people.

You may already have some of the basic principles down about informational interviews:

Explain briefly who you are and why you'd like to meet.
Suggest a specific amount of time for the meeting (30 minutes or less).
Come prepared with questions.
Don't ask for a job.
Write a thank you note.

Since it can feel daunting to email or call someone you don't know personally (even if you've been referred to them by a mutual acquaintance), you want the experience to be worthwhile. Here are four key tips for getting the most from your time:

1. Define the outcomes you want from the interview.

Do you want to get on someone's radar? Learn more about an organization's culture? Find out about a specific career path? Figure out how you can increase your chances of being competitive in a new field?

Decide what you want to get out of the interview and create your questions based on those desired outcomes.

Craft more questions than you think you'll need and write them in priority order.

You may get an hour with someone or you may only get ten minutes. Write down all the questions you can think of (the more detailed, the better). QuintCareers.com has thought of a bunch already for you, to get you started.

Then rearrange the order of your questions so they're in priority order. This way if your meeting is cut short, you've already asked the most important questions.

2. Research the organization and person you are meeting with.

Take the time to read not only the company website but any recent articles written about the organization. Check out the interviewer's LinkedIn profile and see if they have a Twitter ID.

When you bother to do some homework you are able to ask better questions and it leaves a good impression.

3. Ask for referrals to others.

Think of every informational interview as a potential gateway into more interviews and more new contacts. At the conclusion of the interview, after you've established rapport, let your interviewer know you'd like more information (and on what).

If she suggests people for you to contact, ask whether you can use her name when you inquire or, better yet, ask wether she's willing to send an introductory email to that person and copy you on it. Then it's very easy for you to reach out to the new potential contact.

4. Keep in touch.

After you've sent a thank you note to the interviewer, decide how (or if) you want to keep in touch with him. If you hit it off, if you have mutual interests, or if you're now extremely excited about his organization, you'll probably want to keep in touch.

Check in with your gut as you decide on an initial plan, however don't be afraid to push yourself a bit if you know you have a tendency to hang back.

Possible ways you might keep in touch include:

Ask to connect with him on LinkedIn. One advantage of connecting here is that if he stays current on LinkedIn, you'll be able to see if they change jobs. You could then send a note of congratulations.
Follow him on Twitter and engage with him every so often.
Email him every so often with a link to an article that relates to your meeting, or with a comment about something you read about them or their organization, or a brief status update and a question.
Offer him something he would value. Depending on you and the interviewer's situations, you might offer to interview him for your blog, volunteer for an upcoming event he's running or do some other volunteer work.

Then write down your keep-in-touch plan and create tasks in your calendar now.

Of course, you shouldn't try to force a connection if you're getting lukewarm responses or can't think of any good reason why you'd want to keep in touch. Your energy is much better spent building and maintaining quality connections.

Professionals are meeting new professionals all the time. Don't be shy about asking for someone's time; simply do so respectfully and thoughtfully. Most of us are very open and willing to meet new people, offer suggestions and answer questions about ourselves.

However, don't take it personally if the answer is no, or if you never get a response to your request for an informational interview. There are a thousand possible reasons for being turned down that have nothing to do with you (too busy, in a career transition themselves, going through tough times personally, simply not interested in talking to anyone).

What are some of your best suggestions for informational interviews that really pay off?