Category: Charting Your Career for Success

Charting Your Career for Success:
Feeling a pull towards something different in your work life? This category is your compass for navigating the exciting and sometimes challenging journey of career change. Whether you’re contemplating a slight pivot or a complete industry leap, you’ll find guidance and resources here to help you:

Explore new career possibilities that align with your passions and skills.
Identify your transferable skills and how to leverage them in a new field.
Develop a strategic plan for making a successful transition.
Learn practical tips for networking, upskilling, and adapting your job search materials.
Find inspiration and real-world stories from others who have navigated career changes.
It’s never too late to pursue a more fulfilling and meaningful career. Let’s explore the possibilities together and help you confidently chart your new professional path.

There is more than One Way to Get a Job.

There is more than One Way to Get a Job.

I read a great deal about getting a job through direct referrals.

However, some career coaches recommend that you limit yourself to a dozen companies where you really want to work and use a direct referral to get into those companies.  Companies still use several sources for finding job applicants.

  • Recruiters
  • Job boards
  • Company websites
  • Newspapers
  • Trade journals
  • Internet want ads including newspapers and Craigslist
  • Social Media
  • Press releases and other methods

There are many opportunities that you will never find through your network alone.

I do recommend that you pick companies that really interest you.  I also recommend that you try to network into those companies directly.  Companies use direct referrals.  As a contract recruiter, I have recruited for companies that also paid a referral fee to their employees for direct referrals.  Direct referrals come into the company with a solid reference from a person the company knows.  A company can evaluate the value of the referral based on the company’s knowledge of the person making the referral.

I do not recommend that you have exhaust your network resources before you to turn to other resources for a job.  If you really need a job, contact and build your network daily.  However, also use the other resources on a daily basis.

One way to search for jobs is to use Google or Bing.  These search engines will pick up opportunities that are on job boards, company sites, recruiters’ websites, or many other places on the Internet.  You will only need to spend a few minutes a day searching through job search engines to find opportunities.

I created the website Jay Wren Jobs.  The website has a job board.  In addition, I built a custom search engine that will help you find a job.

If you really need a job, use all your resources.  Make your job search as much of a full-time job as you can.  Good luck with your search.  Finding a job is not easy for everyone.  However, as you use more resources, you will find more opportunities.

Status Board

Status Board

One of the tools for organizing a job search is a status board.

Using a status board is a great way to track on-going projects.  Status boards come in all types of formats to fit the purpose.  When I was a Navy officer, there were at least four status boards on the bridge of the ship.  Each one was different and served different purposes.  Some were on Plexiglas®.  Some were printed.

I have used a basic status board throughout my career as a corporate recruiter.  For me, using a spreadsheet makes the process easy.  The mock-up below is a brief illustration of what a basic spreadsheet status board might look like.  In this case, the example is an illustration of using a status board to manage a job search.
Status Board

As you can see, a status board is different from a calendar.  The purpose is to give you an overall view of what you are doing across all activities.

This tool becomes even more useful when people are working on teams.  Each team member has a copy.  When the team meets to discuss the activities for the day, the members add notes to update their status board.  Literally, all the team members are on the same page.  In my search firm, team members used a simple form similar to the one above to manage dozens of activities.

As team members go through the workday, they update their copy of the status board to prepare for the next day’s meeting.  With the sharing features of online documents, it is now possible for teams to work on the status board from different locations.  What you will see is another person changing the status board as that person works.

There are apps for status boards. Many of these digital status boards are more really organizers than status boards. For example, Google Now for Android and Morning for iPad give you updates on news, weather, sports, commute, traffic, shopping, events nearby, and reminders, and not effective for project management.

Job Search is a Numbers Game

Job search is a numbers game.

Contacting more people will increase the likelihood that you get a job.

In terms of numbers of prospects or shoppers, getting a job is similar to running a retail store. If the store has no shoppers, the store will have no sales. If shoppers line up out the door, the store has greater odds of selling products and services.

First, you do the job search basics.

  • Write a terrific resume.
  • Write a template for a great cover letter.
  • Polish your online profile.

Creating the job search numbers game

Begin connecting with people who can hire you and with people who can connect you with people who can hire you.
The best contacts are the people you already know. Start by making a contact list of these people.

As you contact people, ask those people for names and contact information of other people who can help you.

After you have written your list of people you know, go to membership sites to add the names of other contacts to your contact list.

Make a list of companies where you would like to work. Build this list from your industry knowledge, from recommendations of people in your network, and from job listings, which you find on job boards.

Before you apply for a job on a job board, review your contact list for people you know at the company.  If you do not know anyone at the company, research names of people who work at the company.  Your application is more effective if a person recommends you for a job.  Try to get a direct referral from a person at the company.  Many companies pay employees for referrals. Direct referrals will give you more credibility than applications you make online.

Job Search is a Numbers Game.

Continue to contact as many people each day as you can. Put the numbers in your favor. Remember that your contacts are like retail shoppers to a retail store. The more contacts you make will increase your chances of getting a job.

Hidden Expenses at a New Job

Hidden Expenses at a New Job

If you have a job offer, congratulations.  Before you sign the offer letter, consider the hidden expenses that can change the pay increase in the job offer. Here are some things to consider before you accept the job.

The hidden expenses in tax increases with a pay raise

Have you checked to see whether the new salary puts you into a higher tax bracket? The Internal Revenue Service provides a tax calculator that you can use without signing into the IRS website.  You do not have to identify yourself when you use the calculator.  To use the IRS tax calculator, start here.

The hidden expenses in the commute

Will the new job have a longer commute?  If so, some elements of your car cost will increase with a longer commute.

  • Depreciation
  • Gas
  • Insurance
  • Repairs and maintenance
  • Tires
  • Tolls and/or Parking fees

Failing to evaluate your increased car costs is a mistake.  To give you some idea of how much a commute affects your income, the Internal Revenue Service allows a deduction for business use of a personal car.  Although in most cases you cannot deduct your commute costs from your taxes, you can use the IRS numbers as a basis for the cost of operating your car for your commute.

The hidden expenses in clothing costs

For some people, getting a new wardroom is a lot of fun.  However, paying the bills for the costs of those new clothes is not a lot of fun and can take a bite out of the pay raise that came with the job.

Other costs to consider are washing and ironing of work clothing.  Some people wear T-shirts and shorts, baggy jeans, or a wrinkle-free skirt.  They do little more than fold their clothes when they take them out of the dryer.  These people may never pick up an iron to prepare their clothes for work.

Other people send their clothes to the laundry and dry cleaners.  If your new job will increase your clothing costs, you should include those costs in your evaluation of job offer.

The hidden expenses in insurance costs

It is great that when a new company offers insurance for your health.  However, the costs to you can vary greatly from insurance plan to insurance plan.  You need to look at the costs to you in the medical coverage: the deductible, the prescription coverage, hospital coverage and charges, and other charges that can raise your medical costs.

The hidden expenses exist in every job offer

Understand the hidden expenses at a new job before you take the job.

Department of Labor Unemployment Rates for Large Metropolitan Areas

Find jobs in each metropolitan area at JayWren.com/jobs.

Monthly Rankings Source
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Department of Labor
Apr. 2013 preliminary
Last Modified Date: May 29, 2013

Rank Metropolitan Area Rate
1 Oklahoma City, OK Metropolitan Statistical Area 4.1
2 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area 4.9
3 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.0
4 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.1
5 Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.2
5 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.2
7 Richmond, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.4
7 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.4
9 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH Metropolitan NECTA 5.7
9 Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.7
11 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.9
11 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area 5.9
13 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.0
14 Kansas City, MO-KS Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.1
15 New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.2
15 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.2
17 Jacksonville, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.3
18 Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.4
18 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.4
18 Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.4
21 Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.5
22 Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.6
22 Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.6
22 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.6
25 Baltimore-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.7
25 Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.7
25 St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area1 6.7
25 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area 6.7
29 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.0
30 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.1
31 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.2
31 Rochester, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.2
33 Indianapolis-Carmel, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.4
33 Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.4
35 Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.5
35 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.5
37 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.6
38 Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.7
38 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metropolitan Statistical Area 7.7
40 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Metropolitan NECTA 7.8
41 Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 8.3
42 Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area 8.4
42 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 8.4
44 Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area 8.9
45 Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area 9.0
45 Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA Metropolitan NECTA 9.0
47 Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area 9.1
48 Las Vegas-Paradise, NV Metropolitan Statistical Area 9.6
48 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 9.6

NOTE: Rates shown are a percentage of the labor force. Data refer to place of residence. Estimates for the current month are subject to revision the following month.
*Not Seasonally Adjusted

5 Interview Tips for Getting a Job Offer

5 Interview Tips for Getting a Job Offer

Use these 5 interview tips to cross the maze to getting a job offer.  Hiring managers want to hire you when they invite you to an interview.  Make their job easy.

Say that you want the job.

This tip for getting a job offer sounds obvious.  However, I have had countless applicants fail to get a job offer, because they left the interview with the hiring manager uncertain about whether the applicants had an interest in the job.

You are not the only applicant in the interview process. If three equally qualified applicants compete for a job and only one is expressing an interest in getting the job, the hiring managers have an easy decision. They will offer the job to the person who wants the job.

Simply say that they you want the job and why you want it.

Be humble.

Don’t make the interview about you.  Have the good manners to ask hiring managers about themselves and their career.

Certainly ask questions about the company.

Say some good things about the hiring manager’s comments and about the company.  Humility is a valuable trait for getting a job offer.  Hiring managers want to hire people who fit in with other people as well as people they like.  Show the humility to show an interest in the hiring manager and the company.

Use facts about your qualifications.

Don’t use a list of adjective about yourself.  Avoid describing yourself as outstanding, motivated, organized, etc.  These words have no value.

Use the facts of your success.  You doubled the business.  You reduced costs.  You hired people who got promoted.  These facts show the hiring managers you can do a great job at their company.

Show how your skills match the job description.

Before you go to the interview, study the job description.  List your skills with each qualification the hiring company requires.

Prepare a presentation either on paper or on your laptop to show hiring managers how your skills match what their company is looking for in the person they are hiring.

Use words that are common to any company.

Every company has its jargon.  The people in the company fall into using these words as part of the workday.

If you are transitioning from the military or interviewing for a job that is in a different industry, be especially careful about using words or expression unique to the place where you are working.

5 Interview Tips for Getting a Job Offer

Good luck with your interview.  You will do a great job.  You will find that using these 5 interview tips will help you get a job offer.