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.

Are You in the Wrong Job?

If you feel unappreciated, are you in the wrong job?  By unappreciated, I mean that you experience these things.

  1. Your turn has come up for promotion, but the promotion goes to your peers or perhaps people who have come into your company and moved past you.
  2. Your company brings in management from the outside for jobs that should have.
  3. Your peers repeatedly get credit for the work you are doing.
  4. Your boss takes credit for your work.
  5. Your pay raise is smaller than the pay raises everyone else gets.
  6. Everything people say about you is negative.
  7. No one asks you to join in at breaks or after work.
  8. You believe that nothing you do makes a difference.
  9. You feel like an outsider.

What to Do When You Feel Unappreciated

Determine the cause of your problem.

Are you doing the things to deserve praise and promotions?  If you are not doing what you should be doing, get busy.  Correct your mistakes.  Eliminate under performance.

Is Your Boss the Reason You Feel Unappreciated?

In an article titled “Are you appreciated at work?” in SFGate, Kim Thompson wrote,

“If you asked the majority of employees the reasons for leaving a good job you might hear comments that involve a lack of appreciation rather than compensation.  Resigning from a job may sound like an impulsive choice.  However, according to a Gallup poll, at least 75 percent of the reasons for voluntary turnover can be influenced by managers.”

Is your boss the reason you feel unappreciated?  Can you work with your boss to makes changes?  If not, you can consider your options outside your current company.

Steps to a Job Change

  1. Prepare your resume.  Make it factual.  Use a bullet format.  Highlight your accomplishments.
  2. Build a contact list for your job change.
  3. Expand your network.
  4. Set up a specific job-change email address that includes your name.
  5. Turn to your friends outside the company for referrals and references.
  6. If you have a friend working where you would like to work, ask that person for help in getting an interview.
  7. Find companies that are hiring for the job that you want.
  8. Build relationships with people in the company and ask them to help you get an interview.

Find a place where you can do meaningful work with people who will reward you and appreciate your efforts.

Don’t get stuck in a job where you feel unappreciated.  Get another job!

What to Do When You Hate Your Job And Feel Stuck

“Oh, you hate your job? Oh my god, well why didn’t you say so? You know there’s a support group for that. It’s called EVERYBODY. They meet at the bar.”  Drew Carey

Do you hate your job and feel stuck?  You are not alone.  According to a Gallup report, 87% do not connect with the job they do everyday.

Other headlines across the Internet show that 70% to 80% hate their job.

Is there a job you would like but do not the skills for that job? Perhaps there is even a job in your current company that you would like to do if you were qualified.

There are ways to develop those skills.

First, find the skills that you need.  The process is easy.  Your motivation is strong, because you are working on things you love not things that make you hate your job.

Connect with people who have jobs that you would like to have.  People often love to talk about themselves.  Become a great listener.  Learn to ask good questions about what these people do.

As you learn things from people, read and research what they have told you.  As you learn more about what people do, you can ask questions that lead to skills development.

Make connections with managers who hire people for the type of job that you want.  Learn from these managers what they want in the people they hire.

Read job descriptions for the job you want.  You can find job descriptions on Internet job boards.  Make a list of the skills for these jobs.  Focus on the skills and requirements sections of the job descriptions.

Second, develop the skills that you need.
Evening classes consume time and cost money.  However, the time and money may have extra benefits that offer certification or credentials upon completion.  Certifications and credentials are often not only necessary but will look great on your resume for the rest of your career.

Volunteering is a way to connect with people and opportunities for skills development.  People are more willing to let you learn on the job when they do not have to pay you.

Create your own skills development program through free or paid Internet courses and textbook research.  Set a point where you want to develop your skills.  Select training programs that will enable you to develop your skills to that point.

For example, I wanted to develop some Internet programming skills.  I did not need to become an expert.  However, I completed a couple hundred  short lessons and reached the point I wanted to reach.  I still learn a few new things on a regular basis.

When you start a program that you develop yourself, you may feel that you have jumped into the middle of the ocean with no land in sight.

You just do not know what you do not know.  However, as you learn more, you will find that the pieces will come together into useful skills.

The Internet has countless free education and skills programs.  The Khan Academy is the best example of a free online education program.  YouTube has thousands of programs on every subject.

For other programs not on the Khan Academy or YouTube, just enter the name of the skills in a search engine.  You will find complete courses with dozens to even hundreds of lessons.

You do not have to hate your job.  Develop the skills to find a job you love.

The Best Way to Get the Job You Want

The best way to get the job you want is to go to the places that have that type of job. This statement sounds obvious. But many people never understand this fact.

They check the job boards. They register with a recruiter. They hear about jobs from their friends.  Don’t these people get the job want?  Sometimes. What they usually get is the job that is easy to find.

There are risks in using job boards, recruiters, and friends. If your company is sourcing job boards, your company can see your resume listed there.  As for recruiters and friends, some recruiters and friends tell the wrong people that you are looking for a job.

So how do you get the job you want?

First, use the Internet to find the companies in your area.

Search for jobs in a search engine. Not a job search engine.  Use a real search engine.  Use Google or Bing.

Enter phrases like these.

  • Best companies in [name of city]
  • Jobs in [name of city]
  • All companies in [name of city]
  • [name of skills] jobs

You will find hundreds of companies in your area.  Pick the companies where you can get the job you want.  Location. Type of job.  Industry. Your skills.

Check to see if you know anyone at the company that has the job you want.  Personal referrals can help you.  They can help you apply to the right place.  They can help you prepare for an interview.  They can let you know if the company really is the place where you want to work.

Check the company website.  Companies list jobs on their website.  If you see the job you want, apply for that job.  If you can apply at the company’s office, do that.  Some companies will interview walk-in applicants on the spot.

If the company does not have an opening for the job you want but takes on-going applications, complete an application.  Follow up with the company once a month.  You can still get the job you want when the job is available.

Is Making a Job Change Your Best Choice?

Is Making a Job Change Your Best Choice? Are you in the wrong job?  Here are some signs that you might be.

  1. Every day is a bad day.
  2. You feel that you cannot do your job.
  3. You do not like your boss.
  4. You work around people you do not like.
  5. Have you outgrown your job and cannot get greater responsibility to match your increased skills.
  6. Your company in trouble or your company is firing people.
  7. Your commute is too far or too expensive.
  8. You are underpaid.

Some of these problems you can work around or try to ignore.  Some of these problems can change over time.   If you spend the time making your current job better instead of spending that time on a job change, you may find staying in your current job helps you several ways.
Changing jobs is often a case of jumping from one rut to another.  You find the same problems in your new workplace that you tried to escape in your previous job. Changing jobs in this case would be a huge mistake, especially if you are walking away from accumulated benefits and tenure.

Are you mentally prepared to search for a new job? A job change is certainly a lot of work. It takes planning, time, effort, and money.   There are risks of losing your current job while you are looking for a new job. All these factors are stressful.

Once you get a new job, are you mentally ready to commit 100% to doing a great job at your next company? Starting a new job is full of changes.  You will face new routines. You will meet new people.  You will develop new relationships.  You will find a new culture. You will need to adapt to a new routine and culture.  You may need to learn new skills.  You will have a new boss to impress and understand.

Here are some things you can do to help you turn your current job better.

If ever day seems like a bad day and you feel that you cannot do your job, you may have job burnout.

  1. Change your routine.
  2. Take more breaks.
  3. Do not take your work with you to coffee or lunch.
  4. Leave your work at your workplace.
  5. Do not work on your weekends.
  6. Take vacations.
  7. Learn methods to relieve stress and develop a positive attitude.

If you do not like your boss or your coworkers, you are not alone.  During college jobs, the military, and my career in consumer products, I had 12 bosses.  I would like to work for only two of these bosses again.  I never quit a job over my boss.  When I did change jobs, I left for a better job
If you have outgrown your job and cannot get greater responsibility to match your increased skills, you may want to consider a job change.  You should work where the things you do are meaningful and fulfilling.  In looking for a new job, look for opportunities that will enable you to use your skills and allow you to continue to grow greater skills.

If your company is firing people, your commute is too far or too expensive, or if you cannot make enough money, you should consider looking for jobs that will help you become financially secure.  As you begin your search, bear in mind the benefits that you have in your current job.  Make sure that you are not gaining in salary and going down in total compensation.

Image: Mic445, Mic445

10 Tips to Keep Your Job Search a Secret

10 Tips to Keep Your Job Search a Secret

If you have a job, you can protect your current job and conduct a secret job search.  This process takes time and planning.   Here are tips that will help you reach the people who can help you and avoid the people who can cost you your current job.

1. Do your homework.  Identify the type of job you want.  Make a list of your skills and qualifications.  Be specific and honest with yourself.  As you read job descriptions, think whether your skills and qualifications will get you that job.  Think about whether the job is one that you want.  Limit applications to companies where you know there is a job opening for a person with your qualifications.  Every time you apply for a job, you are letting people at a hiring company know that you are looking for a job.  No one should know about your job search except people who can help you get a job.  Therefore, be careful and selective about when and where you apply for a job.

2. Limit discussing your job search with people who need to know and who can help you.  If you have friends at your current company, be careful about telling them about your job search.  Even though you trust these people, do not discuss your job search with other people at your workplace.  People often speak without thinking.

3. Avoid posting your resume on job boards. Anyone can buy access job board resumes. There is nothing binding people to secrecy.  Someone from your company or someone who knows someone at your company can see your resume on job boards. Corporate recruiters can download your resume from a job board and broadcast your resume to other recruiters.

You can post your resume as a “confidential candidate” on a job board.  You can also hide your contact information and use general terms for the name of your company and your responsibilities.  However, as a recruiter, I never bothered following up on this type of resume on job boards.   Therefore, I do not see the reason in your putting your resume on a job board in any fashion.

4. Reduce your activity on social media. Do not mention your job search.  It is never a good idea to post social media updates on any travel. Certainly avoid posting anything about activity that creates suspicion about your job search.

5. Polish and update your online profile.   Add a current picture. However, consider adjusting your privacy settings to block people from getting emails on your updates.  This step will reduce the risk that people in your company will see the social media activity about your career.

6. Use your personal cell phone for your job search.  Put that number on your resume.  Tell recruiters and hiring companies not to call you on your company office phone.

7. Label your search “confidential.”  When you send your resume to a hiring company, include a cover letter or email that states that you are conducting a confidential search.  Put the word confidential on your resume.  When you speak with hiring managers and recruiters, ask them for their commitment to keep your search to themselves. Ask recruiters for their assurance that they will not send your resume to anyone without your permission.

8. Do your job search on your own time.  Take vacation days to interview.  Conduct phone interviews before you go to work or after work. If you have job interviews during your workweek, attend those interviews before work, during lunch, or after work.

9. Carefully select and manage references.  When you give references to a hiring company, get permission from each person who agrees to be a reference.  Only give references you know you can trust.  Ask each person to keep your search confidential.  Do not give references until the hiring company is making you a job offer.

10. Think carefully before you tell your boss.  If you can tell your boss that you are making a job change, you do not need to conduct a secret job search.  The time to tell your boss that you are looking for another job in a secret job search is after you have a written offer and you ready to resign.  Your supervisor is the last person you tell that you are leaving your job.

Should I Call the Recruiter?

“Should I call the recruiter?”

This question is a common among applicants.

Occasionally I read career advice columns in which career coaches write, “Do not to call recruiters.  They will call you.”

Well, no, recruiters may never call you.  Here is how recruiters conduct searches.  First recruiters contact the qualified applicants they already have in their database, especially those people who are most recently active.  When recruiters have contacted the qualified candidates in their database, they get on the phone and call other people who are already in their database and ask these people for referrals to qualified applicants.

Recruiters do use job boards and membership sites.  The most successful recruiters use these sites as a last resort to find people for a search.  The reason is that hiring companies are using job boards and membership sites as well.  The likelihood for recruiters to find people the hiring companies have not already found on the Internet is small.  Therefore, the best recruiters are not using membership sites and job boards as their sources of finding applicants.

Of course, nearly every recruiter is a member of LinkedIn.  The main resource LinkedIn gives a recruiter is to develop a larger database of people the recruiter can use for ongoing business development.  For a recruiter, LinkedIn is similar to a blood drive for a blood bank. The resources recruiters develop on LinkedIn come into use for the long-term development of their business. Hospitals must continually replace and add to their sources of blood.  Recruiters must continually create new relationships as people come and go over a career.

A piece of bad advice is to email recruiters instead of calling recruiters.

The reason that every search firm in the country has a phone number on the company website is so that job seekers and hiring managers can call the firm’s recruiters. Check out the company websites for firms that do every level of search from entry-level to c-level and boardroom search. You will find a phone number.

The advice from career coaches about not calling recruiters is bad advice, especially if you need a job fast.  In the job market, you are like a patient in the hospital.  If you need blood, you go to a hospital.  If you need to work with recruiters, pick up the phone and call them.  Find out which ones you like and trust.  Build relationships that you can use your entire career.

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