Category: Charting Your Career for Success

ob search timing. Is this the right time in your career to make a job change? What are the things you must know to answer this question?

Success is greatest when timing meets necessity. ~ www.jaywren.com

Are You in the Wrong Job?

Here are some questions that will help you know that it’s time to consider a job search.

1. Is every day a crisis?
2. Do you feel burned out and can no longer do your job?
3. Is the culture toxic?
4. Have you outgrown your job and cannot get greater responsibility?
5. Is your company in financial or performance trouble?
6. Does your company fire people unexpectedly and seemingly without cause?
7. Is your commute too far or too expensive?
8. Are underpaid?

Are Your Problems Temporary?

Notice that in the last paragraph that I said “consider a job search.”

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 search, you may find staying in your current job helps you several ways.

Here are some ideas on ways to improve you working conditions.

1. Take more breaks.
2. Do not work during coffee breaks or lunch.
3. Leave your work at your workplace.
4. Do not work around the clock or seven days a week.
5. Take vacations.
6. Learn methods to relieve stress and develop a positive attitude.
7. Ask for a pay raise.
8. Avoid toxic people.

Job Search Timing and Risk

There are risks of going to a new workplace.

First, you may find that the problems at one workplace exist at the next work place.  You are only moving from one rut to another rut.  Changing jobs in this case would be a huge mistake, especially if you are walking away from accumulated benefits and tenure.

Second, you may find that the new job solves one problem but brings on other problems.  For example, you leave your current job and get more money.  However, you find that the culture or workload are a disaster.

Third, the offer that you negotiate may be an increase.  However, you find that there are hidden expenses at your new job.

• Commuting costs
• Clothing costs
• Insurance Costs
• Increased taxes
• Lost vacation
• Unrealistic bonus expectations

Is Your Job Search Timing the Best for You Mentally and Financially?

A job search 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. Furthermore, a job search is a numbers game.  Contacting more people will increase the likelihood that you get a job.  However, as more people who learn that you are in a job search, you will increase the risk of your employer learning that you are looking around.

These factors are stressful.  You must ask yourself if you are in a position to conduct a job search.

Do You Even Want a New Job?

Starting a new job is full of changes.

For example, you will meet new people and must build new relationships.  Second, you may find the new culture is a complete shock.  Furthermore, you may find that your current skills don’t align as well as you had hoped in your new job.  Additionally, you will have a new boss to impress and to understand.

Conclusion

With job search timing, you increase your success in landing the job you deserve.  Before you launch a job search, look at all the factors to decide whether the timing is the best for your efforts to find a new job.

Become discovered: You have all the skills, the talent, intelligence, charisma, and emotional intelligence for success.  But what does it matter if no one knows?

To Become Discovered, Spread the Word.

Retailers, manufacturers, and service providers have resources for putting their name out there.  They run ads in print, radio, television, social media, and billboards.

Furthermore, they sponsor public events.  They take part in community service projects with volunteers and donations.  Their executives do interviews on mass media.

Additionally, these companies have the money and the professional support to engage shoppers and spread the word.  The know how to become discovered.

To Become Discovered in a Confidential Job Search

You can use the same principles of putting your name out here as companies use.

Furthermore, you can promote your job search with nominal expense and minimal exposure.

Here are some suggestions.

Headhunters

There are pluses and minuses to using headhunters.  The top recruiters represent companies that offer more than a job.  They offer great opportunities for a career with long-term professional and financial growth.

Furthermore, unlike some employment agencies, headhunters don’t charge the job seeker a fee for helping them find a job.  The hiring companies pay the fee.

If you are uncertain about the terms of working with headhunter, ask the recruiter directly who pays the placement fee or any other recruiting costs.

• Should I Call the Recruiter?
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• The Types of Recruiters and Agencies
• Should You Work with a Recruiter?
• Working with Recruiters; The Different Types and What They Do

Applying for a Job In-Person

When you apply for a job in person, bring the information with you that you need to complete an application.  Some examples include your salary history, job history, and references.

Resumes

Sending recruiters and hiring managers your resume is an essential step to become discovered in a professional career.

Important point:  you don’t need permission to send your resume.  All you need is a postal address, email address, or a website upload link.

Recruiters on LinkedIn, often have their email address on their LinkedIn profile.

Volunteering

Volunteering for activities where you can use your professional skills is a way to expand your network and become discovered.  These volunteering opportunities can help you meet employers and meet people who know employers.

Internet Profiles

You can post your profile in multiple places on the Internet. The best places include LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter.

Speaking Opportunities

If you have the skills and the contacts to speak in front of audiences, you can become discovered for your skills and experience at events where employers will see you.

Based on your skills and education, your opportunities to speak or do interviews can vary from mass media to trade shows or college programs.

When I worked for Polaroid, I would contact local television stations to give interviews and discuss new cameras.

Conclusion

Just as retailers, manufacturers, and service providers do, you can become discovered by putting your name out there where the best people will find it.

ob Change: What are the things you must know to conduct a successful job search? These four tips might help you launch the career you deserve.

Making a Job Change

Scott Wallace is a CPG executive officer and a long-time client.  Recently, he asked me to help two undergrads launch their career.  Here is the note that he sent me for the subjects he wanted me to cover:

“As discussed, interview skills, LinkedIn profile help, social media watch outs, resume pointers, business grammar and anything else you can think is helpful.”

I appreciated his direction.  Furthermore, taking his points one at a time, I was able to examine the approach that successful professionals use in launching or relaunching their career.

Interview Skills

Fifty percent of the effort for the best interviews is in the preparation. ~ www.jaywren.com

Interview Preparation: Are you frustrated with rejection when you have the qualifications for the job? These three steps will help.

Prepare to discuss these three subjects:

1. The details of your career challenges and success
2. Everything you can learn about the hiring company
3. The match between your skills and the job qualifications

You can read more on interview preparation on this blog post:

Interview Preparation: Three Steps That Will Land You the Job

LinkedIn Profile and Social Media Watch Outs

LinkedIn is the leading professional social media website.  It is the best website for networking.  Furthermore, it is one of the best websites for creating an Internet Profile.

However, there are principles that apply for creating a powerful Internet profile across all social media.  These principles include the things that you should do and the things that you should not do.

In the following article, I detail how to create a powerful and engaging social media presence.

Internet Profile: Creating Your Internet Brand

Resumes

“Resumes must close the sale on getting a job interview.” ~ www.jaywren.com

Do you have all the qualifications and are not getting job interviews?  Look at your resume.  Additionally, look to see whether your resume shows how your skills match the job qualifications.

From there, compare your resume to the example in the following blog post.

Resumes Must Close the Sale on Getting a Job Interview

Business Grammar

Business writing is a broader view of business grammar.  Additionally, the essential skill of business writing is vital to career success.

In the following article, I discuss 4 steps to writing clearly and effectively.

Business Writing: A Skill that Successful People Master

Job counter offers are ways companies avoid the annoyances of losing employees at the wrong time.
~ www.jaywren.com

Should you stay or should you go?

Job counter offers are risky.

If you stay, the reasons you resigned seldom go away.  In addition, when you met with your boss to turn in your resignation, you showed your boss that you have been disloyal by interviewing with another company.

As for the value of a counter offer, be aware that companies prefer to lose people based on the company’s timing.  The reasons are easy to understand.  Your company is in the middle of a work project that could fail if people leave.   You are one of those people.  You find yourself in a counter offer that has more to do with completing the project than your value to the company.

So, what happens during a counter offer?

You go through a standard process to keep people aboard until the company can throw them overboard.

• Your boss asks you the reasons that you are leaving.
• Then your boss shows understanding about your frustrations.
• Your boss promises to make changes to keep you on the job.
• You may receive a pay raise or a promise of a pay raise.  Remember that you forced the pay raise by trying to resign.
• Your boss may even may promises to improve things as time goes on.
• Your boss gets the details of your job offer and shows you the flaws in going to the new company.
• You feel pressure from the counter offer process.  You become indecisive.  Even if your company does not offer you a pay raise or change any of the conditions that have made you unhappy, the company pressures you to stay.
• You begin to waver in your decision.

The Stress of Job Counter Offers

If you are feeling the stress of a job counter offer, you are not alone.

As a recruiter, I have had applicants go through so much stress that they have cried.  I had one manager who was going through a counter offer that was so stressful he called me at 2:00 AM.  He was in tears.  He was still in tears later that day when he called me to say that he had accepted his company’s counter offer.

The company convinced him to stay.

Seven month later, he was out again interviewing with another company.  Nothing changed after he accepted the counter offer.  He still hated where he worked.  He needed to get another job.

Unfortunately, another employee saw him interviewing at the airport.   The job searcher turned in a daily report that showed that he was making sales calls.  The report was false.  His boss knew that the report was false.   At this point, his current employer no longer needed him.  The same boss who had talked him into staying seven months before fired him.

He was unemployed without a job offer in hand.

How to Reduce the Pressure of Job Counter Offers

You can reduce the pressure.

When you resign, make the discussion short and to the point.  Just be polite.  Say that you are leaving.  Don’t share any information about your future employer or the amount of the offer.

When you think you are reasoning with your employer by sharing information about your new job, you are just engaging in a discussion that will increase the pressure.

Just give your resignation and listen but don’t speak.