Whether you're unemployed and looking for work or just poking around to see what opportunities are out there, one thing is for certain: the abundance of job-related advice articles is staggering. In fact, every day it seems that the major search engines and news channels posts at least one if not multiple new articles on how to change careers or find a job.
Most of them include an interesting twist -- the introduction to a job you never considered (i.e., elevator repair work), news about high paying careers that only require limited education (i.e., technical jobs that you may qualify for with a 2-year degree or 18-month certificate), jobs with a twist (i.e., telecommuting, developing industries, stimulus-related opportunities), or career moves that appeal to your own special interests (i.e., jobs in sports, creative jobs, green jobs, event jobs were you can shop or play video games and earn money.)
What's great about these articles is that they can open your horizons to something you may not have previously known about or considered. But in all fairness, most of them don't actually tell you who's hiring for these positions beyond a generalized reference (schools, hospitals, government agencies, etc.) or provide a step-by-step guide for getting from where you are to where you want to be. And ultimately, for career advice to be genuinely helpful, it needs to go beyond simply informational.
I enjoy these articles as much as anyone -- and I enjoy the writers who pen them. Many of them are colleagues who regularly call and quote me. If you're looking for inspiration or someone to give you a fresh idea, these articles are the best! But if you're serious about making a change, challenge yourself to take a genuine career assessment such as the Green Light Scoring Model and then begin investigating industry-specific career resources that can help you go from dreaming about your ideal job to actually obtaining it.
Did you know the 2010 Creating Job Security Resource Guide includes more than 130 industry-specific resources? It includes the Green Light Scoring Model. And it's available online and in a bookstore near you. www.CreatingJobSecurity.com
Showing posts with label executive jobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label executive jobs. Show all posts
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
New Grads: You Hold the Secret Key!
First things first... CONGRATULATIONS!
Not only are you graduating, you are jumping into the job market ahead of many of your peers. You already know the job market is tough. What you may not know is that you have the advantage, even over people who have experience. You hold the secret key. You just need to know which important door it needs to open first.
Five years ago, the world grew increasingly intoxicated by customer service. In an age where credit was king, almost everyone had buying power and with that a sense of entitled pampering. Except for the very wealthy and those in senior level management positions, extreme pampering has gone out the door except for 30 minutes here and there in strip mall nail salons and full-service car detailing shops (mostly available in metropolitan areas).
That's where you come in. Managers today are required to do far more with less staff and reduced budgets. New grads with talent, energy, creativity, and who haven't already worked for $50K+ a year (and believe that high pay and full benefits at no cost are entitlements) are positioned nicely to take the jobs that more seasoned workers may be passed over for.
If you were a manager and you could hire someone who was smart, eager and always available, or someone who came with experience, expectations, and possibly outside obligations -- and who may be taking a job as a bridge position until something "better" came along -- which one would appeal to you?
But there are some things you need to know (that your experienced counterparts have learned through their years on the career ladder.)
1. Always dress, talk and act professionally.
2. Show up on time or a few minutes early.
3. Think customer service! Be the very best No. 2 person possible to your boss.
4. Focus on your employer. Always think, "What can I do for them?" Once you are indispensable, then you can make requests or share preferences -- and if you're valuable enough, you may just get them.
5. Follow-up on everything. Follow-up on projects. Follow-up with thank you notes to colleagues, clients and other people with whom you come into contact. Follow-up on behalf of your boss. "Jane asked me to call and thank you for ______." People will think more highly of your boss and more highly of you -- and your boss will appreciate your proactive approach.
What is the secret key? Let hiring managers know that you are an exceptional No. 2 and that they won't regret giving you a chance to help them shine. Be the very best No. 2 person to your manager, and when it comes time for a promotion, you'll be first on the list.
Not only are you graduating, you are jumping into the job market ahead of many of your peers. You already know the job market is tough. What you may not know is that you have the advantage, even over people who have experience. You hold the secret key. You just need to know which important door it needs to open first.
Five years ago, the world grew increasingly intoxicated by customer service. In an age where credit was king, almost everyone had buying power and with that a sense of entitled pampering. Except for the very wealthy and those in senior level management positions, extreme pampering has gone out the door except for 30 minutes here and there in strip mall nail salons and full-service car detailing shops (mostly available in metropolitan areas).
That's where you come in. Managers today are required to do far more with less staff and reduced budgets. New grads with talent, energy, creativity, and who haven't already worked for $50K+ a year (and believe that high pay and full benefits at no cost are entitlements) are positioned nicely to take the jobs that more seasoned workers may be passed over for.
If you were a manager and you could hire someone who was smart, eager and always available, or someone who came with experience, expectations, and possibly outside obligations -- and who may be taking a job as a bridge position until something "better" came along -- which one would appeal to you?
But there are some things you need to know (that your experienced counterparts have learned through their years on the career ladder.)
1. Always dress, talk and act professionally.
2. Show up on time or a few minutes early.
3. Think customer service! Be the very best No. 2 person possible to your boss.
4. Focus on your employer. Always think, "What can I do for them?" Once you are indispensable, then you can make requests or share preferences -- and if you're valuable enough, you may just get them.
5. Follow-up on everything. Follow-up on projects. Follow-up with thank you notes to colleagues, clients and other people with whom you come into contact. Follow-up on behalf of your boss. "Jane asked me to call and thank you for ______." People will think more highly of your boss and more highly of you -- and your boss will appreciate your proactive approach.
What is the secret key? Let hiring managers know that you are an exceptional No. 2 and that they won't regret giving you a chance to help them shine. Be the very best No. 2 person to your manager, and when it comes time for a promotion, you'll be first on the list.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Executives and Intellectuals Looking for Work - Creatively Creating Job Security
Each week the news is filled with new names of executives and intellectuals -- people with Masters degrees, Ph.D.s, engineers, analysts, scientists -- people once highly sought after and highly compensated, now seeking entry-level jobs or doing crazy stunts like wearing a sandwich-board in NYC to get noticed.
There has to be a better way to let like-minded thought-leaders know you are available for employment.
While perusing Harvard Business School’s Web site, I discovered a site that seems to be well known by the world’s elite, but not really by many others. I felt like a fly on the wall at the G8. [For reference: WIKI “G8.”]
These intellectuals -- including Warren Buffett, Actor Ted Danson, Mike Elliott (the editor-at-large of Time) and other CEOs and senior decision-makers -- impress each other and help charities by conceiving of “predictions” of societal or scientific importance and then placing (in some cases) high stakes bets ($1,000,000) on “who’s right.” There are much smaller bets too! The money goes to charity.
Registration is free. Registered users may publish a prediction, and all predictions may be challenged with a bet. The fee to publish a prediction is $50. A published prediction means your name (and your bio -- think very brief resume) will be posted beside your prediction or any prediction you challenge with a bet. I won’t go into all the parameters of the site, but I will say it is a fascinating place to read arguments from extremely brilliant minds. The bets are about everything from science, to politics, to finance to sports.
It occurred to me that if I wanted to be noticed by Warren Buffett or Dave Winer (CEO of Userland.com) -- I’d probably pony up my $50 and come up with a really great prediction.
I wonder how many executives and intellectuals will get noticed and find well-paid positions as a result of the contacts they make and the people who notice them at www.longbets.org. It sure would beat wearing a sandwich-board in Manhattan.
Great news! the Creating Job Security Resource Guide includes Web portals dedicated to listing job openings exclusively for executives; www.flexibleexecutives.com and www.6figurejobs.com will get your started, but for $8.95 at www.Amazon.com this book is worth a lot more than one lunch out.
There has to be a better way to let like-minded thought-leaders know you are available for employment.
While perusing Harvard Business School’s Web site, I discovered a site that seems to be well known by the world’s elite, but not really by many others. I felt like a fly on the wall at the G8. [For reference: WIKI “G8.”]
These intellectuals -- including Warren Buffett, Actor Ted Danson, Mike Elliott (the editor-at-large of Time) and other CEOs and senior decision-makers -- impress each other and help charities by conceiving of “predictions” of societal or scientific importance and then placing (in some cases) high stakes bets ($1,000,000) on “who’s right.” There are much smaller bets too! The money goes to charity.
Registration is free. Registered users may publish a prediction, and all predictions may be challenged with a bet. The fee to publish a prediction is $50. A published prediction means your name (and your bio -- think very brief resume) will be posted beside your prediction or any prediction you challenge with a bet. I won’t go into all the parameters of the site, but I will say it is a fascinating place to read arguments from extremely brilliant minds. The bets are about everything from science, to politics, to finance to sports.
It occurred to me that if I wanted to be noticed by Warren Buffett or Dave Winer (CEO of Userland.com) -- I’d probably pony up my $50 and come up with a really great prediction.
I wonder how many executives and intellectuals will get noticed and find well-paid positions as a result of the contacts they make and the people who notice them at www.longbets.org. It sure would beat wearing a sandwich-board in Manhattan.
Great news! the Creating Job Security Resource Guide includes Web portals dedicated to listing job openings exclusively for executives; www.flexibleexecutives.com and www.6figurejobs.com will get your started, but for $8.95 at www.Amazon.com this book is worth a lot more than one lunch out.
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