TOPS Corner

If you have found the information on this page of value to you, and especially if it has helped you find a job, please let me know (Jim.Shiffrin@gmail.com). I need to determine how worthwhile it is to maintain this page.

This page will present timely information from the Maryland Council TOPS Representative, Jim Dittbrenner. TOPS is The Officer Placement Service, a MOAA-provided source of information for those of us entering the Second Career phase of our lives, or those already in the Second Career phase who are interesting in moving on.

You can reach Jim at jimditt@verizon.net.

 

Click here for the latest list of Career Fairs and Open Houses, as of 29 Jan 2012.

You can visit the MOAA TOPS Web Site for more job hunting tips and information from the National MOAA organization.

Good hunting!

On another matter, the question periodically arises about opening some of the listings.  These come to me from a variety of resources.  In the next listing I will provide the several URL sites that provide me with job listings.  There are any number of other resources, individuals, employers sending their notices directly and of course the LinkedIn Groups have their listings that when forwarded do not include the link itself.

An option to open those listings that do not immediately open that sometimes works is to first place the document that they cannot open into a Save File.  I have suggested to several who have indicated they have the problem to set up a Vacancy Announcement folder and “save” the attachment to that file.  Then go in to open the file.  In most cases, the individual’s system will offer several options for opening the file.  I know that for me, using Microsoft Outlook (not Outlook Express), when I save the document in MS XP I can open the document.  Not always.  This is why I suggest to those who cannot open the document that they join the various “boards” and systems that offer vacancy announcement themselves.  The biggest problem item I have found is with the LinkedIn.  I can forward it and check to see that it is legible for me as a secondary recipient but others who receive it as a third tier recipient are unable to open the document.

Below are first, several of the links that send me vacancy announcements.  Not sure which ones do not open for you.

  1. www.staffingadvisors.com, then click on Jobs in Human Resources.  This comes out every other week.
  2. www.tropica.com/lists/JOTW.
  3. www.careerxroads.com and register for job listings.
  4. www.CIO.com and register for IT Jobs under Management News/Resource Alerts.

Note the attached Best & Worst Jobs in the USA for 2011.  The source is www.Careercast.com.

Mountain View, Calif. — December 13, 2011 — LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD), the world's largest professional network with more than 135 million members worldwide, today released the most overused words and phrases in members’ LinkedIn Profiles for 2011. The number one most overused buzzword in LinkedIn Profiles globally and for professionals based in the United States is “creative.” Here is LinkedIn’s 2011 list of the top 10 terms that are overused by professionals in the United States:

1.    Creative
2.    Organizational
3.
    Effective
4.
    Extensive experience
5.
    Track record
6.    Motivated
7.
    Innovative
8.
    Problem solving
9.
    Communication skills
10.
    Dynamic

“Competition for opportunities can be fierce, so craft your LinkedIn Profile and all resumes to stand out from the professional pack,” said Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s Connection Director.

 

Here are some recent Job Postings (links will usually be removed from this page after two weeks):

·         Andrews AFB Job Fair Flyer Mar 28 2012 (added 8 Jan 2012)

·         NEW VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NSP GS-0343-12 (added 8 Jan 2012)

·         Jobs of the Week - 1-2-12 (added 8 Jan 2012)

·         Jobs of the Week - 12-26-11 (added 8 Jan 2012)

·         SAVE THE DATE JANUARY 14 2012 L.E.E.N.C. JOB READINESS WORKSHOP (added 8 Jan 2012)

·         Seeking Smart People with Big Ideas. Join SAIC. 1-3-12 (added 8 Jan 2012)

·         ServiceSource Job Announcement 1-3-12 (added 8 Jan 2012)

·         Top 10 Tech Skills for 2012 CIO Insight 12-27-11 (added 8 Jan 2012)

·         C2 Job opportunities 1-11-12 (added 15 Jan 2012)

·         fastest-growing-jobs-for-veterans 1-3-12 (added 15 Jan 2012)

·         Invitation to February 9 Corporate Gray Job Fair in Virginia Beach (added 15 Jan 2012)

·         STOMP IS COMING (added 15 Jan 2012)

·         Veteran Career Fair and Expo (added 15 Jan 2012)

 

 

Notes from 29 Jan 2012

Finally people are getting around to telling me that job search is a full time job.  But more importantly to me, the smarter folks are acknowledging that the generic approach to job search is for losers.  Just this week I have read in various professional and trade publications the points that the real pros have been telling me all along.

1.        Know what you want to do before starting the search.   – So I can speak to that with passion.

2.       Identify the skills that work for me and how I have used them.

3.       Then research and identify how I can use my best and better skills to the benefit of employers of my choice.  (Here I must accept that I cannot use the same skills the same way with each employer.)

4.       Network my way into decision-makers circle of exposure.

5.       Have my sound-bites down pat so they are heard as conversation rather than a memorized “pitch.”

6.       Make sure each resume is focused to the specific situation, and the cover letter, when used, is also focused to the specific situation.

7.       Gain exposure through both the social networks, LinkedIn, and by volunteering with professional and service organizations where I can gain exposure to other professionals.

8.       Have quality, focused questions to ask when in conversation with and in interviews with individuals inside the organizations I am interested in affiliating with.

9.       Follow up my interviews with a letter that addresses the points made in the interview, with suggestions or ideas that are relevant.

10.   While in this process, look for ways to help others and also identify  what opportunities there may be to create my own business, or work as either a consultant or independent contractor.

11.   While in the search mode consider working with a temp agency to gain greater experience in desired areas as well as exposure to a wider range of decision-makers.

12.   Practice throughout the search process so good language, posture, grooming and enthusiasm for life, the role sought, and dealing with others becomes natural.

There are a number of cautions throughout the search process and as a professional, among them:

1.        Listen before speaking.

2.       Watch my language.  There are too many “you knows” and “like awesome” phrases inserted into conversations for listeners.  Great turnoffs!

3.       Take every advantage and don’t be afraid to make the opportunity to help another, don’t wait to be asked.

4.       In all written communications both spell check carefully read all documents before sending the documents on their way.

As you have noted there has been an increase in the number of Virtual Career Fairs just in the past six months.  MilitarySpouse.com offered helpful counsel in the announcement of their first Virtual Career Fair for military spouses.  The advice applies to all virtual career fairs. Basically this is the set of guidelines offered by militaryspouse.com as printed in the 1 May Washington Post Jobs section:

 Treat the virtual career fair the same as the “in-person” career fair.

  1. Always research the employers prior to going online, then use the employer booths for sourcing additional information..
  2. Be sure to complete your profile in the “My Profile” section of the web site.
  3. Upload a carefully crafted resume focused to the industry of choice. This too, goes in the “My Profile” section.
  4. The uploading of a personal photo is an option.  If doing so, make the picture a professional quality photo.
  5. The Virtual Career Fair can attract applicants world-wide so be patient with recruiters in expecting a response.
  6. Note the time frame of the career fair.  Some offer specific time frames within one day.  Others are open for longer periods.
  7. Where “Chat” is offered, be sure to ask specific, focused questions.  General questions show a lack of preparation.
  8. Do NOT use the Chat for personal comments and observations.  These can only damage you and your potential opportunities via the virtual career fair and possibly beyond.

Notes from 15 Jan 2012

It’s a given that we perform significantly better when performing activities that we enjoy.  Part of that is the fact that we are good at what we enjoy doing, and quite often put off to last that which we don’t enjoy doing as much or as well.

At the same time there are those who tell us that we need enough of that which keeps us on our toes, so that we can grow, and hopefully perform well at the same time.  What all of this is directed to is the recognition that more and more we are hearing and reading advise that says “do what you love, and the best will follow.”

Jennifer Kalita, a contributing writer for the Baltimore Sun, offers six steps to transferring talent to a career one loves.  Her six steps are: One: Open one’s mind to new ways, means, vehicles and attitude; Two: Think and use the term “transferable skills” in our conversations, thinking, planning and implementation.  Three:  Identify those unique skills that are transferrable.  Four: Identify and accept those genuine interests; and Five: Prepare properly.  Study, research, talk with those who you admire and who do what you believe your passion to be.  And Six:  Use current job search tools, techniques and attitude.

These are quality suggestions and found just about everywhere.  However, there are a few basics that need to precede these six steps, if we want to truly be successful, as we personally choose to define success.  These earlier steps that make the difference begin with setting goals.  The critical goals to “success,” i.e., achieving what is important to us as individuals while ensuring that we are happy in the long run are five in number.  We have talked to these in the past but it is important to renew and see if we have indeed set these goals.

1.       What are my Life’s goals?

2.       What are my family’s goals?

3.       What are my financial goals?

4.       What are my career goals?

and then,

5.       What are my immediate career goals?   What role do I want?

Research has shown that those who develop their goals and write them down have ten times the success of those who do not have goals.  Those who believe that they have goals but do not write them down do have greater success, up to three times that of those of us who do not have goals.  The research looked documented net worth over 10 and 20 years, and happiness that included remaining married to the same partner over the measured periods.  The studies did look at individuals who graduated from a four year college, and started there.

 

Here are several web sites that have been identified locally that can be of assistance to those stepping away from active duty.

Job Central has been around for a while.  It is managed/run by DirectEmployers Association.  DirectEmployers also recently launched two new dot-jobs websites that seem to be getting some positive feedback:  http://veterans.jobs/ and http://militaryfamily.jobs/. Employers need to pay to be a member of DirectEmployers - but get some really good bang for their buck.  

on behalf of America’s Heroes at Work
<http://www.AmericasHeroesAtWork.gov>
U.S. Department of Labor
Veterans' Employment & Training Service and
Office of Disability Employment Policy
301.237.1660

Also check this out. http://www.jobcentral.com/ It’s connected to all of the state job banks.

Check out the vet jobs link for employment services for returning veterans (www.veterans.jobs)

 

 

The best way to locate posted openings on LinkedIn is for the job seeker to register his or her own listing, but then to join those groups that interest them, including localities.  Currently one can join USA, regional, state and local LinkedIn groups and checkout the dialog as well as job listing.  The LinkedIn attachments only provide the recipient with the link of the sender.

Additionally I would like to remind all of my earlier suggestion for those in the search mode.  Connect with the various LinkedIn “Job and Career Networks” that are in the geographic areas of your interest.  While most of the messages are not job listings more and more are, from recruiters, third parties and individuals who work at the company.  I am seeing jobs listed in all communities around Washington, DC as well as in the city, and additionally, throughout Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and North Carolina.  There is no limit to the number of selections one makes.  It is more a matter of looking at the Subject Line to know, in most cases.

Do not ignore the LinkedIn route, more and more the job sourcers are using LinkedIn along with those companies that do not use a Job Sourcer.

Notes from 2 Oct 2011

The challenges continue to grow in my search for challenging opportunities that match my interests as well as my abilities.  If I haven’t reached out to all of the resources available to me now is the time for me to do this.  I need to review my approaches so I can then review my strategies, based on those organizations I find that I am interested in considering.

Preparation:

☺ Review my written goals – Life, Family, Financial, Career and then role I am seeking.

☺ Identify achievements/accomplishments focused to what I can do for each employer.

☺ Focused sound bites for each role.

☺ Resources: Family, Friends, Network connections versus contacts, web conntections.

☺ Organization affiliations I am connected and volunteering with.

☺ Internet sources such as Glassdoor.com and specific interest groups.

☺ Researched current trends and technologies being used in my selected employers.

☺ Gained experience, training and knowledge in those areas needed to make me competitive.

☺ Identified targets (employers) with priorities and strategies for each.

☺ Incorporating recommendations from those who have critiqued my resumes and bios.

Reaching Out:

☺ Reviews with mentors of my selected employers, documents, and approaches.

Practicing and applying approaches, sound bites, and selling points with friends and professionals, including mentors.

☺ LinkedIn Profile, experience, affiliations, recommendations; Facebook, and other social media I am comfortable with that I have been advised by recruiters as helpful in my job search.

Implementation

Working to get Employee Referrals, as I know this is the most effective source of hire.

Keeping my network connected with what I am doing and how they can help me.

Updating my social media sites on a weekly basis.

Following up on my contacts and connections inside organizations of interest.

Volunteering where I will gain relevant experience and exposure.

Applying online and following up wherever possible with those applications.

☺ Attending Career Fairs and Expos for exposure, information and contacts that I can turn to connections.

Applying to decision-makers, using a letter resume, and following up with those contacts.

Follow Up:

With each contact, taking appropriate action in each situation.

Continuing to update my connections and expand my contacts making them connections.

Continuing to help others as I learn of information that will be helpful to them.

☺ With interviews, following up with a letter that offers suggestions for improvement in an area discussed or proposing an approach to something that has worked in other similar situations.

Continuing to update, improve my skill sets, insuring that this information is on my social media sites.

Taking some time to renew myself.

There are, of course other actions and activities I can incorporate into my endeavors in seeking a new role.  I can always add and delete as I find what works for me.

Notes from 21 Aug 2011

I would like to start this epistle with a statement I was reminded of in reading Morgenson and Rosner’s Reckless Endangerment.  George Bernard Shaw was asked shortly prior to his death to name a famous deceased person, artist, statesman, philosopher, or writer, whom he missed the most.  Shaw’s reply was “The man I miss most is the man I could have been.”

Welcome to the worlds of reality and dreams.  I offer this as a starting point for both those of us in the search mode and those of us employed in what we enjoy and are good at or otherwise.  Today’s employment picture offers challenges and frustrations for all.  Economists and knowledgeable career counselors are encouraging the enhancement of current skills that are needed in the workplace and the development of new skill sets.  Just a bit of the data that supports this position include the facts that the average number of employers for those in their late forties and early fifties is now 10+  for those working.  Salary increases are half what they were in 2007.  Another is the projection that the self-employed percentage of the workforce will rise to 40% by 2017, from the 34% now.  This is 2/3rds of the current unemployment picture.  Additionally, the number of new positions being created is less than that necessary to move the economy forward at the minimally accepted economic growth rate.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life, as the saying goes.  What do I really want to make of it?  Pride in what I do and what I stand for, what I work to achieve for myself and for others?  Then what am I doing to meet those goals?  I may need to start over, and if so, can I take the pride in doing that rather than staying where I am due to my not finding opportunities in what I have done?

The August issue of Washington Technology lists the 2011 Fast 50 small businesses and their eyes on the challenges ahead.  Forty-seven are headquartered here in the metro Washington DC area.  The other three have offices here.

As an unemployed or under-employed individual what am I doing in developing new skills, what am I doing in the volunteer arena to include on my resume to show contributions to the economy and that I am using my skills as well as honing them.  I can use some of my skills in another direction from what I have in the past.  The Society of Technical Communicators, STC, offered a listing of alternate or overlooked opportunities that communicators should and could consider.  The same can apply to other career fields.  An example is the Human Resources function.  Here any professional is first and foremost a problem solver.  That can lead to many opportunities outside the HR function.  The same for many fields, such as Social Work, Finance and the legal field to name three.

otes from 31 Jul 2011

What new skill have you picked up over the past six months?

We have been hearing and reading about the growth of technology and what it is bringing to the world of work.  The question above needs to be answered by all who wish to continue working or return to the working world.  An example being the requirement recently established by some firms and employment agencies for senior HR professionals: they must be highly proficient with the social media and be able to offer examples of specific achievements using the various social media, particularly the top three, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Are you aware of the directions technology is moving and are you keeping up with the one or ones that are relevant to your career growth.  The delta between the number of positions in the US versus the number of people eligible to work continues to widen.  This makes finding and keeping a position all the more challenging.  With the stalemate in hiring, particularly outside the security clearance arena, the entrepreneurial world is beckoning more and more professionals.  However, even here, planning and preparation are critical to establishing, much less moving, forward in that world.

Whether completing one career, such as the military, and looking at beginning another or just starting out, or returning to the marketplace, few of us do what we need to do in an effort to give ourselves the best chance and opportunities at succeeding at our chosen next step.

We learned a long time ago that the individual who has established written goals and builds a strategy around those goals is 10 times as successful as the individual who does not have personal goals.  The person who has the goals but does not put them to paper has about a 300% better achievement rate.  This all begins with establishing my personal goals of Life Goals, then Family Goals, thirdly Financial Goals, fourth Professional Goals and lastly, Position or Job Goals.  Having these allows me to have the best chance of achieving my goals, as I define them.

Having the Life, Family and Financial goals allows me the greatest opportunity to move in the career directions of my choosing.  This way I am prepared to negotiate for what is most important to my goals as I look at any opportunity, both in terms of work and compensation.

So what are my next steps?  And, what are yours?  Remember the Boy Scout Motto:  Be Prepared.

Have a quality three weeks and make sure you take time to help another and time to smell the flowers.

Notes from 10 Jul 2011

With these very tight employment times every option always needs to be explored and taken advantage of when and where possible.  Example being, once I know clearly what I am bringing to the table I can create focused resumes for the identified targets.  With the identified target I prepare my resume for that specific reader and role; obviously I am sending the resume to the decision maker in the functional area of my interest.  With that approach I start with a strong, exampled Summary or Profile Statement.  This is followed by the Professional Section that again identifies specific, focused and relevant Accomplishment Statements that show how my background and experience fits the needs of the decision-maker.  If the position calls for a security clearance and I have one I place that immediately under my name and address at the top of the resume, as this is the first item the reader will look for.

In my transmittal letter I will want to advise the decision-maker, in the last paragraph, that I will be following up with a telephone call on a specific time frame of a specific day that I identify.  I want this to be in the seven to ten day period after I send it.

When I post my resume online with any of the commercial web sites (as opposed to an employer’s web site), I can use an Objective preceding the Summary or Profile, but it needs to be clear while somewhat generic.  An example could be “Program Manager – Aeronautics” or something like that.  Other examples can be “Database Administrator – Healthcare”.  If I am an Engineer, a Programmer, Business Analyst or any other role or job title I need to identify the field that my experience supports in listing the job title. The resume need not identify “Objective” and then follow with a generic title, rather center the title and bold it.  The one thing I need to remember with online postings with the commercial, versus corporate, web sites is that I need to update the resume periodically.  I can keep it current by going in weekly and making a simple change of deleting an then replacing a period.  This will keep my resume current in the database for those potential employers that will reach in to see what is new.  The resume should also be updated whenever skill sets are upgraded that are relevant to the career field and industry that my job title infers.

According to the latest studies the success rate using the commercial web sites is under five percent, so I need to build that fact into my time application of my search.  Spending hours posting my resume on web sites other than employer, and expecting to find results in a reasonable amount of time are not realistic.  What is becoming more clear each day is the need to network into the contacts that make the decisions, using company Employee Referral Programs, direct contacts, and my inner circles (Advocates and Allies) of my network.

 

Notes from 18 Apr 2011

The 3 April newsletter transmitting the career fair and open house listing offered some helpful information from Garry Crispin’s and Mark Mehler’s annual report on “Source of Hire.”  This elicited a number of comments relative to the need to perform quality networking, and what that effort contains and requires.  The comments encouraged me to create a clear and focused Profile on LinkedIn and Facebook to start.  This can be used as a springboard for my sound-bites when I network.  Here are suggestions that were offered and that are totally viable and appropriate in today’s market:

● Join a group of my career choice and attend the group meetings.

● Volunteer to serve on a committee, - Program and Membership committees are great ways to make new contacts.

Put up the message saying what I am looking for in a position, both on my LindedIn and my Facebook pages.

Be specific as to what I am looking for.  Example, if I am looking for a Program or Project Management role, in what industry and what type of project/program.

● Ask my close friends to post my search on their page – it works.

● Talk to my neighbors and folks at my church, the grocery store, the hairdresser, the barbershop, etc.  Again, offering the specific not a generic comment.

● Join the area Career and Job Search links on LinkedIn and post the role I am seeking.

● Look for the announcements from other members of the page that offer positions in their company.  (It doesn’t matter whether they get a placement fee or not, the need here is to get the interview and the offer.)

● Critical for me is to have my sound bites down clearly and comfortably so I can talk them rather than recite them.  I also need to have several examples of past achievements to support each of my sound bites.  And yes, I can have more than one objective and my sound bites need to be focused to my listener.

● I also need to be sensitive to the needs and interests of the individual I am talking with, looking to how I can be of help to him or her.

What is important for me, and all of us, is to understand that the suggestions above do work and have worked for more years than many of us have worked and since the inception of LinkedIn and then Facebook.

The March 2011 “Source of Hire” remains available at www.careerxroads.com.

Every wish for a joyful and renewed time beginning with the Easter holidays and lasting the year ahead.

Notes from 3 Apr 2011

If you saw CareerXroads “Source of Hire” report you saw several most interesting numbers:

  1. 50.3% of all vacancies were filled internally for the second year in a row.
  2. 27.5% of all hires are attributed to Referrals.  This continues to be the number one source of external hires.
  3. 24.9% of external hires were from Job Boards in 2010.
  4. 18.8% of external hires were from Career Sites.
  5. Nationally, from the survey, Career Fairs were 1.8% of external hires.

Here in the Metro Washington area, the major sources of hires continue to be Employee Referral as number one, with several local employers exceeding the 27.5% by a significant percentage.

Additionally, with the Metro area having one of the better unemployment rates two items from the CareerXroads report are at variance with experience here.  One, career fairs and those who register and attend have a significantly higher rate of hire than the low percentage shown in the CareerXroads report.  Two, the growth of the social networks, in particular LinkedIn, as resources for recruiters, job sourcers and employers has grown almost exponentially here in the Metro area.

Interestingly also, the Temp/Contract-to-hire rate was shown to be 2.4% of the external hires.  One can download a copy of Gerry Crispin’s and Mark Mehler’s report from www.careerxroads.com.  The report is dated March 2011

What this tells me is that I need to truly work my networking skills and hone them for my career, not just for the next role.

There are numerous aspects of job search; however, critical to success are: 1.  Goals, preferably written.  2.  Search strategies for each position sought and skill sets that meet the needs and interests of the preferred employer.  And, 3.  Effective networking so I can get in to talk with the decision-maker in each situation.

Notes from 4 Feb 2011

As I look at the employment picture and the fact that I continue to be in the search mode, I need to re-examine my approach to and use of my networking techniques.  The questions I need to have answered include the following basics.  I do recognize that these actions are all part of my career management responsibilities:

  1. Have I clearly identified the role or roles I seek?
  2. Are these roles relevant with growth potential in them for the future?
  3. Do I possess the necessary skills or do I need first to enhance my some or all of my skill sets?
  4. Have I identified the employers and industries that have my roles?
  5. Have I identified the decision-makers in those companies and industries?
  6. Am I asking my network contacts for introductions to or referrals to these individuals?
  7. Do I have my sound-bites down pat for each of the roles I seek, and is each sound-bite focused to the individual I am talking with?
  8. Have I established how I can help the individual I am connecting with at each step?
  9. Am I giving my network and each new member of my network the feedback that will help?
  10. How am I introducing myself at both social and professional gatherings?  (Do I use my title or what I want to do with a relevant example to support my job interest?
  11. Am I expressing my appreciation to all as I move towards my goals?
  12. How much of my effort is personal and face to face or at least voice to voice versus electronic?  (The choice if obvious but all too often ignored.  It is easier to do the electronic effort.)

I keep remembering comments made by my friends as they looked for their next position.  All made the same two comments:

      1.  “I didn’t maintain my network when I stepped into my last position.”

      2.  “I won’t let that happen to me again, but I did.”

I know that “networking” is a life skill and a career builder but am I treated it that way or am I using the technique only during my job search periods?  And who said that “networking” and job search are not full time activities.

Notes from 16 Jan 2011

Virtual career fairs are making the scene.  This is just one more area of technology that I need to be competent in as well as conversant in.  The Virtual Career Fair has been around just over two years now and seems to be making an increasing footprint on the recruitment aspects of job search and career management for those firms that have embraced the concept.

The latest developments I have encountered allow me the opportunity to check out some 50+ employers.  Fortunately I had my list of the top 20 and had researched those before I learned of the virtual career fair.  That proved to be a most helpful and beneficial move on my part.  I can thank Kate Wendleton’s book, Targeting the Job You Want, for that preparation.  What I did find is I still needed to work on my 30 second sound bites for each of the companies at the virtual career fair.  Then I could put those forward in response to queries posed to me.  I should have had those notes organized and on one side of the screen.  I realized that the key to being ready for the virtual career fair is knowing what I want to do for each of my chosen employers, and having my notes organized so I knew where to look for my keyed responses.

Each provider operates a little differently, offering slightly different services.  However, all are getting more sophisticated and thus are able to offer more and more in the way of services to be used by both the employer and by the job applicant.  Today’s Baltimore Sun (16 January) has an informative ad in their “Jobs” section (Page 5) that offers a good picture for the neophyte virtual job seeker.  A key point made by Ms. Grace Lee, Executive Director, Maryland New Directions, Inc., is that both audio and visual components may be part of the particular virtual job fair.  Thus, the job seeker needs to be sure his or her computer has working speakers or headphones and updated versions of Java and Adobe Flash Player.

The virtual career fair does not replace the actual career fair and while the virtual is easier to access, it also makes the job seeker a bit less prepared, psychologically.  In talking with several who have participated in virtual career fairs the following counsel is offered:

  1. Do be prepared and know the employers you want to connect with.
  2. Dress as though you were going to an actual career fair – you will be better prepared emotionally.
  3. Know what you want each of your selected employers to know about you and what you bring to their table.
  4. Confirm your understanding of “the next step” or ask if unsure.
  5. Participation by job seekers is growing.  Today probably 20,000 participate in the better organized virtual career fairs.
  6. Pick a virtual career fair or two that are not important to you and employers that you are not interested in to get some practice and comfort in participating in virtual career fairs.

The article in the Baltimore Sun referenced above was written by Nancy Menefee Jackson.

Have a great two weeks, be sure to reach out and help another and take time to have some fun.

Notes from 5 Dec 2010

December is the month that confounds many who are in the search mode.  There are perceptions out there that are terribly incorrect and misleading.  Among the most erroneous are the ideas that:

  1. There are no jobs available, particularly outside of the security clearance arena.
  2. That December is not a good month to network because of #3,
  3. That employers do not hire in December.

The actual facts are that employers are hiring so there are jobs out there and December is a great month to network, offering multiple opportunities to network, particularly on the face to face basis.  The Five O’Clock Club organization (one of career coaches) has for years pointed out that December offers multiple opportunities for the wise job seeker, as many in the search mode don’t network over the big holidays.  The Weddle organization sent out their weekly message this week making the same points so there has to be something to the reality

In truth we know that some 39,000 new hires were made in November and that the metropolitan Washington area is one of the top labor markets.  More and more we read that dissatisfied employees are expanding their efforts to find another opportunity, opening up their positions.  Others just leave out of frustration.

And December is the month of social events, more so than almost any other time of the year.  So the word to the wise, do a bit of preparation of your second sound bites. Remember to include an accomplishment or two and focus the sound bite on the background and interests of the listener.

Now go out and have some fun while networking!

And a most merry and joyful set of holidays and a Happy New Year to all.  Every wish for a truly successful 2011.  See you on January 2nd.

Notes from 31 Oct 2010

First, an apology to Bob Corlett of Staffing Advisors, to his family and the staff of Staffing Advisors.  I inadvertently identified Bob’s excellent organization as Career Advisors, not Staffing Advisors.  This is an example none of us want to have happen but particularly so throughout the search process.

Attached is the current listing of career fairs and open houses scheduled through the end of the year.  Beginning with the December 5th Career Fair & Open House listing we will begin showing the identified career fairs and open houses scheduled through February 2011.

Let’s talk about career/job fairs for a moment.

The question is perennial: Why should I go to a Career or Job Fair today when the recruiters tell me to apply online?

There are any number of reasons to go and reasons not to go.

The number one reason not to go is attitude.  Without a positive attitude about gaining something positive at a career fair I should not waste anyone’s time, much less my own.  Additionally, if I am not prepared for the job fair I should not waste time.

Beyond that the reasons to attend are numerous from practicing my thirty second sound bites that I have focused to the organization I am speaking with to obtaining specific information from the recruiter that I can use in tightening my resume to send to the employer that evening.  If I can “tweak” my resume so it is anywhere near more focused to the specific role I want with the company I have benefited by going.

I can practice and sometimes get some feedback from others at the career/job fair that I talk with, asking for feedback on my sound bite that I in talking with them.  Example, are the examples that I include with my sound bite clear and understandable to the person I am talking with?

I want to validate my research and improve it as I research the companies I am interested in so I know the key words each company uses in its job announcements, and other information that I glean from other areas of the employer’s web site.

I can talk with other job seekers at the event and perhaps find an employer to talk with that I had not considered, based on my conversation with another.  If I have been to a career fair earlier I can check with the recruiters I spoke with at the earlier event to see if any of the same recruiters are at the employer’s booth.  If so, begin developing a relationship with that individual.

Also, have I been able to help someone else who was at the career/job fair?

Am I forgetting that job search is a full time job?  Am I treating the search as a professional bit of work that I am proud of?  See you in two weeks.

Notes from 17 Oct 2010

Two interesting and useful bit of information have surfaced this week.  First, the CEO Update, a publication for executives in the association world, noted that the publication had the largest listing of professional opportunities that it had published in the past nine years.  Second, Montgomery Works, Montgomery County’s employment organization, announced that this immediately past September brought in the largest number of new positions, from the hourly to the executive, than it had received in recent years.  Additionally, the Washington Post indicated that a survey of IT needs showed again a larger than expected requirement over the next six months.

This does mean that I need to get to work on the research aspects of my career.  This way I can find those employers who have needs in areas of my best skills and experiences.  This will allow me to begin the necessary comparisons to assure myself that I have all the skills being sought.  Where I am “short” I can begin enhancing those “shortatges” through reading, tutoring, class work, and working with those who hold the necessary skills to step into optional positions.

Another area that I can check out for assessing where I am in my career development and search is ClearedJobs.Net.  Check out http://cjnblog.squarespace.com for highly useful YouTube presentations on the critical areas of job search and career management.   These are presented by Patra Frame, one of Washington’s leading and knowledgeable professionals in the area of career issues.

If you cannot locate or need the current listing of career fairs and open houses in the mid-Atlantic you can always find them at Bob Corlett’s Career Advisors, www.careeradvisors.com, and click on “Job Seeker Links” and then “Upcoming Job Fairs.”  This will bring up a downloadable copy of the current listing.  You will also find a wealth of excellent counsel and valuable resources as well as very current information of use particularly in the metro Washington, DC area.

You can also find the current distribution of the career fair at the Washington Post’s web site by going to www.WashingtonPost.com/careerfairsandOpenHouses.   It will show as a PDF and list as: SCHEDULED CAREER FAIRS 7 OPEN HOUSES.  Again, this is a downloadable file.

Have a great couple of weeks and be sure to stop to help someone else.

Notes from 12 Sep 2010

Today’s news talks about employers hiring to the replacement level and some employers hiring to a modest increase.  At the same time the news speaks to more consolidations and cutbacks by the government.  So what am I to do as I continue my search for a role that will allow me to do some of what I want to do while meeting an employer’s requirements?

When talking with others about building my own board of directors I received a number of comments that the idea was good but they didn’t have time to develop a personal board of directors.  The interesting thing about that comment is that I made the comment in 1984, and those friends still do not have their own board of directors.  Creating one’s own board is not an overnight process but it does need to start.  And it starts with one.  And in today’s market I want every option I can generate.  Having one or two, or a full board of five or seven, will assure me of more information flowing my way on the things I need to keep in touch with.  My board member or members will be advocates for me, information collectors and disseminators for me, serve as references and certainly help open more doors than my normal contacts or my network overall.  This is not to say that I should let my network and my associates’ relationship slide.  Not at all!  The value of the “board” concept is there and needs to be developed along with all of the other tools that I will use throughout my career and my life.

So my message is that while I have my board and am working on keeping current with some of the technologies and reading the business publications, what are you doing to begin the creation of your board?

Make the time worthwhile and take a moment to lend a hand to another.

Notes from 22 Aug 2010

The employment picture is beginning to offer some conflicting data.  Executive Search is gradually moving up and the IT and Financial career fields are showing growth along with the health care.  However, the IT and Financial fields are also the most vulnerable due to the fast changing technologies in those fields.  For these two career fields it is critical for those professionals to continue their own technology growth.  While not seemingly directly involved in career strategy it is obvious that the two activities are integrated.

Developing a career strategy is essential for ongoing as well as future success in any career field.  While there is a need for a strategy for each search there is also a need for an overall strategy that allows for the greatest collection of useful information that can be applied to more than one search.  This requires me to have long term goals and short term goals that support the move forward towards the longer term goals.  These long term goals really begin with identifying my life goals, then my family goals (I define ‘family.’).  Then come my financial goals, and fourthly my Career Goals.  I need the financial goals in order to clearly set my objectives in the career area, particularly for negotiatons.  From the career goals I can then look at the variety of position opportunities and needs to set my strategies for the positions of interest.  Here again, the opportunities that I look at need to be within my career field.  Further, I need to recognize that the old “tried and true” career ladders are no longer relevant as they once were.  This only increases my need to have a career strategy not just a strategy for secure my next role.  Along with developing my overall career strategy I need to incorporate into that effort an ongoing learning process in my career field and continue to expand my professional and personal network of contacts.

Perhaps now it is more obvious as to why I need to have my own Board of Directors rather than References that would need to vary according to my search.  My Board members quickly become my primary advocates while References are reactive in nature and need to be changed more frequently than Board members.

Notes from 1 Aug 2010

The employment picture is a challenge I need to face and not to get discouraged and want to walk away from everything.  I read that we lost 8 million jobs during 2008 and 2009.  I also read that we have added 7.5% of those jobs back over the past seven months.  There are a number of actions that I can and need to take to ensure that I move forward to find my role of choice.  My attitude is certainly a key action to retain at the positive level.  Learning new technologies is another.  These are ongoing endeavors.  Two that I need to work on immediately are getting a board of directors for me and putting together a career strategy that will get me the roles and exposure I want and need to move my career forward over the rest of my working life.

Corporations have them.  “C” suite types and executives have been encouraged to develop their own for the past 20 years.  Executive coaches work with their clients on developing personal boards of directors.  The better transition coaches have been encouraging their clients to develop their own board members.  So, why have I not done this?  It takes time and effort and I have my “references.”  Okay, so I know having a board is better but where do I start?

If I think of my board as a combination of “inside” and “outside” consultants with me as the CEO, what should I have?  These are folks who know both some of my skills and talents and how I have used them.  They also know me as a professional and as a person.  They know many of my professional and some of my personal aspirations.  All of my “board members” will know enough of who I am that they can and will speak on my behalf; and counsel me both when I ask and when they see the need.  These are the professionals I admire and respect as well as like.  When I think of networking, these individuals will be the most inner circle.  They will also become my advocates on a career level and contribute to the ever expanding pool of network contacts that we all need.  These “board members” will become my most effective “references,” that will help me identify and plan career moves and choices.  And, as time moves forward, like corporate boards my existing members and I will periodically separate as our interests and needs grow more diverse.

Now, where do I get my board?  The books suggest that two of my board members come from my industry, two from outside and different industries.  My fifth board member would be, in a perfect world, a consultant to the industry that I want to be a part of.  Perhaps I am already in that industry, but in today’s world that does not have to be the case.  A way to start could be with my current top five references.  I can approach each and ask if they would be willing to serve as a board member for a specific period of time as a tryout.  My one caution is to keep my board to an odd number so I can always get a consensus.

What is also nice with the board approach is that my board members do not have to be located geographically together.  Rather, as time goes by, they can and will be spread out over the country.  This will give me a stronger picture of what is happening elsewhere that could affect what I am doing.  More later.  Next time I need to look at my career strategy.

Notes from 6 June 2010

On this the 66th anniversary of D Day it is appropriate to pause, and again give thanks, offer a prayer and honor our military for their strength, credibility and humanness in addition to their bravery.  Not just for D Day but for all the “D Days” each time there is a conflict somewhere in our troubled world.

 On the local level, a few items have surfaced that possibly impact on our job search.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced that it will be hiring some 300 individuals to support the new initiatives in healthcare.  These positions are to be located in Bethesda, Maryland.  Hiring is to begin later this year.

 A rumor has been floating that there will be a freeze in Government hiring next year (2011).  Derrick Dortch, in his Jobs Chat column in Sunday’s Washington Post (June 6, 2010, Page H1) points out that a number of federal agencies that he has consulted indicate they are or will be hiring.  These include DoD, Department of Justice, the Intelligence Community with its 22 agencies; the Veterans Affairs and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  The VA announced earlier that it was intending to hire 5,000 in 2010.  Congressional funding is the key to all of this.  Derrick’s column will be on the Washington Post Web site.  He will be on the Post’s online discussion on 11 AM Wednesday, July 9th.  The link is www.washingtonpost.com/discussions.

 The federal government has also established a Veteran Employment Office in each agency.  This office is to serve as the Advocate for the veteran interested in stepping into a federal position.  References have been made to the website www.fedshirevets.gov; however, the site currently has information and links to information that are a bit dated.  If one is trying to play “catch up” on general information it is a start.

 Karol Taylor, a metro Washington DC career coach, cautions her LinkedIn network to read Government announcements closely and follow directions completely.  Do diligent research on each agency that lists positions of interest including the agency’s web site, Google the position for new, relevant information; and be sure to read carefully the material you have keyboarded for accuracy, for relevance, and for completeness.  This is after very carefully reading the vacancy announcement and identifying each and every requirement.  She applies for positions to ensure that her counsel is current and accurate.  When following directions completely she has had success in her applications.  As she points out, the resume has only the purpose of getting one the interview.  She also points out that the “effort” does not stop there.  It is up to the individual to continue the research, practice handling different types of interview style and format, and to research the culture of the agency for fit.

 While looking at the search process one can feel overwhelmed.  Stay cool, take the process one step at a time, do it fully and accurately and move forward.  And be sure to step away periodically to have a bit of fun.

 Notes from 16 May 2010:

Why should I go to a Career Fair or an Open House?  Let’s take Career Fairs first.  There are a number of reasons, and we need to remember why we go to Career Fairs.  Here are primary reasons: 

  1. To get information about potential employers.
  2. To gain exposure.
  3. To improve my 30 and 60 second sound bites and to gain in confidence when talking about my career.
  4. To gain greater knowledge of the terminology used in the companies and industries I am most interested in.
  5. To understand what positions those employers I am interested in are recruiting for so I can do more focused research.
  6. To identify those employers I am most interested in based on the information gained at the Career Fair.
  7. Talk to other professionals at the Career Fair to find out why they like the employers they do.
  8. To find out who else in the companies I am interested in I need to talk with – a challenge but possible.

Going to Open Houses is another story.  Whether I am required to register, send an advance resume or just show up, I need to really research the company and what it does, who are its sub contractors (if any) and who are the prime contractors (if any).  I also need to carefully review my background so I can comfortably discuss how I can contribute to the potential employer.  Using focused Accomplishment/Achievement Statements to illustrate my points shows that I come prepared and have researched the company.  Here are reasons to participate in Open Houses, whether held at the employer’s facility or at an outside location such as a hotel:

  1. To gain the exposure and get my resume to decision makers in the organization.
  2. To learn significantly more about the roles the employer has and those being recruited.
  3. To get the names and business cards of those I talk with and particularly those I would like to have further dialog with.
  4. To get the information I need in order to write the appropriate follow-up letters (not thank you letters) that will help get me invited back for further discussions.

 If I am asked to complete an application I know that I want to ask to take it home so I can be sure I cover all relevant information and so I can take the time in completing the Application so it is neat and fully legible.  I can indicate this so it is clear why I am asking.  If I am required to complete it at the Open House I need to remind myself to go slowly enough that I can neatly print my information.

 

Notes from 28 Mar 2010:

Good evening,

Derrick Dortch, President of the Diversa Group and weekly commentator on the Washington Post’s weekly online column, advised an inquirer on responding to a posted federal position.  His clear and relevant advice is to “make sure your package is powerful, persuasive and targeted.”   Additionally, Dortch points out one needs to tell relevant success stories showing how one can truly benefit the specific agency should they hire you.

This wise counsel can also be found in Karol Taylor and Janet Ruck’s new “Guide to America’s Federal Jobs” and also in all editions of Kate Wendelton’s “Targeting the Job You Want.”  The better recruiters will also tell us that to be effective with the resume it has to be focused to the specific role we want to go after.  So, for most of us that means that we will have a number of resumes, no two exactly alike.  Beyond that, part of the responsibility I have as a job seeker is to research the role or roles I know I can perform extremely well, their location and determine my level of interest in each.  I am reminded of an article in the Wall Street Journal back when it published its Employment Weekly publication. The story dealt with Astronomers and pointed out that in that particular year there were 20 new Ph.D. graduates in Astronomy but only five positions available.  If this is my situation, whether because there are only so many positions or only so many in the geographic area or areas I am willing to consider, then I need to look at other types of opportunities and determine what additional training, education and/or skills I will need to secure a role that will meet my requirements.  I also need to reassess my criteria if I have not done this over the past few months.

Today, this is critical if I am to be successful in securing another position.  Once again it has been announced by Government officials, following a year behind the more knowledgeable economic prognosticators, that it will be at least 2014 before the nation returns to the 4.5% to 5.0% unemployment rate that we have come to understand as the most viable level of unemployment.  Don’t mean to be negative but rather a strong advocate for follow-on education and training as well as possible volunteer experience to better prepare for the challenges over the next few years.  I need to recognize and accept that even with the best connections I am not likely to find and retain a position of worth without being fully prepared and able to perform any role I seek.  Remember also, a positive attitude goes a long way in getting and keeping me prepared.

I leave you with warm wishes for a quality and warm Easter holiday.  Stay well and stay safe that we may meet again on the 11th of April.

Jim Ditt

Skillful behavior may be said to be guided by master programs in individuals’ heads, programs that automatically produce the behavior in everyday life.  … Chris Argyris

Notes from 14 Mar 2010:

Good afternoon,

In today’s tightening job market I know that the two most prominent and pre-eminent hiring sources are Employee Referral Programs and Networking.  For me to connect with Employee Referral employers I need to do my research.  I must identify those employers with Employee Referral Programs, establish which ones offer the types of roles that I am most interested in and where I can perform quite well.  Then I need to identify the decision-makers with those employers and begin reaching out to my network.  Where I do not have current connections with or into those selected employers, I need to let my network know what it is that I am looking for and what I bring to the employer’s table.

Along with the excellent books on networking by Lynne Waymon and her sister Anne Baber, Harvey MacKay, Kate Wendleton, and Howard Armstrong, Maribeth Kuzmeski offers solid counsel on networking in her book, “The Connectors: How the World’s Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life.”  Ms. Kuzmeski strongly suggests:

  1. Set a goal to increase the list of important business connections; then reach out to each new contact to make it a connection.
  2. Share something personal with each new contact (to make it a connection) and find something of common interest.
  3. Skip the memorized “sound-bite” and make the conversation personal and natural.
  4. Do not attempt to play the “one-upmanship” routine.  A fast way to disconnect and lose the contact before it becomes a connection.
  5. If having a problem with the conversation, offer an open-ended question and avoid questions that call for a single word answer.
  6. Know your audience.   It makes conversation so much easier and productive if some of the interests and views of the other person are known.
  7. Be energetic and passionate about what you do.  This is noticed.  And lastly,
  8. The conversation is not about you, but about the other individual.  Always ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?”

Networking is not easy for many, but practice does make for greater comfort in the activity.  As Lee Travino says, “the more I practice, the luckier I get!”

Make it a good week for yourself and someone else.

Jim Ditt

Always dream and shoot higher than you know how to.  Don’t bother to be better than your comtemporaries or predecessors.  Try to be better than yourself.  …William Faulkner.

 

Notes from 28 Feb 2010:

Good afternoon,

 I keep hearing that I need to have my profile completed on LinkedIn and that a lot of job seekers are going to Facebook.  I do know that recruiters search LinkedIn, particularly for the passive candidates.  LinkedIn is seen as the professional website.  The other sites are social networking sites whose initial and primary purposes are social rather than career in focus.  I need to clearly consider the fact that my information would be open to the public.  Using the social networks for career search needs to be carefully examined.  What do I want from the social networks?

 Last Sunday the Washington Post, in its Jobs section, had an article on the U. S. Labor Department and its spotlighting of job sites chosen in an online contest, www.careeronestop.org/jobseekertools.   Recruiters tell me to post my resume with those employers I want to consider working for where I have all of the qualifications noted in the job posting.

 In years past, when it was not so much a buyers market, I could apply for positions where I had most of the required qualifications as well as others and stand a chance of getting an interview.  Not today.  Today I need to identify those employers that interest me, and then find positions that those employers have where I hold all those qualifications.  Then if I am really “with it”, I will network my way in while at the same time sending my resume in via the employer’s web site.

 I need to remember that the successful employers have identified Employee Referral as their number one source of new hires.  Therefore, that is where I need to spend much of my effort.  I need to network with the focus of making connections with the decision-makers in those employers of my choice.

 This is where my own Board of Directors comes into play.  These individuals are going to be my best resource for making the connections I need.  If I have not yet developed my own Board, then I can reach out to my References.  And when I reach out to these individuals I truly need to be able to present who I am and what I bring to the tables of my choice.  Until I can do this I know that this is what I need to work on.  Until then make it a great two weeks, see who you can help and be sure to take time to have some fun.

 Jim Ditt

It is not enough to aim, you must hit.   …   Italian proverb.