The Voice of Job Seekers

Mark Anthony Dyson ★ Career Writer ★ Speaker ★ Thinker ★ Award-winning Blog & Podcast! ★ "The Job Scam Report" on Substack! ★ I hack and reimagine the modern job search!

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Career News Roundup August 12, 2017

Career News Roundup August 12, 2017

 

Hopefully this will start a weekly article roundup of articles found outside of this blog.

Reference these articles to help you navigate some of the snags and snares:

About that job interview…

There is no question the needed preparation for interviews is a critical part of your job search. You’ll need to stop preparing for one type of interview. This article will help you preparing for six of the more popular interviewing methods companies use. You’ll want to dive deeper into each because they require a different response in tone and positioning.

Don’t dismiss the data

Many people don’t use data as leverage for their job search because it require some critical thinking. You can’t afford to defer only to miss career advancement opportunities and leave money on the table. Stay on top of location and industry shifts and understand how it relates to your work.

A tech expert told me today’s workforce is data centric and as it has a profound grip on business.

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 To turn around to your corner and understand what it will mean to your work is a necessity, not an option.

Unconscious Bias 

Ageism is hard to say whether it’s here or there. It’s a grey line–harder to prove than ever.

A group of 70 workers over 40 alleging they were discriminated against because of their age.

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Age discrimination plaintiffs must prove, “…  age discrimination was the prime, or motivating, reason for demotion or dismissal.”

Your Career 

Don’t allow yourself to be stagnant when your current job no longer fulfills you. Assessments are useful to define your strengths so you can discover careers aligning with them. The author focuses on the Myers-Briggs assessment but there are more you can use.

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9 Ways to Break Out of the Job Search Rut

9 Ways to Break Out of the Job Search Rut

I answered the following query on Quora I’d like to share. The inquiring person contacted me after I posted to share additional thoughts, but in a job search rut, you can’t stop asking questions:

How do you break out of a job search rut? I’ve been on the job hunt for over a year, and it’s gone cold. Any advice?

If you’re applying to just any job listed, stop it! It’s futile. I know many people want to use the easiest and most passive method —online job boards. I am assuming this is the case when your job hunt has lasted a year and as you’ve said, “…gone cold.” There is no other way to accept your query other than you filling out 30 applications a week. I’ll repeat it, stop it! It’s wasting time.

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The other thing you say is your job search is in a rut. There are too many things to do in a job search in 2017 for it to go in a rut. I can visualize you are asking for a job and not for intel on who to meet to take you to the next step. Although I understand a job search is long and hard depending on the career goal, yes, but ultimately says you’re bored. No leads. No new people in your network who can put you on a path to a referral. A rut.

Ultimately you want to focus on what you want to do and where. It probably counters all the advice most will give, but a single-minded approach is better than casting a wide net. Most job seekers find it hard to become that focused.

Assuming you’ve done nothing else, here are some short term and long term suggestions to help you or anyone in a similar predicament:

Focus  

There are enough strength assessments like Strengthsfinder for you to narrow down the professional and personal attributes to build your next career around.

Tighten up on finances

See what expenditures you need to cut back on for the long term. It’s likely the time you’re out of work, and you’re losing money

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Focus on self-improvement

There are podcasts, blogs, and other free online tools to help you grow and increase your skills. Employers love the perpetual learner and

Volunteer

Since you don’t have a job, you can create a relevant experience through charity. If there is a career field you’re interested, then you can explore options by offering your time. This can also be positioned as a job especially if it’s something you’re interested in doing. For more, check out this podcast

Improve communication skills

If you haven’t been writing, then you need to get moving. Companies may have you complete a few assessments before seeing you in person. Many times a writing assessment is done online

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Practice interviewing

You’ll likely need someone to help you remain sharp in responding to questions. Unless you’re job interviewing regularly, start practicing

Network incessantly

This is the most important and the one needing to be the priority. Every social situation has potential to bring you towards your next employer. Don’t be desperate and don’t act destitute. Be open, friendly, and helpful. If you’re networking regularly, your job search rut will go away.

Become a Linkedin all-star

I hope you are as diligent with your Linkedin profile as you’ve been with your resume. There are so many Linkedin articles I won’t expand here. But if you haven’t looked at in the last six months, make it a priority to complete with a photo

Informational interviews

This is a powerful strategy for you to use as a networking tool and a way to find out the qualifications you need once decide what you want to do. This article is one of the best on informational interviewing.

There are other strategies to benefit from, but you can start here. Good luck and keep us posted. I apologize for some of the grammar errors which I’ll come to edit later, but I wanted it to get it out there for you or anyone needing additional specifics.

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Simple Steps to Steer Your Child Toward Career Success

Simple Steps to Steer Your Child Toward Career Success

Put yourself in the shoes of a young mother, working hard to succeed in her corporate job. She dreams of a college education for her six-year-old son, a career with high earning potential and benefits. But then the little boy announces that he wants to be a garbage collector when he grows up.

What would you do? Would you say, “Don’t be silly” or “You can’t be that”? Would you laugh and shake your head? These reactions will communicate that there are right and wrong answers to the “What do you want to be?” question, and they can steer the children you love away from their talents and interests.

Study after study tells us that over 50% of Americans dislike or disengaged from their jobs. The knock-on effect is huge – stress related illness, high absenteeism, low morale, road rage, etc. And our kids are watching. When their career dreams fade, they’ll start to see work not as a way to share their gifts with the world, but as a necessary evil of life.

But certainly, you don’t want your children to grow up with a life motto of “T.G.I.F.” As a parent, you have the opportunity to see beyond the surface of their naïve career declarations. You can help your children decipher their career dreams effectively into something that’s a great match for their talents and skills.

First, watch your response

Since you’re actively pouring your life into your children, the thought of any of them in a career that doesn’t match your standards can understandably cause stress, usually resulting in a hasty response that shuts down the child’s dream. Take a step back and try to assess the child’s statement with less emotional attachment.

Second, take a few moments for discussion

Our potential garbage collector made his career announcement in the midst of busy family life. Despite that, try to respond more openly to the idea, asking questions like, “What part of being a garbage collector do you think you’d like?” That’s when you may discover the main attraction. Maybe it’s primarily the truck, an interest in the variety of things people throw away, the chance to travel around town, or the ability to provide a helpful service to people. From there, you can discuss other jobs that have similar aspects (minus the stench).

And finally, you have years of experience—life experience and career experience 

You may have had a few years in a job that wasn’t a great fit for you. Maybe you can look back to your childhood and see where you made a wrong turn when you entered the job market. Or perhaps you’ve been fortunate to have years in a job that was a great fit for you. With your perspective, you can see the skills and interests of your kids. You can understand how much better it would be to apply those skills and interests in their day-to-day work as adults.

So be sure to keep your eyes open for the talents and areas of giftedness in each of your children. Encourage discussion when they share dreams of their future. And as they grow older, be sure to point out what you’ve seen over the years—their desires, their talents, their achievements, and the positive attributes they bring to the world. Your insight can help propel them into a career that’s a perfect match.

Karleen Tauszik is the author of eleven books for children, ages 8 to 12. The goal of her latest book, the career possibility journal titled When I Grow Up, I Want To Be… is to change the current dismal job satisfaction statistics for the next generation. The goal of her fiction books is to get kids to LOVE reading. Learn more at KarleenT.com.