Mark Anthony Dyson, Author at The Voice of Job Seekers

Career Advice From a Tech Expert: Interview with Forough Ghahramani

What career advice can you give to engineers that hope to reach management levels in managing their careers?

Top ten tips include:

1. Obtain management and project management skills both through education as well as professional experience – technical skills coupled with business/management skills are critical to success in management.

2. Understand how to gather, analyze, and manage data – data analytics is a very important skill for all professionals, especially for managers. Information is power and therefore, understanding the significance of data and having the expertise in data analysis to convert data into information to make knowledgeable decisions is the key to successful management.

3. Develop strong verbal and written communication skills.

o To be effective communicators, engineers, scientists, and researchers must learn what it takes to translate – the language of technologist/engineer/scientist into concepts and analogies that can be easily understood.

4. Work collaboratively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.

5. Employ a novel and adaptive thinking approach to your role, and continually create new solutions and ideas beyond that which is rote- or rule based.

6. Become skilled in cognitive load management. Become adept at sifting through large amounts of information to eliminate “noise” and focus on what is most pertinent.

7. Recognize the importance of an organization’s ability to be nimble and therefore, continually try to get the team out of doing things the same way just because that is how it has always been done to “how can we do this better and more efficiently.”

8. Capitalize on the strengths of each team member and try to mix up the different groupings of team members. This helps make the team more dynamic as well as promotes individual development.

9. Develop the ability to see the organization in relation to the wider environment and stand outside the organizational culture to come to conclusions and actions that keep the organization responsive and healthy.

10. If you believe in the work that you are doing, you will be motivated to work hard to accomplish the goals.

Should students starting out in school or their careers focus on a specific technology or take a broader approach to the industry?

It is important to pursue an academic field that will make one marketable to get a job. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, students who pursue “STEM” (science, technology, engineering and math) related disciplines are in high demand right now.

It is important to note, however, that while having the technical skills required for the job is an important factor in getting the first interview and ultimately the first job, the following attributes and skills are significant factors in reaching career success:

* Novel and adaptive thinking

* Analytical skills

* Computational thinking – ability to translate large amounts of data into abstract concepts

* Understanding and communicating across multiple disciplines (known as transdisciplinary)

* Virtual collaboration

* New media literacy – visual, audio and virtual media are surpassing traditional text-based media

* Demand for blend of project management and technical skills

* Cross-cultural competency – be able to operate effectively in different cultural settings

* Communication skills (oral and written) – employers recruit those who are articulate, concise and have strong written skills. Verbal skills are important, while the new generation does most of their communicating without talking, “talking” has not gone away in business

* Leadership and team skills

* Time management

* Conflict management and resolution

* Facilitating and managing change

* Social intelligence and empathy – connecting to others in a deep and direct way

Therefore, it is important to develop the broad base of skills to complement the specific skills for the student’s’ discipline. Soft skill traits can be just as crucial as the technical skills.

What opportunities are you seeing most unfilled in the industry, and any insight into why?

The opportunity for a better collaboration between industry and academia to enhance student’s and educators’ learning/teaching experience.

* Mentoring opportunities from industry to educational institutions – involving both students and teachers.

o For example, in healthcare and biotechnology, early partnerships with local pharmaceutical, medical, healthcare, and biotechnology institutions is key to developing the necessary workforce and successfully placing students.

* Promote summer education workshops for teachers and guidance counselors in the industry with the ultimate goal of raising awareness in major influencers of future generation of scientists and engineers.

* Given the gap between public understanding and public perception of biotechnology, genetic engineering or gene mapping, researchers should take an active role in helping to educate and inform the public.

o Not all scientists are in the teaching profession, but all scientists can teach by sharing their knowledge and expertise with others. Whether it’s giving a presentation to students in on ‘career day,’ serving as a mentor for an aspiring biologist or talking to a local civic organization – being able to communicate effectively about your research and your scientific discipline is essential.

What type of work should students look to perform as part of internships?

I believe any type of exposure to a professional setting will provide valuable experience for the student. It is important that the organization has made a commitment to dedicate resources to spend time with the student, provide meaningful work to the student, and therefore, there is a specific outcome expected of the experience so that the student has something to show for their time.

Keep the following in mind:

* Goals are defined

* Work experience is varied

* Experiential learning is accompanied by discussion with professionals

* Access to mentors is available

It is when learning is infused with examples from the biotechnology/engineering/scientific/business setting, and students are able to practice hands-on technical/management skills on a regular basis that a program has the greatest impact on a student pursuing a job in their field of interest.

Biotechnology has been one of most popular fields when discussing job growth and opportunity. In your role as an educator, have you seen a large number of career changers entering the field? Are they finding opportunities after school as readily as traditional students?

We have several health sciences programs at DeVry University, including health information technology (HIT) and neurodiagnostic technology (NDT), and those areas seem to attract career changers.

Other popular fields generally include healthcare as well as pharmaceuticals and biotechnology and the types of jobs these offer range from a medical writer to a product/process developer to a bioinformatist.

Career changers oftentimes tend to be more mature, have more confidence as well as experience, while not in their current field of study necessarily. However employers are gravitating towards these types of students due to those characteristics described earlier that differentiates them from their less experienced academic peers.

Therefore, many times the career changers have a competitive advantage. In addition, the HIT and NDT programs engage students in practical settings and not only enable participants to develop high levels of competency in basic industry skills, they also provide participants with the opportunity to understand different aspects of the field.

How important are advance degrees in the biotech field?

Interdisciplinary skills including biology, information technology, mathematics, and analytics are all extremely important for success in the biotechnology field. There are few degree areas that offer all or a subset of these in one undergraduate degree, such as bioinformatics. Therefore, advanced degrees are necessary to acquire a combination of these necessary skills.

For those who aspire towards management, advanced degrees in management and business administration are also necessary for complementing the science/technology expertise with management skills.

How competitive is biotech for the mature career changer? If any, what challenges does an older group face?

As I mentioned, in response to a previous question, a mature career changer in many instances has a competitive advantage over traditional students in biotech and healthcare, based on maturity, confidence, communication and leadership skills.

The challenges include:

* Proficiency in use of technology

* If they have not used their math and analytical skills for a long period of time, this serves as a challenge for them

* Requirement for interdisciplinary skills

What are the top 3 things a 2013 graduate in this field should be doing now to prepare for his or her job search in this field?

* Develop a network of contacts (professors, friends, parents of friends, friends of parents, family, and neighbors, etc.)

o Inform people know that you are about to graduate and are looking for a job before you actually graduate

o Create a professional social media profile (i.e. LinkedIn)

o Look into professional organization memberships

o Good networking is about building solid, trusted relationships that are long-term, not short-term

* Develop and market your brand: what are your key differentiators, how do you want people to perceive you

* Think ahead – create a 3-5-year plan

For more information on careers of the future and ways to advance in your job search, visit www.devry.edu/know-how.

Author: Forough Ghahramani

A transformational business leader, engineer, and entrepreneur, Forough Ghahramani is an associate dean of the College of Business and Management and the Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University and is the founding director of the New Jersey Center for Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship.

Prior to her current role, Forough was a senior systems architect at Hewlett-Packard. Forough’s diversified career experience includes higher education management, strategic planning, management consulting, business analysis and organization-wide information technology planning.

Forough has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in biology from Pennsylvania State University. She also holds a master’s in business administration from DePaul University as well as a master’s degree in computer science from Villanova University.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

3 Things to Remember If You’re Unemployed Like I Was

Editor’s note: Drew Tewell is our contributor today. Since I met Drew Tewell, we talked daily or have exchanged ideas through our common social channels. His latest book is The Dream Job Program: Get the job you want.

“Tough times never last, but tough people do”

Robert Schuller

Being unemployed is not easy. I can say this from experience. I have only been at my current job for three weeks.

Today I want to share with you three things to remember if you’re unemployed.

1. You will find another job

This is very important. When you are unemployed, things can seem hopeless. But you must not lose hope.

In my search for another job, one of the things I did was to focus my job search. What I mean by this is that I picked one position, employment recruiter, to go after.

Having a focus for your job search will help to concentrate all your efforts and make them more effective. Meaning, you will find a job faster.

2. This is only temporary

Even though it may feel like you have been out of work forever, and even though there may be no end in sight, this to shall pass.

Another tip to help you find a job faster is to schedule your job search. I spent some time in the morning, before my son woke up, and some time in the afternoon, while my son was taking a nap, looking for work.

Having a schedule and sticking to it will help keep your job search a priority among all the other things you have going on in your life.

3. Your dream job is waiting
If you currently find yourself unemployed, why not take some time to discover and land your dream job.

And when I say dream job, I am not talking about getting your one and only “dream job”. The fact of matter is that you will probably have many more jobs spanning over your entire work life. What I am talking about is you getting the job you want at this age and stage in your professional life.

My final tip is actually the first thing you should do if you want to find a better job than you had before and that is to figure out what you want in your next job.

Years ago, after being fired from a job I didn’t like, I took some time to figure out what I wanted in my next job. I wrote down 3 things:

I wanted a job where I could help people.
I wanted a job where I could make more money.
I wanted a job where I could work with young people (I previously had a positive experience working with and mentoring youth).

I ended up targeting organizations that worked with young people and calling them directly. One of the organizations that I contacted had an opening that they were looking to fill immediately. I ended up landing a job helping people, making more money, and working with young people! In addition, this is where I started helping people with their work and careers, which is what I still do.

If I had not taken the time to figure out what I wanted in my next job, I may have never found that opportunity.

So if you are unemployed, be encouraged and remember:

You will find another job.
This is only temporary.
Your dream job is waiting.

Consider putting into practice the tips I mentioned. And before you know it, you will be talking to the right person at the right time who is hiring for the job you want.

Question: What advice would you give someone who is currently unemployed?

The Dream Job Program by Drew Tewell

If you are currently unemployed, or you just don’t like your job, and you would like to discover and land your dream job, go to dreamjobprogram.com.Enter your email address and you’ll get a FREE copy of my book, The Dream Job Program: Get the job you want (which sells on Amazon).This is the same material that I took my coaching clients through. The only difference is they paid me hundreds of dollars for it.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

9 Interview Mistakes That Turn Off Employers

Editor’s Note: Today’s guest post is by Erik Larson. His bio is at the end of the article.

Recruiters have often seen candidates with the perfect resume fall completely flat during interviews. No matter how good your resume may look, you can only get a job by passing the interview, and fewer interview opportunities mean that you have to make the best with every interview you get. Here are some of the worst interview mistakes that you can easily avoid:

A bad handshake

First impressions often start with the three-second handshake, and recruiters can put a lot of importance on how well a candidate does it. As a result, this single moment can make or break your entire interview. Some examples of poor handshakes that can put you in a bad position from the start of an interview are:

· A limp handshake, which shows weakness or, even worse, disinterest

· Handshakes from the fingertips, which shows a hesitation to engage

· An overpowering handshake, with shows questionable sincerity and overt aggression

Such mistakes can be committed by seasoned professionals too, so do not take your handshake attitude lightly.

Talkativeness

Recruiters may not take too kindly to talkative candidates. Such candidates can include:

· Giving long answers to direct and simple questions. It can indicate an inability to get to the point quickly

· Nervous talking, which can make recruiters think the candidate is hiding something or lying

Make sure that you answer interview questions directly to prevent such behavior. If you are nervous, practice before you go for an interview to calm your nerves.

Negative comments about past employers/manager/jobs

One of the most common mistakes committed by applicants during interviews is to talk bad about their current or old bosses or jobs. It does not matter if you were wrong or right, you will always look disrespectful in the eyes of a recruiter when you make such comments. Recruiters will mostly assume that you will talk negatively about their own company or managers in the future.

Coming for an interview too early or late

Every job applicant knows that the first step toward succeeding in an interview is to turn up on time. Coming late for an interview is inexcusable, but you can also trigger apprehensions from your recruiter if you come earlier than 10 minutes before an interview. This will show that you have lots of time on hand, and that you are desperate for the job. The idea is to show your interviewer that your time is as precious to you as the interviewer’s time, and to avoid losing your dignity.

Talking rudely to the receptionist

The first person you see when you appear for an interview is not the interviewer, but the receptionist at the office. Therefore, your first impression has to start right from the receptionist’s desk. Do not forget that the receptionist ushers you into your interview, and may hold power to introduce you in a positive or negative light.

Asking about salary, vacations/holidays, and work benefits

All three of these questions should be asked only after you have been confirmed for the job. Car salesmen do not ask for your credit report before letting you test drive a car, and the same principle applies here as well. Recruiters may have second thoughts about your competency and suitability for a job if you pop these questions too early.

Appearing for an interview unprepared

Most recruiters can easily find out if a candidate is not prepared for an interview, and they usually give up on such candidates without second thought. No matter how many interviews you attend, the signs can easily be picked up by recruiters. To avoid this mistake, make sure to conduct a pre-interview research on the company. Ask reasonable questions about the company, which simultaneously show that you have done your research.

Lack of/excessive eye contact

Both extremes can trigger negative reactions in the recruiter. A lack of eye contact can make you seem untrustworthy and disinterested, while excessive eye contact can wear out the interviewer. To avoid this issue, practice making eye contact with a friend before the interview.

Conflicting communication styles

First impressions aside, the key to successful interviews is effective communication with the interviewer. You can improve your communication with an interviewer by matching his or her style appropriately. Some examples are given below:

· Maintain concise and business-like communication with interviewers who are all business. Do not try to loosen up the conversation with a story or a joke

· Discuss the interviewer’s interests if he or she is personable, but to a limit. You can find clues to interests by a quick glance at office items

· No matter what the interviewer’s style is, answer direct questions in a direct way. If you want more information, ask for it as a follow up

You can improve your chances of meeting the communication style of an interviewer by allowing him or her to set the conversation tone.

Erik Larson is a master’s level career counselor and an internationally certified as a Career Management Practitioner (CMP) by the Institute for Career Certification International. He was also recognized as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) through the National Board for Certified Counselors. You can check out his site at ResumeIndex.com.