Career Management Alliance Blog

Two careers industry professionals blogged last week about the fine art of storytelling in job search.

Abby Locke of Premier Writing Solutions talked about using stories incorporating the STARS approach (Situation — Task — Action — Result) to nail a behavioral-style interview.

“Hiring managers do not want hypothetical answers, they want the facts – supporting evidence, clear examples, proof of performance”.

Kathy Hansen, over at A Storied Career, explained why using storytelling to marketing oneself in job search works the way companies use stories to market their products.

“Just as customers are inclined to participate when they can see themselves in marketing stories, employers are inclined to participate (by hiring the candidate) when they see themselves in the job-seeker’s story”.

Storytelling is one of those common sense job search tools. When a job seeker presents a few career success stories in their resume and the interview process, hiring decision makers can see their company in the job seeker’s story. The stories offer tangible proof of that candidate’s potential value to the company – just what she is capable of and how she will make things happen.

Posted by Meg Guiseppi

4 Comments »

In the course of writing our books and columns, we have interviewed multicultural professionals from all walks of life and asked for opinions on a variety of topics, including the characteristics needed for success. We compiled their answers, added our own experiences, and identified twelve factors for a successful career — a career that positively coexists with a fulfilled life, uses your talents and skills to their full potential, and maximizes your opportunities and growth.

You are the Architect of Your Own Destiny

• Life and career success can only be defined by you for you.
• Taking the time to develop your definition of success is essential to achieving career satisfaction.

The following are twelve characteristics you should master to achieve career success:

Know Yourself

• Evaluate your interests, values, knowledge, skills, abilities, contributions, accomplishments, uniqueness and worthiness.
• Understand your cultural programming, if any, and how to transform those gifts into career assets.
• Embrace your attributes, family history and culture.
• Craft your combined attributes into a foundation to launch or grow your career.

Develop a Goal that Inspires You

• Develop a vision of what you want to accomplish in life and your career.
• Arouse your passion and desire to be successful at whatever you do.
• Allow your goals to be courageous to drive your career forward. Your objectives should not be self-limiting.
• Make sure your goals, no matter how large or small, contribute value to others.

Believe in Your Personal Power

• Trust that you are the most important person in your career.
• Embrace your personal power to fuel your career power.
• Activate your career power so you can be proactive in your job search, manage the process and to respond well, rather than react, to the events you cannot control.
• Learn to adapt and transform any self-limiting cultural programming into power centers.

Learn to Dance in Both Worlds

• Recognize that adapting to an employer’s workplace culture is neither selling out nor changing your cultural identity.
• Build a cultural bridge that crosses from one environment to the other that we can walk on and help others to cross.
• Know your culture and share it gently.

Create Opportunities and be Prepared to Take Advantage of Them

• Initiative and networking create opportunities.
• Preparation and practice are often the difference to career success.
• Keep your attitude positive and picture yourself as lucky.
• Use tested strategies to overcome any job search FEARs (False Expectations Appear Real) you may have.

Persistence and Success Go Together

• Remember that it is not the fastest or brightest job seeker but the prepared and judiciously persistent candidate who generates an interview and secures employment.
• Recognize that job search roadblocks are only minor detours that you can find an alternative route, outwit, or avoid altogether.
• Work smarter and use the increasing number of Latino specific, diversity friendly, networking generated and skills focused access doors at employers.

Build Your Personal Career Brand

• If you do not develop a Personal Career Brand, others will label you.
• Paint a compelling picture of who you truly are and the unique promise of value you offer to an employer.
• Building your reputation or Personal Career Brand increases your confidence and job search power.

Make Learning a Life Long Process

• Life-long learning maintains and enhances your employability and upward mobility.
• Continuous professional and personal development improves your career staying power, agility and marketability.
• Your commitment to self-improvement validates an employer’s Return on Investment (ROI) in you.

Be Flexible

• Keep your job search and career options open.
• Be open, adaptable and accommodating to different approaches and opportunities
• Be willing to weigh job offers and career opportunities on how they fit into your career goals and plan. Don’t just look at the money.

Create a Strong Support System

• Grow your Career Board of Directors, a network of a people who will be there for you in the various capacities that aid your job search and career management.
• Nurture your network through maintaining contact, being thankful and giving back where you can.

Know When to Let Go

• Being willing to let go should not be seen as a negative. It is often liberating, empowering, and leads to career success.
• You may have accepted a job that turned out to be the wrong fit or your work situation may sour to the breaking point. Choose to move on.
• Your duties may have changed or you have or a team approach may be more productive requiring that you give up some control. Recognize that it is time to let go.
• Learn to accept your mistakes and use them as learning experiences. Leave them behind.

Remember to Give Back to Your Community

• Appreciate the multicultural professionals who were among the first in their career fields who blazed a trail for you to follow.
• Helping  your colleagues or those coming up behind you opens up even more opportunities for other multicultural professionals.
• Giving back adds to your own value and helps build your Personal Career Brand.
• Leadership and volunteer positions offer professional development opportunities that may not be available in the workplace.

Posted by Murray A. Mann and Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias 

1 Comment »

As an executive resume writer, I have the opportunity to see a lot of resumes that are in circulation, but failing miserably at their job.

They’re not capturing the attention of hiring decision makers reviewing them among possibly hundreds of others. And, if they do manage to get some attention, they’re not differentiating the job seeker and positioning them above the pack.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these are what I consider the top 10 worst offenders.

Four things that too many executive resumes lack:

1. A clear job target. Without a specific focus, decision makers reading your resume won’t make a connection between you and the job they’re trying to fill. They don’t have the time or inclination to sift through irrelevant information to see if you’ll be a good fit. Everything in your resume has to point to the requirements for that specific kind of job.

2. Personal branding. Especially in an economic downturn, personal branding makes more sense than ever. Companies are looking for good fit and personal chemistry. Branding generates chemistry and makes the candidate come alive on the page.

3. Value proposition. The value you bring your next employer needs to be abundantly evident, monetized, and linked to your brand.

4. Career success stories. When you show the reader exactly how you’ve accomplished all the great benefits you’ve brought to past companies, they can zero in on what you will do for their company. Follow a “Challenge – Actions – Impact” kind of framework to illuminate your successes.

Six things that too many executive resume have, but shouldn’t:

5. A designated “objective” statement. No one cares what you want. Instead of leading your resume with a statement saying what you want from the job, tell them, in a powerful brand statement, just what you will do for them.

6. Densely packed, hard-to-read information. With more and more hiring decision makers reviewing resumes on BlackBerries, the need for concise on-brand, value-driven statements surrounded by plenty of white space is obvious. Make it easy for them to read and quickly get to what they need to know about you.

7. Too many pages. Keep it to 2 pages. Remember that today’s resume is not meant to be a comprehensive career biography. As a marketing document, it needs to incorporate just enough compelling information to generate interviews.

8. Typos, grammatical errors, and/or poor formatting. This probably goes without saying. Errors are the kiss of death. Keep the formatting attractive, consistent, and easy to read. And make sure your contact information is correct.

9. Overused resume-speak. You’re not like everyone else. Your resume should reflect and embrace what makes you unique. Keep the content interesting and don’t fall back on cliches like “results-oriented”.

10. Passive verbs and repetitive, boring job descriptions. Draw in readers and hold their attention with robust action verbs that indicate your vitality and relevant key words that highlight your niche expertise. Don’t waste precious space reiterating obvious responsibilities. Avoid the tired, boring phrase “responsible for”.

Posted by Meg Guiseppi

No Comments »

When President Clinton signed the executive order designating June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month he wrote “I hope that in this new millennium will continue to break down the walls of fear and prejudice and work to build a bridge to understanding and tolerance, until gays and lesbians are afforded the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans.” 

Much has happened since June 2000. According the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) more than half of states and thousands of corporations have expanded protections and benefits for their GLBT employees including 433 of Fortune 500 companies.

Below are a sampling of web resources including advocacy groups, professional associations, job portals and books dedicated to helping gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals advance their careers and contributions in the workplace, as well as, educating employers and coworkers to create more inclusive workplaces.

Advocacy Groups  

glbtworkplace.com‘s goal is to provide the knowledge, support and tools to enable a world where gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people can work openly and safely in a workplace that is welcoming and free of harassment and discrimination, regardless of occupation. The web site features articles, editorial comentary, discussion topics and opinion / data gathering polls. The Frequently Asked Questions by Managers Regarding GLBT Workplace Issues section is also a valuable guide for everyone.  

Human Right Campaign Workplace Project delivers information on workplace policies and laws surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity, and is a great resource for “how-to” information.  HRC publishes the annual Corporate Equality Index which rates companies on their GLBT inclusiveness. 

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates hosts a natioanally recognized annual conference, offers training programs and has regional affiliates for local networking. 

OUT For Work is a national nonprofit organization educating, preparing, and empowering LGBT students and their allies for the workplace.  

The vast majority of companies listed in the DiversityInc’s 2008 Top 50 Companies for Diversity have active programs to recruit GLBT employees, nondiscrimination policies that include gender identity, Employee Resource Groups for GLBT employees, gay/lesbian businesses in supplier-diversity tracking and corporate web sites addressing the GLBT community.

Professional Associations 

National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce 

National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) National Lesbian and Gay Law Association (NLGLA) 

National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Science and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP) 

Regional LGBT Professional Organizations 

Job Portals 

There are niche GLBT career sites that provide job postings, career management tools and resources needed to successfully navigate in U.S. workplace.

gayjob.biz

progayjobs.com

www.simplyhired.com/a/special-searches/glbt-friendly

Books

Straight Talk About Gays in the Workplace (Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies)

Lavender Road To Success: The Career Guide by Kirk Snyder 

The resources listed above are but few. If you have additional sources to recommend to our readers, please post them in the comments section. 

Posted Murray A. Mann

No Comments »

David Perry of Perry-Martel International writes:

Peter Clayton over at TotalPicture.com has interviewd Kevin Donlin and myself on our upcoming Boot Camp for job hunters. I thought readers of your blog might be interested.

http://www.totalpicture.com/content/view/580/1/

No Comments »

Richard Nelson Bolles, author of “What Color Is Your Parachute?” and job search guru for almost 40 years, was spotlighted yesterday in the New York Times. He spoke recently at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan about the changing job search landscape.

He recommended several Websites for job hunting, including Job-Hunt.org and Indeed.com.

Unimpressed with Monster.com and other job boards, he noted,

“There are too many jobs that have complicated job titles. Consequently, employers may call a job by one title and the job hunter may call it by another; therefore, the site will say there is no match.”

Just one of the many reasons the big job boards may not work for you. Don’t completely abandon them, but you’ll greatly improve your chances of landing a job that’s a good fit by concentrating more of your efforts on a targeted campaign, locating and contacting the right employers.

Taking the time to research the websites of companies that interest you can result in finding jobs that aren’t listed anywhere else. While looking at the company sites, you will also gain valuable company background information that will help you in an interview with them, if you manage to get one.

Posted by Meg Guiseppi

2 Comments »

A recent article by Lisa Belkin in the New York Times highlighted the stories of a few job seekers who went to unusual lengths to stand out above the competition. These risk-takers may not have been aware that they were branding themselves, but the hiring-decision makers considering them certainly were. Having the courage to be different really paid off for them.

As you read the following scenario of one of the job seekers profiled in the article, you get an idea of the powerful brand attributes he tapped into.

After being laid off, George was getting nowhere with the personnel office of the company he wanted to work for next. His ingenious method to make headway was to print up business cards that were rounder and larger than usual. On the front was the photo of a pizza and on the back, along with his contact information, was the promise of a pizza for the first person to get him an interview.

Wearing a suit and tie, George positioned himself outside the company headquarters and handed out his cards to any takers. After a few days, he hit the mark with one manager who decided that anyone who made such an effort deserved to at least be heard.

His innovative campaign worked and branded him as innovative, bold, and a problem-solver, among other things. He got the job, probably because his stunt proved him to be a good fit for that company. One can only assume he was the kind of person they were looking for all along, but before he tried a gutsy approach, he was lost in the sea of other candidates.

Posted by Meg Guiseppi

No Comments »

Yesterday I attended an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) celebration to commemorate the contributions of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States. Below are several professional associations, web resources and books dedicated to helping Asian Americans advance their careers and contributions in the workplace. 

Professional Associations 

The largest organization, National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP), provides its members with the tools and resources to further career advancement and to empower Asian Americans to become great leaders, as well as, reliable employees. To find more about the NAAAP and other organizations, read Dan Woog’s article Top 16 Asian American Professional Groups.

Job Portals 

There are niche career sites for Asian American that provide job postings, career management tools and resources needed to successfully navigate in U.S. workplace. A few of the more comprehensive portals are the Asian American Success Center, Asian American Village of IMDiversity.com, AsianLife.com  and the NAAAP Career Center. 

Books

Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians by Jane Hyun

Invitation to Lead: Guidance for Emerging Asian American Leaders by Paul Tokunaga

Posted by Murray A. Mann

No Comments »

This weekend we commemorate the U.S. men and women who have died in military service to our country. We also honor all current service members and veterans. According to government statistics, more than 30,000 military personnel serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding duty station have been wounded in action. Despite their injuries, most disabled veterans leave active duty eager and able to return to the civilian workforce.  

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued two question-and-answer (Q&A) guides for veterans with service-connected disabilities and companies on employment and workplace issues.  

EEOC chair Naomi C. Earp said “Injured veterans, like everyone else, deserve the freedom to compete in the workplace on a fair and level playing field. Members of the military have bravely sacrificed for America should never have to come home and  face unlawful employment obstacles because of service-related disability.”  

The first guide answers questions that veterans with service-connected disabilities may have about the protections they are entitled to when they seek to return to their former jobs or look to find their first, or new, civilian jobs. The document also explains changes or adjustments that veterans may need, because of their injuries, to apply for, or perform, a job, or to enjoy equal access to the workplace. 

The publication for employers explains how protections for veterans with service-connected disabilities differ under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Right Act (USERRA). the guide further describes how the ADA in particular applies to recruiting, hiring and accommodating veterans with service-connected disabilities. The EEOC enforces Title 1 of the ADA, which prohibits employments discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector and state and local governments. The U.S. Department of Labor enforces USERRA, which applies to the reemployment of veterans with and without service-connected disabilities.

EEOC Legal Counsel Reed L. Russell said, “The EEOC wants to help our nations wounded warriors and employers alike understand their respective workplace rights and responsibilities under federal laws. The new guides will provide valuable assistance in this effort.”

Russell noted that each guide includes a list of resources where to find more information on USERRA and the ADA; public and private organizations who can assist employers who want to recruit and hire veterans or can helps who are seeking employment; and organizations and agencies that can identify reasonable accommodations for veterans with service-related disabilities.

Posted by Murray A. Mann

No Comments »

There are three types of public service - government service at the local, state and federal level, non-profit public services, and participation in the political process.  I believe public service has gotten a lot of bad press, undeservedly.  Public service can be enormously exciting and rewarding, especially for young people starting their professional lives.

Not only are the opportunities vast in terms of diversity, but in many cases the pay is good (rarely great).  The fringe benefits; especially in these days of soaring health care costs, are excellent, depending on the sector.  Finally, a successful stint in public service can be a good steppingstone to a. career in the private sector.

I would like to look at one area of public service, government service at the federal level. I know that the word “bureaucrat” has a negative connotation, but the federal bureaucracy, the people who administer our laws and regulations, represent a highly talented, hard working, and honest group of people.

For example, the Los Alamos Labs in New Mexico is one of the greatest research facilities in the world.  The economists in the Commerce Department do extraordinary work.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures the healthfulness of the medicines we take and the FBI is one of the best law enforcement agencies in the world. Of course, everyone knows about NASA.

No matter what the expertise of course of study, there is likely a federal government agency or department that needs those skills.  Federal jobs span every possible area, and vacancy announcements list the specific knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) an agency needs in a candidate.

These KSA factors are extremely important to federal employers.  The ability to successfully match a person with a position is essential.

It is estimated that within the next five years, 50 percent of the federal government’s current work force will retire or be eligible for retirement - a situation that will create enormous demand for new talent, and enormous opportunities for college graduates to career changers.  Look at www.usajobs.opm.gov.  This Web site is packed full of useful information on career opportunities with the federal government.  OPM is the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.  Since, by law, all government agencies must post vacancies open to outside applicants, this is a good place to start.  Use it to familiarize yourself with the depth and breadth of employment disciplines.

Check out Web sites such as www.ourpublicservice.org, www.studentjobs.gov and its e-scholar section.  Internships are everywhere, including the White House, various cabinet departments, independent agencies, and the Smithsonian Institution.

The Partnership for Public Service (www.ourpublicservice.org) sponsors “A Call to Serve,” an initiative designed to educate people about the importance of a strong civil service, create links between federal agencies and schools and provide information about opportunities regarding careers with the federal government.

For students or recent college grads, several organizations help place internships in federal offices. They include The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Affairs (WCIAA), the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO).

WCIAA places  internships with the federal government, private and non-profit employers.  Thousands of interns are placed in federal agencies, the White House and congressional offices.

HACU places undergraduate and graduate students in federal agency internships and serves Hispanic, Asian Americans, African Americans and Native Americans in their HACU National Internship Program. .

NAFEO, affiliated with an association of Black Colleges and Universities, places students in a wide range of federal offices, particularly the Departments of health and Human Services and Transportation.  Other agencies partnering with NAFEO include the Department of Defense, Labor and Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

I would encourage people to explore these programs and opportunities in depth.  There are lots of free resources available and more importantly, here is another option.

Judit Price

No Comments »