Career Management Alliance Blog

www.betterjobbetterlife.com With this video, learn how to use information from personal, career and market assessments as leverage in your job search. Click here for 7 FREE videos that will show you how to find a better job for better pay fast!

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Terry writes: I would like to ask you a question that will decide my future career. Should I pick a career based on my passion or on salary? By the way, I’m a high school senior and am preparing for college. If you be so kind, please write me back soon as possible.

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The Career Doctor responds: Hmm. Passion or salary? Well, I am an idealist, so I say why not both? Of course, if I had to choose one, I would ALWAYS say follow your passion. Sometimes I think people think that following their passion excludes them from making money. However, the opposite rarely happens — chasing down the higher salary rarely results in finding a career passion. The great news for you is that you have years to find your passion. And years to make and execute a plan where you’ll make money living your passion. But let’s look at the flip side. Even if you don’t find a way to make a lot of money with your passion, you will still have the satisfaction and joy that you derive from the job. However, if you make a lot of money but are bored or dislike your job, you will feel a growing sense of being empty and unsatisfied. How can you find your passion? With a lot of self-assessment. Sure, you can take some assessment tests, but you should also look at your strengths and weaknesses, as well as the activities you most enjoy accomplishing. At your age, you should also spend a lot of time researching careers, talking to people about their jobs, and doing what you can to help narrow your choices. Just remember to take your time. The real goal of college is a solid education — and any major will give you that. Focus on obtaining the degree. Do that while also gaining some experience along the way, and doors will open up for you by the time you graduate. For more help in choosing a career path, consider reading this article published on Quintessential Careers: Ten Tips for Creating a Career That Lights Your Fire. And for help in choosing a major, read: Choosing a College Major: How to Chart Your Ideal Path.

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1. Surround yourself with success “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future,” is a great saying because it’s true! The people and influences we surround ourselves with play a huge role in how we think, act and form our own aspirations. Rearrange your environment to include more positive, proactive, prosperous, generous and happy Continue Reading »

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Sometimes, workplace bullying can surface from the most unlikely of places: “UK Prime Minister Accused of Workplace Bullying” You cannot easily protect yourself from being bullied. We have nothing to do with the behavior directed towards us, only the behavior we return. If someone in the workplace is out to harm you with words or Continue Reading »

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Shayla writes: Today I had my first “big” interview since my graduation. I guess I wasn’t entirely prepared though. I was asked about my college experience, and I don’t feel like I really went into enough detail. I know if I was given the opportunity to have a second interview, I would be able to talk about how successful I was in college. I had a 3.8 GPA, and I organized and participated in many events. I also participated in the virtual stock market and was respected a great deal by many of my teachers including the Director of Education. Should I include my feelings in the follow-up letter or just cross my fingers and hope for the best?

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The Career Doctor responds: Let me give a little lecture first — what else would you expect from a college professor — and then some advice. Interview preparation, as you have now learned the hard way, is critical to successful job-hunting. You can’t anticipate every interview question, but there are many sources for finding the common questions employers ask — and all job-seekers should at least have a handle on how to respond to those. I just heard from one of my alums, who has still not found a job, that the employer did not have a complete copy of her resume during her recent job interview, so the interview was awkward. What was her big mistake? Even though she had been told many times to always bring extra copies of her resume to the interview, she actually did not even bring one!! So, repeat after me, if you really have any interest in a job, be sure to prepare for the interview. Okay. So what can you do now? Write a more detailed thank-you letter than one normally would. We call it, a thank-you letter that mentions afterthoughts. You still write the traditional appreciation for the interview, but then you add a paragraph that details the one or two key points (relevant to the job) that you forgot to mention in the interview. And yes, this approach is much better than waiting and hoping. You also need to be proactive and (politely) aggressive when job-hunting. Find a sample thank-you letter that mentions interview afterthoughts, as well as all sorts of other tank-you notes and post-interview follow-up letters in this section of Quintessential Careers: Sample Job Interview and Career Thank-You Letters. And for help with preparing for interview questions, check out these Job Interview Question Collections for Job-Seekers.

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Charlie writes: I have a questions regarding salary history that I hope you can answer. When negotiating salary for a new job, is the candidate required to reveal what his salary is at his current position to the potential new employer?

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The Career Doctor responds: The alarming number of stories I’ve heard about recruiters getting more aggressive about salary negotiation disappoint me. Are you required to disclose your current salary? Of course not. If you don’t, are you likely to remain a candidate for the position? No. The problem I have with requesting an applicant’s current salary is that it really should have no bearing on any part of the job-search process. It should not affect whether the job-seeker gets an interview nor should it affect whether the job-seeker gets the offer. Unfortunately, some employers use previous (or current) salary as an indicator of whether you are deserving of being considered for the job. Read more advice in this article published on Quintessential Careers: Responding to Requests for Salary Requirements or Salary Histories: Strategies and Suggestions.

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Thomas writes: I came across your excellent website (Quintessential Careers) and found it very informative. I would like to ask your advice on a recent situation regarding an internal position for which I have applied. I submitted my application and had what I thought was in general a successful interview. After the interview I followed up with an email outlining my interest, thanked the panel for the opportunity and restated how I believe I would be the best candidate for the role. I have been advised that it will be about two weeks before a final decision is made. My main question is how I could add value during this time so that my impression at the interview is still fresh given that over 20 candidates have applied internally for this one high profile position. Being an internal position, there is also an informal process where managers put in “a good word” for certain candidates. How appropriate would it be to ask my manager to speak with the hiring manager? I did have a conversation several months ago and this was offered should I consider applying for an internal position. On a final note, should my current position change during the hiring process, or I receive additional responsibility or accolades, is it appropriate to make the hiring manager aware of this by email.

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The Career Doctor responds: You ask all the right questions here, and since you are asking them in a certain way, I am sure you already know how I am going to answer them. First, regardless of whether it is an external or internal position, the job-seeker is always on a marketing campaign to convince the hiring manager that s/he is right for the job. For internal positions, it’s a bit different because you already have a reputation — a reputation that has ideally been developed through your excellent work and careful self-marketing. Second, kudos on writing the thank-you email. I do wonder if you could have done something more formal, but the most important thing is that you thanked the panel and restated your position. Third, I think it’s very wise to think of creative ways your name can come up so that you are not lost among all the candidates that follow. So, my answer is yes, do both. Especially if your manager has a good reputation with the hiring manager, I would take him/her up on the offer. Please note: if the manager had not offered, I would not suggest going to your manager and asking for the referral. And yes, of course, should you have a change or status or land a big account — or anything else noteworthy — it is perfectly acceptable to drop a line to the hiring manager with the update. Best of luck to you. I think you have a great plan and are executing it well. It might be helpful to also read this article, Moving Up the Ladder: 10 Strategies for Getting Yourself Promoted, published on Quintessential Careers.

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www.betterjobbetterlife.com With this video, get started with the strategies you’ll need to prepare for job interviews so you will maximize your opportunity to get job offers. Click here for 7 FREE videos that will show you how to find a better job for better pay fast!

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Nathan writes: I was hoping you could help me in my college search. I know I want to be an entrepreneur. I don’t want to hold a typical job working for someone else. As a junior in high school, I have a good amount of experience in the business world. My academic marks are on par with the top universities in the country. Do you know of any colleges that offer programs for people who want to operate their own business empire? A small business just will not do. I appreciate any help you can offer me.

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The Career Doctor responds: One of the biggest trends among students your age is this strong entrepreneurial desire. Many of the high-school and college students I encounter talk about this strong need to make it on their own. My personal theory — and I have no real research to back it up — is that many of you have witnessed the lack of loyalty employers have showed your parents and family members through the many rounds of corporate “rightsizing” over the last decade, and thus you have this lack of trust that has manifested itself into a desire to control your own fate. Many business schools around the country offer entrepreneurial programs, so all you need to do is find them. Of course, I thought finding them would be an easy task, but all the college search sites I visited either used a keyword menu that did not include entrepreneurial studies or yielded zero results when conducting a keyword search. So my best advice would be to search for the universities and business schools that most interest you — by size, location, etc. — and then while that list is still fairly large, search each of the business schools for majors, minors, special programs related to entrepreneurship. Finally, you don’t necessarily need to find a business school that offers such programs, but I’ve found that hearing the stories of both successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs, as well as actually running a small business, is extremely beneficial for budding entrepreneurs. Get more information about colleges and college planning in this section of Quintessential Careers: College Planning Resources for Teens.

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