My Career Manager: Reach your Career Potential!

A Resume is not Enough: LinkedIn for MBA Job Search and Recruiting!

2012-01-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

A standard, paper resume is not enough to attract recruiters attention!

Would you like a competitive advantage in thejob search game?

Learn about LinkedIn the best social media tool for business networking and business job search!

Social Media is here and here to stay! A resume is not enough to get you noticed, not by a long shot.

This year I attended the annual, MBACareeer Services Conference in Keystone, Colorado. At the conference, I was invited to present on social media marketing and blogging. My workshop was sold out and there were even people standing in the hallway listening. My workshop participants consisted of MBA career counselors, coaches, business professionals, recruiters and business career vendors. During the discussion portion of the workshop the participants discussed the impact of social media on the MBA job search.

Aninformal poll conducted during my workshop revealed that the majority of attendees recommend LinkedIn as the number one social media tool for MBA job seekers. LinkedIn is arguably the most credible and popular businessnetworking site to date. Thus, many business schools are teaching students howto use LinkedIn, providing social media audits for students. Additionally, I would argue that social media is also a great tool to alert students to career expo's, provide job search resources and network with the employer community.

Prior to the recession MBA studentsfrom top business schools could easily secure jobs from on- campus recruitingevents. Now business students must conduct an active job which includes liveand online networking. LinkedIn has emerged as one of the most effective Web2.0 job search and networking tools. According to Bloomberg Business News; although LinkedIn is a much smallersocial network that Facebook or Twitter, it is arguably the most crediblebusiness network online.”

LinkedIn Corp has 1,000+ employees and 90 million users in more than 200countries. Additionally, it has recently surpassed MySpace to become thesecond largest social network online. According to Business Insider, LinkedIn is the first prominent USsocial networking company to test publicly just how hungry investors are forWeb 2.0 companies. Theheadlines all confirm this major, platform change in business recruitingpractices. In a recent post by the site 24/7 Wallstreet,, LinkedIn’s hiring solutions are transforming the talent acquisition market byproviding unique access not only to active job seekers but also to passivecandidates who are not actively looking to change jobs.Many would claim thatLinkedIn is threatening Monster.com’s supremacy in the online, job-search world.Top businessschools are integrating social media job search into their regular, recruitingevents.

In 2005 LinkedIn introduced paidmembership subscriptions. This provides recruiters with more functionality,more search depth and more access to candidates. Thus, LinkedIn represents adirect method of sourcing potential candidates and enables recruiters to bypassthe old-fashioned, 3^rd party job-boards. Recruiters have multiplemethods of finding candidates on this site such as: the advanced searchfunctions, posting jobs in LinkedIn groups, and leveraging their network for candidate referrals. Also, LinkedIn isa great way to review potential hires and learn about them prior to evercontacting them.

Thus, a standard resume is not enough! If you are in business, you will need to create an online, LinkedIn profile and resume. Use LinkedIn to build your network, join and contribute toindustry groups, follow employers of interest and connect to MBA recruiters!
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Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA,CPRP, NCDA. Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

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Hot Research Tools for your Job-Search Toolbox!

2011-12-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

My Career Manager readers,
I greatly appreciate your emails of support and encouragement during my hiatus! I've been consulting and working on several major projects including: building a career blogsite for a major American University and writing an International Business Careers chapter section for a global website. Very interesting work, but I've greatly missed my readers and my own blog!
As a gift to you, here are some of my favorite business research tools - for your job search toolbox!

your Career Manager,

Sharon C.
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Once you’ve organized yourself for the search, it’s time to learn more about the industries, companies and roles that interest you. Utilize the business research databases and resources of your local library. If you are an alumni of a major Business School you can get an alumni library card and access and even wider array of specialty databases which will help launch your job search. For your convenience, I've added URL's and/or Library of Congress Reference codes.

Online Business Research Tools

CareerShift: Database containing company and industry research information.

Vault.com Comprehensive industry guides, interviews and case interview guides.

Library Databases and Business Career Guides. These databases are cost prohibitive for the average individual and cost from $300-$500 each. FREE access through the Business link on most major, University Library websites. Use these tools for initial research about the labor market, conditions and the hiring outlook in a particular industry or research a career path (e.g. accounting or marketing).

Occupational Outlook Handbook This is the American Occupational Outlook Handbook. You can learn about a wide range of jobs, working conditions, employment, education requirements, earnings, and outlook.

O'NET online. This is the Canadian version of the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

The career guide: Dun's employment opportunities directory
Parsippany, N.J.: Dun's Marketing Services [ Ref. HF5382.5.U5 D85 ] Updated each year, this directory lists major U.S. companies that expect to have openings.

Harvard Business School Guide Harvard Business School publishes career guides for business majors (ie: guide to finance careers, marketing careers, consulting careers, non-profit careers). Most online, book retailers will have both new and used versions. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Pub.[ Ref. HF5415.35 .M48 ]

Remember, career research should be about 50% of your job search time. Using diligent research tools, you will uncover hidden jobs, great career opportunities and wow employers during interviews! Keep me posted about your career progress.

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Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA,CPRP, NCDA. Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

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MBA's - Want an International Career? Access the the best Global Job boards!

2011-09-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Feeling overwhelmed with your job search?

Wondering how to launch an International Career?
Looking for the resources and global job boards?

As a Career Transition Counselor, I have specialized in global job search for business professionals. I work with a diverse array clients and students from 20 primary business majors and concentrations. Some of my students are local, some are international and many want to “go global.” Working internationally is one of the least understood, most intimidating and most exciting types of career goals.

Of note: just putting a pin in a world map and pointing to a country will not be enough. You will need to refine you search, choose an industry, sector, function and specific job role or title. Also, if you do not speak a second language (fluently), any language this career goal will be very, very difficult. Many of the global executives you will encounter will be multi-lingual and multi-literate. They will have a hard time relating to you as a “peer and colleague” when they hear that you are “unilingual” and have never traveled or worked abroad.

For the top 20% of global business executives with graduate business degrees - you can search directly. In otherwords, you can contaact the employers in the regions of interest since you have something unique to offer which is hard to find. Many of you can already speak the language of the countries which you are targeting and understand the mindset of the employers in those regions.

Research, research, research. To help expedite the process I’ve compiled a list of online resources and job boards to get you started. The most important thing to analyze from these online sites, is how the jobs are described, the key words and the hiring patterns for various regions. More so than even the posting themeselves, this type of career research will help you uncover jobs and tap into the hidden job market!

Resources:

Brush up on your intercultural competency and international IQ. Learn what visa’s are required for different countries, learn what resumes are required, learn about interview and job search etiquette on a global scale.

· H1Base

· Going Global

· Big Guide to Living and Working overseas

Private Sector Job Boards:

Search by profession, by country and by sector. Search using the key terms below.

DiversityInc
ForeignMBA
GlobalWorkplace
HireDiversity
Escape Artist
EUROPA
Internationaljobs.org
Internationalstudent.com
Bilingualjobs.com
Expats Direct
The Guardian
Monster Working Abroad
International Organization for Migration

Latin America and Caribbean

LatPro
Tropic Jobs
LatinMBA.com

Middle East and North Africa

Africa

Job Boards By Regions of the World

Asia and Oceania

WallstreetjournalAsia
Asia.net
Asiaco
(CINA) Chinese Info and Networking Assoc
Byron Employment
JobStreet.com

Europe

WallstreetjournalEurope
EuroCircle
EUROGRADUATE
IrishJobs.ie Centre d'Information sur le Volontariat International
jobpilot
StepStone
International Mode D'Emploi
Moscow Times Career Center

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Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

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Be a Career Success, Not a Statistic! Inspirational Stories about Real Job Seekers

2011-07-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Feeling discouraged about the job market?
Frustrated with all of the negative press?
Hear some good news for once!
Read about career success stories.
Get inspired!

The best, very best part of my job is when my clients get hired! There is nothing more gratifying!As a career advisor I know that job search is a process, it is not a Starbucks' Drive- Through experience. I wish I could just hand jobs out to my clients. But the reality involves a mutual partnership between career coach and client and it involves work.
Don't be a Career Statistic!
What College Career Advisors fear the most is the AWOL student. This is the student who never attends a single career workshop, or job fair, never meets with their advisor and doesn't even create a resume - during their 2 year stint at the business school. Yikes...

These AWOL students often re-emerge about a month before graduation. Then, career center advisors receive an email at midnight on a Saturday night. "Help!" The body of the email often contains something like "I haven't followed up over the past 2 years or done what the career staff advised. But, now I'm desperate, rent is due, student loans are due and I need a job ASAP."

Be a Career Success!
Every year new students arrive on campus, bright eyed and bushy tailed! On their first day on campus, the students receive an all day orientation. The Business Career Advisors are invited to do their song and dance during orientation day.

Last month, I presented my first Career Orientation Workshop of the Summer season, to my newest batch of MBA students. This included information about the career department, online resources, upcoming career workshops and career advising. I also shared some stories of career success and career disaster - all this was done annonymously - of course.

My message was to start early, create a detailed, career action plan and then execute it. As an advisor, I supplement the students search with career support, education and resources. A planned, targeted approach stands in stark contrast to what most people do. Most job seekers go from "I need a job" to the "let me apply to whatever Monster.com has posted online" method of career planning. Suffice to say, this rarely works.

Well, getting back to the Career Orientation workshop, today I received proof that one of my new students not only listened during orientation, but created and implemented her career plan. She got started early, followed all the advice and landed a job within one month! Remarkable!

Click on the followuing highlighted URL's to read about 2 of my students' recent achievements. Scroll your mouse over Career Success Story 1 , Career Success Story 2 and other success stories to read all about them. My job seekers achieved career success and you can too!

Additional Inspirational Reading
Career Courage: Learn to be Imperfect!
How the Hidden Job Market Found me!
Help, I have 4 Job Offers!
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Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA,CPRP, NCDA. Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

• LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
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• My Career Manager Blog (daily view) http://mycareermanager.blogspot.com/

Is your Resume an old Laundry List? Use KSA's to get noticed!

2011-07-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

Is your Resume Good?
Is it really good?
How do you know?
Worried that your resume is just a laundry list of skills?

Writing an effective resume is both an art and a science. Many job seekers choose "random" or "free" resume templates as if this was a one size fits all proposition.

To create an effective resume, first you must understand how resumes are read. Learn what employers aqnd recruiters are looking for when they do a preliminary scan of your resume. Knowing this information is the key to increasing the chances your resume is noticed!

Your job is to make it easy for the reader to view you as a competitive candidate. Know the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA’s) you have that are relevant to the position’s requirements.

Resume Guidelines

KNOW THE POSITION’S REQUIREMENTS! There are specific core skills, knowledge and experience associated with every job. Read job descriptions carefully and pay particular attention to them OR know the KSA’s relevant to the function of your career choice. Read Sharon Cohen's related post on KSA's for Business Careers. Incorporate similar (if not the same) verbiage into your resume as much as you can. This will help you have a more focused message. Employers review your resume for one thing and one thing only---to see what you have that is relevant to the requirements of the position. If you don’t tell them, they won’t know and more importantly, will not try to guess.

1. LAUNDRY ANYONE? Your resume should not be a "laundry list of responsibilities” from your previous positions. Doing this only tells ‘where you’ve been’ and not ‘where you’d like to go’. Employers only care about the specific KSA’s you have that are relevant to the job to which you’re applying. Bullet points should quantify information and demonstrate results where possible. Never write a resume in 1st person (I did this or I did that). Address the requirements of the position.

2. TO TELL OR NOT TO TELL. Do not try to tell everything you've ever done in every position you've held. If some responsibilities from previous positions are not terribly relevant to the job for which you're applying, do not mention them. At minimum, downplay the information by making it/them the last couple of bullet points. Too much irrelevant information detracts from the focused message you really want to deliver.

3. WHAT EMPLOYERS REALLY WANT TO KNOW. At the initial screening, the gatekeeper wants to know the KSA’s you have that are directly relevant to the position to which you are applying. Again, the job description tells you exactly what they are seeking and/or is an excellent indicator.

* NOTE-Individuals with limited to no relevant work experience OR who are career changers, consider adding one of the following categories: Relevant Coursework, MBA Projects, relevant Volunteer work or Leadership positions held in organizations.

4. HOW WILL YOU KNOW when you have written a competitive resume? It’s simple. 1) If the content addresses the employer’s needs derived from the job description. 2) When information is quantified when possible to help put the information in perspective and 3) You demonstrate you are a results oriented player!

5. NO PARAGRAPHS to describe your job responsibilities. Bullet points are a must and much easier to read.

6. WHEN IS MORE THAN ONE VERSION OF A RESUME NECESSARY? You must write more than one resume when the jobs to which you are applying are in different functions, require vastly different knowledge, skills, or abilities (e.g.: The content for an IT position will look and read very different from a Marketing Research position.)

7. NEW GRADUATE? NEW TO AN INDUSTRY? OR A CAREER CHANGER?- Your ‘Education’ should be at the top or your resume along with GPA, Relevant Courses, key words, list any awards or honors. Focus on transferrable skills – Skills you used in previous jobs, which could be transferred to a new industry. e.g.: customer relations management, logistics, financial reporting, analytical, quantitative etc.

Other great posts about the art of resume writing

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Featured Guest Author: Dirk Duran Smith.

Associate Director Career Management Center at GSU's Robinson College of Business.
Certified Mediator & Professional Career Coach

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My Career Manager : © 2011 - All Rights Reserved -
Sharon B. Cohen, MA,CPRP, NCDA. Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
iGoogle http://www.google.com/profiles/sharonbcohen
My Career Manager Blog (daily view) http://mycareermanager.blogspot.com

Wait - Don't Apply for that Job! Job Task Analysis - Secrets of Recruiters.

2011-06-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Don't apply for that job, until you read this post! Make sure that you're REALLY qualified.

Let me walk you through a professional, job-task analysis. Understand what the employer really wants in a candidate when they write the job description.

As a Career Transition Specialist, I broker between employers and candidates. The Career Advisors support the employers with recruitment, job postings, and even pre-screening candidates upon request. Have you made a good impression on your Career Advisor? Do you act professionally? Do you come to meetings on time, in business attire, with prepared questions and your resume? What is the impression people have of you? Is it the same view that you have of yourself?

Ask yourself if you meet at least 8/10 of the core criteria within a job posting - before applying. Then, do a ton of research on the company itself, the department, the managers and their market share. Craft a custom cover cover letter.

Below is a typical MBA job.

Finance Director .

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS AND ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
This section describes the key roles and responsiblities you will need to have - if you are hired.

1. Manage external financial reporting to banks and investor group. This is listed first! The top 5 skills are essential to success and you must have demonstrated these skills in a previous roles.

2. Provide education and training to senior management on important accounting issues.

3. Ensure company compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and governmental regulations. What is your knowledge of local, national and global regulatory principles in your industry? How competitive are you?

4. Deferred tax accounting

5. Stock based compensation accounting (sub-speciality within Finance)

6. Work with external auditors

7. Coordinate quarterly review with bank group (Can you be trusted to work with C-Suite professionals, do you manage up accordingly? Level of professional appearance, dress, demeanor, grammar etc)

8 Formulate cash management, investment and other financial policies

9. Execute acquisitions, divestitures or joint ventures (sub-speciality within Finance)

10. Work with external auditors

11. Preparation of reports which summarize and forecast business activities and financial position

12. Comply with regulatory and bank reporting requirements (Do you have a track record with this particular skill set? Do you have related skills?)

13. Establish accounting policies and procedures

14. Oversee activities of cash management and tax administration

15. SOX documentation and compliance work (Do you understand the Acronyms in the posting? ie: SOX)

16. Apply financial perspective and analysis for business decisions

17. Maintain and cultivate banking relationships

18. Recommend cash management policies

19. Review sales and use and property tax accounts

QUALIFICATIONS :
Your Education will get you in the door, but it won't close the deal. That is up to you!

Education/Certification: Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance -- CPA Required -- MBA Desired (Realistically, MBA's would have an advantage over BBA applicants. Also, with the CPA requirement, this is somewhat of a hybrid role between Accounting and Finance).

Required Knowledge:
Background skills which are essential for success.

Solid understanding of financial analysis and statistics
Strong treasury background (This criteria may weed out about 70% of the applicants who think they are qualified, but really are not)
Familiarity with cash/bank management systems
Knowledge of capital markets, accounting, finance and tax (Could you answer in-depth interview questions about this topic?)
MS office applications

Experience Required:
You will be analysed in terms of your experience and will be asked in-depth questions about this.

Eight to 10 years of relevant experience (Note: you will be competing w. applicants who have more experience than this, 8 years is a bare minimum. Are you qualified?)
SEC reporting (Do you have this experience?)
Treasury workstation and bank software experience a plus
Budgeting and financial modeling experience

Skills/Abilities:
These are core interpersonal skills needed to navigate the corporate culture. Pay particular attention to the rank order of this section. The tops "skills" reflect what the organization values and pays for.

Strong attention to detail
Strong communication skills
Time management and organization skills
Interpersonal communication skills
Strong Accounting and Analytical skills
Organization skills

Do you carefully analyze each position to determine suitability? Or are you what we call in recruitment circles a "random applicant." You'd be amazed how many otherwise intelligent people lose their common sense when it comes to job search. For many industry insiders, we all know each other. We may share stories of how candidates behaved. Ensure that you analyze yourself from a Recruiters' perspective. If you are not sure you can be objective, ask your career advisor! Have that candid conversation about what you can do to improve your "personal brand" and increase your desirablity in the job-search arena.

Again, ask yourself: Does this job suit me? Am I a strong candidate? Is the particular company, division, and unit a good fit for you? If not, move on. If so, then begin your plan of attack, research and become a "stellar applicant."

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Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA,CPRP, NCDA. Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

• LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
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• My Career Manager Blog (daily view) http://mycareermanager.blogspot.com/

Are you Unconsciously Incompetent? 25 Essential Job Search Skills for 2011!

2011-05-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

Are you a getting multiple job interviews and offers?
Is your Job Search progressing or stalled?
Want to learn new skills?

In the 21rst century, employers will no longer take responsibility for their employee's careers and/or career paths. Each of us must do this ourselves. However, people rarely receive formal training in Job- Search strategy. Is it any wonder that job-search, job-loss and/or career change is a so scary?

When assessing your Job Search Skills - ask yourself.

How do you know what you know?
What information and skills are you missing?
What do you need to know for a job search in 2011?

As a Social Media Job-Search Coach and Career Transition Coach my goal is to encourage and empower my clients. I help coach them through this stressful and often challenging process. The best part of my job is when my students or clients receive a job! My role involves quickly accessing my clients' Stage of Competence to determine how I can help them. Let me share a bit of career psychology with you!

In Psychology, there are four stages of competence in the "Conscious Competence Learning Model." This relates to the psychological states involved in the process of progressing from incompetence to competence to a learned and integrated skill. Job Search is a skill which is easily conceptualized in this model. Of note: these terms do not not have the same definitions in the Psychological Model as they do in common parlance. There isn't a value judgement attached to these terms. Use this knowledge as a tool in your personal, improvement toolkit! Explore your own personal development in a variety of life and work areas.

Before you begin reading the section below - recall what it was like learning a skill such as driving. At first, it was overwhelming and you were consciously aware of every aspect of your car, the road and the route. However, after a few years, it became almost unconscious as your skills improved. In fact, many of us have had the odd experience of reaching a driving destination without remembering how we got there!

The Four Stages - Conscious Competence Learning Model

1.Unconscious Incompetence
"The individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. They may deny the usefulness of the skill. The individual must recognise their own incompetence, and the value of the new skill, before moving on to the next stage.[2] The length of time an individual spends in this stage depends on the motivation to learn.[3]" These are our personal, blind spots or weakness'. Each of us has areas where we lack insight into our actual skills and/or how we really appear to others.

2.Conscious Incompetence
Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. Making mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage.[4]

3.Conscious Competence
The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken down into steps and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill.[3]

4.Unconscious Competence
The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become "second nature" and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned

Essential Job-Search concepts you NEED to understand!

Leads List
Cold Calls
Intercultural Compency and International IQ
Social Media Job-Search
Networking
Job-task analysis
Global Executives
Behavioral Interviews
SWOT Analysis
Career Fit
Career Risk
Verbal Business Card
Industry & Job Functiona (in a career context)
Professional Reputation
Career Values, Vision and Competencies
Personal Branding
Positioning Statement
Career Action Plan
Interview Performance,
Mock Interviews & Informational Interviews
Professional Papertools: Cover Letters, Reference Sheets, Resumes
Salary Negotiations
Career Fair Evaluation Scale
Retained vs Contingency Recruiters
Career Transition Plan

The entire job-search structure has changed. What you need to do today, is very different that what I'd havew recommended even 6 months ago. The entire job-search system is in transition.Gain the knowledge to effectively compete for jobs in 2011. A skilled Career Coach can conduct a "gap analysis" and provide education and skill building to get you to the next level in your career. To assist my loyal readers, over the past 3 years I've written blog articles about many of these topics. I have kept these posts free and open to the public. To access My Career Managers' archive library: enter in the key words into the "search button" at the top right of the homepage. Take charge of your own career!

I'd love to hear your ideas and stories. Post a comment on this thread!
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Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA,CPRP, NCDA. Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

• LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
• Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• iGoogle http://www.google.com/profiles/sharonbcohen
• My Career Manager Blog (daily view) http://mycareermanager.blogspot.com/

Just Hired? Don't get Fired! What's Hot, What's Not!

2011-05-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

Just hired, coast is clear
Just hired, a bit anxious
Just hired, in over my head
Just hired, afraid I'll be fired....

The most dangerous time for a new hire is the first day, first week and then the first month! Many people are on their best behavior during the job search and interview process. Howevever, it's essential to understand the 'cuture' of your new company, the key players and the scope of your new role. If you start a new job on the wrong foot, it will be an uphill battle. Learn about the top 10 do's and don't for new hires...

One of my favorite career coaching assignments is onboarding, orientations and helping business professionals acclimate to their surroundings. As an experienced, career counselor I've often been retained by clients to provide support through the first few months of a new job or assignment. Additionally, if you are an experienced and respected employee, you may be asked to help orient new staff at your company. A few kind words and support, can go a very long way towards building a productive working relationship with new colleagues! I've never forgetten people who made the extra effort to help me when I was the "new kid on the block."

What's Hot: Get the phone number of the main line, the Office Administrator and your new boss! In the event you have an emergency in the first week you can call/email them. True Story - a College student of ours worked hard to get a new job at a great company. She was thrilled to be hired. The evening before her second day of work, she celebrated a too much! The next day she was quite hung over in the morning, and missed her alarm. She showed up for work 30 min late and was FIRED on the spot. Sad, but true.

What's Hot: Listen, more than talk! Take notes, especially of people's names. Try to learn co-workers names right away. You will have to work harder than the existing staff - who'll only have 1 name to learn. If everyone wears name badges, you'd better do this too. Even if the name badge says "trainee" or is hideous - wear it anyway.

What's Not: Try to maintain a neutral or pleasant facial expression. Those of us who tend to scowl, will need to make a concerted effort. Imagine if a new coworker drops by and instead of looking happy to interact you present a sour face? Though you weren't expecting anyone, coworkers can pop into your office anytime. First impressions cannot be remade. People are quick to judge the new kid on the block.

What's Hot: Try to learn the company culture, company norms, and especially dress code. Don't dress like a librarian in the interview then like a "dancer" during your first week on the job. True story of a new hire who was almost unrecognizable on her first day. The "conservative suit" she wore in the interview was a complete facade!

What's Not: Slacking off will get you canned! Take your new job seriously. In fact, you can get fired from an unpaid internship - I have plenty of true stories about this.

What's Hot: A new job is like Survivor Island - try to form alliances right away. Don't hide at your desk eating a tuna sandwhich. Determine what the company norms are regarding meal times, break times etc. Eating lunch with your co-workers is just as important as being on time! Carefully observe what the "higher-ups" are doing. At one of my previous jobs, the norm was for the Office Administrator to circulate restaurant menus to the staff. The staff would order from restaurants several times a week and all would chip in. Then we'd all eat together in the break room. At another place I worked, everyone would buy Lottery Tickets when the potential winnings were over $5million. Would you like to be the one who didn't buy a ticket when the office pool won?

What's Hot: Know what the expectations and deliverables are right away. Learn the systems, the structures, the policies. There are many implicit and unwritten rules in any workplace. Buddy up to some of the longterm staff members, assuming they aren't jaded.

What's Not: Constantly saying - "In my old job......" in a comparative way. Much better to swap war stories from life in the trenches after you've been there at least a year. Though we are all guilty of this, try to refrain.

Embarrassing Moment. A few years ago, I was training an intern on how to use the coffee machine. She suddently turned around, grabbed the trash can and threw up. Yes, she was sick on her first day, first hour on the job - in front of her new boss. I wasn't sure if she was sick from the coffee or the new job or me.

What Comes Around, Goes Around. The person who is lower ranked today, may be in a position of power tomorrow! True Story: An unemployed person volunteer at a prestigious company to keep his skills fresh. He greatly admired the Director of the company and tried to engage the Director in coversation many times. However, the Director ignored this volunteer and barely acknowledged them. 4 years later, the former volunteer was now a Director in another company. Meanwhile, the original Director had been laid off and trying to set up a business. They approached their former volunteer *(not recalling the connection) and tried to convince them to sign up for a multi-year supply contract. Their pitch was all about integrity and customer service!

I'd love to hear your career stories and comments! Drop me a line sharonbcohen@bellsouth.net
=======================================================
Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA,CPRP, NCDA. Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

• LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
• Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• iGoogle http://www.google.com/profiles/sharonbcohen
• My Career Manager Blog (daily view) http://mycareermanager.blogspot.com/

Behavioral Interview Quiz - Do you have Executive Aptitude?

2011-04-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

Worried about Behavioral Interviews?
Wonder if you have executive aptitude?
How will a recruiter know that you are the 'one'?

Take the Behavioral Interview Quiz. Show you have what it takes to succeed!

Recently, I've received a flurry of career coaching requests which all pertain to behavioral interviews and/or executive aptitude. A behavioral interview is intended to access executive aptitude. Even if you don't have an interview lined up, see how savvy you are about answering the top ten questions below. These are the questions which I hear my recruiter partners ask all the time.

How will you know if you are in a behavioral interview? Most of the behavioral questions will begin - "describe a time when, tell me about, give me an example of." These are open-ended questions which require a well-reasoned and detailed answer. Yes or no answers will not suffice. Behavioral inteviews are used to access your rationale for decisions, determine your level of motivation and your social intelligence.

Of note: it is not so much what questions will be asked, but the Psychology behind the questions. When I evaluate interviewees, I am less concerned with the specific examples which candiates provide than with their understanding of the scenario and the psychology of the workplace. My goal is to ascertain emotional intelligence and executive aptitude.

Behavioral Interview Skills.

Give an example of when you had to gain the cooperation of others. What challenges did you face? What was the outcome?
Tell me about a time when you had to address an angry custsomer. What was the problem, what was your role and what was the outcome?
Tell me about a time when you had to take an unpopular stance about a work project or decision? How did you persuade people to your point of view?
Tell me about a suggestion that you made to improve job process/operations? What was the result?
Describe how you use creativity at work.
Tell me about a time when you took a risk in creating a new process or program? What was the result or outcome?
Tell me about a decision you had to make while under a lot of pressure?
What are the 3 most important personal qualities for success in this job role?
What qualities are essential for successful leaders? How have you demonstrated these qualities?
Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a difference of opinion with a co-worker. How did you demonstrate respect?

Bonus question: For those of you who read to the bottom of this post

***How do you stay up to date in your industry? Tell me about an article you read or event you attended and why it was meaningful for your industry. What industry trends did you observe?

This is my favorite interview question and is often the first question I ask. I am trying to ascertain true passion for an industry, as well as initiative. Is the candidate able to extrapolate to big picture, industry trends. If the candidate is unable to answer this, then they are often just doing the minimum they need to do - to keep their job.

How did you do on the Behavioral Quiz? I'd love to hear about your interview stories and comments about this post.

Additional Reading
Proxemics – The Psychology Of Positioning: Use This For Interview Success
SWOT Analysis for Interview Success
Why Interviews Are Just Like Texas Hold-em Poker!!!
10 Psychological Tips to Ace your Next Interview

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Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA,CPRP, NCDA. Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

• LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
• Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• iGoogle http://www.google.com/profiles/sharonbcohen
• My Career Manager Blog (daily view) http://mycareermanager.blogspot.com/

Strengths/Weakness' SWOT: What's Hot, What's Not for Interview Success!

2011-03-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

*About to interview for your dream job?
*Rarely make it to the 2nd interview?
*Want to get a leg up on the competition, but don't know what to do?

Use a SWOT analysis to guide your company research and create stellar, interview answers! Check out my initial post in this series : What are your Strengths and Weakness/ SWOT analysis!

As an MBA Career Counselor at Robinson College, one of the largest business schools in the USA, I know first-hand, how competitive the job market really is. At our Career Center, we work with thousands of business professionals aand employers each semester. We often get feedback from frustrated recruiters about candidates. We also get feedback from frustrated candidates about recruiters and the interview process. Our role is to serve as the bridge between both candidates and recruiters.

Interview Success or not?

Not Hot!
The real issue is that job-seekers are often, not doing their due diligence about their target companies. I hate to say this, but some candidates seem confused that they have even landed an interview at all. If you could see what we see every day, you'd be very surprised!

Smoking Hot!
Try something non-traditional, use a SWOT analysis to prepare for the interview. In a previous post, I discussed how to use a SWOT analysis on yourself. In this post, I'd like to show you how to use a SWOT analysis to guide your company research. Typically, a SWOT analysis contains research about a companys' strengths, weakness', opportunities and threats. In business this is often used to determine competitive advantage. However, you can tweak this tool and use it to guide your employer research. See the modified version and questions which I provided below. This is great for your pre-interview research. Pre-interview research, you ask? Yes, in this type of recessionary economy, the competition for jobs is more fierce than ever. The best prepared, often get the job offers.

Not Hot!
Browsing through the company website is what your competition does to prepare for an interview. However, this can only provide about 20% of the research you will need! Don't be fooled...

Very Hot!
College graduates, many of your schools purchase very, very costly business databases, which contain incredible information about many industries, companies etc. Recently, while speaking to our research librarian, she told me that the average price of these databases is $500! We buy access to hundreds of them. Save your money, get an alumni library card and visit your college library today! Our Business career center spends tens of thousands on electronic student resources; job boards, online interviews, online databases, etc.

You will need to clearly, understand the organization you are targeting, understand the position you are applying for and most importantly understand yourself. An experienced and licensed, Career Professional can expedite the process by asking even more detailed questions, providing links to resources and can tell you where you stack up in the candidate pool.

Strengths
What advantages does this employer have and what do they do best?
What unique services can they offer? (ie: secure funding sources, pinpoint product or sales trends).
What does the market see as their company strengths? (key personnel: CEO, top managers?)
What factors mean that they "get the sale"? (review their funding sources, sales trends, financial reports).
What is their key differentiator? (within the context of their industry and sector)
What is their history, mission and goals, headquarters? *(typically this is basic level of information you'd get from a company website).

Weaknesses:
What could the company improve upon and/or avoid?
What are their market liabilies? *(market share, competitors?)
What factors cost them sales or opportunities?

Opportunities:
Where are their best opportunities? (key clients, new products under development, important advertising?)
What are the interesting trends in this sector? (technology, markets, government policy, deomgraphics etc.
Consider this from the point of view of their customers and people in their market. Be realistic and write a list of their key characteristics.
What obstacles does this employer face?
Are there any government/regulatory hurdles coming up? Effects of globalization on products? Negative Press reports?
What is their competition doing that they should be worried about?
What are the required specifications for their products or services changing?
Is changing technology threatening them?
Debt or cash-flow problems?

Extra Hot: Tip (for loyal readers who read to the end of this post)!
Impress an interviewer with on-target, insightful interview answers. My favorite interview question of all time: How do you stay current in your industry. I am looking for a specific industry membership, online group, ezine etc. Then, I follow this up with " tell me about the last (event, article) you read and how it is related to a current trend in your field). If they can answer this, they have won me over by 80%. If they cannot answer it, it will be an uphill battle for them to redeem themselves the rest of the interview. Why? I am looking for genuine commitment to their careers, initiative and big picture analysis skills.

A detailed, SWOT analysis will provide the foundation for your company research. Company research will help you craft a detailed, set of answers to their hiring needs. The goal is to help you compete more effectively. Talk to a Career Management Professional who is experienced with your industry and sector, can help you analyze the results and "see the big picture."

Final Hot Tip!
Set up Google Alerts and LinkedIn alerts for your target companies, divisions, key executives and even jobs. Be a company fan on Facebook and follow your top companies on Twitter. Every time there is a new story about the company, the industry or job target, it will be delivered right into your email box!

Additional Reading
What are your Strengths and Weakness'? Conduct a SWOT analysis on yourself!
Recruiter Secrets & Emotional Intelligence
10 Tips to Ace your Next Interview!
Proxemics the Psychology of Positioning
=================================

Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA,CPRP, NCDA. Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

• LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
• Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• iGoogle http://www.google.com/profiles/sharonbcohen
• My Career Manager Blog (daily view) http://mycareermanager.blogspot.com/

New LinkedIn Reports - for your Executive Career Toolbox!

2011-03-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

Does going to your LinkedIn page feel like you've arrived on a strange planet?

Are you an alien in your own LinkedIn website?

Want to WOW your friends with a cool, new tool? (without having to do any work)

LinkedIn can improve your labor market knowledge, help you keep your job and/or find a new one faster. Learn about it bit by bit through my Social Media series of posts.
Not sure if you are aware of this, but LinkedIn has an amazing new feature. I just discovered it myself. To access it, you need to sign up for LI messages and alerts from the LI technical team. Like many other social media sites, the LI team gathers statistics from your contact list by using data mining and algorthm review. Who cares about this technical mumbo jumbo - you ask? Well, they are willing to share it with you!

One example of it's usefullness - I learned that 48 percent of the people in my address book, have changed jobs in the past year! Crazy right? It gets even better, LinkedIn technical team has sent me a detailed, report about who these career changers are, their names, industries, new companies they've joined etc. I just click on on my connections, highlight a member in my contact list - and can see it all. I can see their previous career path, current career path and potential future career path. I'm even able to see potential predictions about my own future path! Kind of creepy, but interesting at the same time.

So, what does this mean? It's quite disconcerting to know that about half of my personal contacts have changed jobs recently. It puts a face on this recession. After being amazed by these facts and figures, I began to ask myself about the circumstances of these "job-changers" in my contact list. Was it voluntary, forced retirement, reduction in force, furlough days, frustration with lack of raises, salary and promotion freezes? Why?
All of this information, can be used to analyze labor market trends in your particular field and in your geographic local. Armed with knowledge of what sectors are dying, you can determine which ones are growing. After reviewing your report, research and investigate the report findings. For confirmation of your hunches, meet with a local, career advisor who works with candidates and employers. Ask them about local trends and trends in your field. Think about how this will impact you? Think about career risk, not just for your current job, but your overall sector and/or industry. Remember, astonishing as it may sound - less than 5% of North Americans ever receive any formal training or career education. Yet, the average N. American will change jobs 3-4 times each decade!

We probably spend more time and money on gym memberships and gyms which we never attend, than on career advise. Thus, job-search skills are as esssential as driving skills. Spending quality time with a career professional is a good investment. Break away from the competition, plan to become a more valuable employee and a savvy job-seeker.

Stay tuned for a post on my "career risk" research. It's essential to always stay a step or two ahead of the career game, whether there's a good economy or not. Don't be caught off guard.

More Social Media Posts: Read up - it's free!
10 HOT LinkedIn Groups for Career Transition!

LinkedIn Fashions What's Hot, What's not! (Fresh ideas)
5 New LinkedIn Fashions for Personal Branding: What’s Hot, What’s Not!
11 Facebook Applications To Launch Your Job Search!
7 Essential Paper-tools and Social Media Tools for your Job Search Portfolio!
How The Hidden Job Market Found Me Pull Method Of Marketing

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Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon Cohen, MA,CPRP, NCDA. Virtual Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

Are you Competent? Top 10 Skills to Ace Your Next Performance Review

2011-02-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

Do you have an upcoming performance review?
Want to WOW your boss?
Anxious, worried, tongue-tied?

Let me take the stress and guesswork out of your next performance review. If you are like most people you are dreading this meeting. Having been on both sides of the fence I know that neither side is very comfortable. Check out my previous post on Performance Reviews - which describes 4 common types of managers you may face.

The latest business research has found that competencies, rather than raw IQ or intelligence scores are the key to career success. A skilled, career coach can help you find your competencies and build upon your core strenghts!

The role of a career coach is similar to that of a personal trainer. Both professionals, test./access, interpret results, formulate a plan and coach clients through the process. As a career coach, I use tests which uncover a clients' core competencies and skills and then collaborate to create a realistic, career plan. Additionally, I provide skills training and ideas to help implement the plan. Ideally, clients would incorporate their competency work into their daily routine. The biggest take away I can provide is to look at the bigger picture for skill development. ie: don't just focus on learning a new computer program, but think about how to expand your overall, technical skills. Think about how this can benefit your department, division and your company as a whole. Just like a personal trainer, I have regular sessions with clients to support their progress and provide feedback. Take your career from an individual contributor, to a manager and even to an executive role.

Here is my Top 10 List.
If you already exhibit many of these "competencies" - don't be shy. Bring them up in your next performance review and tell your boss how they relate to the organizations objectives. See his or her jaw drop.

1. Initiative: Can you identify what needs to be done, before your boss asks you to do it?

2. Innovation: Do you have a track record of trying new methods, tools, techniques, ideas? Can you spot big picture trends in your field and help your organization change with the times?

3. Results or Solution Focused: Do you set challenging goals for yourself? Looking back, do you meet or exceed your own goals?

4. Attention to Detail/Thoroughness: Are you careful to proofread your work, check and double check for potential errors?

5. Technical Expertise: Do you have a depth and breadth of knowledge in a particular technical area? Is this above and beyond what other colleagues in your job-function exhibit in their day to day work?

6. Research/Diagnostics and Information: are you able to identify where, how and who to approach to get information for a particular problem? This involves relyling on your work relationships, not just data gathering.

7. Analytical/Strategic Thinking: Are you able to logically, problem solve challenging issues which your division encounters frequently? Do you understand the position of company within it's industry? Can you assist with developing new markets or creating a competitive advantage?

8. Forward Thinking: Are you able to anticipate implications and consequences of situations? Do you plan for multiple contingencies: good and bad. Plan A, B and C?

9. Self Confidence and Credibility: Are you sure of your own ideas and abilities? Is this confidence based in a realistic assessment of yourself? Can you take an unpopular stance, if needed? Do people view you are trustworthy and reliable?

10. Flexibility: are you open to new ideas, new ways of doing things and willing to change if needed? Or are you stuck in a rut?

Interpersonal Intelligence and Emotional IQ are essential for career progression as you take on responsiblities for mentoring and coaching your own staff. Integrating competencies within the performance review process is a great idea, which is long overdue. Rather than just reviewing your yearly, accomplishments, competencies allow you to analyze which broader skills sets you can work on. This is a great feedback mechanism and mechanism for setting new, yearly goals. At the very least, review the broader competencies and identify categories where you need improvement.

Often the things we avoid the most, are the ones we most need to work on.

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"Helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager

$ Money Saving Aps for International Travelers: What's Hot, What's Not!

2011-02-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

Want to stop the money drain and excess travelers' fees?
Do you know that LinkedIn comments, Facebook status updates and email spam cost you money$$$?
Wonder how to avoid some of the usurious practices and hidden fees?

This post is dedicated to all of the international travellers who have ever been gouged, while away from home. Fight back!

The catalyst for this post was my recent, trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and my spouse's prior trip to Tamil Nadu Province in India. I want to save you the fees and gouging which we experienced!

What's Hot, What's Not! My Career Managers' Top 10 List.

Not Hot: $$$ Roaming charges - for calls or data transmission - if you are out of the country. My spouse accidentally racked up $160 of roaming charges while in India for 3 days! He was charged a "data fee" for texts and emails that came to his phone - even though they were unsolicited and he didn't open them.

Very Hot: Solution: get a local Sim card in your vacation destination, buy an international monthly data plan (in addition to your local plan). Usually this is a small add on fee. ie: $10 monthly for an add on plan for India, for someone w. an American Cell Phone plan. Check out Skype and Truphone's free apps using Wi-Fi. Use Vonage's Mobile app for Facebook using Wi-Fi to call Facebook friends. Of note: the friends also need to download the app for it to work.

Hot. The best time to buy airline tickets is on a Tuesday, since most sales start Monday night. By Tuesday many other airlines need to cut or match prices to compete with the sale. Check around. Some airlines opt out of the general comparison sites - so you can't really compare.

Very Hot: Do this if you've overpaid for an airline ticket and then see the ticket for a reduced fee. You can get a price-match refund, for a small fee (usually less than the new, sale price of the ticket). Yapta.com can track your airline ticket price and Autoslash.com, will track car rental prices. Get email or text alerts or tweets to notify you.

Hot: Make use of your student card, University or alumni discounts - ask for the discount. Some online travel agencies to check out include: STA Travel, StudentCity and StudentUniverse. The University where I work offers many other discounts for staff and students such as movie tickets, cell phone plans and even bank fees.

Not Hot: Hidden, currency-conversion fees on your credit card bill for out of country purchases. The majority of US banks charge currency conversion fees - approx 3 percent of your total purchase cost. Most people don't even notice these fees and assume they are part of the exchange rate. I used my debit card a lot during my recent, Canadian trip. It is probably too late for me. Capital One Bank and Chase don't charge this fee on their credit cards. Ask your bank if they'll waive the fee for loyal customers.

Triple AAA in the USA or Canadian Equivallent CAA: Great deal if your car breaks down, you want discounts to attractions, hotel or airfare. Last year, when I travelled to Biltmore Estate, in South Carolina I saved $60 on 2 admission tickets. This savings paid for my entire, AAA yearly membership fee.

Not Hot: Extra fees for Passport renewals! The average wait time is six weeks. If you want a rush order for you'll have to pay for the service + express, delivery costs. Plan ahead. Yuck...

Not HOT! Your Internet cookies will betray you! Your click through rates are recorded each time you visit a website and they're stored in your Internet browser. Sites can "recall' your click through rates and spending history. Each time you login, some sites may up the ante and charge you more $ money for their services!

Smokin' Hot Tip: I delete my browsing history weekly which can save me money and free up space on my PC. Click on the "Tools" tab, and either go to Option, select all history and Delete or select Clear private data. The less advertisers and their web-crawlers know about your spending and product history - the better.

Other intesting and/or related Blog posts.
Help, I want to be a Consultant - Use KSA's to close the deal...
10 Best, Global Job-Search Posts: Readers’ Choice Awards!
What Is Your Stage Of Identity Development? The Increasing Globalization Of The Workplace
Modern Job-Search: New Twists on Tradition

I'd love to hear your best, money saving stories, new travel aps and solutions to your travel frustrations. Post a comment or email me sharonbcohen@bellsouth.net
==============================================
Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP.

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Recruiter Secrets: Wanted Emotional IQ & Interpersonal Intelligence!

2011-02-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

What do Recruiters really want?
Why do "less intelligent" friends get hired
How can you gain a ticket to the C-Suite?
Do you have enough Emotional IQ and Interpersonal IQ?

Many job seekers both new graduates and seasoned professionals focus too much on their technical or "hard" skills. Often, this is done to the exclusion of their "soft skills." "Hard skills" can be taught, but "soft skills or interpersonal skills" must be developed over time.

Often, the candidate who is hired, is the one with the best "soft skills." Counselors do not like these arbitrary labels of hard or soft - which imply a value hierarchy. One of my most in demand skills is coaching job seekers on how to improve and/or present their Emotional IQ or Interpersonal Intelligence in the best light. See post on Career Tune-ups...

Below is a recent, Executive Job vacancy which our MBA career team was asked to post on our job-board. We were asked if we knew of any candidates who met this profile. Of note: the technical skills required for this posting only included 4 bullet points, all the rest are the skills you see below. Think about how you can ace your next interview, leverage your personal charisma and your interpersonal IQ. In a knowledge economy, success and promotions are increasingly tied to relationships with stakeholders, staff, competitors and customers. At the Executive and C-Suite level, if you do not already have these skills you will "flame out" and either quit, get demoted or eventually be fired. Begin developing these skills early, before your job depends on them!

Executive Job vacancy (company name, title kept confidential)
ESSENTIAL BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS (what employers want)
--Negotiation Skills - Can reach outcomes that the customer will consider Win/Win.
--Results Oriented - Sets goals. Conducts activities to reach the goals.
--Financial Acumen - Has financial skills to engineer the outcome. Knows how to reach the bottom line.
--Persistence and Tenacity - Sets priorities. Manages activities to reach top priorities.
--Interpersonal Skills - Is able to grow relationships. Acts in a way that brings value to the customer.
--Business Building Skills - Has prospecting ability. Handles multiple sales activities simultaneous without losing control.
--Mental Agility - Gathers, analyzes lots of variable data and understands interactions to derive at appropriate conclusions.
--Presentation Skills - Can get point across in clear persuasive manner by telephone, email or in person.
--Achievement Oriented - Driven to achieve.
--Strategic vs. Tactical - Can think long-term but can do the tactical short-term business.
--Composure - Can handle pressure, confrontation, conflict and stress well

ESSENTIAL SKILLS/ABILITIES (additional personality traits which are highly desireable)
High potential individual that is driven to succeed. The successful candidate for this position will have a long history of setting challenging personal goals and achieving them. This position that requires a winner.

--Detail oriented in workflow processes and resolution

--Self-motivated, independent thinker
--Ability to exercise strong judgment in analyzing, appraising, evaluating and solving problems
--Ability to work well in a team environment

Which skills can you prove? How will you prove them? Consider - would you hire yourself?

Additional reading
What Are Your Strengths & Weakness'? : Conduct a SWOT Analysis to Find out!
Career Skills Triangle: Essential Skills for Career Transition

Career Courage – Learn to be Imperfect. Move Forward with your Goals!

5 reasons to Get a Career Tune up Today!

===============================================

Licensed Counselor. Virtual Career Counselor, Career Transition Specialist, Social Media Job Search Coach. "Helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/

• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager

• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager

Blog Reading 101: Online Surfing 4 Dummies!

2011-01-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

Unsure about how to use the blog-reader tools on this site?
Want the latest, career resources to jumpstart your job-search, but don't want to spend hours online?
Time = a Non-renewable resource. Waste less time surfing online when you read about Online Blog Surfing for Dummies.

Your web-surfing time is both a pleasure and a hastle. Time is one of the most valuable, non-renewable resources we possess. Use the 'pro-reader features' embedded in this blogsite, to save time and stay current.

Years ago, when I first contemplated using Social Media, I went out and bought the Blogging for Dummies and LinkedIn for Dummies - great resource books! Although my suggestions will help you navigate this blog, many of the shortcuts are universally applicable for many other blog-sites. Go from Dummy (blog reader) to Expert after reading this post!

Blog-Reading101: Online Surfing 4 Dummies
Maximize your time @mycareermanager (MCM) blog-site.

Bookmark it - many of my readers simply bookmark MCM (My Career Manager) or set it as their homepage so that every time they log on they see the latest Career Education post.

RSS Feed – The easiest way to receive the latest posts from MyCareerManagers' blogsite is by subscribing to RSS using feed readers such as Google Reader, Yahoo etc. Click on the RSS button is at the top right of the homepage and sign up. Receive regular, content updates without having to keep checking the website for new posts.

Twitter Feed - Get an automatic stream of "tweeted" content from MyCareerManager. Click on the Twitter button is at the top right of the homepage.

Email Feed - Get the latest MyCareerManager blog posts - delivered directly to your email inbox! Click on the Email Feed button at the top right of the homepage.

My Career Managers' Weekly Top 10 List. Check out my weekly, recommended reading.This is like the Coles or Cliff notes (shortcut) for navigating the MCM Blogsite. My Top 10 posts are posted in a column, on the right side of the home page. These are featured via a Thumbnail Photo and a Title shot. The Top 10 List contains post highlights from the best posts in this forum.

MyCareerManagers' Twitter Updates. Want to hear the latest jobs, events, career tips and business news? Read what your Career Manager has to say on Twitter, without ever leaving the site. Just click and view. This Twitter micro-blogging column is located on right hand side of the homepage, about half way down the page.

Readers' Choice Weekly Top 10 List. Wonder what other MCM readers are reading? I conduct weekly, click-through analytics to determine which articles are the most popular. Check out the Readers' Choice Weekly Top 10 List, which is featured as a top 10 list column, on the left side of the home page. It provides a Thumbnail Photo and a Title shot from my readers' favorite posts.

Reader Comments. Wonder what other MCM readers have to say? Check out the buzz in the Reader Comments column is on the left hand side of the homepage, right below the Readers Choice Top 10.

Social Bookmarking Tools – Many people track of the latest posts on the MCM blog via a variety of social bookmarking tools. You’ll notice at the bottom of every post on the MCM blog that there’s are 5 little gray colored, Sharesymbols. To share a post, move your cursor over a button. A small window will open up that allows you to bookmark the post on one of a variety of ‘bookmarking’ sites.

I have included Share buttons for the most popular formats: : Email this, Blog this, Share to Twitter, Share to Facebook, Share to Google Buzz. Also, Social bookmarking allows you to find your favorite posts later - when you need them. It will also allow you to spread the news about the MCM site, so we can continue to grow and continue to offer free content.

(Jumbo) Facebook and Twitter Share Buttons: For those of you who would like to Login to Facebook and/or Twitter directly from this site - use the jumbo. Facebook and Twitter Icon Buttons on the top right of the Homepage. Click on these buttons and you will see the login to your personal pages. You can also share, MCM posts with your friends, using these jumbo, buttons.

"You Might Also Like" feature. I've recently added a new Blogger app which reads the key word tags and algorhthyms of my posts. Who cares you say? You should, since it can save you a lot of time. In practical terms, once you read a post this app will suggest other related posts - based on your reader preferences. You will notice this app at the bottom of each blog post. It contains 3 Thumbnail Photos and 3 Title-Shots from related content. Within the body of my individual posts, I will often include URL's for additional reading. On other sites, this feature may be called "Enjoy this Post or Further Reading."

I'd love to hear your best blog surfing stories and any ideas you have for new apps to make this site easier to navigate. Post a comment or email me sharonbcohen@bellsouth.net

==============================================
Author: © 2011 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP.

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Job-Search Stalled? Jumpstart your Transition! (New Years Resolutions Part II)

2011-01-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

Tired of reading the 'want ads' & job boards?
Worry that your job-search has stalled?
Get back on track with your New Years Resolutions!

Learn about the Stages of Change, set attainable goals and plan for success!

The New Year is one of the busiest times of the job-seekers and for professional, career counselors like me. It's very natural that many people have career goals and would like to start fresh in the New Year. At every holiday party I've attended, I've been asked career questions, economic and job-search questions and received requests for virtual, career coaching and tips. Let me help guide you in your new, career endeavors. Check out my initial post about New Years' Resolutions (Part I). This post outlines the major stages of change and provides a framework for goal-setting.

"New Years' Resolutions Part II"
What “stage of change” were you in when you made you last New Years’ Resolution? An experienced counselor can help you analyze both your history of change and current readiness for change. Though the majority of my clients tell me that they want a job right away and want to jump right in - they are not necessarily in the 'action' phase. There are often, related issues to sort out, assessments to take and a career plan to initiate. It would be a mistake for me to assume they are in the action phase, without assessing them further.

I'd like to share a recent, true story of one of my clients. It perfectly illustrates how the Stages of Change works within a career transition context. One of my former clients reconnected with me. Six months earlier, he attended one of my most popular workshops “Accessing the Hidden Job Market.” Many professionals attend this workshop and on the sign in sheet - all report that they intend to job-search right away. The workshop is very interactive and includes the techniques to help you launch a successful, job-search and recession-proof your career. I provide detailed, practical handouts of how to get started with career planning and job search. It sounds pretty straight forward: attend the course and take action, right?

My client had pulled out my course handouts the previous week and decided to get in touch for a career tune-up. His first statement was, "I’m sorry, I haven’t contacted you sooner, I’m sorry to say I haven’t begun my job search, yet. I know what I need to do, I just haven’t done it.” He felt embarrassed and guilty. It could very well be that this young professional, was not in the action stage when he took my workshop. He was probably in the preparation stage and attending the workshop, was a way to learn about next steps. Additionally, having worked with this client before, I knew that his job-loss history had been traumatic and sudden. His first, professional job had gone up in flames. Very likely, he needed this time to process, the emotional baggage associated with this loss. In our virtual phone session, I provided him with a “job-search tune up” and helped him reframe his situation. This understanding of the Stages of Change, had an immediate and positive impact on my client.

Facing change is scary and takes a lot of courage… Sometimes, you just need a bit of encouragement. Let’s say your resolution last year, was to eat healthy. You had a vague idea about what this entailed, but no specific goals. When, you didn’t accomplish this, your mistaken perception was that of “failure.” Ask yourself if you really failed? What stage of change were you really in, not what stage you wanted to be in? If you didn’t have specific and measurable goals, how do you know you failed? If you had some goals, were they achievable? Actionable? How did you prepare for this challenge? What timeline did you use to judge success or failure? How rigid was your criteria? Was your definition of success black or white, all or nothing?

As a previous addictions counselor, I worked with hundreds of clients who were in various stages of change and/or recovery. I have seen first hand how hard it is to change and know that set backs are normal. Any of us who have ever dieted, know that the stages of change are not always linear. You may take one step forward and one step back. In fact, the Stages of Change Model addresses what we commonly refer to as “failure” or “relapse.” Maybe you were on a diet, when you secretly devoured an 800 calorie, jumbo, slice of cheesecake. You do not need to make your relapse complete and devour the entire cake! Instead of considering this a “failure” and triggering a cycle or recriminations and self-loathing, think of this as a "return from action to an earlier stage." Hopefully, you can restart the process again at the preparation, action or even the maintenance stage. People who have relapsed may need to learn to anticipate high-risk situations. It is possible to step back, and stop, despite this misstep.

A resolution, for the most part is a sign that you are in one of the first 3 stages of change. Think about the massive spike in gym and health club memberships each January. How many of these new members even go? How many made the mistake of thinking they were in the action phase? Think about how quiet the gym is, around March. Within 3 months, more than 75% of resolutions to work out/exercise – crash and burn.

Healthy goals. Give yourself a break.

• What about taking the time this year, to acknowledge your resolutions for what they are – simply an
idea,hope or intention for the future.
• What about allowing yourself to work your way through the stages of change, at your own pace?
• What about praising and encouraging yourself through-out the process?
• What about not obsessing with the end-result?

As a society, North Americans are goal-obsessed. What about looking on the positive side? If you had a New Years' resolution last year, you may have worked your way through 2 additional stages of change in the past year. If so, then January 2011, may be your action stage, the year your goals will succeed!

I'd love to hear about your resolutions, transitions and job search experiences. Post a comment or email me sharonbcohen@bellsouth.net
==============================================

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/

• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager

• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

10 Best Career Transition Posts: Readers' Choice Awards

2011-01-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

Are you in Career Transition, but lacking a plan?
Dealing with emotional, social, and financial issues?
Looking for some support, inspiration and humor?

Break into My Career Managers' archive vault! Check out the Top 10 list of the best, Career Transition posts for Career Changers!

A few weeks ago I posted a Readers Choice list of my top 10 Most Popular Career Posts. These posts cover a wide array of career management topics. I've ransacked My Career Managers' vault, run the numberss and compiled the list (see below)! Here's the top 10 list you asked for - posts about career transtion issues for career changers.Some posts are written as real life snapshops, some are inspiring and some go into the nitty-gritty of changing careers.

Top 10 Career Transition Posts - Readers' Choice Awards.

Career Direction: Discarded And Cast Adrift In A Challenging Economy How can you navigate the turbulent waters of this challenging economy? Should you take any 'JOB' which comes along? How can you find your Career Path and Career Vision?

Career Transition Action Plan (Part I) Wondering if you are playing the job search game correctly? Are you in career transition and overwhelmed? Learn about Career Transition Strategy!

Career Transition Action Plan (Part II) Overwhelmed with your job-search options? Considering a new, career-direction? Wondering if you have the right skills, knowledge and experience to be competitive? Learn about Career Transition Strategy!

Job Loss Roller-Coaster Of Emotion: (Kubler Ross Model of Grief and Loss) In our society, we provide a lot of emotional support for those who have lost a loved one. However, when someone loses a job, we often hurry them into an active job search. Grief and loss are normal.

How the Hidden Job Market Found Me Pull Method Of Marketing These days everyone is trying to find job-leads, find sales-leads, find any kind of lead! However, if you use the “pull method” of marketing, employers will come to you. Read the true story...

Learn About Networking, From Your Dog: 6 New Networking Ideas. Chester, my brown, Bearded Collie is the best networker I know! He is well-groomed, even tempered, playful, likes to share, friendly and confident. Learn how to network like a pro!

Career Courage - Learn to be Imperfect. Move Forward with your Goals! Do you feel stuck, trapped and confused about your career direction? Are you running out of ideas? Feel fearful about the future? Learn about Adler's Psychological Theory of Courage. Get Unstuck...

Career Transition And 4 Stage Career Planning: Bitten Off More Than You Can Chew? Is your lack of career direction creating chaos? Learn about the 4 stages of Career Planning Process and give your career a Makeover!

Career Testing and Psychometrics: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly When I was in a Senior in high-school, I had some career tests administered to me. I use the word 'tests' loosely as, I use the term 'administered' loosely. My parents were shocked and dismayed when the results said I should be a "Bartender" or "Door to Door Knife Salesperson!"

7 Essential Paper-tools and Social Media Tools for your Job Search Portfolio! (Part II) A resume is not enough! You will need a portfolio of professional paper-tools and job-search tools in traditional format and Web 2.0 format to beat the competition!

Cast your vote, each time you read "My Career Managers'" blog posts. Your view rates determine my weekly, Readers' Choice Top 10 list. My list is posted at the top left side of my homepage. Feel free to post your comments. Recently, a reader comment inspired me to answer by creating a weekly blog post. I'd love to hear from you!
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Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP.
Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Career Transition Action Plan - Part II: Ingredients for Sweet Success!

2010-12-30T21:45:00.000-08:00

• Overwhelmed with your job-search options?
• Considering a new, career-direction?
• Wondering if you have the right skills, knowledge and experience to be competitive?

Choosing a new career, is not as easy as choosing a tasty dessert! If you haven't job-searched for the past year, you would barely recognize the 'career buffet table' !
As an experienced career counselor, I eliminate the guesswork and frustration from career transition, provide strategies to expedite the job-search and help you uncover new career options. Check out this post (Part I) about how to get started in planning your career transition.

Very few people ever receive training in career management so it's no wonder that the process is daunting! A career action plan will help you transition smoothly and will reset your career path. It is essential to determine if you have the skills, knowledge and aptitude (SKA's) to be competitive in your chosen career path. See my related post on SKA's and business consulting. When considering a new career path: ask yourself, how do you know if you are competitive, what’s your level of proof? How would recruiters view your candidacy compared to other applicants?

Always, plan for change and plan alternatives to your original plan. As cliche as it sounds - if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Similarly to healthy weight maintenance, it is easier to continue with a healthy lifestyle than to have to restart one after “falling off the diet wagon.”Changing careers or changing direction, usually entails a multi-step process. There should be a logical flow in your career path and work history. For instance: if you worked as a real estate investor for a land development company, you cannot just decide to be a logistics expert working in a major metro hospital – in one career move. This may take multiple, strategic steps. From an employers' perspective, they want a low-risk hire, who fits all of the criteria. Whey should they take a random risk? Consider your short and long-term career goals - random choices may come back to bite you. See my first post on this subject. Check out the initial steps you need to get started. Career Transition Action Plan Part I.

Career Transition Action Plan Part II (see below)

I. Career Preparation
a. Understand the Career Requirements: review potential jobs. Research your Competitive Advantage.Do you have the skills, knowledge and experience which employers require in this field.

b. A career counselor can help you conduct a SWOT analysis and/or a Job Task analysis to determine fit.” If the new job is a stretch, what skills, training or experience will you need to acquire to be
competitive?

c. Academic: Do you have the correct degrees, certifications and licenses to be competitive in your new
career? How old are your degrees? Can you take refresher, training?

d. Do you have an advantage based on additional activities, industry association memberships, clubs,
trade shows participation, conference presentations or participation?

e. Additional Experience: Do you have any experience in this new, chosen field? Look into securing an
apprenticeship, practicum, internship, volunteering, job shadowing.

Would you hire yourself? Why or why not? I always encourage my clients to meet with recruiters and employers for informational interviews. Get first-hand feedback about what is required to be competitive. Consult with a career counselor who has experience with your chosen sector. They can help you determine if your career goals are realistic. They can also help you research whether you would have a competitive advantage in your new, chosen field and if you are the right “personality” fit.

When choosing a career counselor, ask about their approach to testing and counseling. Do they use the same test on every client, regardless of career goals? Do they use a standard job search workshop and or a custom approach? You do not want a one size fits all, cookie cutter job search class or approach. Ideally, you would work with a counselor who gets to know your likes, dislikes, strengths and limitations. A customized and individualized approach is necessary for any career transition. Coming from a counseling paradigm, I view the individual as unique and use a tailored approach for every single client, whether they are in transition or planning a straight-ahead job search. Also, check out my post on Virtual Career Counseling and learn how to choose the best counselor. Virtual Career Counseling: Reduce Your Carbon Footprint!

Remember that there are major regional differences in the employment outlook.Check out the employment outlook for your state. Job Rebound Map of the USA.

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Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Virtual Career Coaching - Climb the Corporate Ladder!

2010-12-23T23:07:00.000-08:00

Feel your career has stalled?
Do you want to climb the corporate ladder, but not sure how?
Want professional career advice, but live in a remote region?
Curious about Virtual Career Coaching and want a solution-based approach?

Business professionals from any level: from recent college graduates to mid-level professionals can receive the support they need to manage the shifting realities of the modern labor market. Join their ranks and achieve the success you deserve!
With the rise of Social Media tools and technologies, virtual coaching is now available and affordable for a broad, cross-section of professionals. Think of a Business Career Coach as the career version of a personal trainer or fitness coach.

Career Coaching, including virtual career counseling used to be the exclusive domain of C-Suite Executives. Fortune 100-500 companies would hire hire executive career counselors to advise their best staff. This was the "secret" ingredient for success which many executives employed. However, the average professional was totally left out of the equation and didn't even have access to Business Career Coaching. It's only in the the last few years that Executive Coaches have expanded beyond their traditional client demographic. Now you can hire the top, career coaching talent regardless of where you live!

Many top business schools have expanded their career center offerings to include many online resources, job boards, virtual coaching, virtual interview preparation etc. However, these services are often only available for premium MBA programs or law school programs. The general arts or science student doesn't have this level of support built into their schooling - due to the staffing costs. Many of my working MBA students and my Global MBA students benefit from virtual career services and can easily fit this into their busy schedules. In fact, if I hadn't learned to expand my career counseling into the virtual realm, I couldn't effectively support the 600+ students on my caseload.

In my private practice, clients can access these same premium services and can benefit from the breadth of my career and employer experience. Unlike many solo, private practitioners, I work with thousands of clients. My competitive advantage is that I've worked with many professionals in your field, reviewed their credentials and advised them. I can easily tell you how you stack up to the competition and how to become more competitive. Also, working with recruiters, I can help clients understand the employers' perspective - which is essential for success.

Virtual Career Coaching - get the executive treatment without ever leaving your home!

1. Isn't career coaching just for job-seekers or people looking for work?
No. An experienced, and licensed career coach can help you with all of the phases of your career management plan. Whether you are in a new career or are a seasoned professional - you will need to take charge of your own career plan. Your employer will no longer do this for you!

2. Can a career coach help me get a promotion?
A good coach will conduct a thorough assessment of your current career situation. I often help clients assess their current strengths and weakness' and determine which areas to shore up before the next performance review. We carefully, prepare a portfolio of "proof," role play the most common scenarios, analyze the culture and review unique corporate factors in your chosen field. When preparation meets opportunity - the chances of success increase exponentially.

3. What are the advantages of Virtual Career Counseling versus face to face counseling?
You can choose the most experienced coach, from a broad pool of providers. You save on driving, commute time, parking, gasoline. and can meet after work hours. Typically, I like to meet with clients by phone for the first session. Once, I learn more about my clients' career needs, I can recommend a specific career package. My goal is for clients' NOT to need my services. I teach my clients how to think like a recruiter and plan their careers like a career professional. I subscribe to the "teach a man to fish" versus |"fish for them" theory of advising. For an experienced career counselor, with a good reputation - there are many, many more clients than they can ever hope to see.

4. What do I need? I am not technologically savvy...
• If you have a phone and a computer, you are a candidate for Virtual Career Counseling. You do not need any more technological skill, than the ability to talk on the phone, send and receive emails and search online.

5. How can clients prepare for the first session?
•Typically, I ask clients to complete an assessment. We set up a virtual session, phone session or Skype Session. In the consult, I review your career needs and time-line. As an ethical counselor, I will refer you to another professional if your needs are outside of my scope of practice and/or expertise.

6. How long will it take?
• This will depend on the complexity of your career management needs. However, my approach is short-term and solution focused. Managing your career is an essential a skill, just like driving a car. Rather than hiring a chauffeur for life, I'll teach you how to "drive" your own career. Since the typical, North American job lasts only 2-3 years, you will need this skill over and over - in the next decade alone! I offer 4-5 session, monthly packages for the most common career issues: job search, interviewing, career testing, salary negotiations etc.

7. What should I look for in a “Virtual Career Counselor”? You still need to review the credentials of any prospective counselor and pay particular attention to a virtual counselors social media presence. Most importantly, get to know your counselor to ensure you are a good match and can develop a strong working relationship.Not every counselor will "fit" with every client. Check out a potential counselors' cllient testimonials. See what other clients have written about them.

To find out if Virtual Career Coaching can help you contact- Sharonbcohen@bellsouth.net

Related Posts
5 Reasons to Get a Career Tune Up
Virtual Career Counseling - It's Hot : Reduce your Carbon Footprint!
Virtual Counseling Services from My Career Manager
===============================================
Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Intern or Free Labor? FLSA Act is Rocking the Boat!

2010-12-06T12:37:00.000-08:00

Are students afraid to rock the boat and complain about their internship employers?
Are unpaid, internships legal? (Wait a minute - I wasn't paid!)
How will the new, FLSA laws impact hiring?

As a University Career Counselor, one of my specialties is the College to Career Transition. Many of my students take on internships to gain valuable experience and transition to a new industry. During this recession, there has been an increase in internships. Also, more employers are asking schools to post unpaid internships on school job-boards. Are they legit? Many schools are concerned that the recruitment pipeline will dry up, if employers are forced to pay wages for internships.

On a regular basis, we grapple with defining internships and the potential, implications of unpaid internships. Should Universities post these jobs on the school job-boards? Should a University Career Center screen or evaluate postings? Whose role is it to to protect students from opportunists?

Most Liberal Arts students are not paid for internships, though they receive academic credit. As a Graduate student in a Psychology Masters' program, I completed an 8 month internship with the Canadian Federal Government. My role was that of an Outpatient, Addictions Counselor and this internship was required by my school. I received supervision by PhD level professors at my school and trained clinicials at my internship. Within 5 weeks of beginning the internship I was meeting with individual clients! In Psychology, you are not legally allowed to be paid for internships. I had to buy Medical Liability Malpractice Insurance, Workers Compensation Insurance, and pay for my academic credit and supervison. I worked three part time jobs - to pay for my unpaid internship! My internship was excellent and it helped me secure my first, professional, job.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) passed legislation which could have a major impact on interns from all majors. The FLSA or Fair Labor Standards Act is already creating quite a buzz on HR groups. NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) deemed this of such critical importance that they held a roundtable and conducted a member survey during their annual conference. The new FLSA guidelines are defining what constitutes an internship and addressing the thorny issue of intern compensation. According to the Department of Labor few for-profit employers can offer unpaid internships and remain in compliance with the FLSA. Check out the DOL’s new Fact Sheet for Employers. The DOL has devised a test to determine if you are in an internship or an employment relationship (regular job). If you are in an employment relationship – you must be paid according to State and Federal wage standards.

6 criteria to access the employer/intern relationship
* The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational or vocational environment;
* The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
* The intern does not displace regular employees but instead works under close supervision of existing staff;
* The employer providing the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion, its operations may actually be impeded;
* The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship;
* The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship. The primary exceptions to the FLSA are for people who volunteer at a state or local government agency, a or a non-profit agency.

Having coached thousands of college students over the years, worked with countless internship employers and personally having supervised many interns - I'd like to weigh in on this issue. An intern should receive training, mentoring and work experience. Interns cannot simply be a source of free labor during an economic downturn. Ideally, an intern would receive supervison at work and at school. Also paid internships would compensate students for the time expended. However, the internship ideal is not the prevailing reality in the recruitment industry. The entire issue of internships is very complex and multi-facted. The discussion must address more than just compensation. It must examine the core of the intern experience, the level of supervision and the challenges inherent in granting academic credit for external activities.

I'd love to hear my readers' opinions and comments. What do you think? What have you gained from your internship?

Check out my related posts on Career Counseling & Career Testing
Virtual Career Counseling – It’s Hot! Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
5 reasons to Get a Career Tune up Today!
Career Testing and Psychometrics: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

===========================================
Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP.

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

MBA Careers: Readers' Choice Awards...

2010-12-02T22:30:00.000-08:00

Wonder how to leverage your MBA?
What are the hot trends in business careers?
What advice would a top, MBA career advisor give you?

Check out my Readers' Choice Awards for the most popular, MBA topics posts...

MBA Careers: Readers' Choice Awards...

Last month, I posted my first Readers' Choice Awards Top 10 list. Now MyCareerManager fans have requested more top 10 lists. I've run a report via Blogger stats and analyzed your click through rates. Below is a list of my most popular MBA posts - based on your votes! Many of these posts were written to address questions which frequenly pop up in my individual, career advising sessions. Many posts contain real world success stories from my clients, others address Global MBA careers and intercultural competency. Enjoy!

MBA Career Posts

Help, I want to be a Consultant - Use KSA's to close the deal...

10 Best, Global Job Search Posts: Readers’ Choice Awards!

How The Hidden Job Market Found Me Pull Method Of Marketing

Plan And Execute Your Job Search Strategy Using Gantt Charts

5 reasons to Get a Career Tune up Today!

The Career Skills Triangle - Essential Marketing for Career Transition!

Interculturally Competent and Considering a Global Business Career?

Take your MBA Global! Tips for International Executives

=========================================
Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP.

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Salary and Diversity Posts: Readers' Choice Awards

2010-12-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

*Wonder if you are being paid fairly?
*Confused about employment contracts?
*Interested in diversity and personal identity issues?
*Want to improve relations with co-workers?

Check out these Readers' favorite posts....

Last month, I posted my first Readers' Choice Awards Top 10 list. Since them, I've received requests for top 10 lists for many other career topics. I've ransacked My Career Managers' secret archives and compiled the Diversity and Salary list for! The diversity posts include: age, gender, race, ethnicity and orientation. Some posts are stories from the recruitment trenches, some are inspiring and some go into the 'how to's' of addressing the thorny Salary question.

Salary and Recruiter Posts
`Pre and Postnuptual’ Agreements: Employment Contracts in The 21st Century

Career Fair Evaluation Scale: How Are Recruiters Evaluating You?

Negotiate Salary like a Pro: Know your BATNA, Resistance Point and Opening Offer

How Much Are You Worth? Top 5 Salary Survey Sites

Negotiate Salary Like A Pro: Know Your BATNA, Resistance Point and Opening Offer!

Diversity: Age/Gender/Race/Ethnicity/Orientation Posts
What Is Your Stage Of Identity Development? The Increasing Globalization Of The Workplace

Are You A Middle Child? Generation X and Adlerian Birth Order or Will Baby Boomers Ever Retire?

Gen X the Sandwich Generation: 10 strategic Hiring and Retention Tips

Readers’ Favorites

10 Best Career Blog Posts! Readers' All Time Favorites...

10 Best Career Transition Posts: Readers' Choice Awards!

10 Best, Global Job Search Posts: Readers’ Choice Award!

============================================
Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP.

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

10 Hot Twitter Tools: for your Career Toolbox!

2010-11-29T12:44:00.000-08:00

Searching for new Twitter aps and tools?
Want water-cooler conversation other than - how dirty is this work-fridge?
Do you love Twitter & want to impress your friends?

Look no further...

I love Social Media, and especially love Twitter. For me Twitter is like the Wild West, the way LinkedIn used to be before they implemented so many rules. I've wittled down dozens of Twitter applications to my Top 10 list! I prefer practical, no-nonsense tools but have also provided a few "fun" Twitter apps. Check out my favorites and use them for your job search, career transition needs and social needs.

***New - I've linked my Twitter stream to a Text-feed for those of you who prefer to use your smart phones to view online content. Text 40404 to get the latest Tweets from My Career Managers' Twitter site. Note: you'll need to have your own Twitter account set up (even if it's just bare bones) to read my texted Tweets. They are also posted on the right column, of MyCareerManager's Home page.

My Career Managers' Top 10 Favorite Twitter Tools & Apps!

1. twAnswers: Useful research tools. Send your questions to the Twitterverse and get answers fast! Note: do not ask about jobs in online forums like Twitter - unless your boss is cool with your job-search. Otherwise, you may "transition" faster than you expected.

2. Suggestions For You. This feature is similar to Netflix' “like” recommendations for movies. Twitter uses your pre-existing, online, algorithms to make recommendations. Let Twitter tell you what you like...

3. TweetScan will enable you to stay up-to-date with Twitter search trends. Twilert: will email you every time someone tweets with your keywords. I have also set up Google Alerts with my full name and my website name. Each time I am referenced in the news media or via social media - I receive an email alert.

4. Tweetdeck will help you organize your Twitter account, sort contacts into a semblance of an address book and sort your Tweets. Without it, your Twitter account is akin to the junk drawer in your kitchen!

5. Tweet Later This site allows you to create Tweets to send later at a pre-set time. It is the service which is used by social media experts to handle their client accounts. There is a free version and a professional version.You can also time tweets to correspond to times when your peak demographic is online (ie: using Blogger Stats or Google Stats from your website). I keep meaning to use this, but find myself to be more of an impulsive tweeter...

6. Twitter Job Search feed. Great tool which can help you find job leads in your area. Include your geographic location in the Twitter search. Mention if you are willing to relocate and/or do searches for additional regions. Remember a leads of 25 companies is a bare bones minimum for any serious job-seeker!

7. Listorious is like a Yellow Pages Directory for Twitter. If you are trying to build your personal or professional brand - this is essential! Listorious List Owners will add you to their lists or you can add yourself (if appropriate). I’m on dozens of counseling and career psychology lists. Also, this past year I've created 3 lists of my own : Global-Careers, MBAcareers and Career-Psychology. Feel free to check them out and/or join my topical discussions.

8. TweeTube, you can share captured videos on Twitter. This app is taking advantage of the Youtube explosion. TwitPic is a great way to share photos on Twitter. Disclaimer: remember once your videos and pics are out, online there they will always be out there...

9. Hashtags# Increase the exposure of your tweets using hashtags #. This allows interested readers to search topics by hashtag and find your tweets! A hashtag can also add your comment to a specific, Twitter discussion thread, search topic or Twitter group. It can help you create your online “handle”and personal brand.

10. MicroBlogBuzz: Learn about the most popular links on Twitter and similar services. Keep up to date. Stay in the loop.

Readers' let me know if you have any favorite Twitter apps. Your feedback may inspire a Twitter Tools 2.0 Blogspot post!

Want more? Check out my Related Blog posts...

10 HOT LinkedIn Groups for Career Transition!
LinkedIn Fashions What's Hot, What's not! (Part I)
5 New LinkedIn Fashions What’s Hot, What’s Not! (Part II)
11 Facebook Applications To Launch Your Job Search!
7 Essential Paper-tools and Social Media Tools for your Job Search Portfolio!
How The Hidden Job Market Found Me Pull Method Of Marketing

======================================================

Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP.

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

10 Best, Global Job-Search Posts: Readers’ Choice Awards!

2010-11-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

• Fascinated with diverse cultures and want to

work abroad?

• Would you like to ‘go global’ and take your career to the next level?
• Overwhelmed by a global, job-search and need some inspiration?

Read about global careers, international IQ, and decifer your own global identity. Check out the latest career trend for global professionals - Virtual Career Counseling. Get career advise from the comfort of your home - wherever that home may be! (FAQ's about virtual counseling and traditional counseling).

I love to help my business clients through all of the stages of their careers from: career planning and testing to job search strategy and ongoing, career management. My specialty is in the area of global, career counseling and international, human resources. Having lived and worked in several countries has been both exciting and challenging for me. However, global careers don't just happen. A strategic, action plan is essential and must address the complexities and vagarities of the global, recruitment market. Remember, you will be competing for opportunities with professionals from around the globe.

To help you in your planning process, check out my 10 most popular, Global Job Search posts. These posts contain the true stories of best practices in the field and are based on my most successful, global, business executives.

10 Best Global Job-Search Posts...

1. Career Direction: Discarded And Cast Adrift In A Challenging Economy

2. Pin the Tail On The Donkey: Random Expat Country Selection

3. What Is Your Stage Of Identity Development? The Increasing Globalization Of The Workplace

4. American Brain Drain = Global Gain: International MBA Students In The USA

5. Interculturally Competent and Considering a Global Business Career?

6. Take your MBA Global! Tips for International Executives

7. Modern Job-Search and Halloween: New Twists on Tradition

8. Impact Of The Economic Stimulus Package On International Job Seekers And H1B Applicants

9. The American Job Search and Cultural Roadblocks: Don’t Get Derailed!

10. Career Testing and Psychometrics: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I'd love to help with your global career. Email me: sharonbcohen@bellsouth.net. Let's chat!

=======================================================

Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP.

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Help, I want to be a Consultant - Use KSA's to close the deal...

2010-11-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

Are you considering a lucrative and prestigious career in Consulting? Do you ask yourself:

• When can I start?
• Where can I start?
• What will my salary be?
• Will I get to travel all over the world?

Are these the right questions to ask right? It is essential that you understand the perspective of the decision makers – the recruiters. As an industry insider, let me unveil some of the mystery involved in recruiting Consultants...

As an MBA Career Counselor I bridge the gap between hundreds of candidates and employers, the recruited and the recruiters. Daily, this is an eye-opening experience. Frequently, both sides would like a similar outcome - a successful hire. However, often they do not speak the same language. Even more challenging, is that they do not realize this discrepancy and become frustrated with the entire process of job-search and/or the candidate-selection process.

Is it possible for you to become a consultant in 1 career move, or is this more of a long-range plan? The answer will depend entirely on your KSA's. You will need to convince a recruiter to take a chance and hire you. Let’s use the concept of KSA’s (knowledge, skills and abilities) to determine ‘fit.’ For the purposes of this discussion, let’s look at the Federal Governments’ definition of KSA (CDC definition) Of note: when crafting a Federal job application, these KSA’s are an essential part of your application file.

Knowledge: “an organized body of information usually of a factual or procedural nature which is applied directly to the performance of a job-function.” Typically, most consulting firms want very experienced candidates 8+ years of specialist, experience. There are some small or boutique firms who will consider, exceptional, junior candidates. These new recruits will work under the direct guidance and supervision of a senior partner. The market for this type of recruitment is a fraction of the overall, consulting recruitment market.

Skills: “refers to the proficient, manual, verbal or mental manipulation of data or things. Traditionally, skills can be measured by a timed, performance test.”For instance, an accounting consultant or auditor may be given an Excel table and asked to find the errors in the formulations. A business analyst may be asked to present a business case for discussion. If you have professional certifications, which are test or project based let the recruiter know. Ie: Six Sigma, PMP, A+ certification etc.

Ability: “this refers to the power to perform an observable activity at the present time. This means that abilities have been evidenced through activities or behaviors that are similar to those required on the job.” For many business roles, this is tested by conducting rigorous case study or behavioral interviews. Candidates are given real-world, business scenarios and must solve these challenges in real-time while explaining their thought process and logic. “Note: Abilities are different from aptitudes. Aptitudes are only the potential for performing the activity”.

Ask yourself

1. Do I have the desired KSA’s? How do I know I have the correct KSA’s?

2. What is the typical candidate profile of the firm? (ie: Ivy league only, 10+ yrs experience etc)

3. Do I have specialist knowledge to offer a firm, which is unique and marketable?

4. Who is my direct competition? What do they have that I lack?

5. What is the company culture at the firm I’m considering, does it fit my personality?

6. What is the career lifespan or longevity of a ‘potential, new hire?”

7. What is the typical work week (ie: 65-80 hours). Does this fit my lifestyle?

The top consulting firms have a wealth of exceptional candidates to choose from.To be competitive you'll need to have a deep well of experience to draw from, a top educational pedigree and a near perfect GPA. If hired, expect to work almost double the average work week (65-80 hours). Once hired, many consultants struggle to adjust to the extreme, work-hours and deliverables required by the firm. As such, the big firms are permanently in recruiting mode.That said, if you have internal contacts in a firm you may bypass the normal recruitment process and miraculously land an interview. I've seen this happen to the most unlikely applicants. This can get your foot in the door. However you will still need to prove your KSA’s and close the deal and be an exceptional performer on the job.

Related posts:

Career Testing and Psychometrics: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

What are your Strenghts and Weakness': Conduct a SWOT Analysis to Find out!
Plan And Execute Your Job Search Strategy Using Gantt Charts

=======================================================
Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP.

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Virtual Career Counseling – It’s Hot! Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Modern Job-Search: New Twists on Tradition (Success Story)

2010-11-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

•Are you frightened?

•Has job searching become a monstrous task?

• Wonder which techniques to use and which are dead as a doornail?

• Want to hear a modern, job-search, success story?

One of the MBA professionals I coach, just received 3 offers! Her job-search success story will inspire you!

See my related post Help I have 4 Job Offers!

This weekend, I hosted a Halloween brunch, a Halloween dinner party and provided candy, hot-apple cider and popcorn to 76 neighborhood children and their parents! I keep track of my Trick or Treaters’ each year, so I can estimate how much candy to buy. It is reassuring and amazing that so many Halloween traditions remain in tact; the costumes, the rabid-excitement and the candy. As a Gen Xer generation child I was given a costume and plastic face-mask (now banned for children) sent out with my friends and told to come home by 10pm! Times have changed.

This year on my street there were some new ‘traditions.’ From the vantage point of my front porch (about 15 feet above street level) I saw a limousine and a stretch, Hummer ferrying children from house to house! This was a first. Each year there are more and more children who come to my in-town, Atlanta neighborhood. It's sad that some streets are no longer safe. Another new ‘tradition’ for Halloween safety is the use of LED flashlights and/or night-vision goggles. Some children now wear GPS wrist bands to navigate from street to street and this allows their parents to track their exact location online. Talk about Helicopter parents...

Who cares you ask? My point is that job-search and Halloween still maintain some old-time traditions. However, there are many new twists and turns. Some old job-search methods are new again for a new generation; networking, cold calling, info interviewing etc. There are many new traditions, especially as it relates to social media, virtual job search and global job search. Even Career Counseling has gone virtual. You need to keep up, to be competitive.

I'd like to share the true story of one of my MBA students who I've coached throughout her program. Of note: she also attended my career workshops, read my online articles, cold called and networked more than the average job-seeker. Though I recommend 3 hours a week of active, job search if you are employed or in school - she did much more. The work has paid off and she just received 3 global internship offers. This is amazing since a global job search is much more complex than a local or national one. Also, receiving multiple offers these days is a major accomplishment. She was also inspired by my posts Career Direction; Cast Adrift in a Challenging Economy and How The Hidden Job Market Found Me Pull Method Of Marketing Below is a summary of her personal, job search tips.

Modern Job-Search Strategy

1.Conduct a strategic, job-search and use multiple, marketing channels. If you are looking for global opportunities work with AIESEC, QS Global and LinkedIn (global groups). This ensures that you always have new leads rolling in.

2. Network. That means do all the stuff Sharon (this writer) tells you to do! Educate yourself about how to conduct a modern, job search. Meet with employers at live, networking events. Squeeze in lunch appointments with promising contacts each week. If people can't meet for lunch get them on the phone. Face to face will always be better if you can get it.

3. Talk to everyone. It's unbelievable how many people are willing to help. They have to know what you're up to in order to help. Talk to people who have done what you want to do or people who have advised those people. Look out for the interests of your contacts and they will look out for you.

4. Prioritize your time. If you know what you want, you can go and get it. I spent probably 2 hours or more each day for 3-4 months hustling to get the opportunity I accepted. During my negotiation week, sealing the deal was my main priority. In order to get job opportunities there are some sacrifices and trade offs you'll have to make.

5. Promote yourself online (Pull Marketing). Remember that in the age of the internet there is no privacy. Everything you do all the time may end up photographed and uploaded to the internet. Act accordingly.

7. Read about salary negotiations and your Opening Offer, BATNA and Employment Contracts. Check out a book called “Getting to Yes.” A strategic job search will provide multiple offers and then you can choose the best offer (BATNA).

Other Unusual Blog Posts...
College Football and Job Search: a Canadian's Perspective
Why Interviews Are Just Like Texas Hold-em Poker!
Job Requirements: Sense of Humor, Creativity, Ability To Roll With The Punches!!!
New Years’ Resolution Will Succeed! 6 Stages Of Change Model

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Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP.
Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Inside Google Analytics & Blogger Stats: Do you have a plan for your Blog?

2010-10-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

Why are you writing a blog?
What are your blog statistics and goals?
How will you know if you've met your goals?

Here's something you've probably never seen. A blogger, willing to share their online stats with you!

This blog post is the third blog in a series about blogging. See my post Accidental Blogger and Professional Blogger. I began writing this blog March of 2009. Though I got into blogging somewhat accidentally, within a few month of starting I began to ask myself some questions. There was a need to approach it in a more systematic way. I began to formulate a plan with goals, action items, items to learn, topic ideas etc. Creating an ideas file on your desktop or email account is a must have for any serious writer. Have you thought about how you'll prevent the inevitable frustration with the workload required, the research required, the writing and editing required? What is the ROI (return on investment) you are looking for? Is it achievable and measurable? Are you using SMART goals for your blog plan? What is important to you?

As many of you know, I work as a Global MBA Career Counselor at Georgia State University, which is the largest business school in the SouthEastern United States (8,000+ business students). I have over 600+ MBA/MS business professionals on my own career advising caseload. I also provide specialty support for Global MBA and students in the Masters' of International business. These 2 cohorts must secure a global intership to graduate. This is where I come in. However, these students must work with me though they didn't hire me.

Thus, perversely one of my blog goals was to test out whether global professionals who do not know me, would be interested in what I have to say. Am I truly am a global career coach and do I have a global reach? At the same time that this idea was percollating in my mind, my students and clients began to inquire about my other students and clients. Due to confidentiality, I cannot disclose any personal details. However, I can share with you an overview of who my readers are. This should provide a snapshot of who is benefitting from my career education posts.

How can you capture a snapshot of who your readers are and all the other analytics variables? I would encourage all blog writers to use an analytics system. I have used both Google Blogger and the latest Blogger Stats, both of which are free. Google Blogger captures fantastically, granular detail. However, the technical side is spotty, it shuts down, freezes and looses months worth of stats. Then, you have to sign up all over again and/or beg their online technical support department to help you. This is akin to a close friend who is there for you in a crisis, but on a day to day basis may not be available, may not return calls or text. That said, the first time I used Google Analytics - I spent 3 hours on the site. It was amazing to me that I could analyze, at a granular level the who, what, where and how of my blog and readers.

Blogger Stats is an auto-feature which was recently added to blogger. Anyone with a Blogger account and site has access. It is easy to use since unlike Google Analytics you do not have to spend hours setting up a complex profile, passwords and information capture. There is set up, no fee but the site is still in it's infacy and may not capture all the detail you desire. I do not yet have a long term view of it's efficacy, since I've only been using it for a few months. So far, so good - no technical glitches.

By using these tools, I was able to access whether I truly have a global readership. In fact, my readership encompasses people from over 40 countries! Below is recent weekly snapshot which rank orders the countries that contain my largest share of blog readers. It includes my most loyal, repeat readers. These are readers who do not land on my site accidentally, but rather intentionally. This is info that very, very few bloggers will share.

Pageviews by Countries (you are in good company)

United States 3,337
India 224
Canada 219
United Kingdom 184
Australia 118
Russia 114
Netherlands 88
Taiwan 74
Germany 72
Denmark 33

+ 30 more countries from exotic destinations with equally exotic, global readers!

I suspect that many bloggers may discontinue their sites within a very short period of time. There will be days when you or a family member will question the time you spend on building your site. They'll ask why you can't go out, why you're 'wasting' your weekend researching ideas. I hope that this post encourages you to create a blog business plan and set SMART goals. Evaluate your goals regularly and/or add new goals. This will keep you motivated for the long term. Yes, writing in itself may be cathartic. However, but if no one is reading what you write then your blog site is only a weblog or journal. Ask yourself truly what your goals are?

I'd love to hear your feedback and reader comments.

===============================================================
Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP.

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.
"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

10 Best Career Blog Posts! Readers' All Time Favorites...

2010-10-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Wonder which posts other readers like the best?
Want to know which career topics are the most popular?
Want to cast a vote for your favorite post?

Readers have asked me which posts are the most popular, so I've compiled a top 10 list from My Career Managers' archives.

Cast your vote, each time you read "My Career Managers'" blog posts. Your view rates determine my weekly, Readers' Choice Top 10 list.

You asked for it, I responded!

I've added a gadget that continually ranks my "Readers' Favorite Posts." This list changes weekly, based on your view rates. My Readers' Choice Top 10 List is featured as a column on the left side of my Homepage. Below the Top 10 list, check out my complete archive of posts, by month and year. Career Management posts are timeless - so feel free to browse through them. You never know what interesting gems you may find!

Top 10 Career Posts - Reader's Choice Awards

Online Job-Board: Friend or Foe?
Is your resume lost in outer space? Is the terrain of a modern job search - alien to you? Forget outer space, the job boards are the final frontier...

What is your Stage of Identity Development? The Increasing Globalization of the Workplace.
Who are you? What is your Cultural Identity? What is your stage of Identity Development and how can this impact your career? How adept at working with diverse people and/or for a Global Employer?

What are your Strengths and Weakness: Conduct a SWOT Analysis.
What are your Strengths and Weakness: conduct a SWOT Analysis to find out! “What are your strengths and weakness?” This question creates more fear in the heart of job seekers, than any other. Most people dread this question and also don't understand the psychology behind it...

Career Transition Confusion? 7 Types of Psychological Motivation...
• Are you in Career Transition? • Confused about your career direction? • What career will make you happy? • What are your extrinsic and intrinsic needs and your unmet needs?

Gen X "The Sandwich Generation" 10 Strategic Hiring Decisions.
• In your 30’s-early 40's and feel your career has stalled? • None of the standard workplace incentives motivate you? Are you part of Generation X?

Negotiate Salary like a Pro: Know your BATNA, Resistance Point and Opening Offer.
• Can you negotiate for a better salary during a recession? • What is your BATNA and Resistance Point? • Who makes the Opening Offer?.

The Career Skills Triangle - Essential Marketing for your Career Transition.
Planning a Career Transition, but don't know where to start? Heard about Personal Branding, but unsure how it applies to you? Wondering how to sell your skills, in an overcrowded market?

Cover Letter Fashions: What's Hot, What's Not!
Is your Cover Letter unfashionable? Does the thought of writing a cover letter – put dread in your heart? Would you rather get a root canal than write a cover letter?

Career Courage - Learn to be Imperfect: Move Forward with your Career.
Do you feel stuck, trapped and confused about your career direction? Are you running out of career ideas and job postings to explore?

How the Hidden Job Market Found Me! Pull Method of Marketing.
These days everyone is trying to find job-leads, find sales-leads, find any kind of lead! However, if you use the “pull method” of marketing...

Feel free to post your comments. Last week's post was inspired by a reader. I'd love to hear from you!
==========================================================
Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP.
Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/

• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager

• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Are you a Professional Blogger? 3 Types of Bloggers and the Fans that Support them.

2010-10-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

What defines a professional Blogger?
Does the Blogger need to be credentialed in their field?
Are they more credibile if they work in the industry they blog about?
Is a Pro-blogger someone who earns some or most of their revenue from Blogging?

Last week, I celebrated my 50th blogi-versary. My post related how I became an "accidental blogger" and talked about career courage.

One of my readers (Second Thoughtz) commented, "Sharon, your work has been very helpful. I have a request though: A blog on professional blogging. Any tips to get the reader to differentiate serious bloggers from bloggers? " Her comment inspired me.

It got me thinking. I began to write a response several times, then realized that my response was too long for a comment. I decided to answer her question, in what else a blog-post format! This week's post looks at the definition of professional blogging and the notion of blog writing as a new profession. Originally, blogging began as a sort of personal, web-log or journal. Therefore does blogging even lend itself to a professional moniker?

My definitions of 3 common blog-types:

The Commercial blog: One definition of a commercial blog is one which is monetized and integrated into a for-profit business, website model. Since this is a new concept for many corporations, frequently blogs are an add-on to a regular, company website. Many corporations are jumping onto the blogging bandwagon, as a part of their Public Relations and Marketing strategy out of fear. These days, what the public thinks or tweets about your company can greatly impact your stock, shares and revenues.

Internal company staff may write the posts for their employer or an outside social media company may be hired to manage this. In either case, many companies make the mistake of simply blogging about their new products, selling their existing products and promoting an idealized view of their company. The blog-reading public sees through this very quickly. If a blog isn't fully integrated with their mission and vision - then it may never achieves it's purpose. Ideally, a good blog should generate dialogue and is not just a thinly veiled, sales pitch.

The Aggregate blog: This may be a subset of the commercial blog-type or may be it's own stand-alone type. This type of blog is based on the multiple-contributor model. The blog owners' main role is to source writers who can post articles on their niche and keep readers motivated.

This type of blog owner, rarely if ever writes content, rather they provide the technical infrastructure and market the site to earn revenue. The challenge, from a branding perspective is the lack of a consistent voice, focus and the varied quality of the site content. I've contributed posts to this type of blogsite. From a writers's perspective, this can provide exposure. However, you may be in a pool of very mixed writing talent - which could impact the audience's perception of your writing skills. From a site administrator perspective - writer and posting quality is paramount. Problogger has an interesting post about how to analyze the quality of a guest writer posting.

The Individually-authored/Value-add blog: This type of blog is managed by one person and/or only contains the posts of one author. This ensures a consistent voice, brand, and message. However, there is a lot of work involved in managing the technical set up/maintenance, doing the post research, writing, posting blog analytics and managing audience outreach. This type of blog may or may not require advertising to stay afloat. Often the authors' reason for writing is to provide an educational service and/or information about a niche area. This is not to say that a commercial or aggregate blog cannot provide value-add articles.

Many people correlate the term "professional" blogger with someone who makes a living from blogging. This is a slipery slope according to Mark Penn, with Wall Street Journal online. He posits, "the best studies we can find about bloggers, say we are a nation of over 20 million bloggers. However, of all the people who blog only 2% of bloggers overall, make a living at it." Thus, does this relegate the other 98% of bloggers to the ranks of amateurs?

Consider, whether a blog written by or for a non-profit is any more or less professional than a commercial blog? Or is the original, blogging model about something entirely different? What many bloggers love about blogging is the ablity to express themselves, keep a web-log of their lives, provide valuable information and be part of an online community. Time is valuable, especially online blog-reading time. I'd encourage my readers to define "professional blogging" and good blogsites for themselves.

My criteria for a professional blog and blog writer:

The author has a unique and authentic voice.
The author exhibits a depth and breadth of industry experience
Readers enjoy the style and content of the posts - for me humor is a factor
Value-added content, readers learn something new each time they read the posts.

Other Related posts:
Virtual Career Counseling – It’s Hot! Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
The VERBAL BUSINESS CARD – Creating Your Sound Bite!
Plan And Execute Your Job Search Strategy Using Gantt Charts

=================================================

Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP.
Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. "Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

True Story of an Accidental Blogger: on her 50th Blog-iversary!

2010-09-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

Do you love this career blog?
Do you wonder how I got started?
Considering launching your own blog?

My true story as an "accidental blogger"...

As I sat down to write my weekly blog post, a pop up appeared that there were 50 blog posts written in My Career Managers's account! I'd like to celebrate my blog-iversary - 50 posts + this one, by sharing my story with you. I hope it inspires you...
I first began blogging in March of 2009. It happened accidentally. Yes, accidentally! I had been researching Social Media analyzing how to get started and trying to determine an entry point. This was taking forever, since my biggest impediment was my own fear. I knew that whatever was posted online could be there forever. One day I decided that if I didn't take the plunge now, I never would. I dived in and joined LinkedIn, one of the best Social Media sites for business professionals. I built up my profile page and shortly thereafter began joining industry groups. I was getting my feet wet, meeting colleagues from many different industries and having fun.

I didn't realize the impact of my participation until the founder of an up and coming LinkedIn group "MBA Highway" contacted me. Chris Perry had been reading my LI comments and discussion threads and liked the unique niche I represented. He invited me to join a team of industry experts to launch a Career Website for MBA professionals. I agreed and became one of the "Original Career Launch Experts" for the Career Rocketeer website. My primary role was to research, write, edit and post original, career posts every week. No easy feat. I was the Monday writer - setting the tone for the entire week! No pressure, eh?

I had never blogged and didn't have a clue about the extent of the technical requirements for this role. There was no manual, no training, no course to learn the "how to's." We taught ourselves. Now my work began in earnest. I conducted extensive market research to determine my target audience and my USP (unique selling proposition). If you are contemplating your own blog at the outset you'll need to research your competition. Determine what sets you apart, what makes you unique. Since career management is not a 9-5 need, my blog posts are written and geared to help you after hours. I started compiling topics from all of the emails I receive from students and clients over the evening and weekends. What topics do they need help with after hours, when no one else is available? I also had to learn about SEO search engine optimization and picture optimization, Google Analytics, click through rates and my target audience. I began contributing posts within a few weeks and kept on learning my new trade - as I went along. Since the Social Media community and tools are continually evolving you will need to evolve too - to keep up with the pace of change.

Additionally, I decided to offer Virtual Counseling for my University MBA students and private practice clients. Regardless of their geographic location I determined that they would be able to reach me for career counseling support. Check out my Virtual Career Services page. My research uncovered a plethora of career websites and posts which were either very scientific or very, very basic. However, there were not many professional, funny and readable sites for mid-level, business professionals. I'd found my niche. The twist I added was combining clinical psychology, global business and career counseling savvy.

Within 6 months of this project, I decided to launch my own blogsite - My Career Manager. This was a huge endeavor and concurrent learning curve. Building a site from scratch is exponentially more difficult than contributing posts to an existing site. Shortly after, I registered my name/trademark and launched my own Twitter feed - My Career Manager. Reading this, you may think it was easy for me or that I had some natural aptitude. I did not. Just figuring out the technology side was the hardest part for me. I had many set backs, moments of frustration and sometimes even writers' block. However I persevered.

About a year after starting to blog - another big opportunity awaited me. Based on the popularity of my content and size of my readership - several nationally-syndicated Career Websites contacted me. They asked me to write weekly content for them. My content would now be exposed on 600 Career Websites throughout the USA! Exciting, but very daunting. I agreed to this offer. You can now find my weekly posts by typing the name of your favorite American city and searching for me under authors.

Unemployedin_____.com (for major American Cities)
Jobsin______.com (for major American Cities)
Metro_____jobs.com (for major American Cities)
Diversity____jobs (for major American Cities)

Moral of this story, don't let fear hold you back. I'd encourage any and all of my readers to "up their game" to dive in head first into this social media, blogging, Web 2.0 ocean. It is scary, exciting and ultimately very rewarding. Feel free to contact me. I'm happy to "pay forward" any knowledge I may have gained in this process. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Your Career Manager

Sharon C.

Interculturally Competent and Considering a Global Business Career? ?

2010-08-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

• How can you become inter-culturally competent?
• What global business etiquette do you need?
• Do you have the SKE’s (skills, knowledge and experience) to compete globally?

One of the biggest trends in the 21rst century business landscape is the need for more global business executives. Increasingly, the boundaries between countries, cultures and business units are disappearing. Many business professionals choose to learn a second language and engage in international business and trade. Although many international MBA programs prepare students for business, they should also emphasize the cultural components for a successful Global Executive and successful expat assignments. The failure rate for global assignments is exponentially higher, than for national assignments.

Many, business professionals dream of working in glamorous, international destinations – but are not sure how to even begin to qualify for global jobs. A licensed career counselor, who specializes in global careers can help you create a “global career action plan.” Before you even begin considering which countries and companies and jobs to target – consider this. You may need industry specific psychometric testing, aptitude testing, career focus testing, and also assessments of your preferred “cultural style of conducting business.” Choosing a country as a global destination should be a well researched and well reasoned choice – not every country will be a match for you. I highly recomend informal or formal testing to determine your work style and business psychology style and the range of countries which you would be most suited for. See my post on “Random Expat Country Selection.”

Often, problems with expat assignments are not about an executives' experience or intelligence. Instead, most difficulties are due to intangible, cross-cultural misunderstandings. Thus, the choice of an expat assignment should not be taken lightly. It should be closely researched and matched with the SKE’s of a particular candidate. Remember, that a global employer will typically have to pay 3 times as much to import a worker as to hire a local worker. In many socialized countries, the employer will need to formally post the position through local channels and gather evidence that there aren’t any locals to fill the position. Only then, can they qualify to apply for an international worker. You will need to have some very, unique skills or some fabulous business contacts to even pass this first hurdle. Once selected, employers are very concerned that an Expat or ‘imported worker’ will not be able to withstand the rigors of a foreign assignment and foreign culture. In these risk-averse times, employers will look at your previous global experience and track record. Successful global experience is the best predictor of good adaptation and quick adjustment to new global assignments. Are you a good risk? How can you begin to build your global portfolio?

Once you are on the job, consider the cultural implications and cultural mores of doing business on a global scale. Learn how to navigate a new country, culture and business environment in an inter-culturally-sensitive way. This is an essential global, career skill. What we, as North Americans assume are standard business norms, are in fact culture-bound constructs. See my post on “Stages of Identity Development.

Working abroad will not be business as usual. It will instead contain an exciting, often bewildering and steep learning curve. Added to the complexity is any given individuals degree of acculturation. Some global professionals may in fact be bi-cultural, speak several languages and have more fluid business styles. I am someone who has lived, worked and studied in various global locations and am multi-lingual. The initial adjustment to a new global location can be very challenging, but for me – it has been ultimately rewarding.

More related readings
Take your MBA Global: Tips for International Executives.
Impact Of The Economic Stimulus Package On International Job Seekers And H1B Applicants
American Brain Drain = Global Gain: International MBA Students In The USA
The American Job Search and Cultural Roadblocks: Don’t Get Derailed!
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Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP.

Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.
"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Take your MBA Global! Tips for International Executives

2010-08-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

What are the hot, global trends in business?
Do you have the SKE’s (skills, knowledge and experience) to compete globally?
Do you have a high degree of inter-cultural competency? How do you know?

Read on about the global, career trends for international business...

One of the biggest trends in the 21rst century business landscape is the need for more global business executives. Increasingly, the boundaries between countries, cultures and business units are disappearing. However, there is a dearth of North American business professionals with the global skills to compete on this level. This is a hot new specialty and many business professionals are scrambling to attain mastery of inter-cultural competency. One of the first things to consider is language fluency and whether you are ready, willing, able to learn a second language. In many sectors, though English may be used a knowledge of the local language would give you a huge competitive advantage.

Although many International MBA programs prepare students for business, some fail to teach the cultural components for a successful Global Executive. The latest McKinsey Global Survey details these global trends. "According to this Global Survey "Executives around the world see innovation and the free flow of information as the primary drivers of an accelerating pace of change in the global business environment." McKinsey Global Survey

These trends are shaping many American business schools and MBA programs. As an MBA Graduate Career Counselor at the Robinson College of Business I specialize in global career coaching, global HR, and expat country selection. My role is to sensitize and educate MBA's in intercultural communication, global business ettiquette and the rigors of an international, job search. It is not possible to prepare students for any and all global business eventualities, but we can teach students how to prepare for expat assignments. Since several of my MBA cohorts study, live and intern abroad - the global component is doubly important.

In fact, our Global Partners MBA program is singularly unique since students live and work in 4 countries: USA, France, Brazil and China As part of their career support, these students receive a battery of career, personality and inter-cultural tests to determine the best "country-fit." Addionally, we offer a Masters of International Business degree, which also includes a 4 month, global internship as well as study abroad components. The choice of an expat assignment should not be taken lightly. It should be closely researched and matched with the SKE’s of a particular candidate. See my post on Random Expat Country Selection. If you are also considering a globally, focused MBA, ask your potential school what onboarding and expat support is offered. Ask whether they have a dedicated, Career Advisor and if that advisor is multi-lingual and has global experience. Ask whether the program is truly global, will you live/work/study in other countries or is there an option to intern abroad?

Potential global executives must also consider the cultural implications and cultural mores of doing business on a global scale. Learning how to navigate a new country, culture and business environment in an inter-culturally-sensitive way is fast becoming an essential skill. What we, as North Americans assume are standard business norms are in fact culture-bound constructs. Added to the complexity is any given individuals degree of acculturation. Some global professionals may in fact be bi-cultural, speak several languages and have more fluid business styles. See my post on What Is Your Stage Of Identity Development? The Increasing Globalization Of The Workplace

Global Business Professionals - how they are assessed by international recruiters?

The professional component (includes education and work-experience). How is business in your field, different on a local, national or global scale?
The “international IQ” component, which measures your level of international and intercultural awareness. (stay tuned for my next post on this topic) Are you inter-culturally competent with a high degree of international IQ? Have you lived, worked, studies in multiple countries? Are you multi-lingual?

Note: research has found that the BEST American candidates (the star performers) are only at a minimum qualification level to survive the rigors of international employment! It is a whole different ball-game in the global arena. Working abroad will not be business as usual. It will instead contain an exciting, often bewildering and steep, learning curve. By the end of our Global MBA program and Masters of International Business programs our students have begun their journey towards inter-cultural competency and international IQ. Are you ready for global business?

10 HOT LinkedIn Groups for Career Transition!

2010-08-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

@mycareermanager

Are you "really" using LinkedIn (or have you just posted your resume)?
Do you want to connect with more professionals and network online?
Do you want to join industry groups?
Could your current job search use a boost?

If so, then read on to hear about how LI groups are one of the most powerful features, of this social media tool. See a hot list of popular LI groups for job seekers.

One of the most useful aspect of LinkedIn, is the Group feature. This feature is, in my opinion even more useful and more important than the number of people in your LI network. However, it's usage can be intimidating and many consider group membership an intermediate to advanced skill. Here are some tips to get started.
I am assuming you have already mastered the initial LI application and created a profile. I highly recommend that all LI members search out industry specific groups (ie: HR, supply chain, engineering, finance etc). You will need to formally apply to join groups and each group has different membership criteria. For some groups you will need to pay and join their live networking group first. Other groups are purely online and most LI groups do not have a membership fee, they just verify that you are in their industry. However, once a group manager vets your credentials and accepts your membership you can immediately begin using the features.

For job seekers, the ability to network online is incredibly valuable. If you have been job-searching for more than a few months, your leads list of employers and potential companies could use a refresher. In fact, LI is a great way to find out what's new, what's hot, who's hiring and who the key industry experts are. Even if you are not job searching, it is essential to build and grow your professional networks. If you are in a speciality or niche area, you may be the only one of your kind, at a given workplace. There is no longer any excuse to be isolated from peers in your industry. My primary use of groups is to connect to peers in Global Human Resources, Career Counseling and Higher Education. I check out which topics and trends are hot and actively contribute to my industry. At first when you join a group, you may just read the various discussion threads and note who the key contributors are. Over time, as your comfort level increases, you may add comments to various discussions and actively engage. If you feel bold, you may create queries or discussion threads of your own. In addition to joining industry specific groups (using key words), there are many general job search groups. Below is a list of LI groups which you can check out. Before joining, read about a groups mission, the group founder and the membership stats. Then, jump right in.

10 HOT LinkedIn Groups for Job Seekers!

1. Global Worker - Group for global business professionals seeking international opportunities.

2. HR Global Executive - Group for executives, recruiters and HR professionals interested in global opportunties.

3. JobsDirectUSA - Official job search group on LinkedIn for JobsDirectUSA.com.

4. Executive Suite - Community of over 100,000 US-based executive-level and recruiter members.

5. CareerLink Network - Community providing job seekers spiritual, physical, social, mental, economic and personal growth to meet their ever-evolving needs

6. MyCredentials - Career Presentation - Group helping members to network, expand their resumes and enhance their interview skills.

7. JibberJobber - Career Management - Network for executives, professionals, students and all those involved in the career services industry, including counselors, coaches and resume writers.

8. ResumeMaker Career Network - Forum connecting qualified job seekers with hiring managers and corporate recruiters as well as allowing candidates to discuss and share career opportunities.

9. Personal Branding Network - Consortium for all professionals looking to build powerful personal brands.

10. Indeed.com - Official job search group on LinkedIn for Indeed.com.

A huge added bonus to LI group membership, is what's called "first degree access" to it's membership directory. For general LI usage, you will need to be introduced to someone, before you can contact them for business purposes. However, once you are a group member on LI, you can immediately contact other group members - directly! You do not need an introduction. This is especially useful when you are a member of industry groups or job resource groups. Hope to see you all on LI!

Related Blog posts:

LinkedIn Fashions What's Hot, What's not! (Fresh ideas)

5 New LinkedIn Fashions for Personal Branding: What’s Hot, What’s Not!
ATS Software Is Screening Your Resume! 5 Resources To Get Noticed!
11 Facebook Applications To Launch Your Job Search!

Virtual Career Counseling – It’s Hot! Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

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Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

The Career Skills Triangle - Essential Marketing for Career Transition!

2010-07-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

Planning a Career Transition, but don't know where to start?
Heard about Personal Branding, but unsure how it applies to you?
Wondering how to sell your skills, in an overcrowded market?

As someone who works with both employers and job-seekers, let me share some career-transition marketing tips. As a job seeker, the first thing you need to understand is that the job search is not just about you.

Finding a match between employer and employee is like finding a mate. Continuing with this wedding analogy, a wedding is not just about the bride and groom - rather it is about uniting two families. In this fashion, getting hired is about uniting the right candidate with the right company.
Since the company is paying the salary the hiring process is skewed in their favor, especially in a 'down economy.' Job search is intimately related to a given industries' contraction or expansionary trends. Consider what skills are required by a specific company in specific industry and the job vacancies they need to fill. Employers and recruiters must build a business case, each time they request funding to fill a vacancy. In these tight, financial times, each hire will reflect directly on the Human Resource Manager who made the decision. Bottom line - any potential 'hire' must meet a company's business needs.

In applying for jobs and/or while planning a career transition you will need to market yourself to employers. Candidates need to connect the dots and explain concretely how all of their skills relate to a specific job posting. It is not the employers' job to analyze your background and then slot you in a position.

The Career Skills Triangle can help you understand all of the angles and skills which employers require. Consider what a candidate would be like if their skills only filled one side of the triangle or 2 sides of the triangle. Think about the different combinations of skills or lack of skills and how this would impact the hiring and recruitment process. Frequently, the candidate hired is the one who has the highest overall combination of skills from all three sides of the Career Skills Triangle. I would encourage you to look closely at all three skill areas. Do not make the mistake of focusing exclusively on your technical skills. Market all of your skills on your professional paper-tools/resumes and in the interview process. Know your strengths and work on improving your weakness'.

For those of you who are visual learners like me, conceptualize each of the categories below as the side of a triangle. All three skill sets are required to make a complete triangle or well rounded candidate.

Career Transition Skills Triangle

• Technical skills. These include your computer skills, your job-specific skills and your industry-specific skills. I.E. if you are in FMCG, Fast Moving Consumer Goods you may have specialty knowledge about your particular subsector and product line. These skills are often particular to a specific, job-role or position. Remember, an employer can easily send a new hire to a course to upgrade their technical skills.

• Transferable skills. These include all of the skills gained through your previous work experience, life experience and education. These are not job specific skills, but rather innate skills which you carry or transfer from job to job. For instance, on your last job you may have had to create detailed Excel spreadsheets for an Insurance company. This ability to analyze and problem solve at a granular level is an example of a transferable skills. You could apply these general, skills to a variety of work tasks and work situations.

• Interpersonal skills. These skills refer to your ability to connect, relate, listen and communicate with others. These days the term Emotional IQ or Intelligence is very trendy. For instance, you may have had to use your interpersonal skills when selling products to customers in your role as an Alternative Energy Consultant. You had to develop a relationship with your client and build on that trust. This ability to build relationships, listen and communicate clearly are your key interpersonal skills. They may also be examples of your transferable skills. Also, keep in mind that each company will have their own company culture. Often candidates are not hired since the are perceived to be a 'poor, potential fit' with the current employees or work team.

In order to maintain a competitive advantage as a job seeker, you must consider your target market. The recruiters’ and employers’ needs should be the focus of your self-marketing strategy. A savvy career changer will work hard to research their target market and learn to customize their approach. In this highly charged, highly competitive job market you must take into account the goals, needs and desires of the employers. I would highly recommend that all potential job seekers and career changers take stock of all 3 aspects of their career transition profile. Develop lists of skills for each of the 3 categories . Create detailed, examples of how you gained these skills and how you used these skills in real world applications.

Stay tuned for upcoming postsabout the “Top 10 Skills which Employers Require” and a “True Story of Emotional Intelligence under Pressure.”

• Career Direction: Cast Adrift In A Challenging Economy
• Career Transition Action Plan
• Execute Your Job Search Strategy Using Gantt Charts
• How The Hidden Job Market Found Me Pull Method Of Marketing

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Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Career Courage - Learn to be Imperfect: Move Forward with Your Goals!

2010-07-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Do you feel stuck, trapped and confused about your career direction?
Are you running out of career ideas and job postings to explore?
Keep blaming yourself for past decisions, and wondering what if?
Feel fearful about the future?

Read on to learn about Adler's Psychological Theory of Courage. Get Unstuck!

I loved learning about the psychological theories of Alfred Adler, while I was a Graduate student at the Adler School of Professional Psychology. Unlike many other paradigms of Psychology which begin and end with the individual, Adlerian Psychologists also analyze the social milieau of an individual.

The concepts of belonging, social responsibility and social embeddedness really resonated with me. Alfred Adler (1870–1937) was a Social Psychologist and one of the founding members of the Psychoanalytical Society of Vienna. He was a contemporary of Freud, not a pupil of Freud. However, Freud was excellent at marketing and self promotion. Hence, Freud is still famous today though most of his theories have been discarded. Alternately, Adler focused on his patients not on himself. In fact, during his lifetime, Alfred Adler never wrote a single book about his theories. Post-humously, his adherents began to gather and consolidate the body of his work. His ideas were so ahead of his time that they are still fresh 100 years later. His theories have formed the basis of modern, Psychology. In the business world a buzzword is "corporate social responsibility" however, this concept was posited a 100 years ago by Adler.

One area of Adlerian Psychology I'd like to share with you is his concept of courage and his phrase "the courage to be imperfect." He defined courage as the willingness to take risks when you don’t know the consequences or when you think the consequences may be negative. The willingness or the courage to be imperfect is what moves us towards growth.

When someone is discouraged in the Adlerian sense, they may freeze due to fear or they may feel stuck. Instead of taking action, they complain, blame, make excuses or defend their choices. Over time, they may convince themselves that inaction is the best course of action. Adlerian Psychologists posit that a lack of courage underlies all neuroses and problems which individuals and societies experience. He encouraged people to strive towards goals even though they weren’t perfect individuals and the conditions weren’t perfect.

In the shifting realities of a modern career, it is easy to become fearful, lack courage and even become discouraged about the future. Navigating a career path is more complex today than ever before. We no longer are expected to, nor do we necessarily want to, follow in our parents' career footsteps. There is a baffling array of career choices, career challenges and even job titles. According to the 2 primary employment directories for job categories; O’Net (USA) and NOC (Canada) there are over 10,000 primary categories of jobs! Additionally, with technological advances and globalization, new categories of jobs are continually being created. In fact, there are jobs today – which didn't exist 6 months ago. Thus, as a career counselor my role is to encourage and educate my clients and help them persevere despite adversity in their personal or professional lives.

One of the most common job search errors is not researching job categories. Often my clients come to me frustrated, since they have only searched for a handful of potential job titles or roles and have run out of ideas. Don't narrow your job search too quickly. Most people who are not in the career field, only utilize 5-10% of the total types of jobs, which they are eligible for. They just don’t know what is out there or how to position themselves for a career transition. This is where thorough, self exploration, guided exploration with a counselor and even formal career testing is essential.

Remember, each job will position you for the next job. However, it is of paramount importance to accept yourself and do the best you can. Work towards your goals with courage and self-reliance and you are more likely to reach your goals. At least will have tried and will have a sense of progress. When performing a self-assessment, I help guide my clients through a process of exploration. Below are some preliminary questions to consider as you begin your career exploration process.

Questions to help you get unstuck in your career exploration?

1. What activities do you enjoy?

2. How do you like to spend your time?
3. What do you feel are your talents, skills and abilities?
4. What experience can you draw upon for a new career position?
5. What makes you unique?
6. What characteristics of a job are needed to provide you with long-term energy and motivation?
7. What elements of your work and career do you value most?

Have the courage to explore other career options and if needed, face a career transition!

Here are my other related posts about Career Transition and Career Exploration
Career Transition Action Plan
Career Transition Confusion? 7 Types of Psychological Motivation
Career Transition And 4 Stage Career Planning: Bitten Off More Than You Can Chew?

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"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen/
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Gen X "The Sandwich Generation" 10 Strategic Hiring and Retention Tips

2010-06-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

• In your 30’s-early 40's and feel your career has stalled?
• None of the standard workplace incentives motivate you?
• Looking for a company where you really "fit" in?
• Taken for granted, yet feel squeezed by the Baby Boomers and Generation Y?

Welcome to Generation X! We are a small cohort of 44 million and are the filling in the population pyramid sandwich. We are squeezed by two generations who are double our size: the Baby Boomers before us and Gen Y or Millenials who came after us.

Check out my previous article with info on each of the major American Population Cohorts "Are You A Middle Child? Generation X and Adlerian Birth Order"
For the purposes of this article I will use the following abbreviations Xer's for Generation X, GY for Generation Y and BB for Baby Boomers.

Often there may only be one Gen Xer in a particular department or work-unit. We don't automatically have the same-age, cohort collegiality which BB and GY automatically enjoy. If we have friends, we have had to make efforts to relate to others who are quite different from us. By necessity, we have developed strong interpersonal and communication skills. Is it any wonder we crave inter-personal relations and seek friends wherever we can? Many of our personal friends are either older or younger. We rarely find someone our age.

Many Xers have had a rougher, career path than previous generations. We graduated from college in the early 90’s during a recession. While the Baby Boomers were in their prime, we struggled to get a toe-hold in a very competitive job market. Next, we survived the dot.com bust while the BB filled the top management positions. Unlike previous generations, by all indications, the BB generation won’t retire at ge 65. Also, Gen Y is graduating from college, they are cheaper hires than us and are continually nipping at our heels. This early exposure to the harshest aspects of the job market, has made us somewhat cynical as well as fiercely independent and in many cases, quite entrepreneurial.

It’s no wonder that many Gen Xers feel like they have been “sold a bill of goods!” By the time Gen X hit the workforce, the cradle to grave employment premise had imploded. The implicit contract between employer and employee never existed for us – like it did for our parents. For us, hard work and loyalty will not be rewarded with security, benefits or a career-long, job. We have been accused of frivolously flitting to new jobs every 3 or so years.We have been in a constant state of turmoil and career flux. Some jobs we took worked out, others were dead-ends which stalled our careers. Like a forgotten, middle child we’ve been taken for granted or left to figure it out on our own. Our parents couldn’t help guide our careers, since all of the rules had changed. As a result, the easy promotions, mentoring and supports BB received, passed us by.

10 Factors for Gen X Hiring and Retention

1. Understand that Gen X has many valid reasons to distrust corporate culture. They have had all of the responsibilities and very few of the perks.

2. HR staff should learn about our values and motivators and incorporate this into the basic fabric of their organization. Gen Xers' needs are very different than the preceding BBs' or subsequent GYs'.

3. We need and continually seek, mutually, supportive work-settings. Companies can help us by focusing on improving collaboration within and between departments. Ask for our input and let us know it's valuable.

4. Create a challenging, varied and intellectually stimulating work culture. This factor is key to both hiring and long-term, retention for Xers'.

5. The hyper-competitive, Yuppie model will smother an Xer and demotivate them.

6. Demonstrate transparency in hiring, retention and promotions. Show what the goals and steps are which will get you to the next level.

7. Acknowledge our pivotal role in the population pyramid. We can bridge the generation-gap and demographic, time-gap between the Boomers and the Gen Yers.

8. Provide training, mentoring and development. Ask us specifically what we need, then impliment it.

9. Plan a viable career path for Xers'. Show us that there are opportunities for career progression if they stay with your company

10. Understand our need for work/life balance. Provide: flextime, part-time work and telecommuting.

Tips for Supporting and Retaining Gen X staff:

A recent Deloitte study warns of a wave of Gen X job change, once the economy recovers. In fact only 36% stated that they plan to stay with their current employers. This study also reports that many executives and HR professionals have focused almost exclusively on retaining Boomer staff and hiring Gen Y. Many HR professionals are almost completely unaware of the Gen X’s cohort’s unique need and/or employee complaints. Giving us more money, won't help!

There is interesting, new research about what motivates Generation X in the workplace Check out a book called "The NeXt Revolution" by J. Shelton. It explores generational factors for Employee Retention. Of note: most Human Resource policies have been written by Baby Boomers for Baby Boomers. As a result, many companies are experiencing major staff retention issues. This will only get worse once the economy recovers. In NeXt Revolution, they polled 1,200 Gen X employees and rank, in order of importance, 15 job characteristics for employee satisfaction. According to this research the top 3 factors cited for Gen Xer employee motivation/satisfaction include: positive relationships with colleagues, interesting work and continuous opportunities for learning.

Remember that the Boomers are not yet ready to retire, nor is Gen Y ready to take over the C-suite. We Xers are a small cohort of 44 million, but we are essential to bridge the generation gap. There is an aging population pyramid in the USA, as compared to many emerging economies such as the BRICK countries *(Brazil, Russia, India, China and Korea). If we hope to retain our competitive, global advantage we need to develop and maximize our entire workforce population. All we ask is that you include Gen X in the workplace equation.
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Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

10 Psychological Tips to Ace your Next Interview!

2010-06-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

• Do your dread interview questions?
• Never get call-backs for the 2nd Interviews?
• Want to Increase your Interview Success?

The Psychology behind the interview process is both complex and fascinating. If understood and used correctly, it can add a tremendous boost for job-seekers. As a Career Management Professional, my role is that of a go-between who mediates between the employers and candidates. I'd like to share what I've observed about the Psychology of Interviews...

As a licensed, Psychological Counselor and Career Transition Specialist my work is interdisciplinary and includes Psychology, Counseling, Human Resources, Recruitment and Career Education. I work with both candidates and employers to faciliate the hiring process. With 600+ MBA’s on my career caseload each semester, I have the unique opportunity to observe and examine the latest interview and hiring trends. Sometimes employers are frustrated since they are not able to find the type of candidate they are seeking. Alternately, highly-qualified candidates may be discouraged at the lack of ‘call-backs. These candidates may receive plenty of initial interviews, but never make it to the second and third round of interviewing. Each side would be well served, by putting themselves in the others’ shoes. If recruiters do not clearly define their hiring needs, they cannot formulate effective candidate selection processes or interviews. If candidates do not clearly understand their abilities and limitations, they may find themselves in irrelevant interviews or in over their heads. The process of selecting the “right” candidate is a pressure cooker on both sides.

What I've concluded is that candidates shouldn't focus on which interview questions are popular at any given time. Instead, they should learn about the psychological patterns or drivers which underlie interview questions. Often, candidate selection is more than just an impartial assessment of education, degrees, GPA, qualifications or even experience. Sometimes the hiring decisions I observe are truly perplexing. Rather than trying to create answers for the top 50 interview questions or fretting about what you will be asked, I'd encourage you to address the employers’ Psychological Drivers.

Here is my list of Key Psychological Drivers (linked to common interview questions)

1. Confidence and Assertiveness: ie: what are your strengths/weakness, why should I hire you? What are your salary expectations?

2. Interpersonal Skills: Here is an example of …… How would you communicate this issue? Describe the worst coworker/boss you have ever had – how did you deal with the interpersonal conflict? Walk me through the process.

3. Decision Making & Problem Solving: Tell me about a time when you attempted something and it failed/succeeded…Here is a list of activities, sort them by priority.

4. Conflict Resolution: Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a conflict, interact with VP’s etc…How would you deal with

5. Critical Thinking: What would you do if you were given the task of … Describe your process and your rationale…

6. Leadership: Tell me about a time when you managed others? What did you learn about leadership, yourself? Provide examples. Have you ever “inherited” existing staff, what did you do to get buy-in from this staff?

7. Motivation: How do you stay current in your field, provide specific examples? Why do you want to work for us?

8. Teamwork Abilities: Tell me about your last group project – what went well, what didn’t.

9. Planning & Organization: Here is a list of 5 typical daily tasks, organize and prioritize them and tell me your rationale.

10. Professionalism: How would you define and operationalize professionalism? Provide examples. …

Create detailed answers to these Psychological Drivers. Think like an attorney, you will need to quote precedents, examples, and provide detailed scenarios. Just saying you have a particular skill is meaningless. Do not just provide the standard, formulaic answers. Instead, allay the employer concerns by truly understanding what they are asking.

Need more support? Haven’t interviewed in years?
Get ahead of the competition and seek out interview coaching from an experienced, career counselor. Ideally, your counselor should be well versed in job-task analysis, formal, candidate selection, candidate recruitment, labor market analysis and candidate prescreening/interviewing. If they work closely with employers in the candidate-selection arena, they can offer interview coaching for specific business sectors. There is no substitution for thorough employer research, and well crafted interview answers. I’d love to hear how my readers are handling the interview process. Feel free to leave your comments and/or questions on this blogsite.

Further reading.
• What Are Your Strengths And Weakness: Conduct A SWOT Analysis
• Why Interviews Are Just Like Texas Hold-em Poker!!!
• Proxemics – The Psychology Of Positioning: Use This For Interview Success
• How The Hidden Job Market Found Me Pull Method Of Marketing

=========================================================== Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

• Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
• My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/
(see alphabetical listing of all my posts at the bottom of my site)

5 Reasons to Get a Career Tune-Up Today!

2010-06-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

How do I know if I need a Career Tune up?

Are you currently dealing with change?
Do you lack a career focus?
Are you considering alternative, career options?
Do you plan to job search?
Are you currently looking for a new job?

If you answered yes, to any of these questions you could benefit from a career tune-up. Most clients do not need long-term, career counseling which can drag on for months or even years! Instead, I advocate short-term, solution-focused career, tune-ups.

A career tune up is very similar to an exercise tune-up. An experienced personal trainer is just like an experienced, career coach. Both individuals can motivate you, help you develop an effective routine, provide structure and accountability, address your unique needs and help you reach your goals faster. Remember, the weekly expense of being out of work far, far outweighs what a short-term, solution-focused, career tune-up will cost. Additionally, an ethical counselor will teach you how to manage your career, not just provide short-term answers. After a career tune up, you will be much better equipped to to job search and/or deal with career challenges. Client testimonials.

Over the past 15 years of counseling, I have provided career tune-up sessions and practical, job search training to thousands of clients. Clients prefer a hands-on, short-term approach. This is so popular, that I have packaged my services to reflect a “career tune-up style.” Many of my career tune-ups are monthly packages of 4-8 sessions of virtual career counseling. I customize the career sessions for each clients’ unique needs and provide specific career education and homework assignments between sessions. An annual, career tune up is also very popular. Clients may reconnect with me for a session or two and ensure they are staying on track with their long-term, career goals.

Note: the shorter the number of sessions to achieve your goals, the more experienced the counselor will need to be. There are a variety of topics which lend themselves to career tune ups such; career testing and exploration, developing a career focus, job search, creating a resume and interviewing. Career Tune-up Packages.

5 Career Tune-ups for your Career Needs

1. Dealing With Change: Do you feel stuck in your career? Do you want to transition to a new field? If so you can use a tune up to debrief about career changes and/or plan a transition. During this first stage, you will choose a counselor and get to know them. The counselor builds the counseling relationship by providing unconditional positive regard, using active listening, exploring the personal and emotional issues related to the career development process and uncovering possible obstacles change. You and your counselor will explore your career history, educational background and upcoming goals. A counselor can also help you manage the emotional damage of an unexpected lay off or sudden job-loss.

2. Developing Career Focus: Are you unclear about what direction to take? Are you overwhelmed with career options and choices? Do you find yourself randomly applying for jobs online or on job boards? An experienced, career counselor can help you develop a career focus. Many people can benefit from a thorough evaluation of their career talents/aptitudes, motivators and personality variables. The counselor supports the exploration process and collaboratively, interprets the test results. A co-creative process of discussion and brainstorming ensues. Note: we can help you explore what is important to you, but we do not have a crystal ball.

3. Exploring Career Options: What if all of the career choices sound great? What if none of the choices sound great? What if you are still confused? In this stage, the counselor takes on the added role of educator and helps the client gain a realistic understanding of the tasks involved in career exploration. Additionally, I help clients interpret labor market trends and review 5 year economic forcasts, for their chosen career. There is nothing worse than jumping into a new field, only to discover it is a dying industrty! The career counselor helps the client interpret their career exploration experiences, gaining insight into his or her career identity and fine-tuning their career goals. Each client will need to research a given industry, career or functional area. I encourage my clients’ to meet with professionals in the industries they are considering. Informational Interviews are one of the best methods of learning about a particular career, without actually working in the profession. Additionally, other resources such as books, web sites or job search groups and clubs may be recommended by the counselor.

4. Preparing for Job Search: Where do I begin? I haven’t job-searched in years and everything has changed. Or, how hard can it be? The biggest mistake which most people make, is jumping into a search without any sense of their career direction and without having done any research. Plus, 90+% of jobs are never advertised, so do not wait for a job to be posted online. If a job search begins in a haphazard manner, then your career path will also be haphazard. Do you want to leave this to chance? A good counselor will provide very practical skill development in how to launch a job search. This is a skill you will need throughout your career and the earlier you learn how to do it, the better.

5. Obtaining Employment: Do I have the right type of resume and cover letter? What are the latest interview trends and questions? How can I convince an employer to hire me? How can I job search using Social Media? The counselor supports the client throughout the interview process and helps them prepare for specific positions. I love to help clients conduct a job task analysis and create a targeted plan for their top jobs. Each job posting will have specific requirements and each company will have a unique culture. The counselor can provide support, education and practical advice to meet each clients’ unique needs.

Get a Career Tune-up Today!

Related Articles:
Virtual Career Counseling

Counseling Packages

===================================================================
Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

Online Job-Board: Friend or Foe?

2010-06-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

Is your resume lost in outer space?

Is the terrain of a modern job search - alien to you?

Forget outer space, the job boards are the final frontier for most job seekers!

Ask yourself....

Why are online job boards, such a hot commodity?
Why are there millions of people on Monster, HotJobs, CareerBuilder, ExecuNet and the Ladders?
Do they really deliver? Do most people get jobs this way?

In case you haven’t already noticed, the traditional, job search system is broken. The system doesn’t work for job seekers and certainly doesn’t work for employers. The job-search and career landscape is in a state of turmoil. What career specialists advised clients 2 years ago, is barely relevant. Moreover, the majority of North Americans have never been formally trained in job search methodology, yet job life-spans are shrinking. The average American job may be less than two years! Then what? You will be out in the cold again, without the job search skills you need. Educate yourself, see a licensed career counselor, research the field. Most people use job boards, because that is what everyone else does, that is all they know.

Before spending hours and hours using a job-board, here's what I'd ask...

• What is the ratio of applicants to jobs on these boards?
• Will the posted jobs will be filled by job board users, or other methods?
• Is the posted job a “real” job, or has it already been filled by an internal candidate?
• Is it possible to compete on the job boards, with 5.5 million Americans' who are unemployed?
• Are there other "hidden jobs" which are never even posted?

Let's review common misconceptions about job boards...

1. It’s easy to create a profile on most boards and upload a resume. The job boards provide an anonymous way to access the best job-leads.

You may not have to endure face to face rejection on the job-boards. However, many of my clients report that their self esteem has taken a dive, since they never get a response after sending dozens of applications. People begin to question their desirability, their skills, education and experience. Additionally, there are too many people competing for too few jobs. Most of your competition, like you, may be over-relying on a single job search method. Would an Olympic athlete only use one exercise to train for competition? No, they’d cross train, mix it up, research the best multiple methods, hire a coach etc…

2.There always seems to be jobs available.

How many of these jobs are in actual companies with current vacancies? How many people do you know who were hired, after applying to a job-board posting? Using job boards is an ineffective, way to job search, though most people do not know what else to do. Public companies may post a position simply to comply with EEOC equal opportunity regulations and provide the appearance of impartiality/public access. In reality, there may already be an internal candidate who gets the promotion. Posting a job may be an exercise in corporate branding or public relations. There is very little to, no screening by the job boards to ensure that the jobs posted are ethical or that the companies are real. How many times have you seen ‘job postings to work at home and earn $80k a year”? Think about this.

3.My resume will get to the Human Resource staff right away, if I apply online.

The online method is not geared for the job seeker, minimally geared for the employer and is primarily a revenue source for the job-board company. Applicant tracking software, search parameters and “full inboxes” skew conditions against job seekers. The majority of resumes posted online are never personally reviewed. Top employers receive thousands of resumes a week, regardless of whether a job is posted. Getting a job offer using this passive method is equivalent to winning the lottery. Last week, one of my clients told me that they were thrilled to event get a rejection letter, from a job-board! Only 1-3% of job applicants, on job boards will receive a job offer. Most people will just submit resumes, but NEVER hear back. This is a huge time waster.

4. What is the alternative?

The vast majority of Career Specialists would tell you to create a career action plan and a targeted strategy to access the decision makers. Instead of waiting passively for jobs to be posted, you will need to set your own career direction and create a job-search plan - based on job search best practices. You will need to tap into the hidden job market. What is this, you ask? The Hidden Job Market is comprised of all of the jobs, which are never advertised. In a normal economy 70-80% of jobs are not advertised, currently 85-90% of job openings are hidden. One Department Manager I spoke with recently, has taken a reverse approach. He was tired of being inundated with job applicants who's skills were not a match. He has refused to post jobs and hasn't advertised a position in years! Ask yourself, how does he keep his department well staffed?

To address these issues, I’ve developed a series of workshops on Job Search Strategy and Accessing the Hidden Job Market. I teach these workshops to my business students at the University and to professionals in the community. For my global clients, I’ve also created a virtual advising package to “Access the Hidden Job Market.” This is my most popular program. Feel free to read my client testimonials. Each job seeker is unique and will have their own individual job history and job search targets. Thus, when it comes to hidden job market strategy, ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL.

My Related Blog Posts...

Stay tuned for Online Job Board: Friend or Foe? (Part II)
=================================================

"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen

My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager

Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

LinkedIn Fashions for Personal Branding: What’s Hot, What’s Not! (Part II)

2010-06-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Still think your LinkedIn page looks bland?
Want to trick out your page with a fresh style?

You asked for more LinkedIn fashion tips! Here goes...

What is in style today, may not be in style tomorrow. Stay up to date on LI fashions, style conventions and apps to ensure that your LI page is evolving along with the trends. Devote time each week, to staying current, active and up to date.

Check out Part I New LinkedIn Fashions for Personal Branding: What’s Hot, What’s Not!

Find a career counselor who is versed in using social media for career managment, personal branding and job search. Used correctly LinkedIn is a fabulous research tool for gathering intel about companies, employers, industry trends or individuals. LinkedIn and other online, social media are continually evolving, so should you.

For the remainder of this article, I will use LI as an abbreviation for LinkedIn.

1. Not Hot! Inconsistent format, grammar and style. Do not just copy and paste your resume onto your LI page! A LinkedIn Webpage has its’ own unique style conventions, norms and idiosyncrasies. Each section and subsection should flow seamlessly. Use action verbs. Use consistent tenses – ie: past tense for past jobs. Do not use past, passive verbs. This shows a lack of confidence. Conduct a people search and check out how other professionals in your field style their LI pages.

2. Hot! Attention to detail and thoroughness will win you points! Provide detailed summaries of your work history. Listing your job titles alone – is not enough. Also, similarly to a resume, no one wants to read a “shopping list” of what you did. Instead describe the highlights and how you went above and beyond your stated role. For your education section don’t just list the names of schools you attended. List your professional associations, positions of leadership in school clubs/teams/sports. Show that you were an active participant. If your schooling is more than 10 years old and you have been in industry the whole time, don’t list dates.

3. Very Hot! Quantify what you did, show the ROI *(return on investment). You should always be earning more for a company, than what you are paid. Beware if you are in an inverse situation; higher salary, but your division/company is earning less/losing money or if you are in a cost-center rather than a revenue- generating center. You could lose your job. Employers want someone who is valuable, who brings skills that other workers do not have and who can save them money. When helping my clients craft custom LI pages, I ask them to add the size, scope, staff, scale, cost savings for each section of their profile.

4. Double Hot! Use LI as a cornerstone for your online, personal brand. Use your LI address and custom URL on your resume, business cards, brochures, e-zines, blogsites etc... If you are on other social networking sites but don’t have a blog, use your LI address as your main web-page. Each time you create a site link, your Google page rankings increase!

5. LI Apps are Hot and Free! There are many applications on LinkedIn which demonstrate your value. I particularly like the RSS feeds, Blogger and Wordpress feeds. Each time you update your profile, status or post a blog - your professional network will also receive the updates. Over time, you can position yourself as an expert. Upload and attach documents, upload your blog, recommend books, update your status regularly. No one wants a stale LI page. Keep it fresh.

6. Not hot! Forgetting to link all of your Social Media together. Save time by connecting your LI to your Twitter and to your Facebook. Once they are all connected, a single comment or update will post to all 3 sites. Twitter founder and CEO and LI founder and CEO are best buds and have just signed an agreement for auto-posting from both sites. Twitter and LI reciprocity is the easiest type to set up. Facebook reciprocity is still a work in progress.

7. Very Hot! Advanced LinkedIn. Become an SME Subject Matter Expert. Ask questions, answer questions for the general, LinkedIn population and within group discussion forums. People will rate the quality of your answers and this will greatly boost your profile and brand! Build your brand. Don’t be the neighbor who always asks to borrow ladders, tools, lawnmowers, but is never there to return the favor. You will get a bad reputation as a spammer or a “taker” if this is your approach to LI. Provide value to other LI members by posting answers to discussion threads within your groups. As your confidence increases, create your own discussion threads. Read blogs about LI and learn about trends.

8. Hot, posting recommendations on your LI page. If you are good at what you do, people will recommend you on LI and/or ask you to recommend them. Determine your personal rules for requesting or writing a recommendation. I always prefer quality of recommendations, over quantity. Post selective recommendations which are detailed, relevant and substantive. If you have a dozen+ recommendations, I’d wonder how many jobs you have had. Also, people may drill down into your recommenders’ LI profiles to verify legitimacy. Remember, once given a LI recommendation can hang around for years.

9. Molten Hot! Remember, unlike a resume, LI is a Social Networking site. You will need to be “social” and contribute to the community. Join industry and trade groups on LinkedIn and become an SME, Subject Matter Expert. Group membership is as valuable if not more so than network connections. By joining industry groups, you can directly email most people in the group without introductions!

10. Not Hot, spamming and incorrect use of groups. This is an ongoing, educational process and we have all been guilty of this at one time or another – usually due to ignorance. Mea Culpa. Read the groups' rules carefully before, during and after joining. Does the group fit for you? Use the subgroups and group pages tabs correctly. Currently the group membership limit is 50, but there isn’t limit to subgroups. Do not spam your groups with marketing materials or endless self promotion – strike a balance. Use subgroups to post jobs, events, promotions etc. The main discussion sections for most groups are just that, a forum to ask and answer pressing industry questions. This is not where you post “buy my widgets for $19.99!" This may be posted under the “services” tab or a subgroup section.

11. Hot and may save your reputation. Educate yourself about LI privacy settings and permissions. Beware: if you have set up an RSS Blog feed and your posts are rants about your job/boss. If your boss is in your network, (s)he will get your weekly rants, err blog posts delivered into their inbox as member updates! Do not list “looking for a job” in the title under your name, if coworkers, boss’ are members in your network. I have had several clients who did this, without understanding the privacy implications.

12. Bonus Hot Fashion Tip. Employers love to list “lifelong learning” on their job-descriptions. When I interview candidates, my favorite question is “how do you stay current in your industry?” I am looking for a very detailed answer. If you are part of LI groups, list the groups, mention the latest trends, bring up a “hot topic” – show that you are truly passionate about your field.

More Career Fashion Blog posts: What's Hot What's Not series...
10 HOT LinkedIn Groups for Career Transition!
Cover Letter Fashions: What’s Hot, What’s Not!
Resume Fashions: What’s Hot, What’s Not! (Part I)
Resume Fashions: What’s Hot, What’s Not (Part II)
==============================================================
Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Virtual Career Counseling: helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager http://www.mycareermanager.com/

5 New LinkedIn Fashions for Personal Branding: What’s Hot, What’s Not!

2010-05-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

Are employers searching for you online?
What will they find out about you?
Do you know the latest fashions for LinkedIn profiles?

Increasingly, Recruiters and Human Resource professionals research potential employees online via their LinkedIn profile. Thus, your reputation or personal brand is an essential career management issue. If this it hasn't yet impacted you, just wait until your next promotion or job search. What is your online reputation?
In order to maximize your strengths and promote a strong personal brand, check out this article using the Business School concept of SWOT Analysis. What Are Your Strengths And Weakness – SWOT Analysis? What is your Unique Selling Proposition? Why Should Employers Hire you?

There aren’t any consistent statistics on how many companies are checking out candidates online; estimates vary from a low of 20% to a high of 50+!' The writing is on the wall and this level of 'snooping' or candidate research is on the upswing. At GSU, our career counseling team has spoken to many HR professionals and recruiters about this. Off the record, the majority admit that they do check out candidates' LinkedIn profiles and online reputation, especially before calling candidates for interviews and when recruiting Business professionals for key roles.

This trends is already in full swing. Job candidates are being recruited based on the '”online,” LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter contacts' they can bring to a company! This is no different than the 'book' or Rolodex of contacts from our father's generation - just that now the contacts are online. In fact, Best Buy pre-screens job seekers for social media roles, based on a having at least 250 Twitter Followers! This contagion is spreading beyond the borders of IT, CIS and Social Media jobs.

Thus, I advise my business clients and graduate students to include their LinkedIn URL address in the Header section of their resumes. (see my post on Resume Fashions: What’s Hot, What’s Not! (Part I). An online, LinkedIn address is becoming as important an 'address' as a home address.

In Accounting circles we refer to the top employers as the Big 4. In Social Media, Personal Branding and Career Management circles we now refer to the top online, Social Networking sites as the Big 3: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Companies are analyzing whether you are who you say you are and if your online image fits their company image. Your professional image is largely determined by what’s on your LinkedIn profile. Employers will Google you and vet your LinkedIn profile. Google yourself and find out@! What is your current online image? Don't have one? What does this say about you?

LinkedIn Fashion Tips and Faux Pas: What's hot and what's not!

1. Not Hot or Faux Pas: Many, many profiles still have spelling, grammar and punctuation errors on the main page. Also, people are still creating their LI page by copying and pasting their resume content. This is not recommended. LI has it's only style conventions, norms and protocols. Also, proofread your professional recommendations, before you accept and post them on your LI page. If there are errors, email the corrections to the "referral source" and ask them to resubmit it.

2. Not Hot, in fact useless. The standard, LI Profile completeness score is an empty statistic! Most people are easily fooled when they see a high percentage % of completeness score. This score reflects quantity, and shows that you have filled in some of the blanks. It is NOT a score which accesses quality. It is equivalent to turning in a 10 page book report after the instructor specified it should be 10 pages long. Do you deserve an A or 100% because it is 10 pages in length? Or is the content and quality more important than the length? I use a special LI assessment tool with my clients to really analyze their profile strength, identify weakness’ and build their site. This is essential.

3. Newly Hot: In the early days of LinkedIn 2-3 years ago, the majority of people didn't have photos on their profile page. The tide has turned, and most people have a head shot. An Avatar is not advisable and can be viewed with suspicion. Get a fresh, professional head shot and post it. If you are a brand, you want people to relate to you and without a product image - you - this is much more difficult

4. Very Hot: under the ‘Websites section,’ you can include custom titles and custom URL links. The standard titles: “My Company” and “My graduate school” are okay. You can create custom titles using the "Other” category of URL and provide more details. Again, this is all about standing out in a crowd and differentiating yourself.

5. Smokin' hot: create a Vanity URL for your LI address. This is just like a custom license plate for your car - only it's free! This will show people that you are in the know and are social media savvy. Don't just keep the random jumble of numbers, letter assigned to you. Pay attention to your online, personal brand!

More Career Fashion Blog posts: What's Hot What's Not series...

Cover Letter Fashions: What’s Hot, What’s Not!

Resume Fashions: What’s Hot, What’s Not! (Part I)

Resume Fashions: What’s Hot, What’s Not (Part II)
===============================================================
Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology,CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager www.mycareermanager.com/

College Graduate? Tap into your Alumni Career Services for Free Job-Search Tools!

2010-05-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

(Career Transition Action Plan Part III)

Are you a college student who needs a job?

Are you a recent graduate who needs a job?

Are you an alumnus from way back, who needs a job or is in career transition?

Would you like to re-energize your job search and tap into low cost or free resources?

If so, read on…

This Blog post is the 3rd in a series for career changers, people in career transition and job seekers. Here are the URL live links for the first two blog posts.

a. Career Transition Action Plan Part I

b. Career Transition Action Plan Part II

Now that you have reviewed Part I and Part II, you are ready for Part III!

If you are a current college student, chances are that you are eligible for a whole host of career services. Your student fees and technology fees have already paid for these services, why not make use of them. Contact your Career Services department and ask to speak to a Career Counselor. Check out the Career Events Calendar, College Job Board, On Campus Recruiting and Mock Interviews. Join student groups, live networking events and join online LinkedIn and Social Media networks for your school. Don’t miss out!

If you are a college graduate, or long-term alumnus you can tap into your University Alumni Services. If you are out of state or out of the county, you can still get access to great, online or virtual career resources. The array of services is more limited for alumnus, than for current students, who pay technology and service fees each semester. You will need to register with your University Alumni Department and pay your annual alumnus membership fees ($35 to $100 a year). For some high cost or specialty events or catered events, there may be a small additional charge.

At GSU, our alumni services offer a wide variety of monthly mixers, online networking, LinkedIn groups, employer and leisure events. Recently, one of my graduates networked successfully during an Alumni softball tournament and scored an interview! You never know who you will meet who can help you, or where you will meet them. Be open to all possibilities. (See bottom of post for URL links to GSU services)

(Career Transition Action Plan Part III)

I) Find Hiring companies (for Alumnus)

A) Tap into Alumni services, events, meet up groups, training, online networking groups. Become actively involved in your alumni community. Remember, someone who you meet for the first time, is unlikely to just open up their Rolodex and give you the contact numbers for their close associates. This takes time and trust. Be helpful towards other alumni.

B) Tap into your Alumni access for the University Job Board. Employers on your College job board are specificially looking for graduates from your school! This greatly increases your chances.

C) Identify off-campus employers. Create a Leads list of at least 25 companies.

i) Identify community job fairs and/or on campus job fairs

ii) Build and activate your career network.

iii) Utilize employer research materials (library/online). You may need to buy an annual Alumni Library Card. Typically Universities, spend much, more money on business and employer databases and research services than a local, community branch library.

iv) Contact employers from your leads list. Don’t forget to continue prospecting & following up on referral leads.

II) Find Hiring companies (for current students)

A) Identify any on-campus employers who already recruit at your school.

i) Identify on campus job fairs, on campus recruiting & interviews

ii) Build & activate your career network

iii) Utilize employer research materials (library/online)

iv) Prospect & following up on referral leads

I encourage current college students, recent graduates and long term alumni to reconnect with their schools. Contact your Alma Matter today!

My blog posts about Career Transition Planning and Career Management

• Career Transition Confusion? 7 Types of Psychological Motivation
• Career Transition And 4 Stage Career Planning: Bitten Off More Than You Can Chew?
• Career Direction: Discarded And Cast Adrift In A Challenging Economy

Georgia State University Student and Alumni Resources

• GSU Alumni Membership Office. $35 annual dues online at: http://tinyurl.com/2awnza9

• GSU Alumni Services to inquire about: PCN (for alumni), Alumni Listserv, GSU Circle on Facebook, and several GSU Alumni Groups on LinkedIn

• Current GSU Students can join a live, networking group called Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow (STAT). This group bridges the gap between students and alumni, provides professional and social development opportunities with alumni and promotes campus spirit and pride. Contact the Alumni Association for the applications deadlines for each academic year.

Stay Tuned for my next post on Career Transtion Action Planning Part IV!

====================================================================
Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager www.mycareermanager.com/

7 Essential Paper-tools and Social Media Tools for your Job Search Portfolio!

2010-05-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

A resume is not enough!

You will need a portfolio of professional paper-tools and job search tools.

These tools should be in both the traditional formats (i.e.: hardcopy of a resume) and in the Web 2.0 formats (i.e.: LinkedIn profile)

Read on to learn about the 7 Essential Papertools for your Career Transition Action Plan (Part II)
This post is part II of the Career Transtion Action Plan Series. Read Career Transtion Action Plan (Part I) and 4 Stage Career Planning: Bitten Off More Than You Can Chew?

Are your Career Goals Well Defined?

• Do you have 1 or 2 industries which you are targeting?
• Do you have 1 or 2 sectors within these industries?
• Do you have 3-5 job titles which you are targeting?
• Do you have a leads list of 20 companies which you are targeting?

If your answer to these questions is no, then your career goals are too general and need to be refined. If you can't clearly articulate what your goals are - guaranteed your competition will! This lack of focus will turn off employers and may ruin your chances in interviews. Return to Career Transition Action Plan – Part I and or look into a Career Tune Up. Continue with your career exploration and career testing.

(Part II) Prepare your Professional Paper-tools and Social Media Tools
For this post, I will use the term professional papertools to decribe the traditional job-search tools. The term social media tools will be used to describe the new, online and Web 2.0 tools. Both hardcopy and online tools are essential for a modern job search. Ideally, both sets of tools are integrated and convey a consistent brand-message.

1. Resume
The most common types of resumes are Chronological, Combination, Hybrid, Functional and Text. Resume selection and style should NOT be random. Your resume choice should be based on your career goals, industry norms for your sector and the usage type. Each resume type is meant for a different use and they are not interchangeable. A qualified counselor can help you determine which style will best fit your needs.

2. LinkedIn
Create an online account, profile, webpage and resume. This takes about 4 times as long to create as a traditional resume. However, it works for you and attracts employers - even while you are asleep! A good LI page includes joining industry groups and affiliations, building up your professional contacts and actively contributing to the LI community. This is not a passive tool. This is a form of Pull Marketing which is meant to attract leads and employers to you. See my post on Push vs Pull Marketing. and my post on Hot LinkedIn groups for Career Transition.

Other Social Media Accounts and memberships
Note: there are many other tools: such as Facebook, Twitter etc. You will have to determine which, if any, are a good use of your valuable, job-search time. Then, you will have to budget time to build your site, and become an active user of the site. These are additional forms of Pull Marketing. Remember, employers are searching for candidates online. What will they find out about you?

3. Cover letter, Business letter, Introductory letter
To be competitive in this economy you MUST have a cover letter attached to each resume you send out. Determine which type of letter you will need. Types of cover letters include: traditional/all purpose, hybrid/bulleted, industry-style. Each industry will have a preferred style and often this will be related to how conservative or creative the industry is.

4. Reference Sheet
Job Seekers often forget to create a reference sheet or do not know how to create one. You should not include your references in the body of your resume. This must be a separate document. If you are asked for references in an interview, you can hand the employer this sheet. (Stay tuned for an article about how to create this).

LinkedIn Recommendations.
You can attach a URL to your LinkedIn profile and recommendations section. LI recommendations are not given the same weight as a live contact or formal letter.

5. Traditional, Business Card, Mini Digital CD business card or Verbal Business Card
A traditional, business card is still essential for live networking. If you are in a creative field, in technology or advertising you may want to create and purchase mini-digital business cards. These tiny CD’s with the flat edges are very popular but cost between 25cents to 75 cents each depending on how many you order. The advantage is that you can upload your entire resume on this digital card, include your references, samples of your work etc...

6. Google Profile online.
Google is the best site to create a profile which will raise you in the search rankings. This is your mini bio and mini introduction. Since a majority of recruiters will research candidate online (prior to an interview), this is as essential as a traditional business card. For the more adventurous job-seekers creating a website or a blogsite would take your online profile to the next level. If you are in a technology field or in a field which uses social media - this is essential.

7. Thank You Cards or Thank you Letters
Thank you cards should be sent to everyone you interview with and/or anyone who has made an extra effort. Use gender-neutral card designs. Use a formal, letter if you have more information than can fit on a card. A text message thank you is never appropriate. An email thank you is a good start, but it is not sufficient. You should always follow it up with a mailed card or letter, even if you have to hand deliver it (due to tight hiring timelines)

Stand out from the crowd and create an integrated, professional portfolio. Lefverage your strengths and work on your weakness.' You will see results@!
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Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen

My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager

Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager www.mycareermanager.com/

Career Transition Action Plan (Part I)

2010-05-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

• Wondering if you are playing the job search game correctly?

• Are you in career transition and overwhelmed?

• Are you considering a new industry, sector, functional role or job?

• How do you know if you have the skills, knowledge and experience to be competitive?

One of my favorite career management topics is Career Transition Strategy. I love meeting with clients and helping them plan their career transitions. Sadly, many people by necessity or lack of guidance leap from one random job to another. Over time they become both burnt out in their current field and type-cast in their field. This is not surprising since less than 5% of North Americans receive formal training in career management or job search. The other 95% of us are ill equipped for the rigors of a modern job search.

Changing careers can be challenging and risky but can be ultimately very fulfilling. The typical North American will change careers at least three times during their career lifespan and will have an average of three to five different jobs within each career change. Depending on the size and scope of your ambitions it may take one to three jobs to reposition yourself. This is not as daunting as it may seem, since the average North American job only lasts 2-3 years. Thus, planning a career transition is an essential life-skill, and requires strategy and planning. It is unfortunate that so few of us receive any proper training.

Employers are no longer willing or able to take charge of your career direction. You are in charge of your career. Career transitions should be more like a well thought out, strategic game of chess than a random, round of Bingo. Finding a job shouldn't be based solely on luck. Similarly to chess, changing your career will take several strategic career moves. You will need to understand your goals and the goals of your opponent. You will need to determine who else is in the game and what strengths the other competitors have. Whether you are contemplating a minor or major career change, a well thought out plan is required.

During this tumultuous economic time, employers have become much more conservative about hiring candidates. They are not making risky hiring moves, since they do not have any “fat” in their hiring budgets. Each hiring decision is scrutinized much more than it would have been, even two years ago. Managers and Directors are also getting involved since many companies have cut their human resource departments. Thus, a thoughtful and well planned approach is not only logical but essential these days.

Employers will ask you tough interview questions and you will need solid, well reasoned answers. “Why should I hire you?” “Why do you want to work in this industry?” and “What qualifies you for this job?” “Why are you a better choice than the other candidates I interviewed?” A trained Career Counselor can help you during this overwhelming time. Do not jump into a search without doing your homework. Thoroughly assess whether you can transition to this new industry or functional job role. Remember, each job you take typecasts you in a particular direction. You do not want your work experience to be a random assortment of jobs. There should be focus and direction in your career path.

What are your Strengths and Weakness: Conduct a SWOT Analysis to Find Out!

Below is the first section of a template I use with my clients, to help them successfully rebrand themselves and launch a new career. Note: this will be the first article in a multi-part series. Phase 1 includes establishing your career objective, career testing, exploring your career options, and preparing for a new career.

Career Testing and Psychometrics: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

Career Transition Action Plan (Part I)

I) Establish your Career Objective

A. Self Assessment (aptitude, personality, interests, values)
a. Career Leader: Assessment of Business Skills, Aptitudes and Motivators

b. MBTI Meyers Briggs Type Indicator: Leadership Assessment. This is much, more comprehensive than the simple MBTI and it includes a 19 page summary booklet.

c. Culture Active: assessment of your cultural style & intercultural Competency

d. Tests should be selected based on your unique needs. They should be administered, scored and
interpreted by a trained, certified Career Counselor

e. Personal exploration and research on careers of interest

f. Informational Interviews with insiders in your chosen field

B. Career Exploration (Self assessment)

SWOT analysis – competitive differentiation and job targets

a. Research career types (National Occupation codes)

b. Research industries and sub-sectors (Vault, Wetfeet, Book of Lists)

c. Research geographic locations (locally, nationally, internationally)

d. Determine maximum commute time & amount of travel you can do

e. Determine your budget (Resistance Point and BATNA)

Negotiate Salary like a Pro: Know your BATNA, Resistance Point and Opening Offer

C. Career Preparation

a. Understand the Career Requirements: review potential jobs. Research your Competitive Advantage.
Do you have the skills, knowledge and experience which employers require in this field.

b. A career counselor can help you conduct a SWOT analysis and/or a Job Task analysis to determine
fit” If the new job is a stretch, what skills, training or experience will you need to acquire to be
competitive?

c. Academic: Do you have the correct degrees, certifications and licenses to be competitive in your new
career? How old are your degrees? Can you take refresher, training?

d. Do you have an advantage based on additional activities, industry association memberships, clubs,
trade shows participation, conference presentations or participation?

e. Additional Experience: Do you have any experience in this new, chosen field? Look into securing an
apprenticeship, practicum, internship, volunteering, job shadowing.

Remember that there are major regional differences in the employment outlook.

Job Rebound Map of the USA. Check out your state!

Would you hire yourself? Why or why not? I always encourage my clients to meet with recruiters and employers for informational interviews. Get first-hand feedback about what is required to be competitive. Consult with a high volume, career counselor who has experience with your chosen sector. They can help you determine if your career goals are realistic. They can also help you research whether you would have a competitive advantage in your new, chosen field and if you are the right “personality” fit.

When choosing a career service or career counselor, ask about their approach to testing and counseling. Do they use the same test on every client, regardless of career goals? Do they use a standard job search workshop and or a custom approach? You do not want a one size fits all, cookie cutter job search class or approach. Ideally, you would work with a counselor who gets to know your likes, dislikes, strengths and limitations.

Choosing a Counselor Virtual Career Counseling: Reduce Your Carbon Footprint!

A customized and individualized approach is necessary for any career transition. Coming from a counseling paradigm, I view the individual as unique and use a tailored approach for every single client, whether they are in transition or planning a straight-ahead job search.

Changing careers or changing direction, usually entails a multi-step process. For instance: if you worked as a real estate investor for a land development company, you cannot just decide to be a logistics expert working in a major metro hospital – in one career move. This may sound obvious, but as a high volume career counselor I frequently hear these types of random choices. With 500+ clients on my University caseload each semester, I always access if clients have the skills, knowledge and experience to be competitive *(SKE’s). Ask yourself, how do you know if you are competitive, what’s your level of proof? Reorienting a career which has been derailed by hasty choices is much more difficult than setting logical, goals and following a plan. Similarly to healthy weight maintenance, it is easier to continue with a healthy lifestyle than to have to restart one after “falling off the diet wagon.”

Take control of your career, before it takes control of you.

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Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen

My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager

Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager www.mycareermanager.com/

Career Fair Evaluation Scale: How are Recruiters Evaluating you?

2010-04-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

• Are you tired of job searching?

• Do you just want to stay in bed and sleep in?

• Have you given up on Career Fairs?

Get re-energized and learn how to prepare!

Use a Career Fair Evaluation Form to ace your next networking event!

10 Strategies to Stand out from the Crowd at a Career Fair http://bit.ly/aJV8SB
One of the most efficient ways to network with employers is to attend major, community career fairs. Instead of cold-calling dozens of employers to set up a few meetings, you have all of the employers concentrated in one location. Let someone else do all of the logistics for you.

At Georgia State University, my colleagues and I help prepare our 8,000+ business students for professional networking events such as career fairs. Or department sets up and hosts biannual career fairs which are open to all of our students, alumni and employers. Since these events can be quite large they can be somewhat intimidating. To help my MBA students prepare, I host a mock career fair event . At this event, I bring in alumni and seasoned business professionals to practice career fair etiquette, networking and introductions. We review the art of the handshake, rate business card quality and practice a 7 point greeting. Students make the rounds at each of the mock career fair booths. Meanwhile, each of the Mock Employers is evaluating the candidates using the form below.

To help you succeed at your next career fair, I’d like to share my Career Fair Rating Scale. Employers, Recruiters and Human Resource Professionals will evaluate you on several key characteristics: poise, articulation, self marketing and papertools. Sometimes the evaluations are simply based on a “feeling” they get while interacting with you. Other times, they may use a formalized rating scale. Practice this networking skill with family and friends and ask them to rate you. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will become.

Sharon's Career Fair Evaluation Scale

Poise:

Firm handshake/good eye-contact ____ effective ____needs work
Displayed Confidence ____ effective ____needs work

Articulation:

Expressed themselves clearly/didn’t ramble on____ effective ____needs work
Good Listening skills____ effective ____needs work

Self Marketing:

Knowledgeable about our company/industry ____ effective ____needs work
Professional & Appropriate Dress ____ effective ____needs work
Related their Career Goals to the job posting ____ effective ____needs work
Closed with enthusiasm, re-stated interest____ effective ____needs work

Professional Paper-tools:

Resume _________,
Business Card_______________
Cover letter______________

Any other papertools___________

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"Helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Sharon B. Cohen on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen

My Career Manager on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager

Complete Archive of articles on My Career Manager www.mycareermanager.com/

How much are you Worth? Top 5 Salary Survey Sites

2010-04-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

How much are you worth?

What 5 Factors can have a huge impact on your Salary?

What are the x5 best Salary Survey Websites?

As a Business Career Instructor at the Robinson College of Business, one of the MBA courses I teach is about salary negotiations.My MBA students always ask "how much am I worth?” My answer is “it depends.”

People may conclude that salary advising is straightforward, for people with the same degree. However, you'd be wrong. My students are shocked when I say “each of you is worth a different amount and each of you has a different dollar $ sign over your head.” They all turn around and look at each other and try to figure out who is worth what.

During interviews, you will be asked what type of salary you expect. If you do not know what you are worth, you are leaving all of the power in the hands of the employer.
It is already a “buyers” market and employers already have their pick of candidates. Wouldn’t it be better if you were armed with this knowledge? If you have any doubts about your current, market value, meet with a career counselor who is experienced in your career sector. Your counselor can help you conduct a personal, salary analysis, and determine a target salary range.

5 Mitigating Factors which Impact your Salary

1. X-Factor: Personality and Company fit. Each work unit is different, due to the personality make up of it's employees. If you are a great fit for your target employer, you may be more valuable. Are there features of your candidacy which are unique? Are you more dynamic, or confident than your competitors? Do you have a well established business reputation or business connections?

2. COLA: Cost of Living Analysis. The cost of living, and therefore your rate of pay has different buying power in different regions or sub-regions. An employer who is based in New York, will need to pay more than an employer in New Jersey. The cost of doing business is simply higher and the cost of living is higher. If you are moving to another country, you will need to do a very thorough analysis, before accepting an offer. A $75k salary in Seattle is not the same as a $75k salary in Saskatchewan, Canada. Use a COLA comparison to determine if a particular currency is inflated or deflated compared to your home currency. Will your money buy you more?

3. Industry salary norms. The same job type and job category can have wildly divergent salary fluctuations depending on the industry. Certain industries have a higher profit ratio and/or may need to pay more to attract and retain talent. For instance: a sales representative in pharmaceuticals will often make 15-20% more than sales reps in other industries. The roles and overall skills required may be very similar, but one industry may simply have a higher pay scale. It is all about supply and demand.

4. Bonus Education or Experience. What special education, experience or skills do you have which go above and beyond the job description? Recruiters carefully analyze your entire education and background. Shouldn’t you? Two individuals with the same graduate degree may have different undergraduate degrees. Thus, their initial rate of pay may not be the same. One of these degrees may be more valuable to the employer, or help position a candidate in a more positive light.

5. Insider Advantage. Do you know anyone in the company, can this be leveraged? If you already have experience in the exact same sector or industry, then you are a better match and may be worth more. Once hired your ramp-up period would be much shorter and the existing staff would accept you faster. Two seemingly identical candidates may be worth different rates on the salary scale. My answer, again is “it depends.”

Sharon's x5 Top Online Salary Websites.

1. Salary.com http://www.salary.com/

You can find salary survey information on the front page by using the Salary wizard. The wizard allows you to find information for any part of the country. Enter the job type that interests you and the geographic region where you would like to work into the Salary Wizard. The wizard returns with average salary, and a job description. The site also features a question and answer section where you can ask questions about your salary and benefits, as well as other informative sections.

2. JobSmart http://www.jobsmart.org/

To access links to the salary surveys: click on Salary Info. On the next page, click on Salary Surveys. You are now able to choose the type of salary information that interests you. JobSmart does not conduct its own survey. However, it does provide links to a wide variety of salary surveys on the web. JobSmart provides a break down of salary information by industry. Emphasis is placed on the California area.

3. Wageweb http://www.wageweb.com/

To find survey information: On the front-page click on the salary of the industry that you would like to view.

Wageweb provides salary information for the following industries:

Human Resources, Administration, Finance, Computer related Services Engineering,
Sales/Marketing and Manufacturing

Wageweb is easy to read with a few links and a table layout. The site also gives a listing of popular job titles and their descriptions.

4. Economic Research Institute http://www.erieri.com/

To access the database click on salary, benefits and surveys sources.

This links you to a page with over 100 places to look on the web for salary survey information.

The Economic Research Institute will perform individual salary searches for a particular occupation, geographic area, or skill level. However, in order to do this you must first purchase a software package.

5. The Wall Street Journal http://www.careers.wsj.com/

The information is easy to find. Under What’s Inside click on salaries and profiles screen. Click on salary data and articles by industry and job. Then, choose your industry of interest. The site is easy to navigate, is very informative, and is directed almost exclusively to jobs in the business field.

Do your research! Get professional advice if needed...
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Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist.

"Helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Sharon B. Cohen LinkedIn
My Career Manager Twitter
Complete Archive of my Career Blog Posts My Career Manager

Negotiate Salary like a Pro: Know your BATNA, Resistance Point and Opening Offer!

2010-04-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

• Can you negotiate for a better salary during a recession?

• What is your BATNA and Resistance Point?

• Who makes the Opening Offer?

• What else should you negotiate, when accepting a new job?

In last week’s Blog, we reviewed the intrinsic factors for career satisfaction and the seven sources of psychological motivation. Take the time to analyze what is truly important to you and what you need for career satisfaction Career Transition Confusion, 7 Types of Psychological Motivation

Now that you have considered the intangible items which contribute to your happiness, lets’ consider the tangible items which you can negotiate – namely salary.
Knowing how to negotiate for salary is essential in today's rough and tumble job market. Additionally, your initial salary and rate of pay will have long term and cumulative effects. If your raises are based on a percentage of your salary, the higher the salary the more money you can make. It is a good idea to get professional advice from a career counselor if you have been out of the job market for a while, are transitioning to a new role, are relocating to a new area or if your are dealing with a large, employer. You can access a career counselor from your university career center, your alma matter or alumni office or you can hire a private practitioner. This could be the best investment you make.

As an adjunctive instructor at GSU’s Robinson College of Business, one of the 13 courses I teach is Salary Negotiations for Business Professionals. My MBA students request this class and are often anxious about how to negotiate a compensation package. As a career counselor, I love helping clients sort through multiple offers. However, each individual is unique and what will satisfy one candidate may be inadequate for another candidate.

Tip #1: Once a job offer has been made, always negotiate the terms and conditions of the overall package. Even if you do not get all of the items you are seeking, it sends a clear message to the employer. It shows the employer that you are valuable and that you have self confidence. This will reinforce the employers’ hiring decision and confirm that you were a good choice.

Tip#2: Know your BATNA. In business, a BATNA is the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement. What does this mean in common terms? Know your options. If this is the only interview you have had in months, your only job offer and your wife is about to have twins – then make the best of it. Can you afford to walk away from your only offer?

If you have multiple, job offers, then you have multiple ‘alternatives ‘and this may not be your BATNA. I’d recommend asking for at least 24 hours to consider the offer and/or discussing it with your significant other (s). Consider if you have other candidates nipping on your heels and if this is your dream job. If so, then it may be wise to ask for less time to review the offer; ask for a few hours or just an evening to consider it. You still have negotiating power. However, you will need to carefully consider your options and not set ultimatums. Negotiate with finesse, and mutual respect will be gained. Remember, you are likely to see these professionals at other industry events for many years to come and you don’t want to burn your bridges.

Tip #3 Know your Resistance Point. The Resistance Point is the minimum amount of salary you will need, to pay the bills. Your resistance point doesn’t change. Every job seeker should carefully review their monthly needs, expenditures and budget. How much do you need to cover the monthly bills? Always keep this in mind. Unless you are willing to drastically, downsize your lifestyle, living arrangements etc, you cannot accept an offer below your Resistance Point. Every salary should be based on the job title, job duties and the relative importance of a particular role or department. Is your department a cost center or revenue generating center for the company? How does your role contribute to the bottom line or core mission of the company? If you do not know the answer to this question, you are the wrong person for the job.

Tip #4 Know your Target Point. This is your goal salary. Keep in mind that you should negotiate for salary first, then negotiate separately for benefits, 401 K matching plans, healthcare, vacation, flex time etc. The target point is your goal salary. Too often, I have clients and job candidates who seem to pull this Target Point out of thin air. You are a product and every product has a specific market price. In good times, the market may bear higher salaries and even over-inflated salaries. In the past few years, this bubble of unrealistic and unsustainable salaries has burst. In fact, you should research what you are worth, what a particular position is worth, what the cost of living is in job location and how many others are willing to take this job for less pay. A target point is not a fantasy number. More salary etc is always good, but you do not want to overbid and bid yourself out of the game due to excessive demands.

Tip #5 Opening Offers. Only the employer can make an opening offer, not the candidate. If they ask you early on in the interview process, try to stall. Say that you would like a salary commensurate with your skills and experience and within the industry average for job X. Let the employer suggest an opening offer and salary range. Note: you cannot give a counter offer unless you know exactly what the job entails, all of the terms and conditions, the scope of responsibilities, the reporting structure, direct reports , expectations about ‘overtime’ and hours of weekly employment. Is it really a 40 hour a week job, or is this theoretical? Is the job actually more like a 50 or 60 hour a week job? How much travel is involved?

Research, what a competitive salary range would be, for a given job and research your competition. Also, carefully evaluate yourself against the competition: are you less experienced, average, more experienced? Conduct a SWOT analysis to determine your Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats from the competition.Use a SWOT analysis, to analyse your competitive advantage

Be realistic about your desirability and salary expectations. 20-40% is not a realistic jump, when you change jobs. Why would an employer pay you so much more, unless you have gained substantive experience or education since leaving your last job? In a good economy, an increase of 4-7% is standard each time you change jobs. However, in this economy just retaining your previous salary is a success, anything more than your old salary is a miracle.

Consider all of your options when negotiating a job offer. Everyone should request an employment letter. This even applies to people who live in “at will employment states,’ where there isn't a legal employment contract between employers and employees. Get your job offer, terms and conditions in writing. If they promise things at a meeting but won't put it in writing, then these are not real promises.

Happy negotiating…
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Author: © 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Counseling Psychology, CPRP. Licensed Counselor. Career Counselor and Career Transition Specialist. Atlanta, GA. "Helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

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