Angels and Emails

You don’t consider your compensation standards to be unreasonable, putting 3 good years into a 4 year bachelor’s degree supplemented by serious intentions to complete a PMP certification in the next 2 years.  You are a dedicated, creative, and hard working individual and your online resume is bursting with search engine friendly “descriptors” to maximize recruiter exposure. The past two years have been unpredictable in the mortgage industry however, and you are ready to find a project manager position in the next few months within the $80,000/year income range.

Salary.com can be one of the best places to initiate the personal salary benchmarking process. You are able to input measurable personal data like job description, education, # yrs of experience, # of direct reports – and additionally filter by geographic location, company size, and industry.

Example: For the category search of Project Manager, there are 714 functional job titles to narrow down salary information. A Project Manager 1 located in Minneapolis, MN with 2-5 years of experience and a completed BA degree has a median salary level of $70,446. 

Get out of the escalade mindset, and ground yourself behind the wheel of the pinto – your salary expectations need to be centered in-between.

THE TRUTH 

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You missed a call from an unknown number while switching out your laundry, and are now eagerly checking voicemail to see who called. Success. You have a phone interview tomorrow at 9am and as long as you call back immediately to confirm the time slot is available with your schedule. You check – YEP- still unemployed and 100% available. You call the recruiter to confirm timeslot – RING – VOICEMAIL - interview confirmed!  

Then…you realize…you were so excited about the interview, you forgot to figure out the posting for which you applied and the company with which you are interviewing! You relisten to the phone message, too much static. You call back the voicemail of the recruiter, too jumbled. You check the application confirmation emails in the career folder of your email inbox, nothing. Minor detail = big problem.  

THE REALITY

Beware of bad career advice that eases your confidence to rely on charisma, in place of preparation and applicant tracking, to get you through the interview process. If the recruiter asks you one of the most infamous questions during the interview, ”what about this posting or our company made you feel you are a good candidate for this position,” and you have no idea what posting you are interviewing for, there will be nothing but the sounds of chirping crickets to get you through the question. Congratulations, you are a BUSTED job seeker in the headlights. 

 GOOD ADVICE

Identify a method of tracking job applications and use it religiously. Not every employer will send you an email of confirmation once you’ve submitted an application, and even then there often times is not a copy of the posting in the content of the auto response. Whether you use the save job and enter notes function through the job board Indeed.com or settle for something less systematic like an old fashion notepad and pencil, the only sure way to guarantee you are always driving your career, is to stay in the driver’s seat.

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THE REALITY 

For the first time in years you are eagerly anticipating your annual performance review. You have surpassed all service benchmarks set for you by your boss, and based on the surveys received from your clients, you have acquired and retained some of the most profitable relationships for your organization. Worse case scenario you are expecting a monthly income increase that will undoubtedly cover the car payment on the new vehicle you purchased last weekend.  

Beware of bad career advice that guarantees a job well done = monetary rewards, you may walk out of your annual performance review with nothing more than a pat on the back and a “congratulations, you still have a job.”    

THE TRUTH  

The real truth beneath the smog hovering over the current economy indicates it’s raining cutbacks, snowing displacements, and hailing feel good programs. The conversation between peers and colleagues is no longer “do you like your job” but rather “do you have a job“ to marginalize and benchmark one’s economic status. 

GOOD ADVICE 

A job well done may or may not get you the raise you are expecting, and chances are your boss has little say on the amount of incremental pennies added to your paycheck. Acknowledge that change is inevitable and progress is absolute, and although you jumped the gun on buying a car premature of being able to afford it - things always get better. Eventually, whether in the current job or another, you will be rewarded and recognized for hard work and dedication.  Whether you are a complaining score keeping wagon or sprinting ox coffee pot, find your inspirational point of influence to become the facilitating coach with the reins to enjoy the storm.

THE REALITY

Staring blankly at the screen in front of you the reality hits, the only thing you own at your new position is the shirt off your back and lunchbox. Same story, different cubicle. Yet again clinging to the hope that you have finally said “yes” to a career, and not landed in another J O B.

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THE TRUTH

Gone are the days of a career built off one company from which to build a predicable future and retirement. The employee ID, not the personal responsibilities one carries, is all that is taken into account when a lay-off decision is brought into the board room.

The future is yours to create – will it manifest through you or be given too you is the question. If you are miserable, change your course…don’t become the employee that should have left 6 months ago for the sake of your cube-mates. 

GOOD ADVICE

Be empowered and network! Keep your resume current, posted, and always be open to new opportunities that might cross your path.The minute you get complacent in a position, you sacrifice yourself personally and professionally to the will of the benchmark beast.

THE REALITY

Feedback, and the never-ending search for comments and endless opinions, are everywhere. From email surveys received after speaking with a mortgage servicing representative, to the post-it box strategically placed at the pick up counter of coffee shops. The CEO, employee, and consumer all have an opinion, and only in rare cases is there complete harmony of perspective between the three.

Beware of bad career advice that inspires the pursuit of perfection through a revolving door of feedback, if you listen, you may never reach your destination.

THE TRUTH

Although feedback can be constructive, it can also be counterproductive. Companies can lose themselves trying to be everything to all, and you can lose yourself trying to seek out all of the experts to provide you feedback on your choices, professional documents, or career pursuits.

GOOD ADVICE

Define a small set of trusted friends, colleagues, and mentors to solicit for feedback, and if what they have to say resonates, make decisions and act on their suggestions. Recognize the difference between running in circles confined by the revolving door of opinions or taking in feedback as guidance to progressively move forward. Consistently seek progress and not perfection.

Are you an influential leader or an opinionated jerk? 

THE TRUTH – the “big mouth” self assessment 

1. When faced with interpersonal conflict at the office are you typically the  wagon (being pulled), ox (pulling), or the reins (steering)?
2. When faced with a project where you have to collaborate amongst your peers to accomplish a goal are you the score keeper (give someone else credit for success), the sprinter (you get the credit for success) or the coach (doesn’t care who gets credit as long as the goal is accomplished)?
3. In a departmental meeting are you the complainer (demotivate, accomplish nothing), coffee pot (motivate, accomplish nothing) or facilitator (motivate and lead action)?
4. Do your boss and/or co-workers trust you enough to follow your lead?

Beware of bad career advice that encourage collaboration through round-table discussions of opinions, at the end of the day the only objective that gets accomplished is that of the influential leader that left the table first, and the rest who followed behind. 

THE REALITY 

No one cares what you think, unless you influence them to feel the same way. 

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 GOOD ADVICE 

Are you the complaining score keeping wagon? You always ensure things are fair, with a lot to say but accomplish very little. Even though you are liked, you are probably a nightmare to manage. 

Are you the sprinting ox coffee pot? You possess a path full of accomplishments but chances are you are resented by your peers. The boss loves you because you get things done, but you face peaks and valleys of success and failure, because you are totally alone when faced with defeat. 

Be the facilitating coach with the reins. Influence those around you by getting to know them personally and engaging them through a message that resonates with them. Lead from the back and push others into the spotlight, but never lose hold of the reins to steer the outcome in your desired direction.

THE REALITY

Waiting for the job market to “pick up” is officially not working. Companies are finally in the black, but out of fear are still not expanding their work force via the extension of formal offers of employment.

Beware of bad career advice that deters you away from considering contract work, the wave of the future career might just be a series of assignments carried from beginning to end within various institutions.

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 THE TRUTH

Companies are bringing staff aboard, but rather external staff to complete internal contracts. Although some contract assignments may only be a few weeks, the duration can range up to 18 months. Although temporary staff typically don’t receive internal company perks, many organizations have been slashing the “feel good” programs over the past few years anyway. Contractor compensation is very competitive if not higher to internal company wages, and there is typically the chance of a contract leading to a full-time opportunity.

GOOD ADVICE

Consider contracting a great way get your foot in the door of desired companies and the opportunity to identify, by working in the production environment, whether or not an organization is a solid place to build a career.

THE REALITY

Social media has become an extension of who we are and consequently, part of who people acknowledge us to be. We define the words “circle of privacy” to be a 3 digit sum of individuals. So why are we still so shocked when social media habits bleed into our professional lives, with real-world consequences?

Beware of bad career advice that affirms social media has no professional consequences – the truth reveals the contrary.

THE TRUTH

45% of employers now screen social media profiles as part of the hiring process.  (Harris Interactive http://mashable.com/2009/08/19/social-media-screening/ )

Google your name. Think about what you find from this perspective – what can your employer, current or future, find out about you from your online communication streams and profiles?

GOOD ADVICE

Own your identity and be consistent between your personal, professional, and virtual reputations. If there is vast disparity between one or the other, it might be time for career assessment.

You professional: Miserable accountant at a financial services organization

You personal/virtual: Cooking blog and food expert

You career reassessed: Create a goal to find an accountant position for a restaurant management company or a cooking academy.

Get creative, be specific, and eventually all of you will become one at some point in the future.

THE REALITY

The search continues for one “tip”, one session, a single piece of advice that will change the course of the future and actually land a stable paycheck. Advertisements are everywhere, career and resume service providers trying to grab a piece of the market share that endless job seekers are openly desperate to pay for.

Beware of bad resume advice – you are less hopeless than you think.

THE TRUTH

If you don’t know who you are and what you are looking for, no one can truly help you write a resume.

The resume process IS personal and should be interactive between an individual and the service provider. Prices can range from $250 to $1500+ for advice, and yet the consumer may walk away from the experience with very little knowledge how to update the new resume on their own in the future.

GOOD ADVICE

A good coach would ensure 80% of the time and effort is on individual’s shoulders, so costs incurred for resume specific services should never be more than a couple hours of time. If it is – the consumer is ultimately paying for an “over-process” within the providing institution.

YOUR 80%

1. Refer to the “Be extraordinary – 3 steps to changing the perspective behind your career search” article to build a personal and professional profile with goals.
2. Go through the process of creating a solid objective statement that answers these questions; Who are you? What do you bring to the table? What type of company/position are you looking for?
3. Revisit your work history and ensure you have included as many measurable benchmarks as possible for your individual contributions ($ revenue, $ sold, increased profits by %, etc.) 
4. Refer to the article titled “The Holy Grail of FREE Document Templates.” Identify and convert existing resume to new template.

REMAINING 20%

Choose a known and trusted provider, that encourages making the process of creating a resume, a personal one. If they take the time to get to know who you are, possess the qualifications to assist with strengthening sentence structure, and ask questions that challenge your perspective, they are probably worth the time and money.