Relocation?

Work From Home Opportunities?

Have you heard those annoying commercials about working from home, or income-at-home, opportunities? Pretty enticing, aren’t they?

I received an email question the other day about these work from home opportunities, so I figured some of you might have the same question. Are they legit?

Yes, some of these opportunities are from legitimate companies, but you should be very cautious about what you’re getting into. In other words, buyer-beware! Don’t get me wrong when I first started my consulting firm, over fifteen years ago, I started out in my house! It was truly a work from home opportunity. In fact, a lot of small businesses started out working in their homes. The difference is, typically those individuals already have a skill or reputation in their industry. Certainly that was the case for me. But someone that’s just starting out in a new business without any training, reputation in the industry, or skills in this new work from home opportunity? I don’t think so.

Untapped Talent?

Are you keeping us from your unique talents? Why? Is there a reason why you’re not pursuing your dream career? Could it be fear of failure?

Do you want to drift through life? Do you want to sit around and wait for something to happen? If you do, I’ll let you in on something, it’s not going to happen! You have to go get it! You can be the most talented person in the world, but if you don’t have the energy to utilize this talent, what good is it? You’re blessed with enormous talent but you’re not using it. Why?

Notice I didn’t specifically describe any talents. Do you know why? Because we all have certain unique untapped talents, don’t we? I’m sure as you’re reading this you’re thinking of several things about yourself that you could be doing for a career, but you’re not. Why is that? Why suffer through life? What’s the point? We don’t live very long, do we?

No Jobs?

Where are the jobs? If you’re wondering where the jobs are let me tell you a little secret. Everywhere! 

It’s a fact that most companies have needs to fill. Most companies need to be more productive, need more sales, and need to be more successful in all aspects of their business. What are companies? People. So, for companies to be successful they need people. Not just any people but good, dedicated, motivated, interested, prideful, disciplined and successful people!

Let me explain.

Best Careers for Women?

Is there a “best” career or industry for women? It still depends on what you want to do but if you’re undecided about which direction to head, look into the engineering and construction fields.

The other day I received a question from a young college student on this very topic and I guess my first knee-jerk reaction was “The same for men!” and to some degree that’s true but there are industries, in my opinion, that are excellent for women. 

First of all, the hot industries are the same for men as they are for women, and we discuss these topics here everyday. So, whether it’s the medical fields, technology, accounting, energy, and engineering/construction, these are good career fields for men and women. But let’s discuss the last one in particular.

Take Control!

Do not sit back and wait for your “perfect” position to be advertised – take control!

I want you to take charge of your job search. It is very important that you target your job search to specific areas and specific companies. Don’t wait around! Take control!

When you target your job search you can work for the companies YOU want to go to work for. You’re not just waiting for the perfect position with the perfect company. If that’s the case, you will be waiting a long time. If you wait for the want ad, it’s too late! Now you’ll have competition from all over the world for this position. I want you to contact companies BEFORE they put advertisements in newspapers or on job boards.

I Hate My Job!

If you hate your job or you're currently unsatisfied in your current career – change it!

I end my radio show each week saying, “If you don’t like what you are currently doing – change it!” And I mean it. If you hate your job and you’re just putting in the hours, why? Isn’t life too short to be miserable? It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Do you know why? Because it is, that’s why! You have more within your control then you will ever realize – so take control!

Obviously, I am not telling you to disregard your responsibilities with your family or any obligations you may have in your life. That’s not going to help your situation. What I am saying is, go for it! Life is too short to be miserable!

How To Be Successful!

I have a very simple tip for you to be successful in your career. Do what you’re supposed to do and do what you say you’re going to do! That's it!

It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Successful individuals in their careers and successful companies all do what they’re supposed to do and do what they say they’re going to do. Period. It’s really that simple. All of us have had situations with a restaurant, retail store, airline, and really any business, where they didn’t do what they were supposed to do and didn’t do what they said they would do, right? Do we ever go back? Do we ever use this product or service again? No! If they just did what they were supposed to do and did what they said they were going to do, we would use the product or service again. But because they didn’t, we won’t, and shouldn’t.

Blasting Your Resume?

Never send out a bunch of resumes - blindly! You should always use a targeted approach to your job search.

When you send out a bunch of resume blindly, you are wasting your time. Can you get “lucky”? Maybe? But, that is no way to conduct a job search, is it? If you are doing this, stop it!

Is it a waste of time to “blast” your resume all over the place, or hire a company to “blast” your resume all over the place? YES! You need to target your job search to your specific needs. Where YOU want to live, the types of companies and the type of position YOU need, or want. When you are sending out a bunch of resumes blindly, where’s the target? There isn’t one, right? Your target is so big you can’t hit it! And, now you will have unnecessary anxiety over the amount of resumes you sent out vs. the amount of responses you will receive.

It is better to send out three resumes to targeted companies that YOU want to work for and YOU can help vs. hundreds of resumes to companies that you would NEVER go to work for, make sense? I have seen people send out hundreds of resumes to places they would NEVER move to, companies they would NEVER work for, and positions they would NEVER take. What a waste of time! Again, can you get “lucky”? Yes, but that is no way to conduct a job search! It will frustrate you!

We get calls at our office from people that say, “I will go anywhere”, but once we start discussing specific areas of the country, they really won’t go anywhere. When we start to mention certain areas they will say, “That place is too cold” or “That is too small of a town” or “I don’t want a big city”. And, I’ll always remind them (really just for fun, I know the answer) I thought you would go “anywhere”?

So, do you want to increase your odds of getting a response when you send your resume? Then target your job search and quit sending out a bunch of resumes! I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!

Always Send Thank You Notes!

Make sure you send thank you notes to each person that helped you during the interviewing process.

When you send a personal thank you note to all of the people that helped you in the interviewing process, it will set you apart from all of the other candidates you are competing with for the position. If you are not doing this, you are making a mistake!

The best way to do thank you notes is to hand write them on nice note card stock. Make sure the note cards are professional, not with pictures of kittens or flowers on them. Keep it nice and simple. Do you think you will stand out with a hand written thank you note? Absolutely! Doesn’t it surprise you when you receive a hand written note from someone? With all of the email available everywhere it’s nice to get a hand written note, isn’t it?

Keep your thank you notes short and to the point. Don’t overkill it! Be sincere. Thank them for their time, stress your strengths one more time, and then let them know you are looking forward to joining their team! And, another thing, if you don’t have the greatest handwriting get someone else to do the writing. You can dictate exactly what you want to say. It will still be coming from you. The last thing I want you to do is send a sloppy hand written thank you note. Then it might actually hurt your chances of getting the position and it will set you apart from your competition all right, just not the way you want. I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!

Career Advice?

Are you getting good career advice? Make sure you are seeking career advice from successful people - not clowns!

If someone tells you the career you are seeking is “Hard” or “Doesn’t pay”, or whatever it is they are telling you. Make sure this person is successful! It seems so obvious, doesn’t it? I know a lot of people that take career advice from their kids, neighbors, family members and sometimes…losers!

Although some of these people will be sincere about their advice (notice I said, some of these people), you really shouldn’t be advised by people that have absolutely no clue about what they are talking about. Now, I am not talking about a family member or friend that is in the career field you want to be in. Obviously, they may be able to help you. I am talking about people that have absolutely no experience in the career field you are trying to get into or they themselves are not very successful.

I know that sounds mean, doesn’t it? But, you really shouldn’t listen to people that haven’t done anything in their careers or their lives! Unsuccessful people love to give career advice to others. They do it all the time. When these types of people start volunteering their advice, you need to ask yourself a question. What has this person ever accomplished? And, should I really be listening to them?

I have found that people with losing attitudes, love to have company. The more people they can bring down to them, the better. These types of people do not have your best interest. Don’t listen! You don’t have to be rude, just tell them “thanks” and then seek out a career professional or someone that is in the career field you want to be in. I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!

Cover Letters?

Resigning?

Thinking about resigning from your current position? Never quit a job before you have another one lined-up!

It seems so obvious, doesn’t it? But you would be surprised how often I get calls at our office from candidates that quit their jobs, without having anything lined-up! I always say to these candidates “Why didn’t you call me before you quit!” Why do I say this? I say this because when you quit your current position you automatically because less marketable. Just like that! And, your ability to gain employment at the same compensation level is most likely gone.

You are the most marketable to future employers when you are currently employed. Period. For a couple of reasons, first, you are dealing from strength when you are gainfully employed. Second, most likely you will make a sound decision when changing to another opportunity. Specifically because this new opportunity will have to be “head-and-shoulders” above your current position, right? Meaning, better company, position, location, potential, compensation, everything!

You can command this kind of stuff in your next position if you are currently working. If you are not working, it’s harder. Not impossible, but it makes it a lot harder on you. So, don’t do it! Make sure you stay in your current position until you find something else. I don’t care how horrible it is!

Employers will always question why you are unemployed. Even in this economy! And, as time goes by, it will get harder and harder for you to get the respect you deserve. As a professional recruiter I see this all the time. Companies will question why candidates are unemployed. Even if it wasn’t their fault, they will question it.

So, remember, do not quit your job until you have something else lined-up! And, if you feel the company is going to let you go, do not wait for that day to come! Start looking now for a new position. Stay in front of the situation. I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!

Internship?

If you're a college student, or even a recent graduate, and you are not in an internship program you need to get in one - fast!

Internships are a fantastic way for you to get into your industry. If your degree is in a certain industry field, it’s a great way to make contacts and learn the business outside of the classroom. I can’t think of a better way to prepare you for the “real” world. I don’t care what business you want to go into, it’s a lot different than the classroom. A lot different!

It’s a two way street with internships. You get to check out these companies in a particular industry, and they get to check you out. A lot of internships convert into paid positions. It did for me. I was in an internship with a television station for about six months before it turned into a paid position! Imagine that? I was working, and getting paid, in my career field before I even graduated! Did I have a head start in the business? Absolutely! Did I have a step up on my competition? Yes!

It is very common to get ridiculed about taking an internship and working for free. I remember getting a lot of grief from my friends, they would say things like “I can’t believe you are working there for free." Well, once I was a paid employee, the ridiculing stopped. I made true believers out of them once I was a paid employee, right? Not only that, but I made a ton of contacts in the industry.

Is it easy? No. It fact, it’s hard to work everyday and not get paid! I had to offset additional jobs to make enough money to afford the internship. I just looked at it as an extension of my college classes and I didn’t get paid for college classes, right? That mindset worked for me.

Another reason to look into internships is, companies are always looking for “work experience” when graduates apply for positions. Well, with an internship you will have that all-important “work experience”. I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!

What Are You Waiting For?

Are you currently unhappy in your career? Are you looking to change careers? Do you believe in yourself?

Do you think you can be successful in another career, or industry? Well, what are you waiting for? If you believe in yourself others will believe in you. If you do not believe in yourself, then others will not believe in you. The truth is, if you are excited about what you want to do in your life and your career, it becomes contagious and when others, whether it is family members, business colleagues, or friends, find out about your plans they will start to get excited and believe in you.

Well, almost all of them, right? We all know the type of people that will be negative about what you want to do with your life and new career. The negative types will say things like, “You can’t do that” or “You’re too old” or my all time favorite “That’s hard!” No kidding. Guess what? Anything worth doing is hard, right? I have found that there is no such thing as easy money, but if you do find something that’s easy, and you can make a lot of money, let me know and we’ll both do it!

You have to believe in yourself! You have more within your control then you will ever realize! So, take control! And, the time to start believing in you is now! Let me tell you why you do not want to procrastinate.

Let me ask you a question, and I want you to answer this without looking it up at first. Just think of the first answer that comes to you and later you can look it up, all right?

If a baby was born a few minutes ago, what is the approximate life expectancy of that baby – in days?

If you answered around 100,000 days that baby would be around 275 years old! Can you believe it? The actual days are as follows; if the baby lives to be 72 years old it will live 26,280 days. And, if the baby lives to be 82 years old it will live 29,930 days! Not what you guessed? Those days are based on the life expectancy of the baby, if he or she lives to 72 years or 82 years!

Obviously if you are reading this you are older then this newborn baby, and you can do the math on your own age to see how many days you might have left on this earth. And that is if you live until the life expectancy, right? I hope we all live long and healthy lives, but the truth is some don’t.

The point of this question and exercise is, life is precious and most importantly – short! And each and every one of us takes that fact for granted, don’t we? Why? Let’s stop!

So, find out what it is you love, and do it! Believe in yourself! You can do it! You are not on this earth very long; so don't spend these precious days doing something you hate! Plus, you will be more successful doing something you love. So, let me ask you again, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!

Relocating?

Will companies pay for relocation expenses?

It really depends on the type of position you are seeking and the level of your experience. We are still seeing executive and middle managers getting reimbursed for relocating expenses, purchasing homes, or helping them sell their homes, and also paying for any interim living expenses until they can find a new house. And, in some cases, most firms will also pay any points for their new house at the new location. So, that really hasn’t changed much for those executives and upper management positions.

My advice to you, regardless of your position, is to ask for help with any expenses related to your relocation. Which may include, interviewing expenses or interim living expenses, until you sell your house. The interim living expenses can help pay for an extended stay hotel, or apartment, until you sell your house and find a new house. You can also ask for expenses for “house-hunting” trips that you might need to take with your family. Depending on your level of experience, or the position you are seeking, you might get some resistance from the company. If the company doesn’t have a relocation policy, that’s normal.

When do you ask for these expenses? This is key. Only ask when you are negotiating the offer, that’s the time to ask for these expenses, not after you accepted an offer! Going back and asking for these types of expenses is going to be a lot harder for you. The time to ask is before you accept an offer.

Now, if you don’t get any expenses reimbursed you have a decision to make, don’t you? You can move forward with this opportunity and write-off any expenses related to your relocation on your taxes. Of course, always check with an accountant to see what you can and cannot write-off on your taxes, related to your relocation. The other thing you can do is pass on this opportunity and wait for something else, if you have that luxury.

Here is what I recommend. Ask yourself, is this the right company, position, location and potential for my career? If you said, yes! Then I would move forward with it. Ask for the expenses, but if you don’t get them, I would still move forward because in the long run it will be a better career move for you. I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!

Counter-Offer?

Should you take a counter-offer?

No. If you are going through this right now, don’t even consider accepting a counter-offer to stay with your current employer. If the new position you’re considering is right for you and your career, why would you? Hopefully, the reasons why you are exploring another opportunity is because it’s a better situation for you and your career. Do not make a change in your career, just to make a change! Make a change for the right reasons, not the wrong reasons! If you are considering accepting a counter-offer to stay with your current employer, let me ask you a couple of questions.

1) Why are you exploring other opportunities for your career?
2) Are your reasons for wanting to leave going to change?
3) Are they offering you more money, or a new title, to stay?

Whatever your reasons are for exploring a new opportunity, are any of those reasons going to change? Let me guess, no? They might be telling you they are, but will they? In my experience as a professional recruiter, your current employer might be sincere about changing, but they won’t. Did you ever discuss the issues you had with them, before you were threatening to leave? Did anything change? Believe me when I tell you, they won’t change now, either. Do you know why? Companies will do, and say, just about anything to keep a key person from leaving. Don’t fall for it!

Is your current employer offering you more money to stay? Don’t fall for this either. Yes, they will probably pay you more money to stay, but it will never be the same. Employers do not like to be caught off-guard with an important hole on their staff, so they will do just about anything, including matching another offer or giving you more money to keep you from leaving. Great, right? No! It will never be the same at this company for you. If this was a relationship, you were caught cheating, right? It will never be the same at this company for you, regardless of the new title, or more money they are promising. The loyalty is gone and they will not forget it!

If you had discussions with your current employer about the issues, or concerns, you were having with them and nothing changed, then you need to move on. If your new opportunity is the right company, position, location and potential for your career, then you should move forward! Your current employer had their chance to change and they didn’t do it. If they are telling you they will change now, because you have an offer from another company, don’t buy it! I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!

Age Discrimination?

Are you a victim of age discrimination?

Well, maybe you are, maybe you are not? Does age discrimination exist? Yes. I am not so naive to think that it doesn’t exist in the workplace, it does. The question is are you being discriminated because of your age? And, the answer might be, you are not. Let me explain.

In my experience as a professional recruiter, the more experience you have, the better. When I am discussing search work with clients, I never hear, “The less experienced candidate, the better”. I never hear that from clients. Most companies are always looking for experience, especially if you have experience in their industry and in the specific type of work they perform. The more experience, the better. Why? The reason why is because companies will view you as less risky then someone with no, or little, experience in their industry.

So what’s going on? It’s not your age, or experience, it’s your compensation! Your current compensation package is most likely over the compensation package the company is willing to pay. So, you might be a victim of “salary discrimination”, and not age discrimination. Am I splitting hairs? Isn’t it the same thing? No, and here’s why. I have had younger candidates get passed up for positions because they were making too much money! Some companies are cheap! That’s reality.

What can you do about it? Well, first of all, you need to understand that some companies are cheap and unwilling to pay for “top talent”. Whatever the age! And, secondly, some industries do not pay like other industries. That’s reality. Did you ever wonder why you see a lot of young people in a particular industry? Like retail? Most likely that industry doesn’t pay! And, did you ever wonder why you see a lot of older people in some industries? Like the law field? The law field pays!

So, if you have a lot of experience, and you’re not flexible on your compensation package (that is key), this will be a problem for you with these types of industries or cheap companies. You will have to do your research and find industries and companies that will respect your experience and are willing to pay you for it. These young people industries will never be able to pay you what you need, so forget these industries.

As far as finding companies that are not cheap? Typically these companies are the leaders in any industry. Top companies know, and understand, that the people they have on their staff are what makes them successful. Period. The more experienced and successful the staff, the more success the company will have. So, when you are looking for a new position, look for companies that understand this fact. These types of companies will not care how old you are, or how much money you are making, especially if you can make them successful! I hope this helps!

Good luck to you!

Feeling Down?

Are you getting depressed and frustrated with your job search? Do you want to know the best therapy if you’re feeling down right now? Do your own yard work!

I cannot think of a better way to get your mind off things. Yard work! In my opinion, it’s better then any high priced therapy. If you’re worried about the world, your job search, or any current issues you’re having in your career. Do your own yard work! Mow your own lawn! Cut your own trees! Paint the house! Do some spring-cleaning! Basically, do some hard labor! It works!

I have some friends that play golf to get their minds off things. What? Golf! I cannot think of anything worse then golf! If you think life is frustrating, try golf! That’s not going to help me. Yard work! That’s what helps me. It’s a fantastic way to think. I do some of my best thinking while I am doing yard work. And, don’t tell anyone, but sometimes I find myself singing. No joke. Loudly!

When I do yard work I think about all kinds of things. I sing. I talk to myself. I whistle. I dream. I solve all the problems in the world. I think of new businesses to start. It’s very enjoyable. So, the next time you’re feeling down and depressed try doing your own yard work. Or, if you don’t have a yard, do some kind of physical labor. Build something. Paint something. Plant something. Get your mind off all the noise you hear during the week. Believe me, it’s better then any high priced therapy. Oh, and another thing, the cold beer when you’re done tastes great! I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!

Military Resume?

If you’re currently making the transition from a military career to a civilian career, there are a few things to consider when you’re putting your resume together. Mainly, you want to make sure HR departments understand it!

First, make sure all of the language on your resume is very understandable to civilians. Not just a little bit, but a lot! You might have some excellent experience, but the HR departments, or hiring managers will not understand it! If you are sending out a lot of resumes and you are not getting any call backs, this could be the reason.

One of the most important things you can do on your resume is to have all of those wonderful schools, training, management and leadership responsibilities you've had, translated into "English". Remember, the HR person reviewing your resume might only be 23 or 26 years old and have absolutely no idea about the military, or how it works. Let alone, what you did!

And secondly, when you are making these changes to your resume, I want to caution you on one thing. Your spouse will most likely not be a good person to ask about the changes, mainly because they have been living with you throughout your military career and are most likely speaking the same military language you are. Once you've made the changes to your resume, have someone outside of the military review it and see if it makes any sense. A 10-year-old boy should be able to read your resume and know exactly what you did! I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!

Career Planning?

Should you get additional training, or another degree, to help you in your job search? Absolutely!

Life is about choices, right? And when you're making plans for your life and career you want to have more choices, not less, don’t you? Especially, regarding your career. My professional opinion is, you should always look to better yourself in your life and in your career. There is no question about it, the more choices you have the greater success you will have in your job search. It’s that simple. When you’re searching the want ads, is the fact that you do not have a bachelor’s degree, or MBA, holding you back? Is it?

As a professional recruiter one of the things I’ve learned is, the amount of education you have directly reflects the amount of opportunities and compensation you will receive. I see it every day. So, when you're doing your career planning this is something to consider. Let me explain.

When you received your high school diploma you had more choices for your career, maybe not a lot, but certainly more than if you didn’t finish, right? Even an associates degree, or technical degree, will net you more choices. And a bachelor’s degree will give you more choices and opportunities for your career. All the way up the education ladder there will be a new set of choices and opportunities for you. Masters, MBA, Doctorate, as well as any type of licenses you can attain, like a CPA, or PE (Professional Engineer), for instance.

As you can see, getting additional training or finishing up a degree will get you more choices and opportunities for your career. And at each level you will receive more compensation.

Today, with the amount of colleges, universities, and financial aid available there is simply no excuse. And don’t say “I am too old”, there is no such thing as “too old” when it comes to learning more and furthering your education, especially if it is hurting your job search or your current career. Plus, you’re going to get older anyway, right? So, if you’re 45 years old now in two years you will be 47 years old, right? So if you go back to school, or not, you will still be 47 years old in two years!

So, if you're just starting out in your career or even a more experienced person, make sure when you're doing your career planning always evaluate the amount of choices you will have. Not just for today, but for the future. If you need to further your education, update your skills, or finish that degree you started I think you should. Especially if you think it is holding you back in your job search and hurting your career! Go for it! I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!

Starting Over?

Are you starting over in your career when you take a lower level position that pays less?

In a word, No! If you’ve been out of work for a long time, it’s important that you find something. Right now! Not only for the obvious reasons, more money for you and your family, but for your mental health! Think of it as a short detour before you can get what you really want!

At our firm, candidates will call our office and always get frustrated and feel like they're starting over in their career because they can’t find a position that will pay them what they were making. They seem to think if they take a position at a lower level with less pay, it will hurt their career situation when the “market turns”. My question is, “When is the market going to turn?" And, “How long can you wait?” If your answers to these questions are “I don’t know?” then you better find something, because this market is going to be flat until, at least, 2013. You're not starting over; you're getting into the game!

Remember, you can always explain away your situation to any potential employer; especially the way things have been with the economy in the last two years. As a professional recruiter, I would rather tell a potential employer that you were out of work and had to take a lower level position with less pay. In other words, you had to “do what you had to do” for you and your family, instead of explaining that you’ve been out of work for a year, or more.

It’s important to “Get in the game!” you can always explain away these types of career situations. So, take that position that been offered, even though it’s less pay. If you are still having problems finding something, maybe you can volunteer your time? The important thing is to stay busy! When you are busy, you are meeting people, and maybe these people can help you find that next position.

My advice as a professional recruiter is, “Get in the game!” I hope this helps.

Good luck to you!