Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

This week, I met with an engineer who was losing his job the following day after 24 years with the same company. He is lucky to have outplacement services from his ex-employer.

As we talked, he clearly understood the challenges ahead of  him – specifically how to research and absorb the vast amount of career and job hunting information on the Internet. Our discussion reminded me why Hannah Morgan and I started the Career Development Carnival – to make it easier for job hunters and career savvy climbers to get access to current resources, advice and tips from leading career experts.

I hope you enjoy the articles from this month’s career experts and show your support with a Tweet, Google+, Facebook like and LinkedIn mention.

Networking Tips

Anna Farmery presents Show 382 – Calculating return on social influence posted at The Engaging Brand.

Have you wondered: What Should the Subject Line Say for Job Search Emails? Lisa Rangel, Chameleon Resumes, has that answer for you!

Career Management

Martha Stewart gives us some good news about the gender pay gap: 12 Telling Stats on Female MBAs posted at onlinemba.com.

What’s the difference between a first, second and third interview? Sharlyn Lauby at HR Bartender engages two other career experts to weigh in at Ask HR Bartender: Different Types of Job Interviews.

Do you know what salary you should expect for a job? Jacob Share from JobMob has complied a list of 100+ Salary Surveys, Guides and Calculators For 2012.

Job Search Resources

Are you looking for a creative way to get an employer’s attention? ResumeMag‘s Gerry Sandis demonstrates several job hunters’ creative approach in Billboard Cover Letter: When A Resume Is Just Not Enough.

I love Job Quest’s Melissa Cooley post on Signs You Have Hired a Great Career Professional! Her sound advice on what to and what not to expect is a must read for anyone looking to hire a career coach or professional.

The journey of job hunting for Mildred Talabi sparked her to write 10 key job hunting lessons I’ve learnt from going back to work.

Is it time to revisit your LinkedIn strategy? Melissa Venable at Online College outlines 6 Savvy Ways to Optimize Your LinkedIn Experience. Share your favorite way to use LinkedIn.

One of the complaints I often hear about is not getting feedback from an interview. It was time to highlight the Elephant at Work and offer Staffing Insights into Candidate Feedback from the Software Scout.

This is a constant challenge for job hunters: Finding Inside Connections to Help with your Job Search. Hannah Morgan at Career Sherpa has some great ideas on how to navigate your way inside.

Career Exploration

Curtez Riggs knows what it is like to create your Life after the Army. He shares some tips: You’re Hired: How to Make Yourself an Easy Decision to Employ.

Personal Branding

Davis Ellis at The Savvy Intern makes a strong case on Personal Branding: On Becoming the Mercedes Benz of Interns.

Hell in the Hallway‘s Deborah Mourey attended an event and realized…Help, I’m a Millennial Trapped in a Baby Boomer Body!

Here’s what I like about Dawn Bugni’s post at The Write Solution (what a catchy title!): Focus: A powerful element in job search – she advises her clients to be deliberate in their job search.

June Career Development Carnival

Next month, the Career Development Carnival will be hosted by Hannah Morgan at Career Sherpa. If you would like to send a post for consideration, visit our Career Development Carnival website to sign up for e-mail notifications.

Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes

There has been a lot of focus on writing skills with my clients. Three of my clients find that their writing skills are hurting them in their professional careers. Are your writing skills impacting your career?

Here are a few facts about the group:

• Client 1 is an attorney and their firm identified their writing skills as a deficiency.
• Client 2 is educated as an engineer and is not working.
• Client 3 is senior manager and is applying to top-notch universities to enroll in their MBA program. He continues to be denied even with high GMAT scores.
• Each person has graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree, minimally.
• Two of them are first or second generation immigrants. Both of them have excellent verbal skills.
• Two of the three have low self-confidence in their writing skills.

Tackling Low Confidence

It is no surprise that low self-confidence impacts your progress – in any goal. The fear of not being successful stops even the most talented people, regardless of  their position or career potential.

Writing is one of the basic forms of communication. The assumption that you have great writing skills because you are college educated and yet can’t write is one of those dirty little secrets.

Who wants to back and learn about grammar, punctuation and sentence structure? It sounds kind of boring and remedial.

As with most things in life that you want to master, the more you practice writing, the better you get. When I look at my first posts on Elephants at Work, I cringe – I want to eradicate those posts from my blog. But, I don’t because those posts show how far I have come in developing my writing style. Am I perfect – by no means!

Think of writing as a challenge. You don’t have to write a blog to get better. You do have to know and apply basic writing skills and find ways to practice it. For example, you could take a creative writing class at the university, start a personal journal or offer to write articles for a not-for-profit newsletter.

The Writing Process

When you first being to write, expect to work hours on each article. Writing is a process and here are the basic steps:

1. Pick a subject you love and know about it. Your topic could be about careers, origami, photography, music or bio-physics.
2. Let the words flow on paper. Don’t worry about grammar, punctuation and sentence structure while your thoughts are being captured.
3. Go back and check grammar, punctuation and sentence structure.
4. Set your article aside and let it rest for a day.
5. Review your article again for content, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure.
6. Use the resources available in Word or other editors to do check. Don’t rely on these programs to catch the errors. Use other resource materials.
7. Ask for feedback – have someone else check your work.
8. Refine your article again.

The writing process gets easier the more you write. You may be able to combine a few steps when editing becomes automatic.

Writing Resources

There will be times when you should use a third-party resource or editor. If you are writing an essay, book or other piece that will be judged, let someone else check your work.

Using a writing resource is not an excuse for lazy writing basic skills. If what you write is bad, expect to pay dearly for someone to clean it up.

Here are writing skills resources that my clients or I have found helpful:

• The Elements of Style (4th Edition)

• The Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial and Appellate Courts

• Mind Maps: Quicker Notes, Better Memory, and Improved Learning

Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

Eric Derby is a Rochester NY area based staffing consultant (he’s more than a recruiter!), also known as The Software Scout. When I first met Eric, I was intrigued by his business model, personalized approach and the results he gets with his clients and candidates. I asked him to share his story with Elephants at Work and asked him the tough question – why candidates don’t get feedback!

Eric, give us some background about your company – how long you have been in business and what you do!

I actually started as a software developer. I accidentally found my way into recruiting, and found I was very good at it. I have done recruiting now for 15 years, and my technical background helps me tremendously. I can understand technical managers and candidates better than most recruiters.

Presently I see myself more as a staffing consultant than an agency or headhunter. I work with small and medium size companies filling all of their technical positions, and any other positions that they need help with. A few years ago I studied and obtained an HR certification (SPHR) to get a better understanding of how companies work. When possible I like to teach companies how to create a better staffing process, but mostly I just do the recruiting. In a sense I could be seen as doing outsourcing.

Your approach to recruiting is unique – what do you do differently? How does that provide value to your customer?

First, I only have a few customers at a time. I like to work on site, and get to know the work environment. I also have a more detailed interview process than most recruiters; I actually ask candidates about their goals and what they want. This combination allows me to find the right people for the job, and the right job for the candidates, as the fit goes well beyond just matching a technical skill set. When last I compiled statistics 98% of my direct placements stayed in their jobs two years or more. This level of quality provides an excellent ROI to my clients.

Because you have such a different approach, I would bet you get more of the inside scoop on candidate feedback, is that true?

That is most often true. Since I prefer to work on site I generally have direct access to the hiring managers. When possible I like to attend the meetings to review candidates after interviews. In this way I know the real reasons why candidates succeed or are rejected. Because I only work with a few clients at a time I can make the time to get feedback to candidates. Of course my reality is that I need the feedback as well. If candidates are not working I need to know why so that I can make adjustments and find the right person for the job.

Often we hear candidates complain that they don’t receive feedback from companies they have interviewed with and it frustrates them. Why do you think companies or recruiters are reluctant to give candidates feedback especially when the feedback might help candidates get employment?

1. There are a number of reasons that I can think of offhand: Liability. Companies are afraid that if they are honest with people that they will get sued. The interesting thing is that I have never personally heard of any company I know getting sued for getting feedback to a candidate.
2. Communication and time; really two reasons but they are very hard to separate. The HR people that I work with are some of the hardest working people I know. HR is often understaffed, and to put it simply these people are swamped. To get feedback takes time; they have to contact (sometimes badger) the hiring managers for information, then convey this to the candidate in nice way. Most HR people just want to move on to the next candidate to try to get the positions filled. Honesty can be very hard. I have had to tell people: they talked to much, did not listen enough, did not answer the questions they were asked, had body odor, had too much cologne/perfume, were dressed poorly, were not respectful, etc. Sometimes people listen well, other times they are belligerent and/or tell me I am wrong. I understand very well why many HR people find this difficult.
3. Communication and time; this time the hiring manager. Hiring should be important to every manager, and have one of the highest priorities. Once people are hired then the manager will have it easier, right? Unfortunately it does not often work that way. Recruiting is something that these people do on top of their regular daily job, and fitting it in is hard. The recruiting process is often not well defined, and documentation is generally sparse if it exists at all. When a candidate is rejected there is often nothing written about it. The hiring manager tells HR that none of the candidates fit and that they want more, sometimes as they are passing in the hall!

Candidates often think they have a right to feedback, especially when they have spent time interviewing with a company. What are your thoughts?

That is a great question (stalling while I am thinking!). I think that depends on how you define feedback. If the candidate did not get the job then the company does not have any responsibility to the candidate to provide feedback that might help them land the next job. But I think that a company should provide a basic truthful answer about why a candidate did not get a job. So my final answer is that the candidate does have a right to a basic reason why they did not get the job if they had an in-person interview.

What can a candidate do to improve their chances of getting feedback?

1. Write Thank You notes! Candidates should collect business cards (if possible) of those people with whom they interviewed, or at least make sure that they have their proper name spelling. They should write thank you notes to the people including the HR person. If they cannot afford stamps then they can send email messages. The notes should be mailed the day of the interview. First this improves the odds of a candidate getting a job. Even if the person is not the best candidate then everyone involved in the process will think better of them and be more likely to help including providing feedback.
2. Be respectful of every person you meet at the company including reception and cleaning people. Anything you do may be watched. Remember that almost everyone interviewing you is taking time away from something else to talk with you.

If you want to connect with Eric, he writes a blog at Staffing Insights or on LinkedIn.

Reading time: 2 – 3 minutes

Does the fact you have not gotten a promotion at work keep baffle you? You have been in your job for several years and actively apply to job openings as they become available, but the promotion just never happens.

When you ask your boss or human resources why you are not getting promoted, you probably here that you are not ready. Do they tell you how to get ready?

One of the reasons you may not be getting that promotion is that you do not have a backup. No one may tell you that not having a backup the reason you are being passed over – and quite frankly it should not be the sole reason but it happens.

What is a backup?

A backup is someone who can step into your position and handle your responsibilities if your job becomes vacant with minimal training time. Backups might be someone internal or external to the organization.

Why don’t you have a backup?

Here are some of the reasons I have heard why people do not have a backup for their position:

1. No one is my department is ready to assume the responsibilities.
2. The company eliminated the supervisor or manager role so the gap between my job and my subordinates is too wide.
3. If I train someone for my job, the company may decide to let me go.
4. No one can do my job.

Many of these reasons pose a challenge – though not insurmountable, except possibly getting past your fear of being let go. The truth is if you are too afraid to train your replacement, you probably aren’t ready to be promoted – that’s the real reason you are getting passed over.

Succession Planning: Use it to your advantage

The reason organizations do succession planning is to create their backup plan for turnover or promotions of key employees. When those key positions in the organization are vacant, the company increases their risk of not meeting their financial and strategic goals. Succession planning involves the identification of backups and the commitment to train or develop people to become functional backups.

Traditionally, succession planning is done at the executive level; there is no reason why you can’t think about doing it within your organization –no matter where you fit in within the company structure. In fact, it is a smart move because when the time is right for you to move to a new position, you will have someone groomed to take your position.

Reading time: 2 – 4 minutes

The difference between winners and losers is identifying what you want versus what you need.

Just ask yourself, if you know what you want – why have you not gotten it? The answer is likely buried in what you need.

It is much easier to say what you want than to define what you need. Sometimes what you need is not clear, and that’s one reason why you are not getting what you want.

Let’s work through an example together.

1. Select your own topic.
2. Create two columns. Write down what you want in one column and what you need in the other.

Here is an example using Career Advancement.

 What comes after knowing what you need?

Once you find out what you need, it’s time to evaluate how badly you want – what you want. What you need requires hard work and resources – often money and time.

Money and time are known as resource constraints because you never seem to have enough of either one. If one of these resources is constrained, it will require you to re-prioritize what’s important to you. Perhaps, what you want really is not that important compared to other demands in your life. Ultimately, the decision is up to you.

When you decide not to do what you need to get what you want, accept that it was your choice to sub-optimize your personal needs. You do not have a right to blame anyone else for failing to get what you want.

The benefit of doing what you need is you get closer to what you want. Absent doing the work, you leave yourself to the mercy of others to give you what you want, when they want to do it or hope that fate intervenes.

Reading time: 2 – 4 minutes

One of the biggest barriers to successful coaching is time. New clients or sponsoring companies want results right away. Personally, I do too, but guess what – success is dependent on personal readiness and working through the coaching process.

Coaching Readiness Factors

Here are a few of the personal readiness factors that I screen for when taking on a new coaching client:

• Introspection and self-awareness
• Reflection on the good, bad and ugly
• Commitment to make changes and keep momentum
• Willingness to try new things
• Follow through on your plan

Your degree of readiness will either help or hinder your progress during the coaching process.

Think about taking a Coaching Readiness Assessment at Leadership Breakthrough to decide if you are ready to start the executive or career coaching process.

The Coaching Process

A coaching process has multiple phases. How quickly you move through the coaching process depends on:

1. Your readiness
2. Difficulty of the situation
3. Hard work

Based on my work with clients, these are the phases you can expect to meet:

1. Awareness of the problem and personal behavioral style
2. Redefining the problem – are we working on the right problem or a symptom?
3. Acceptance of the problem and implications
4. Re-framing the problem to an opportunity (creating a win-win solution)
5. Charting a course of action/behavior
6. Committing to action/behavior
7. Measuring action/behavior
8. Reinforcement of action/behavior
9. Refining action/behavior as needed

The purpose of sharing these phases is not to overwhelm you. The coaching process is a framework and it is flexible. For example, there may be times when you are working on more than one coaching phase at a time.

Accelerating Coaching Results through Homework

One of the ways I help clients to move through the coaching process faster is by giving them homework. The type of homework may involve reading, analyzing situations, practicing new skills or taking a specific action. Clients who embrace their homework are more successful in achieving their coaching goals.

How quickly can you be coached?

The coaching process is not a race to the finish line. In fact, if you skip some of the phases or do the work poorly, one of two things is likely to happen.

You will fail at making your intended change or the process will take a longer to complete because you have to go back and do the work again.

If you ready to change, let the coaching process work to your advantage and you will see lasting results. Short change the process and you short change yourself.

Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes

Here is a recent question posed by an Elephants at Work reader about being terminated from her job unexpectedly after accepting a job and not passing her physical exam.

Jessica: I have a question just to see if you can answer it. My employer that I was working for told me that they did not have a position for me because their company doctor put me on light duty restrictions. They hired me and did not know light duty was on my physical. When I asked them about being terminated she said it was more like a hire error or separation. Is there any way I could draw my unemployment because she said I was terminated but she said it was more like a separation and it would not be on my record as termination.

I have another question. When they called me in the human resources office, I was told I was under light duty restrictions by the company doctor who did the physical. They never gave me a copy of it or showed me in writing about the restrictions. I was told that someone would call me back. When they called me back and told me that they did not have a position for me because I was under the restrictions, I first thought it was for my back then they changed it and said it was because of the medication I was taking. They said it was a large amount. My doctor faxed over a sheet to let them know I was no longer taking the medication. They are giving me the run around about it. I asked them was I fired terminated or laid off.

Jessica

Answer: Let’s break this situation down into a several parts.

Physicals and the Hiring Process

Most companies who require a physical for a position ask candidates to complete it before being hired – especially if the job is physically demanding. For example, if you are required to lift over 50 lbs. in the job description, then a company will want to clear you for that type of work before hiring you.

In your situation, it seems the company extended an offer to you or hired you and then asked you to have a physical with the company doctor before working. During that physical, the doctor either found or got information from you that you could not do the job without restrictions.

I realize that you tried to give the company doctor new information about your health and the company did not reinstate their offer. The company probably will not change their mind because they want to decrease their risk.

Companies are not required to hire you into a position if you have restrictions that the company cannot or does not want to meet.

If you were a working full-time employee and were hurt and you could return to work with restrictions, the situation may be different. In this situation, if the company could accommodate the restriction, it would be in the company’s best interest to have you to return to work. If the company could not accommodate you, depending on the state you are in and the company policies you may be eligible for disability and/or possibly be terminated because there is not a job you could do.

Can the Company Terminate Me?

Yes, the company can rescind an offer to hire you before putting you to work. The majority of U.S. states view the employment relationship as “At-will Employment”. This type of relationship lets either party (you or the company) to break the relationship without liability if there is no contract or bargaining unit in place.

Often companies will extend job offers to candidates that depend on certain conditions being met, such as:

1. A negative drug test
2. Company physical OK’s you for work
3. References check are positive

When those conditions are not met, the companies will separate the candidate from the company if the candidate has already entered them into their internal tracking system. The term “hire error” is a code that Human Resources uses in their system to define the type of termination. See my article on different types of terminations: Interviewing or Job Applications: What do I say if I was fired?

In your case, the company is using “hire error” to say the company extended an offer to you for a position that you could not do based on the company doctor’s evaluation. Extending an offer to you prematurely was their error, not yours.

Unemployment: Will I get it?

You may or may not be eligible for unemployment depending on the state live in and if you have exhausted your unemployment benefits.

Many states require you to have a qualifying period. The qualifying period is a minimum number of hours, pay or some other formula your state will decide your eligibility.

Depending on the state rules, the qualifying period may or may not be tied to a single employer. For example in New York State, you would be eligible for unemployment benefits provided you met the qualifying period with another company.

The best way to know if you qualify is to go down to the unemployment office and file a claim. Good luck!

Reading time: 2 – 4 minutes

Are you looking to work with a coach? When you talk to or visit a coach’s site, are you finding varying lengths of coaching programs? I am not surprised. There are a number of reasons why different coaching programs exist which center on the complexity of the coaching engagement.

In general, there are two types of coaching programs – company sponsored coaching programs and personal direct pay or private coaching programs.

Company Sponsored Coaching Programs

These programs company initiated for a specific reason. Company sponsored coaching programs are predominately offered to executives and high potential employees.

The executive may be a manager, director, vice president or CEO of the company. High potential employees may hold any position and are seen as future leaders or rain makers in the organization. Companies make investments in their development to cultivate and reinforce the skills necessary for career, business or industry success.

Executive coaching focuses on the company or individual’s key career success factors. Some coaching assignments help promising individuals ramp up their career learning curve faster.

Other times, executive coaching addresses a success factor that is failing or derailing and requires the executive to adjust their behavior. In cases of derailment, executives tend to defer responsibility and mitigate the potential implications of not changing their behavior. How long does it take for an executive to assume responsibility? It varies.

Both of these situations require longer programs to be effective – usually six months or longer.

An overview of Lynn Dessert’s Company Executive Programs

Executive coaching is an effective way to achieve results because executives respond better to one on one development.

Private Coaching Programs

In a private coaching program, the agreement is between the coach and the client – no third parties are involved.

Coaching programs where people pay directly are generally shorter in duration or engage the coach sporadically.

The areas where people seek coaching most often are: career exploration, career transition, work/life balance, personal development and management or leadership development. There is a growing trend for individuals to assume personal accountability for their development in light of cutbacks in internal company development programs.

Individual clients who start coaching services focus on their outcomes more rigorously because the goals are self-generated versus being imposed by a third-party (company). In many cases, coaches offer discounts to direct pay clients because there are fewer reporting requirements and overhead costs.

An overview of Lynn Dessert’s Private Coaching Programs

When in doubt, always ask for more information from the coach you are thinking of working with – by phone, email or in person.

Reading time: 2 – 3 minutes

Finding out what to do about your career and job search process is confusing. Here are two resources to help you:

1. Figure out what you want to do with your career
2. Manage your professional reputation on the internet

Career Success in 12 Easy Steps | a Journal

The first career resource is Career Success in 12 Easy Steps | a Journal, a book written by Judith Shenouda that applies a series of mini-assessments and helps you figure out what you are passionate about.

Judy takes you on a journey with other career explorers who share their methodology for finding their perfect career. The book uses a journal format and you can write or scribble your notes as you work the questions in each chapter.

This is a great book if you are searching for what to do next in your life and you want to narrow down some of the options without using formal career assessments.

Social Media & Reputation Management –  A workshop with Hannah Morgan

In this workshop, you will learn what hiring professionals are finding out about you during the job screening process. Did you know that 75% of recruiters and companies are using Google to decide if you have made the first cut?

What if you find something on the internet that is not true or casts you in a bad light? Hannah Morgan of Career Sherpa will share tips and advice on how to clean up your personal online reputation. If you miss this workshop, contact Hannah directly, she’s the guru of reputation management.

Cost:                 FREE

When:              Saturday, April 21, 2012 from 10:30 am—12:30pm

Location:         Central library, Monroe County NY

Register:          585-428-8130

Easy Registration Link: http://www3.libraryweb.org/form.aspx?ekfrm=474359

Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes

It is not often that I do a bitch session on career and job search. Once in a while, it’s OK to let off steam about what frustrates you so that you can become more productive!

Here are the top 50 Job Search Frustrations I hear about every day. Job search frustrations encompass the job search process, personal feelings and communications or lack there of with companies, recruiters, colleagues and friends.

Tell me which job search frustration gives you the most angst and by all means, add your favorite if it is not included in this list!

1. You don’t have a college degree and the position requires it
2. The company fears you are a job hopper because you have bounced around too much
3. You spent too much time in one company
4. You are only a big or small company employee and the hiring company is the opposite
5. You are overqualified
6. You don’t have enough experience
7. You have to pass computer or typing tests after being in the workforce for years doing that job
8. No one calls you back even though you are at the final interview stage
9. The company wants your salary requirements and then *poof* no communication
10. Assessments are required, but no feedback is given
11. Hiring manager or recruiters ignore emails and phone calls
12. If you are not selected, no one tells you the real reason why
13. Companies are offering lower wage rates because of high unemployment
14. Temp agencies are being used for full-time position hiring
15. Everyone tells you that your resume stinks but not how to fix it
16. Keeping motivated without having positive reinforcement
17. Receiving an automated response to job submissions
18. Learning how to network effectively
19. Managing your spouse or significant other’s expectations
20. Feeling like you are worthless
21. Questioning your career choices - are you in the right field or industry
22. Asking for help
23. Managing your time
24. Realizing you may have to move to get a job
25. Figuring out how to apply for jobs online
26. Finding new jobs to apply for – Check out our Resources for Career Movers & Shakers!
27. Seeing jobs not getting filled, even though you were perfect for it
28. Job postings being cancelled by companies
29. Unclear job descriptions – at the interview you find out the job is different!
30. Companies want the perfect candidate
31. Companies and recruiters waste your time
32. Waiting for the phone call
33. You are banking on getting the job and then don’t get it
34. Phone interviews – especially when you make a better in-person impression
35. Creating so many resumes you are confused
36. When someone says, “We’ll call you” and they never do
37. Riding the eternal emotional roller coaster
38. Having to tell everyone you need a job
39. People who you thought were your friends don’t return your phone calls
40. You are too old or too young
41. All the entry-level jobs require years of experience
42. Realizing you don’t have a large network to tap into
43. Your skills are out of date
44. You are only being considered for lower level jobs
45. You take the drug test (last step before getting hired) and no one calls you even though you know you are clean
46. Experiencing your first behavioral or group interview
47. Keeping track of all your job submissions and following up
48. Job hunting more than 40 hours a week without a paycheck
49. Trying to look confident and not desperate
50. You are unemployed so you are not being considered for the job

I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted!