What questions do you have about your career transition?
My career transition journey took over a year. In addition to dealing with the task of finding a new career position I had to deal with new situations, face unpleasant choices and make hard decisions.
Questions, thoughts, and feelings arose that I had to deal with. I sought friendship, support, and counsel from others. If you have a question, you and others are asking, send it to me and I will do my best to address it. I want to use this blog to tell the story of my experience with the hope it will help others who are facing a career transition.
Take a minute to post your question in the comment section at the bottom of this post. Feel free to respond with a question or a comment to any of my postings. It is helpful to me and my readers to read what others are thinking or are wondering about.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Day 20 Post a Career Transition Question to Me
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Day 19 Take time to upgrade computer skills
I upgraded my computer skills. While I kept busy applying for positions and doing informational interviews I also took time to upgrade my computer skills. WorkSource Oregon offered 20 hours of self-paced training in the use of Microsoft Office. The classes were actually offered by Portland Community College but available at the Capital Center where the WorkSource employment center is located.
Four courses in one month I took four courses to learn or improve my skills in MS Word, PowerPoint, Access and Excel. I spent four hours a day from 8:00AM until Noon for five day (20 hours) for each course. I found it to be a very practical and valuable learning experience. There were about 15 other men and women in the room. Most were in their 40's or older. All wanted to improve their skills in order to meet office skill requirements posted on job descriptions.
How expensive was the 80 hours of training? It didn't cost me anything! I qualified as a displaced worker with WorkSource and the state paid the tuition for me. All I had to do was attend all the classes and successfully complete the self-paced course work. The training manual and computer program showed me everything I had to do step-by-step. If I got stuck, there was a facilitator to help me. Portland Community College offered the classes I took for about $120 per course.
It was worth it. If lack of knowledge and skills in the use of a computer program is keeping you from being hired, it's worth the investment of time and money to get the training you need. Gaining the skills will not guarantee you a job but it will remove a reason for an employer to reject your resume.
Most of the courses only took me three days to complete. I could then review the material or do additional training assignments for the last two days of each week.
Was it worth the time? I certainly think so. My new career as a Career Advisor and Trainer involves writing documents and creating PowerPoint presentations. I gained skills and confidence. As an added bonus, I listed in my resume that I earned a certification for 80 hours of training in Microsoft Office. When employers read that, they take note that a candidate is teachable, takes initiative and is up-to-date with essential computer skills.
How to become proficient with an unfamiliar software program. Here is a valuable tip I learned from a fellow job seeker about becoming proficient with a software program an employer lists but you don't know. You can obtain many software programs for trial periods of 30-60 days for free. Download the program and practice using it! Most have tutorials or you can check out a training book at the library. You can also go online to Hewlett Packard and find free training courses for software. Make yourself a viable candidate by gain experience with computer programs employers expect job seekers to know.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Day 17 Out of work and it is Christmas time
What do you do when it is the Christmas season and you are out of work? Twice now I have faced that question. My first inclination is to forget the holiday. By that I mean act like Christmas is cancelled and skip all the gift giving and holiday traditions.
The first time I was out of work during the Christmas season I did not feel like putting up the artificial Christmas tree. I didn’t want the house decorated. I didn’t want to buy and exchange gifts with anyone. I didn’t even want to bother with the little gifts for the Christmas stockings. I hoped my wife and girls would not bother with making Christmas cookies or chocolates. I was not thinking very clearly or realistically.
The wife and kids persuaded me otherwise. We budgeted a modest amount for gifts, decorations and special foods. We limited gifts and put time and effort into making presents for one another.
You know what? It turned out to be a very nice Christmas celebration after all. We had our health, we had one another and we had family and dear friends. We also had the Lord. He blessed us in unexpected ways and unexpected times through people and circumstances. We had great evenings playing family games. One evening I read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever out loud while the family worked on handmade Christmas gifts.
That Christmas turned out to be a very special for us even though I was out of work. It simplified our lives and cut down on our materialism. We enjoyed the season in several new and delightful ways.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Day 16 The dreaded holiday season
Just as there are good and bad times of the year to take a trip there are good and bad times of the year to look for work. My experience has been that the weeks between Thanksgiving and the New Years is a bad time, a slow period, for finding a new job.
I experienced two times in my life when I was in the middle of the interview process with an organization and the search committee made a decision just before Thanksgiving to postpone further action until after the first of the year. On average that is a five or six week period. That is a long time wait when you are eager to see the hiring process keep moving along.
It’s understandable why organizations and company’s put hiring decisions on hold during this time of the year. Everyone is preoccupied with holiday activities and events. Companies and organizations have special seasonal events that consume their time and energy. It helps to understand what is happening and somewhat eases the frustration.
In all fairness I have to say one of my best experiences getting hired occurred during the months of November and December. A church had just put me on hold when another church called me a week later and began phone interviews with me. The leadership then arranged several face-to-face interviews in quick succession. I was offered the position on the 24th of December. You never know when you may be hired.
In talking with hiring managers and job seekers I found out that December can be an ideal time to do a job search. They suggest keeping your ears and eyes open for positions that will be made public in January. Here’s why. Companies don’t want to hire at the end of the year. They want to stay within budget or don’t have any budget left for new hires. Come January, the new fiscal year starts and there is money in the budget for new staff.
It turns out that August can be another slow month for doing a job search. In the Northwest August is a very popular month for people to take summer vacations. It is hard to get decision makers together to review resumes and interview candidates when they are off camping or are at the beach. Companies and organizations have busy and slow times. They have windows when they hire. Take that into consideration when doing your job search.
Just as there are better seasons than others for traveling there are good and not so good times for doing a job search. Being aware of the seasonal trends have helped me understand what is happening and lowered my frustration level when progress goes slower than I like.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Day 15 Why a blog about my job search experience?
You are one of nearly a hundred people I invited this month to read my blog. Most of you reading this know me and are interested in my story. My blog is more than a summary of what I did to find work. It is a record of my thoughts and feelings. It is also a journal of my observations, opinions, and advice for others who find themselves looking for work or want to make a career change.
You can start reading the blog from this posting (Day 15) and go back-ward or you can go to the beginning (Day 1) and read forward. Use the archive on the right side of the blog to help you navigate through the past 14 postings. Scan and read the postings that interest you. Note that there is a search feature. Type in a word or a topic and the blog will display any postings where I have addressed that subject or used that term.
Someday you may decide that you want to find a different job because your current position is no longer a good fit. Someday you may come to the conclusion that you want a new job or career that is more fulfilling . Someday a family member or friend will need to find work. When that happens I hope you will remember to come back to my blog or send a person to read it.
My hope is that this blog will not only inform you about my own personal experience at looking for a new job it will help you or someone you know who could benefit from what I learned and experienced.
Explore the blog site. Check out my profile on the right side of the blog. Write a comment where indicated. Thank for taking an interest in what I have written.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Day 14 Use informational interviews to build your network
I enjoy meeting people, getting to know them, finding common interests and developing a relationship with them. I have also made many friends over the years through my work and involvement in professional events. I enjoy cultivating friendships with professional colleagues. Over the years I had developed a network of friends through both social and professional contacts.
When I first began doing informational interviews as part of my job search it didn't occur to me to use the opportunity to build and strengthen my professional network. Vocational counselors and articles stressed the value of obtaining information through informational interviews. I tended to approach informational interviews as one time opportunities to meet people and gather information. I did not view them at first as a great way to develop my professional network.
If I had it to do over again, I would approach job interviews as an opportunity to network and build ongoing relationships rather than as isolated fact gathering appointments.
There are several benefits to approaching informational interviews as an opportunity to connect and maintain ongoing relationships.
- You build friendships and acquaintances in the industry you want to work in. Think about it. When the day comes that you get hired there is a likelihood you will cross paths with the people you are interviewing with today.
- You may make new friends who share common interests and passions. If you don't like the majority of people you meet while doing informational interviews, maybe this is not the industry you should be going into.
- It is easier to call or go back to a person you have interviewed with earlier if you have begun to build a relationship with him or her. I had several occasions to write or call back to people I interviewed with earlier. Our initial meeting opened the door for future contacts.
- Friends introduce new friends to old friends. It was through friendships that grew out of interviews that led to me being introduced to others in the same field.
- Networking while you are doing informational interviews enlists others in helping you look for work. Friends like to help friends find work. If you develop genuine friendships with fellow professionals, you name and face is likely to come to mind when someone asks them "Know anybody you can recommend for this opening we've got coming up?"
Don't do informational interviews in isolation. View them as an opportunity to make new acquaintances and develop your social network.
Day 13 Get out and do Informational Interviews
I like to stay in my comfort zone. It was real tempting for me to write cover letters and email them with my resume to job postings. It worked for me in the past, why not now?
The problem with sending out resumes to companies and organizations was that it was not producing hits. Hardly anyone was calling or writing back to me. My old tried and true method of job hunting wasn't working. Increasing the number of resumes I sent out each week didn't make much difference either. Job search articles and career counselors were saying that today job seekers need to get out and do informational interviews. It is not just a matter of what you know but who you know.
My old strategy wasn't working I had to switch to a new strategy and rely on informational interviews. Informational interviews get you in front of people, people who are in industries you are interested in, people who are networked with others in companies you hope to get hired by.
Hiring managers like to hire people they know or hire people that have been referred to them by people they know and trust. Informational interviews is a way for people to get to know you. Think about it. When you need a car mechanic or a hair stylist, what do you do? You ask a few friends who they recommend. Or you ask them if they know anything about the person or company you are considering. How much better to be a known quantity then to be a stranger when your name comes up for consideration for a position.
Informational interviews work but they take time. They help you build a network of relationships that can help you get a job in an industry or company you want to get into.
I will have more to say about informational interviews in the days ahead.