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Proactively Managing Your Career
Newsletter
Issue #2
Brought to you by
Pro-Active Human Resource Management
http://www.proactivehrm.com/index.html
Inspirational Quote
"In order to succeed, your desire for
success should be greater than your
fear of failure".
Bill Cosby
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Welcome back to “Proactively Managing
Your Career Newsletter”
If you haven't changed jobs for several
years you probably haven’t had to
go through the job search process for some time.
In fact, it is likely that
you are among the 75% of people who got
you last job through someone
you knew.
I often get people say that they have
never applied for a job before.
They are surprised when they are told by
employers to send in a resume
(yes this is still happening) and are in
a panic to get one done quickly.
By the way, hurrying a resume, for
whatever reason, is a very unwise course
of action. A good personalised
resume can take work on your part and the
part of the resume writer.
See - Your
Investment
The point I am making is that recruitment methods have changed
considerably, and job search itself
is a part time job.
If you are really serious about changing jobs
or just getting a job, the first
thing you need
to do is research on where you want to go.
Are you in the right
occupation, what jobs are available and do you have the necessary knowledge
and skills to compete in the field?
The next task is to have a new resume
that gives a clear career direction
and compiled to fulfil
the requirements of today’s employers and
gives you a
competitive edge.
It is also imperative you learn some new
job search techniques. In workshops
in the late 90's, when job search
methods were changing, I came up against
people who would not try new methods of
job search. They could not see that
if they were not getting results form
the methods they were using that they
should try another approach. Instead
they went on using the old approach without
success.
You need to be prepared to change the
way you think to implement some more
advanced job search
methods.
I have written really good resumes using
the latest format and the clients have
shown the draft to friends and come back
with changes that are so outdated
such as age and marital status as well
as content. So don't listen to friends
unless they have a successful track
record of securing high paid jobs....recently!
You have to make the choice to succeed, and you cannot do
it with outdated job search methods. Make the choice today and take
advantage of our free job search and career development resources/articles
and some excellent specialised book that you can download for immediate use.
You can find everything you need in my
career support section
at. www.poactivehrm.com/careersupport/index.html
Although I have taken on some
professional resumes, from highly experienced
people who know where
they are going, I am still getting calls from people who
have no idea of their career direction. I always try to
ascertain what they are
doing and what they want to do in order to
focus their resume.
Clearly many people just do not know enough about
today's labour market and
how to go about getting a job. So if
you know anyone who falls into this category
refer them to
my site and this newsletter.
Topics covered in Issue 2.
* Succeed by taking risks.
* Advocating dishonesty - Is a
dishonest resume really.
worth the risk of being discovered.
*
What makes work fun
* You're kidding!
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Career Advancement
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Succeed by taking risks
Taking risks is difficult - whether for
an individual or a company - because it
involves
uncertainty. Fear of the unknown tends to hold us back. But because
risk
is one of the main paths to success, intelligent, calculating
risk taking is
worthwhile.
Here are a few tips to bear in mind:
Don't focus only on the negative.
Consider the possible benefits - you'll
never reach the top of
the mountain if you're always looking down.
Welcome fear. But don't let it
immobilise you. Use it to increase your
alertness and further the
chances that your risk taking will meet with
success. Fear
should act as a helpful warning, not a barrier.
Weigh up the odds. It doesn't make sense
to risk a lot for a small potential
gain. Ask yourself the
following:
"Exactly how much am I likely to gain?
What are the realistic chances of
success? What could I lose,
either by going ahead or standing still?"
Get the facts. The more you know about a
situation, the better you can
evaluate the risks
involved. Taking a risk does not mean making a blind
leap -
intelligent risk taking is based on thorough market analysis,
planning and research.
Examine the worst case scenario. Often
you'll find that it's not as bad
as first thought. For
example, if you're hesitant about trying a potentially
better way of
doing your job, because you feel your job will be at
risk if it
backfires, sit down and reconsider. Talk it over with a
trusted colleague,
friend or employer. They may be able to
give you a differing, more realistic
perspective.
Bet on yourself. Risk in business should
not be like going to the race
track and betting on a horse.
In most of the risks you take, your own hard
work, initiative
and sheer determination will naturally play a
crucial role in
the outcome.
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Job Hunting Success
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A "New web site, FakeResume.com helps
job seekers successfully
lie on their resumes to get the job they
deserve." Check the article
out here.
For a comprehensive article showing why you should ignore the advice of the
above article, go to The
Background on Background Checks
I was horrified when I reading this article
from FakeResume.com.
It sets people up to fail. Firstly, dishonesty is easily picked up,
most often at interview stage. Really,
does this mob think
recruitment officers are so unprofessional they won't
check all
details out? They teach them to try and out smart us. I wouldn’t
bet on it.
Most employers provide a trial period,
usually three months. If they have
lied about their skills it will soon be discovered.
The penalty for misrepresenting your
qualifications, skills and employment
history, can comeback to
haunt you 10 years into your career. Under
labour rules as they
stand today, lying to get a job is a sackable offence and
you
will lose all your entitlements such as superannuation and
annual leave?
The article says that ”people that don't
lie are behind the eight ball when it
comes to competition”. My
answer to this is if you feel you’re not
competitive you need to
analyse why instead of lying.
Ok, there are periods where you went
travelling and you think it doesn't
look good on your resume. Most
people will try and cover this up.
However, it can be a
positive thing in some cases, in particular when
GRADUATES take
"gap year" - a
year off to travel. My own Lecturer
advocated taking a gap year before or after university. Firstly, he
acknowledged there is a lot of pressure on students leading up to the tertiary
year and many students have worked to pay for their university
education.
They need time out. Secondly, a gap year gives the student's
time to evaluate
what they want to do.
My advice is get yourself a good resume
writer who will be able to draw
out all your
achievements skills and attributes and back them up with
factual material.
They will probe and probe until they wring you dry
(well I
do) to ensure your resume is as competitive as it can be. By
the time
you finish with a professional writer you will clearly see any areas
for improvement, but more importantly, you will have a good resume
that
will highlight your employment strengths
First test the market. Good
communication and interpersonal kills can
put you way out in front of
many more qualified applicants. If you then feel
you have a skill or
knowledge gap that is hindering your job search success,
you
may want to undertake further training.
However, you can overcome your lack of
competitiveness by developing
some very good job search
skills and be confident in the interview and
demonstrating good
communication. You can learn these skills by reading
good resources.
Have a look at
Job
Interview and Success System
for example, and other
books on offer at my
Job Search
Resources section.
www.poactivehrm.com/careersupport/index.html
Also keep an eye on my free articles as they
will be constantly updated.
There is no excuse for not
putting together a Strategic Job Search Plan
and use all the knowledge
available to become a "Professional Jobseeker."
You do
not have to resort to lying to get a job.
For free comprehensive Job Search material
http://www.proactivehrm.com/JobSearch/index.html
Do you want to go through life looking
over your shoulder and
watching every word you say in case you
give yourself away?
Think about it. Do you think you can
live with the burden of
such outright lies?
The following extract is from a from a press release by FDI
Consulting printed in International Networks, reiterates what
I have
been saying.
“After reviewing hundreds of resumes
every day, it was always
apparent, to both me and my colleagues,
which were
professionally written and which were
not…, 9 times out of 10
these were the people who were hired."
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Surviving in the Workplace
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What makes work fun?
In a recent survey of professionals,
here are the top five responses
to the above question in order
of priority:
1. Solving problems, working on
challenges. This includes the ability
to be creative,
undertake large and/or new projects, and solve
problems for
clients and others.
2. The people I work with. Words
such as "rapport," "camaraderie,"
and "interaction" came
up, including working with clients and others.
3. A sense of accomplishment. This
included completing numerous
tasks or projects,
plus reaching goals with successful results.
4. Variety. People enjoy different
challenges and the sense of
newness/excitement they bring.
5. The work itself. This response
referred to specific aspects, such
as working on certain
projects, the line of business and using
computer technology
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A Little Bit of Trivia
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You're kidding
* Three out of four people lather
their stomachs first when
taking a bath.
* Crows live for 80 years on average.
* According to studies of human
attractiveness, 8% of the
world's population is considered
extremely good looking;
17% better than average; 50%
average; 17%
somewhat below average; and 8%
ugly.
* Ernest Hemingway, the legendary
journalist, and short
story writer, wrote his works while
standing up.
* A pig swims in an upright position,
rapidly pawing the
water with its short front legs.
* The iron in a human being could make
one small nail.
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Enjoy you subscription. I hope I can
help you succeed in your career.
Your feedback will be appreciated. E-mail me at
proactivehrm@tpg.com.au
If you know anyone who can benefit by
reading the range of
subject matter refer him or her to.
To your success - cheers
Iris Wood
http://www.proactivehrm.com
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