Tag: jobs

5 Questions with Alan Corey, Author of The Subversive Job Search

Corey book cover

Great conversation with Alan Corey, author of the The Subversive Job Search: How to Overcome a Lousy Job, Sluggish Economy, and Useless Degree to Create a Six-Figure Career. His insights might surprise you.

Why do you think most
job-seekers trust the status quo approach to looking for new employment?

No one is
taught job hunting in school so many job hunters get their job searching advice
from a trusted family member or friend who they think has great job. They want
to know how he or she was able to do it so they can replicate the same steps.
Unfortunately, that advice is always outdated as they’ve probably have held
that job for five or more years and even worse, it may be the only job they
have ever had.

You want to
talk to someone how is constantly job hunting. Ask them how they are getting
noticed? What is working and what is not working? I’ve had 5 jobs in 24 months
and I learned a lot as I was constantly on the hunt. And I’m still learning
more.  But the big difference is that
employers are hiring differently than they have in the past.

A decade ago,
employers hired based on an employee’s potential. If you came from a good
school or had a college degree, then you’d be worth taking a chance on. But now
employers don’t have time or budget to train new employees, which means job
seekers need to come in with value on day one. 
It’s on the job seeker to pay to get their own training, have to find
their own way to build up their own skill set, and create their own working
experience. Showing you can come to work the first day with value is the
difference between getting noticed or not by a hiring manger in today’s
economy.

In your book you discuss your
struggles with depression. It seems like depression would go hand-in-hand with
a loss of a job, what advice would you give to someone in that spot?

Yes, I was unemployed for a
year and suffering depression and the number one thing is getting help. Depression
sucks the life out of you, and without help from family and therapy I may still
be there.  Talking about it helped a lot
and allowed me to look at my situation in a new light.

If you find yourself in this
situation reach out to family, friends, and professional help. My therapist
gave me the tools to get back on my feet. There shouldn’t be shame associated
with losing your job. It happens. It’s life. I realized I was one of millions
suffering from lack of employment and it gave me encouragement to try job
hunting in different ways.  I eventually
made job hunting my number one focus, stopped blaming others for my problems,
stopped blaming the economy for poor job prospects, and taught myself how to
job hunt subversively.

Is it important to know what’s
most important in your life when considering the next opportunity?

This is a
huge key to job hunting. I’ve job hunted for different reasons based on my and
my family’s needs. I’ve taken jobs just for the paycheck, I’ve taken jobs for
the experience, and I’ve even taken jobs for the abundance of vacation days it
provided.   Each served a different
purpose of my life at different times.

It’s crucial
to recognize where you stand in your career. If you are entry level, go for the
experience. Or better yet, go for what excites you or what you want to learn
about.  And realize that every job you
land may end quicker than you think it will, so always be building up your
skillset so you are instantly employable in case you get laid off. By taking
after-hour classes, networking outside your office, and reading your career’s
industry-focused magazines you’ll begin to learn what it is that you want from
your career and you’ll also know what it will take to get there. Working on
your career doesn’t just stop when you leave the office.

Where do you see the U.S. job
market heading in the next 3-5 years? Will people get more subversive in their
approach to finding employment?

I think the
job market will be improving and I see no other way to job hunt than to be a
bit subversive. You have to make yourself a big fish in this huge sea of job
applicants. This can be done by branding yourself correctly, working online or
for free to earn a reputation, or finding ways to be noticed within your career
niche.  If you are labeled as an expert
at something, even if it is just one tiny task or responsibility, this goes a
long way to get employed. Someone out there will have a need for this expertise
and is willing to pay top dollar for an employee to fill it.  If you recognize what these skill sets are
with your career, you’ll be no longer be a job hunter, but you’ll be head-hunted
instead by well-connected recruiters and hiring managers. The ideal situation
for anyone looking to further their career.

What advice would you give the
person, just out of college, trying to land their first job?

With hard work comes experience, with
experience comes opportunities, and with opportunities comes luck.  And with all of these four things working for
you, then comes wealth. To be a graduate shows you’ve got the ability to work
hard, but most graduates lack experience that makes them the in-demand hires
they want to be.

I’d recommend freelancing online via website like odesk.com and elance.com to
earn real-world experience as quickly as possible and to prove you are a self-motivated
candidate. This is also a great way to learn what you like within your career,
learn what skills are in demand, and make a little money on while you job hunt.
Furthermore, they’ll have actually talking points to discuss in future
interviews that can help them make a great first impression.

Alan-Corey

Alan Corey is the personal
finance and career author of “A
Million Bucks by 30” and “The
Subversive Job Search.” You can learn more about him by visiting his
website at www.alancorey.com or by
following him on Twitter @alancorey. 

 

 

Related articles
Going in With Eyes Wide Open
Liz Ryan: It's time for new graduates to rev up their search for job

What Management Doesn’t Know Will Hurt Them

Does your manager operate on assumptions? It's kind of a turn on my saying, what management does know will hurt them. The following are some examples:

  • We hit our numbers (cutting costs, revenue goals, quarterly profit), therefore we've earned the right to proceed with the next phase of growth.
  • The last employee survey was better than the last, so we don't need to dig any deeper into past complaints of favoritism.
  • We all have sacrificed, so morale isn't as bad as it may appear. Besides, we're a team.

Obviously, you and I could think of many other examples. My point is to illustrate the two different worlds management and employees live in. The most dangerous part is the inevitable collision to come. In America those collisions are happening on a regular basis. For example, our fiscal cliff is causing many publically traded companies to pay out one-time dividends at a lightening pace to beat what they see as the inevitble in 2013. The hike in tax consequences on dividend income. This is happening while many employees, and potential employees, are wondering when will the hiring will start again. The money is there for a dividend, why not for hiring someone.

Human beings are complex creatures. The DNA is fixed and we are who we are. Survival instincts, the need for affirmation and a desire for clarity are just a few to consider. How can this be missed. Lower quality leaders just don't know any better. Call it a leadership deficit that's difficult to remedy.

We're doing battle with culture here. A culture that staked everything, or so it seems, on some false-growth model. There needs to be some cleaning out to the rot. I'm not advocating we toss the entire system out, but I am advocating that we add some serious leadership development that is NOT based on giving the appearance of change. Way too many programs conform to keeping the status quo alive and well. We need to find courage now because we are far into the second-half. Expecting an epic comeback is a very dangerous outlook.

Management is toying with grave consequences when it forgets this.

 

Related articles
Candor and Clarity
5 Greatest Challenges Ahead for HR and Leaders
Buybacks Expected to Increase

The Power of a Video Resume

In the market we find ourselves in, I think it wise to stand out from the herd. One excellent way is through the medium of video. In this post I'm specifically thinking of the video resume.

Video resumes are not new. That said, I think video can be intimidating for many. This article from Eugen Lim is a great start as you consider this approach. I like Eugene's insights because she has experience on her side. Not in years, but in, she's learning and about to embark on what many are in the midst of.

Enjoy the video and I hope it helps you get to that desired place-may it be Epic.

Why You Should Consider Education ROI

The following is a guest post from Phillip Reed. Phillip is associated with Westwood College in the Colorado area.

There are many ways one can look at higher education:  you can look at it as a way of spending several years immersing yourself in the history, culture and philosophy of the world around you; you can look at it as an effective way of broadening your employment prospects; or you can look at is as a financial investment.  It’s this last perspective that we will discuss here, as return on investment (ROI) is a significant issue in higher education today.

Thinking of higher education as a financial investment is important, because, like it or not, it’s expensive.  Any expense of that magnitude should ideally have some lasting benefit in your life, and in this case that benefit is a substantially increased level of knowledge.  While it would be difficult to argue a direct ROI from higher education, it’s clear enough that it can be achieved in an indirect way.  That is to say, you pay a certain amount for the knowledge, that knowledge translates to a higher level of employment, and that employment brings you a larger sum than the amount you invested.  Simple, no?

Again, though, that’s an ideal situation, and it’s not something that everybody can count on, or should count on.  For those who are looking at education as an investment and not strictly as an opportunity for personal growth and enlightenment, some up-front planning and research is crucial.

Higher education, after all, can be expensive.  And, as we know, high salaries are by no means guaranteed.  It’s important, then, to weigh two things:

1)  The Cost of the Education

2)  The Potential Salary in a Given Field

So far, that’s straight forward enough.  And, fortunately, you have a bit of wiggle room in both areas. 

For starters, the cost of education can vary depending upon whether or not you qualify for grants, your place of residence, the nature of the institution (community college or online college are often significantly less expensive, for example), the speed with which you complete your degree, and other factors that are relatively within your control.

In terms of your potential salary, there’s a lot less control you can exercise.  You can, however, understand that salary can increase over time, and by working hard and investing yourself more deeply in your work you can potentially expect your annual income to grow.  If it doesn’t, you may be able to leverage yourself a better deal with a competitor or, depending upon your given field, by going into business for yourself. 

This kind of versatility is not consistent across disciplines, so research yours in particular before you count on being able to write your own ticket.  For instance, a computer programmer may well go into business for himself if he is not satisfied in his job in a particular company, but a medical assistant may not have that luxury.  A computer programmer may also find himself in demand enough that he may be able to negotiate a better salary or benefits in return for staying with his current employer, while a clerk or receptionist may not enjoy the same element of irreplaceability, and can therefore expect a level of compensation determined by his or her employer.

When you stack up a rough cost against a rough expectation of payout, you’ll want to see the latter much greater than the former.  If the former outweighs the latter, then you have a problem with your investment.

For instance, take a look at this article from Financial Highway.  They highlight several majors that may not have an acceptable ROI in today’s economic climate, including Social Work, Liberal Arts, and Horticulture.  (Sorry, horticulturalists…we didn’t create the list!)  Of course they don’t delve into exactly how much a representative degree in these fields would cost…they couldn’t do that, as the possibilities are too vast to consider in a general article like this one.  That’s the student’s job. 

After all, ROI is relative.  It may be true that the money you spend on a Criminal Justice degree at one college might not see its cost easily recouped, but a similar degree obtained at a less expensive school might just tip the scales a bit, and make the job that much more profitable.

For a sunnier counterbalance to the above list, check out this article as well.  It’s a list of degrees with high ROI, and this time they do try to break it down by dollar and percentage.  As always, you will need to do your own research (after all, they sure didn’t contact your college of choice and future employer to get this information!) but this might provide some food for thought when considering what to take into account when making your decision. 

Weighing your options beforehand can help you to avoid regret and disappointment down the line.  As unromantic as it might sound to say, a focus on potential ROI should be a deciding factor for those considering higher education for the sake of employment.  For those who see college as a chance to grow as human beings, it’s less important…but anyone who wants to secure their future financially would do well to do their research up front, rather than struggle to make up for a lack of research later.

 

You’re a Team, Like It or Not

If what you do requires a group of people to make it happen, then you're a team, like it or not. obviously, there are many implications in those words. Webster's defines team in the following way:

A number of persons associated together in work or activity

Not as romantic as we often hear today. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe the romantic should be left to those groups who are endeavoring in things bigger than themselves. Funny how the human heart longs for the romantic.

No such thing as perfection, but you've got to do all you can to find this.

We Need the Real Problem Solvers

The need for solving problems seems so obvious in our current environment.  But I'm amazed how far away that concept is for many.  Whether it's the job hunter or the board member of a non-profit, it seems like the idea of solving problems is rather foreign.  Now, I know we talk a lot about solving problems, but I'm referring to the talking and the doing.  I know this is hard to do in my country.  We've gotten a little soft on real problem solving.  Many are still operating as if we were still in the industrial age.

There needs to be a changing of the lens we use.  So put on a different pair of glasses and build the habit of being a problem solver.  You'll be glad you did, and so will the people and organizations waiting for your solutions.

How Meaningful Work Can Create Havoc

Havoc

Some would say that meaningful work stands in direct opposition to the structure of many organizations-specifically large organizations.  I would say it can create havoc.  And that might be a good thing.

I know you might be thinking havoc brings destruction and loss.  Correct. But the main point is found in how humans are wired versus the often insane motivations of the organization or business model.  It seems to me we're seeing the unraveling that is inevitable when the goals of the company run counter to basic human wiring. 

We're talking the desire for meaning and meaningful work. Not dreaming with no action, but the core of who we are.

I've talked to many a pragmatists who've told me to be realistic and not get lost in all of the soft stuff.  Most of the time these folks are just not willing to see what is very difficult to face. In other words, the train wreck we're grappling with in so many parts of the world.  The damage is so evident and many are not quite sure what to do. 

I saw this coming over ten years ago, some of you even further back.  Now we have a hunger to get life right.  In many ways, we want a place where well-being is balanced and intact.  Though we're struggling with the aftermath of years of neglect-individually and corporately.  It's as if we got drunk on profit, competition and the desire to succeed.  And in-turn, we wounded (sometimes mortally) the very group that makes all of the right form of the latter possible.

People.

 

Positioning

We all know people who are good at positioning for insincere purposes.  This is probably why the word has a fairly negative connotation.  But what about positioning for sincere and "right" reasons?

It could be a game-changer for you.

Whether you're looking for your next job opportunity or pitching a VC on a great business idea, positioning is vital.  Consider it the backdrop for your story.  If your intentions are sincere, then you should want to position the story (compelling and not like the everyone else) for your audience.  Seems to me it would take the edge off of the blues we can tend to experience while pursuing our dreams. 

It's worth it if you want your life to count.  Understand this; if you were looking for any employer, any VC, any business partner, then positioning would be a complete waste of time.  But my guess is you want it to be right.  The question is whether you're willing to go through the fire to find what you're looking for.

After the fire, you'll find the place you were looking for.