Career Resources and Advice for Experienced Workers

This spring there seems to have been an explosion of positive employment news that’s left skeptics wondering, “Is this news too good to be true?” and job seekers crying foul. 

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By Nancy Anderson, Author of “Work with Passion in Midlife and Beyond”

Your strengths are what you do naturally and well after a lifetime of experience. You don’t even have to think about what you are doing, you just do it. In fact, you may take your strengths for granted, thinking everyone can do what comes easily to you. As a result, you don’t target employers, clients or customers who need your strengths to accomplish their goals.

Examples of strengths are common sense, intuition, eloquence and the ability to get along with people. If you were an employer, client or customer how would these strengths solve your problems? Who besides you would pay for them? How would using these strengths benefit everyone who works with and for you? When you know the answers to these questions you are on the path to passion, the niche in work where you will exceed your expectations.

Start now
Given the likelihood that safety nets like social security, dividends, and savings may not cover expenses when you are older, it is imperative that you start now to find the work that makes the best use of your strengths. It’s not just a matter of if you should follow your passion. You absolutely must find what you love in order to weather the turmoil that will be around for some time to come. The stakes simply could not be higher.

An added bonus is that when you are paid to exercise your strengths you are always looking for ways to improve. As you age you get better and better at your work, increasing your value in the marketplace to the point that you are virtually recession-proof. 

Focus on what you do best
To survive and thrive in a struggling economy focus on what you do best. Don’t allow fear or other distractions to keep you stuck in a career rut. Begin by streamlining your life. Get rid of everything that you no longer need, keeping only what you love and use. Avoid what and who drag you down, including the media’s negative drumbeat. Instead, expose yourself to uplifting influences, art, music, good books, nature and people whose hearts are on their sleeves, not in their bank accounts. Then you can take the small steps that lead to success:

By Anthony Balderrama, PrimeCB.com writer

Nostalgia for better days is nothing new. The world as a whole was a better place back in your day, wasn’t it? The music, your family, manners, society — they really knew how to do things right. At least, that’s what you hear. Depending on what you’re talking about, the past might have been better. In other regards, it might have been worse.

When you talk about the process of finding a job, the biggest changes have come from technology. Once upon a time you couldn’t look at listings online. You needed a newspaper. You couldn’t save 20 different résumés on your computer. You had to type each one out on a typewriter.

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By Debbie Shalom, Amazing Resumes & Coaching Services

You don’t need a Ph.D. to conduct a successful job search campaign. Achieving your career goals requires an organized strategy and disciplined approach. Below are six tips to help you search smarter, not harder.

Sell your value.
What makes you unique? How will your strengths, skills, and accomplishments solve prospective employers’ problems? Determine your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) and use this information as an integral part of your personal marketing plan. Consider every document (resume, biography, business card) or face to face meeting (networking, interview) as an opportunity to communicate your value and address strategic business needs.

Energize yourself.
Searching for a job can be exhausting if you do not have a plan to reenergize yourself. Staying motivated and on task is easier when you develop a practical plan and stick to it. Arrange a daily schedule that is feasible and fits into your lifestyle. Determine how many days and hours a week you will invest in your search and create a document to track your progress.

Activate and build your network.
A strong network can provide you with job leads and information to access the hidden job market. Research shows that more than 60 percent of all jobs are found through networking. Everyone you know or meet and every situation you encounter is a genuine opportunity to grow your network. View every family member, social or business acquaintance as a potential member of your network.

Research your options.
The internet is an excellent place to begin your research. If you want to know more about specific industries, average salaries or educational requirements, visit sites such as http://www.bls.gov, http://www.cbsalary.com, or http://www.hoovers.com/. Employer’s Web sites are another source of valuable information; there you can learn more about key decision makers, products, and services. If you want to speak to someone within a specific company, try searching for them on professional networking sites like LinkedIn, Brightfuse or Ning.

Customize your job search strategies.
You will increase your chances for success if you focus on personal preferences. Select two or three strategies that fit your personality and lifestyle, and build your job search around them. If you like to meet new people, volunteer for an organization or apply for work at a temporary agency. If you are introverted or shy, contact others through social networking sites or alumni associations. Other job search channels you can try are job boards, networking groups, job fairs and trade shows.

Harness your creativity.
Market yourself with imagination. Five years ago, job applicants would print their resumes on colored paper to get an employer’s attention. Today, employers want to hire qualified applicants who know how to present their value. Producing project portfolios or video résumés are two original ways to showcase your candidacy.

Whichever method you choose, conduct your job search in an organized, targeted and creative manner. And remember the adage, “Success is the end result of creativity and all of the hard work around it.”

Debbie Shalom, the owner of Amazing Resumes and Coaching Services in Baltimore, MD, is a Certified Career Management Coach and Master Resume Writer. Recognized for being a talented author, speaker, and entrepreneur, she guides her clients to achieve career satisfaction, financial security, and personal fulfillment. Debbie can be reached at http://www.amazingresumesmd.com/.

By by Robin Ryan, author of Over 40 & You’re Hired

Age discrimination. Ask any baby boomer who’s been job hunting for several months and they’ll likely tell you a personal horror story. Although the practice is illegal, many over-40 job hunters report that an employer was excited about them as a candidate until they met in person, and then once employer saw they were older, the employers seemed to immediately change their minds leaving the older candidate with the sneaking suspicion that their age had everything to do with not getting hired. (more…)

Tax season can be, well, taxing to say the least, and this year it might be more so on many Americans who are unemployed, have seen their incomes shrink or are hoping for a sizable return to pay off bills.

For cash-strapped workers, a tax return can be a much-needed income boost. According to a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 5,200 workers, more than half (56 percent) of workers report they will use their tax return to pay off bills that have accumulated. Does this sound familiar?

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In an age of FaceBook, Twitter and FourSquare, we’ve gotten used to broadcasting any and all information about ourselves. But when it comes to your résumé, it might be best to take a cue from German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe who coined the phrase, “Less is more.”

Today’s guest blogger, Catherine Jewell, tells job seekers to follow this mantra when writing their résumés. Jewell is the Career Passion® Coach and author of “New Resume, New Career,” a résumé makeover book featuring 50 real-life career changers. Here are six things she says you should leave off your résumé

What to leave out of your résumé
by Catherine Jewell, author of “New Résumé, New Career” 

Once upon a time in the 70s I saw a résumé with a full-length photo. It was for a vibrant, 20-something account executive in advertising. I envied her the chutzpah to include her photo. It made the résumé come alive. You could see her eagerness and professional demeanor.

That was then. So much has changed. Employers want to avoid any chance of discrimination about age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital and parental status, and ethnicity.  The less you say on the résumé, the more likely you make the cut. Each word, phrase and sentence needs to be carefully selected to prove that you are the right person for the job. Specifically, here are some things to take OFF your résumé:

1. Graduation dates
Include your degree, major (if it is relevant) and the institution. But take off the date. Age discrimination is a concern for many people currently looking for work. Avoid tempting reviewers to do the math to discover your age.

2. Irrelevant experience
If you are applying for sales and you have substantial experience in IT project management, downplay the irrelevant experience and create new achievement statements that support your experience with customers. Make your non-sales experience sound more like sales. Shorten job entries that don’t support your sales message.

3. Jobs in the dim, dark past
The rule of thumb is to include your last 10-15 years of experience. If you need to prove expertise you gained long ago, you might use the title “Other Relevant Experience” and give a description of your achievements, without the dates of employment. Baby Boomers should be careful NOT to include 30 years of experience. Why give your hiring manager a clue you are over 50 until they meet you in person?

4. Personal section
Résumés of the past often included personal information such as marital status, family members and even church membership. All of that information is illegal to collect, so don’t include it. Also eliminate references to hobbies, clubs and political views. A “Community Work” section can show your leadership skills, but stick with non controversial organizations such as Rotary, Lions, the Chamber of Commerce and recognized non-profits.

5. Gaps in history
Eliminate gaps in your work history by filling in with short, truthful statements. “Homemaker sabbatical” will explain a five-year work hiatus and allow the interviewer to focus on your history. You can also fill gaps with part-time, direct sales positions or consulting projects.

6. Photos
These may not be on your résumé, but once a potential employer has your full name they might as well be. Polish all social networking profiles and remove any unprofessional or embarrassing photos. Ask your friends to clean up social networking profiles for you, too. If you are gray or balding, you might consider removing your photo during your job search.

Your résumé is designed to present the professional you. Write it with a job description in mind, avoiding any details that might detract from your single-minded pursuit of that job.

Catherine Jewell is on a personal quest to help everyone find perfect work. She is the Career Passion® Coach and author of New Resume, New Career, a résumé makeover book featuring 50 real-life career changers. For more than 25 years, she has studied the phenomena of career planning and has coached more than 600 adults through mid-life career changes. Catherine speaks at conferences about Career Passion® and provides résumé writing, career testing, group tele-classes, and coaching by phone or in person. Her new book is available online and in book stores now. For more information, check out www.CareerPassionCoach.com or contact her at cj@careerpassioncoach.com.

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By Dr. Paul Powers, psychologist, author of “Winning Job Interviews” and “Love Your Job!”

In any economic climate, job hunting is nobody’s idea of fun. And with the growing number of folks hitting the bricks these days, it seems the task is getting even harder. But that’s not precisely true, because the actual job-hunting strategies and techniques remain the same in any climate. What is bothersome, however, is that the process is likely to take longer. This leads to increased stress: financial stress, physical stress, emotional stress and family stress.

Most people do not perform at their best in stressful situations. They get tired more quickly, they get frustrated and run out of patience, and they make mistakes. Here are six job-hunting mistakes frequently made during a recession.

Mistake No. 1: Feeling entitled
In the new economy, your stellar background, great track record, prestigious degree and glowing references guarantee you nothing. The new employment paradigm is, “What have you done for me lately?” You must be constantly developing your skills and talents, broadening your interests and driving your career development. If you don’t, you may well be left behind.
Mistake No. 2: Focusing on yourself, not the employer
Spend your time finding out which of a potential employer’s needs are unmet instead of touting your brilliance. Saying, “I need a job” is irrelevant and depressing; that’s your problem and has nothing to do with why this organization is hiring. Uncovering an employer’s problem areas demonstrates your bona-fide interest, and offering your solutions demonstrates your critical thinking, creativity and approach to problem solving. This is how to get hired.

Mistake No. 3: Taking rejection personally
Face it; there are a lot of jobs you are not going to land. Use rejection as an opportunity to assess and build your job-hunting skills. Evaluate what you could have done better in your research or interview or with your follow-up. If you aren’t getting rejected regularly, then you either aren’t working hard enough to get your foot in the door or you’re applying for jobs beneath your capabilities. No employer makes a decision not to hire you; they make a decision to hire someone else who did a better job of selling himself or herself into the position.

Mistake No. 4: Focusing on your age
It is human nature to focus more on one’s perceived weaknesses as opposed to one’s strengths. This is especially true for people in the job hunt. Younger folks worry about not having enough experience; older folks worry about looking overqualified. If you don’t want a potential employer to focus on your age, make sure you focus on what strengths you bring to the party: energy, track record, endurance, patience, technology skills, people skills, creativity and work ethic. Sell yourself based on what you have.

Mistake No. 5: Looking for a silver bullet
Some job hunters swear by recruiters; others by online job postings. The latest buzz is that social networking sites are making all other job-hunting techniques obsolete. There is no one best way to job hunt. If you want to increase the effectiveness of your job search, you must spend more time on it and use every technique in the book. This means answering print ads, responding to online job postings, contacting recruiters, cold-contacting potential employers, networking your brains out and using social networking sites to pursue all of these strategies. Sorry, there are no silver bullets or genies in a bottle.

Mistake No. 6: Absorbing too much news
Yes, there’s a recession. Yes, a lot of folks are out of work. And, yes, finding a job is a hard job in and of itself. But, no, the sky is not falling. And yes, if you work hard and long enough at it, you will land a good job. The media’s motto is, “If it bleeds, it leads.” Bad news is their stock in trade. You will never see a story about company hiring back 10 workers or a person who landed a great job after a rigorous job hunt. A regular diet of bad news will convince you that no one is hiring (untrue), that you should avoid employers that have had layoffs (bad strategy) or that maybe you should just move to China (bad idea unless you speak Mandarin). Get out, have some fun, work at keeping your energy and spirits up, and network with optimistic people.

Eventually this recession — like all recessions — will really be over and you’ll be better prepared for (gulp) the next one.

Dr. Paul Powers, psychologist, executive coach, career expert, and noted conference speaker is the author of “Winning Job Interviews” and “Love Your Job!” For a free subscription to his “LifeMap” newsletter, visit www.drpaulpowers.com.

By David Staiti, Vice President and Practice Manager at The Charles Sterling Group

A good recruiter can be worth his or her weight in gold to a job seeker. Good recruiters have access to jobs and information about the market, and they can even give you advice that will improve your chances of getting interviews and offers. Many job seekers find working with a recruiter to be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be.

The following four ways to work more successfully with a recruiter may help you with your job search:

1. Understand what recruiters do
Recruiters work for their clients because the client pays the bill — they don’t work for their candidates. If you understand this dynamic, you can use it to your benefit. The recruiter’s relationship with the client means that he typically has access to inside information. Listen to a recruiter’s advice very carefully when it comes to résumé changes, interview coaching, etc. This advice is given to candidates because recruiters know what will maximize a candidate’s chances of getting an offer.

2. Work with the best recruiters
To find the best recruiters, start by asking colleagues for referrals. Also try to identify recruiters who specialize in your job field, geography, career level, etc. Recruiters want to work with marketable candidates, and that means you want to talk to recruiters who specialize in your discipline.

Once you have found a recruiter, don’t be afraid to ask her about her experience, process and approach to the job search. Recruiters are not obligated to work with you as a candidate, nor are you obligated to work with them. Recruiters will be highly selective about whom they work with, and so should you. A recruiter works for her client, but she is also representing you, so make sure you are comfortable.

3. Work with them, not against them
If you have little or no experience working with recruiters, you may be put off by some of the questions they ask. Understand that recruiters need a detailed and thorough understanding of your background, education, work history, compensation, etc. A recruiter may even ask you if you have a criminal history, bad credit or an arrest record. It is best to answer these questions openly and honestly. If you have some skeletons in the closet, it does not mean that the recruiter won’t work with you. On the contrary, the recruiter may be able to offer advice on how to handle sensitive subjects (such as a drunken-driving charge).

You should also openly share feedback with the recruiter throughout the search process. Honestly discuss your career goals, salary expectations, feedback from interviews, level of interest in a given job, etc. The more the recruiter knows about what makes you tick, the more likely he is to find you a job that is a good fit.

4. Even if you are not actively looking for a job, talk to a recruiter If talking to a recruiter when you are not looking for a job seems pointless, I can assure you it is not. The most valuable candidates to a recruiter are those who are not actively looking for work.

If you consider a recruiter’s point of view, the reason for this is clear. First, employers generally consider employed candidates more favorably than those who are unemployed. Right or wrong, gainful employment suggests that the candidate is good at what she does and relatively stable. Second, a passive candidate means less competition for the recruiter, thereby maximizing the recruiter’s chances that he can earn a placement fee. Conversely, if you contact a recruiter when you are actively looking for a job, the recruiter knows that his chances of placing you are minimized because of other competition.

Finally, and most importantly, a good recruiter can be your eyes and ears on the job market when you are too busy to pay attention for yourself. If a recruiter understands your background and goals, he can contact you if and when a potential opportunity arises. When you have a job that you like, you are probably too busy to keep up on the job market. A recruiter can keep you connected to the market so you don’t miss out on a potentially great opportunity.

David Staiti is a vice president and practice manager at The Charles Sterling Group. David manages the firm’s accounting and finance executive search practice.

True stories about what people think they can get away with at work

By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer

“When the cat’s away, the mice will play,” is a term most people can relate to. When the manager is gone — be it on vacation or just away from her desk — some employees act like a teenager whose parents are out of town.

They sneak out early or come in late. They chitchat with co-workers more frequently, usually about nonwork-related things. They make personal phone calls, take extra-long lunches — heck, maybe they’ll even enjoy a cocktail with their meal.

Many employees do it — but why?

“The answer is simple: It’s a direct reflection of the boss’s leadership. When a workplace isn’t compelling to people — where employees lack the desire and ability to be accountable for their own success — misbehaving or slacking in the boss’s absence is merely a mask for boredom. It’s also important feedback for the boss: “Raise your game,” says Linda Galindo, a consultant specializing in individual and leadership accountability and the author of “The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success.”

We asked employees what they do when the boss isn’t looking. They had some very entertaining stories:

“At the time I was an assistant manager at Publix Supermarkets of Florida. Not content with the absolute misery of the hourly employees I was responsible for, I tried to inspire and entertain them. It worked; those under me had the highest productivity rate, got the best raises, were promoted faster and would do just about anything in the world for me because they knew I would do anything in my power for them. While this usually meant me working alongside them or personally training them for continuous quality improvements, it occasionally took on a slightly wilder side. Riding a motorcycle through the store aisles after closing, bowling for two-liter soda bottles with frozen turkeys, baseball in the stockroom, laser tag on the roof, contests to see who could catch the most shoplifters, hide and seek, a chess tournament, foot races, pizza parties, karate training, book club and a few hundred practical jokes.” - J.Olson*

“I’ve been building my life-coaching business for over a year while I’ve held down an executive assistant job from 9-6, Monday through Friday. The boss works across the street from the office that I’m at, and I spend the majority of my day (at least four hours, maybe more) building my coaching business — posting to my blog, tweeting, communicating with clients, writing newsletters, even doing sessions during my lunch break — you name it!. Thankfully it’s paid-off — I’m giving notice in about a month to coach full-time.” – M.W.

“When I worked at this pizza shop, myself and two fellow employees would try to make each other laugh by making faces behind the boss. For example, I would be running the oven and the boss would be right next to me, so if I laughed I was screwed. So my friend X would be at the cook line, about 2 feet behind my boss so I can see him and the boss couldn’t. And the facial expressions and motions he would make were hilarious. I must say I never [saw] him get caught.” — M.W.

“[My] story has more to do with a colleague who always has some very important thing to do at home/with the baby/his elderly mother-in-law, or has a sudden urgent need to deliver something to one of our member organizations that takes him out of the office for long stretches of time when the executive director is away. Recently, when the boss went on an extended holiday around Christmas/New Years, I and another colleague kept a spreadsheet of this slacker’s arrivals, lunch breaks and departures, and then averaged out the numbers. All told, he was in the office an average of 5.5 hours a day while the boss was away. And, given all the adorable postings I see on Facebook from him every night, I imagine there’s at least another hour in there taken up in Facebook upkeep and Web browsing.” — D.C.

“To be honest, before I became a boss and I worked for someone else, I did some of everything when the boss was a way. From surfing the Internet to making personal calls and paying bills [to] taking an extra hour at lunch [to] going home early to sleep. I’ve even made out with a woman or two at the office.” — J.D.

“I know what one of my employees was doing when I was out of the office or at meetings. She was on Facebook! A few vendors told me about it privately, so I set out to bust her in the act. I invited her to become my Facebook friend, and she took the bait. Then, I wrote her up and attached the summary of the days and times she was commenting on her Facebook page, which was during business hours, while I was away. I don’t particularly like writing up employees, but I loved this write up with the Facebook evidence attached!” — K.P.W

“When our bosses aren’t looking or even better when they walk away and leave their computers unlocked, someone sneaks in and sends a short e-mail to someone else in the office. These e-mails range from the quirky to the flirtatious to the potentially insulting, but they are always good for a laugh. At least as long as the boss still isn’t looking.” –T.D.

“I work in a small doctor’s office with only one doctor. My office manager is very cool and participates in our slacking. When the doc or his wife are not around and we don’t have any patients … we make fun of the doc and his wife. When we make fun of our bosses, we really make fun of them and create scenarios that we act out, we raise our voices to impersonate them, and when we laugh, we laugh really loud. We also order food during lunch and eat it in the waiting room where we have a TV, computers and Internet (something that is not allowed during work hours). We snoop on the doc’s computer. We always catch him on the Internet so we like to see what he does on the computer all the time. Needless to say, we found porn in his favorites! Also, his wife forgets to sign out of her e-mail (don’t ask me why) but everyone uses the computers so we saw in her e-mail a message that read ‘Thank you for signing up to lesbian porn.’” — Vanessa

“For the past two years I’ve been self-employed, but before I started my company I always enjoyed reading news articles on the Internet during the day. My project managers often frowned upon us surfing the Internet during the day, but I found a creative way around this. At the beginning of the day I’d find interesting articles online and copy and paste the text into a word document. The word document had the company logo in the header, so if somebody walked by my cube it would appear that I was reading an official work-related document rather than the top sports news of the day.” — S.M.

“I have a co-worker who is two completely different people when our boss is out of the office. When she is in, he makes sure to get to work before her and leave after her, even though he is just messing around on Skype and YouTube all day long. She took a one-week vacation in August, and he worked 9-5 every day (our hours are 8:00 to 6:30). Then, he put the icing on the cake in the week after Christmas. Most of our team was out of town, including our boss. Apparently he thought he was going to be the only one in the office, and didn’t even come in to work. He’d occasionally send out an email to make it seem like he was there. Finally, on the Wednesday after Christmas, he strolled in around 11:00 am. When he saw another team member was here, he turned beet red, and stammered how he thought she was out for the week. No one has said anything to our boss yet, but we are dying to.” –J.J.

“I placed an online order to American Apparel to restock my underwear supply. Instead of shipping them to my house, I had them shipped to the office — more reliable. When the package arrived, I couldn’t wait to see what the panties looked like ON. Literally, I couldn’t wait. I didn’t even take time to close my office door. I pulled out the first pair (light blue thong), lifted up my skirt, and pulled the panties over my leggings. They were cute! Unfortunately, just at that moment my boss arrived at my door — a 60-year-old man face to face with a 28-year-old female employee. It wasn’t good. Next time I’ll wait until he’s out of the office to try on my undies.” — K.H.

By Anthony Balderrama, PrimeCB.com writer

Two years after the start of the recession, the unemployment rate is still near double digits, which translates to millions of Americans looking for work. For every open job, employers have dozens or even hundreds of applicants eager to get hired. Yet many employers insist that finding qualified candidates is difficult, even in this economy. How can that be?

These employers don’t have a shortage of applicants — they have a shortage of qualified applicants. For most positions, the necessary skills, experience and education requirements are firm and can’t be loosened because of a lack of suitable candidates. Bad economy or not, employers need to know their workers are the best possible people for the job.

A good worker is hard to find
“These jobs were difficult to fill prior to the economic downturn,” says Julian L. Alssid, executive director of the Workforce Strategy Center in New York. “Hopefully, they will be less difficult to fill as we move more toward a more demand-driven work-force development system in the U.S. This means local employers working directly with community colleges, trade schools and other post-secondary institutions that help people gain skills that are in demand by employers.”

Education is an invaluable asset for any applicant, but as many job seekers can attest, it isn’t the only prerequisite for employment. When employers are choosing the right candidate for their organizations, they want to see years of experience and an education that isn’t outdated. As you can imagine, any worker who falls at extreme ends of the spectrum — such as a new graduate or an industry veteran — can be at a disadvantage. New graduates know the latest research and technology, but they don’t have the years of firsthand experience that employers value.

“We do hear employers complain that younger workers fresh out of school often lack a practical understanding of how to apply what they have learned in their classrooms to the workplace,” Alssid says. “That said, we have heard from several experienced workers that they feel they are losing out on jobs to younger — less costly — candidates.”

Education matters
Don’t mistake a need for experience as a reason to dismiss education. The problem is that job seekers have to take responsibility for their education because many employers no longer have the time and budget to groom new hires.

“Employers seem to be less willing to invest in training in this economy. Again, it is the combination of the right credential and practical experience they look for,” Alssid says.

Take the initiative to improve your credentials so employers see a candidate they’re ready to hire now.

“Many job seekers can make themselves more competitive by getting industry-recognized credentials that are valued in today’s workplace,” Alssid says. “In many cases, that might mean a short-term certificate, not another college or graduate degree.”

But many employers are ready to hire.
“We hear about the skills shortage from industries including health care, advanced manufacturing, IT and energy,” Alssid says. Although no specific job title is in constant need, any positions relying on math and technical expertise are consistently difficult to fill. “I have heard from several advanced manufacturers that they would hire engineers and engineering technicians in a heartbeat.”

Supporting his assessment is the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which expects biomedical engineers and network systems and data communications analysts to be the fastest-growing occupations between 2008 and 2018. As a result, job seekers who are applying to these fields and who have the qualifications need to put their experience and skills front and center. In the cover letter, résumé and interview, don’t let hiring managers forget that you already have the skills they need. After all, you are just one job seeker in a competitive market; show employers that you’re different from the rest.

Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/abalderrama.

By Christine M. Riordan, Ph.D.

Courteous. Trusting. Good-natured. Cooperative. Tolerant.

These are the traits your mother told you — repeatedly — to embrace. “They’ll make people like you.” “You’ll always have friends.” “You’ll go far.”

Mom was wrong, at least as far as business success is concerned.

My colleagues and I studied the careers of more than 1,500 people over a 20-year period. Sorry, Mom, we found that being too nice won’t boost you up the corporate ladder.

Our findings didn’t just hint at it, either. The evidence was overwhelming: Being too nice can deter your career progress and muddle your effectiveness as a leader. The degree to which a person is trusting of others as well as likable (good-natured, cheerful, gentle) hurt his or her salary level and number of promotions.

How about nurturing, sympathetic and supportive? These qualities impede management potential. Agreeable? Research indicated it was negatively related to salary, occupational status, involvement in work and whether an individual stood out as a leader.

It’s not all bad news. Being affable relates to job and life satisfaction, and people with that quality tend to engage in less counterproductive behavior — vital in jobs requiring cooperation.

Why being nice hurts your career
So, why is it a problem for career success? One reason: People with this natural personality trait may be less likely to face confrontation or other difficulties at work.

I once worked with a hospital’s vice president for marketing, a truly likable person. Successful in her early career, she started having trouble when she reached the vice president level. She faced significantly more power struggles and conflicts in situations where she needed to be firm or take a stand. Many times for harmony, she deferred to others. Over time, more assertive executives ended up simply ignoring her, making decisions without her. Frustrated, she eventually left the hospital.

A leader must be able to perform in ways challenging for someone who is hard-wired for cooperation. “Let’s all get along” just doesn’t work in the workplace.

To be a successful manager, you have to manage controversial issues as well as provide constructive (and not always positive) feedback. You’ll have to make difficult decisions and help correct poor performance. Added to this, you’ll have to be able to deal effectively with conflict and take less popular stands when needed — challenging for those who want to be liked.

If you are that type of person, you may also be much less likely to stand up for yourself because you don’t want to rock the boat, or be less assertive in asking for raises, promotions and career opportunities. Thus, others may take advantage of you or you might not get recognized for your accomplishments.

It has been proved that when “nice” leaders fail to manage conflicts, make hard decisions or deal with problem subordinates or areas, they are often accused of not providing strong leadership, lacking courage or just frankly needing to be tougher.

Being mean is not the answer
Does this mean you have to be mean? Absolutely not. Going to the other extreme and being abrasive, or a toxic co-worker or leader, is equally damaging to your career, as well as to others in the organization. Let me repeat: The evidence is overwhelming that being abrasive, disrespectful, abusive and mean will also derail a career.

Overall, being trusting, cooperative, forgiving and tolerant are all good things. But it’s critical to recognize that any trait used in excess or inappropriately can become a weakness.

How do you change a personality trait? While traits generally drive a person’s behavior, they don’t necessarily dictate behavior. Your behaviors should be aligned with your work role and goals. Some of these behaviors may actually be counter to your natural predispositions, but most people want to help their organizations succeed.

Your next steps to success
First, you should determine what traits are preventing you from accomplishing goals or engaging in behaviors important to your job, or are creating negative perceptions of you as an employee and leader.

Next, be flexible in your personality and business styles. While the natural tendency of the vice president of marketing for the hospital was to be cooperative and flexible, she needed to speak up and take a firm stand on major decisions. However counter this was to her natural tendency, she needed to be versatile in her leadership style to handle new responsibilities.

Finding a balance
Can being too nice hurt your career? Yes. Can being too mean also kill your promotion chances? Yes.

I have facilitated many talent management reviews for major corporations. As individuals were reviewed by other senior executives, phrases such as “won’t make the hard decisions”; “doesn’t manage conflict”; “not sure he can lead us through the hard times”; “too much of a pushover”; “nice person but never gets anything done” ended up hurting individuals being considered for promotion.

Equally, phrases such as “gets results, but mows over people”; “can’t manage a team”; “smart but has an abrasive interpersonal style”; “creates conflict”; “adversarial and doesn’t solve problems in a productive fashion” ended up on the negative side of the review.

The keys are balance and versatility — to apply the most appropriate behaviors as necessary for organizational goals. At times, it may be counter to your natural personality and outside your comfort zone. Keep this in mind: Remain authentic to who you are, but take the most appropriate actions needed for your leadership situation.

Dr. Christine Riordan, Dean of the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, leads a global network of over 33,000 faculty, staff, students, and alumni in providing business education, grounded in ethics and dedicated to transforming lives. She has a national reputation as a leadership development and workplace diversity expert and consults regularly with corporations on strategic planning, leadership development activities, diversity management, and team performance.

By Beth Braccio Hering, PrimeCB.com writer

Congratulations! Despite daily news stories of layoffs and companies folding, you have managed to hang on to your job.

So why don’t you exactly feel like celebrating?

While you may be grateful for employment, the fact is that corporate restructuring, budget cuts and a general air of uncertainty take a toll on all workers. What can you do if you are feeling underpaid, overworked, unrecognized or burned out?

Money matters
From waitresses expected to serve additional tables because of staff reductions to account executives putting in extra hours to land new clients, many employees are working longer and harder than ever before. Yet while demands on workers may be rising, their paychecks often are not.

Blame the employer? Joseph Grenny, co-author of the New York Times bestseller “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High,” cautions against doing that.

“You are responsible for your income — not your employer,” Grenny states. He thinks that if you believe you are underpaid for the amount of work you do, you’ve got three options:

· Persuade your employer
“Evaluate your contributions to the company and determine if the value you add to the company warrants a raise. If you think a raise is merited, make sure to adequately prepare for the crucial conversation with your employer, and be prepared to share specific examples of how you have benefited the company.”

· Supplement your income
“If you do not think your company is in a position to give you a raise, consider supplementing your income with consulting in your area of expertise, a side business or another source of income.”

· Shop around
“If you feel that you are underpaid and under-appreciated, it might be time to start looking for a new job.”

Is “rocking the boat” dangerous in this economy? As Grenny sees it, “Employers these days realize that if today is a soft labor market, it will be tight again sometime in the future. Consequently, you can have more confidence than you might realize in approaching your boss. The key is to build mutual purpose — to let the employer know you care about the needs of the company while wanting to be fairly compensated yourself.”

Beyond a paycheck
Being happy in a job isn’t solely about pay. Employees want to know that their talents and efforts are recognized and appreciated by those around them.

Janet Flewelling, director of human resources operations for Administaff in Houston, Tex., notes that in many cases when an employee feels he is being overlooked by management it has nothing to do with length of tenure or even job performance. “During a tough economy, when many companies have experienced layoffs, tensions are high and it is often the case that management is consumed with other concerns such as reducing operating costs or retaining clients.”

Flewelling gives the following advice for workers looking to get noticed:

· Take a proactive stance
“Provide your supervisor with regular status updates of your work and candidly discuss projects and the milestones achieved before he or she requests the information. Taking the initiative to openly communicate with management will not only assist in keeping you top-of-mind, it demonstrates your drive to succeed, which is something no smart manager can overlook.”

· Focus on career development
“Successful companies know retaining employees who want to constantly learn and develop their skills are the best investment they can make and therefore these employees are rarely overlooked.”

· Support your company
“Employers look to employees to support leadership in an economic downturn. Employees should clearly communicate their support to management and let them know that they are ready and willing to pitch in and assist wherever necessary to help make management’s vision a reality.”

Getting out of the dumps
Irritability, headaches, stomach aches, fatigue and problems sleeping are some ways that job stress can manifest itself. When feeling burned out becomes the norm instead of the exception, it may be time for action.

Try a walk at lunch to clear your head. Skip hanging around the water cooler if office gossip is getting you down. Try a power nap after work instead of more coffee, and be sure you’re eating something other than junk food from the vending machine.

Finally, consider utilizing services of employee assistance programs, which are typically available through insurance providers at no additional cost to the employee. “Oftentimes, workers do not take advantage of these programs because they do not know they are available or they worry the information will be made accessible to the employer,” Flewelling states. “However, that is not the case. EAPs offer confidential counseling and referral services from trained professionals to help employees with problems at work or home, financial concerns, stress, depression and substance abuse, to name a few.”

By Dewey G. Sadka, inventor of The Dewey Color System’s Color Career Indicator 4.0

Fifty-seven percent of U.S. workers don’t like their job enough to take it seriously, according to a 2008 study by Taleo Corp., a California company that provides talent management software. How can you do a great job if you don’t give your career 100 percent? Moreover, when you despise the day-to-day workplace grind, you’re not focused on how to better yourself. No wonder studies have shown that when you love your work, you’re more successful, even less stressed. That’s exactly why it’s so vital, before you invest time and money, to research your best career matches.

From 1,000 occupations, in addition to CEO, this evaluation by Dewey Color System recommends your top 75 careers. You’ll get answers, even if you’re clueless about the job market. Instead of asking questions like, “Do you want to be a writer, engineer or farmer?” and then essentially giving your own answer back to you, you will be directed toward the occupations you should find most enjoyable. Each listing also contains career investment facts.

The color preference methodology matches career-specific occupations to your personality. The system:

· Evaluated 750,000 CareerBuilder online users
· Asked users from 1,000 occupations if they enjoy their current career
· Choosing “strongly agree” placed them in a “career sample base”
· Evaluated all 1,000 samples by color preference in order to predict your best career.

Below find the framework of a “career business plan.” Use it to find a career that you will love.

1. Set a goal
· First-time job seeker: You need experience. Be concerned only with getting it. Discount higher salaries or even somewhat unpleasant duties. Investigate where you can best get on-the-job training. Visualizing opportunities ahead is energizing.
· Career experienced: Expand your list of available jobs and their descriptions. Based on your current experience, explore which recommended careers are best-suited to your career path. Look for a niche that’s not saturated with other applicants.
· Student: As you read about each career, answer the question, “What would you love to do?” Transfer your idea into both a long-term and a short-term plan. Then, choose a curriculum that will land that first job.

2. Create a success-driven mindset
It all starts with you. When you feel confident about your future, others respond with positive offers of opportunity and support. Here are ways to create a successful mindset:
· Say no to ego-driven goals: Avoid status-driven self-proclamations. View each career in the light of how much you would enjoy day-to-day tasks. If you choose a glamorous career, be aware that it’s very competitive.
· Link careers: Where do you want to be in five years? Ten years? Create a career growth plan. For example: secretary → executive administrative assistant → office manager. Success in the real world is a step-by-step process. Build your step-by-step résumé with enthusiasm and doors will open.
· View career choices as an investment: Don’t snub the low-wage occupations or take the highest-paying career choices. Instead look at the long-term training benefits. Where will it take you?
· Seek work that looks fun: Job enjoyment creates competency, and that translates into success and further opportunities. Ask yourself, “Would this career be fun?” Even if you’ve already worked at a particular job and it didn’t pan out at the time, it might still lead to a great career with another employer.

3. Make a plan
Imagine you are actually working in each listed occupation that’s of interest. Ask yourself, “Would this job be fun and easy to do or learn?” If so, it could be the best path for you.
· Select five short-term jobs: Be realistic. Which five occupations can you competitively interview for right now, based on your education and experience?
· Select five long-term careers: Think big. What five careers can you qualify for in five or 10 years? Don’t form an opinion until you have reviewed all of your options. Assign the highest rank to those job descriptions that are most appealing.
· Select only the high-growth occupations: Getting that perfect career is something of a gamble. Increase your odds of winning by selecting only the high-growth job descriptions.
· Get the facts: Read about each occupation that “appears” to be enjoyable. Then, be totally honest with yourself. Which day-to-day career lifestyle would really suit you best? One place to start is http://www.bls.gov/soc/.

4. Just do it
Get disciplined and don’t allow self-doubt to keep you from moving forward.
· It’s not personal: Don’t let false pride slow you down. Get your face or résumé in front of every friend or prospective career opportunity.
· Run the numbers: Get as many interviews and résumés sent as possible. Make it fun! Run up the numbers.
· Be proud of every “No“: Don’t fret over rejections; it will only diminish your self-confidence.

Dewey Sadka, author and inventor of The Dewey Color System’s Color Career Indicator 4.0, owned and operated one of the country’s largest staffing companies for more than 25 years.

By Robert Half International

Many workers have been tackling large workloads for months and slowly but surely losing their get-up-and-go. If routine assignments have taken on mammoth proportions, you may be suffering from burnout. Long work hours and seemingly relentless deadlines can lead to low morale and reduced productivity — not to mention decreased job satisfaction. Following are additional warning signs that you may be running on empty:

· You have trouble getting out of bed when you have to go to work.
· You frequently arrive to work late.
· You feel bad about your performance.
· You feel withdrawn.
· You watch the clock excessively.
· Work stress spills over into other areas of your life.
· You get into frequent disagreements with your manager or co-workers, which you didn’t in the past.
· You think you aren’t making progress, despite your best efforts.

If these symptoms sound familiar, it may be time to make some changes. Here are some strategies to help you renew your enthusiasm and get your career back on track:

1. Evaluate your role
If your company has experienced layoffs or has a hiring freeze in place, you might be shouldering more responsibility than in the past. Although taking on new assignments can be a good career move, doing so can lead to burnout if the scope of your responsibility has expanded beyond what you can reasonably manage. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t try to tough it out. Instead, meet with your supervisor and be honest about your situation. Work with him or her to reprioritize projects or look for ways to delegate some of your work.

2. Look at your schedule
The way you manage your time also can affect your ability to rebound from job exhaustion. If you are overbooked or expending too much energy on noncritical initiatives, you may be creating additional pressure at work. Try keeping a simple record of your activities for a week and divide the findings into categories such as “researching,” “reviewing proposals” and “responding to e-mails.” Are you devoting adequate time to the highest priorities?

3. Identify your stressors
Understanding the factors that contributed to your decline in motivation can help you move in a more positive direction. Think about what has contributed to your burnout: Is it the feeling that projects are out of your control? Have your own actions exacerbated the problem? For example, you may have set an overly ambitious time line for completing an assignment, creating unnecessary stress and obstacles to its success. Even small changes to your routine, such as seeking assistance from your manager when you have too many projects on your plate, can help brighten your outlook.

4. Ask for help
A common symptom of burnout is a feeling of isolation. You may think you’re the only one who can review a particular document because you understand the project best, but someone else might bring in a fresh perspective — not to mention relieve some of the burden. It’s OK to let others know that you’re facing difficulties and request their assistance. Keep in mind that you won’t be perceived as a complainer if you objectively outline the specific issues you’re trying to address and ask for guidance.

5. Take a break
Make sure to allow time to periodically recharge. Even if you’re working long hours, you can counteract stress and maximize your performance on the job by taking five- or 10-minute breaks throughout the day. Stand up and stretch or go for a short walk. Instead of eating lunch at your desk, try the break room or outside courtyard. When you’re able, try to use your vacation days, as well. Getting away from the office, even for a day or two, can give you a fresh perspective on your situation and allow you to return with new focus and energy.

A certain amount of stress is inherent in any job, but when the pressure gets out of hand, it’s important to act quickly. Burnout can hurt not only your overall job performance but also your personal life. By taking measures to reduce the amount of stress you’re facing, you can regain your motivation.

Robert Half International is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 360 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit http://www.roberthalf.com/. For additional career advice, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/roberthalf.

By Robert Half International

Signs are emerging that the job market is picking up, but landing a new position can still be a challenge. The last thing you want to do is sabotage your employment search, and, since your résumé is typically the first impression that hiring managers have of you, it’s also the first place where you can potentially ruin your chances.

According to a survey conducted by Robert Half International, executives spend more than six minutes, on average, screening each résumé they receive — which means every word counts in this critical document.

Of course, no job seeker is going to shoot himself or herself in the foot on purpose. But you might be harming yourself without realizing it. Here are five common mistakes that put you at risk of losing the job opportunity:

1. You don’t proofread
Three out of four executives interviewed said just one or two typos in a résumé would remove applicants from consideration for a job. Since your word processing program has a spell-check function, you may think there’s no need to review your résumé for typos and grammatical errors. Unfortunately, spell-checkers don’t catch words that may be spelled correctly but used incorrectly: For example, if your most recent position was as a corporate blogger, your software may not raise the red flag if you mistakenly list yourself as a “logger.” In addition to reading through the résumé yourself, you should also have someone else review it to catch any errors that you may have overlooked.

2. You ignore potential red flags
When reviewing your résumé, imagine that it belongs to someone else. After reading through it, would you have questions about the information provided or be concerned by a lack of details? If you have these thoughts, rest assured potential employers will, too. For instance, one of the biggest red flags is a gap in employment that goes unexplained. Rather than make a hiring manager wonder why you were away from the workplace for an extended period of time, use your cover letter to address why you weren’t working and how you continued to advance your career through volunteer opportunities, professional development courses or other means.

3. You exaggerate your qualifications
Some people will do whatever they can to stand out, which includes fudging the details about a job title, the amount of time spent with an employer or a professional accomplishment. If you think that a hiring manager won’t try to confirm your qualifications, think again. If you are caught making up information, you not only will lose out on the opportunity at that company but also may permanently harm your reputation. Even a small fib can prove harmful. For instance, if you’re working toward a degree that you plan to complete by the summer, don’t say you already have the credential.

4. You don’t explain yourself
The best résumés use specific language so hiring managers can clearly understand your qualifications and accomplishments. If you say you are “knowledgeable” about HTML, an employer will not know if you use it every day to code Web pages or if you simply know that the acronym stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. Instead of using a vague term, you should explain how you’ve used your knowledge of HTML for certain projects or to aid your employer, how long you’ve been using it and if you possess any relevant certifications. Along the same lines, be specific when listing periods of employment, including the month and year for start and end dates instead of just the year.

5. You’re too wordy
Sometimes it’s difficult to determine what information belongs in your résumé and what can be safely left out. After all, the temptation is to describe any qualification that might remotely tip the scales in your favor. But you might not want to list every accomplishment, skill or project you’ve worked on. Hiring managers appreciate brevity, so cull the information you include, focusing on the aspects of your work history that are most relevant to the job for which you’re applying. If you’ve had a long career, for instance, you may include fewer details about jobs you held early on that don’t relate to your current career path. Omit hobbies, personal facts and other fluff, too.

Robert Half International Inc. is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 360 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit www.roberthalf.com. For additional career advice, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/roberthalf.

By Anthony Balderrama, PrimeCB.com writer

For the past two years, as job growth has gone from nonexistent to lackluster, workers and job seekers have been waiting to hear good news. Job seekers on all fronts want good news. Unemployed job seekers need to pay the bills and get back in the work force. Employed job hunters want to get out of dead-end jobs and earn competitive salaries. College students on the verge of graduating are eager to embark on a career and use the education they accumulated over the past four years.

The job seeker situation can be summarized in one word: frustrating.

The economy is recovering, but the recovery is slow. If you’re in need of a new job, it’s too slow. You can’t wait several years until things are back to their pre-recession levels. Fortunately, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has identified 20 jobs that are expected to grow rapidly between now and 2018. These occupations are in high demand now and are expected to continue on this trajectory for the next decade.

Here are the 20 fastest-growing occupations between 2008 and 2018*:

1. Biomedical engineers
Percent change: 72 percent
Number of new jobs: 11,600
Annual median salary: $77,400
Why they’re growing: As the population ages, demand for new health-care equipment designed by biomedical engineers will increase.

2. Network systems and data communications analysts
Percent change: 53 percent
Number of new jobs: 155,800
Annual median salary: $71,100
Why they’re growing: Companies will continue to upgrade technology (such as networks) and will need to expand their IT workforce.

3. Home health aides
Percent change: 50 percent
Number of new jobs: 460,900
Annual median salary: $20,460
Why they’re growing: As the population gets older and lives longer, home health aides will see a rise in demand.

4. Personal and home care aides
Percent change: 46 percent
Number of new jobs: 375,800
Annual median salary: $19,180
Why they’re growing: The aging population will require more medical attention, often at home rather than in medical facilities.

5. Financial examiners
Percent change: 41 percent
Number of new jobs: 11,100
Annual median salary: $70,930
Why they’re growing: Financial institutions are under increasing watch by the government and will continue to be for the next decade, which provides many new opportunities for financial examiners.

6. Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
Percent change: 40 percent
Number of new jobs: 44,200
Annual median salary: $72,590
Why they’re growing: Advances in biotechnology have created new opportunities for medical scientists over the past two decades and are on track to continue.

7. Physician assistants
Percent change: 39 percent
Number of new jobs: 29,200
Annual median salary: $81,230
Why they’re growing: Health-care facilities will use physician assistants to ease some responsibilities from physicians who are being given heavier workloads.

8. Skin care specialists
Percent change: 38 percent
Number of new jobs: 14,700
Annual median salary: $28,730
Why they’re growing: Spas and other cosmetic centers are expanding at a fast pace and skin care specialists are some of their most in-demand employees.

9. Biochemists and biophysicists
Percent change: 37 percent
Number of new jobs: 8,700
Annual median salary: $82,840
Why they’re growing: Continued advances in biotechnology create opportunities for new research and development careers.

10. Athletic trainers
Percent change: 37 percent
Number of new jobs: 6,000
Annual median salary: $39,640
Why they’re growing: As Americans focus on preventative health care and organizations support these efforts, athletic trainers will see an increase in responsibilities and job opportunities.

11. Physical therapist aides
Percent change: 36
Number of new jobs: 16,700
Annual median salary: $23,760
Why they’re growing: In general, all physical therapy services will be in higher demand, and the need for aides will rise along with them.

12. Dental hygienists
Percent change: 36 percent
Number of new jobs: 62,900
Annual median salary: $66,570
Why they’re growing: Due to the aging population and an increased emphasis on health care, dental health services will create more opportunities for dental hygienists.

13. Veterinary technologists and technicians
Percent change: 36 percent
Number of new jobs: 28,500
Annual median salary: $28,900
Why they’re growing: The need for technologists and technicians will outpace qualified candidates who are graduating from institutions, creating an increased demand.

14. Dental assistants
Percent change: 36 percent
Number of new jobs: 105,600
Annual median salary: 32,380
Why they’re growing: Due to an aging population and better preventative dental care habits for adults and children, dental assistants will see rapid growth in the coming decade.

15. Computer software engineers, applications
Percent change: 34 percent
Number of new jobs: 175,100
Annual median salary: $85,430
Why they’re growing: Advances in technology and a continued reliance on computer networks ensure organizations of all industries will need software engineers.

16. Medical assistants
Percent change: 34 percent
Number of new jobs: 163,900
Annual median salary: $28,300
Why they’re growing: Medical assistants will increasingly assume some health-care provider roles in order to alleviate the increasing demands of physicians.

17. Physical therapist assistants
Percent change: 33 percent
Number of new jobs: 21,200
Annual median salary: $46,140
Why they’re growing: As the population ages, many people will turn to physical therapy for an increased quality of life.

18. Veterinarians
Percent change: 33 percent
Number of new jobs: 19,700
Annual median salary: $79,050
Why they’re growing: Pet owners are willing to spend more money for the health and well being of their pets, thereby putting veterinarians in high demand.

19. Self-enrichment education teachers
Percent change: 32 percent
Number of new jobs: 81,300
Annual median salary: 35,720
Why they’re growing: The types of coursework offered in this field are expected to broaden and create new positions for teachers.

20. Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation
Percent change: 31 percent
Number of new jobs: 80,800
Annual median salary: $48,890
Why they’re growing: Compliance officers are one of the fastest growing occupations due to tighter restrictions and more scrutiny on financial institutions.

*Growth rates and salary information for all occupations based on data from the BLS.

Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/abalderrama.