Why Basing a Career Decision on Trends Is a Bad Idea

Why Basing a Career Decision on Trends Is a Bad Idea 98 Trends come and trends go, quicker than you can adapt (or should). This is a guest post by Marshall Karp. The California Gold Rush began in 1848 and ended in 1855. The news of gold brought some 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. At the end, latecomers, on their way west, met with would-be miners on their way back east. These had spent everything they owned in an attempt to get rich in the western gold fields, but had found only dashed hopes and broken dreams.eval Introduction Many people choose careers to train for and job hunt for many different reasons, but this article will focus on those who wish to enter careers based on trends. For definition, a trend is a general course or direction and has a beginning, middle, and an end. There are genuine long term trends that can be charted over the course of history and short-lived, fast-growing and fast-dying trends. Job seekers and career changers need to be aware of the pros and cons of using career trends for the future. Just a starting-off word of advice though, never base a career decision on trends.eval Five Decades of Career Trend Chasing The following is based on historical research and my personal life experience. Starting in the 60’s and moving forward to present day America, the national trends, position and educational demands, and national percentage of college graduates are as follows: 1960s â€" The United States was in a Cold War and a Space Race to the moon with the Russians and the government and media put out notice for the need and recruitment of Scientists, Mathematicians, and Engineers. The U.S. Census data says that about 8% of the population had a college degree in 1960 and this grew to 11% by 1970. 1970s â€" The United States had its first green energy crisis with the first of the long gasoline lines and dire predictions of end of consumable energy life. Solar, wind, and new fuel sources were led to green career demand for Scientists, Chemists, and Engineers. By the end of the decade, college graduates made up 16% of the population. 1980s â€" There was a huge teacher shortage with the government and media spreading the word that the United States needed teachers. Many people went to school and returned to school for their teaching degrees as the law of supply and demand kicked in with teacher’s salaries and benefits starting to rise. By the end of the decade, 20% of the population was college graduates. 1990s â€" New computer and technology ruled the decade and with genuine concern and fear towards the end of the decade was Y2K, when all this automation would come crashing down. People went to school for computer techs and computer programming careers. When Y2K happened, or should I say did not happen, 24% of the U.S. was college grads. Early 2000s â€" The Internet, telecommuting, and Dot Coms ruled the day. Computer techs and programmers were in high demand and jobs were good and plentiful as companies with vision jumped on the internet bandwagon. This was a golden age of technology as people, who maybe knew a little about computers, were perceived as knowing a lot about computers. Also, security and cyber security were huge career field draws with the tragic 9/11 events. Mid 2000s â€" Along with computer technology came healthcare technology. Advances in medicine and lifesaving science grew to the point of a similar announcement like the 80’s crisis demand for teachers, though this time, for healthcare personnel scarcity, particularly a nursing shortage. Real estate and construction careers were going strong, too. Late 2000s â€" The second go round of green initiatives. Once again, there was a call for green careers and occupations as solar, wind, and fuel replacements were touted. By the end of the decade, the United States was made up of over 27% college grads. So, What’s the Problem With Basing a Career Decision on Trends? In all of the above, you may be aware that the trends came and went, sometimes really burst or even crashed and burned. The main concern with career planning by trends is not so much supply, but that demands come and demands go. Also, the winds of politics blow hot and cold and what may be some political party’s main interest projects may be someone else discarded funding when politicians are voted out and new legislators are voted in. To properly assess the value of the trends and people’s careers, we need to look at timing. When the demand calls went out and people were already experienced and skilled, they were in prime position to take advantage of the trend and catch the wave at the initial build or taking off phase. Also, recent graduates and/or students just finishing up were in a fortunate position at the right time to catch the breaking wave or demand phase. For whatever reasons, career planning or otherwise, the opportunity presented itself and their ship came in. This is commonly known as being in the right place at the right time. However, there were those who heard the news, read the accounts, and decided to act, but there was a time lag of a year certificate, a two year Associate Degree, or a four year Bachelor Degree to accomplish. Just like the people who were heading west at the end of the gold rush, they ran into people who were heading back east, too late and poorer for it. This unfortunate circumstance was as the wave that crashed into the shore, the kinetic energy dissipates and recedes back into the ocean. As the demand died, students and graduates were left with a declining labor market, more complicated job searches, and a student loan debt investment that had a heavy impact. Still more agonizing was that the students and graduates were met with rejection that theirs’ was no longer the degree of demand, but a new wave of a more desired degree was in state of play or effect. This is commonly referred to as bad timing or “a day late and a dollar short.” If Not a System of Career Planning by Trends, What Else is There? There is the system of building on one’s strengths as, theoretically, the cream does tend to rise to the top. A much more effective long-term career planning system is based on assessing one’s interests, aptitudes, and values, matching these factors up with a suitable comparable field, and properly gathering labor market information. Gathering labor market information is crucial to the process of making an educated decision. The only effective way to gather usable knowledge is to directly survey the employers in the chosen field. Notice the key difference is, the decision is based on employer consensus, not trends. Conclusion The best position to be in when dealing with potential limited-in-duration trends is active job hunting mode. Having the skills, training, and experience when the timing and opportunity presents itself is the best way to take advantage of a hot situation. Trying to do career or long-term career planning can be a hit or miss proposition, based on whether the demand has beached itself, burned out, or moved through the pipeline. The problem that can develop with this kind of career planning is repetitive school cycling, going for degree after degree in frustrating and discouraging attempts to chase trend after trend. About the Author Marshall J Karp MA NCC LPC is a Career Counselor in Dover, Ohio and has been in private practice career counseling for twenty-eight years. During this time, he has helped thousands of career changers and job hunters to reach their new position goals and/or return to work. He has written numerous blog, journal, and magazine articles and won the prestigious Job Training Partnership Program of the Year Award for his successful efforts of helping the unemployed find new jobs. This article was part of the Over $6000 in Prizes: It’s The 6th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest, which was made possible thanks in large part to our sponsors: WebHostingBuzz is a reliable web hosting company with the servers hosted at multiple US and Europe locations and over 30,000 happy customers worldwide. Organize your job search with JibberJobber, the top career and personal relationship manager online. READ NEXT: Success Story: How A Headhunter Changed My Career (and My Life).

Facebook Will Its Culture Survive Marla Gottschalk

Facebook Will Its Culture Survive Marla Gottschalk Like you, I am fascinated by Facebook. Not by the foresight of their young founders to tap into the power of connecting â€" or the billion people who utilize the platform. I am fascinated by how they have structured their work. Their rebellious approach to product development (discussed here in Venture Beats post The Hacker Way and here at Wired) has catapulted Facebook into its more recent evolution as a publicly traded business. History tells us that things will likely change for Facebook going forward. Ten years out â€" I cannot help but wonder if their unique culture will continue to survive fully intact. With mounting doubts concerning the future, things can begin to shift. It seems that the essence of Facebook lies in how they approach the development their products. For those unfamiliar with the process, they subscribe to the Hacker Way â€" a disruptively innovative development philosophy. The process flies in the face of the conventional wisdom concerning product development. At the core, the method emphasizes quick turnaround, where multiple iterations and improvements are completed on an as you go basis. There is no long suffering, or protracted process before testing a new idea. They implement first â€" and perfect later. More of how Zuckerberg described the method: “Hackers believe that something can always be better, and that nothing is ever complete. They just have to go fix it â€" often in the face of people who say it’s impossible or are content with the status quo.” The process in itself, is aspirational. However, publicly traded organizations exist within a larger system of checks and balances. With Facebooks evolution into a publicly traded organization, its external system has become decidedly wider. Along with this, comes the possibility of pressure to change their ways and conform. There has already been speculation that they may acquiesce to more traditional development timetables, which could signal trouble that their unique culture is in danger. Some other cultural concerns: Intended mission. As stated in his letter to investors, the initial impetus for Facebook was to connect people socially. He admits openly, the idea was not originally intended to be a business. As such, their founding orientation and purpose, differed from other businesses, who begin with the notion that there is a defined product to sell. This fact can exert pressure on the organization. Retaining passion. Cultivating code is one thing â€" but maintaining a passionate workforce is another. How will Facebook keep their employees hungry to create products, a year from now, or five years from now? Will the mindset of the employee group evolve in response to the changing status of the organization? Will the level of challenge present in the content of the work remain motivating? As organizations grow, this often becomes a looming challenge. Tolerance for failure. Most highly innovative cultures such as Facebook, have a higher tolerance for failure as compared to more traditional organizations. They also have a collected mindset to support that tolerance. Will investors continue to embrace the philosophy, as well? I am anxious to see how this culture evolves going forward. Any predictions? Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist and coach. Connect with her and continue the conversation on Twitter and Linkedin.

How to be a Boss

How to be a Boss Do you dream about becoming the boss? Are you looking forward to the day when your company finally asks you to sit in the corner office? For many people, becoming the boss is a key part in their plan to climb the career ladder. However, going from employee to boss isnt always easy. You have to have a few key qualities and characteristics to get the job done. Speak up If you want to be the boss, you have to know how to make your voice be heard. Bosses are instrumental in both making and guiding decisions, and part of that decision-making process includes speaking up during meetings and knowing how to make good, actionable suggestions that move the meeting forward. Theres a balance between speaking up and talking too much; a good boss knows when to cede the floor to others, and when to take control of the room. Ask your current boss if you can chair an upcoming meeting, and see if you are able to navigate the tricky balance between leading and dominating the conversation. Need a refresher course on how to run a meeting? Effective Meetings has some great tips to help you get started. Demonstrate your leadership capabilities To become a boss, you have to prove that you can lead. Right now, you probably have a few people working underneath you, either as assistants to your team or as interns. Demonstrate your leadership capabilities by working to both manage and mentor these people, giving them the respect and guidance that they need to succeed. Dont forget to collect quantitative data demonstrating your leadership skills that type of information is useful to present in performance reviews and can help you get that next promotion. Consider sending out an employee evaluation or survey, like one of the employee surveys from  Infosurv,  asking the people whom you supervise to rate your current leadership capabilities and offer suggestions for improvement. Then, use their ideas to grow as a leader. Dont forget to re-administer the survey later, to create an improvement metric that shows you respond to employee feedback. Know how to complete tasks and projects Youll never become the boss if you cant complete your own projects on time. Before you plan your next promotion, take the time to become the best, most productive employee you can be. There are two ways to go about this. First, you need to get things done yourself. This means everything, from your big projects to those weekly expense reports that the Finance team is always nagging you about. Youll never become a boss until you begin turning in every assignment in, on time, no matter how large or small. Second, you need to learn how to delegate. After all, as a boss, one of your primary jobs is distributing and managing other peoples work. If you never delegate any of your own work to interns, assistants, and other staff, youll never be seen as someone who can handle the tough job of management. As Forbes notes, only one in three people actually delegates effectively, so brush up on your delegation skills and learn how to be in that special third of people. Know how to guide institutional change Theres one more job that a boss has to do well: guide institutional change. Groups of people are often very resistant to change, as youve probably noticed! A good boss helps guide people through a change process, whether its implementing a new health care plan or changing the way the office pitches projects to new clients. Find a small change opportunity, like installing recycle bins in the common areas, and then do the steps to make sure the project gets done. Once everyone in your office starts dropping off their recyclable paper and bottles, youll be seen as a true change effector and will be one step closer to becoming the boss. Easy enough? Well, the climb to the top is definitely manageable, but youll have to put a lot of dedication into it. If you want to sit on that nice chair, a simple adage must be put to heart You need to act like one to be one. Good luck!

#jobhuntchat Free job search advice, anyone Career Coach JobJenny

#jobhuntchat Free job search advice, anyone Career Coach JobJenny (I'm resisting the overwhelming urge to make any sort of reference to Charlie Sheen and #winning as I prepare to share deets on this awesome Twitter resource for job seekers. Mostly because I know that Rich DeMatteo, co-founder of this massively popular weekly chat is completely over all things Sheen. But also? Because this post is about job search resources, not goddesses, lawsuits or tiger blood. Let us continue.) Interested in a weekly dose of free job search advice from a bunch of career coaches, recruiters, resume writers, HR people and fellow job seekers? Then you will absolutely want to check out #jobhuntchat, a weekly conversation that goes down every Monday (10PM ET) on Twitter. Launched in 2010 by job search experts Rich DeMatteo (best known for his blog CornOntheJob.com) and Jessica Merrill-Miller (who blogs at Blogging4Jobs.com,) #jobhuntchat hasquickly become the most popular and most visited Twitter chat for job seekers. It's a very cool resource. I hit Rich up on Skype last week to get the complete lowdown on #jobhuntchat. And here is what he had to say: To someone who hasn't seen it before, what exactlyis #jobhuntchat? Basically, it's a place to gain free advice, learn about tools and trends within the hiring arena, and meet other people that share a common interest, which is job search and careers. Every Monday from 10-11PM ET, we just take random questions from people -- job seekers, recruiters, career coaches, bloggers... really, anyone involved in the career field. We post the questions and then everyone shares their opinion and expertise. Why should a job seeker participate in #jobhuntchat each week? By participating, a job seeker can find a ton of free advice from professionals in the field, all in one spot. Job advice is very opinion-based and depends on the person, so you can get a mass amount of experience and opinion, glean what seems most relevant, and then apply it to your own efforts. It's free, it's engaging and it's quick, easy and fun. For someone new to Twitter, what's with the #? The # is a Twitter hashtag. These are the symbols that precede certain words or phrases within some tweets. The purpose of a hashtag is to create an organized way for Twitter users to follow tweets around a certain topic or theme. So, with #jobhuntchat, a job seeker can simply search under the term and follow along with all the tweets related to thegroup.Much like an actual conversation. What are the best things to come out of #jobhuntchat thus far? Well, for sure, it's nice to see it gaining in popularity and helping lots of people. Typically, we have about 150 people on at a time, but we recently reached 300 people in one chat, with 2,000 tweets in that hour. We've also just launched an official website, JobHuntChat.com, which offers job seekers ongoing services and free resources on a 24/7 basis. More proof that social media is changing the job search game. And another resource you absolutely should check out. Thanks, Rich.

How Many Years of Work Experience Do I Need to Include on My Resume?

How Many Years of Work Experience Do I Need to Include on My Resume?In resume writing, knowing how many years of work experience a person has provided you with the necessary facts to hire or not hire someone. If a resume has too many years of work experience and they are not relevant information, then there will be something wrong with it.Therefore, you must always be sure to include this sort of information when writing a resume. It can either be related to a previous position or a position that the person was previously employed in. The objective is to highlight the most relevant years of work experience for the current position they are seeking.The actual resume should always reflect the overall nature of your career. For example, a student who works part time during the course of their degree should have their current position covered in their resume. In fact, a resume where the positions are not highlighted should be reviewed in order to ensure that the positions the person is s eeking are not covered in their resume.If you are a manager and find a certain position that a person's career has taken them to, you may wish to ask them about it. You may be able to uncover something that the person would have been happy to have been covered on their resume. In general, there are a number of factors that affect how many years of work experience a person has. These factors include time spent working, which industry they are currently in, specific positions they held before, skills they possess, the industry they currently work in, the type of work that they do, and the industry they intend to enter.The reason why you want to be sure to include this information on a resume is that it gives you the ability to put more emphasis on these aspects as well as bring up how many years of work experience the person has, in relation to their current position. For example, if a person has had many different jobs before landing on their current position, you may wish to highlig ht this as a positive aspect in their resume. This is because these kinds of aspects may have made them more skilled and adept for their current position.The best thing to do is to always think about your potential hires as if they were already in your company, so you can see if there is any reason why you may not need to highlight any of their possible past positions on their resume. Of course, since they have not done work for your company, you should not highlight this. Therefore, make sure that you are certain that your new employee has worked for your company before.Although, many employers need to ask the question, how many years of work experience does the applicant have, the idea is to highlight the most relevant years of work experience, which are relevant to the job that is currently being sought. Of course, it is easier to highlight work experience that the person has had previously, when compared to work experience that the person has not had previously.In resume writing , knowing how many years of work experience a person has can allow you to set the stage for success or failure with your job applicant. As you can see, there are a number of advantages that hiring managers can gain by knowing this information.

Breaking Down the Job Search for College Students Using Alcohol

Breaking Down the Job Search for College Students Using Alcohol 7 Flares 7 Flares Zach  Groth  is a senior at Ball State University. On the post-graduation job search himself,  Zach has job experience in corporate, government, nonprofit and student-run organizations. You can tweet him any questions, concerns or blog ideas on Twitter at  @zgroth. . Graduating is inevitable. Landing that dream job is not. You’re going to have to work for it and there are so many different ways you can accomplish that goal. As college students we know a lot about a lot of different topics. One of those topics is not the job search. How can we be expected to be experts at something we have never done before? We can’t. So let’s break it down into terms that college students will understand: alcohol. The first step to landing your dream job is sculpting the perfect cover letter. Are you spending a little bit too much time out and not enough on crafting the perfect cover letter? Well, use that knowledge you have gained at the bars to transfer your skills into landing the perfect job.   Not all cover letters are going to be the exact same even though your goal may be. You wouldn’t send the same cover letter to every company, would you?   Your tone in the cover letter is your first impression, so how can you mix things up? Take a sip from some of your favorite drinks. Beer: Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world, so naturally this cover letter would have to be the most popular cover letter. Keep it informative and casualâ€"there is no need to get too crazy off of beer. But how can you differentiate yourself in the beer world? Add a little hop to it! Provide clear examples of your experience or share a specific project that you have worked on that ties into what the company does. Wine: You’re a classy individual, so a wine-inspired cover letter might do the trick. Proper grammar and eloquent wording will craft strong and memorable sentences that are sure to leave a sweet taste in the employer’s mouth. Just as you know your favorite wine, know the company and share that with them. Tequila shot: If you are determined to land this position, make your cover letter straight and to the point. Use beefy words to highlight your skills that make you the best candidate for the job. To knock out that shot, make sure you are clear about following up with them on a specific date. They just might be looking for someone with a little spunk like you! Long Island Iced Tea: The (sometimes) dangerous, yet delicious Long Island can turn into one of the best cover letters. A mixture of a little bit of everything can be crafted into something delicious that pulls the employer in time and time again. Grab your reader’s attention by using zesty and expressive words; don’t be afraid to share a positive experience that you have had with the company. By mixing together emotions, logic and your personal skills, no employer will put this concoction down. Rum and Coke: Just like rum and coke, this cover letter letter appeals to all audiences. Write about things you have accomplished that could impress any reader. This drink is a classic, and you can’t go wrong with that. Make sure your cover letter goes over as easily as this drink goes down, leaving them with a bubbly and golden impression. Gin and Tonic: Sometime you need a little (or lot) of GT in your life. Just like GT you’re simple. Your cover letter should simple; you’re an open book and people tend to enjoy your company. Be that person who writes their cover letter then awes employers with you resume. Be the lime! Once the bartender reaches for the fruit tray, grabs that lime and squeezes the juice into your simple drink it is transformed. You know have an inexplicably tasteful beverage that is hard to decline. Be hard to decline. Next time you’re at the bar and you are sipping on your favorite drink, think about what it says about your personality. Blend those elements into your perfect cover letter. You’ll never go wrong. Good luck.

Communication Breakdown

Communication Breakdown I need this building permit picked up today.   It expires today and we dont have a GC [general contractor] assigned who can get it.   Can you take care of it? That was the exercise that landed in my email box on Friday. Now first off know that Fridays suck as a day for visiting jurisdictions.   Many arent even open on Fridays.   The good news was this one was open. The second problem is people have a habit of disappearing on Fridays.   Taking vacations or just disappearing.   You knowthey just arent reachable for some reason. So here I am trying to round up a way to pull this permit so it doesnt expire. So I email my go-to guy who has a guy (doesnt everyone have a guy?) who drives all over Northern California to pick up permits.   Thats his job.   And he does it well. Im feeling pretty good that this thing can happen. So I get an email back.   Yes.   Can probably make it happen.   Just need the permit information.   I realize when I forwarded the email the building permit PDF wasnt attached.   No problem.   Resent with the attachment.   All good. And then it wasnt.   “Communication BreakdownIts Always The Same” Led Zeppelin This jurisdiction doesnt take credit cards.   Need a check.   Now in the old days that would have been a deal killer.   Because ordering a check means a week-long process (the corporate guys had a funny issue with local markets spending and not accounting for their petty cash fund very well and having to spend a boatload of time following up to get the receipts). But it this case were better.   We have check writing ability in our market.   Yeah ?? So all I need is aOracle number.   That beautiful, wonderful 7-digit accounting number that lets me charge stuff to a project. One problem Ive never had to give anyone an Oracle number for this project.   It is a new project.   And my boss is the one who does the finances for the program.   And given that it is a program management project where were not doing the day to day site acquisition and construction work directly, we dont cut many (at this point any) checks.   And the other expenses are all automatically coded to the right 7-digit Oracle number automatically behind the scenes.   I dont see them. Thus my quandary. Now normally Id ask my boss right?   Logical question since he does the the POs and invoicing.   He, or his accounting staff, would have that right at their fingertips.   Easy, peasy. Another problem.   Hes in the hospital. Not good. How about my bosss boss.   He should know it too. Hes in the hospital too. I hope this isnt something I can catch.   Maybe wireless isnt a good line of work Not a big deal.   This is a big company with lots of people.   Just ask, right? So I start with my local project controls person from my last project.   Shell know, right?   I call her. No answer.   Voicemail. Who else? I try the guy who codes our expense checks.   But he does what hes always done.   And it is automatically coded so he doesnt have the number either. So I email a guy on the same program but in another region (found him on an email my boss sent). No answer to my phone call but after I email him he doesnt know but forwards to someone he thinks might know. So I call my friend in the Seattle market who I worked with up there and asked her.   She did all the data stuff so thought she might have a hack to find the info.   Nope.   She only does the data side and doesnt know how to track that bugger down.   But she gives me her accounting guru and says she probably has a way to find out. So I call her.   Voicemail.   Nothing. So I call another friend at the company who works in the Seattle market.   I reach him.   Perfect.   Only problem.   Hes in Cabo on vacation.   Hes got a drink in his hand on the beachhes got the right ideabut he doesnt know either.   Darn. So I think.   There was a guy who set things up nationally initially.   He was a data guy.   Lets call him. Get him on the phone.   Awesome.   Only problem.   He was laid off two weeks prior due to the site count reduction on the program.   And he doesnt know anyway.   But if I know of a job opening, hes open to referrals. Okay.   Starting to run out of go-to people to run this down. Then it happens. Ding, ding, ding. I get an email back from one of my guys guys.   The winning golden ticket.   The 7-digit Oracle number. It has only taken half a day to track down.   But Ive got it.   I send it to the guy who will have the permit picked up. Hes off and running. But He calls the jurisdiction and finds out It has already been picked up. WHAT??? (or insert appropriate expletive) When this whole thing started there was a GC who wed been talking to about picking up this permit.   They said since the project hadnt been bid out yet they werent willing to pick up our BP without having the award of work. So wed moved on to other options. But in the meantime they thought, We cant let this expire and have to have the permit started from scratch.   That would suck.   Were a good company who cares.   We should just pick it up anyway and see where things head with this project.   We should help them out. Good thought process. Only problem. They didnt tell anyone they were doing it. Communication breakdown. and as all those in wireless telecom know.   We suck at communicating.