Remember to Network, Network, Network, because

"Together We Can Make Things Happen".

Heavenly Father,

Place me where you want me to be, doing what you want me to do, with whom you want me doing it with.

Let my eyes see what you want me to see.

Let my ears hear what you want me to hear.

Let my mouth speak your words.

Let my hands do your work.

Amen

Do You Know the ABC's of Career Change?

Making a career change is one of the toughest job-search challenges. For clarification, “career change” means much more than “job change.” A career change means choosing a completely new profession or industry. A “job change” is simply changing employers within the same industry and profession.

Why do people change careers? The two main reasons are:

The industry or occupation becomes obsolete (or is outsourced overseas)
Job dissatisfaction (If you dread going to work on Monday morning, you’re probably in this category.)

What makes a career change so difficult? After all, most job seekers attempting a career change know exactly why they would do well in a new profession or industry. The problem comes down to communication. Most job seekers have difficulty communicating in their resume their ability to excel in a new career. Resumes, by definition, focus on career experience (history), but career changers need employers to see their expertise (current skills) in order to be viewed as a viable candidate.

If you are attempting a career change, it becomes easier when you understand the ABC’s of career change:

A: Assess

B: Bridge

C: Communicate

Assess what you want changed.

Before you can make a successful change, you must decide what needs changing. Is it the duties you perform? Your overbearing boss? Your current geographic location? The industry you work in? The size of company you work for? The level of responsibility you hold? Once you pinpoint your exact source of unhappiness, you’re on your way to making the correct choice for change.

Bridge the gap between what you’ve done and what you want to do.

The key to selling yourself based on your expertise rather than your experience is transferable skills. Transferable skills work like bridges to help you cross over from one industry to another or one occupation to another. Transferable skills are those skills you now possess that qualify you as a viable candidate for your career change.

Communicate your ability to excel in your new profession or industry.

Your resume is your front-line communication tool to prospective employers. No matter how well you interview, if your resume doesn’t sell you, there won’t be an opportunity to convince them in person. Use your accomplishments to prove the strength of your transferable skills, and you’ll get interviews faster and with more enthusiasm.

An experienced career coach can help you apply these ABCs to your current resume and your interview skills. Once you practice the ABCs of career change you’ll be on your way to changing your career and changing your life—for the better!

Deborah Walker, CCMC

Career Coach ~ Resume Writer

Read more job-search tips and resume samples at:

www.AlphaAdvantage.com

Email: Deb@AlphaAdvantage.com

Here’s the problem with cover letters: you never know how carefully hiring managers will read them, if at all.

While some employers merely glance at cover letters, others pore over them with a fine-tooth comb, looking for reasons to read your resume...or throw it in the trash.

What to do? I suggest you err on the side of caution and assume every employer will read every cover letter you send. Here are 3 ways to write an effective cover letter, following an age-old advertising formula.

1. Get attention

Start your letter with an opening paragraph that grabs a hiring manager by the eyeballs and forces them to read your resume. Like brewing beer, there’s more than one way to do this right.

Example: You can drop the name of a mutual acquaintance in your first sentence: "Jack Smith in your Purchasing Dept. suggested I contact you about your need for a Project Manager."

(Notice how "you/your" appeared 3 times? The more reader-focused your letter is, the better.)

Or, start off with an intriguing question, like this: "How often have breakdowns in your customer service resulted in lost business and costly headaches? I can help you."

After you get attention...

2. Develop interest

Next, tell the employer what's in it for them -- what will they gain from hiring you? Again, focus on your reader, instead of on yourself.

Example language: "I understand the frustrations and problems faced by a project management professional. More importantly, my 7 years of experience producing results for two Fortune 500 companies will help me overcome most of the challenges you face."

A great way to develop interest is to "reverse engineer" the job posting you’re responding to. Pick out the key requirements of the employer’s want ad and show how you meet each one in your cover letter. This is an EASY way to get more interviews.

Now, it’s time to...

3. Prove it -- and "force" employers to call you

It’s one thing to claim you can do a good job. It’s another to prove it.

So, spend the bulk of your cover letter proving you’re the one to hire. Doing so can "force" employers to call you by appealing to their self interest and pushing their emotional hot buttons.

Example language: "After managing more than 105 projects to successful completion since 1997, I can do the same for you. Here’s a sample of the kind of results I've delivered before, and can deliver for you:

• enabled $197,000 in new revenue by developing an expedited process to manage projects;
• managed a $2-million project to completion, on time and on budget, for my firm’s most important client; and
• managed schedules, budgets, milestones and 10-12 team members on up to 20 projects simultaneously.

With a little digging, you should be able to come up with similar success stories to put in your cover letter. The more specific, the better.

4. Bonus tip – follow up!

What happens if you send out a top-notch cover letter and resume...and don't hear back?

Jimmy Sweeney, author of the "Amazing Cover Letter Creator" (http://www.gresumes.com/amazingcl), suggests you send a follow-up letter one or two weeks after your first resume and cover letter. "This gives you a second chance to get noticed and interviewed. A good follow-up letter gives you a true advantage over the competition," he says.

Bottom line: don't make the mistake of spending all your time writing and polishing your resume...and then skimping on the cover letter.

If you can get the reader’s attention, develop their interest, prove you can do the job and then follow up, your cover letter will get you more interviews, faster.

Now, go out and make your own luck!

-Kevin Donlin
Kevin Donlin owns and operates Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1995, he has provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients on five continents.
Kevin has been interviewed by WCCO and WLTE radio, and KMSP TV, among others. His articles have appeared in the National Business Employment Weekly, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Twin Cities Employment Weekly and others.
As a reader of this publication, you're eligible for a special offer. Get your Free Job Search Kit ($25.00 value) at the Guaranteed Resumes Web site www.gresumes.com
copyright (c) 2004 by Kevin Donlin 

1. Answer the question - if you wish. However, remember you're giving information that isn't related to the job. (In fact, you could harm your chances of getting the job.)
   
   
2. Refuse to answer the question. Unfortunately, depending on how you phrase your refusal, you run the risk of coming off as uncooperative.
   
   
3. Examine the question for its intent. Consider responding with an answer as it might apply to the job.

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Jim, 48, is sitting in an interview, which has been going well. He's confident that his qualifications match those of the position, and he believes he'll fit into the corporate culture. As the interview is winding down, the interviewer casually asks: "Will your family mind the relocation from New York to Texas?" How should Jim answer this question?
There are several questions that employers may not legally ask applicants. Federal law attempts to ensure that candidates are hired on job qualifications and not by prejudicial criteria. Questions structured to obtain information on race, gender, religion, marital status, age, physical and/or mental status, ethnic background, country of origin, sexual preference, or any other discriminatory factor are generally illegal as grounds for making employment decisions. With few exceptions, these factors contribute nothing to your ability to perform a job, and an employer must substantiate those cases where a direct relationship is thought to exist. Anything that is not a bona fide occupational qualification may not be covered directly, although the interviewer may seek the information indirectly.
So, how do you handle an illegal interview question? First it is important to assess the intentions of the interviewer. Most illegal interview questions are asked in true innocence -- or, better stated, in true ignorance: ignorance of the law, ignorance of what questions are proper, and ignorance of how the information could be used by others in a discriminatory way.
Ironically, most illegal questions are asked when the untrained interviewer is trying to be friendly and asks a seemingly innocent question about your personal life or family background. Therefore, any attempt by the candidate to assert his or her constitutional rights will merely throw up the defense shields and put an end to any future consideration for employment. Warning lights go on, sirens sound, and the interviewer begins backing down from what otherwise may have been a very encouraging position.
So what is the proper response? Any response depends on the particular situation and the personalities and motives of those involved, but overall you have three basic options: (1) answer truthfully if you feel your response will not hurt you, (2) inform the interviewer that the question is illegal and risk offending them and ending your chances for the position, or (3) base your answer on the requirements of the job and your ability to perform it. Here are a few examples of casually asked illegal questions and suggested responses:

Q: Does your family mind the travel required for this position?
A: I am accustomed to significant business travel. In fact, I find being on the road invigorating, and my track record has been very consistent under these conditions.
Q: Are you religious? Will your religion prevent you from working extra hours or on weekends when we have a big project?
A: I suppose everyone is religious in their own way. I do not foresee any circumstances that would interfere with the quality or commitment of my performance.
Q: You have a very unusual last name. What is its origin?
A: It really is a mouthful, isn't it? I've always used my first name and last initial in my business e-mail address, as it is easier.
Q: Are you planning a family in the near future?
A: Currently, I am focused on my career and although having a family is always a possibility, it is not a priority at the moment.
Q: How many more years do you see yourself in the work force (before retiring)?
A: In today's world people don't retire like they used to; some can't. My career and my need to earn an income are priorities that I do not foresee changing in the near future.

How you choose to handle these types of questions depends on the perceived motivation of the interviewer as well as your desire to have the position. However, no matter how badly you want or need a position, always keep in mind that if a company is capable of asking illegal questions before you are an employee, there is a greater potential for mistreatment after you are hired.
Your best bet is to try and keep the interview focused on the qualifications of the position and your qualifications as a candidate. Blatant discrimination does take place. If it does and you are offended, you have the right to end the interview immediately ("I don't think we're a good match. Thank you for your time.") -- you never wanted to work there in the first place!
So, how did Jim in our example above answer the question? He could have said, "It's none of your concern," which likely would have quickly ended a promising interview. But Jim thought about the underlying intent of the company in asking the question, which was "Will relocating an employee who likely has a family be so troublesome that he/she will be unproductive for months?" Considering that, he might have responded, "My family and I are committed to my career, so relocation is absolutely not a problem." But Jim's family of five was used to moving every several years because of his ascending career, so Jim responded: "I've moved my family every three years, and they always consider it a great adventure. I've talked to them about the possibility of this move, and they're very excited."

Credit Card Safety:
Watch for people standing near you in stores, restaurants, etc., that have a cell phone in their hand. With new cell phone with camera capability, they can take a picture of your credit card, which gives them your name, number, and expiration date. Be aware of your surroundings.

Phone Scam:
Watch for someone calling and saying they are from your credit card company and wanting to confirm purchases and eventually want the security numbers on the back of your credit card. Be wary and call your credit card company using the number you have on file yourself to see if they indeed are trying to get in touch with you for some reason. Common sense, don't give your information out unless you are sure who you are giving it to.

Pamphlet holder at side near ATM monitor:
Is there an additional slot? False slot affixed to the original card slot. Same color and sticker. Contains an additional card reader to copy your information, and duplicate your card. A pamphlet holder at the side, within view of the keypad may contain a camera to send wireless picture up to 200 meters. After you have made your transaction, the perpetrator has a copy of your card, and your PIN. Be aware of everyday equipment you are using.

Some information passed on to me by others. Please share with your contacts. Thanks.

Stay safe and well.