Tag Archives: careers

Capitalizing on the Strengths of Latinas/Latinos As A Workforce Asset

Latinas are on a roll—exercising new political and economic clout.

In the U.S. and many areas abroad, we are now entering the era of the Latina/Latino. Americans with ancestral roots in Mexico, Spain, Cuba, Peru, Portugal, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Columbia, the Dominican Republic– indeed, all the Hispanic cultures. These Latinas/Latinos have taken what’s best and most vibrant in those traditions and married them to the energy and innovation of the United States, to create new styles and rhythms for a wide variety of careers and professions, seizing success in virtually every arena of life in the U.S.

Sylvia Ann Hewlett in Latinas: A Strong and Growing Workforce Asset reports:

“This demographic group brings a great deal to the marketplace. Seven million strong and growing, the Latina labor force is increasingly well qualified. Between 1996 and 2006 the number of Hispanic women earning bachelor’s degrees increased 222 percent while the number of Latinas earning masters increased 307 percent. In addition, the spending power of Latinos/Latinas is a huge engine for growth in the U.S. ($928 billion, $200 billion larger than two years ago). Thus, it behooves corporations to pay serious attention to Latinas – as employees and consumers.

The report, Sin Fronteras: Celebrating and Capitalizing on the Strengths of Latina Executives, published by the New York-based Center for Work-Life Policy fills a hole in the research literature. Despite the rapidly growing heft of the Latina market (in terms of both brain power and buying power) rather little is known about this important group. Latinas are little studied and poorly understood. Sin Fronteras begins to remedy this omission with three key findings:

1. Heritage is a huge asset. The data is impressive here, whether you’re talking “cultural smarts,” fierce work ethic or an aptitude for collaborative leadership, Latinas have enormous potential in the executive suite.

2. Stereotypes and stigma are serious on-going barriers. All too often Hispanic workers are seen as “lazy, ignorant, illegal immigrants draining the social services.” As a consequence, employers often have a hard time seeing Latinas as “leadership material.”

3. Cutting edge companies are beginning to get it. A piece of good news: Companies are beginning to leverage Latina talent creating support networks (Goldman Sachs, GE); providing leadership training (J&J); honoring community outreach (Time Warner); underpinning personal and family resilience (Booz Allen Hamilton, Credit Suisse); and tackling stereotypes and stigma (Cisco). All of these initiatives involve the top rungs of management and thus are potential “game-changers.”

Read all of Sylvia Ann Hewlett’s Winning the Talent War posts

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Managing Your Career During Recession: Maybe Starbucks Is Not Such A Good Idea

A picture I took of a Starbucks Venti Mint Moc...

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With a global recession upon us, it is a good time to think on how to keep your present job, be alert and nimble in the job market and, hopefully, weather the storm.

Some experts think there is no such thing as “recession proof” in this environment.. “The things that have been recession-proof in the past are proving to be punished by this recession,” said Burt P. Flickinger III, managing director of Strategic Resource Group. Did you ever think consumers would be cutting back on Starbucks coffee? “The consumer is more cash- and credit-constrained than any time during the last four decades,” Flickinger added.  Financial services, formerly less vulnerable to recessions, have been hit hard.  You can get see the impact of that when American Express lays off 7,000  employees and asks to turn itself into a bank to gain access to more credit. Citigroup, is making some of the most severe cuts in the history of U.S. business, laying off 53,000 workers. And we thought they were scrutinizing our finances?

So, what to do?

Managing your career during recession offers some sound advice about how to proceed but the economic times may be worse than is now evident, so temper your expectations, and hang on to your cash:

“Keeping your Job
Keep abreast of news around your company’s performance and your division’s importance, be ready to evolve and also be ready to change. Remember that “Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come” (my reference is here to the “Who moved my Cheese” if you have not read it, perhaps a good time is now.)

A recent interview at NPR in Talk of the Nation, Stephen Viscusi, author of On the Job, offers tips on what you can do to protect your finances and your job. Some tips that he offered:

  • Learn how to work, be valuable
  • Be more visible at work and do a good job
  • Be on time, it is not a time for big vacations
  • And be practical

It pays to be persistent with trying to keep your career healthy. It is always a good time to start paying attention to your overall career health and strive to maintain it so.
Continue and try your best to integrate more work related training courses in your current schedule and work towards developing your skills – it must be an integral part of your ongoing career development. Always remember that your skills are what will be with you forever, jobs come and go. Never compromise or slacken towards personal and professional development.

Move Beyond your Current Job Capabilities
Taking on additional responsibilities is also a smart move to recession proof your career. Take initiatives brings forth your leadership qualities. Although it is never suggested to take on responsibilities more than you can handle, but going an extra mile to help in another project or area/division of the company portrays your commitment and dedication to work.

Also continue to build on your network.

Some Career and Personal Questions to Ponder on during Recession
The questions to explore during the recession time are:

  • Which types of industries and job definitions are seeing the most layoffs?
  • Is demographics affecting the availability or restricting certain jobs?
  • Am I ready to move on to a different sector if need be? If yes, how prepared am I?

Other than the questions on the best jobs during recession it is time for some present and future planning as well. Think about these questions as well:

  • What can I do to protect my present job?
  • If I am in a layoff this year, am I prepared?
  • How can I maximize or consolidate my savings to survive the recession?
  • How can I react positively to a recession?

Preparing for the worst is a good approach but being paranoid about it would not help. Again I take on quoting Who moved my Cheese (I highly recommend you to read this book or revisit it if you have read it once already this is the time to prepare and move with the cheese).
“As time went on he began to wonder if it was realistic for him to expect to find New Cheese. He wondered if he had bitten off more than he could chew. Then he laughed, realizing that he had nothing to chew on at that moment. Whenever he started to get discouraged he reminded himself that what he was doing, as uncomfortable as it was at the moment, was in reality much better than staying in a Cheeseless situation. He was taking control, rather than simply letting things happen to him. …. Just realizing he was not letting his fear stop him and knowing that he had taken a new direction nourished him and gave him strength”

Don’t let the fear of recession stop you in your growth, when you move on and strive to do better at what you are doing now you are contributing towards pushing away the recession. After all, recession is just “the act of receding or withdrawing”, all you have to do is to help things move forward and contribute to growth and development.

Ponder on this writing on the wall:
“When you Move Beyond Your Fear, You Feel Free.”

Strengthen Skills during Recession
If you were in a layoff and finding jobs at present is a hard nut to crack, it might be the best time to focus on strengthening your skills. Also it is an opportunity to reinvent your skills. Work towards building new technical skills but keep focus on the soft skills as well. Narrow your focus on towards the present industry trends and the skills that are most in demand. All you need to do now is to ride it out and once the hiring opens up, you would have an edge over many others.

Just Keep Moving
Don’t get put off when everyone talks about recession, it does not mean you have to slow down in what you are doing today. Negative discussions on recession fuels rumors and often results in detrimental reactions in a community.”

If you have experiences that point up the downsides of this economy, write and share them.  We can all learn from your comments.

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What You Need For An Interview: Self Describing Skills – Key Strengths

Self Describing Skills – Key Strengths – AdvancingWomen.com – Careers-Employment.

Author and career coach Peter Fisher “is very clear that you shouldn’t be misled into thinking of “acing interviews” or “finessing” your way into a business; the most sustainable and fulfilling roles are gained through understanding your own specific needs and creating your strategy accordingly.

You need to be the best you can at describing your best qualities; particularly your key strengths. In Fisher’s coaching practice, he says ” I generally, at some point, ask my client: “What are you good at?” purely as a means to establish if they have already thought through this most important question.

Some have, but more often they haven’t and the answer usually involves lots of head-scratching, umms and arrhs and then quite often a monologue on what they’re NOT good at!!

Your answer to this should be your key strengths statement. A “Key Strengths” statement is a summary of your most powerful skills and attributes.

The Key Strengths statement

  • Highlights your most important skills and abilities
  • Differentiates you from others
  • Avoids generalizations
  • Provides examples of your achievements
  • Spoken naturally should take no more than two minutes

Of course at interview, the question may take many different forms:

“What are your main strengths?”

“why should we hire you?”

“what do you think makes you the best candidate?”

“convince me you’re the right person for us”

“how do your skills match our particular needs?”

As with all your Presentation Statements it should be so well rehearsed that it sounds completely spontaneous.

This example I’ve given you here should get you thinking so give your Key Strengths statement some thought now.

“I have very good communication skills; I work well either leading or being part of a team and I am self-motivated and capable of working on several tasks at once.

As a leader of small teams I involve people in the decisions so that they feel involved and ensure they have the opportunity to contribute to tasks facing the team. I manage the information, plan and organise and make the decisions as required.

With my strong communication skills, I have been able to motivate the staff to higher standards of performance meaning we have also helped our profits figures through increased sales and tighter cost-control.

Alongside this I have encouraged innovation and my team has produced several very good ideas for new products, services and markets. As an example the new widget has taken off in Eastern Europe and is contributing 7% of profits in less than 18 months.

Most importantly I actively seek to develop members of my team for their own careers sake but also for the future of the business itself. This means I also look for personal development opportunities to ensure my skills are kept up to date.”

The Key Strengths statement from a a Chief Engineer might go like this:

“I have very good communication skills and work across all departments to ensure that issues are identified and practical solutions are prepared. Coupled with my project management skills and my hands-on leadership style I am able to consistently deliver and commission projects on time and to budget.

I am focused on internal and external customer’s needs, rather than purely functional needs and I apply specialist skills in continuous improvement and world class manufacturing to increase efficiency, reduce waste and losses due to downtime.

As Chief Engineer I have initiated and managed strategic change programmes and implemented effective quality improvement programs all the way through to successful local level implementation. This has led to savings of 750k per annum and helps to maintain the position and financial strength of my employer”.

These key strengths statements naturally answer many of the interviewers questions while being reassuring in content. You will find though, that they will create new questions for the interviewer, so be aware that you must be able to substantiate everything you claim.

Try working on your own statement using your own words and skills, blending them together to create a strong “key strengths” statement to meet your needs.

You’ll be surprised how often you use this one!!”

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Stand Out From The Crowd: Post Your Resume To A Specialty Job Board

As we’ve spoken about many times here, your goal, as a job seeker is to stand out from the crowd.  There are a number of ways to do that, including the specifics you put in your resume and how you quantify the results you’ve achieved, demonstrating your value to any company.

But one simple and often overlooked way to stand out is by where you post your resumes. Experts tell us that employers search out at least three different kinds of job boards and you should be represented in each:

  • Big Boards

Monster – World’s largest commercial Job Board.

Career Builder – Owned by three of the nation’s largest newspaper chains, CareerBuilder is the nation’s second largest recruitment resource.
Yahoo Hot Jobs- Job seekers voted No.3 HotJobs.com the “Best General Purpose Job Board for Job Seekers” in a survey conducted by WEDDLE’s in Feb. 2002.

  • Boards Targeted by Profession ( examples)

Legal Professionals Career Center Search the jobs posted by the nation’s leading law firms, corporate legal departments, and government agencies listing their full-time, part-time, contract, and temporary positions online.

DICE.com National job board tailored to independent contractors in the high tech industry. Searchable by state, area code, keywords, and type of employment – eg. Contract, Full Time, etc.

GreatTeacher.net Free job classified ads for teachers and speech therapists. Jobs are searchable by state and keywords.

Computerwork.com – Nationwide job listings targeted toward technical professionals in the IT field. Search by state, area code, keywords, and a number of other criteria.

Wall St. Journal Careers The Internet’s premier career site for executives, managers and professionals.

  • Specialty Niche Boards ( example)

Advancing Women Careers Our own diversity job board targets and recruits professional women, Hispanics / Latinos, African Americans, the disabled, and other diverse, minority populations in the most sought-after
fields.
Also consider:

National

Job Central The JobCentral National Labor Exchange is provided by leading U.S. employers in alliance with the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) as a public service for all employers and all job seekers regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age or national origin.

Local

Craigs List In most cities around the world, total traffic matches the leading job boards, and they excel in  job search effectiveness,

A new trend is the vertical  job search engines also called  job aggregators or job metasearch sites.  For a list of all these sites globally, go to InternetInc.com. This trend may be heading us in a direction where the same jobs are seen on all boards.

But for now, your goal is to stand out and get noticed.  Be sure you are on at least a big board, a board targeted by profession and a niche board.  Common sense tells you that if you can stand out on a niche board, you will be further down the funnel towards getting noticed, getting a job interview, then a job.  We hope you will consider a free posting of your resume on our board,  Advancing Women Careers, along with any others you may select.

Then write and tell us your experiences.  Share what works and what doesn’t,  We’d love to hear from you.

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Great Resumes Answer One Critical Question: What’s In It For Them?

The critical resume question.

Great resumes, the only kind you ever want to have if you want an effective job search, answer one critical question for any potential employer who looks at it:

WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM?

If your resume doesn’t answer that question in a few seconds, it’s garbage. It’s worse than worthless for you, because it can lock you out of that prospect.

Nice paper, or an Ivy League education, or fancy titles won’t impress as much as answering that single question quickly, and in a compelling way.

Ask yourself how people read a resume.

Have you ever been to a retail store, and had an overbearing salesperson try to sell you something? He wants to tell you about how great it is, how it’s a “bargain”, and how it’s…blue! Did you care? Not so much. You had a need, and you wanted it met, the sooner, the better.

Prospective employers are the customers in the retail store. You’re the salesman. The employer won’t buy something that doesn’t meet a current, or known future need.

A prospective employer certainly wants to know the high points of what you’ve done, but only so he can determine if you’ll contribute to his organization in the way he wants you to. Achievements are good, but achievements matching needs are what you’re after.

So, when you start to write or revamp a resume, ask what the target employer needs. Then describe how you meet that need.

Make the most compelling case for being the person uniquely capable of meeting that need, and you’ll get the job.

( For some professional customization, see AW Career Portfolios, Customized For You)

Roy Miller, creator of Job Search Guide Post: sign up for Roy’s free weekly newsletter.

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Why Should We Hire You? – Because You Are The Solution

McGraw-Hill Building at Rockefeller Center by ...

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Why Should We Hire You? – Careers-Employment – AdvancingWomen.com

This is one of those broad questions that can take you down the wrong road unless you have done some thinking about what to say ahead of time. This question deals with your ability to sell yourself. Think of yourself as the product. Why should the customer buy?

Answers that WON’T WORK -

‘Because I need a job.’ — This answer is about YOU — ‘they’ want to know what you can do for ‘them.’

‘I am a hard worker.’ — This is a really trite answer — almost anyone can say he or she is a hard worker.

‘I saw your ad and could do the job.’ — This answers lacks passion and purpose.

STRONGER ANSWERS that would get the interviewer‘s attention –

‘Because I have three years experience working with customers in a very similar environment.’

‘Because I have what it takes to fill the requirements of this job – solve customer problems using my excellent customer service skills.’

‘Because I have the experience and expertise in the area of customer support that is required in this position.’

This is a time to let the customer (the interviewer) know what your product (YOU) can do for them and why they should listen to what you have to offer. The more detail you give the stronger your answer will be. This is not a time to talk about what you want. It is a time to summarize your accomplishments and relate what makes you unique and therefore a viable fit for this position.

Product Inventory Exercise

Start by looking at the job description or posting. What is the employer emphasizing as requirements of the job? What will it take to get the job done? Make a list of those requirements on one side of a piece of paper.

Next, do an inventory to determine what you have to offer as a fit against those requirements. List your skills on the other side of the paper. Think of two or three key qualities you have to offer that match each requirement that the employer is seeking. Don’t underestimate personal traits that make you unique — your energy, personality type, working style, and people skills.

The Sales Pitch — You are the Solution

From the list of requirements and your matching list of what you have to offer, merge the two into a summary statement. This is your sales pitch. It should be no more than two minutes long and should stress the traits that make you unique and a good match for the job.

Example

‘With my seven years of experience working with financial databases, I have saved companies thousands of dollars by streamlining systems. My high energy, and quick learning style enable me to hit the ground running and rapidly size up problems. I have the ability to stay focused in stressful situations, and can be counted on when the going gets tough. I know I would be a great addition to your team.’

Preparing this statement ahead of the interview will give you the edge when asked questions like, ‘Why should we hire you?’ or ‘What can you bring to this position?’ This will be your chance to let the interviewers know that you are the solution to their problem.

About The Author

Carole Martin is a celebrated author, trainer, and an interview coach. Her books, ‘Interview Fitness Training Workbook’ and ‘Boost Your Interview IQ’ (McGraw Hill) have sold thousands of copies world-wide. Receive Carole’s FREE 9-week job interview e-course by visiting her web site at: http://www.interviewcoach.com or http://www.interviewfitnesstraining.com.

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Resume Layouts … The Hidden Pitfalls

Courier is a common monospace typeface

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Resume Layouts … The Hidden Pitfalls – AdvancingWomen.com.

Options for Resume Layouts

There are many options of available to today’s job seeker. With a quick change of graphical elements such as fonts and style, the feel of a resume can change from traditional and conservative to creative and modern.

In addition, today’s job seeker has the added benefit of being able to mail and hand deliver resumes in the old fashioned way as well as surf the web with their resume.

A job seeker who wishes to take advantage of the many different resume layouts available, should be aware of when and how to use the various options, in order to get the most impact from their resume.

Printed Resumes

A print version of your resume refers to the version of your resume that is ready to print; either for mailing for job leads or for hand delivering to potential contacts.

This version may contain bold print, italicized text, bulleted lists and less well known fonts, however these should be used sparingly. Too many graphical elements can result in a jumbled mess where nothing jumps out. Design elements should be also be used consistently.

Whitespace

The amount of whitespace should also remain consistent throughout the resume. The use of whitespace in a resume can be critical. Too much whitespace will draw attention to a resume that may be lacking in skills and experience.

However too little whitespace results in a jumbled mess. Using a 1-inch margin on all four sides of the paper will generally result in an acceptable amount of whitespace.

Scannable Resumes

A scannable resume contains the exact same information as print version resume layouts but is presented in a less ‘fancy’ manner.

A scannable resume is to be used for those situations when you wish to cut and paste your resume into online databases. There are a few guidelines that should be adhered to when creating a scannable resume, however to avoid disaster.

Due to the high volume of resumes they receive after posting a job, more and more employers are using computer databases to sort and categorize resumes.

Graphical elements that would perhaps be used in a print version resume should be avoided in a scannable resume. While they might encourage visual attention from humans, they can be a death trap when scanned into computer databases. Some computer systems might not understand special characters and react by tossing out your resume.

Fonts

Stick to safe fonts such as Ariel, Helvetica or Courier. Use a font size anywhere between 10 to 14 points and refrain from bolding, underlining or italicizing any text. Also do not use any symbols such as parenthesis, asterisks or bullets.

One Column Resume Layouts

A one column resume layout is much more traditional. This type of format would be more appropriate for use when applying for a position in a conservative job market.

It might be a disadvantage when applying for work in a more upbeat or creative job market. All lines are left justified; objective, work history and education are placed in blocks on the page.

Two Column Resume Layouts

A two column resume layout is more creative. This type of format would be better suited when applying for a position in an industry that is known for its creativity. It would not be appropriate for more traditional type jobs. Headings are left justified while the corresponding information is placed in the right column.

Left Aligned Resume Layouts

Left aligned resume layouts are particularly good for resumes that are short in nature. All headings and corresponding information are aligned to the left.

Centered Resume Layouts

A centered resume layout can be hard on the eye and difficult to read, however this can be minimized with skillful use of formatting and style features to clearly delineate information. For example, all categories would be bolded and underlined; sub-categories would be italicized and bullets would be used to draw attention to impact and action statements.

Indented Layouts

This type of resume can feel traditional, but the paragraphs can be hard on the eye; particularly for employers who simply want to ‘scan’ a resume. An indented resume features left-aligned text, but the paragraphs are indented.

There are many ways in which you can combine the above design elements into your final layout. To get the maximum impact is partly a science and partly an art… your best option is to follow the guidelines and aim to keep the overall design as uncluttered as possible.

For more, go to Resume Layouts … The Hidden Pitfalls – AdvancingWomen.com.

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Accelerate Your Job Search – Maximize The Impact Of Your Resume

Maximizing the Impact of Your Resume – AdvancingWomen.com

Fortunately, in the age of the Internet, there are some high-tech solutions to the problem of making sure your resume gets in the hands of an individual who is looking for someone of your qualifications. Resume distribution services are increasingly becoming the job-hunting method of choice for a number of job-seekers. Thanks to some innovative software, resume distribution is easier and more effective than ever before.

For instance, software packages such as Resume Rabbit and Job Search Accelorator can be tremendous aids for you as you begin your search for employment. The reach of these services is vast. For example, you can greatly increase your exposure, since such services allow you to get your resume posted on more than 75 to 85 sites.

By filling out a simple form, you can show off your job qualifications to numerous prospective employers. It’s estimated that such services can save you up to 60 hours of research–time which you can then devote to actually meeting corporate recruiters. You can also post your resume to numerous categories of career sites–from general sites, such as general purpose, to specialized sites, such as accounting or sales and marketing. You can also receive information about prospective jobs via e-mail, enabling opportunities to come to you via your personal inbox.

Of course,  AdvancingWomen Careers would love for you to send us your resume, as well.  AdvancingWomen.com has a specialized job site focusing on diversity. Some of our corporate recruiting clients have included TMP Worldwide, Inc., Sun Microsystems, U.S. Department of Commerce,National Association of Women Lawyers, CareerBuilder.com, Fedex Kinko’s, Accenture Technology Solutions, and Guidance Software Inc..  So we think we can match you up with a company looking for your skills.

But by all means, get your resume out there, not just to us.  Cast a broad net.  One of the reputable resume blasters can be a good way to do it.

Why You Only Really Need Four Sample Resumes – Careers-Employment.

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Hello world!

Welcome to AdvancingWomen.com’s Jobs, Career Blog! We are here to help “level the playing field” for women in careers, business and the political arena. But we need your help! Margaret Mead said: “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” So, come help us! Join the revolution!

( Tools: Completely integrated with Facebook, Tweeter, Social Networking – 1 post)