Faith and Jobshopping

This morning I had the opportunity to reply to a question on LinkedIn about adding references to one's faith in their resume. Was it a good or bad idea?

I wrote back that I thought it was wrong, inappropriate and dangerous to mix religion and jobshopping (unless the jobs are faith-based jobs or for faith-based employers). My reasons were:

1. There are so many different regions and faiths out there that you risk offending a potential employers by presenting your religious beliefs that could conflict with their personal followings.
2. It is illegal for employers to discriminate against a jobshopper or employee because of religion, but it can happen anyway.
3. In the workplace, it's having faith in the enterprise and your crew that matters most--not your faith in (or lack of faith) in a higher being and purpose that counts. Keep your faith in your heart and off your resume and work products.

I know I risk offending the person asking the original question on LinkedIn, those other LinkedIn members who may read my answer--and I may be offending you or other readers of my blog--but this is how I feel about jobshopping, job-getting and job-doing. This is about my working world faith. And this is the bigger problem with mixing religion and work. It's just too easy to make folks angry.

I think the three biggest causes of conflict throughout history have been sex, politics and religion. I could have added greed and money, but we sometimes need to deal with those two in the workplace. We don't need to add sex, politics or religion to our workplace mix.

Career Inventory

This morning I coined a new phrase--Career Inventory--when answering a question on LinkedIn about writing a winning resume. The idea is to present things about you that are most relevant to the employer and the job.

I won't bore you with the details about my answer. You can read that on the Career Jujitsu LinkedIn page or see my answers in the Q&A section under Resume Writing. No. Instead I want to focus on this Career Inventory concept.

The idea is to take all your education, job training and working experiences. List them. Add the dates, locations and providers (schools, employers, etc.). You can organize and store this information in a spreadsheet or use a word processing table. Update your career inventory as new experiences are added.

Then every time you go after a new job, do some research to determine which items from your career inventory are most relevant to the employer and the job. Take those items and build a winning resume. Highlight those items in your cover letters. And be sure to discuss them during your interviews.

By keeping your job-getting campaign sharply focused on the items about you that are most relevant to the employer and the job, you greatly increase your odds of catching the gatekeepers' attentions and staying ahead of your competition for the jobs you want.

April Fools

I can't think of a worse day to go jobshopping than today. April fools day.

How do you what to believe?

Are interviews confirmed? If they say--"You're hired!" can you believe them? If they you aren't should you believe them?

I'm having fun with this today because it's April Fools Day!

Should you take this blog seriously?

I wouldn't.

;-)

I'm feeling my Monday

Today, I answered no questions on LinkedIn. I didn't see any questions that caught my interest. Nothing rose me to the challenge. There were no questions I felt I could provide a really good quality answer to.

I like answering questions on LinkedIn. I usually find a couple of questions daily that make me think--"How can I really help this person?" Or, "Boy! That's a great question!" And sometimes I read the Q&A and see a question that I've been asked before (and I know I'll be asked again) and think--"This time I can write an answer others can benefit from, too."

But, today--no such questions.

I guess I'm feeling my Monday.

Stalking and walking

Today I answered a question on LinkedIn about overcoming none responsive resume marketing campaigns. A jobshopper expressed her dissatisfaction when sending countless emails, coverletters and resumes to employers and getting no replies.

I proposed she take a different approach. First, determine the prize. What's the dream job she wants to get. Then, go after it by stalking and then walking. I have to admit that I've used written these tactics down using "stalking and walking" before, but I do believe I'll continue to do so in the future because this is exactly what I'm recommending.

Stalking those working professionals who are doing the kinds of jobs she wants is I think the best way to make contacts that could help her find fresh job leads in the companies she wants to work and doing the work she wants to do. Find them by finding the places they hangout both online and in person locally.

Then she should start walking. I recommended she approach these contacts both online (in social networks like LinkedIn) and in person at local professional networking opportunities.

I added some more detailed suggestions about tactics and strategies. You can read the full text at the Career Jujitsu profile on LinkedIn.

It's not always what you learn but you know

This morning I was answering a question posted on LinkedIn. The person asking the question was concerned they were becoming less valuable to their employer and was considering returning to school for a higher degree. This person works in Information Technology (IT) but their situation is not unlike a lot of working professionals (and some jobshoppers) who believe more education is a winning strategy for getting better jobs and higher pay.

I must agree that the more you know about your job and profession the more valuable you may be to your employer (and for your career). But sometime knowing more is less important than knowing how better to use what you know.

In my answer on LinkedIn I tried to convey the point that a lot skills and capabilities employers are seeking today were not taught in schools. Because the questioner worked in IT I tried to provide examples of current IT trends and IT-related workplace skills in demand that were unknown and not even thought of just a few years ago.

Twitter (tweeting). Smart phone apps. Working through social networks (like LinkedIn). Blogging for business and professional advancement.

The point I wanted to make is this. Sure. Getting more classroom smarts can help us with our jobs and careers. But we should never lose sight of our changing world and the need to learn ways of applying those changes (in society and technology) that can also make us competitive.

I recently learned that a lot of sales and marketing departments are seeking new hires with high rankings on social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn. They want folks who know how to work the social networks to build vast networks of connections their employers can use to reach customers and new client prospects. They also want people who can help them reach more website traffic by raising their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rankings with social network and blogging use. These are not classroom related skills, but they are surely in demand skills.

Take stock of what you know and think of ways you can apply your skills in solving work related problems. Leverage that which you know to accomplish that which needs doing.

New Rules in Getting Jobs. Lead with Solutions.

This morning I was answering questions on LinkedIn (which has become a regular part of my day). One question was about getting a government job. I hope I answered that question with some useful information.

One point I tried to make was that employers are looking solutions. They are not posting jobs because they like hiring people (well most aren't). Today more than ever employers see new hirees as new "expenses"--and employers are not seeking more expenses!

So if you want to get hired, present yourself as a solution to the employer's problems. This means you need to know and understand what the employer's problems are. Approach the job interview as an exploratory experience. Use this time to gather information about what the employer (the organization and your potential boss) is trying to do. What's the goal? How's it going? What are the challenges? What's the game plan? And--most importantly--how could you fit into that game plan? Are you a potential source of solution? And would you like to take a stab at meeting the challenges?

In the good ole' days you might have gotten a job because you knew someone who could open doors and make your entry possible. But those days are gone. Today, if you want the job you have to sell yourself as the solution to the problems. So lead with solutions--and focus on getting the jobs you really want!

Maybe I should switch to decaf.

Earlier today I answered some questions from LinkedIn users about jobshopping and job-getting. I try to do this everyday. But today, some of my answered were more expressive than usual. I think I was wired on my morning coffee and Pepsi.

You can read my answers via the LinkedIn profile link on this blog. Forgive me for being extra wired--but I hope you find some value from my comments anyway.

;-)

Career Jujitsu cannot fix a sagging economy

We all have to recognize our limitations. I connect with jobshoppers almost every day. Many are depressed about the general state of the economy and their local lackluster job markets. They remind me that on average more than 5 jobshoppers are competing for just about every job being staffed. And many I talk with don't see themselves as being part of the luck 20% that are getting those jobs!

It's true. Times are tough for jobshoppers. There simply aren't enough jobs for everybody right now. The competition is growing tougher. The jobs aren't expected to pick-up for some time. We expect it may take years before we return to pre-recession employment levels. And even when that happens, the damage to so many jobshoppers' careers (and household incomes) will leave painful scars for years thereafter.

What I'm about to say may seem harsh, but these doom and gloom outlooks about our economy and employment levels aren't relevant to Career Jujitsu. We feel the public's pain, but that pain isn't our problem. Career Jujitsu is not for everyone. And not just anyone will try it, use it or benefit from it. Career Jujitsu is for those who step up and try it, use it and benefit from it. So, for those 80% unlucky jobshoppers who fail to get the jobs (and those who continue to lose their jobs)--and those jobshoppers who are not using Career Jujitsu--we're sorry if we cannot help you.

But for those jobshoppers who are using Career Jujitsu, are getting the jobs they want and keeping the jobs they enjoy--we are so happy to be of service to you!

This morning I answered a question on LinkedIn that I found especially timely. It was asking how we can survive in an unhappy workplace. My answer included (3) options.

1. Improve the workplace for as many as you can
2. Make your personal space as pleasant as possible
3. Leave

Of course I went on to expand on my answer and proposed options. But the bottom line is none of us should settle for poor fitting jobs or working in toxic settings. We can find, capture and keep our dream jobs--even in bad economies.

You can read my full answer and other Q&As on the Career Jujitsu public LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/career-jujitsu/1b/3a2/9a.

There is no such thing as a “permanent” job.

Unless we are immortal, most jobs and employers may outlast us. We can find solace in knowing we can take our mojo with us when we leave a job. We may also enjoy knowing we are enriched by our experiences and our past experiences allow us to bring more value to our future ones.

It’s fine to treat a jobs (and our workspaces) as if we own them. Attacking our work with a sense of equity can sometimes enhance our performance. Only try not to buy that hype. Remember you are only borrowing your job and the workspaces you occupy. It’s your paychecks (earnings) and valuable working experiences you’ll get to keep!

So make the most of every chapter in your career/employment story. Work long and prosper.

Forget about the macro economy. Focus on the economy of one—you!

Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by reports of low employment, high unemployment, firing and downsizing trends, show hiring or no hiring. These are macro-economic views. They should not affect your decision to find, capture and keep your dream job. Why? Because the masses don’t know what you know. They don’t know Career Jujitsu. They don’t know how to get the jobs you want in any economy. So stay bold. Keep focusing on your personal economy. Go forward and get that job you want.

There are three reasons employers will keep hiring (even in the worst economies).

1. Because they encounter challenges their current staff and resources cannot help them overcome.
2. Because they seek opportunities that want to pursue, but their current staff and resources cannot help them achieve.
3. Because their current staff and resources are exhaustable and need to be replaced.

If you can present yourself as a source of solution to the employer's problems and the means to help them achieve their goals, you may become a member of their team.