Meet Your Audience Where They Are

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I recently wrote about the importance of writing your resume as if you are speaking to the least knowledgeable person (in your field) on a hiring panel. That post was all about how important it is to communicate your experience in lay terms so that any reader can quickly grasp your qualifications and achievements.

I was reminded of this post whenI worked with an information security professional who shared that he has avoided using the word "cyber" in his resume. When I asked why he would want to avoid a word that seems so common, he made a very good point. "What exactly is cyber and how do you protect it" he asked.

Point well taken, but we ultimately did include the word cyber, very strategically, on his resume. Here's why.

As he went on to point out, despite finding broad agreement among his peers that this term was pretty dumb, it is commonly used throughout the field. In fact, he was interested in a specific position where "cyber" was in the title.

When developing your resume, it is critical to use the words readers will expect to see and meet your audience where they are. Strategically use the terminology that they use so that you are understood and they can see the clear fit. Then, once you are in your new position, you can do the good work of educating people and driving a shift (if it matters that much to you).

Say "No!" to Quick Fixes

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A majority of my clients are referred.

Few realities of my business make me as proud as that fact because nothing speaks louder than the voices of those who have experienced – and loved – what you offer.

My clients – referred or not – know what they're getting into when they sign on with Tandem Powered. And it's not a "quick fix" process. I make that clear across my website and in the robust e-mail communications prior to starting.

That's why it's very bothersome when I speak with someone who has no interest in approaching career development properly. After all, this is your life we're talking about. It's very important to be set you up for success in navigating a career path that will lead to great job success, fulfillment, and – in most cases – greater income.

And you know what happens when you're happier in your career?

• You're happier at home.

• You're more confident.

• You're more interesting.

The list goes on and on.

Here are three ideas for helping you to keep career trajectory top-of-mind:

1. Keep track of your wins as they happen. Start an e-file or an analog file in which you can store all of your positive career movement: commendations, additional training, achievements, etc.

2. Use "comfortable time" as "career building" time. The time to work on your career development activities is when you are all settled into a job. Period. You don't want to wait until things go bad to focus on pulling these things together.

3. Focus relentlessly on what differentiates you. The world of work is increasingly competitive. As you move through the days / weeks / months give a lot of thought to adjustments you can make to become more of a specialist.

Beyond Compensation: Healthier Ways to Evaluate A Potential Employer

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I got a few e-mails about something I wrote in a recent post:

HR departments best serve the company when employees are happy and heard. These are the kinds of HR departments I work with as a Business Consultant. Well oiled HR departments know that their job is to find the link between employee goals and the goals of the company.

So, when you're interviewing for your next job, ensure that the organization you're interviewing with values – truly values – employees' reasons for joining the company. Organizations that walk the talk will have employee-forward initiatives baked right into recruiting materials and employee literature.

More specifically, A few readers noted that they only really consider compensation when making an employment decision. And then – because they are making compensation-based decisions – they tend to be looking for new jobs frequently.

Those readers asked for guidance concerning what to look for in a company, beyond dollar signs:

Culture. No matter what level you are at, ask to shadow someone for an hour or two, or even half a day. The purpose for this is so that you can get a feel for the culture. It's amazing what you can learn by simply taking it all in for a few hours. Do people engage and actively share information? Do you see signs that ideas and diverging viewpoints are welcome?

Goals. Companies that employ new-school HR practices will be very interested in seeing how your ambitions track to the company's objectives. Ask how your prospective employers develop employees' objectives. If goals are completely determined outside of employees, look elsewhere.

Success. How does your potential employer measure success? If it's just "revenue," "attention," or "clicks," you might have a problem. Look for a company that views success modernly. For instance, couch surfing measures success by "net orchestrated conviviality."

When visiting NYC a few weeks ago, I overheard several guys talking about wanting to break the cycle of making employment decisions based solely on monetary compensation. Our turbulent political climate has really got people looking at work and life in a more empowered way. That's a positive outcome in these contentious times.

Your Resume Isn't Working If...

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I often get asked about the biggest resume "fails" that I see as someone who also works on the other side of the table. Here are the five that come to mind today.

Check your resume to ensure that you pass on all five fronts.

You still use an Objective Statement. It's most important to speak to what you can offer, not what you want.

You rely on responsibilities rather than achievements. Most anyone can do; a select few achieve.

You employ the wrong voice. Implied first person is still the expected standard, and past jobs should be referred to in the past tense.

You fail to target it. Generic is out; specific is in. Each position of interest requires a thoughtfully targeted resume.

You don't communicate clearly. No spelling or syntax errors. Period.

Keep Politics Off of LinkedIn

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Advocacy is a very important part of my life. I stand for what I believe in, and I let others know it. Appropriately.

While I don't believe that politics should be excluded from polite conversation – if anything, we need more polite conversation about politics – I do believe that you need to be smart about veering into controversial topics in professional forums.

Here's why.

• LinkedIn is a networking space focused on professional endeavors. Unless you work in politics, these discussions are not work for you. So they don't belong on LinkedIn.

• No matter your political viewpoint, statistics say that about 50% of people will tune you out immediately. Alienating potential professional partners is not smart.

• It's hard to manage our "voice" when it comes to sharing opinions on heated topics. Why? Because emotion gets in the way. As such, most people who do so on public forums tend to sound a bit unhinged. You know what I'm talking about.; we all have that crazy relative who loves to blow things up on Facebook.

Again, I can't stress enough that this is not about proudly sharing your opinion. It's about being strategic about where and how you do it.

Gurus, Ninjas, and Rock Stars (or Why a Creative Title Could Work Against You)

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There was once a time when it was not uncommon to meet someone with a title like Corporate Communications Guru or Web Development Ninja. In many cases, companies created these titles to differentiate themselves and show how unstuffy they were ("Look how modern and different we are! 1970's IBM would never have Guru, Ninja, or Rock Star in their titles").

I was reminded of all of this when I consulted with an executive team who were looking to fill a senior level marketing role. One of the candidates that was most appealing was a very experienced marketing professional whose current tile was Head of Ideas and Storytelling. Despite this candidate's qualifications, that title proved to be a big problem among the hiring team, all of whom thought the title was so undefined that they couldn't determine how this candidate even fit into a typical organizational structure. Worse, many of the executives thought the title was just silly and transferred that perception to the candidate (who, sadly, likely had no role in creating that title).

Here's the thing; if you have an unusual title – even one that seems strong but is not easy for individuals outside of your organization to define (anyone with "innovation" in your title, I am looking your way) – that title could work against you when you are ready to take the next step. If you have control over your title, make sure that it accurately captures your role in a away that outsiders can understand. If you don't have control over your title, then you will need to take additional steps in your job search documents to mitigate the potential negative perceptions or misperceptions surrounding that title.

If you need help figuring out how deal with a creative or vague title – or even a title that simply doesn't align with the realities of your role – on your resume, shoot me an email. I can help.

So You Accepted a Job and Then Got Another Offer

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\When you're on a roll, you're on a roll. So, first, let's celebrate great problems to have!

Next, let's deal with the very real problem of accepting a job offer and then being offered another job (or another interview).

Here's how I recommend evaluating this conundrum:

• Ask yourself why you accepted the first job? Something made you say "yes" to the offer. Was it money? Desparation? Location? Sit with that decision for a bit.
  

• If your reason for accepting the position was less than whole-hearted, ask what it would take to keep this cycle from continuing. What if you accepted the second job and then got a third offer?
  

• Write down all the things that make a job most desirable, from most to least important. How does the first offer stack up? How about the second?
  

• Make the decision – tough as it may be – that most aligns with what the above exercise taught you.
  

It's okay to change your mind. Better to disappoint the company now than to hold on to something that won't work out in the long run (wasting the company even more money).

Going forward, know that job searching isn't like Tinder. Careers involve making tough decisions, and you should move forward in a strategic enough way so that you would never be accepting an offer that you might later need to back out of.

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

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Q. I really need to get out of my current job. Do you recommend that I quit before I find another job or should I stick this job out while I look for something else? I am really stuck on what to do.

A. As much as I would like to give you a firm answer, unfortunately, you are the only one in a position to determine whether or not to leave before you have another position. To help you make the right decision for you, consider these two points:

• Many people find it easier to look for work when they are not embroiled in the drama associated with their current position.

• There are potentially negative perceptions associated with candidates who are unemployed (I know, crazy right?!). Studies show that it is easier to find a new position when you are already employed, something that unemployed people know all too well.

I know that the above conflicting points aren’t likely to help you determine the right way forward, but at least your decision will be better informed. Whatever you decide to do, I certainly recommend that you focus on creating a really powerful new resume (and associated job search documents) to help shorten the time between now and your next big thing!

Bad Places to Work

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Last week, I published Outside Magazine's annual list of Best Places to Work. This week, I thought I'd say a few things about less desirable places to work.

Remember a couple years ago, when someone published a piece revealing the challenging work environment at Amazon? Well, unsurprisingly, that was not the last expose of unhealthy corporate cultures to go viral.

Recently, a previous employee at Uber published an article, detailing her turbulent employment at the rideshare company. The core of the issue? A male dominated and sexist corporate culture. You really just need to read the entire thing.

Sadly, what Susan Fowler wrote about Uber confirms the belief that many people have that HR departments exist solely to benefit the company. And while it would be ridiculous if that weren't true, there's more to the story.

HR departments best serve the company when employees are happy and heard. These are the kinds of HR departments I work with as a Business Consultant. Well oiled HR departments know that their job is to find and nurture the link between employee goals and the goals of the company.

So, when you're interviewing for your next job, ensure that the organization you're interviewing with values – truly values – employees' reasons for joining the company. Organizations that walk the talk will have employee-forward initiatives baked right into recruiting materials and employee literature.

Ask for specifics. 

And if you haven't already, take a look at Outside Magazine's Best Places to Work list for what healthy corporate cultures look like.

Best Places to Work in 2017

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Each year, I publish a link to Outside Magazine's Top 100 Places to Work. I value this list because it focuses on companies that place a premium on employee health and happiness.

Here's one of my favorites:

51. Geocaching (Seattle, Washington)
Geocaching says it has more than 3 million active worldwide users searching for treasure in every country except North Korea. The 75 employees at company headquarters on Lake Union in Seattle wear shirts reading “I play where I work” and receive unlimited ski lift tickets, inflatable kayaks, and hiking equipment. Staff are required to get out of the office to go caching during work hours.

As a Seattle resident, I know just how happy Geocaching's employees are. Plus, geocaching as an employee of Geocaching is the ultimate dogfooding!

Check out the list to see if there's a great employer near you. Colorado is well represented, so if you live near Denver, you're in luck!