Transferable Skills-Part Two

Those seeking employment directly out of college will have to be creative in the way that they present their skills. Although most recent graduates will be applying for entry-level positions, employers still want to know they are taking on an employee that could be a vital addition to the company. Many skills honed in the classroom can be applied to real world settings.

The education process aids in developing the ability to meet deadlines. With the average college student taking about five classes per semester, the amount of personal responsibility adds up. Students develop the knack for meeting numerous deadlines by multitasking. In college, grades speak for themselves and a student will be able to prove the possession of these skills through his/her academic success. Establishing and achieving goals is important for anyone to be able to get the job done whether it is applied to a classroom setting or used to complete a business acquisition.

Every college graduate must learn how to write. Even if students are only obligated to take just one English class to complete their major requirements, one class should sufficiently prepare them for the level of writing that may be required in their field. Research and planning are also

It is a good idea to come across as a confident individual. Confident people are not afraid to speak their mind and would excel as leaders or managers. Leaders are entrepreneurial and able to organize their thoughts to come up with new ideas and problem-solving techniques to move forward.

So essentially, the complex process for gaining an undergraduate degree arms one with many of the necessary skills sought out by potential employers.

Transferable Skills-Part One

Entering the workforce, or even changing careers, can be an overwhelming and stressful ordeal. Employers are seeking the most qualified candidate to fill positions. In order to make the cut, one must posses the skills deemed necessary by employers. Many skills are not particular to specific careers. They can be transferable between different careers and fields of study.

Basic workplace skills can be derived from previous jobs, classes, projects or even hobbies. It is important be able to communicate effectively no matter what field of work you choose. Both written and oral communication skills will help one to succeed. It is also essential to maintain a good work ethic.

It becomes quite obvious, after a period of time, if an employee has the drive and will to do well at his/her job. A positive attitude is reflected in one’s work product, therefore, vital for becoming a valuable and indispensable employee. Interpersonal skills and the ability to work as a team are obvious, but important qualities. It is vital to appear intelligent and on top of things as logicalness equates to reasonableness, which is something employers will be looking for. No one wants to hire a potential problem employee or someone that will not be a long-term investment.

Being flexible is an obvious skill that is easy to portray. Flexibility is key considering how versatile this skill can be. To be tech savvy is to be valuable. Almost every employee is expected to at least be fluent in common computer programs such as Microsoft Office and Internet navigation. If one was born before the technological boom or has just not caught up with the time, there is still hope. Many learn-at-home programs or books are available to teach even the most computer illiterate person basic tech skills.

Try Not to Spam

We've all been there. We really want a very specific job with a very specific company. So we send in our resume and don't hear anything back. So, we send in another one. And a few months later we send in a third. Frustrated that you still have yet to get a call for an interview, you polish up your cover letter and submit the old resume for a fourth try.

This is probably the worst tactic you can take. You're not increasing your chances. If anything, you're doubling the poor HR supervisor's workload and making sure that each new resume ends up in the garbage.

There's usually a very good reason you're not getting that call. Consider the difference between the job you want and the one you're qualified for. Typically, when job hunting, we apply for the job we want, which is typically a higher pay grade, even if we're not qualified enough for it. Consequently, the company is looking for the right experience for the job, so they shuffle you right out of the candidate pile. If it's a job you really want, then try to do what you can to get that extra experience through education.

However, there are those jobs for which you are qualified, but it's just very competitive. Again, application repetition is not the key. This requires your due diligence to research the company and discover what it is they are looking for. What sets you over the top? That can be accomplished easily by calling the HR representative for the company, ask about the status of your resume, and then strike up a quick conversation about what it is that can get your name to the top of the list.

Does Your Employer Measure Up?

Think about it for a few moments. Compared to others in your industry, do you know how the company you work for ranks in employee-related criteria? Are you being treated better or worse than average? Think about the following questions. These are things that can greatly contribute to your overall happiness in the workplace. Are you getting the treatment you deserve or is it time to start searching for a new job?


Recognition—When you work harder than normal, like stay late to finish an important project, for example, does your boss thank you? Do you get any recognition outside of the normally scheduled performance reviews given at your company?

Raises—Are your raises regularly scheduled or do they come “every once in a while”? Do you feel you are fairly compensated compared to others working in your industry with your qualifications? A great tool you can use to check this out is http://www.salary.com.

Unreasonable expectations—Are you frequently asked to finish multiple projects in a very short amount of time? Do you often think to yourself how impossible it is for one person to finish as much as you’re expected to?

Core Benefits—Are you happy with the health and life insurance you’re receiving? How about your flexible spending account and 401K options?

Family Related Benefits—Does your company offer extras like childcare, maternity/paternity leave and/or elder care programs? Would they seriously consider offering things like this if enough people suggested it?

Work Environment—Do you sometimes wonder if you’re working for a fascist regime or are you offered things like flextime, employee rewards, regular break times and a relaxed dress policy?

Communication—Does your company communicate within itself? Do you publish a newsletter, have an Intranet system or even a suggestion box? If not, are your employers at least approachable about new ideas concerning different methods of improvement?

Training and Planning—Are things like continuous training for employees and tuition reimbursement benefits offered at all?

Community Service—Is your employer generous and charitable or are they a bit cheap when it comes to donation drives, fundraisers or volunteer work?

Morale—Is employee happiness important enough to your company? Do they encourage things like staff associations to promote camaraderie and teambuilding? Do they ever throw work parties for staff birthdays, holidays or other events?

Hopefully, this has started you thinking about how your employers contribute to your happiness at the workplace. If they rate highly, this might be a company worth moving up in. But if you started get a really negative vibe while pondering these questions, it may be time to move on rather than up.

Either way, it doesn’t hurt to put up your résumé and see what other companies in your field are hiring… and for how much!

Describing Your Work History: A How to Guide

Throughout history, people have held some very strange and interesting jobs. In England, Scotland and Wales circa 1880, for example, towns would hire sin-eaters who were responsible for performing religious rituals to absolve dead people of their sins and allow them to rest in peace.

That type of job is a résumé writer’s dream. A sin-eater’s résumé might look something like this:

Sin-eater – Shropshire, England – 1875-1885

• Ate crusts of bread placed on the deceased by a relative
• Recited specific religious rituals
• Drank a bowl of ale passed to me over the corpse
• Removed sins from the dead and took them unto myself
  
  

Whoa!

How can I possibly make my mall kiosk job sound as interesting and cool as that?

It can be done. With just a few interesting turns of descriptive phrase using your brain and word variations courtesy of a handy dandy tool like www.thesaurus.com, you’ll be a “consumer sales specialist” in no time.

Original task: Rang up customers.

Professional duty: Successfully completed an average of __ customer sales transactions per hour/shift/day/month.

Statistics sell. If you can gather numbers from your old jobs, use them on your résumé. Those performance reviews you wondered why you kept? Get them out and scour them for usable stats.

Original task: Stocked shelves.

Professional duty: Merchandised product in store to drive sales.

This is a creative way to describe what you did at the store, but it’s not a lie. Without you restocking the shelves, sales could not possibly have increased at all. You were integral to this process.

Original task: Cleaned bathroom.

Professional duty: Sanitized customer areas to maintain high company standards.

This accomplishes two things: it shows that you can do grunt work when asked to without actually making it sound unsavory, and it shows respect for the company’s policies. Both are big pluses!

Original task: Dealt with customer complaints.

Professional duty: Diffused difficult client situations, often with positive results.

“Dealt with” sounds like you were barely able to accomplish something as grueling as listening to customers and making them happy. Not good. The way it’s been updated is extremely positive, almost too positive. If you can’t think of examples to support the statement made after that comma, leave that part out. You need to be prepared to back up a statement like that with at least two anecdotes.

Original task: Assigned duties to employees.

Professional duty: Delegated daily responsibilities to staff and kept myself apprised of the progress made throughout the workday.

Be honest, you did so much more than just tell people what to do all day. As a manager or assistant manager, you had to not only assign work, but make sure it was finished in a timely manner (and done correctly). You even had to pick up the slack when things weren’t moving along as fast as you thought they would. So give yourself more credit when it’s due!

These are just a few examples of what creative writing magic can do for your résumé. Experiment with words as they are your friends and your first link to a prospective new boss. Make the best first impression you can and get the job you deserve!

Moving for Your Career

I hate moving. I hate buying houses. I hate selling houses. I like the idea of home and prefer that to be an unmovable, unchanging place. However, most people find in their lifetimes that to grow in a career means you have to move to different points of the country.

I always knew it'd be difficult, but just never how difficult. My wife's sister will be needing to move from Florida to California for a new job. Problem is, that even though there is a pay increase, it doesn't quite match the huge real estate difference. Her house is on the market for $220,000. However, a similar size house in Southern California, where the job is, lists for close to $700,000.

Yikes.

She's having to take a huge step down in accommodations for this tiny step up in career. Not to mention, with the housing crisis hitting Florida and California hardest, she's not having the easiest time selling her house.

She's doing it because she says the headroom at the new company is far greater than it is here. In two years time she will be much better off there than here. I hope she's right.

Point is, there's more to consider than just the job when making a move. Be sure you consider everything there is before making the move.