Graduates

E-Newsletter articles

E-Newsletter Articles for your Professional Development


Is the Grass Really Greener? Part II
September 2012

Many of us have felt the sting of a stagnant economy and watched a booming sector or sub- sector propel careers. Whether exploring, planning a shift, looking to more effectively manage a current role or looking for a new job, taking the right steps will help you address challenges early and identify hidden opportunities.

Once we acknowledge dissatisfaction, many think the decision to leave is the only one and it is time to act - to begin applying for jobs. For some, knowing what is no longer working in our career does point to exactly what is next. For most of us, however, it does not clarify "what's next."

A common sign of a premature job search is the development of a general resume, submitted to multiple online and print job ads for diverse positions in a wide range of industries, each appealing on some level. We mistakenly turn to want ads for inspiration - whether in publications or on massive electronic job boards. We seek that mythical list of job titles that can be scanned to find the opportunity that speaks to us. This is a frustrating strategy where the initially optimistic job seeker gets few responses leaving them feeling scattered and discouraged - their potential unappreciated.

Other seekers are overwhelmed by the need to make the 'perfect' move. As successful, intelligent professionals, they are aware of how high the risks can be when leaving something known for something unknown. So they continue on, dissatisfied, disengaged and unfulfilled.

Needs change. Interests evolve. Lives can become complex. Are you running away from something (Read part 1 where we took a look at personal and professional changes that are behind the urge to do something different.) or have you identified the specific "somethings" you are running towards?

Start Down The Right Path

Articulate what it is YOU want from your career going forward. Remember: Not knowing is a worthwhile and legitimate place to start. Create a checklist of what is important that you can measure alternative possibilities against. Avoid job titles. Stay focused on what the work would look like and lifestyle needs. It is rare that an opportunity will check all the boxes, but it is useful to have a well thought out measure that is consistent on days we feel powerful and days when we do not.

  • What does a 'good job' look like for you today?
  • What would you like to spend your days doing, exactly? What would you be reading up on, researching, promoting and learning?
  • What specific responsibilities, opportunities and challenges would you like to deal with regularly and be accountable for? How would you like your performance to be measured?

Now that you know what a 'great opportunity' would look like for you, decide where you are on the career development continuum. Is your personal next best step to explore the fit of different career options, plan a strategy for a shift to a specific career target, manage the career you currently have, or are you truly ready to undertake a strategic job search and demonstrate how you meet the needs of a new role right now?

Explore
If you have not yet identified a few specific options, spend the time to dream. Compare your dream with day to day realities of that dream. In effect, this allows you to 'try on' alternative possibilities to identify those that fit you best. In conjunction with the questions considered in part 1, this activity prepares you to safely identify what you still need to learn and develop before connecting with decision makers and will ultimately help you to see more related 'hidden' jobs and compete for them successfully.

  • Google job descriptions of possibilities you have considered. Read them thoroughly. Regardless of qualifications required, would you love to do the work?
  • Sign up for industry newsletters, attend speaker events and pay attention to what industry insiders are talking about. Would you like to be a part of this particular 'buzz'?
  • Tap your existing personal and professional networks to identify people with contacts or knowledge about the work or industries you are considering. Get to know them better.
  • Rate what you learn about alternative options against the checklist you've developed.

Many people think this activity should produce a decisive single career or job objective. Rather, think of it as narrowing your focus to a select few attractive alternative futures: Two or three potential career destinations, to move towards.

Plan
If what you learn about yourself, your current career and other alternatives reveal you are happy with your current career but have outgrown your job or your company, take a few steps before you activate your job search to ensure you become a strong candidate when you switch to the labour intensive job search mode.

  • Critically analyze what are "need-to-have's" and what are "nice-to-have's" from the view of multiple perspective employers.
  • Develop a concrete timeline to undertake what you need to do. Don't forget to take into consideration your existing professional, personal and community obligations. Build in a reasonable cushion for inevitable surprise demands on your time.
  • Schedule time each day or each week to attend to specific items on your plan. View these scheduled times as you would other professional commitments.

If you are leaning towards an even bigger change, extra questions need to be answered such as:

  • Where, exactly, this work is done? What trade publications, professional associations and business directories may keep you alert you to emerging opportunities?

Manage
Layoffs, cutbacks and a push to do more with less make many of us understandably reluctant to speak openly with employers about professional goals. This is especially true if our goals seem to be in conflict with where the organization sees us contributing. Only you can decide if you want to share your full vision with a supervisor or take a more cautious approach. There are real benefits as well as significant risks to weigh. Ultimately, you must decide what is the right thing for you.

If you choose not to share your professional goals with a supervisor, it is still possible to find ways to move your goals forward. Many companies, departments or teams use Employee/Individual Development Plans (EDP/IDP) as part of their performance review process. Yet few of us develop our own independent career development action plans. While an EDP/IDP identifies areas of development that align an employee with an employer's long and short term business needs, a personal career development action plan (CDAP) can help you recognize milestones and capacity building opportunities in the context of YOUR desired future alternatives-within your current organization and beyond it.

By comparing your personal CDAP and your EDP/IDP it is often possible to see if part of your vision can be facilitated in your current situation, risk free.

  • Take note at what points your ideal path and the path your current employer sees for you diverge.
  • Remain open to special projects, secondments, training or professional outreach that can expand your capacity and develop contacts while allowing you to contribute where you are.

While the decision to enlist your employer in moving your career goals forward is never easy, you may be surprised to find a growing number of employers who realize retaining staff is just good business. In conference sessions, industry discussion groups and blogs concerns about retaining a shrinking talent pool amid a looming retirement bubble is a common topic. While the popular press focuses on articles about retaining 'top talent' there is a growing realization that supporting all solid employees is a better strategy to avoid a 'talent gap'. More and more, organizations are creating opportunities to retain contributing employees. But be alert to the reality that these long term corporate visions may not yet be fully embraced by all departments and workgroups struggling to keep staff to meet day-to-day demands.

Job Search
While most people want to jump to this point as soon as they find themselves dissatisfied, it is important to recognize that doing so may result in discarding valuable opportunities at best and may even be self-sabotaging. Few people find it rewarding to:

  • waste time applying to a postings that appeal but result in poor or few offers,
  • tap personal and professional networks for contacts and introductions which they are unprepared to leverage successfully to reach their goals, or
  • move to a new job, industry or career only to find it does not provide the satisfaction expected.

The world of work is changing and so are the ways organizations recruit and job seekers seek jobs. But there is no one-size-fits-all recruiting strategy. In some fields and for some positions, traditional recruiting gave way to the use of high tech tools to identify an expanded number of possible applicants and then manage those ever growing databases. In turn, effectively tapping databases filled with large numbers of applicants available for any and all types of positions is difficult and has increased the appreciation of more personal high touch recruiting and job search strategies for those willing and able to undertake them.

If you are about to begin a job search, don't bet your success on one-size-fits-all recruiting assumptions. Learn what specific industries and companies are doing to recruit people for specific positions and roles. Better yet, take a multi-strategy approach to connect with decision makers in your area of interest.

Is the grass really greener? That depends on where and how you look. Whether you are an accomplished professional or new to your career, the greener grass may be right in front of you or down the road. Whether you are a part of a stagnating sector or a booming one, taking small steps in the right direction will see better results than large steps that take you where you don't want to go. The right steps and doing your career due diligence will improve your satisfaction and your success whether you are exploring options, making small but significant changes in the career you have or searching for new employment.

If you are not sure what activities to include or where to start, speak to a certified career professional. Your University Career Services office can help you identify the services available to you.

Article by:
Elaine Balych BA, CCDP
Coordinator, Career Education and Career Development
Career Services, Mount Royal University

Back to top

Is the Grass Really Greener?
June 2012

Begin by examining your current personal realities
Has something, or many somethings in your life changed since you last dedicated time to consider what you want to achieve in your career? Life changes, both welcome and unwanted, can ignite thoughts of a career change.

Moving to a new community, marriage, divorce, increasing demands of a growing family, a newly empty nest, aging parents, a partner's return to school or pending retirement may colour how satisfying people see their current career or job situation. Successful temporary adaptations to these changing circumstances may not be easily sustainable as long term strategies and can result in a growing discontent. At some point, we are moved to take stock and perhaps, action.

Whatever personal changes you've experienced, understanding, articulating and acknowledging changed life circumstances or personal values is critical in making a 'best for me' assessment of future possibilities.

Study your current professional situations
The impact of technology, changing demographics and the local impact of global economic forces continually shape the world we work in. In addition, while no job is a perfect fit, on-the-job expectations and corporate climates can be vastly different over time or from company to company. To get a clear picture of your professional situation, think about each aspect of your professional self including:

The Job/Company:

  • Has the nature of your work or have the tasks in the job changed? Has it become too routine? More exciting? Too unpredictable?
  • Are you able to leverage you strengths and talents to do personally rewarding work?
  • Are you given sufficient support to learn and grow in ways that are congruent with your personal areas of developmental interest?
  • Is the organization a good size for you to operate in or does it feel too big or too small?

Don't forget about the role of work relationships as a contributor in the satisfaction equation.

  • Do you like and admire the people you work with and for, and those that work for you?
  • Do you feel respected and valued for who you are? Are your unique contributions adequately recognized?

The Industry:
 Whether you work in the technology, health care, energy, financial or other sector, there has been a great deal of change in the last few years.

  • Does the sector still hold your interest?
  • Are you inspired to read, listen and discuss what's new?
  • Are there emerging industries or areas of your own industry that are more exciting to you than the one you encounter each day?

Many people feel they are performing a role they see as common to all industries and organizations. These positions are often related to accounting, human resources and business administration. While it is true that these jobs can be found in most companies, is important to remember that in-depth industry knowledge may be necessary to truly excel and the level of knowledge needed can vary dramatically between industries and even within organizations in the same industry.

The Occupation:
Whether a part of an accredited occupation such as accounting, medicine or engineering or a less regulated cluster of similar job titles, occupations change over time.

  • Have the characteristics of the work you and people doing work like you in other companies and industries seen significant change? Does that change excite you?
  • Have rewarding components been added, automated or phased out?
  • Has the occupation become more/less secure?
  • Is there more/less regulatory oversight or certification as the field continues to mature?

Now that you have examined each aspect of your professional situation independently, ask yourself: Is it the job, the organization's environment or it's location that has become incompatible with your personal self? Is it the occupation or profession that is making you restless or is it the way the industry you work within has evolved?

This important step should help you assess whether your current professional circumstances are meeting most of your professional needs, whether you may want to consider a smaller shift such as a move to a new organization or explore what a major career change may involve.

Knowing where you are, what satisfies you and what is missing helps point to what you are ready to take on or move away from - what you want from your career going forward. If undertaking this review seems like a daunting task, consider enlisting the help of a certified career professional. Your University Career Services office can help you identify the services available to you.

Look out for the September issue where we cover important steps to improve your chance of success whether you need to explore career options, plan a strategy for a specific career shift, manage the career you currently have or undertake a strategic job search.

Article by:
Elaine Balych BA, CCDP
Coordinator, Career Education and Career Development
Career Services, Mount Royal University

Back to top

Achieving Career Success - What Do Successful Graduates Know?
March 2012

Have you ever wondered how certain graduates reach career success, find amazing jobs and advance their careers faster while developing new skills along the way?

What do these individuals know that other graduates could benefit from? Are they brighter, more resourceful, do they have better connections? Could it be explained by their accreditation, their targeted employment industry or is it simply a matter of luck?

It is a well know expression, 'Luck is when opportunity meets preparation'. If you're not prepared when opportunity knocks you might never reach career success.

We've all heard new graduates say, "They never thought they would be doing the jobs they're doing, or working in the industries they're in." And yet, it is these same individuals that speak about their jobs with great joy and motivation, and they truly seem to have a sense of career satisfaction.

There is no one definition for career success. If you were to ask a number of University graduates how they define career success their responses might very well include:

  • landing a job that offers growth potential and the opportunity for advancement
  • a flexible work environment
  • the opportunity to travel
  • a healthy salary
  • a job they like going to everyday
  • doing what they love

So the question remains how do certain graduates achieve career success?

TIPS TO HELP NEW GRADUATES REACH CAREER SUCCESS

Be Pro-active

  • Some students wait until their final year of University to discover what type of employment they can achieve with their degree or major. Don't wait until you are ready to graduate to research and start making career decisions. Be pro-active by planning your career throughout University.

Career Building in University - Tip Sheet

Get Connected

  • Invest the time to meet and speak with professionals that can help you along the way. Get advice, ideas and a foot up by connecting with industry experts, potential employers and your University's Career Development Professionals.
  • Arrange information interviews. Set a goal to connect with a specific number of companies and employers per each academic semester during University.
  • Network on-campus Career and Recruitment and Volunteer Fairs.
  • Regularly attend off-campus career and employment events.
  • Become a member of a program / industry related association.
  • Develop new skills; build your volunteer and community experience.
  • Develop affinity with your University Alumni Relations office.

Book an Appointment with Certified Career Development Professionals
Information Interviewing
MRU's Career and Recruitment Fair and Volunteer Recruitment Fair
Career and Employment Opportunities and Events
Connect with professionals in your field
Volunteer to Gain Experience
Alumni Relations

Explore Your Career Options

  • Graduates who achieve career success are informed. Take the time to research and learn about the world of work. Things to consider include:
    • what does employment look like in different careers and industries?
    • what are the benefits of majors and minors in terms of employment options and career advancement?
    • what education and skills do employers for the occupations you are considering require?
    • do employers value community involvement, and if so, how can you get involved?
    • what does a day look like for specific career professionals?
    • what is a realistic salary range for the occupation and industry you are considering?
    • what advice would employers give to gain experience?

Career Planning Strategies Workshop
Work Experience and Co-operative Education programs and information

Know What You Bring To The Table

  • If you don't know what you can offer and do in-exchange for a paycheque, don't expect to convince an employer of your value.
  • Make note of what you participated in, include your successes and achievements throughout University. Consider the following:
    • events, community involvement, paid employment, academic courses, projects and assignments, memberships and professional affiliations, and additional training and certifications.

Employment and Career Workshops

Be Prepared To Show Proof Of Your Worth

  • Develop strong marketing materials including; resumes, cover letters, portfolio and business cards. Know when and how to present them appropriately.
  • Know how to communicate successfully in interviews, and be prepared to address common and behavioral descriptive interview questions. Practice! Practice! Practice!

Create job search tools and prepare for interviews
Resume, Cover Letter, or Portfolio - professional critique service

Stay Current

  • Don't be caught off guard when speaking with potential employers. Know the latest in social media and how to use social media tools appropriately to best present yourself and maintain your professional image.
  • Attend a workshop or course, and research articles to access tips and remain current.
  • Don't engage your network just when you are looking for a job: use social media tools to keep in touch with professional contacts.

Think Outside The Box

  • Remember most graduates don't fall into career success, it is planned happenstance.
  • Take the blinders off: be willing, open and prepared to explore different career and employment options.
  • Don't wait for job advertisements, do some detective work to source out which businesses are growing and who might be hiring.
  • Don't limit yourself to the typical full-time job postings, contract and temporary jobs provide a source of income as well as the opportunity to network and build new skills.
  • Graduates who think outside the box when it comes to applying their skills, education and experiences (summer employment, work experience and/or co-operative education, internships, and volunteering) increase their chances of achieving rewarding employment and career success.

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
- Thomas Edison

Article by:
Melody Choboter, CCDP
Coordinator, Career & Graduate Development
Career Services, Mount Royal University

Back to top