Author Archives: Laura Machan

I heard a very interesting interview with Reshma Saujani, the Founder and CEO of Girls who Code.  When asked why she started the program she said something brilliant.

If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.

Her argument was that the world of coding and app development is filled with hoodie wearing guys clutching Red Bull.  How would a 15 year old girl believe that she could be the next Mark Zuckerberg?

Similarly, could the average teenage boy envision himself as a registered nurse specializing in traumatic brain injuries?

There are thousands of jobs and more are evolving every day.  The world of work is changing faster than ever before.

This presents lots of different opportunities for us and for our kids.  Just take a few minutes to look though the new programs being offered by George Brown College, Sheridan College or UIOT.  I bet there are courses in things you didn’t know even existed.

So when your niece, neighbour or offspring says they want to study sneaker design or industrial mathematics, don’t frown and dismiss it.  Ask why it interests them and where they heard about it.  This is way more helpful and supportive.

You never know, you might learn something that helps you in your own career.

I read resumes for a living.  I read other stuff too but resumes are the main focus during the day (and sometimes evenings, much to my husband’s consternation).

It never gets boring, Each resume, like each person, is interesting and unique. People take different paths to the same role, have different educational chapters and insert more or less of themselves in their resume.

BUT

• Spelling mistakes
• Fonts with curly cues
• Indented boxes and sidebars that get mangled by my software
• Leaving out dates or titles
• Pretending a company or university is in Canada when it clearly is not
• Squishing in information by using narrow margins and 8 pt letters
• 20 bullets for one role and only three for the others
• Acronyms that are not widely understood

These are all things that take away from the positive impression that your resume is supposed to provide. It’s like you are strolling along and you suddenly trip on the rug.  Once you recover, it can be hard to remember what you thinking about before.

So before you send me your resume, have someone read it for you.  Ask them if it’s smooth.  They make look at you funny but it will give them a constructive perspective which should generate good, usable feedback.

You might not have noticed but its half way through January.   Yep…..half way.  Apparently, time flies especially quickly when it is dark and cold outside.

Did you set some goals for 2016?  It might have been in the fog of New Year’s morning or the champagne induced glee of New Year’s Eve.  Do you remember them?

Once you get into the flurry of everyday life, it can be hard to even remember the special things you wanted to do, let alone focus on getting them done.

I learned a neat trick from one of the great people I volunteer with (yet another reason to put up your hand and volunteer!).  I commented on her aggressive development plans for the year and she said that she learned long ago to use the B-HAG method.

Excuse me?

Was she calling me a hag?  And if so, how did she know?  We have not known each other that long…..

No, not at all.  B-HAG stands for big, hairy, audacious goal.  She said the idea is to make sure you think of it every day and work to make advancements, no matter how small, every day.

She even has a B-HAG pet. (image on right)  It’s a little furry thing that sits on her desk.  When her eyes fall on it, she is reminded about the bigger picture.  Also, people come into to her work area and ask her about it which presents another opportunity to describe and focus on her goals.

She said it worked really well last year and so to up the ante and keep it effective, she is going to move it around her office.  A bit like Elf on a Shelf.  It will have eyes on her all the time.

In the end, it does not matter how you do it.  You just need to make sure that you have something or someone that continues to remind you why you need to do one more thing before lunch, bed or wine.

Good luck!

Was your New Year’s resolution to get another job?  Have you succeeded?

I know the year is young but, just like any other resolution, the more time is takes to start, the longer it take to succeed.

Most of the articles I have read about making resolutions stick, talk about breaking the objective into small parts.  If you want to get fit, starting with a marathon is probably not the best way to go.

Its better (they say) to start by walking around the block and then build into longer runs with the marathon on a six month horizon.

Career building is the same.  Only Cinderella got a new job with a chance meeting at a ball.  The rest of us have to work a little bit harder.

There are several places you can start.  You can dust off your resume and give it refresh.  That tends to be a bit overwhelming though. Especially if you don’t know where you last put it.  

LinkedIn is probably the best place to begin.  You can a password reset if you have forgotten how to get in.  (Shame on you!). Resist the temptation to create another profile.  Work with the original.   You don’t want to have two profiles.  It is too confusing.

Updating your current responsibilities or adding some new volunteer work is great.  You can also change your photo.  That’s a fun and impactful exercise.  Remember: no dogs, birds or kids.  And try not to use a cropped photo from a wedding.  We can tell and it looks cheesy.

LinkedIn wants to let everyone know that you have made positive changes.  Most profiles default to notify your network when you do some editing.  You don’t have to tell the world that you are fixing a typo or changing your headshot.  Click on the square with you picture at the top of the right side and then Privacy and Settings.  Under Privacy Controls, the second option is whether people see your profile edits.  If you unclick it, no one will be notified when you make changes.

That way you can save the updates for the important things …..like your new job!

I have been working with several candidates who have been out of the regular workforce for more than a year.  Now that they are getting interviews, they are not sure how to best deal with the questions and concerns about their absence.

This can be tricky because, as a candidate, you don’t know assumptions the interviewer has already made.

The only way to deal with this is to call it out at the first opportunity.  If you introduce the length of your absence, how it came about and what you did with the time and present it in a positive light, you will have a good chance of putting their concerns and fears to rest.

Should you say you were “consulting”?  If you were actually engaged by a company to do work in your field, then the answer is yes.  If that’s the case, be prepared to discuss the nature of the assignment and the results.  If the work came about from a referral and because of your reputation, throw this in too.

If you got a really good package after a long career at a single employer, it’s okay to talk about taking the time to reflect before jumping back onto the carousel of work.  You might not want to share that you binge watched the entire Netflix library.  You can talk about caring for family, taking courses, writing a book or exploring a hobby.

The object is to put this chapter of your career in a positive and constructive light.  That’s what hiring managers want to hear.  They want to feel comfortable that you are a) ready to be back in an organization and b) not a flight risk.  Those are the real concerns that you need to address.

You might not know it yet, but there is a pretty good chance that one of you or someone at one of your parties will make a new year’s resolution to find a new job.

Here’s a list of tools you might want to have handy for that moment:

Dropbox – a great place to save resumes and cover letters

Evernote – piles of cloud based digital notebooks to lay out your strategies, plans and save good tips and articles

LinkedIn – not for job postings but rather to look at the profiles of people you admire.  This will not only give you a lot of ideas but you may get some new connections as well.

YouTube – search for interview tips.  A word of caution: you will have sort through the silly ones and the serious ones.

Podcasts in iTunes – just type “job search” into the search bar. You will be surprised at how many podcasts are available.  There is bound to be some great tips and maybe even some inspiration.

Overdrive and a Library card – so you can read the hottest business books and magazines for free

And finally, Netflix.  For when you are done caring and just need a Mad Men marathon.

Happy New Year!

I don’t know about you but the next two weeks on my calendar are sprinkled with pot lucks, lunches and cocktails.  This is generally where I roll my eyes and find other things to do.

But this year is going to be different.  I am looking at each get together as an opportunity to learn new things.

I am going to try not to gossip about people in other departments or complain about the weather, Instead, I am going to positive and maybe even interesting.

For example, when someone asks me how things are going, my response is not going to be “busy”.  Of course I am busy.  Everyone is busy.  We would not have jobs if we were not busy.

Instead I am going to talk about one of the search projects I am working on.  This opens the door for much more interesting conversation than “I am so busy”.

I am also going to avoid asking about people’s plans for the holidays.  There are lots of people who are not going skiing in the Swiss Alps or dining with celebrities.  While it can be fun to hear about those adventures, it can be depressing too.

I am going to ask about next year instead.  “Got any plans for 2016?” has a nice ring to it

If I can stick to this plan, I should be able to come away from this holiday season with lots of new ideas and information which will be an excellent foundation for my big plans in 2016.

Cheers!

We all know people who are looking for a job and it can be really tough over the holidays.  Trying to be excited about seeing family and friends when you are not sure about your future is difficult.

There are lots of things we can do to show we care and offer support.  Remember that gifts don’t necessarily have to be wrapped.  Time and expertise don’t fit in boxes but they sure are welcome.

Here are some suggestions for the job seeker on your list:

• New tie or scarf to wear to interviews.  Wearing something new can put a real lift in someone’s step.
• Invitation – if you are going to an industry function or holiday cookie swap, invite the person.  Before you go, talk about how you are going to introduce them to your colleagues/friends.   The opportunity to meet new people is so, so valuable.
• Recommendations on LinkedIn – don’t wait to be asked for this one.  Find a few people in your connections and write them a nice, short recommendation.  It will arrive in their inbox and be a complete and wonderful surprise.
• Coffee gift card – this is a great one. It does not have to be for a lot of money but providing the opportunity for someone to treat themselves without having to worry about the expense is a real gift.
• Three months subscription to Texture, the magazine app.  Discretionary things like magazines are usually the first things to go when someone is unsure about the future.  Access to a gazillion magazines does two things.  It is a nice little distraction when they need a break from LinkedIn.  Also, it allows them to keep current so that when they are at networking events with you, they have lots of current material to talk about.

So put a little thought into it. You have lots of options to provide useful and supportive gifts.  And isn’t that what it’s all about?

It’s winter here in Canada and if you are doing the interview circuit, you need to be prepared.

There is nothing worse than sniffling during a conversation.  You try to be subtle by wiggling your nose or casually wiping your sleeve near your nose but face it: there is no substitute for a tissue.  So start each day by putting one in your pocket, sleeve or bra strap.

If you have a bit of a cough or a tickle (and who doesn’t these days?), then put some lozenges or tic tacs in your pocket, purse or briefcase. You can pop one while you are waiting for your meeting to start.  It will give you something to do with your hands.

Make sure you give yourself extra time before the interview but don’t hang around the reception area – that’s not cool.  Plan to take a few minutes in the lobby for your body temperature to sort itself out.  Your face and hands will be cold but your armpits will be working overtime so rather than greet the person you are meeting with cold hands and the tell-tale half moons of nervousness, spend a few minutes in the lobby.  Take off your coat, blow your nose and wait until everything comes to room temperature.  Then head upstairs to announce your presence.

Finally, no matter how much of a Tim Horton’s or Starbucks fan you are, don’t take your coffee into the meeting unless you are prepared to offer some to the other person.

So to sum up:  arrive early, finish your latte in the lobby, pop a tic tac and set yourself up for a great conversation.

I was at a session yesterday with a bunch of job seekers and a bunch of recruiters.  The questions and suggestions were pretty interesting but one, in particular, stuck with me.

One of the facilitators suggested that part of managing your presence on social media should be to work on becoming a thought leader.

Woah….instant glaze over in the front row. A thought leader?  What the heck is that and how could I become one when I don’t have a job?

We all have expertise in something.  It could be a work skill, an industry, a community interest or a hobby.

Usually that interest drives us to look out for interesting articles in the press or on blogs.  Instead of just keeping it to yourself, push it out.  Almost everything we read on line has an upload button. It is pretty easy to post an item onto your LinkedIn or Facebook profile.

We put pictures of our dogs and our food on Facebook all the time.  Why not do the same for articles?

This has several positive effects.  When someone views your profile, it’s not just a list of your jobs.  It shows what you are really interested in and gives you much more credibility as a subject matter expert.

It also says to the world that you respect your community by sharing information without being asked and more importantly, that you set aside time in your busy day to think about what others might be interested in.

You can’t buy that kind of positivity.

Don’t just read it, share it.  That’s how you start on the path to becoming a thought leader.