Action - Clarify Your Skill Set

A collection of professional skills and talents is known as a skillset. The skillset is often listed at the top of a resume so prospective employers can use is as a quick way to identify key words applicable to the opening they wish to fill.

Your skillset is by no means everything you know how to do, but does include your most important or most relevant skills. It is important to note that you may have a skillset of five to fifteen skills. Depending on the skills required for the position you wish to secure, you might only list the most relevant on the resume you send to that prospective employer. The key is to put your most relevant skills in front of the person reviewing resumes. Often, the person reviewing resumes only knows enough about the open position to match what the employer is seeking with what prospective employees have to offer.

HOW TO DETERMINE SKILLS NEEDED….go to the job posting for a position you are interested in. Look at the skills and education requirements. Compare your skills and education to those needed.

For example – If you are an RN who wants and needs more time off you might go to the local school district's website and search for employment openings as a school nurse. Your basic skill set would be the same but the you have probably never worked for a school district. The recruiter for the school district will want to know if you have the essential skill set but expect to discuss how your skills will transfer to a school environment.

Maybe you want to work for an environmental organization but all of your work experience is in training or customer service.

That's okay! Search the employment listings of organizations that match your interest and some or all of your previous work experiences.

Action - Using A Functional Resume For Career Change

Before you begin writing your functional resume, identify your skill set. After that, it will be time to prepare to write your functional resume. You must create your timeline of previous employment, list your education and training history, assemble the 3-5 references who are willing and able to provide favorable information regarding your skills and personality. Functional resume template samples are availalbe online from Microsoft.

Action - Evaluating Prospective Employers

Job seekers are frequently anxious to secure a face to face interview and ultimately a job offer. Haste and anxiousness may result in an unpleasant or even horrible work experience. Consequently, it is best to prepare oneself to enter the interviewing phase of job seeking as a two-sided event. Employers typically view the interview process as tilted to their advantage and preference. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the job candidate to assert the components of an interview that allows the candidate to develop a true and accurate snapshot of the company as a place for potential employment.

Interview questions are one way assess the suitability of the company and, more specifically, the supervisor as a “right fit” for an individual’s needs, preferences, and expectations. Samplings of questions to ask a potential employer are:

• What characteristics does the individual who will fill this position need to possess? (Listen for a specific description of characteristics. If the response is vague it may indicate that the manager simply wishes to fill the position rather than match the individual to the job responsibilities.)

• What are the major benefits of filling this position? (Listen for the manager to describe optimism and positive comments regarding the position. Comments should indicate that the manager is deeply familiar with the job responsibilities and supportive of employees.)

• What are the most pressing challenges to be faced in this position? (Honest communication combined with optimism should prevail in this response.)

• How is information shared with employees? (The response should provide some indication that there are regular meetings, training, memo, etc. A better response would include information regarding re-occurring meetings such as weekly, monthly, etc.)

• What are the appropriate channels of communication necessary for employees who have concerns? (The response should be specific as to the procedure for following chain of command and company policy.)

• What types of training or continuing education do employees receive? (The response should indicate periodic formal and informal training. Some companies provide assistance to employees who wish to further their education.)

• Would you describe your view of an ideal employee? (The response should describe general and reasonable expectations. Excessive use of phrases such as “whatever it takes” or “until the job is done” may indicate that the employee will be working long hours.)

• How frequently would I expect to receive feedback regarding my job performance? (The response should be specific regarding formal performance reviews. In addition, there should be some indication of on-going informal feedback.)

• Could you briefly describe the climate of the department? (This response should indicate that the manager is aware of the climate within the department. Beyond awareness, the climate should be described in a positive manner.)

Keep in mind, questions asked by the job candidate make take the employer by surprise, making for an uncomfortable situation. In the event that this should occur, the candidate would be wise to carefully select only the most important questions. In addition, interviews may go beyond the prescribed time allotment if the candidate asks many detailed questions.

As the candidate proceeds through the interview process it is important to be aware of additional indicators of the company climate, communication, and infrastructure. For example, the candidate may wish to consider the following questions:

• Does the interviewer ask the candidate superficial questions that are void of any focus on personal character? There should be some indication that character is a valued aspect of each employee.

• Do all of the interviewers appear to have the same general understanding of company climate? When company communication is adequate, multiple employees are more likely to be able to articulate the same information in various forums.

• Does the interviewer offer the candidate water or the opportunity to use the restroom if the candidate has traveled some distance? Basic consideration of the candidate’s well-being should be demonstrated; providing a glass of water or directing the candidate to a drinking fountain should in no way appear to be an inconvenience.

• Does the interview process appear to be decisive and orderly? Does the company contact the candidate within stated timeframes and formats? If the candidate is told that he/she will be contacted by email on a specific day, does this happen? Or, is the candidate contacted two weeks later? Everyone has a busy schedule so some tolerance should be afforded. However, if there is a pattern of grossly delayed communication or no communication this may be a cause for some concern.

Action - Steps To Take If Your Boss Is A Psychopath

Suggested actions for those who find themselves working for a psychopath:

• Update your resume.

• Update your list of professional certifications, training, presentations, projects, and relevant accomplishments.

• Gather current letters of recommendation for your professional file.

• Begin looking for another job (internal or external).

• Begin saving your money. Stop all unnecessary spending until you have a cushion equivalent to a three or four month salary.

• Keep meticulous documentation in an off-site location. Do not share with others that you are keeping documentation or the location of the documentation.

• Assume that email and phone communication is being monitored; refrain from any statements that could be perceived as negative. Do not make comments expressing discontent with the executive or the company.

• Pay close attention to the stated expectations. If necessary, seek clarification of stated expectations and any unstated expectations. Use respectful statements such as, “Is there anything else you would like me to do that I am not already doing?”

• Be respectful of both the person and the position; psychopaths are ego-driven.

• Avoid provoking the executive or engaging him/her in deep dialogue. If not, you will walk away from the discussion with a list of 50 new things on your “to-do” list above your regular responsibilities.

• Avoid arguing.

• Be cautious when “pushing back” even if you are invited to do so.

• Avoid engaging in dialogue with others about the executive in or out of the office. If possible, find a friend to confide in who lives in another city or state and who is in no way connected to the situation or other employees within the company.

• Realize that nothing you do will be sufficient to satisfy this person. If you work 60 hours, the expectation will be that you should have worked 65 hours and taken no lunch break. If you work through lunch and into the evening, the expectation will be that you should have been working on the weekends. If you turn in your project by the deadline, you may be perceived as failing to do your best work. On the other hand, if you miss the project deadline, then you are perceived as unable to manage your time.

• Assume that no one can be trusted completely as a confidant in a stressful environment. Even individuals who have previously kept confidences may be unable to do so under the pressure of the situation. Everyone will be taking care to protect their own livelihood.

• Expect fallout as a result of the ever-changing expectations. People may begin to rally their efforts in an attempt to combat the chaos.

• Expect friends and colleagues to be suddenly terminated.

• Expect complete upheaval within the company or the department when policies or procedures are ignored.

• Expect rapid changes to occur in any and all areas of your work.

• Expect sudden changes in performance expectations to occur. This is especially true if individuals are being terminated because job responsibilities will require adjustment.

• Expect to experience physical symptoms of the stress you are encountering; take care to minimize the symptoms if possible.

• Know your rights as an employee, but beware; unethical and dishonest tactics will be used to discredit you.

• Be prepared to face immediate termination for articulating disapproval with the management of the psychopath.

• If you elect to share your documentation, expect eminent, if not immediate, termination.

• Do not assume that those with who you are suppose to share your documentation will protect you. Expect to be terminated.

• Remember that if you are doing your best professional work, the problem is not you. Therefore, do not allow the negative comments or dysfunctional environment crush your spirit or destroy your career. Stay focused. Maintain your highest standard of professionalism and performance at all times. Continue looking for another position.

• Do not share with anyone in the office that you are looking for another position. Without exception, this information will travel rapidly to the ears of the executive.

• Avoid taking any time off from the job. Save your time away for interviews with potential employers.

• Expect to see colleagues who are unable to tolerate the pressure of the work environment. Be empathetic and positive. Make statements such as, “I understand what you are feeling. Don’t let the stress get to you. You might need to do whatever you have to do to stay healthy and focused until you feel better about things.” Such statements acknowledge the problem but do not exacerbate the person’s stress level.

• Remain alert. Have a plan of escape should the workplace stress rise to dangerous levels. If you suspect that another employee may become violent take care to stay clear of this employee. Be aware that reporting your suspicions may lead to additional problems for you. Consequently, you must weigh your suspicions against all potential costs incurred from reporting this to your supervisor. Reporting such concerns is tricky because you may not be believed. Instead, you may be perceived as being overly concerned resulting in no action or interest in your observations.

Action - Over 50!

My own recent example of this happened when I was offered a position that I accepted. Two days later the offer was recinded. I was told that the hiring agent for my department failed to follow HR protocol. Thus, the position needed to be re-posted and I would be notified if someone else with the same skills or additional skills would be hired instead of me. I was stunned to hear this!

The position was re-posted then after three weeks I was called back for an additional interview with the director of the department. The director said, "I just wanted to meet you to see if you were looking for a position where you could coast into retirement. I'm really surprised to see how young and energetic you appear. I thought you would be really old and tired." I could have taken offense at this statement but I chose to be thankful for the job offer that followed.

In short, we need to be aware of people's perceptions whether they are real or imagined so we can find a way to present our talents in the best possible light.

Remember, you have a lot to offer! Present your resume and cover letter with careful consideration so you do not unintentionally contribute to any potential age bias. In addition, let others review it before distribution so you can be sure there are no errors.

Over 50? Share Your Story!

What career change action have you taken? Share it!