Searching Out of State

It is hard enough to find a job within the city where you live. Try finding a job in a different state. Where do you begin your search? How can you come in for an interview if you live over 500 miles away? Let me help you out a bit.

Your first step is to ask for a job transfer. This is the easiest way to secure a job in another state if your company has offices throughout the United States. Talk to someone in Human Resources about your options and see what they can recommend. If your company is exclusive to your current hometown, see if Human Resources can still help you set up interviews at similar companies in your new state.

If you can’t transfer then the next step is to look online for job postings. Go to job boards to look within you new city and post your resume online. Contact employers over the Internet and explain that you are relocating and would like the chance to discuss opportunities. Using the Internet is the fastest and most productive way to job search out of state.

Finally remember to talk to friends, family, and co-workers about your job search. Word of mouth is the best way to hear about positions and companies you have never heard of before and would have never considered.

If you are able to utilize one of these tactics to land an interview make sure you don’t have any scheduling conflicts. Interviewing out of state takes some consideration into what you are missing at your current job back home and how many trips you have to make for interviews. Be efficient and try to schedule numerous interviews in one trip. This way it is cost effective and saves time spent on traveling. If a hiring manager invites you back for a second interview tell him or her that you are only in town for a few days and it would be helpful to schedule the next interview while you are still in the area. Finding a new job out of state can be easy if you network and make the most of your time, energy and money that is put into job searching and interviewing.

Going Out With a Bang

Quitting Your Job the Way You Want…and What it Might Cost You

You hate your job – the pay, coworkers, the hours and especially your boss. Every day, as the boss piles more busy work on your desk and asks you to stay late, quitting is on your mind. A letter of resignation seems so inadequate, though, in light of the miserable years you’ve spent at the company. In a perfect world, you think, there would be a better way. Your fantasy, my friend, is shared by many but carried out by few.

Standing up from the rock-hard office chair you’ve had for five years (because they are too cheap to get you a new one) you walk calmly to the boss’ office. Carrying that pointless report you were commissioned to do – the one that will never see the light of day – you enter his office to find him on an important phone call. His expression turns to confusion and then shock, as you grab a pair of scissors from his desk and cut the line. Just for effect, you may want to cut his expensive tie, too.

The thousand-page report lands with a thwack! on his desk. You say something to the effect of “I quit!” Elaborate on exactly why you’ve decided to leave. Do this loudly so the whole office can hear. Then, you turn your attention to the precious golf clubs he uses to perfect his game each afternoon while everyone else is working. You grab a nine iron, or maybe a driver, and destroy each expensive crystal, gold or glass item in the room. He will get more useless clutter next Christmas from anyone desperate to keep their job.

Running out of the office and between the desks of your coworkers, you gather your personal things and sweep every paper from your desk. Hopefully, security is here by now – that always makes things more interesting. You take one final bow before the elevator doors close, and you might even squeeze in one more audible profanity.

Stop right there! Before this gets out of hand, snap out of it and get back to reality. Almost no one gets to turn this fantasy into a reality. Why?

For one thing, you need a new job. Hating your job, unfortunately, is not an excuse to quit without having something else lined up. The satisfaction from the scene you made earlier, while it feels good, will not pay bills.

So, once you’ve gotten a new job, is it safe to have an outburst? Well, that all depends. You may need that reference in the future and it is always best to stay on good terms. The issues at your old job aren’t your problem anymore, so it may be best to just let it go.

If you absolutely must live out your fantasy, then go for it. Just tone it down a bit. Yelling at your soon-to-be-former boss is one thing — leave the golf clubs out of it. You can prove a point without getting arrested for vandalism and assault.

The bottom line is that no quitting fantasy is practical. Few people ever get to experience what it’s like to say exactly what they think at exactly the right moment. Many people simply believe that living well is the best revenge. Try just being happy at your new job and take solace in remembering how much worse it was.

Beware: The Internet Can Ruin You

We all know what social networking is right? You sign up for an account such as Myspace or Facebook, become “friends” with hundreds of people you probably never talk to, and update pictures of you and your friends looking like fools. Oh it’s loads of fun. Until you risk a potential job over it.

Today’s employers are researching the online persona of applicants and taking that into consideration over the traditional resume. Resumes tell a lot about a person, but most people embellish and lie to get ahead in the professional world. By going online to your personal profile an employer can see your sex, race, age, interests, and all those drunken pictures you have with your friends. An employer can be on the verge of hiring you, but if your Myspace profile raises red flags about your lifestyle and values then you might as well go back to the beginning of your job search. You are only going to be hurting yourself by adding “smoking weed” to your interests.

The solution: clean it up! I’m not saying that you have to have a boring profile and delete everything that defines you as a unique individual. Just be smart about your choices. When I got back from my trip to Russia I had listed Vodka under my interests. That obviously isn’t the gem employers look for in applicants and so I cleaned up my profile and deleted that interest. I also deleted any pictures of myself holding alcohol bottles or anything that might be too risqué and tasteless. My final step was making my profile friends only. It is now private and employers can only see my main picture and my age. Think of how you would want to be viewed by the people you work with. If you put anything vulgar or crude on the Internet it will most likely come back to haunt you.

Resumes, test scores, and grades are one way of learning about an applicant but the Internet is now the main research tool in eliminating job candidates. Don’t belittle the adult world – they are smart and they will find out your personal information if you let it run free on the Internet.

Mom’s Return to the Workforce

 

When I was a young girl I had the privilege of having a mother whose main priority and responsibility was, well, me. She dropped me off and picked me up everyday (as well as some of the neighborhood stragglers who missed the bus). I often scoffed at my classmates who brown bagged it; my lunch was constantly a gourmet feast, packed neatly into a fashionable lunch box with a matching thermos that almost always had steamy tomato soup inside. My science projects tended to shine more than others…mostly due to my mother’s contributions. And, of course all of my papers and presentations were neatly bound and laminated. Every week night, regardless of after school activities, we would all sit down for a family dinner prepared by – you guessed it – mom.  

But then I turned thirteen and high school was quickly approaching. My life was about to change – drastically. My mother was becoming increasingly bored and right about the time I was planning my courses for high school she was planning on going back to work.  

At first I was shocked. I knew I was at the point where I was too cool for the parent drop-off, but those lunches? And who would make dinner every night? (Food, obviously, is high on my list of priorities.) It never occurred to me how stifling it was for her to stay home all day.  

Going back to work after an extended sabbatical can be tough on anyone. For stay at home moms the process can be extremely daunting and exhausting. First things first: get on the same page as your family. Talk to your spouse and allow him to voice his concerns about your return to the workforce. Is he available to run some of the mom-type errands if you need to stay late at work? Are his barbeque skills up to par in the event you can’t have dinner ready? Next talk to your kids and tell them how it will affect them. If they are still young it is important to let them know your schedule and how frequently you will be around when they get home from school.  

Now it is time to address that pesky employment gap in your résumé. Luckily you aren’t required to organize your résumé in a time line. Rather, organize it by the types of positions you’ve held in the past. But if, and when, the gap is addressed don’t get defensive about the time you’ve spent at home. Instead try and emphasize what types of activities you were engaged with outside of your home. Were you active in the PTA or your home owner’s association? What about time you spent coaching your daughter’s softball team? These are contributions to the community and will never weigh against you when interviewing.  

The most important thing to remember when returning to your chosen field is that you weren’t unemployed in the first place – you were raising a family and shaping lives. Your new employer isn’t doing you a favor by offering you a job. You have all the necessary skills to be a contributing asset to your new company. You might just have to dust them off a little.

References? What if I don’t have any!

So you’ve applied to your first ever, real-world job. Congratulations. But, this being your first ever, real-world job, you don’t have any references to give them when they inevitably call you back for an interview. In college, you were too busy studying your butt off to have a part time job, and you certainly didn’t have time to volunteer because of all the clubs and organizations you were leading in order to get the experience that got you that interview in the first place. What? You don’t have any of those either? Well, I’d say it’s about time to get some.

Bottom line, you don’t have anything you really need for this interview. In fact, you don’t even think you’re really qualified except for the degree that says you are and the knowledge that you know you can do it. Well, that confidence is at least one thing you have going for you. Now here is a list of some things you can do to get a positive response.

1. Think back over anyone in your life that you were trying to impress. Any of these people are in the position to comment on your qualifications, abilities, and/or personal attributes. For example, did you ever baby-sit/house-sit/pet watch? These people obviously trusted you enough with their children/belongings and are probably willing to give a great reference.
2. Are there any teachers with whom you really connected? Did you even talk with any of them? Even if you didn’t, try writing to one that you thought knew what they were talking about. Let them know why you trusted what they had to say, specifically, and start a correspondence. At the very least, they can serve as a future networking tool.
3.  Ask a friend that you worked with frequently either in a class or an organization that you were a part of together. They will know your initiative, abilities, productivity and how you handled yourself. Remember, however, that this should not be someone you know strictly in a social manner.  They must have examples to site and be able to answer whatever questions are asked about you from an employers point of view.
4. Last but not least, you can always use personal references. Limit these if possible because they are not as qualified to answer the probable questions the employer may ask. Chances are, they don’t know how you handle stress at work or what skill set you have to offer an employer.

•  Remember, always ask the reference first and send a written Thank-you afterward.  

 If, for some insane, crazy reason they do not hire you, then you’ll have lots of time on your hands. Volunteer! Join a club! Give back to the community— it’s good for everyone and will not only enhance your résumé, but give you plenty of possible references for the future.