The Monster Blog

Your Resume … in 140 Characters

Stephen Baker from Business Week’s Blogspotting blog is asking readers to submit resumes for celebrities, business leaders … and themselves.

But there’s a twist: You have to do it Twitter-style, meaning no more than 140 characters.

Here’s my contribution: “Passionate about teaching individuals and businesses how to use the tools and technologies of the social Web to build strong communities.”

How about you? Care to share your Twitter-length resume?

Top 5 Things to Do When Returning from Maternity Leave

This is my first week back in the office after three months off caring for my son, who was born at the beginning of January. It’s been a strange and stressful week -- everything is somewhat the same, but a lot has changed while I was on maternity leave. And yet, as painful as it was to put my son in day care (I’m working a compressed three-day schedule), being back at work is almost comforting in its familiarity. After all, I’ve been a mom for three months; I’ve done my job for three-plus years.

According to this Career Journal article about getting back to work after maternity leave, the first 90 days should be a time of easing back into your job and reestablishing connections. In that vein, here are five things I’ve done for myself that I think have softened my return. They might help you if you’re in the same situation:

• Schedule Meetings with Everyone: It’s fun to catch up about the baby, but it’s also good to find out what everyone’s working on, where projects stand and how you’ll fit into the new equation.


• Establish Some Duties Right Away: You’ll want to ease back in, sure, but it’s good to have something to work on to get those feet wet.


• Read: This includes corporate communications, new departmental documentation and news about the company. This will help you get caught up on the way things are now, not how they were three months ago.


• Touch Base with Your Child: The transition back isn’t just difficult for moms -- it’s hard for a baby who doesn’t understand why someone new is caring for him. I’m fortunate to have a day care center right in the building, but even if I didn’t have the option of going down for a visit, I’d call so he could hear my voice.


• Go Easy on Yourself: Just like when you became a mom, you’re going through a big transition. Try to schedule some downtime every day.

For more on this subject, check out these Monster resources:

• “Returning After a Leave”
  


• “Pregnancy and Your Job”
  


• From the Monster Blog: “What I Learned During Maternity Leave”

The Right Way to Go After an Internal Transfer

Making an internal move in a company is a great way to build your skills and explore opportunities with a community of colleagues who have inside knowledge about how you work. If you’re looking to make a career change, an internal transfer can be a great opportunity, as your potential new boss can get more of the story than your resume and cover letter may tell.

Why should companies encourage and nurture folks to make internal transfers? A number of reasons, including:

• Your proven track record at the company is even better than a professional reference.
• It shows the company’s commitment to employees’ career development.
• Retention, retention, retention.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re looking to make an internal transfer:

• Tell Your Boss: Be as open as possible to your boss about your intentions. In such situations, your boss can be a great advocate for you. And even if your boss does not want to see you go, he will likely understand that your move could be good for the company. What’s more, since you would be moving internally, your boss and team can benefit from a more structured transition than if you were leaving the company altogether.
• Be Professional: Sure, you may know the folks you are interviewing with, perhaps even outside the office, but that doesn’t mean you can forsake job search etiquette. Remember to be on time for interviews and to dress the part of interviewee. Write thank-you notes and go the extra mile, just as you would for an outside opportunity.
• Update Your Resume: You can’t rely on performance reviews and your accomplishments to speak for themselves. You still need to sell yourself. So update your resume and be sure your prospective boss and HR have a copy on file.

For more advice on making an internal transfer, check out these resources:

• “Apply for an Internal Job”
• “Ten Questions to Ask Before Making an Internal Move”
• “Transfer Internally the Right Way”

So What Do You Want to Do with the Rest of Your Career?

You go to work every day. You do your job, you collect your paycheck, perhaps you even connect with a few of your coworkers. But are you excited about what you are doing?

I believe that when it comes to work, you have three choices. You can find a job you’re really passionate about. You can find a job that pays you well enough so you can enjoy the activities you’re really passionate about outside of work. Or you can find a job that encompasses both.

Of course, the third option would be the best. But where do you begin? How do you determine what you’re passionate about, and then work it into a way to make money?

You need to take some time to examine yourself and set priorities. Then you can establish some clear goals. You just need to have a little faith in yourself and remember that the steps you take are not irreversible. It’s OK to head down the wrong path a bit. You can always turn back, and who knows what possibilities may come out of it? Most people have several careers over the course of their work life -- what will yours be?

These resources can help you along your road to discovery:

• “Discover Your Perfect Career Quiz”
• “Discover the Work You Were Born to Do”
• “Select the Right Career Path”
• “Reach Career Success”
• “Work Values Checklist”
• “Find the Right Job for You”
• “Find Your Blue Flame to Heat Up Your Career”
• “Self-Employment at Any Age”

For more information, visit Monster’s Self-Assessment Center.

Now, tell us in the comments below, what do you want to do with the rest of your career?

Kick-Start Your 2008 Job Search

It’s January 2 (you haven’t broken your New Year’s resolution(s) already, have you?), which for most of us means it’s time to head back to work and ramp up operations once again.

Today might also be the day you get serious about starting or renewing your job search or weighing the pros and cons of a major career change. To help you in your quest, we’re offering our Kick-Start Your Career in 2008 guide, which offers both salary and hiring outlooks for the new year, as well as articles on refreshing your resume and boosting your interview IQ, among others.

Happy New Year! May 2008 be the year you find your calling.

Top 12 Monster Blog Posts of 2007

It's the end of another year, and lists seem to be everywhere, including here at the Monster Blog. The following 12 posts were chosen based on page views, personal preference and reader commentary.

This list is an annual favorite around here, because it gives us -- and you -- a look at the diverse topics we've covered over the past 12 months. And for a fun look back at the events of 2007, check out this JibJab video (mild language advisory). Happy New Year!

#12 "Are Company Meetings a Waste of Time?": Bryan's somewhat cynical take on these corporate affairs got a lot of people talking -- and most agreed they are unproductive. Employers, take note.

#11 "Universal Health Coverage: A Real-Life Reality Check": Based on legislation passed this year in Massachusetts requiring residents to have health insurance, Ann wrote this thoughtful post about a friend in the middle who found the penalty for not having insurance easier to swallow than the premiums. Hopefully someday, this post will not need to be written. Are you listening, 2008 presidential hopefuls?

#10 "My Top 8 Tips to College Students": Gen-Yer and recent grad Brooke wrote this post, straight from the horse's mouth, about how students can make their time in college count. Even 11 years out of school, I learned a lot. And many of you agreed -- this is one of the top 20 most-viewed posts of the year.

#9 "Another Reason for Working Mothers to Feel Guilty": Ah, working-mom guilt -- another topic I hope we're not still writing about years from now. Norma hit the nail on the head about the classic struggle between work and family. And check out those insightful comments, too.

#8 "Workplace Memories of 9/11": Although this wasn't one of our most-viewed posts, it's a deeply personal one for me. Apparently it was for others too, as the comments will take your breath away, even six years later.

#7 "Why Is a Woman's Salary Lower Than a Man's?": With such a provocative title, a post like this is bound to generate both page views and comments. And Elizabeth's look at the salary struggle between men and women did not disappoint.

#6 "Is It Time to Fire All the Smokers?": Another pot-stirring post, this one written by Bryan, which brought out the fighting spirit in its commenters -- all 180 of them.

#5 "What Do Your Annoying Coworkers Do?": In the top 10 for page views for the year, Norma's look at irritating workmates -- and we all know at least one -- hit a lot of nerves.

#4 "Best Companies to Work For: Did Yours Make the List?": Everyone's interested in how others live (and work), so it makes sense that Ryck's post about Fortune's annual list of the 100 best companies was among the top five most-viewed of 2007.

#3 "Management Lessons from First Grade": Let's face it: Work can be a lot like grade school. Ann's ABCs of being a good manager boils it down to the nitty-gritty.

#2 "Top 10 Ways to Shake the Morning Grogginess": As an inveterate night owl, I read Dan's post on how to wake up with interest. So did a lot of you -- the post is the third most-viewed of the year.

And the number-one Monster Blog post of 2007 is:

"Don't Commit These 5 Career Killers": With 66 comments and far and away the most page views of the year, apparently a lot of people are trying to keep their careers on solid ground. (Disclaimer: I wrote this one.)

The Sacrifices of Going Back to School

I was on full-time dad duty with my 1-year-old son for most of the weekend, as my wife was busy putting in marathon study sessions at the local library. In fact, extra study time on the weekends isn’t uncommon these days for my wife, who’s undertaking a master’s degree program in nursing as part of her career change from the IT world.

Going back to school in pursuit of a second degree and a new career, whether you do it relatively early in your working life or in grayer years, requires you to face fresh challenges and overcome obstacles, such as:

• You’re leaving behind a career you’ve already mastered to learn a whole new set of professional skills.


• You’re asking the other members of your family to sign on to big changes in their routines too, particularly if most of your classes are held at night or on weekends.


• Your new career won’t necessarily lead to a bigger payday. In fact, you might have to take a few steps down the corporate ladder.

But I’m an optimist: Just as I tell my wife, I know you’ll persevere. I’m confident you’ll get past the day-to-day inconveniences, the late and sleepless nights and the occasional missed soccer game or dance recital. After all, some sacrifice is necessary when you’re working to fulfill your newfound professional passion.

And one other thing to keep in mind: To help keep your school costs down, apply for as many scholarships as you can. One from FastWeb that allows you to create your own scholarship is a great place to start. 

For more on returning to the classroom and changing careers, check out these Monster resources:

• "Heading Back to School?"
• "Will an Advanced Degree Advance Your Career?"
• "Create a New Work Identity After 40"
• "Jump-Start Your Career Change"

To Get Ahead in Your Career, Start Blogging

If you’re a young professional, let me give you one piece of advice that could quickly catapult your career into the stratosphere: Start blogging.

Here are two guys who have done just that:

• Ryan Healy had been out of college for less than a year when he colaunched a blog for twentysomethings in the workforce called Employee Evolution in February 2007. Less than six months later, the well-known career author and blogger Penelope Trunk was so impressed with the expertise Healy was demonstrating through his blog that she started a company with him. At the ripe old age of 23, Ryan quit his entry-level corporate job and is now set to try his hand at running a career development company.
• Dan Schawbel, 24, writes the Personal Branding Blog. He’s already been hailed as a young turk of personal branding in Fast Company, has launched his own quarterly publication called Personal Branding Magazine and has been named the first-ever social media specialist by his employer, EMC.

Now could Ryan and Dan have landed their new gigs by following the traditional corporate path? Maybe. But it likely would have taken them years rather than months.

Thanks to the rapid adoption of social media tools in the workplace and the relative ease of connecting with peers and influential colleagues through online social networks and presence applications such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, a good blog can help you establish yourself as an expert and accelerate your career growth at a speed otherwise unthinkable as recently as a couple of years ago.

And what does it take to be a good blogger?

• Good writing skills.
• An interest or passion in a topic.
• The discipline to post regularly.
• A willingness to read and reach out to other bloggers and to engage in regular online and offline networking.

Start blogging, produce compelling content and build the right relationships, and you’ll be well on your way to creating a whole new set of career opportunities for yourself.

For more on making your way in the online world, check out these Monster career advice resources:

• "Social Software and Your Career"
• "Seven Tips for Building a Breakout Tech Blog"
• "Blogs, Podcasts and Wikis: A New Technology Primer"

Feeling Lost in Your Career? Get a Coach

Nine years ago today I was one month into my first professional job (I’m not counting my five years as a paperboy or my off-and-on stints cutting bagels in college). I was working as a study abroad advisor and recruiter at a state university in Central New York, a role that often had me marching into classrooms all over campus and telling students how a summer, semester or full academic year overseas just might change their lives.

I was young, wide-eyed, idealistic, confident and full of ideas. I had my whole career in front of me and knew long term, I was going places. The only problem was, I just couldn’t figure out the next step on that long road to professional glory.

What I really could have used was a career coach.

Career coaches are the people who keep you on your toes. They teach you to set meaningful goals for yourself and to create an action plan for meeting -- and exceeding -- those goals. Coaches also challenge you to take on projects that are outside of your comfort zone today in order to become a more knowledgeable worker tomorrow.

And the really good coaches? You’ll sometimes curse them for holding you to such high standards -- but then you’ll thank them later.

Today I do have a mentor; in fact, I have a few of them. And my career is infinitely richer because of their wisdom, teachings and support.

So who guides you along your career path? Tell us in the comments below.

In the meantime, here are a few Monster resources on career mentoring and coaching:

• "What the Right Mentor Can Do for You"
• "Mentors Can Advance Your Career"
• "The Value of an Executive Coach"
• "Make the Most of Career Counseling"

Build Your Team to Last

A firm foundation is essential to building a home or relationship that will last. And that extends to your work life. As a manager, getting a strong team in place from the beginning will only make it easier to ultimately get the job done.

But assembling a winning team doesn't come naturally to many managers. How do you recruit the right people? Keep them happy? Get them to work together efficiently while building individual skills and talents?

To help, we've put together these articles on creating a lasting team. Check them out, along with these additional Monster resources on keeping your best on board:

• "Managers as Motivators: Effective Motivational Tools"
  
• "Retain Workers with Personal Perks"
  
• "Why Good Employees Leave"

For more information on this subject, check out our Management section.

My Top 8 Tips to College Students

It’s been a few months since I’ve graduated from college, and I must say, now that fall is upon us, it’s a little strange to be driving to work instead of rolling out of bed and heading to class.

Now that I’m out of school (for the time being, at least), I realize how great the college environment is. There is so much at your disposal, and so much time to explore. As I look back at all the opportunities I had, I thought I’d impart some advice to anyone who has time left at their soon-to-be alma mater. The following are what I consider to be the most important things I did (or should have done better):

• Continue Studying a Language: The world is only getting smaller. Not only will foreign-language proficiency make you a better candidate to employers, but it will give you travel opportunities in the future.

• Go Abroad: Studying overseas can give those language skills some context and can serve to enhance and solidify them. Throwing yourself into an atmosphere where you have to employ the vocabulary and grammar you studied back on campus will not only help you become fluent, but will teach you about a different culture and also force you to be resourceful. My semesters in Paris and in London were without question the best semesters of my college career.

• Use Your Liberal Arts Credits to Take Interesting Classes: Now that I’m out of school, I envy my friends who can still decide to take classes on subjects like Film Criticism or Soviet Politics. I took a class on Hinduism my junior year, and it opened my eyes to a religion I never would have explored otherwise.

• Incorporate Your Other Interests into Your Coursework: For many people, their majors are their interests. But if you’re like me, your major isn’t necessarily your passion. I chose journalism because I like to write, but I’m even more passionate about architecture. By the time I realized this, I had no time to change majors. So I took classes in architectural history and focused my news and feature stories on local architecture and urban design. That exploratory drive most journalists possess suddenly activated, and I became a better writer because of it.

• Don’t Just Do an Internship To Say You Did It: People want to hear about the tangible results of your internship. It’s pointless to work somewhere if you can’t come away with accomplishments. Underneath the big bold company title on your resume, you’ll want to be able to say “I completed x and y, and was responsible for z.” In interviews, if all you can say was “it was a learning experience,” then really, it probably wasn’t. So when you’re at your internship, make sure you volunteer for assignments, no matter how simple or boring they may be. The more you ask to do, the more you’ll learn and ultimately, the more responsibility you’ll be given.

• Use Internships/Jobs as Networking Opportunities: There is no better time to start networking than while you’re still in school. Talk to everyone at your internship, not just your boss. See what people do. Set up informational interviews with employees from different departments. You might even find a mentor, which is really important, because that person will take an interest in your future, giving you more opportunities on the job and advocating for you down the line. (Side note: People want to help you. If you work hard and prove yourself, your contacts will go out of their way to help you make connections).

• For All You Seniors, Don’t Freak Out: Easier said than done, right? The fact is, you’ll have so many options out of school. Out of all my friends, a lot have jobs, some are in graduate school and a few are traveling and taking some time off. Just don’t think the second you graduate you need to be in your dream job or at point A of an expected career track. Because someday, when you are managing however many people, hopefully you’ll look back at some unconventional experiences and will understand that it was those risky choices that gave you, as Penelope Trunk would say, that braided career.

Clearly, I’m no expert; I’ve been out of school not six months yet. But I’ve already learned a lot about how my college experiences will help me in the future. And speaking from someone who started having anxiety attacks around this time last year, it’s so helpful to be able to look forward with confidence.

Oh, and speaking of looking forward, that brings me to my last point:

• Enjoy yourself; tonight is Friday night!

Here are some more resources for thinking about your career after college:

• “The Benefits of Temping for College Students and Grads”
• “Five Resume Tips for College Students”
• “Grad School or the Real World?"
• “Turn Postgraduation Panic into Action”

For more on this subject, check out our College Students/Recent Grads section. 

Take a Thinking Break, for Your Work’s Sake

Work is a busy place. In most cases, you are somehow responsible for supplying a good or a service. And the perception is that whomever produces the most, wins. But here’s my advice: The next time you’re on the job -- or for that matter, in your job search -- studiously producing whatever it is you are responsible for or sending out as many resumes as you can, stop.

Yep. Just take some time to stop and think.

Now I know this seems like a luxury. But nothing can be improved upon if you keep grinding on your duties as fast as you can. And sometimes it’s even worth taking a hit productivity-wise to improve your processes for efficiency, evaluate your service to be sure it’s really the best or rethink if the job openings you’re responding to are what you want.

As Rands in Repose considers thinking in this blog entry, it’s the difference between being reactive and proactive. In short, taking that hit in time and productivity to think about what you’re doing can put you ahead of the curve and yield better results in the end. And he even offers how-tos for group brainstorming.

So, are you ready to get started? Check out our special report: “Good Thinking for Your Career.”

For more information on this subject, visit Monster’s Productivity section.

A Post I Should Have Written Days Ago

Fight Procrastination Day and Be Late for Something Day both fell earlier this week. And due to my propensity to both procrastinate and be late, this post is only going up today.

I know I’m not alone in these bad habits, and they have easy explanations. I procrastinate, because, like most human beings, I like to avoid unpleasantness, and that extends to my tasks. I’m chronically late for two reasons: in my constant need to get more done, I don’t allow myself enough time to get places, and I hate getting up in the morning.

It seems that while these bad habits have simple causes, they also have simple solutions, which boil down to planning ahead. To that point, I try to take on the most onerous task of the day first so there’s no room for procrastination. And I have made an effort to leave for work a bit earlier in the morning, although both sleep and a Dunkin’ Donuts location along my route can complicate things.

How do you deal with bad habits like procrastination and lateness? Tell us in the comments below. And in the meantime, check out these Monster resources on the subject:

• “Self-Defeating Attitudes Will Stop Your Job Search Cold”
  

• “Stop Undermining Yourself at Work”
  

• “Overcome Chronic Lateness”
  

• From the Monster Blog: “Is Procrastination a Gift?”

For more information, check out our Productivity section.

Management Lessons from First Grade

I’ve taken my share of business classes and suffered through enough Harvard Business School case studies to last a hundred lifetimes. But you know what? If you really want to know how to manage, skip the formal business training and take some lessons from a first-grade teacher instead.

This thought occurred to me earlier this week when I was back-to-school shopping, not with a kid, but with a teacher. As we strolled the mall, this teacher chatted about how she’s managed -- and managed to educate -- a roomful of six-year-olds from September to June every year for the past 12 years. And as I listened, I realized that many of her techniques would apply in a business setting as well.

This teacher gets heaps of praise from parents at the end of each school year, so she must be doing something right. So as we approach the traditional back-to-school week, here are a few of her lessons to try out at the office:

• Give advance warning before transitions and plenty of reminders. For example, “Snack will be over in two minutes. Finish eating.”
  Business Translation: Give advance warning before deadlines and plenty of reminders that time’s almost up: “That project is due in two days. Please provide a status report by noon.”



• If a lesson isn’t going well, don’t be afraid to abandon it.
  Business Translation: If a project isn’t going well, don’t be afraid to abandon or reassess it.



• Write parents notes when their child is doing well.
  Business Translation: Establish rapport with higher-ups and others who matter.



• Use praise liberally. Tell students when they’re doing things right as often as possible. You will spend less time correcting and punishing bad behavior.
  Business Translation: Call out good behavior so your staff can emulate it.



• Give rewards to increase positive behaviors.
  Business Translation: There’s nothing like handing out raises to boost staff morale and productivity.

This teacher will be the first to tell you that these lessons didn’t come easy. She learned them the hard way -- by trial and error and reflection -- over the course of her teaching career. Yet I wonder, do the rest of us sometimes get so caught up in the latest management fads that we forget the basics? Is good management often this elemental?

What other management lessons can we learn from teachers? Tell us below. Check out these Career Advice resources on management best practices:

• “Managers as Motivators: Effective Motivational Tools”
• "Expert Tips for First-Time Managers”
• “Develop Talented Employees”

For more information, check out our Management section.

Have You Gone Global Yet?

This morning, I was on a conference call with colleagues from Prague. This afternoon, I’m talking to a salesperson based in North Carolina. My boss is working from home one state over, and there’s a good chance something I’m working on will be QAed by the Malaysia team.

For me, and many others, I can have a day full of meetings without ever seeing those people I’m meeting or working with. Sometimes these people are on the next floor (and too lazy to get up from their desks), or sometimes they’re on the next continent.

Are you ready for the global workplace? Take a look at the trends and what you need to do to best prepare yourself with articles from our Labor Day special report:

• “Gear Up to Compete in the Global Economy”
• “Globalization Spawning Hot Careers at Home”
• “Globalization’s Impact on the Labor Market”
• “Is It Time to Tune Up Your Skills to Compete Globally?”
• “Student Checklist for a Global Career”
• “Master the Challenges of Global Collaboration”
• “Overcome Language Barriers”
• “Business Etiquette Abroad”
• Interactive: Test Your Knowledge of Other Cultures
• Special Event: Globalization and Your Career Message Board

Career Change: Is That a Bend or a Crossroads Up Ahead?

What does pursuing a second career mean? For me, it means more than just changing jobs. I've had a number of different jobs over the years, working for various companies and handling a wide variety of tasks, but I still think I'm pursing more or less the same career path. It hasn't been straight, and it certainly hasn't been smooth, but it still feels like I'm going in the same direction. I'm very lucky.

Other Baby Boomers face more drastic career change issues. Changing technologies, downsizing, offshoring, "wage management initiatives" and even plain old boredom can all force someone to make significant career changes.

I see a lot of questions about midlife career changes on Monster's Age Issues message board and in our email feedback. Some questioners want to know how to pursue a specific kind of career change; other inquiries are more open-ended. Some are upbeat and positive; more than a few sound discouraged and disappointed by the frustrating and seemingly endless search for a second career. Some even say they feel stuck.

But there are others for whom a career change is an invitation to "head out on the highway" (audio link) and try something new. In fact, some Boomer couples have gone out on the highway in a big way -- driving an 18-wheeler together as a second career.

Piloting long-haul trucks may not be your career change choice. But knowing the road you've traveled thus far is a big help. One benefit that age confers is self-knowledge. If you are at a crossroads, forced by circumstances to take a new career direction, pay attention to what you know about yourself and look for guidance and advice from your circle of contacts and resources like Monster. If you are lucky enough to have the freedom to choose a new career path, use that self-knowledge to select your new direction wisely, and remember what you learned along the way.

Here are some additional resources for your consideration:

• "Jump-Start Your Career Change"
• "The After-50 Career Change"
• "One Person's Career Change from Advertising to Counseling"
• "Resume Dilemma: Career Change"
• "Career Change Cover Letter Sample"

Related Blogs

• Evolution Shift: "Midlife Career Change"
• Brazen Careerist: "Career change Is Inevitable, So Plan for It"

This Parents’ Day, How Have Mom and Dad Helped Your Career?

When I was in college, I had a weekend job as a housekeeper at a local hospital. My mom worked at the same hospital full-time. On the elevator one day, I got talking to my new boss and revealed who my mother was. He took a step back and said, “Well, if you work as hard as she does, we won’t have any problems.” I remember flushing with pride.

I thought of this story because this Sunday is Parents’ Day. In my case, both my mom and dad were instrumental in developing my work ethic and career path, in large part by example but also by their teachings.

In fact, it was my father who encouraged me to become a journalist -- even back when I didn’t know what a journalist did. He was the one who told me to write down the ideas for stories (fiction and non) constantly floating around in my head, and he pushed me to intern at the local paper when I was in college.

As for my mom, she taught me to work hard but realize there’s more to life than the 9-to-5, and to watch out for myself in the world of work, because companies aren’t about your best interests. At the same time, she cheered my writing and even gave me the contact information for one of the biggest story ideas of my career.

How have your parents shaped your career, both positively and negatively? And how have you prepared your own kids for the world of work? Post your thoughts in the comments below. And for more on the subject, check out these resources:

• “What Dad Taught Me About Work”
• “The Parent Trap: When Career Help Can Be a Hindrance”
• “Teach Your Kids About Money Now”
• From CareerJournal.com: “Use Caution When Discussing Your Career with Your Children”

How Do You Talk to Your Employer?

Last week, Monster employees from all over the globe finished completing an employee survey, touted as a way to help shape corporate culture. At last count, more than 80 percent of worldwide workers had filled out the survey, a pretty impressive number. We’ll see the results in a month or two, and I for one am anxious to see what my coworkers think of working here.

Monster isn’t the only company taking the pulse of its employees this way. According to one statistic, 70 percent of all US employers regularly conduct employee surveys. These are usually sweeping questionnaires that can cover everything from communication (a common sore spot, according to this article) to choices in the cafeteria. As an employee, filling out the survey honestly is your chance to address what’s going right and wrong.

But what if you work for a company that doesn’t conduct regular surveys? Or even if it does, you may need to talk to your employer about something now, not in six months when the new survey comes out. How do you get your voice heard? Here are some common communication channels and how to make the most of them:

• Regular Meetings with Your Supervisor: Here at Monster, many employees have weekly or biweekly one-on-one meetings with their bosses. These are scheduled opportunities to check in and raise issues of importance.
  


• Company Meetings: Bryan thinks they are a waste of time. If you don't participate, they definitely can be. Make sure you take advantage of any Q&A sessions offered to bring up the important stuff.
  


• Performance Reviews: Like employee surveys, your performance review can be highly ritualistic. Go beyond the yearly obligation to give your boss upward feedback, both on how he supervises you and the company’s direction and policies as a whole.
  


• Exit Interviews: Hopefully, you’ll use other communication channels before this one, but sometimes, on the way out the door is the only chance a worker has to let the powers that be know something’s wrong.

So how do you talk to your employer? Let us know in the comments below. And in the meantime, check out our articles on how to build your own communication skills.

Are Your Career Plans a Secret?

Wednesday, June 27, marks an important transition: British prime minister Tony Blair moves out of 10 Downing Street, and new Labour Party leader and soon-to-be-former chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown moves in. What's unusual about this is a sitting prime minister was not voted out of office but, instead, voluntarily stepped down at the urging of party leadership and handed the role of party leader and prime minister to Blair's ambitious colleague Brown.

One wonders about the private conversations between these two over the 13 years since Brown and Blair reinvented the Labour Party in response to Margaret Thatcher. In politics, at least, career ambitions are a fairly open topic of conversation. Just ask Segolene Royal or Hillary Clinton.

But it's a different story at work. Have you told your boss you're angling for her job? Or that you'd really rather work in a different work group, department, company or in another field altogether? No? Well, you're not alone. A recent survey of US employees by research firm BlessingWhite indicates "Fifty-six percent reported that they seldom or never share their career plans with their employer."

So what? Well, in a world where more and more of the economic value of a company resides in the brains of its employees, employers spend a lot of time worrying about to keep those employees working for them and not a competitor. Yet, if employees are unwilling to share their personal career goals with their employer, how can an employer hope to match employee goals with company needs? As BlessingWhite CEO Christopher Rice puts it: "Companies devote considerable resources to career development, but if the great majority of employees won't share their goals one wonders how effective such programs can be."

The BlessingWhite survey notes age is the "strongest predictor of career reticence," with a rising percentage (61 percent or more) of employees 45 and older unwilling to talk about their career goals. Perhaps not surprisingly, men (58 percent) are less likely than women (53 percent) to share. Another factor is that some employees don't think career plans matter.

If you're a manager, it may be up to you to get the conversation started. If you don't ask, your employees won't tell. And as an employee, reconsider your reticence. After all, if management doesn't know your plans, they may plan around you instead of with you.

Take our poll: "Will you tell the boss your career plans?"

Here are more Monster career planning resources:

• "Career Planning Step-by-Step"
• "Reach Career Success"
• "What Are Your Long-Term Goals?"
• "Prep for Your Performance Appraisal"
• From the Monster Blog: "It's Annual Review Time"
• From the Monster Blog: "Get Your Career Fit for Summer"

Get Your Career Fit for Summer

By now, you’ve likely started getting your body in shape for the beach. But make sure you don’t leave your working self behind. You can take advantage of the positive energy that accompanies long summer days to get your career fit, too.

First you need to decide if you’re in the right job or if you should seek greener pastures. Check out our Self-Assessment section to get some guidance on finding what the right move might be for you.

If you decide that you should be making a move, be sure your resume is ready to compete. And you’ll also need to brush up on your interviewing skills. You can try our Job Search Boot Camp to guide you in how to prepare for a job search in seven days.

But even if you don’t want to switch jobs, you can still get your career in shape. Is there a course you could take that would help you get to the next level? Or maybe an association you could join to make valuable contacts?

The summer will be over before you know it, so get started before it’s tempting to hibernate for the winter.

If Your Life Is Changing, Make Sure Your Career Keeps Up

Early summer is one of the times of year major life events tend to go down: weddings, graduations and moves. Along with these often come career changes. Maybe you’re looking for your first job after graduation. Perhaps you’re moving cross-country for your new spouse and need to find work in your adopted home.

If you’re one of these people and feel lost in transition, check out these articles on life changes to make sure your career remains intact when the rest of your life feels topsy-turvy. And here are some additional Monster resources to help you find your way:

• “Turn Postgraduation Panic into Action”
  
• “Warm Up Your Job Search This Summer”
  
• “Negotiate Your Relocation”
  
• From the Monster Blog: “Does Changing Your Name Affect Your Career?”
  
• From the Monster Blog: “The Right Advice for New Graduates”

Related Blogs

• “Consider Income Taxes When Relocating”
  
• “What Is Your Job Market IQ?”

Offshoring and You: Why Economic Statistics Matter

The week's BusinessWeek cover story headline, "The Real Cost of Offshoring," promises a tale nearly as juicy and exciting as an offer to see Paris Hilton relaxing in her new digs -- will they call it the Slammer Hilton? -- courtesy of the LA County sheriff. Well, OK, maybe not. That's why they call economics "the dismal science."

But we should all pay attention anyway. BW's offshoring piece is, in fact, about a study of an arcane portion of the economic statistics underpinning the calculation of the US gross domestic product (GDP). Ho-hum? Think again. Susan Houseman, senior economist at W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, has been looking into the impact offshoring has on the calculation of manufacturing productivity statistics, and by extension, US productivity as a whole.

In case you don't read the political policy wonks, rising productivity is a cornerstone of US economic policy and one of the most closely watched economic statistics by Wall Street and Washington. Dr. Houseman's paper "Outsourcing, Offshoring, and Productivity Measurement in U.S. Manufacturing" suggests the impact "mismeasurement and cost savings from outsourcing and offshoring have had on measured productivity growth in manufacturing...is significant." This means the last 10 years of economic policy assumptions and decisions affecting broad areas of the US economy -- like jobs and trade -- might be based on faulty numbers. Oops.

In his blog "Economics Unbound,"  cover story author and BusinessWeek chief economist Michael Mandel describes the issue this way: "Cost gains and productivity improvements in the global supply chain are being credited to the US economy -- in effect, creating 'phantom GDP.' In reality, both domestic GDP and domestic productivity have been growing slower than the official statistics show, and manufacturing is in much worse shape."

Yes, economics matter. And for some resources to help keep your career from being washed offshore, check out:

• "Offshore-Proof Your Career"
• "Ride the Offshoring Wave or Get Washed Away"
• "Where the (Few) Manufacturing Jobs Are"
• From the Monster Blog: "Global Layoffs: Not Just About IT Anymore"
• From the Monster Blog: "Offshoring, Literally"

Related Blog

Careers: You vs. Offshoring   
 

Advice from a Summer Intern

“Are you the new intern?” asks the friendly passerby of my brand-new cubicle.   

Yep, that would be me: Fresh out of college, but not quite ready to seal my fate with my first full-time job.  So here I am, ready to absorb all sorts of knowledge and eager to learn a new set of skills. 

So far, so good. I have completed my first week here, and it has been surprisingly busy. (No Facebook checking or meaningless Web searching; activities common to many interns on account of complete uselessness.) I have met with everyone whom I will be working with this summer, and each of them has explained to me what they do and how I will fit into their jobs specifically. Everyone has been friendly and welcoming whether it has been helping me to navigate the endless sea of cubicles or to show me how to work the space-aged coffee makers that live in all corners of the building. I am beginning to feel like I belong. 

A sense of belonging is one of the goals I strived for in deciding how I wanted to spend my summer. I spent four years studying journalism, an area that I liked, but to which I never felt an overwhelming attachment. My previous internships have been in other areas, yet leaving me logging into my MySpace account and looking at pictures of my long-lost preschool friend’s sister’s graduation pictures. Not exactly fulfilling. So I ended up going to a career fair that came to my college.

As I aimlessly roamed the booths, I stumbled upon Monster’s colorful table. One thing led to another and at some ungodly hour of the night after a token senior-in-college “what am I going to do with the rest of my life” anxiety attack, I found myself applying for an internship posted on MonsterTrak, an affiliate site aimed toward college students. Et voila: Here I am. 

Finding an internship though, is not always easy. Internships, especially among college students, are like collector’s items; highly coveted, yet scarce. So whether you know exactly what you want to do and are looking for more experience, or you are like me and just want to test the waters, check out some more tips on how to get an internship. And before you know it, you’ll be decorating a cubicle of your very own.

For more on internships, check out these Monster resources:

• “Postgraduation Internships: The Right One Could Lead to a Full-Time Job”
• “Network on Campus”
• From the Monster Blog: “The Right Advice for New Graduates”

Related Blogs

• “A Realist's Guide to Internships: 7 Ways to Succeed”
• “The New Graduate Resume: Highlighting Internships and Research Work”
• “Apply to Anything and Everything"

Please, Boss, Please -- Don't Promote Me!

Sounds a little fishy, doesn't it? Sort of like Brer Rabbit telling Brer Fox, "Please don't fling me in that briar patch!" 

But according to this BusinessWeek item, "Please Don't Promote Me," research from Development Dimensions International (DDI) shows one in five managers ranked getting a promotion their most challenging life event, ahead of bereavement, divorce, moving and raising teenagers.

The DDI research suggests the stress is due to poor support from employers for the managers who are taking on additional responsibilities. Not only does it get lonely on the way to the top, there's less help along the way.

My personal work experience includes both managing dozens of people and working as a solo contributor. I would have to agree that the responsibility that comes with a promotion, from managing more people to greater emphasis on bottom-line performance, is pretty stressful. Not as stressful as raising teenagers -- the people who didn't rank that first probably don't have any -- but those career demands are relentless.

And, yes, it's hard to find meaningful support along the way unless your company has fairly sophisticated management development practices. That's why so many companies want to recruit senior executives from companies with highly-regarded executive training programs like GE and Proctor and Gamble.

Another factor to consider is just where you are in your career. A 20- or 30-something may be looking for the chance to advance. A 50-plus employee who is not on the executive track may not want to take on the pressures -- there are other issues involved. That was certainly a conscious choice I made along the way.

But there are a lot of different viewpoints on this issue, such as:

• The Smart Lemming blog
• "Why Minorities Distrust Employers' Promotion Policies and Practices"
• "Visibility vs. Self- Promotion"
• "Benefits and Drawbacks of Phased Retirement"

Is There a Blockbuster in Your Office?

Last weekend, the first of the summer blockbusters opened. And what a movie it was. Spider-Man 3 obliterated box-office records, making a staggering $150 million-plus its opening weekend -- a total that included mine and my husband’s tickets. It was a fun movie, and the phenomenon was definitely thrilling to be a part of.

But superstars aren’t just found in movie theaters. They’re in an office near you. I’m talking about truly great workers, those who go above and beyond the call of duty and make the world of work around them a much better place. These people may be superbly talented or incredibly hardworking or both. Your coworker may have a personality that can light up a room. Whatever their positive traits, these people are assets to the organization in which you work.

So if you work with such a person (or people), consider yourself lucky. And if you want to become such a worker, these articles can surely help you reach your star potential:

• “Average Is a Dead End”
  
• “Create Your Own Opportunities”
  
• “Make the Most of Key Career Moments”
  
• “Four Ways to Get on Your Boss's Radar Screen”
  
• “Prep for Your Performance Appraisal”

Need Help Paying for College? Consider One of These 10 Scholarships

While college can be an exciting time, it can also be stressful. There are exams. There’s choosing a major (and figuring out what to do with it). And then there is the fun of paying for it all.

May is National Scholarship Month, and in celebration, FastWeb has released its list of top 10 most unusual scholarships. Here they are, with my thoughts on each:

• Duck Brand Duct Tape Stuck at Prom Contest: This prom season, create a dress out of duct tape to be eligible for this scholarship. I wonder what the sticking point is?
• Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest: According to the press release: “Students can quack their hearts out for 90 seconds using four calls: hail, feed, comeback and mating and win big ducks, oops, we mean, bucks for higher education.” It reminds me of the old Klondike commercial: What would you do for a scholarship?
• Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship: If you’re smart and can ride a board, this one can be yours. Moving right along...
• Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year (SAMMY) Award: Only good students with amazing milk mustaches need apply.
• Tall Clubs International (TCI) Scholarship: I’m ineligible for this one -- I’m only 5 feet tall. You get the idea.
• Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship: Promote vegetarianism and get good grades, and this baby could be yours.
• Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contest: Calling all science fiction writers: There’s money in your craft.
• Excellence in Predicting the Future Award: No, not fortune-tellers -- this scholarship is for someone interested in economics and the prediction market.
• American Welding Society Scholarships: For those who can keep it together -- like student welders.
  
  And finally:

• Van Valkenburg Memorial Scholarship: Those with this unusual moniker or a variation can turn schoolyard taunts into cash.

If you’re looking for a scholarship of any kind, check out FastWeb. And these articles will guide you on how to prepare for your career while you’re still in school.