NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
Online Career Resource Guide
Contents
Purpose……………………………………………………...2
- Introduction ……………………………………..2 - 4
Beginning
Employed
Unemployed
- Exploration ………………………………………5 - 6
Values
Skills
Strengths
Interests
- Strategy …………………………………………7- 15
Labor market
Relocation
Research
Professional Network
Social Media
StaffingAgencies
Volunteering
Professional Informational Interviews
- Preparation…………………………………...16 - 31
Job search is a job!
Networking to find a job
30 second commercial/Elevator pitch
Job Search = Sales Process
Documents
Interviews
References
- Obtaining the Job ……………………………..32 - 34
Ask for the job
Post-interview
Negotiation
Job offer
- Starting a New Job ………………………………..35
Probation period
On-boarding and orientation
Expectations
Summary…………………………………………………...36
Feedback…………………………………………………...37
Acknowledgements………………………………………..37
NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
Purpose
NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
The career decision-making and job search process can be daunting. Whether you are seeking to stay in the same field/industry, switch careers,dealing with a job lay-off, downsizing or employment transfer, reentering the work world following a leave of absence, or seeking to find fulfillment during retirement,Navigating Choices: Online Career Resource Guidewill help educate and assist in meeting your goal: obtaining employment. You may choose to use the entire guide or select sections applicable to your needs. Good Luck!
“Create history. Understand your future. Do something for the first time. Create energy and possibilities. Play--it makes us more creative and productive. Face fear--it will carry to other parts of life and gain Confidence!”
LuAnn Cahn
NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
- Introduction
NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
A job search may be necessary following:the completion of a degree,a decision to change a job or career, end of an employment contract, the closing of a company, layoff, termination, or retirement. NavigatingChoices will provide information and resources to guide you through a self-directed job search process. MCPHS Alumni Career Services can provide additional assistance or answer questions during your job search activities. Send an email to: . The guideNavigatingChoices is a tool, in whole or partial, to help initiate the tasks necessary to actualize your employment goal.This career resource guide contains the following information: tips (highlighted in blue), suggested exercises, sample documents & links to additional on-line resources.
Beginning
First, evaluate your current needs based on whether you are currently employed or unemployed.
Job Search while employed
Financial and career needs are different for everyone. Having made a decision to pursue a new job or career while employed may be an advantage. You need to maintain a source of income and fringe benefits to sustain yourself throughout the search process.In addition, employers prefer hiring people who are working and it will also help you avoid explaining an employment gap. Also factor in the time required to research employment opportunities, prepare documents, create social media presence, and network to find the next option. Staying in your job is usually better than making you ineligible for unemployment compensation and jeopardizing financial sustainability.
Time wisely utilized to explore career options, develop a strategy, prepare documents, create a social media presence, network and introduce yourself to new contacts will result in a new employment opportunityhopefully sooner.
Changing jobs is not easy, even if it is justified, and even more difficult when there is no immediate prospect of a new position.
Unemployed
Should you find yourself unemployed and without severance or substantial savings, you may seek immediate employment available through staffing agencies, per diem, contract employment or headhunters. Staffing agencies (additional information on page12) often specialize/contract with specific types of industries. Staffing agencies are registered in the states where they operate. Staffing agency listings are available online. There is no limit to the number of agencies you may register for. The employer pays for the service, not you, the job seeker.
Use Internet sources to identify part-or full-time jobs. The job may not be in your chosen career, but a financial necessity.
Headhunters are specialists in business to find professional, trained talent often corporate level candidates, who meet the qualifications of their client, the employer.The job the head hunter is recruiting for may be temporary, short or long term or direct hire to fill a vacancy. You sign a contract identifying the exact service(s) to be provided by the head hunter and fee. Remember to negotiate the fee! You may find an opportunity in your career, and you are not limited to one industry as long as your skills are a match for the employer.
If yourunemployment is due to company closing, lay-off ortermination, and you intend to return to full or part-time employment the following services and resources may help: employer sponsored severance benefits, UI-Unemployment Insurance, personal savings, or retirement funds. Longer periods of unemployment may necessitate reliance on family members or applying for Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits, pending eligibility, and public assistance including SNAP-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, federal food stamp program.
Apply immediatelyfor UI-Unemployment Insuranceif your unemployment is not supported by employer sponsored severance. Caution: not all employers pay into the state trust fund to provide UI to claimants. The application is available online. Log onto your state’s website and find the link for filing an unemployment claim. Unemployment Insurance (UI) is offered for a limited period of time depending on thestate in which you reside.You are required to engage in the job search while collecting UI benefits,which are taxed. Remember to obtain information from your state unemployment agency regarding specific policies and procedures.
Join and use the services of a One Stop Career Center (OSCC). This is often a requirement for persons collecting UI benefits. To find a career center use the online state locator link found on your state website homepage or services are offered at no cost and assist adults in finding employment.OSCCs are available in all fifty states and territories.
Retirement
Job Seekers looking for employment during retirement are not alone. Many professionals seek opportunities in and out of their chosen career path. Begin with defining your goals: Why do you want to work? What are your interests? Do you need another source of income? Do you desire to stay in the same industry or use this opportunity to volunteer, reconnect with a past career, or focus on a specificcause/interest? Use this guide, NavigatingChoices, to assist in the exploration and search processes. You may contact MCPHS Alumni Career Services with specific questions or assistance. One option for finding employment opportunities in retirement is Encore. Go to
Check your outgoing voicemail message on both landline and cellular telephones.
Delete any voice other than your own, no music, quotations or other message features that may not be appropriate for a future employer or professional contact to hear. A simple message, “Hello, this is ______residence or voice mail for (name). Please leave a message with your telephone number. I will reply as soon as possible. Thank you for calling.”
NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
- Exploration
Once financial concerns are satisfied, you may now begin the second step in your employment search: exploration. Here you will identify your values, skills, strengths and interests. If you are satisfied with your current self-knowledge, feel free to move ahead to the strategy section of NavigatingChoices.
NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
Values: Personal and Work
It does not hurt to take time to think about and identify your personal and work values. Employers need to know your skills/expertise as well as personality. You want to develop a strategy that matches your strengths, abilities and interests with a goal towards realizing satisfaction inyour professional life or retirement.Knowing your values and skills can help guide your career decisions.
The following values exercisesare among available options. Click on the following links and complete either or both:
Skills: Hard, Soft and Transferable
Once you know your values, then it is helpful to identify your skills. Skills consist of two broad categories:Hard and Soft. Hard skills may be defined as the things you know how to do as acquired through work and education, for example administrative, technical, clinical, scientific, communication, computer and customer service. Soft skills are defined astraits, like being responsible, dependable, reliable, team player, punctual and capable of working independently with little supervision. Employers look for people who know who they are in relation to work. Knowing who you are in addition to articulating values, strengths and skills/abilities will serve you well while searching for a job, changing careers or redefining yourself as a professional during work or retirement. Often skills practiced in a career are transferable to new jobs or industries. The ability to know and articulate skills is necessary when answering behaviorally oriented employment interview questions.
Click on the link below and complete a skills exercise. Other similar exercise are available online
The values and skills exercises assist in determining what you are passionate about. Maybe you need to have direct contact with people or feel the need to contribute to solving a critical issue for humanity. Financial security for yourself and family maybe a value that is important now. You may want to give back to society by making a contribution that fulfills a personal need. It is vital to know what motivates you in order to successfully change jobs, careers, or work activities.
Strengths
Answer the following questions:
- What have been your major accomplishments in your most recent paid or volunteer position?
- Which skills are specific to your current career field?
- Which skills are more cross-functional or applicable across career fields?
- Which skills do you want to continue to use in your next experience? Why?
- Are there skills you wish you possess? Why? How can you acquire them?
- What skills do you have and enjoy that may not have been professionally used,but could be in your next experience?
Take time to write answers to the questions. It is important to maintain your focus on your goals. Knowing your skills and strengths helps guide the search process.
You may wish to try exercises found on the following website:
Interests
If you are unsure what you are interested in career wise, consider trying a career test. Log onto a computer and search for “career tests.”These multiple choice surveys match your personality to potential occupations of interest. Many of the surveys/tests are free. The results provide a guide, not a definitive solution.
Other options found on line:
A One Stop Career Center (OSCC) is available for assistance. (See page 3for additional information) Log onto OSCC may have aptitude and career exploration options to assist you. If you are receiving UI (unemployment benefits) you may already utilize career center services. Career centers serve the public, therefore anyone may use the resources.
NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
“I cannot change yesterday, but I can change today.”
Author Unknown
NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
- Strategy
NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
After taking some time to reflect on your financial needs, values, skills and interests, decide on your next step. Is it:
- Employment in the same career
- Employment in the same career but different type of company
- Desire to work either full-time or part-time or per diem in different type of work and industry
- Able to survive for up to 6 months without a job and need to explore all options, including upgrading skills to increase marketability in another healthcare career
- Exploring entrepreneurship
Labor Market
Employers want to hire professionals that are a good fit for the job and company.Ask yourself:
- Do I have the skills to do the job I want?
- Am I motivated to do the job and work for a specific employer?
- Is the job and company a match for my values, skills and interests?
- Do I know someone whois employed in a specific career or industry and who can help me?
- Is it the right time to change my career?
Hiring is a continual process. Jobs are created as a result of numerous events. People leave jobs for many reasons and work must be completed in order for the company to fulfill contract obligations, make a profit for stockholders/directors or carry out a specific mission (e.g. hospitals, schools, and government agencies).
You may have more than one type of position or industry that interests you. Remember,you need to have the essential qualifications to apply to a specific job.
Other considerations are:
- What are my values, interests, strengths and knowledge?
- What jobbest matches my skills, values and interests?
- What is the labor market for employment in the geographic area, career and industry I am seeking?
- Am I willing to re-locate to pursue a career?
- Howdo I update skills to be competitive? Is it necessary?
- Will temporary employment or volunteer opportunities be viable options?
Use the following linkfor information: (Occupational Digest of USA jobs compiled by US Department of Labor).
What do I look for in a new job?
Here is a list of some items to consider when applying for a job: location, compensation package (salary and benefits), work culture, environment, schedule, required overtime, and telecommuting, access to public transportation, commuting distance, travel requirements, managerial/non managerial duties, supervisory responsibilities, and fit with employer’s mission and personal/work values.
A job search is a process that may take time. It is not limited to the first professional job after obtaining a degree and may be required to engage periodically during a career.
Relocation
Some individuals who are considering changing industries may face taking a salary cut. Sometimes, this is a calculated risk that may lead to a higher salary/compensation package as you gain experience. Using your network, including MCPHS alumni, you will learn the benefits available in another industry or career.
Given the current economy, the ideal job in one’s chosen industry/profession may not be in one’s desired community. Widening your commutable geographic area may expand the availability of employers in your field and diversity of career options. Employment opportunities may in fact be more plentiful in a distant geographic area. Research another region or state in addition to the potential employers. Your network may provide pertinent information on climate, cost of living and additional factors to consider the possibility of relocating for employment. Your MCPHS alumni network is a source to gather information about other locations and employers. Leaving a specific geographic area does not mean abandoning a familiar region entirely. After one to two years of experience an employment opportunity may become available within the same corporation and a transfer back to your home state may be possible.You may find you like living and working in a different region.
NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
Research
NavigatingChoices:Online Career Resource Guide
Browse and read job descriptions to understand what the employer’s needs are. Read job descriptions completely and more than once. Read mission statements of employers you believe have the type of work desired.
- Do you match the corporate values and does the company employ individuals in the area if career interest?
- Do you know of someone employedwith a company who you can schedule an informational interview?
- Is there someone in your network who can provide an introduction to a contact within an organization/business?
- Have you identified an MCPHS alum who works for a company or has a career that interests you?
Prepare questionsto help you acquire information which will help reinforce your belief that you are a match for a specific career/position and/or industry. Obtaining information about skills (job specific and transferable), education and experience necessary to enter the field, job or employer, day to day tasks expected to be accomplished, work place culture, and employer expectations will give a more realistic picture and data to base decisions. A decision based on the information gathered from someone who is doing a particular job or working for a specific industry, will confirm whether you are on the right career path.
Research labor market information for your state using the state labor and workforce development link to identify trends for specific industries. The website will provide information on the trends for major industries including salary ranges and expectations for the number of opportunities that may be available.