Setting Goals for the New Year? Visit Mindtools.com

For help establishing clear, attainable goals (not to mention goals you can actually revisit from time to time to remind you where you're headed), visit Mindtools resources at http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html.

Happy New Year!

"Top 10 Things You Hate About IT": Network Computing's 2007 Survey

Caught up with Network Computing's survey results yet? For an informative, often enlightening read, peruse the November issue to see what happened when IT managers were "invited to vent" about their everyday challenges.

A few highlights:

• "Scope creep killed my last big IT project" - 20%
• "Make a purchase, then kiss customer support goodbye" - 54%
• "Promised features are AWOL" - 24%

The mag goes on to say that of "key features promised by the salesperson in your organization's last major product rollout were: Actually present - 28%; Delivered within two quarters - 26%; Available the following year - 22%; Fictitious - 24%." Ouch!

For the complete results, see nwcreports.com.

Holiday Job Hunting - Busting the Myth

Snowflakes, holiday décor, scented pine boughs, and other holiday treats are what most people dream of this time of year. Could there be something else that adds to the "magic" of the season? You guessed it—the holidays are perfect for job hunting.

What makes this a great time of year to be in the job market? A number of factors can bring glad tidings to those pursuing a holiday-season job search:

• Much, much less competition. Want to face some stiff numbers not in your favor? Be sure to job search only when the masses do, from January to mid-May.
• Increased access to decision-makers. Hiring managers often do not have the luxury of waiting out the holiday season to find that perfect candidate. In addition, some professionals quit their jobs right before the holidays, planning to spend the rest of the year with family—and leaving a prime spot for you.
• Plenty of socializing. Face it—the option of attending more social events this time of year leaves very little excuse for avoiding networking. Your next job lead could come from the literally dozens of people you can meet—some of them with access to key decision-makers—at holiday events.
• Company budgets working in your favor.Many corporations operate on a budget that must be spent before the end of the year. Guess what can happen when you apply to jobs during December with equal fervor to that of other months?

The lesson? Strong companies are always on the lookout for the perfect candidate to fill key jobs. Continually marketing your qualifications and networking with hiring managers--without regard to the time of year--could leave you with the best holiday gift of all.

Adding Consulting Information to Your Resume

Recently, I saw a question posed by an IT job seeker on a local jobs forum, where the candidate wanted to know how to present information from both permanent and consulting jobs on her resume.

While there are varied formats available for the resume itself, the information presented needs to be much the same: a description of the technologies used, role on each project, and most importantly, the results achieved.

Granted, "results" can be as minute or far-reaching as the role dictated, but surely this IT professional contributed something to the success of each project. I'll cover more on accomplishments in a future note.

OfficePolitics.com

The language is salty, the meaning is blunt, and let's face it, no one really wants to hear all about the error of their ways.

However, I just love OfficePolitics.com because of these things. There is probably no other site that gives it to today's professionals in this straightforward, you-need-to-know-this-NOW style.

If you are up for stories from the front, check out the letters and responses.

Roadblock to Job Search Success #2: The Lengthy Resume

As many of you probably know, hiring managers in today's job market are swamped. Inundated with job descriptions, lists of open positions, and calls from job seekers, they no doubt appreciate brevity and clarity when reading resumes.

So why do many candidates include every job since college on their resumes--even when college graduation dates back to 1969?

From what I can gather, fear dominates the resume writing process for many people. They are afraid of giving too little information or leaving out some critical detail. However (and you know what is coming here), fear does not drive an effective resume. In fact, it can convince people to make the resume so long and so difficult to read, that it is effectively rendered useless.

The general resume rule of thumb is that two pages will suffice for most candidates. This includes job seekers with more than eight years of experience, all the way up to executives (in some cases). Entry-level candidates or those early in their careers should stick to one page.

In some cases, IT professionals can use three pages to describe comprehensive projects, roles, and results.

Five-page resumes (and yes, I see plenty of these) only confuse the reader and incite dread among those who must read them. The relevant information should be on the first page, making the second page an "addendum" that continues to describe interesting and pertinent accomplishments.

Employers can and do hire based on concise documentation of qualifications. And hiring managers may well thank you for being brief!

Check Out The Job Search Tools at Tech-Centric.net

I was able to find some great job leads culled from various sources at http://www.tech-centric.net/, including some management-level, contract, and permanent positions.

The job search agent at http://www.tech-centric.net/Login.aspx can send you a continual list to match your needs.

Roadblock #1 to Job Search Success: Using a General Resume

I'm launching a new feature this month entitled "Roadblocks to Job Search Success" to contain much of my often-discussed advice for common issues faced by job seekers. These are the subjects of many phone calls from professionals seeking a job change or new employment, most of which echo a common refrain.

Today's Roadblock: Using a General Resume.

Many, many people in today's job market possess a multitude of skills gleaned from past positions, current college curriculums, and professional training. In fact, a common problem is fitting all this great information onto a single resume. (which is a topic for another Roadblock!)

Perhaps this abundance of skill is what usually leads job seekers to tell me they want to use a "general resume" because they don't want to "limit" themselves to only one job title.

While I completely understand this position, this has become Roadblock #1 to Job Search Success for a great reason: General resumes do not work!

Imagine that you were hiring, for example, a widget packaging expert. In the stacks of resumes received, would you want to see that the candidate knows how to speak French, has done financial analysis, graduated from college with a degree in English literature, or has lots of industry expertise in food service?

Hiring managers want to see that a professional has taken the time to describe precisely what it is that qualifies them, and stated a clear desire for the job at hand. Sorry, this is not as simple as slapping a different Objective on the resume. (more on Objectives later as another Roadblock!)

There is nothing wrong with having well-rounded skills. The problem lies in throwing all of these skills at a recruiter and hoping something sticks.

Your best maneuver: putting every qualification on a highly focused resume that tells the employer how well you will do THIS job.

Yes, you may need more than one resume. Then again, you may be able to use just one--successfully!

Researching a career change? Try this tool to assess your future

This Occupation Profile tool from CareerInfoNet is the coolest thing since Salary.com.

Use this site to search for a specific job type in your state, complete with current salary ranges plus projections on how this career field will grow or decline.

Anyone considering a career change should check this out ASAP - what a great planning resource!

Job Interview Research (or finishing your homework!)

Job seekers who fail to do their homework are headed for trouble, according to this article in the Ithaca Journal.

Apparently, there is no better reason to complete your research than the prospect of actually making the interviewer annoyed...which is a not-so-fantastic way of starting a new career.

Find the World's Most Unusual Jobs at Eccentric Employment Blog

Eccentric Employment's blog offers the most unique collection of "unusual, strange and interesting job opportunities." Never a dull moment here!

Wanting to Switch Careers? Check out JobProfiles.org

This site is a thoughtful, well-organized resource for anyone that wants to find out exactly what professionals "do" in various occupations. Best of all, the information comes not from job descriptions, but from the actual occupants of each job!

Check out this except from a Management Information Systems Manager job that describes stresses and rewards of the position:

"Short deadlines and a push to try and better your own position as well as that of the fellow employees can be very stressful. The goals of the department and that of the company can at times be very different.

(Rewards include) employee satisfaction, teaching someone who is 'scared' of technology is always great. Working with PCs and testing new software is the best."

Contributors add information on their jobs, including basic skills, challenges, job description, salary, and advice. Talk about an insider's point of view!