UT Career Centers

You have career resources right in your own backyard. I know that you have access to this information if you are an alumni but you may also be able to use the resources if you are not.

Career Exploration Center
http://www.utexas.edu/student/cec/

UT School of Business Career Center
http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/career/

UT Alumni Career Services
http://www.texasexes.org/career/

Natural Sciences Career Center
http://cns.utexas.edu/careers/

Job Fair in January

Here is an Austin job fair that is taking place in January

http://austin.localhires.com/events/MzIyMA==/+Job+Fair+January+25%2C+2010

Salary Negotiation Tips: Do You Have to Reveal Your Income?

Discussing your salary history can be the most uncomfortable moment in a negotiation. But what do you really have to say? Follow these steps to be honest without being vulnerable.
By Kevin Fogarty

Few professional conversations are more awkward than those about how much money you make.
For job seekers, though, salary and compensation history isn't just an uncomfortable topic to avoid with a relative. It's often a make-or-break moment in a long-sought job interview.
You probably don’t want to answer the question about your salary history at all, and most employment lawyers and job-interview experts say your best bet is to dodge the question and focus on your potential value to the company, not your current paycheck.
There is no legal protection to prohibit a recruiter or hiring manager from asking the question or pressing you to provide an answer. So prepare an answer that you can support but also maintains your control of the situation.
Leverage
There is a significant risk of either pricing yourself out of a job or lowballing a potential offer, according to David A. Earle, lead researcher at Staffing.org, an analyst company that measures recruiting trends.
"If you really need the job, you're at a disadvantage; if you end up taking an offer that's too low, you're going to find out about it around the water cooler," Earle said. "If you're an in-demand candidate, it's a different psychological situation. Then there's nothing wrong with walking in and saying 'I make $170,000 where I am and would need at least $190,000 to even think about leaving."
Hiring managers are under enormous pressure to keep salaries down, said Ed McGlynn, managing director of Financial Recruiters LLC and a former senior vice president at Lehman Brothers. But if they press too hard, it might be a sign the candidate should remove the opportunity from serious consideration. "If I got that question in an interview, I'd think, 'This guy's trying to get me for the lowest price he can get,' and I'd have to wonder if I wanted to work for him," McGlynn said.
Whether the question is asked at all and what part it plays in the negotiation depend largely on leverage — something few professionals have in the job market right now, according to Stephen E. Seckler, president of Seckler Legal Consulting in Newton, Mass., a consultancy that advises law firms on how to manage their businesses more effectively.
"It's very difficult to not answer that question if it's asked straight out," Seckler said. "It's not usually to your advantage to answer, but saying you don't feel like answering sends the signal that you're not a cooperative person. They're screening you partly to see if (you're) someone they want to work with, and that could create a problematic impression."
Most negotiation experts say the first person to speak a number or make an offer is at a disadvantage because they give the other party a target to shoot down – in this case telling a job candidate the number is far too high for the position or budget, whether it is or not.
Victoria Pynchon a veteran litigator-turned professional negotiator as a mediator at ADR Services, emphasizes the importance of preparation. Do your homework, and be able to back up your negotiating position with evidence from Salary.com, professional association surveys and other sources that provide hard, competitive numbers.
Dodge and deflect
Refusing to answer when asked point-blank or lying about how much you were paid in order to push up the amount of any possible offer is the absolute worst option for a job seeker, McGlynn, Earle and Seckler agreed.
"Part of the company's due diligence on you is going to be checking references, and there's a good chance they're going to find out either then or later what your real salary was," Seckler said. "You're basically starting out by giving the company a reason to fire you if they ever want to, even if there wasn’t cause for it then."
The best way to deal with the question is to deflect it, McGlynn said. If you can't, break your whole compensation package down to show where the value lies. Your salary might have been X, but your bonus was Y for specific accomplishments you can name, he said.
Being honest doesn't mean being vulnerable, Seckler said.
"It's very important to know where you stand, and there's far too much information available online about salaries and compensation to not know how you compared," Searle agreed. "If you made $142,000 and you know damn well that this position rarely pays less than $130,000 – and you're willing to take that – then if they come back with an offer of $120,000, you know that's outside your playing field and they're just trying to screw you."
The bottom line
To prepare and execute a salary negotiation, follow these steps:
1. Research competitive salary information for your position, industry and region.
2. Calculate the total value of your last compensation package, including base, bonus, commission and any other extras. Be prepared to be specific and exhaustive.
3. If you’re asked for salary history, ask what the company is prepared to offer.
4. Don’t lie. Expect that the company can and will check every number.
5. Explain why you’re worth what you’re asking based on your research of the market, not your previous salary.

How to Handle Extended Unemployment: Tips from a Marathon

What to remember when a job search goes from weeks to months, or longer.
By Dan Coughlin

Before you can deliver a great performance, you need an opportunity to perform.
With at least 15 million Americans out of work, the length of the job search has stretched from a sprint to a marathon.
To endure and succeed, you need to be in shape. Here are a few tips to get you through the long haul:
1. Warm up and cool down
Be ready for an employer before the employer is ready for you.
Being without a paycheck for months on end can be a very difficult blow to your self-esteem. After a while, it can be hard to remember the qualifications that make you a contender in the first place. Consequently, it’s very important for you to take exceptionally good care of yourself.
So my very first suggestion when you’re looking for a job for an extended time is physically exercise. Get in the best condition you can . This is something you are in control of.
Rather than working eight hours a day searching for a job, I suggest you carve out 90 minutes a day to warm up properly, exercise and warm down properly. Even if this means walking around the block one time to get started, do it. As you begin to get into better physical shape, you will strengthen your self-esteem and remind yourself that you are to a large degree in charge of your destiny.
This physical workout will prepare you mentally for your search.
2. Count your calories.
Before you start searching for a job, know what you’re getting into. Research the industry and any targeted companies you would like to work for. Learn everything you can.
Before I speak to an audience I always interview at least a dozen people, study as much information as I can get my hands on about the organization, and usually volunteer to go on site and observe people in their normal workday activities.
Go on the Internet, and be creative. Put in search words for the type of industry, organization or job that you want. See what you come up with. Keep searching online to see if you can find a key person to contact. Intelligently use Facebook and Twitter to reach out to people to see if you can uncover opportunities for the type of job you want and the type of company you want to work for.
When the actual job opportunity opens up, you will be infinitely better prepared if you’ve been doing your research all along.
3. Block out time.
Businesses sell products and services. You are selling yourself. Your product comprises your:
• Values
• Strengths
• Passions
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Experience.
Take out a sheet of paper.
Under each of those headlines describe what you bring to a potential employer. Then think of an example that supports why you feel you bring that characteristic.
Invest 60 minutes in this exercise. Pretty soon, you’ll see that some employer is going to be very fortunate to hire you.
4. Don’t train alone.
Take out several sheets of paper. Start writing down every single person you know.
Really challenge yourself to think of people who might know you. Write their names down, and then start to contact them systematically. Let these individuals know specifically what type of job you want and what type of organization you want to work for. Remember: Clarity is powerful, vagueness is not.
You are trying to stir up a wide range of people who can recommend you to a potential employer. If they don’t specifically know what you want, what are the odds they are going to be successful in recommending you?
When I speak to entrepreneurs and salespeople, I often explain how some of my biggest business opportunities came from people I never would have expected to help me. I just didn’t know who was going to open a door for me or how big the room was going to be. And neither do you. Never write off the possibility that an unlikely source might turn out to be the most important person in your career.
I used to be a high-school teacher. I wanted to be a management consultant and business speaker. That was 13 years ago. I taught freshmen algebra. The father of a sophomore, whom I had taught the year before, worked for McDonald’s Corp I gave one speech to his group, which led to more than 500 presentations in the end.
You don’t need to run this race alone.
5. Make it a lifestyle.
Searching for a job is not a job. A job is when you receive an opportunity to create and deliver value for other people for which you are financially compensated. You don’t have a job until you close the deal.
Instead of thinking of a job search as a once-a-decade activity, think of it as part of your professional life.
Not having a job right now isn’t the point. Whatever your current employment situation, you should always sharpen your ability to search for a job. It’s really like running a marathon. Get yourself ready and go after the finish line.
It’s an exciting and challenging adventure, and it will bring out the best in you.

Overachieving Manager Puts 110% Into New Resume

By Darryl Taft

Leshia Evans hadn’t needed a resume for more than 20 years. Loyal to her company, she never needed to look for a job.
Evans, of Cumming, Ga., has worked in the electrical industry for 30 years, the last 20 of them at a global engineering company with annual revenues of $110 billion. Evans started there as a regional engineer and left the company as a senior commodity manager when she was laid off earlier this year.
Her old resume needed to be recharged and modernized.
She tried including a summary section that read more like a cover letter, she added pages of testimonials and references from former colleagues, and she embedded her photo in every copy of her resume.
What she didn’t know: Each of those are grounds for rejection.
Either by an impatient human recruiter or an automated applicant tracking system (ATS), these formats are unacceptable. ATS software frequently dismisses long resumes and embedded images, said J.M. Auron, a certified professional resume writer who works with TheLadders resume-writing services and helped Evans update her document. In addition, many human-resources professionals are instructed to reject resumes submitted with photos to avoid claims of discrimination.
“She hadn’t written a resume in 20 years,” said J.M. Auron, the resume writer who worked with Evans. “She hadn’t looked for a job in 20 years. (She) had no need to even think about writing a resume in 20 years because of an extremely stable job history.”
Auron did away with the photo, the references and the summary, and he immediately set about crafting a document that brought to life an impressive array of performance numbers throughout a long career.

Back in the hunt
Evans is looking for a job similar to the one she had before she was laid off: a senior commodity manager in the electrical, power, or oil and gas industry. “A commodity manager produces quotes, plans and spec reviews; negotiates; and strategically aligns the commodity with technical support, risk management, industry and technology trends,” she said. “Also included in this position is supplier management and reporting.”
Auron began using Evans’ summary statement to paint a compelling portrait of an overachiever.
“She never missed a quota in 20 years,” Auron said. “In the last 10 years, she has been between 30 percent to more than 100 percent over quota,” he added. “So writing a resume for someone like her was a piece of cake. … You just work with the numbers.”
Indeed, as one of the subsections in Evans’ updated resume noted she “dramatically exceeded targets year over year.” From 2000 through the third quarter of fiscal year 2009, Evans’ performance ranged from a low of 131 percent to a high of 203 percent of her goals.
He also dropped the long, conversational summary, which might have been confused with a cover letter.
Evans’ original resume began:
“Strategic purchasing of medium and high voltage switchgear 2.4kV to 800kV for the Strategic Industries Division, Power Systems Division and the Technical Service Division throughout the US.”

Auron’s revised version:
“Business and product savvy professional with more than two decades of experience slashing costs, and developing long-term customer and vendor relationships. Talented technical commodity manager with in-depth, diverse technical knowledge of electrical power and distribution commodities, and application and procurement of MV/HV engineered equipment for large project jobs in the Metals, Paper, Water, Mining, Oil & Gas, International and Service Solutions industries.”

Auron’s new version emphasizes what Evans says is her greatest strength: “Exceeding goals.”

Where to Post Your Resume Online

Where to Post Your Resume Online
How best can you get your personal advertising campaign in front of the right audience? Sometimes you want to be selective, and sometimes you want to saturate the market.
By Lisa Vaas

Your resume is ready to go. Now where do you post it?
Job seekers would expect a simple answer – post it anywhere and everywhere – but you’ll get different marching orders on even that first step in the job search, depending on your particular circumstances .
Some experts, such as Steve Burdan, a certified professional resume writer who works with TheLadders will tell you to “shoot at anything that moves. There is no bad place to post (your resume),” he said. “(You just) never know where that golden contact is going to come from.”
Others, including Susan P. Joyce, an online job-search expert, urge job seekers to be more selective. Posting at random won’t allow you to customize your resume for specific employers or opportunities if you post it to hundreds of job sites or blast it to countless recruiters or employers.
The case for saturation
Burdan believes distributing your resume is a numbers game: The more people who see your resume, the better your chances of connecting with the right opportunity.
“There is no bad place to post,” he said, and job seekers shouldn’t restrict themselves (unless you need to keep your job search quiet).
How to saturate
If you decide to hit all the major job sites and display your resume to as many recruiters as possible, you can save time by hiring somebody to do it for you. To that end, Google offers a list of resume posting sites—
http://www.google.com/Top/Business/Employment/Resumes_and_Portfolios/Distribution/
Such services might be tailored to particular industries; for example, there are resume-distribution services for the medical-device industry, as well as a service for distributing resumes to pharmaceutical, medical and biotech sales recruiters. Alternatively, some of these services, such as Resume Rabbit, feature one-stop resume posting to up to 89 major career Web sites and job banks.
The case for moderation
Joyce is the editor, publisher and Webmaster of Job-Hunt, a widely recognized employment portal. She believes that “blasting” your resume at hundreds of job sites or to hundreds or thousands of recruiters and employers “is a self-defeating strategy.”
“You won't be able to customize it for a specific employer or opportunity, which reduces your chances of being called,” she writes. “And, you won't be able to follow up the resume with a phone call or an e-mail to establish contact and move your application forward in the process.”
There are services that will distribute your resume for you, but that can be counterproductive, she said. “Most recipients of an e-mailed resume probably view it as spam, if it survives the spam filters.”
A job seeker who inundates in boxes and job sites may also be diluting his brand, Joyce said. “In the unlikely event that someone receives your resume who might have been interested in you, they know that everyone else has a copy of it, too. If the recipient is an independent recruiter, he will ignore it because he will know that he’ll have a tough time earning a commission on your placement (an employer may also have received it directly or competing recruiters may be ‘shopping’ your resume around to the same employers). An employer probably won't be interested in competing with several other employers.”
How to conduct a discrete job search
Finally, if you are trying to keep your job search under wraps and discretion is your concern, you should start your search within your personal network. Another step is to talk with a selection of executive recruiters. Burdan recommends you find one in, what recruiters call the “Red Book,” the “Directory of Executive and Professional Recruiters 2009-2010.” http://www.kennedyinfo.com/js/der.html This directory lists recruiters by industry, niche and geographic location.
“If you are trying to be careful about who knows that you’re looking and who cares, you should move slowly,” Burdan said. “You don’t want to post online. If you post online, your company knows you’re looking, and they will confront you, and you’re going to find out real fast what your company thinks of you. Either they’ll throw money at you or let you go real fast.”
As much as possible, job seekers should control the speed of their transition into a new position, Burdan said. But bear in mind: Large employers can be just as proactive as job seekers when it comes to searching for who’s looking for a job online in public forums. “The Internet is the big, wild frontier,” Burdan said, and most job seekers are unlikely to know what applications their employers are using to track who’s searching for employment.

Women and Wives Book Study

Group: Austin Job Seekers Network
Subject: Do you or your wife want to find freedom from the hurt and fear you are experiencing? Is the stress of the job search becoming more than you can handle on your own?
Women and Wives read below:
An amazing opportunity is being offered for the wives of job seekers and women who are searching for employment (there will be an opportunity for men as well so let us know if you are interested). Beginning on Oct. 12 on Mondays from 7:00-8:30 pm, Kathy Allen-Weber, who is a professional counselor, will be leading a small group of women through the book, Emotional Fitness: Developing a Wholesome Heart by David Ferguson and Don McMinn. This workbook presents a practical, biblical perspective on human emotionality. It discusses the primary painful emotions (hurt, anger, fear, guilt, condemnation and stress) of your “emotional cup” and then leads you through biblical antidotes for how to resolve those emotions. This resource helps the reader address painful emotions through the context of a loving relationship with God and other people. You'’ll learn the how-to’s for healing painful emotions so that you’'re free to experience more joy, peace, contentment and abundance in life and get your job search back on track. There will be a limit of the number of people in the group. If you are interested or have questions email Debbie Foster at cfoster2@austin.rr.com or talk to Craig Foster.

Chapters Page
1. Dealing with Your Feelings
2. Empathy Matters
3. The Emotional Cup
4. Freedom from Hurt
5. Freedom from Anger
6. Freedom from Fear
7. Freedom from Guilt
8. Freedom from False Guilt
9. Freedom from Condemnation
10. Freedom from Stress
11. Filling our Emotional Cup with Positive Emotions
Posted By Craig Foster

Career Transitions Fall Program Kickoff!

The Career Transitions Seminar will be starting back with a fall program starting October 15. The meetings will take place in the Fellowship and Education Building in the Chapel on the bottom floor. There are different topics each week so you can attend one or all of the sessions. Hope to see you there!

Career Transitions Contacts

If you want to contact any of the team members, here are the emails.

Nelson Mann: nmann@tylerandco.com
David Hughen: dhughen@austinworknet.com
Robert Rhea: robertrhea@sbcglobal.net

Resources After Career Transitions

Here are some additional groups that you might meet with until Covenant Career Transitions resumes.

Hill Country Bible Church Job Seekers Network and the following is from their website

Weekly Meetings
Monday mornings from 9 to 10:30 am.
Meeting is free!
Hill Country Bible Church Northwest
12124 RR 620 North
1.5 miles west of 183 on 620
Building A, 4th floor, Room 4.114
Please plan to arrive 5-10 minutes early the first time you come.

Launch Pad Job Club has weekly meetings for networking etc.
http://launchpadjobclub.org/

Personal Branding

Here is an article that I thought was fitting after David's presentation last night.

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/repositioning-your-personal-brand-in-this-economy.html

Here is another one also:
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/management/build-your-personal-brand-by-working-for-free.html

Phone Interviews - They are setting the bar higher

This is an article published in the Wall Street Journal about how phone interviews have changed. Good information.

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/107143/The-New-Trouble-on-the-Line

Austin Tech Networking Site

Here is a Austin site for Tech jobs and Networking. They hold happy hours and other networking events as well job postings. http://door64.com/

Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Article - Advice: How to Get Feedback from an Interview

http://blogs.wsj.com/laidoff/2009/05/19/advice-how-to-get-feedback-from-an-interview/?mod=rss_WSJBlog?mod=blogmod

Navigating Economic Challenges - webinar

Willow Creek Association is pleased to announce a special free webinar for Member Church leaders on the topic of "Navigating Economic Challenges" on Wednesday, June 3, 2009. This event will take place from Noon-1:00 p.m. (CST) and will feature Brian McAuliffe, Chief Financial Officer& Director of Operations for Willow Creek Community Church (WCCC).

This interactive event will begin with a brief overview of WCCC's responses to the changing economic environment and lessons learned. The balance of the time will be driven by participant questions and interaction about issues including budgeting, financial planning, cash reserves, staffing, and giving. Questions will be taken live or can be emailed ahead of time to membership@willowcreek.com.

Our featured guest, Brian McAuliffe joined the WCCC team as the Director of Finance and Self-Supporting Ministries in June of 2000. He became the Director of Operations in April of 2002. With over 22 years of management and financial management experience in four major business sectors - Fortune 500, private-for-profit, not-for-profit and government - he currently oversees the financial/accounting, operational and production functions of WCCC as well as its self-supporting ministries. Having earned his MBA from Syracuse University and his BA from the University of Notre Dame, Brian and his wife Janet have two sons and make their home in Elgin, IL.

To maximize participation, prior registration is encouraged - limited spaces are available. To register now and receive connection instructions, please click here

Importance of Exercise

Here is a good article on the importance of exercise when seeking employment.
http://www.joblessjoe.com/blog/joe/2009/05/10/physical-activity

Another Job Hunting Resource

I found the book 48 Days to the Job You Love a helpful resource when I was job hunting.
Dan Miller, the author of the book, has a web site that has many resources. He has a regular streaming radio program and recorded podcasts.
Check it out at: www.48days.com

Volunteer Opportunities When Unemployed

One thing that can minimize the gaps in your employment on your resume is to volunteer while you are unemployed. Volunteerism is on the rise along with unemployment in the US.
Volunteering is also a way to make new contacts outside of your normal circle of contacts. You may pick up new job skills and expand your network.
Here is a link that you can use to find volunteer opportunities in your city.
http://www.1-800-volunteer.org/

Resources from Self Assessment Session

Here are four books recommended by Glen Powell.

• If You Don't Know Where You're Going You'll Probably End Up Somewhere Else, by David P. Campbell
• What Color Is Your Parachute?, by Richard N. Bolles
• Now Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckinham
• Career Anchors: Self Assessment, by Edgar Schein
• Finding a Job You Can Love, by Ralph Mattson and Arthur Miller
• Why You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be, by Arthur Miller
• Do What You Are, by Tiger

Assessments

• MBTI (Myer-Briggs Type Indicator)
• Strong Interest Inventory
  

David also suggested UT Career Counseling Center and any college's career counseling center as a valuable resource for assessment. You may have to go through the Alumni Association at UT if you have. See here: http://www.texasexes.org/career . Other sources: Alumni Centers, Community College Career Centers, Outplacement, funded by companies, Libraries.

Here are some interviewing tips that I found that seemed useful

1. "A firm, non-sweaty handshake, eye contact, and a nice smile make you seem likeable. Likeable people are hired most often." -- David Lewis, an executive with Express Employment Professionals and an expert on career development

2. "Prepare to engage in small talk, which helps to break the ice and puts both parties at ease and also demonstrates your ability to make conversation with potential clients, coworkers, and executives." -- Brandi Britton, Robert Half International

3. "Be prepared with everything you can possibly know about the company and the person who is doing the interview." -- Executive coach Beth Ross

4. "Don't take the head of a table or sit down until you are invited to do so to demonstrate how you'll behave in professional situations." -- Patty DeDominic, cofounder of DeDominic & Associates, a professional coaching and business services firm

5. "Open with penetrating questions that prove beyond a doubt that you've done your homework on the company, the position, the department, the industry, and/or the competition." -- Ford Myers, author of "Get the Job You Want Even When No One's Hiring"

6. "Practice your answers to commonly asked interview questions so that you come across as a well-prepared candidate." -- Certified executive career coach Cheryl Palmer, Calltocareer.com

7. "If asked to talk about yourself, always answer from a professional sense. Telling people about your family and what you do on the weekends is definitely the wrong approach. You want to solely focus on the areas of your work in which you are most effective and productive." -- Careers and resume expert Lauren Milligan, Resumayday.com.

8. "Become an object of interest by the questions you ask! Leave them wanting more with the quality of content you add to the conversation (versus noise)." -- David Nour, consultant and author of "Relationship Economics"

9. "Mirror the body language of the interviewer. If they are leaning forward, you should be doing the same. This builds rapport on a sub-conscious level, giving the feeling of a deeper connection." -- Job market expert Jabez LaBret, ThawingtheJobMarket.com

10. "Your interview strategy must include proof that you have successfully completed job-relevant tasks. A good strategy is to marry a strength and a specific example to prove that you are accomplished at what you do. Quantify accomplishments using numbers, percentages, and dollars whenever possible." -- Barbara Safani, president, CareerSolvers.com

Welcome!

On behalf of the Covenant Presbyterian Career Transitions Team, I want to welcome you to the Covenant Career Transtions Blog.

On this page you will find inspirational postings, useful links, recommended readings and general information regarding career transitions.

Below the postings are recommended links to aid you in your career search.

Blessings,
Robert Rhea