This week I have met with several frustrated job seekers.   In my effort to diagnose what is going wrong in their job search, I asked them to walk me through what they have done on a daily basis to get a job.  On each occasion, it was very little. As a whole, their daily tasks consisted of searching for positions online and putting in a few applications here or there. They all were spending less than 5 hours a week on their search. My response…When you don’t have a job, your job is finding a job. This means five days a week for 8 hours a day! Their response – what do I do with all that time? Just let me count the ways…

First, you should get up and get dressed! “Respect, confidence and self-empowerment can all start with your diligence to apparel,” (Lindsey Shore, Fashion Stylist quoted in Forbes). You have to feel like you are going to work. Lounging in your sweats all day is not very motivating.

Second, consider this a job that you are working from home. Jacquelyn Smith of Forbes magazine has some great recommendations including setting office hours, having a dedicated space to work, and avoiding distractions in the home.

Third, use a calendar to block off time for each job search duty. These duties include:

1. Setting up job search web crawler sites based on keywords to find keywords (i.e. Indeed.com and Simplyhired.com)
2. Set up a job search tracking sheet.
3. Update your job search tracking sheet.
4. Update your LinkedIn profile and learn how to use the Relationship feature.
5. Check emails for new jobs coming in and responses to applications.
6. For the new jobs, customize your résumé and cover letter and apply within 24 hours of receiving the position description.
7. Send emails to contacts for advice in the application process for all current opening you are applying.
8. Follow-up with contacts at the organization(s) that you just applied and let them know that your application has been submitted.
9. Prepare practice interview questions for the job that you submitted the application(s) for that day.
10. Practice interview question you prepared, well before the interview.
11. Schedule interviews promptly.
12. Go to interviews and send immediate thank you letters to each person that interviewed you. This should be done within 24 hours.
13. Email organizations that you have not heard from in the last two weeks to check on your status.
14. Research industry trends that you can use in your interviews. Sign-up for industry newsletters that will help you identify both trends and potential organizations of interest.
15. Create a blog that you can write about industry trends that will set you up as a dedicated professional. Write on at least a weekly basis.
16. Create a target list of organizations of interest. Follow them on LinkedIn and set up a web crawler to follow news.
17. Set up informational interviews with the organizations that currently don’t have openings but you may be interested in for future employment. LinkedIn is a great place to start.
18. Reflect on your day and what you need to do for the next day. There are no vacations or days off in a job search.

Finally, just like in a full-time job, you may need professional development. If you need training in any of the above areas seek help from your developmental network, online training options like Lynda.com, and think about hiring a career coach. You can learn more about job search strategies on Lynda.com.

My friends know to come to me to talk about careers.  I love it, and they know it.  But does that make me the most qualified person to help them? No, it does not.  Even though I have extensive experience in career coaching and knowledge of both business and education sectors, it doesn’t make me the best person to seek help.  The web abounds with career advice information, from searching for a job to managing your career.  Careers are complex, and answers to questions must come from various people.

To make sense of it all, many professionals seek out paid advice. Similar to the problems outlined in Leadership BS by Jeffrey Pfeffer, there are “no credentials, experience, or even knowledge required” to give advice, often leading to conceptual confusion and ambiguous advice.  The same problem exists with career advice — anyone will give you advice but may not have the experience, understanding, or knowledge of your specific problem and field of interest.  So to help you decide on the best person for advice, here are three key questions to ask potential advisers:

1. Is your practice based on coaching or counseling?  You are probably thinking – what does it matter?  It is like asking your high school basketball coach to help you reflect on your childhood emotions in the middle of a big game so that you can make the winning shot.  Counseling is a reflective practice that takes time and patience to overcome challenges in your career.  Examples of where you would use a counselor include fear of interviewing or difficulty working with colleagues.  Coaches, however, are there to set goals and improve immediate performance. Examples of where you would use include developing your résumé or negotiations.
2. What are your qualifications in this field? Since there is no barrier to entry, you need to understand the background of the person giving you the advice.  The qualifications will differ based on what type of help you need; however, there are some essential items to check. You will want to know if they have they worked in or with your specific industry; what type of degree they have; how they stay up-to-date in the field; and references from previous clients.
3. What is your fee, and what precisely does it include? Fees vary wildly in this industry, so be aware of what you are paying for each service.  Ask specifically what the service includes and how much time the coach/counselor will give to your needs.  For example, resume reviews vary from $25 to $250 an hour.  At $250 an hour, I hope they spend significant time with you and write the résumé for you.  Think about it – that amount translates to them making an estimated $480,000 dollars a year full-time.  Make sure that the coach/counselor is worth your hard-earned money.

Here are a few recommendations – http://vsoncareers.com/coachrecommendations/ 

Let’s make it simple – before applying to a graduate program, decide what job you want after graduation.  It will help you avoid a very costly mistake.  By doing this one thing, you will be able to more accurately determine the return on investment and plan your program to reach your goals.  Here is why…

First, it tells me if the degree is even needed.  I can’t tell you the number of times students have determined their career goal after starting a program and found out that the degree is not required for the field that interests them.  Not that a job is the only reason for a degree but it can help you determine the real cost of the education.

Next, if the degree is needed, it will help you to determine the specific classes you should take in your program.  You will be able to do a gap analysis to determine what experiences you are missing to obtain the position.  Through course work and internships, you will be able to fill these gaps and build your resume.

Second, students ask me all the time what the average salary is coming out of the program.  It doesn’t matter!  It is what the position you are seeking is worth that matters.  If you can tell me what you want to do, where you want to do it, and in what industry, I will give you an accurate salary range.  This in turn, helps you to determine your return on investment immediately after the degree.

Some of my students will even argue that it is a wonderful opportunity to explore your career options.  My response – super expensive way to explore options.  And, I find that most people get caught up in academic deadlines and are exposed to options presented in their classes, gaining very limited insight into their career.

A good example of why this fails is a recent student of mine discovered at the end of his program his ideal career through an alumni panel.  Unfortunately, he did not take the appropriate classes that would lead him to his destination.  So, he is now volunteering to get the necessary experience, while working in a job that is not his ideal path.  If he had just thought about it before starting, he would have had taken the right classes and participated in an internship to land the position he really wanted.

Finally, it will guide you on the best program to apply for your interests.  No secret, I work at a big name university and I will tell you – it is not always the best option.  It does lend prestige to your resume but bottom-line it is a degree like any other — to be checked off by human resources, as a requirement for the job.

So as graduate application season is now upon us, save yourself a lot of money, time and headaches by spending time to think about jobs that really interest you.

Motherhood does not put food on the table or provide healthcare to children. A job is something a person does regularly to earn money and benefits. It has a start and stop time.  Motherhood never stops – not even when the child turns 18.  It is a lifelong responsibility deserving respect, but it should not be labeled a job.  Jobs for women, not only provide food and healthcare for children, it allows us to raise more successful girls and caring boys.  Per the Department of Labor 70% of women with children under the age of 18 participate in the workforce, 25% of households are maintained by unmarried mothers and we now exceed men in college attainment.

The princess in the ivory tower is not a reality. Most of us do not have husbands and fathers that support us.  In fact, we often support them.  In the world, we live in, the option to stay at home is not available. Women need a job that provides pay and benefits—not a “mommy tax”.   Providing maternity leave for women only puts us back in 1980, where women both “brought home the bacon and fried it up in the pan”.   We are not 24-hour woman.  We need real help. Sole responsibility for the family falls on women’s shoulders based on Trumps proposal for maternity leave and men are out of the family equation all together.   Not to mention, for many rural women this could prevent them from getting a job.  Quite frankly, why would a company hire a woman, when a man is so much cheaper? And if they do hire a woman, why not lower her salary to cover the expected expense?

We are better off with the free market determining policies that support families. Companies like Comcast, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company and many others are leading the way with paternity leave. They understand what it takes to attract talent to their organizations, their role in creating a level playing field and how to advance strategic initiatives through diversity.   According to the 2016 Global Parent Leave report by Mercer, 29% of companies with a global policy cover all four types of leave – maternity, paternity, adoption and parental.  As these companies become more successful, others will follow.

The few places Trump is willing to regulate is where women are concerned. Paternalistic policies are not what we need.  Why waste the time, when the market is already leading the way on women’s rights? Why would we listen to a man that called “pregnancy an inconvenience for employers” in 2004? We don’t need men to prescribe policies for us, we need them to step up to the plate and take on family responsibilities.  Let your representatives in Congress know that if this policy does not include paternity leave, it is useless for the American family and the advancement of women in their careers.

Even if paternity leave is included it does not help rural women with jobs, it does not provide pay equity and it does not help women to break the glass ceiling. I would love to hear your solutions to gender equity and what would help you to support your family.

And just a final thought… what would happen if that 70% of women with children under 18 walked out of work for the day and didn’t purchase anything?

It is the time of year that my students are applying to jobs in the higher education industry and the time that I remind them that growing as a professional doesn’t stop with their master’s degree.  It is easy to get comfortable within this industry, as typically there is a low turnover rate.  Many professionals stay in their positions for the lifetime of their career, which is rare in the workforce today and therefore easy to not plan.

Per Sean Gallagher, Executive Director of the Center for the Future of Higher Education & Talent Strategy and author of The Future of University Credentials, the shift toward online credentials, badges, and the many new forms of professional certification will disrupt and change the ecosystem of higher education.  No matter, your functional area of interest in higher education, you need to be aware of the changes to the ecosystem and adapt accordingly.   A few key areas, I would recommend focusing on in your own career are technology, data & measurement, and flexibility.

Technology is key, as it affects every unit in a university setting.  You should be prepared for how changes in technology can enhance your practice or potentially eliminate roles within your area of expertise.  A Harvard Business Review article – Technology Will Replace Many Doctors, Lawyers, and Other Professionals, challenges the idea that there will be professions spared.  This is the same case within higher education.  High performing systems will replace many professionals and require a different type of expertise.   I have three technology project currently running in my office that will eliminate lower level work.  When I started in career services, there was little to no technology used.  Now, I must be able to translate my knowledge of career success into technologies that serve larger populations.   Salesforce is a great example of how technology is expanding my own work.  This is a good change, as it allows for simple questions to be answered via technology and allows me to deal with more complex questions personally.

Data & measurement is necessary to running an effective and efficient office.  Of late, media coverage has tended to focus on the soaring costs of higher education.  Graduation rates, retention and professional outcomes have been used to measure success but little is focused on the quality of the education or performance of an office.  For each office, you need to understand the data available to you and how you can use this enhance your programming and then how to measure the effectiveness of that programming.  Data is the foundation of decision-making and needs to be integrated into your work and across offices. It is not just IT’s job.  If you want to learn more, see Ben Sullins course on Twelve Myths of Data Science.  In my own office, we are considered a cost center for the university and I need to be able to articulate our value to the mission of the school.  To do this effectively, I need to address the interests of my students while moving the mission the school forward. Collection, evaluating and reporting of data is one of my key responsibilities.

Finally, you need to be flexible with your working identity and be ready to take on new roles within higher education or adapt your current role.  There is not a position that is permanent.  You need to be cognizant of your own working identity and how you must adapt for the future.  If you haven’t done so, check out my video on Managing Your Career for tips on creating a working identity.

California, Oregon, Massachusetts, and New York City are leading the way to more equitable pay for all by banning the salary history question; however, that’s not enough to bring wide-scale change for pay equity or to you as an individual.  Until implicit bias is addressed both in the hiring process and the offer of a salary, pay inequity will still exist.  Within a salary band, employers can still anchor your compensation on the low end based on their perceptions of your identity.  The good news is that you, as a job seeker, can act in ways that can mitigate the implicit bias in the offer.

Often the folks I coach start out asking “What am I worth?” and my response is “It is not what you are worth but what the position is worth” plus your value to it.  A piece of advice I frequently give, is that if you have 70% of what they are looking for in the position, you are a qualified candidate.  As you consider the following advice, you will want to confront any bias you may have about your qualifications, as it relates to the position.

So, the first step in gaining equity in pay is to know what the market will offer for the position and what your value is to that position.  In the U.S., this is guided by policies and recommendations set by local governments, state governments, and the Department of Labor.  These policies and recommendations are enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  Companies will set a salary band following these policies, the role, and industry standards.   If you are working outside of the U.S., you will want to understand that country’s labor laws and guiding principles.

To determine your salary expectations, take into consideration the role, industry, and the geographic location of your position.  The best source of information in the U.S. is the Bureau of Labor Statisticswage data by area and occupation. This will provide the most detailed information.  You can sort data by occupation, industry, and geographic region.  You can also use O*NET online, which provides a summary of wage data by role and geography, but not by industry.  Finally, another great option is to use a professional association related to the role you are seeking.  They often collect and publish salary data for roles and industries.

Your second step is to understand the full value of the offer.  Again, I often see folks come into my office thinking they have a great offer, but once we start reviewing the benefits package, it doesn’t look as good.  Be sure that you are comparing apples to apples – not apples to oranges.  Take, for example, the higher education industry time-off benefits, where it is very common to receive four weeks of vacation along with generous sick time and many state/ federal holidays.  In corporate settings, it is more common to find two weeks of vacation with limited holidays and sick time.  Time-off is only one consideration. If you would like to see more benefits you need to consider, check out my video on Determining your Priorities on LinkedIn Learning.

Your final step is to ask for money, whether you are asking for a raise or negotiating a new offer.  It is important to keep in mind that you may face implicit bias based on your identity; however, you can overcome these obstacles by planning for the conversation, well in advance.  You will want to effectively frame the conversation and use your research to support your request.  Before coming to the negotiation table, identify the contributions you can make that will allow you to be successful and how these can add value to the bottom-line of the organization.  These types of conversation can be difficult, so hiring a coach to guide you may be a good strategy.  Also, you can check out the LinkedIn Learning course by Lisa Gates for advice on framing these conversations to get you started.

It’s at this time of the year that I hear from many of my students and various LinkedIn members that they are frustrated with their job searches. Year after year they ask me for a simple answer to the same complicated question: Where is my job search going wrong?

Job searches are a lot of work and can be very confusing and even disheartening experiences. I get it!

While, unfortunately, there are no simple answers to that question, I have created a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Job Search Diagnostic to help you determine where the process is breaking down for you, so that you can seek out help where you need it.

In this diagnosis, you will be examining your search from four different perspectives, starting with your overall search strategy.

Overall Search Strategy

In an overall search strategy, two patterns are problematic.  The first is too broad of an approach.  It is like throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks.  To be effective, you need to be able to articulate your value to each position and have an apparent reason for applying.  You’ll want to clarify your working identity to focus your attention on jobs that are the correct fit for you.

The second problematic issue is being too narrow in your search focus.  If you are not getting interviews, you might want to perform a gap analysis or look at your application process.   You may need to go onto a plan B to fill in gaps or examine your networking strategy.

If you have what I call the “right size” search, you are ready to move on to the application diagnosis. The “right size” search is a search that where you are focused on positions where you have at least 75% of skills, knowledge, and qualifications needed and within multiple organizations or sectors of interest.

Application Process

The application process needs to be examined next if you are not getting interviews with a right-sized search.  To be considered actively seeking a new opportunity, you should be applying to positions within a two-week window of the position opening and three to five jobs a week with a targeted resume and cover letter to the decision maker in the process.

Professional Network

If you are still not getting the interviews, your next step is to analyze how you are using or developing your professional network to help you in the search.  As you are seeking a position, you should be actively engaged in reaching out to people who are working in that sector to either provide you with advice on the search, potential job openings or recommend you to decision-makers in the process.

Interviews

Finally, if you are landing the interviews but not the job, you should examine your past interviews to see what may be going wrong.  Look to see where you have had difficulty or been surprised by the question.  If you are getting to second-round interviews, what barriers may be affecting the decision? Think about whether you are expressing your interest at the end of interviews and if you are following up with each person that interviewed you.

After examining each of these areas, you will identify areas where you could improve; however, you may be competing in an extremely competitive market!  Getting discouraged is normal. Take a short break, and then keep moving forward and you will land your next opportunity.