7 Clear Actions for Assessing Your Career Health

“I love my job and my coworkers are fabulous, so why should I be concerned about my Career Health?”  You never know when someone or something is going to come along and change that.  Whether it’s a former colleague wooing you over to the competition, a new manager that interprets your job description differently, or an unexpected opening in the executive suite, you want to be ready.

1. Who Do You Know?

No matter how stable your position, it’s always a good idea to actively cultivate a healthy network both inside and outside of your profession.  View networking as a double-sided coin.  One side gives you the opportunity to benchmark for your organization and stay current on external perspectives.  The other allows you to passively let others know what you do (and how great you are at doing it!)  You never know, your next opportunity may come from someone remembering a statement you made in passing.

2. Is Your Resume Ready?

If you’ve been in school, out of the workforce, or in the same position for more than a year, you probably haven’t looked at your resume in lately.  Even if you’re not currently looking, it’s good practice to keep it fresh.  Be sure that your experience section is descriptive and shows action, and don’t leave out training and professional affiliations. Whenever you do something new, different, or exceptionally well add it to your resume! 

3. What’s Your Elevator Speech?

I once almost closed the elevator door on the SVP of HR's arm.  Fortunately, he was a very understanding individual that quickly realized that I was preoccupied with the training materials I was transporting from a meeting.  (It didn’t hurt that he knew who I was and my role in his organization.)  After apologizing for not seeing him rushing down the hall, I knew that I only had a few floors to let him know the tremendous value I added to his organization. :) Most likely you won’t have an inside track, so you’ll need to come up with a memorable one-liner that describes what you do and ALWAYS lead with it (in case you’re interrupted.)  To support your opening, develop a few sentences that explain your HOW and WHY.  This is very important in showing that you’re thorough and truly add value. When executed properly, it also makes you memorable.  Don’t forget to rehearse!

4. Are Your Skills and/or Credentials Up-to-Date?

It’s important to continue to invest in yourself!  It’s easy to fall into the rut of doing, and lose track of what’s going on around you.  Subsequently, you may pick things up quickly through reading or watching others.  This is great a great time-saver.  However in today’s environment it may not be enough to keep you where you are, let alone help you move ahead in your career.  Make sure you're seeking official opportunities to update your skills and learn new ones.  Be sure to track hours toward new credentials or re-certifications.

5. What Have You Done Lately?

In addition to updating your resume, you should be able to verbalize a few of your “big wins” in a concise manner for interviews and networking.  Think about using a format like this one: briefly describe a project or circumstance, tell what you did, and why it was (or wasn’t) effective.  If things didn’t work out the way you’d plan, it shows that you’re honest and open.   Be sure to tweak the resume version since we write and speak differently.   Don’t forget to rehearse!

 6. Create a One-Pager.

Develop an expanded professional summary.  Just as a sales rep. carries collateral (or advertising material), so should you.  Don’t create a full-color glossy ad slick with your picture on the top (unless you’re a model or actor.)  Instead, keep it simple.  Transcribe your “story” in two to three paragraphs.  Unlike your resume, this document focuses on you.  It’s an opportunity to interject your personality and interests while expressing your foundational skills and strengths.  This can be used as a follow-up to your elevator speech, networking opportunity, or after meeting with your boss or mentor.  Your one-pager is not intended to get you a job, it’s intended to get AND keep you top-of-mind.

7. References.

These individuals may be part of your active networking circle, but probably aren’t.  Your references should be people that have actually had the pleasure of working with you and/or have evaluated your performance.  Obviously they should know you, and you need to trust them.  Although it’s most likely that you won’t have a direct conversation about them providing a recommendation for you prior to needing one, it’s good to have a handful of people in mind.  When the time comes, you’ll feel confident making the call and asking for their permission.   The last thing you want to do is ask someone for a recommendation and have them turn you down when you need it most.  Or worst yet, have them provide a poor or meaningless recommendation on your behalf.

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You never know when opportunity is going to knock.  How will you answer?  Need clarity on how to develop an effective elevator speech or an expanded professional summary?  Contact Clarity Leadership Consulting for a free introductory coaching session or organizational needs consultation.

Red Zone Time at the EEOC

By David D. Schein, President & General Counsel, Claremont Management Group, Inc. 

Recently, some legal newspapers have publicized an EEOC pattern called the “Red Zone.” This is not a reference to plays within the 10 yard line in football. This is a situation where the EEOC files a majority of its lawsuits against employers during the last 60 days of the Federal fiscal year. At the end of the prior fiscal year, the EEOC filed 175 of 261 suits during this period. In fact, on the last day of the fiscal year, 18 suits were filed, including one against Safeway. While large companies can help the EEOC pump up its public image, the EEOC faces much stronger opposition in those cases. (http://www.lawweekonline.com/2012/08/legal-lasso-employers-are-bracing-for-suits-by-eeoc/ for more details.)

For small employers, the news can be especially bad. Many small businesses do not carry EPLI, “Employment Practices Liability Insurance.” Regular liability insurance does not protect an employer from an employee or EEOC suit for discrimination. So, even a case filed by the EEOC on behalf of a single claimant could be a major financial hurdle for a struggling small business. The author’s experience has been that the EEOC will sue small employers even though there is little to be gained. EEOC officials know settlement can be obtained on terms far more favorable than the claimant, even in a best case scenario, might deserve because the employer does not have the resources to fight the case. In a recent private settlement, such a case settled for the high five figures along with onerous future conditions on the employer in essentially a “no liability” case. 

Obviously, the EEOC has no conscience about bullying small employers. The best approach is avoiding a showdown with the EEOC. Adopting a strong anti-discrimination policy that is publicized to all employees is the first step. Good management training in enforcing the policy and detecting discrimination problems in the workplace is the next step. Then, consistent enforcement of the policy, including thorough investigation of complaints and protection against retaliation for claimants and witnesses. Last, there needs to be appropriate penalties for violations of the policy and documentation of the investigation and discipline.

When the EEOC comes knocking, that is the time to get an employment attorney involved. Too many small employers wait until they have lost the EEOC case and are facing “conciliation,” before they consult counsel.

ZebraCard.Me: Are QR Codes Dead?

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Is the QR Code a fad that's fading into the distant past of marketing tactics from yesteryear?  That's what my friend Brandon thinks.  In response to a tweet last week, he had a pretty firm opinion that he wasn't afraid to share.

I agree with Brandon to some degree.  The QR Code is overused.  It will certainly fall from glory as the "next big thing" if it hasn't already.  But I don't see it disappearing.  Instead of the next big thing, it will become just another thing.  A valuable thing.  A thing that can be used when and if it has purpose.  But not slapped on everything just because it's the next big thing.

Here at AddressTwo, we've been working on a side project: ZebraCard.Me.  We think that one place QR codes could be used is in the exchange of data.  Where else do people exchange data more than anything else?  Business cards.  What if your business card contained more data than just what was printed in ink?

But here's the catch.  Here's the one thing that will make the QR code functional, not just a fad: Analytics.

What if you could know who had viewed your business card and what actions they took? Did they visit your website? Did they read your blog? The QR Code has been implemented on business cards to-date merely as a means to enhance the recipient's experience--offering more data, making it easy to scan, etc. But ZebraCard.me offers value both to the recipient as well as the giver of the business card. ZebraCard.me creates a QR code or barcode for your business card that points to a URL where each user's interaction with your business card data is tracked. If they download your vcard, you'll know. If they read your blog, you'll know.

The power of digital data isn't just in ease of transfer, it's in the trackability of those transfers.  

Back this project on Fundable.Com/ZebraCard