Get the Classified and/or Business and Finance section of a major Sunday newspaper and a pair of scissors. Next, beginning with the first page of the Classified, go through every column and every ad on every page in order to cut out ads for jobs of interest to you. For this exercise, disregard salary, job title, geographic location, and travel. Concentrate on job content. Also ignore any ads placed by employment agencies. In cutting out jobs you find interesting, remember to reach above your current job title. After all, you are better than you think you are! (In the experience of the authors of this book, this is the single most important fact we have discovered in our years of job counseling.)
By way of illustration, Judy Price was interested in Training and Development ads (a part of the Personnel Department in most companies). Yet this type of position is listed in more than one location in the classified pages. Besides being found under Personnel, Training and Development ads may be listed under Training, Sales, Retailing, Health Care' Hospitals, or Management Training.
Therefore, to ensure that you do not overlook valuable employment opportunities it is necessary, at least the first or second time you do this exercise, to go through every ad in every column on every page. These "identifiers" do not usually appear in the Business or Financial pages, but they do appear in the classified sections of newspapers. Here is a sample training ad. In the upper left-hand corner is the "identifier" for this ad. The identifier, Personnel, locates where in the Classified Ads this advertisement appeared.
TRAINING ADMINISTRATOR
$14-17K This is a corporate staff position located in Somerset County, N.J. The qualified individual for this situation will have a degree and a minimum of 2 years of experience in industrial training program development and administration. Must have excellent communication skills, including conducting training sessions with large groups. Will have responsibilities for conducting needs analysis; developing training programs and administering them; developing training materials; and coordination of public seminar arrangements in an industrial environment. Must be able to deal effectively with all levels of salaried personnel. Competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package. Send resume, including salary history, in confidence to:
After you have gone through every page and every ad of the classified section:
" Sort your want ads by job title after you've cut them out.
" Compile a written list of "identifiers" for each job title, based upon a review of the ads in each job grouping.
" Once you have completed this, it becomes necessary only to review these "identifiers" for a specific job title in future editions of the newspapers. You can then look for a job title assured of seeing all the ads without having to go through the whole paper.
When you work "smarter" than everyone else who is looking, you will get what you want. For the first time around, though, remember to go through every ad, every column, every page. This holds also for the Business and Financial section of your Sunday paper. We recognize that this exercise can be a bit tedious, but it will make you a smarter job hunter, so stick with it.
The strength of want-ad analysis comes from its being a factor analysis of your sample want ads for a particular job title; that is, each individual fact in each ad of your sample will be recorded on the worksheet in order to establish patterns of frequency. Once established, these patterns will determine (1) if you can realistically apply for the job and, if yes, (2) exactly what part of your work experience should be emphasized in your action letter or resume. It's this last point that most job hunters, even the most experienced, have trouble handling. Without doing the want-ad analysis, you have no reliable method of knowing what part of your work experience should be emphasized to a future employer. It also provides a barometer to measure the market, allowing you to "leap" into position. The more extensive your work experience and the longer your resume, the greater the problem. It's like the old expression: you can't see the forest for the trees. Our way out of this accumulation of work experience is to match only the employer's needs with your interest and experience.
Periodically, once every three or four weeks, you should redo the want-ad analysis to reflect the increased sample size. This "fine tuning" will allow you to identify quickly any significant changes in your field such as new federal legislation. An example is ADEA, jargon in the personnel field for the Age Discrimination and Employment Act.
Trying Want-Ad Analysis Techniques
While it may seem tedious, it would be very useful to run through the want-ad analysis with another career changer. We have chosen Larry Spooner, a "financial type" who desires to switch from a nonprofit to a profit-making environment. In the 1980s this type of switch will become increasingly difficult to accomplish successfully, so this is an invaluable tool for these times.
We want you to do a want-ad analysis for Larry Spooner in three steps: (a) with one want ad, (b) with three want ads, and (c) with ten want ads (a completed want-ad analysis). To guide yourself through the analysis, follow these simple steps:
Step 1 Carefully read ad 1, and place the pertinent information in this ad on the worksheet. Then draw conclusions. Next, compare your worksheet with ours . There should be a close similarity.
Step 2 Repeat Step 1, using ads 2 and 3. Add this information to the same worksheet. Again, compare your results with our worksheet at the end of the chapter.
Step 3 Repeat Step 1, using want ads 4 through 10. Draw your conclusions. Then compare your completed want-ad analysis worksheet with our completed form at the end of the chapter.
In this fashion, you will be able to complete a want-ad analysis in the prescribed manner, which allows you to be thorough and objective while sharpening your skills in using the analysis.
Before actually doing the want-ad analysis, let's take a look at Larry Spooner's situation. He was the assistant controller of a large division in his city's government. After six years in public service, Larry wanted out. He had a master's degree in public administration (M.P.A.) and a bachelor's in business administration (B.B.A.) in accounting. In total, he had spent over ten years in government. He was thirty-four years old and earning $28,500. He then decided to switch to industry-but exactly what job? And to what industries could he apply? Would he qualify? To answer these all-important questions, Larry did a want-ad analysis on a job title in his area of interest, one he believed he was qualified to apply for: financial analyst.
Insiders' Tip: If you are planning to make a significant switch (from nonprofit to profit, teaching to industry, et cetera), you may or may not maintain your present income level. You will probably have a lower title even if your salary is the same or higher.
LARRY SPOONER'S WANT-AD ANALYSIS: On the next three pages are the financial analyst want ads that Larry used. They are numbered from 1 to 10. Take a blank worksheet and, using ad 1, follow the procedure outlined in Step 1.
Review of Step 1
" Read ad 1 carefully.
" Place pertinent information in this ad on worksheet.
" Be sure to record all information.
" Can you draw conclusions yet? No.
" Compare your want-ad analysis with the author's want-ad analysis.
Observations
1. Notice that we have recorded every useful piece of information in the ad on the worksheet. This is important to do in order to make your analysis accurate and thorough.
2. After analyzing only one ad, it is not possible to list the top four job tasks or skills or draw conclusions.
3. As your skill at reading ads becomes refined, you will be able to draw inferences even from only one ad. However, don't make the mistake of jumping to conclusions. One ad, or even three ads, is an insufficient sample size. Ten ads are the recommended minimum sample size.
Now complete Step 2
" Read ads 2 and 3 carefully.
" Add all pertinent information to the worksheet.
" You can't draw conclusions yet, but patterns are emerging.
" Review of Step 2
" Repeat Step 1, using ads 2 and 3.
" Compare your results with the authors' want-ad analysis .
Observations
1. Patterns are starting to develop. Certain tasks or skills are repeated more frequently than others. However, it is still too early to see any definitive patterns. They must await the analysis of all ten ads.
Complete Step 3
o Using ads 4 to 10, repeat as before.
Review of Step 3
" Repeat Step 1, using want ads 4 to 10.
" Draw conclusions (use page 2 of the worksheet).
" Compare your complete worksheet with our completed form
On the basis of his completed want-ad analysis, Larry Spooner came to these final conclusions about the financial analyst position.
(a) The minimum education level is a B.S. or B.B.A. degree in Accounting. (He has this!)
(b) Eighty percent of the ads wanted an M.B.A. (He has an M.P.A., but his ten years of experience may for an enlightened employer offset this deficiency.)
(c) His ten years of experience were seven more than the maximum stated in the ads. As only 30 percent of the ads asked for three years, he could be overqualified for this job. Larry might, therefore, look at higher-level financial jobs. However, these are viable positions for him to apply for, since he is radically switching industries (nonprofit to profit).
Larry can go after this title in major industries provided he keeps in mind the following limitations:
(1) The job will carry the same or a slightly lower salary.
(2) It is a lower job title.
(3) There is little or no travel.
(4) He might consider taking courses toward an M.B.A. in finance.
(5) He might try a want-ad analysis for ten ads for a higher job title. For example, senior financial analyst.
Decision-making time: knowing that he can go after the financial-analyst-level position, does Larry want to pursue it? If not, he has to look at more senior positions, but if Larry answers, "Yes," he must then move on to the next steps:
(a) He must collect and define all the jargon (see his completed want-ad analysis for the position until he is comfortable with these terms.
(b) Larry has to decide which type of company to apply to (service, industrial consumer, etc). This decision will be further limited by his own geographical restrictions and preferences in organization size (small, medium, or large).
(c) Finally, to accomplish his switch successfully, Larry must develop hard-hitting marketing tools. In his case a resume won't work well. As soon as most corporations see the "government," they will usually consign the paper to the wastebasket. Larry needs an excellent action letter, using action verbs like those shown to you in chapter 4. Chapter 6 will show in detail how this letter and others like it are devised.
Additional Comments on the Want-Ad Analysis
As we stated previously, in making the want-ad analysis you will notice there are many job titles that describe the same function. Very few organizations call the same job responsibilities by the same title. A senior accountant in a very large organization may be called an assistant controller in a medium-sized one, or even a controller in a small one?. Senior accountant can also be listed under financial analyst. To overcome possible confusion it is necessary to read the ads carefully and group them initially by title, then regroup them by job content.
Want-ad analysis is also valuable because it can contribute to an improved self-image. You no longer have to be scared off from applying for jobs solely on the basis of their titles. After doing your want-ad analysis, if you find that your background and work experience closely fit an ad's task requirements, answer the ad. After all, what do you have to lose when doing a want-ad analysis, however, you may discover that you don't have all of the top four or five skills or experience required. What should you do? As a general practice, you should ask more of yourself. Specifically, if you have about 75 percent of the correct experience and you've expressed your experience in P-A-R format, you should "reach" and apply for the position.
Insiders' Tip: It's easier to move from a large company to a small one than the other way around unless you have an incredibly specialized (usually technical) background that a future employer wants.
Smaller companies are generally less sticky about degrees, too. You can get to be the vice president of Marketing without an M.B.A. or other advanced degrees in a smaller firm much more easily than you can in a multinational giant.
So, if your academic credentials won't have Exxon or Procter & Gamble camping on your doorstep pleading with you to join them, try a smaller organization. In a smaller company you can gain exposure to areas that you wouldn't if working at a giant. At smaller companies you gain varied experience; at larger ones you get prestige from having the "name" behind you. In 1980, small businesses (defined as 500 employees or less) employed the majority of all workers.
4. If you receive an offer from an employer who wants you to relocate, are you prepared to move? If you are, then your opportunities for finding employment greatly increase. However, this is true chiefly if you are at a manager's level or higher, or you are viewed as having managerial "potential." The new employer generally picks up part or all of your relocation expenses. If you do have to relocate yourself fully or in part, the expense is tax-deductible.
Even if you are willing to or really want to relocate, it may be difficult to do so. Many areas of the country have prejudices against people who are not from their part of the country. For example, if you are a Californian, have been educated in the Southwest, and work for a California-based organization, you will probably have some difficulty convincing a northeastern company that you are a hard worker and possess the requisite "killer instinct " Valid or not, you will be viewed as too "laid back," more interested in whether you have a swimming pool at your apartment complex than whether their union's going out on strike. Be prepared to bring up these issues first, even if your interviewer does not. The people who interview you may not mention these concerns, but they sure are thinking about them!
If you are not willing to relocate, don't interview with employers who will inevitably want to move you. Keep in mind, however, that relocation is often a fact of life for managers in big organizations and that you may be hurting your long-term career. Employees at IBM often say that the initials I.B.M. stand for "I've Been Moved."
From Home equity's Relocation Issues and Trends, April 2011: "Housing is an enormously costly asset or investment to buy, finance, maintain and sell.... On average and depending on the area of the country, values are no longer appreciating at the 12-18% per year level. . .but more in the range of 4% to 9%, and in some locations are declining by as much as 5%.... Within the last three years, a person who allotted $700 for a mortgage payment was able to afford a $94,000 home. And today? That amount of inflated money only covers the payments for a home valued around $65,000. Real incomes are still not keeping pace with rising inflation
Should you visit local employment agencies if you don't want to relocate? By all means. When you are seeking new employment, list yourself with several firms that have some expertise in your job area. Some of these agencies may want you to list yourself with them exclusively, but unless you have 100 percent faith that only one can find you
Insiders' Tip: It's easier to move from a large company to a small one than the other way around unless you have an incredibly specialized (usually technical) background that a future employer wants.
Smaller companies are generally less sticky about degrees, too. You can get to be the vice president of Marketing without an M.B.A. or other advanced degrees in a smaller firm much more easily than you can in a multinational giant.
So, if your academic credentials won't have Exxon or Procter & Gamble camping on your doorstep pleading with you to join them, try a smaller organization. In a smaller company you can gain exposure to areas that you wouldn't if working at a giant. At smaller companies you gain varied experience; at larger ones you get prestige from having the "name" behind you. In 2010, small businesses (defined as 500 employees or less) employed the majority of all workers.
4. If you receive an offer from an employer who wants you to relocate, are you prepared to move? If you are, then your opportunities for finding employment greatly increase. However, this is true chiefly if you are at a manager's level or higher, or you are viewed as having managerial "potential." The new employer generally picks up part or all of your relocation expenses. If you do have to relocate yourself fully or in part, the expense is tax-deductible.
Even if you are willing to or really want to relocate, it may be difficult to do so. Many areas of the country have prejudices against people who are not from their part of the country. For example, if you are a Californian, have been educated in the Southwest, and work for a California-based organization, you will probably have some difficulty convincing a northeastern company that you are a hard worker and possess the requisite "killer instinct." Valid or not, you will be viewed as too "laid back," more interested in whether you have a swimming pool at your apartment complex than whether their union's going out on strike. Be prepared to bring up these issues first, even if your interviewer does not. The people who interview you may not mention these concerns, but they sure are thinking about them!
5. Should you visit local employment agencies if you don't want to relocate? By all means. When you are seeking new employment, list yourself with several firms that have some expertise in your job area. Some of these agencies may want you to list yourself with them exclusively, but unless you have 100 percent faith that only one can find you a wonderful opportunity in a short period of time, use several. You are the one who's looking. If you have a good background, believe us, they'll market you.
6. Will executive search firms be interested in you? Perhaps. Even though executive recruiters (often called head-hunters), unlike employment agencies, do not let you visit them unless they have sought you out, most of them will accept your resume (even if they say they won't) and put it in their extensive files if your background's of interest to them. Remember, though, executive search firms work for the corporations, not for the candidate. They couldn't care less that you are seeking employment. Most of their targeted candidates are people who haven't even been thinking about making a job change. They will never try to "market" you, whereas employment agencies will if they feel you are salable. Laws governing executive search firms differ from state to state, but most bonafide executive recruiters generally don't handle positions paying under $30,000 or $35,000 even if their state allows them to go lower.
Executive recruiters often have out-of-state clients, so your desire not to relocate will decrease your potential value to the recruiters even if they are interested in your background.
7. Should you answer ads in newspapers and trade journals? Definitely yes. Remember that job hunting is a tough business. Do anything and everything that will help you get your next desired position. But be judicious: you could be answering a blind ad placed by a division within your present organization.
8. Should you write letters or send resumes directly to potential employers? Again, yes. Leave no stone unturned. Limit your letters geographically only if you cannot or will not relocate.
9. Should you ask people you know for help in your job campaign? Certainly. Most job seekers, over 70 percent, get their jobs through contacts. And put your trust in strangers. They will often be more helpful than friends and family members who think they know you too well.
10. Should you think about starting your own business? Yes, think about it, but do some in-depth homework before you leap into this abyss. It takes expertise to develop a needed product or service, money to finance the beginnings, and even more money to carry you through some rough times, which are guaranteed to be there. Just because you sold two quilts to friends last Christmas does not mean that you have a viable business venture. Keep in mind that you are better off earning $30,000 working for someone else than starving to death at $9,700 just to be able to say it's your own business. Most small business ventures fail within the first two years because they are undercapitalized, undermanaged or both. Banks are not equity lenders; you will probably have to finance your own start-up. You have to produce three years' worth of financial statements showing a good progression upward in profits before a bank will loan you a dime (this is particularly true if you market a service instead of a product).
The Six Hottest Transferable Skills for the 2010s
Now that we've discussed some very valid reasons why you should think about making a career move, here is a list of highly transferable skills that most employers look for when hiring.
If you possess some, most, or all of these in your work or volunteer background you will be more valuable to many potential employers.
Public Speaking
If you belong to any professional associations, become active on some committee and be sure to talk publicly, even if it's only to introduce other speakers at a meeting. It's not frightening at all once you do it a few times. Then, you'll be able to lead discussions or to lecture. If you don't belong to any professional association, join one or two. If public speaking terrifies you, take a course at Dale Carnegie or join Toastmasters International. They'll teach you how to overcome your trepidations.
Budget Management
If possible, grab hold of any budget you can, even if it's a tiny one. Manage the dispersal of the funds, and keep accurate records. Having some fiscal control experience is always a plus.
Managing/Supervising
Even if you do not have people directly reporting to you, take responsibility for a group effort, if possible. And don't forget volunteer experience if you haven't supervised at work. Managing is managing, whether or not you're paid for it.
Interviewing
Interviewing doesn't have to take place only when hiring someone. Obtain information by direct questioning of others. If you belong to any organization, get involved with its newsletter (or start one) and interview people for articles. Offer to screen candidates for your boss, even if doing so is not part of your job description. In your personal life, interview several accountants or attorneys before you pick one. Develop a list of specific questions to ask each person you see.
Instructing
Teach a class at night in your local adult education center, at the "Y," or at a professional association. Remember that most "teaching'' occurs in the daily exchanges between people (persuading others to your point of view). Any position of leadership where you are in the limelight gives you a chance to teach concepts and methods. And, you don't have to have a Ph.D. or any degree in order to instruct; you can teach cookie baking, automobile repair, horseback riding, bridge, anything!
Writing
Write business letters, reports or memos at work. Write for a club or professional association's newsletter, write letters to the editor of newspapers and magazines, start a departmental newsletter if you can get your boss's permission, try to write an article for a magazine. Get yourself into print-you don't have to be the next F. Scott Fitzgerald to put pen to paper!
