Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Career Development

Beyond Work is our line of resources for people and community leaders looking for something new and innovative, be it a new job, career change, or personal development outside of work. Read this category specifically for Career Development.

  • Will your Current Resume Bypass an Applicant Tracking System?

    Will your Current Resume Bypass an Applicant Tracking System?

    Will your Current Resume Bypass an Applicant Tracking System?

    As most of you know, I am a Certified Professional Resume Writer. I do my best to stay abreast of current trends in resume writing. I recently viewed a webinar regarding developing a resume for today’s market. One hot topic discussed was Applicant Tracking Systems. Did you know 90% of resumes are going through some type of online Applicant Tracking System? Will your resume make it through an ATS?

    Here are 3 Tips to Develop an Applicant Tracking System friendly resume: 

    1. Use Key Words (include a Summary or Skills Section) – Check out JobScan.co; it’s a great tool!
    2. Use Simple Formatting (avoid columns and text boxes).
    3. Use common names for the headings (Professional Experience, Education, Skills, etc.).

    Resume Writing Academy offers free resources on their website! Check out this site for more tips on current resume trends.

    If you are a career development professional, check out our continuing education courses! We have a resume writing basics course beginning in early 2021. Here is a link to register: https://horizonpointconsulting.com/continued-education/.

    Check back often as we continue to post more course offerings.

  • Interview Prep for Today’s Job Market

    Interview Prep for Today’s Job Market

    I’ve received several requests over the past few months in regard to preparing for an interview. Interviewing can be tricky. It varies from job to job and from employer to employer. Throw in a pandemic with virtual interviews and it gets even trickier!

    Just last week, I received a text from a wonderful client who was unsure of how well she did in a recent interview. She (jokingly) asked, “is there a class for interview anxiety?” If you don’t get anxious during an interview, please share your secret with the rest of us! On a side note, I’m sure she did amazing!

    Also last week, a colleague shared a few fabulous resources that are great for interview prep. One of the resources was specifically about what to do during the interview. Here are my favorite takeaways:

    • Ask the Right Questions: Come with prepared questions and ask questions during the interview. Ask informed, open-ended questions to show your interest in the company and position. (examples include: What is your vision for this department? What challenges do you expect in the next six months?) On a side note, don’t ask the wrong questions (avoid questions about vacation time, benefits, or salary).
    • Sell Your Skills: Match your skills to the skills sought by the company. You can usually determine this from the job posting’s “required and preferred skills” section. Share a concise description of your experience that matches the company’s needs.
    • Keep Responses to the Point: Be a good listener. Stay on track and be direct with your responses. Keep your answers to a two-minute maximum. To prepare/practice, try the S.T.A.R. prep tool. Check out The STAR Method: The Secret to Acing Your Next Job Interview to find out how to use the S.T.A.R method.

    If you are preparing for a virtual interview, check out 20 Video Interview Tips to Help You Dazzle the Hiring Manager and Get the Job.

    Stay tuned, maybe we will offer an interview class soon!

  • Resources are the Bread and Butter of Career Planning

    Resources are the Bread and Butter of Career Planning

    Take a look at the diagram below of the Career Planning Process. Did you follow this process in your own career? Did you know a model like this even existed when you were making critical decisions in your career planning? At Horizon Point, we use this model to train educators and career counselors as part of a Facilitating Career Development course, and we spend a lot of time focused on the center of the diagram: resources.  

    Source: https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/pt/sd/news_article/105650/_PARENT/CC_layout_details/false

    Looking at the basic model, resources are generally defined as materials you can lay hands on, whether print or digital. There are fantastic resource materials available through the National Career Development Association and National Association of Colleges and Employers. If you are a student or educator, there are likely resource materials available through your institution. 

    Resources also include people. Teachers, counselors, coaches, mentors, friends, family. People we learn from, people we live with, people we know through someone else in our personal or professional network. Resource materials are necessary, but resource people bring materials to life and practical application. Who are your resource people? 

    The career planning process follows 7 steps that repeat on a loop throughout our lives. Each step requires the use of resources. Let’s explore potential resources. 

    Step 1: Become aware of the need to make a career decision

    Typically the first step occurs at or after a milestone like graduating high school or college, losing or quitting a job, moving to a new city, etc., and resources are likely heavily weighted in people like our friends and family. 

    Step 2: Learn about and/or reevaluate yourself

    Resources for understanding the self can be both material and people-oriented. There are many formal and informal assessments available in print and online versions, and there are trained career coaches and counselors who can drive critical thought around self-exploration. 

    Step 3: Identify occupational alternatives

    Step 4: Obtain information about identified alternatives

    Step 5: Make tentative choices from available occupations

    Step 6: Make educational choices

    For steps 3-6, the quickest resource is of course the internet. A great, free tool is My Next Move through O*Net. However, the most comprehensive resource is a career coach or counselor who has detailed information and insight about occupational alternatives and which might be the best fit. 

    Step 7: Get a job

    Getting a job also requires the use of resources such as resume guides and recruiter relationships. We know from research that about half of all jobs are filled through relationships, also referred to as the “hidden job market”, as opposed to the “public job market” of online job boards. People resources are equally critical to career planning as resource materials. 

    Repeat 

     

    Every decision we make relies on resources. The questions for you to consider today are: What resource materials do you use or need? Who are your resource people and/or how can you grow your network to include more people resources?

  • Are There Differences in What Women and Men State as Career Needs and Goals?

    Are There Differences in What Women and Men State as Career Needs and Goals?

    “Grow in my current role.”& “Personal growth.” 

    “Financial security.” & “Growth in earnings.”

    These are two sets of responses gathered working with our clients and with Horizon Point and MatchFIT team members when posing the question, “What do you want out of your career?” as a part of our Leaders as Career Agents Process. 

    Which pair do you think came from men and which one do you think came from women?   

    Although not a scientific study, I have seen over and over again how the majority of men focus on the financial aspects of career growth and plans whereas women focus on getting intrinsic satisfaction from that growth.   Both men and women cite impact and influence on others in career growth fairly equally as I’ve seen it.

    There are a million reasons that play into these differences and similarities I would venture to guess, but I think the reality of this is important. 

    If you are a leader facilitating some type of solicitation of this type of information, I would encourage you to help balance these discussions if they are weighted more heavily towards financial or personal growth needs by asking open-ended questions like:

    • Tell me what your thoughts are on your current compensation and where you’d like to see yourself move throughout your career in terms of pay and rewards?
    • Tell me about your personal growth and learning goals?  What would you like to be exposed to? Who would you like to learn from and what would you like to learn?
    • How do you see yourself giving back to the organization and others throughout your career? 

    Finally, as a leader, take ownership in helping people understand what they are worth and driving them towards the learning and development that helps them reach their financial needs and desires.  Engage in helping people feel comfortable talking about both. 

    What differences have you seen, if any, between what women and men state as career needs? 



  • Satisfied or Standing Still

    Satisfied or Standing Still

    I’ve been thinking a lot about satisfaction at work and in life. If you’re a fan of Hamilton, you know the iconic song, “Satisfied”, about the struggle of feeling dissatisfied with your life when you’re aware of other possibilities. I’ve felt this personally, and we’ve seen it in others through our work helping individuals and organizations find mutual FIT. We believe person-organization fit leads to job satisfaction and engagement.

    If you know “Satisfied”, then you also know the line “I am not standing still, I am lying in wait” from the song “Wait For It”. (Is it obvious I just rewatched Hamilton on Disney+?) That line – and the entire song – describes those of us who find ourselves waiting for something better to come along. A better job. A better boss. A better company. We’re waiting for something better, but we’re not taking any action.

    My message today is to stop standing still and take action toward satisfaction. That doesn’t have to mean leaving a job, although the timing for that might be right. It could simply mean taking a moment for self-reflection to understand yourself and identify why you might not be satisfied. Is it a values mismatch?

    We know from research and our work with organizations that a mismatch of values or work environment preferences is likely to lead to dissatisfaction, disengagement, and eventually turnover. Long-term FIT is more likely to occur when individuals and organizations share a common approach to work and balancing that work with life.

    Question of the day: Are you satisfied or standing still?

     

    Jillian will be speaking at the NASHRM September Workshop on Tuesday, September 8th. Find out more information or register here.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Want to learn more about finding your fit? Check out our sister company MatchFIT. Visit thematchfit.com