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#YourCareer : The Disappearing White-Collar Job. Peak of the Need for Knowledge Workers. Your Thoughts?

May 18, 2023/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

For generations of Americans, a corporate job was a path to stable prosperity. No more.

The jobs lost in a monthslong cascade of white-collar layoffs triggered by overhiring and rising interest rates might never return, corporate executives and economists say. Companies are rethinking the value of many white-collar roles, in what some experts anticipate will be a permanent shift in labor demand that will disrupt the work life of millions of Americans whose jobs will be lost, diminished or revamped partly through the use of artificial intelligence.

“We may be at the peak of the need for knowledge workers,” said Atif Rafiq, a former chief digital officer at McDonald’s and Volvo. “We just need fewer people to do the same thing.”

Long after robots began taking manufacturing jobs, artificial intelligence is now coming for the higher-ups—accountants, software programmers, human-resources specialists and lawyers—and converging with unyielding pressure on companies to operate more efficiently.

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees after the Facebook parent’s latest round of layoffs that many jobs aren’t coming back because new technologies will allow the company to operate more efficiently. International Business Machines CEO Arvind Krishna recently said the company could pause some hiring to see what kind of back-office work can be done with AI. Leaders in many industries say they expect the new technology will augment some existing roles, changing what people do on the job. AI could allow employees to better contribute to their companies by doing more meaningful work, said Mr. Rafiq, author of a new book on management.

For the year ended in March, the number of unemployed white-collar workers rose by roughly 150,000, according to an analysis from Employ America, a nonpartisan research group. That included workers in professional services, management, computer occupations, engineering, and scientists.

“I can’t think of any job where it’s like AI by itself,” said Rodney McMullen, chief executive of grocery chain Kroger, which has about 430,000 employees. “I can think of a lot of jobs that are being affected by AI.”

That underlying dynamic has been accelerated by the binge hiring of recent years. Company leaders say they have become saddled with bloated managerial layers that slow decision making. The retailer Gap said in April that its new round of corporate job cuts would trim what has become an inefficient corporate bureaucracy.

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Lyft’s new CEO, David Risher, told investors this month that the ride-sharing company had cut the number of management layers from eight to five. Lyft said in April it would eliminate roughly 1,000 white-collar jobs in its latest round of layoffs. The flattened corporate structure means that Lyft “can innovate faster,” Mr. Risher said.

Jobs go through boom-and-bust cycles. In previous downturns, executives pledged to make streamlining efforts stick, only to replenish or grow their corporate ranks when business conditions improved. Many executives say the forces now at play suggest this time is different.

During past periods when higher interest rates pitched the U.S. economy into recession, job losses were often led by industries most sensitive to rate changes, such as manufacturing and construction. “It seems like we’re not seeing that right now. It could be the structure of the economy has changed,” said Preston Mui, an economist at Employ America, who has been studying white-collar job losses.

“A real question is: The Fed raises rates and softens the economy, where is that going to show up?”he said. The evidence is pointing to white-collar jobs, he said.

After 14 months of interest-rate increases by the Federal Reserve, job openings dropped to their lowest level in nearly two years in March, the most recent month of Labor Department data. Layoffs in the information sector were up 88% in March from a year earlier and up 55% in finance and insurance, the data show. For manufacturing, they were up 25% over the same period.

Companies are for the moment focused on keeping blue-collar employees—restaurant servers, warehouse workers, drivers and the like—who remain in short supply, according to economists and human-resources specialists. For C-suite executives under pressure from investors, that exposes middle managers and other white-collar workers to layoffs.

Whole Foods and Walt Disney announced layoffs in recent weeks that largely hit corporate staff while sparing such customer-service jobs as grocery clerk and hourly theme-park attendant. Retail workers, including salespeople and cashiers, were among the most in-demand roles in the first quarter of the year, according to the jobs site LinkedIn, along with nurses and drivers.

“Companies realize they over-hired in the middle,” said Nick Bunker, an economist at jobs site Indeed. “They’re paring things back.”

The number of employees working and the number of hours they worked in white-collar sectors such as professional services and medical and veterinary roles contracted in late April compared with January, according to data from Homebase, which provides software services to small businesses for scheduling hourly workers.

Sudden fall

Colton Pace, chief executive of Ownwell, a property-tax analysis company based in Austin, Texas, said he was filling more open roles with temporary contractors to give the startup flexibility in an uncertain economy. He also sees technology soon doing more company tasks.

“I want to be a little more cautious in how we hire,” Mr. Pace said. “In addition to that, it makes more sense because we’re not sure. Some of these roles will be automated away.”

A year ago, roughly 15% of the company was made up of contractors or seasonal workers. Those workers now make up a quarter of Ownwell’s roughly 85-person workforce. Mr. Pace said he could see AI and other tools eventually shouldering a greater share of the work in customer support, operations and sales.

There is no firm definition of white-collar employee in government data. The term broadly applies to people who work in offices and have higher education, such as a bachelor’s degree or some college. In recent decades, hiring in management and professional jobs rapidly outpaced other categories. The number of employees in management and professional occupations increased nearly 150% in the past 40 years, and nearly 36% since the end of the 2007-09 recession, according to Labor Department data. By comparison, service occupations such as barbers, child care workers and casino employees have risen 72% since 1983, the earliest available data, and 3.5% since June 2009.

Over the years, higher demand for skilled workers and higher pay for college-educated workers widened the economic gap with blue-collar workers. Yet following the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, wages rose fastest among low-earners, reducing the college wage premium and reversing about a quarter of the rise in wage inequality since 1980, according to a study by economists including David Autor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Payroll data from more than 300,000 small- and medium-size businesses showed that wages for new hires had generally declined in April from a year ago but fell most rapidly in white-collar professions, such as finance and insurance, according to Gusto, a payroll, benefits and human-resource management software maker. They rose most quickly in such services and blue-collar industries as tourism, construction and recreation, Gusto found.

Digital smarts

As companies look to cut costs, some employers have said middle managers will have to give up their teams and return to being just another worker. Others, including McDonald’s, have asked staffers to accept reduced compensation if they want to stay at the company.

Artificial intelligence also is expected to eliminate some positions entirely. Mr. Krishna, of IBM, has said in recent weeks that he could see 30% of IBM’s roughly 26,000 non-customer-facing roles being replaced by automation or AI over a five-year period.

An IBM spokesman said the company was still hiring for thousands of positions. “There is no blanket hiring ‘pause’ in place,” he said. “IBM is being deliberate and thoughtful in our hiring.”

The Labor Department projects that of the 20 occupations that will create the most jobs through 2031, about two-thirds will be blue-collar jobs that pay around $32,000 a year, including home-health and personal-care aides, restaurant cooks, fast-food workers, wait staff and freight movers.

The professions with the best prospects for growth that require a college degree include software developers, operations managers and registered nurses. Those jobs pay around $100,000 a year and are forecast to be better protected than other white-collar work from AI displacement.

Some employers are already figuring out exactly how many fewer white-collar workers they will need in the future. The business- and government-consulting firm Guidehouse in McLean, Va., which employs about 16,500 people, had expected to triple its head count in the coming years to reach its goal of roughly tripling its revenue to $10 billion, said CEO Scott McIntyre. Not anymore, he said.

Mr. McIntyre expects that with the help of AI and increased automation, Guidehouse may need to hire 40,000 people instead of 50,000 to reach its growth target. “The smarter you are with enabling technology and technology that creates productivity, the smarter you can be about hiring,” he said.

WSJ Authors: Chip Cutter at chip.cutter@wsj.com and Harriet Torry at harriet.torry@wsj.com

WSJ.com | May 15, 2023

#CareerAdvice – How to Ask for an #OfficeTransfer …Make No Mistake, though — Securing a Transfer isn’t as Easy as Simply Announcing a Move to your Employer. To get them OnBoard, you’ll Need to Think and Act Strategically.

October 17, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Maybe your current location doesn’t quite gel with your personality. Maybe you want to be closer to family. Or maybe you’re a wanderer, never content to stay in one place too long. Whatever the case, many people find themselves itching to explore new cities. If you’re dreading the job search that will come with it, though, remember: there are other options.

If you happen to be employed at a company with multiple branches, or if you think your company would be open to the possibility of you working remotely, asking for a transfer could be a great way to accommodate your desire for a new environment while still keeping the job that you love.

Make no mistake, though — securing a transfer isn’t as easy as simply announcing a move to your employer. To get them on board, you’ll need to think and act strategically.

1. Do Your Homework

When requesting a transfer, research is critical — it makes the difference between coming to your employer with a well thought out proposal and an unreasonable demand.

“Don’t ask for something if you haven’t researched whether or not it’s feasible,” says Erica Perkins, Director, Human Resources Business Partners at Glassdoor. “Find out what your employer policy is on location transfers and (if international) global mobility programs and assignments/expatriation.”

If you are planning on going international, pay especially close attention to immigration and labor laws.

“The feasibility and duration of an international transfer depends largely on the type of employment authorization available in the new location, which varies country-by-country,” Perkins adds. “Know what you’re getting into with respect to an international move, as there are significant differences in employment practices and regulations, as well as tax implications that are important to know before you determine you want to move.”

Besides the nitty-gritty legal details, you should also consider what else you’ll need to be successful there.

“For employees considering a role in another country, they should consider the language and culture changes that may be associated with an international move. What additional competencies might you need to be successful there?” says Mark Eckert, Internal Mobility Head at Uber.

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2. Think About it From an Employer’s Perspective

For employers, facilitating an internal transfer is often an investment — one that should ultimately pay off for them. So it’s worth thinking about it from their perspective: What factors do they have to take into account before making their decision? And how will transferring you to a different office be beneficial to them?

“Cost is often top-of-mind for employers when it comes to their internal mobility programs,” Eckert shares.

In addition, “employers would need to consider 1) is there a compelling business case for the change in office/location, 2) does the employee moving offices/locations provide added benefits to the business (not just to the individual)? (e.g., having the employee work with other teams, cross-pollination, knowledge-sharing, as well as establishing a footprint for that business function in another location, etc). 3) What are the individual benefits for the employee (ability to accommodate a request generates loyalty and is motivational for the employee [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][which can] help with retention) and 4) Can the employee bring additional value to the business in the new location?” Perkins says.

Keep in mind that if you have already proven your value to the company, they will be more likely to entertain your request.

“The first thing a company considers when an employee requests a transfer is how valuable they perceive the employee to be. The more a company wants to keep them, the more flexible the company will be,” says career coach Angela Copeland. “A company would be most interested to transfer an employee wishing to grow their professional skills in a new location. But, if they value the employee, they may also respect their desire to relocate for personal reasons, such as to be closer to family.”

3. State Your Case

With a solid understanding of what exactly a move will require from your employer, as well as what would make transferring you worth their time, you’re ready to initiate the conversation.

“The best way to effectively state your case is to articulate your ability to thrive and add value in the roles you are interested in, much like how you would if you were searching for new opportunities outside of your current company,” Eckert says. “How does your past experience and technical expertise apply to the new role? What can you bring to the role/team that will make you stand out against other internal and/or external candidates?”

“Make sure you are clear on the reasons for your request, and help articulate how your move may help improve the business beyond your own self-interest,” Perkins adds. Sensing reluctance on your employer’s end? “Offer to do the move for a mutually agreed trial period if your employer is hesitant to make a commitment,” she suggests.

Depending on your employer, you may even want to create a formal presentation for them, just as you would for a project at work.

“The most effective request I have seen for an internal transfer to a new city came from a woman interested to move from Memphis to Dallas. She created an entire presentation to sell her boss on the idea that she could work remotely. Then, the boss was able to use the same presentation to sell the idea to upper management,” Copeland says. “The move worked well for both the employee and the company.”

4. Set Yourself Up for Success

If your request is granted, it’s time to start thinking about what you can do beforehand to ensure a smooth transition.

“Do everything you can to ensure you hit the ground running. Set up time with your new manager and team to start getting up-to-speed before you leave,” Eckert suggests.

You may even want to visit your new city and office before you make your move.

“Before you take the plunge, be sure to tour the new office and the new city. Moving is a big decision. You want to make the right choice the first time,” Copeland shares.

And if you’re going international, “develop your cross-cultural competency,” Perkins suggests. “Besides honing language skills, study and educate yourself the customs and culture of your new locale. Important cultural differences can be very subtle (things like how you greet someone, body language, making eye contact, etc.). Don’t make the mistake of assuming that the ‘way you did it at home’ will work in your new location.”

And if you didn’t get the green light on your request to switch offices? Don’t worry — all is not necessarily lost.

“Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find a fit immediately. Business landscapes change quickly and so will the opportunities available internally at your company,” Eckert shares.

GlassDoor.com | October 17, 2018 | Posted by Emily Moore

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#CareerAdvice : #JobChange – 6 Things You Don’t Want to Hear About #ChangingCareers (But Need to Anyway)…Changing Careers is Not Always Easy, However, and it Doesn’t Help When we Gloss Over the Tough Parts.

August 26, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Take a break from all the ads and blog posts promising quick fixes to life’s most complex problems and join me for some real talk about finding career happiness. I work with people who feel stuck in jobs they don’t like and want to change careers.

If this is you, there are many reasons to feel optimistic about making a professional transition: there are many affordable ways to learn new skills, we are more connected than ever, and there are new professions and opportunities thanks to technological innovations. Changing careers is not always easy, however, and it doesn’t help when we gloss over the tough parts.

Here are 6 things to know about changing careers and what to do about them.

1. Figuring out what you want to do can take longer than doing it

If you have had a couple of jobs or a business and have done relatively well at them, you most likely already know how to get what you want. Many people can be incredibly resourceful when motivated by and excited about their goals. But sometimes what makes it hard to move forward is not having a clue about what we want.

Human beings are terrible at knowing themselves and there are so many variables and unknowns, how can one possibly make a decision? If you feel stuck, it might take you longer to figure out what you want to do than to make it happen. Start by asking yourself whether you are unhappy because of your job or your workplace culture. Then zero in on what you must have to feel fulfilled professionally.

If you still find yourself unable to make up your mind, the issue is likely to come from one of two places – or both: either there is something inside that makes it difficult for you to accept and honor your needs and desires and/or you don’t know what profession offers you the type of work you want to perform. If the former, plan on working with a therapist or a coach to uncover and release what is holding you back, and if the latter, research, research, research.

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2. Timing has a lot to do with the career you have…

…and so does location. At every moment in time and in every place, there are different opportunities available, we do not live and work in a vacuum. When I transitioned from wedding photography to marketing, for example, I was living in San Francisco, there was a lot of hiring in tech, and a need for marketing people with a background in the arts and social media. Boom! I found my way to a new career.

If I had been somewhere else or decided to change careers at a different time, I would have leveraged a different set of skills and would have likely ended up doing something else. To find out where your opportunity is, ask people in the industries and professions you are interested in joining where they think there’s a need for someone with your skills, or what they would do now to enter the field.

Once every major blog starts talking about the need for a specific profession, you are already behind: get the scoop from people on the inside, before everyone catches on, and you’ll face much less competition as you change careers.

The best way to approach a career change is to think of it as a process: if you are unhappy in your current profession, the moment you start taking action towards finding career happiness will also be the moment you start regaining your sense of empowerment

The best way to approach a career change is to think of it as a process: if you are unhappy in your current profession, the moment you start taking action towards finding career happiness will also be the moment you start regaining your sense of empowerment

3. Ageism really is a thing

I seriously underestimated this issue until I started coaching people over 40 who want to change careers and are looking for a new job. Ugh. We have a long way to go to overcome age-based discrimination in the workplace. AARP recently published a study on the topic: in their survey of adults over age 45, “61% of respondents said they have either seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace and 38% of those believe the practice is ‘very common.’”

So what can you do if you are over 40, 50 or 60 and want to change careers? Traditional advice is to trim your resume: list only your last few positions and don’t write your graduation dates in your educational history, look for companies whose team shows age diversity, and join networking and professional groups that are welcoming and inclusive of people of all ages.

Or you can be bold and lead with what you think you have to hide: if you find that age is an issue, go all out and emphasize all your experience and wisdom, or start your own business and aim higher than ever before.

As an older career changer you do have some advantages: you have accumulated more skills and knowledge than you probably realize, and you might have a larger network, or more trusted relationships based on several years of interaction. Marianne Williamson said it best: “…younger people know more about those things that change, and the older people know more about those things that do not change.”

Invest time in learning new skills or technologies. It doesn’t have to be expensive, you can find many free resources or inexpensive classes online. And remember that even though you might be new at something, all the stuff you have already learned will not go to waste: after getting their first break, older career changers are often able to move up the ranks much faster than expected by leveraging their other skills, especially when it comes to working with and managing people.

4. You actually have to know how to do the job

When I launched Repurpose Your Purpose I hosted a number of free meetups and met many interesting people looking to change careers. One time it didn’t go so well, though: one person showed up and quickly became very angry at me.

I shared my story of how I changed careers, leveraging all that I had learned to move from photography into marketing. As a photographer I had to learn marketing and business skills, and then decided to pursue marketing as a career, successfully making my transition. This person felt cheated: she expected to learn how to change careers and get a new job without knowing how to do the job.

No one is going to give you a job unless you know how to execute it. Just look at job posts for interns, they often list what sound like requirements for experienced professionals! So what can you do if you decide you want to do something else and you don’t have the skills needed to land a new job, or never used such skills professionally? You have to close the gap.

Figure out exactly what you need to learn, then learn it in the fastest and most economical way you can. You can enroll in online courses, graduate certificates, extension programs, or full-fledged degree programs. If real-world experience is what you need, then intern, volunteer, or get the lowest entry level position you qualify for. As I wrote above, you can advance fast once you are in, especially if you have a lot of other transferable skills. Your other option is to pursue a more entrepreneurial path: as a business owner or freelancer you can quickly grow as long as you deliver results to your clients.

5. Getting a degree does not guarantee you a job

I know way too many people who borrowed tens of thousands of dollars and spent years going to college only to figure out they didn’t want a job using their major, or that there simply weren’t enough jobs available, or if there were, that the pay was less than what they needed. If you want to change careers and you are not sure what you want to do, going back to college is a very expensive way to figure it out.

There are only two good reasons to go back to school: either you want to learn for the sake of learning and don’t necessarily expect a job afterward, or you researched extensively what you need to do to enter a specific profession, and determined you need the additional learning or degree. Specific is the key word here: if you go back to school to get a job, you need to know exactly why you are going. Do not expect the school to figure it out for you.

6. Changing Careers is a process, not a destination

We don’t have a clear definition of what constitutes a career change: you might be going from employee to business owner in the same field, you might stay in your profession and change industries, or you could make a radical shift, from one industry and job title to something completely different. Depending on what you choose to pursue, your circumstances and various outside factors, the entire process can take a few months to a few years. Don’t get discouraged!

The best way to approach a career change is to think of it as a process: if you are unhappy in your current profession, the moment you start taking action towards finding career happiness will also be the moment you start regaining your sense of empowerment. Shift your goal from getting a specific job or career to living so that your thoughts, words and actions are all in alignment. Take the first step, celebrate every success, and determine to honor yourself starting today: you will discover that the process of changing careers can be incredibly transformative, and by the time you achieve your career goal, you will already feel like a new person.

Aurora Meneghello is a Los Angeles-based career coach and the founder of Repurpose Your Purpose. She works with groups and individuals who want to live a fulfilling professional life.

Your #Career : 7 Steps to Rebrand Yourself for a #CareerChange …Just Because you Don’t have Experience in a New Field Doesn’t Mean your #Skills aren’t Valuable in that Field. Here’s What to Do Before you Make a Move.

June 28, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Ready for a career change, but worried you don’t have the experience or skills to land a job in your desired field? Filling your resume with your previous work experience that has no similarity to the job you’re applying for is likely to land your resume in the trash can. But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck in a career you hate forever.

Dawn Graham, PhD, career coach, psychologist, and author of the book Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Career–and Seize Success, says rebranding your professional experience is key to a successful career switch. “When you’re making a switch, you need to be a good fit for the role, and while some of your skills and experiences may be transferrable, many may not be,” she says. Here’s how you can prove that you’re worthy of the title, even when your resume shows no previous experience in the field.

1. CHANGE YOUR SOCIAL PRESENCE

Use social media to your advantage to rebrand yourself in your new career area. Follow thought leaders in your target industry and comment on their posts. Connect with relevant industry groups and associations, share relevant and interesting articles within your online network, comment on posts, attend the biggest industry conferences, and develop a network of contacts in the industry. “Technology makes it easier than ever to market yourself in a way that appeals to the audience you choose,” says Graham. The more you can demonstrate that you’re serious and invested in your new target industry, the more credible you will seem.

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2. FIND YOUR TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS

Rebranding yourself takes time and introspection. Everyone has transferrable skills, even if you think you don’t. Graham gives the example of a recruiter who wants to move into social media marketing. “You can show off your customer research, analytics, and technical savvy skills,” she says. Demonstrating how you can reach new customers using the same skill set you used to uncover qualified candidates is a way to prove that your experience is relevant.

To determine your skills, Graham recommends breaking down achievements. “If you contributed to saving a large client, consider the steps that got you to that result–perhaps problem solving, diplomacy, creativity, and influencing.” Do the same with other accomplishments and you’ll soon notice a pattern of core strengths. Try going through this exercise with a colleague or manager who may be able to see strengths that you are overlooking.

3. DO YOUR RESEARCH

In order to find out what skills and experiences are most relevant to your new career choice, spend time learning as much as you can about your target position. Speak with professionals in your target industry, look for volunteer positions in the industry, take courses, and attend professional events to learn what experiences and skill sets are most valuable in the new industry.

4. DON’T LEAD WITH YOUR TITLE

While most of us use our job title when introducing ourselves, this can be an error when you’re switching careers. Many companies use language that doesn’t translate outside the industry. A title can cause confusion for someone in another industry, and biases their opinion toward your application. They may think right away that you’re not a good fit without reading further into your experiences. Instead of focusing on your title, place the emphasis on your value–the skills you developed in that position.

5. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

In order to highlight your value and position yourself as a good fit for the job, you need to know the challenges the hiring manager is trying to solve. “Many job seekers have incredible accomplishments, but without knowing what is important to your audience, you risk leading off with accomplishments that, while impressive, lead the hirer to think you’re not a fit for the role,” says Graham.

When in a job interview, make one of your first questions about the challenges the company or department is facing at this time. Once you find out the hiring company’s pain points, you can select the achievements from your background that best align with what the hiring manager is looking for in the role.

6. CHERRY-PICK EXPERIENCES

Some of your best accomplishments and achievements may not be impressive to the hiring manager if they have no relation to the job you’re applying for. To be most effective in rebranding yourself professionally, select the parts of your experience that align most closely with your target role. To make your application in this new field stronger, highlight these experiences in your LinkedIn profile. If hiring managers are reviewing your resume and then jump over to LinkedIn and see a whole different type of experience highlighted, they may be confused and cause them to put aside your resume. Rebranding your professional experience may mean dropping what you think are some of your best accomplishments, but by focusing on “fit” first, you will have a better chance of a recruiter recognizing you as a potential candidate for the position.

7. JUSTIFY THE SWITCH

“Every hiring manager wants to know why this job at this company at this time,” says Graham. Your answer to this question will be especially important if you’re a career switcher. Graham argues that switchers can have the upper hand in answering this question because they have most likely spent a great deal of time studying the industry, thinking about what they want in a job when making their career switch decision.

FastCompany.com | June 28, 2018 | BY LISA EVANS 4 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : #ChangingCareers ? Here’s Exactly What To Put On Your #Resume . And What to Leave Off…

May 14, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

It’s not that hard to update your resume when you’re applying for the next role up the ladder in your field. You’re an associate operations manager trying to become a senior operations manager? Just show how what you’ve already done qualifies you to do similar things at a higher level.

Things get trickier when you’re trying to change industries. You’ve got to rebrand experiences here as transferable qualifications there. You need to explain why you’re a better hire than the candidate who’s spent their whole career in the field you’re trying to get into. And you’ve got to decide which parts of your experience just aren’t relevant anymore.

Figuring this out is a highly situational challenge–what works for one career changer’s resume might not work for another’s. But Erica Breuer, founder of Cake Resumes, says there are some straightforward dos and don’ts that can point you in the right direction.

DO: INCLUDE GROUP WORK

“I often work with career changers who don’t feel they have the right to include projects on their resume that were a team effort, especially when these projects fell outside of their normal job duties,” Breuer tells Fast Company. But it’s precisely those experiences you’ll want to rely on the most. “Including them, while nodding to the team-based or ‘special projects’ nature of the work is the way to go,” she says. “If it happened, it’s a fact, and it can go on your resume.”

Think of it this way: The tasks that are small, routine, or specialized enough for you to complete on your own may not be that relevant outside your industry. But bigger, collaborative projects tend to involve processes and challenges of a higher order, which draw on skills that just about every employer needs–no matter their field.

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DON’T: FUDGE JOB TITLES

“Many career changers get the advice to tweak job titles on their resume to look like the perfect fit. This almost always backfires,” Breuer explains. “It risks looking dishonest or, worse, the self-assigned titles they create add confusion more than they align them with a new path.”

While you can’t control your past job titles, you can control how you describe what you accomplish while you held them. Breuer’s suggestion? “Add a tagline of sorts to the true job title, one that states experience related to the new career direction, for example; ‘Director of Operations—Global Recruitment & Talent Acquisition.’” This way a hiring manager in the HR field, which you’re trying to get into, can spot right away that your operations role had to do with recruiting and talent.

(SOMETIMES) DO: DITCH STRICT CHRONOLOGY IF YOU NEED TO

For job seekers with a lot of experience, it’s common to truncate anything that came before the past 15–20-year period. But Breuer says this rule doesn’t always suit, especially “when you have an early-career experience that applies to an upcoming career change. Drawing this line is important, but so is sharing the details relevant at this very moment. If you’re not doing that, the resume is pointless,” she points out.

So feel free to shake up the chronological approach if you need to. “There are a number of ways to loop early experiences back into a resume without the kitchen sink-style timeline,” says Breuer. For example, you might try breaking your work history into subcategories like “Technical Experience” and “Managerial Experience.”

DON’T: GO TOO BROAD

A final common mistake Breuer sees pretty often among job seekers hoping to change careers is “expecting their resume to do too many things at once,” she says. “They want to capture their career wins, life story, hobbies, and persona as a whole, when a resume actually functions best when it’s a compelling and concise record of your experiences as they pertain to the role at hand.”

When you’re worried about being under-qualified, you might be tempted to overstuff your resume to compensate. Don’t do that. The key is to give recruiters and hiring managers a clear narrative about why you’re the best fit from the role because you’d be coming at it from a nontraditional angle. No, that won’t be the full story of your career, but it will probably be the most effective one for this opportunity.

To take some of the pressure off, Breuer suggests remembering that your resume–while important–is only one piece of the self-portrait you’re presenting to employers. She adds, “It should stack with other branding platforms, such as a personal website, LinkedIn profile, or even a cover letter, in order to tell the whole story of who you are and the value you bring.”

FastCompany.com | May 14, 2018 | Rich Bellis

Your #Career : How To Tell The Difference Between A Career Pivot And A Distraction…When you’re Unhappy at Work, Quitting for Something Else can be Tempting. But here’s How to Tell If you’re Chasing a Rabbit or Heading Down the Right Path.

March 27, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Rather than look for a new job, Chon put her energy into volunteering at Dawg Squad, a Los Angeles rescue organization, taking head shots of dogs to help them get adopted. The photos became so popular that pet owners asked Chon to photograph their dogs, and eventually ad agencies sought out her work, too.

Chon soon realized that her side hustle wasn’t just a distraction from her full-time job, but an opportunity for a purpose-driven career pivot into pet photography. “I realized I was at a crossroads when I started have to turn down opportunities because I had a day job,” Chon says. “I started to think, What would happen if I could put 100% of my attention into this side business?”

BE INTENTIONAL

What makes Chon’s experience a successful pivot is she deliberately moved toward something, not away from something, says Alison Cardy, career coach and author of Career Grease: How to Get Unstuck and Pivot Your Career. When you only focus on moving away from something, such as a job you don’t like or career that doesn’t satisfy you, you’re more likely to jump into something that is familiar and feels secure, such as going back to school or starting a business, and that can be a big distraction, Cardy says.

It’s important to take time to understand what you want from your career, and to consider whether you know what you want to do, or if you’re feeling stymied. “If you know what you want, by all means, go for it,” Cardy says. “But if you’re feeling stuck or confused, that is a good signal that it would be helpful to bring in some support.” But, she says, if you seek assistance from a career coach, be sure he or she specializes in helping people figure out what they want to do, not the just how to navigate the nuts and bolts of a job search, because if you don’t know where you are going, all that information won’t be helpful.

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APPLY REVERSE ENGINEERING

We often confuse passion and purpose, says Melissa Bradley, managing director of Project 500. “You might be passionate about something, but will it get you to your goal?” she asks. And what exactly is your goal? Rather than using an activity to determine your goal, Bradley recommends using metrics to define what will change externally when you reach your goal. Bradley started her career working with low-income families in Washington, D.C., and transitioned into policy work but found she couldn’t make as large of an impact on bringing equity and equality to people of color. “Policy work was a distraction,” she admits, noting she is back to working directly with community members. She helps them receive the training and support they need to advance their businesses and improve their communities.

STAY LASER FOCUSED

Distractions are all around us, and it’s easy to follow a job opportunity that looks or sounds good down a rabbit trail, even when it’s not the right fit for us, says Robb Holman, founder and CEO of Holman International and author of Lead the Way. “You want to make the best career decision that is the most efficient and effective use of your time,” he says. Before pursuing a new opportunity, he recommends asking these five questions:

1. Does it help me achieve my priorities?
2. How much time and effort will this take?
3. Will it help me to gain new skills or improve existing skills?
4. Will this opportunity evolve into something I truly want to do?
5. What is the short-term and long-term payoff?

If your answers to these questions aren’t all positive, it might be best to let that opportunity pass, he says.

DISTRACTIONS AREN’T ALL BAD

Don’t discount every distraction, warns Tracey Adams, PhD, founder of ThriveOn Seminars. “Career development isn’t linear anymore,” she says. “You don’t move up, you move to different organizations.” If you’re unsure about your next career move, Adams recommends asking yourself what brought you joy to do as a child.

For instance, when Nerea Gibson, a molecular biologist working in the biotech industry, found she couldn’t get into a PhD program, she went back to an early interest, fashion design, and started designing wallets and bags as a respite from everything else in her life. Gibson decided to leave her full-time job when she realized she was putting equal amounts of energy into her design work as her full-time job. “The passion, design, and potential were too great for me to ignore,” Gibson says. She started her company Aeren Waters last year and was invited to present her designs at London Fashion Week last fall.

We can label distractions as bad, or we can label them as getting more information about who we are today, says Adams.

FastCompany.com | March 27, 2018 | BY LISA RABASCA ROEPE 4 MINUTE READ

#Leadership : How To #FindAJob That Keeps You Happy In The Long Term…Looking for a #NewJob Takes Time & Energy, so Be Sure you Know What you Want Before you Even Start the Process.

January 18, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

If you’re thinking about jumping ship this year, you’re not alone. According to a new survey from Glassdoor, 35% of recruiters, HR professionals, and hiring managers anticipate that more employees will leave their companies within the next 12 months.

While finding another job is often an important catalyst for positive change, let’s be honest: The process itself is not exactly anyone’s idea of a good time. Between resume and cover letter drafting, interviewing and negotiating salary, job seeking can be time-consuming, stressful and draining–so ideally, you want to go through that process as few times as possible.

The key to accomplishing that, of course, is finding a job that you’ll be happy with for years to come. But how exactly do you find that?

The answer, hiring decision makers believe, is to inform yourself as much as possible during the job search. So the next time you find yourself seeking out a new position, make sure to take the following steps.

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FIND JOBS THAT ALIGN WITH YOUR SALARY EXPECTATIONS

Nearly half of the those surveyed (45%) said that the primary motivating factor for employees’ departure was salary, and over one third (37%) believed that employees would be significantly more likely to stay on for longer if they were more informed about salary during the interview process. After all, if you accept a role that satisfies your pay requirements, you won’t have to seek a better-paying job elsewhere.

To provide job seekers with increased transparency, Glassdoor now includes salary estimates on about 52% of U.S. job listings, with that number expected to grow in the future. By looking at these estimates, you can quickly and easily screen out positions that don’t meet your salary needs, saving you valuable time and improving the odds of securing the salary you deserve. Not quite sure what you should be aiming for? Try Glassdoor’s Know Your Worth™ tool to get a free, personalized estimate of what you should be making.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ROOM FOR GROWTH

Besides salary, career advancement opportunities were the second biggest reason that hiring professionals believed employees were leaving. It’s easy to fixate on the present when you’re looking for a new job, but if you want to stay at a company for years to come, that short-sighted thinking is not enough. Eventually, you’ll probably want to move up in your career, whether that means a more senior title, bigger paycheck or additional responsibilities. A few signs that the company you’re looking at will help support your future growth? Clear paths to promotion, training, career development programs and formal mentorship opportunities.

EVALUATE THE BENEFITS PACKAGE

Another major reason employees leave their current positions, survey participants said, was to seek better benefits. It makes sense–after all, salary isn’t everything. Besides your take-home pay, perks and benefits are also core components of your total compensation. A company with incredible benefits like premium-free health coverage, parental leave, and generous paid vacation time may end up saving you more money in the long run than one with higher starting salaries. Alternatively, you might just be willing to accept a lower salary in exchange for a particularly enticing perk. For example, plenty of folks have no problem making a little less if it means that they get to work from home.

GET THE SCOOP ON LOCALE

The last key reason survey participants said employees chose to look elsewhere for employment? Location. If you’re excited enough for an opportunity, a 45-minute commute one way may seem like no big deal–but after the honeymoon period ends, you might not feel the same way. When you receive a job offer, carefully consider where the position is located. Would you have a quick and easy commute? Is it close to public transportation? Would you have to move, leaving your friends and family behind? Some of these factors will undoubtedly matter to you more than others, but it’s still worth taking a good, hard look at the whole picture–you don’t want to commit to a job only to regret your choice six months later.

The bottom line: Well-informed job seekers make for happier employees. Before you even accept an offer–or perhaps before you even apply–figure out what matters the most to you and see how the company you’re considering stacks up. Not only will this help you narrow down the number of applications you send out–it will help ensure long-term career satisfaction.

FastCompany.com | January 18, 2018 | BY EMILY MOORE—GLASSDOOR 3 MINUTE READ