Archive for career transition

Called for an Interview? Be Clear About Expectations!

In a recent blog I wrote about the importance of job seekers (and hiring managers) making a good first impression during the interview process. This starts with arriving on time, dressing for success and, if it’s a virtual interview, being sure that your technology is working.

Once you are in the interview, there are several best practices that are also extremely important and that can help make your interview – and the impression you leave – a positive one.

Job seekers

Be prepared to state an expected salary range. By California law, hiring managers can no longer ask you about your current salary or salary history. They may, however, ask about your salary expectations. Be prepared.  Do some research, give it some thought, and determine a salary range that you’d be happy with. What’s the lowest salary you’d find acceptable? Hedging on this question or refusing to answer will only waste your time and the hiring company’s time if your expectations/what they’re willing to offer are too far out of alignment. And don’t forget when you calculate your range expectations to factor in any commissions or bonuses you typically receive.

Be clear about other, non-salary expectations. Part of the needs assessment at the beginning of a job search is to identify all your must-haves in a new opportunity – role, responsibilities, work environment, culture, type of employer, etc. As you prepare for your interview, be sure you develop questions that will help you determine whether the opportunity meets those needs. And be sure that your talking points clearly state what you’re looking for.

Be honest. If you are nearing the offer stage with a company and have another offer on the table, be honest about it. Playing games or creating a “bidding war” is a bad practice and wastes everyone’s time. It will also leave a bad impression.

Hiring managers

Stay engaged. This is especially important during virtual interviews, which are now so common. Remember that the candidate is evaluating you as much as you are evaluating them. Make eye contact, turn your phone off and conduct the interview in a place that is devoid of distractions. If it’s a panel interview don’t turn off your camera or do other things while others are asking questions. Demonstrate to the candidate your respect for their time and your interest in learning about them. We are in a market where job seekers have lots of choices and where they don’t hesitate to share their interview experiences with other job seekers on Glassdoor, etc.

Are you planning to look for a new opportunity in 2022? Check out my Career Coaching Packages.

Contact me today and schedule a meeting to learn how my services can help you. https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr. You can also reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Coaching to Land Your Dream Job

In my last article I shared that I have three Career Coaching packages to choose from based on what your needs are as a job seeker. If you are ready to find that ideal position that checks all the boxes on your wish list, then my Landing Your Dream Job Package is the one for you.

This comprehensive package provides all the tools and support you need to plan and implement an effective job search. With coaching you will:

  • Gain clarity on your ideal job, career direction, desired company, and work environment
  • Develop a targeted resume and LinkedIn Profile that aligns with your career goals
  • Learn how to leverage your network to generate job leads
  • Practice interviewing and receive feedback, coaching and support
  • Create a plan for the first 30 days of your job search

Additionally, I’ll provide guidance through the offer process and negotiations so you can get what you want, and I’ll help you create an effective 30-day onboarding plan for a successful transition.

Here’s an example of how one of my clients landed her Dream Job with this package.

My client was a pharmaceutical exec with a nursing background and nursing degree who had been out of the workforce for 10 years raising her family. She was ready to search for a new opportunity and get back to work but was struggling to get started. She was concerned about the career gap and wasn’t sure whether to go back into pharma or pursue a nursing career.

We started our work together with an assessment of her experience and skills to identify her unique qualifications and map those to several possible opportunities. We then worked on creating new personal marketing tools for her – an updated resume and a more professional LinkedIn Profile. I coached her on trends in the recruitment process and changes in the work environment. Through some “homework” exercises, I helped her think through how she could best combine and leverage her skills and experience from her two prior careers to stand out to a potential employer. By encouraging self-reflection and helping her recognize strengths she may have overlooked, I was able to build her confidence level for the job search journey.  Although she initially wanted a corporate job, after working with me she decided to return to her nursing career because it would offer her the flexibility that she needed.  I helped her gain clarity on which path to pursue first, and we also came up with a back-up plan in case things didn’t work out.  She’s now been happily employed as an IVF nurse for several years.  

Another advantage of working with a coach and taking the time to assess your skills, experience and what you want in terms of work, environment, culture, etc., is that you might find that your Dream Job isn’t somewhere else, but where you are – just in a different department or branch. That’s what happened to another one of my clients who really liked the company but wasn’t feeling fulfilled in his job.  After we went through the various components of the program, he decided to look internally at opportunities with his current employer.  As a result of the coaching program, he now has more confidence in his background, skills, and experience.

If you are ready to explore what is next in your career, please contact me today and schedule a meeting to learn how my services can help you. https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr. You can also reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Connect to HR Adds Career Coaching Services

I’m happy to announce that Connect to HR is officially launching a new service focused on helping job seekers successfully navigate the process of landing a new, more fulfilling opportunity.

Although we are definitely in a job seekers market, there is still a lot of competition and the basics of an effective job search still apply – clarity of vision, planning, effective personal marketing tools, preparation, practice, etc.

Too often job seekers are in a rush to post their resume and don’t take the time to think through what it is they want to do next. As a result, they may end up with the same job in a different place and be no more fulfilled than they were before.

This is where a career coach can provide insight and guidance. It’s important to note that career coaching is more than just helping you find a new job. It’s about helping you find the right job, employer, work environment, and potential for you. It’s also about helping you develop job search skills and knowledge that you can continue to use as you navigate your career path.

My career has given me experience working on both sides of the talent equation. I’ve worked in recruiting for large organizations and have consulted with business leaders about effective hiring strategies and processes. I’ve also worked with individuals at all career levels to help them create a results-oriented job search plan and powerful personal marketing tools.

I’m now putting this experience to work in career coaching for people on the move. This is in addition to my HR Advisory Service and Executive Coaching.

Connect to HR has 3 Career Coaching packages to choose from based on your needs.

Our Resume and LinkedIn Starter Package is designed for those who just need help ensuring that they have powerful personal marketing tools. With this package I’ll work with you to co-create a targeted resume that captures the attention of recruiters. I’ll also help you develop a LinkedIn Profile to enhance your online presence. Your resume and LinkedIn profile are often the “first impression” you give to a potential employer, and you want that impression to be a good one!

Our Career Clarity Package is designed for those who are ready for a change and need help getting started. It includes a career strategy session on positioning and marketing in today’s job marketplace and will help you gain clarity on ideal jobs, career direction, desired company, and work environment. It also includes the components of the Starter Package, i.e., a targeted resume and LinkedIn Profile.

Our third package – Landing Your Dream Job – is our most comprehensive package and I’ll talk about that next time.  

Are you planning to look for a new opportunity in 2022?

Contact me today and schedule a meeting to learn how my services can help you. https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr. You can also reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Preparation is Critical to Job Interview Success

For my last couple of articles, I’ve been writing about the things that hiring managers and job seekers have in common. I’ve also provided some tips on how to overcome barriers to finding the right candidate or finding the right job. If you missed previous articles in this series, you can find them here and here.

This time I’d like to focus on the importance of preparation – for both the hiring manager and the job seeker.

Preparing for the interview – hiring manager

The candidate interview is an opportunity to learn more about the job seeker both in terms of their skills and qualifications and whether they are a good fit for the role and organization. All too often hiring managers and others involved in interviewing go into it unprepared.

Good hires result from a well-defined interview process. Each person interviewing the candidate has been trained on how to conduct an interview (what can and cannot be asked) and each interviewer has a specific set of well-thought-out questions to ask. Without a strategy around the questions to be asked, a candidate may be asked the same question over and over and key information that could have resulted from good questions is lost.  All candidates for a particular role should be asked the same questions.

Interviewers should be prepped on desired skills and behaviors and should know enough about the organization to answer the candidate’s questions. It’s important to remember that the candidate is evaluating the organization and the people representing it as much as they are being evaluated. Be sure that those who conduct interviews represent the organization well.

Following the interview, the hiring manager and all interviewers should meet to compare notes and share their impressions.

Preparing for the interview – job seeker

Many people find job interviews scary, especially if they haven’t been through one in a while. The key to reducing the amount of angst is preparation.

As the job seeker, be sure you are thoroughly familiar with the job requirements and have researched the company/organization. At the very least you should know the information available on their website.

Be prepared to share how your skills/experience map to the qualifications for the role. Spend some time thinking about specific examples of past achievements, how you’ve handled various situations, unique value you’ve provided to your current/previous organizations, etc., so you will be prepared for behavioral interview questions. Use the easy-to-remember SAR model – what was the Situation, what Action did you take, what were the Results. Also, be sure to prepare some good questions to ask your interviewers.

Finally, practice! Prepare some questions you think you might be asked and have a friend or family member do a mock interview with you. The more you practice the less nervous you will be.

Next time I’ll talk about the importance of a good first impression and how to make one!

Looking for some help in preparing for interviews? Check out my Career Coaching Services  – Landing Your Dream Job package.

Contact me today and schedule a meeting to learn how my services can help you. https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr. You can also reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com.

When Applicant Tracking Systems Aren’t Your Friend

In my last article I pointed out that hiring managers and job seekers have several things in common. One is the rush to post the job or post the resume without giving it a thorough review and update.

Another thing they have in common is what I call the opportunity-limiting impact of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Many companies and job search sites rely on applicant tracking systems to do an initial scan of submitted resumes to filter out those that do not contain keywords associated with the job. With HR departments receiving dozens of resumes for a single position, this initial step in the process can save a huge amount of staff time. Theoretically, the remaining resumes to be reviewed by HR and/or the hiring manager are only those that meet the keyword criteria.

But here’s the thing.

Although the ATS can help reduce the number of resumes HR and the hiring manager ultimately have to review, it may be filtering out some perfectly good candidates simply because they didn’t have specific keywords on their resume. Maybe they had the requisite experience or skill but called it something different. Maybe their resume (when scanned by the human eye) conveyed talent, behaviors or potential that could be a fit for the role but was rejected because it didn’t match the machine criteria.

This can be frustrating for both the hiring manager and the job seeker. The hiring manager is losing out on potential candidates. The job seeker who may have been an excellent candidate is eliminated because they didn’t have the exact credentials programmed into the system. This is especially true for people who are recent graduates or who are switching careers and may have a great deal to offer. Also, an ATS may reject a highly qualified candidate for reasons such as a differently formatted resume or other technical reasons.

So, what are hiring manager and jobs seekers to do?

I always recommend that whether you are looking for talent or looking for a job you leverage your network. Who do you know that might know someone who could be a fit for your open position? Or, as a job seeker, who do you know that might know of an opportunity for you? Reach out to you family, friends, colleagues, past workmates, and online connections. You never know what might turn up.

Also, all of the packages in my Career Coaching Services include work around crafting a resume and LinkedIn profile that addresses some of the issues with applicant tracking systems.

Contact me today and schedule a meeting to learn how my services can help you. https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr. You can also reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Returning to Work after a Career Gap

One of the challenges that many job seekers face is how to get back into the workplace after taking a break from their career. Maybe they stopped working to raise their children, care for an aging parent, or live outside the country for a while. Whatever the reason, taking that initial step to get back to work can be daunting.

But it doesn’t have to be. Especially in a labor market like the one we’re in today.

The key is in knowing what you want, as I talked about in my last blog, and in doing the discovery work around what you have to offer – your skills, experience, competencies and behaviors.

A good example of this is a coaching client I worked with a couple of years ago. She was an executive who had been out of the workforce for several years. She was ready to search for a new opportunity to restart her career but was struggling to achieve that goal while managing several major changes in her personal life. She contacted me for support in focusing her mindset and creating a structured plan to find the right opportunity.

We started our work together by doing an assessment of her experience and skills to identify her unique qualifications and map those to several possible opportunities. Since she’d been out of the workforce for some time, we then worked on creating new personal marketing tools for her – an updated resume and a more professional LinkedIn Profile. I coached her on trends in the recruitment process and changes in the work environment. I helped her think through how she could best combine and leverage her skills and experience from two prior careers to stand out to a potential employer. By encouraging self-reflection and helping her recognize strengths she may have overlooked, I was able to build her confidence level for the job search journey.

We created a tailored approach for each of several target opportunities and the result was that she found a position that she wanted, and that leveraged her experience and skills. She is still there today.

Don’t let a career gap hold you back. Do the work to gain clarity around your skills, experience, achievements, and unique qualities that you bring to the workplace and then map those to potential opportunities.

If you’d like to learn more about transitioning back to the workplace, I’ll be facilitating a panel discussion during the Phase2Careers Forum on November 3, 2021. You can register here.

Want to chat about your career and explore new options?  Let’s do this!  Contact me today and schedule a meeting https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/45min.  You can also reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Connect to HR Provides Career Coaching Services

American workers are on the move. Many are leaving or not returning to the jobs they had pre-COVID, hoping for a better opportunity in what is clearly an employees’ labor market.

Are you or someone you know considering making a career move?

Although it’s tempting to just dive into job search mode in hopes of a new beginning in 2022, I encourage you to take a more thoughtful approach. With so many opportunities available, this is a good time to really put some thought into what you want to do next, where you want to do it, and what that looks like.  There are a few key steps to make sure you land your dream job.

Maybe you want to move up in your current company, maybe you want to do the same thing somewhere else, or maybe you want to change your career path entirely. Understanding what you really want and envisioning it is an important first step before you begin your job search.  I call this getting clear on a Career Vision.

Once you’ve done this you can move on to other aspects of the job search with a focus on what you want to do next.  This is the time to move if you are going to move, but it’s essential to be very clear about what you want so you make the move a good one and you don’t end up regretting it!

So, how do you get started on creating your Career Vision?  Working with a coach to guide you through this discovery process will make your job search easier and more targeted.

I’ve been involved in the talent acquisition process both as a hiring manager and as a recruiter. I know firsthand what it takes to get noticed as an applicant and to land that dream job. That’s why at Connect to HR we include career coaching as part of our executive coaching offering. Through my coaching services, I’ve helped numerous clients transition from a job they dislike to a job they love.

If you or someone you know is considering exploring a different career opportunity and will be launching a job search soon but don’t know where to start, consider me as a resource!  They don’t have to start their job search journey alone.

Best wishes as you consider your options for what’s next!

Michelle

P.S. Want to chat about your career and explore new options?  Let’s do this!  Contact me today and schedule a meeting https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/45min.  You can also reach me directly at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Helping Women Get Back to Work

As I described in my last article, women – especially women of color – have been disproportionately impacted by job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, according to data from McKinsey & Company, women accounted for 56% of people leaving the workforce since February 2020.  This has turned back the clock for women in terms of their gains in leadership and pay equity. And it has widened the opportunity gap for women of color, many of whom were employed in the industries hardest hit by the pandemic, such as hospitality and care.

This issue should be a concern not only for the women who have felt forced to leave the labor pool, but also for companies that could potentially employ them. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, gender-diverse teams have higher sales and profits compared to male-dominated teams, and gender-diverse business units have higher average revenue than less diverse business units. Furthermore, a higher percentage of women in an organization predicts:

  • More job satisfaction
  • More organizational dedication
  • More meaningful work, and
  • Less burnout.

Fortunately, some companies are recognizing the gap that fewer women in the workforce will leave and are trying to address it. One example is Google, who recently announced an initiative to provide 100,000 Black women with career development and digital skills training by Spring 2022. The initiative is part of a $15 million commitment by Google to help Black job seekers grow their digital skills. The program will include training in resume writing, interviewing, online marketing and more.

A number of other large companies offer a variety of return-to-work programs for women who have left the workforce to raise their children or to care for an aging loved one.

What can you, as a small or medium sized company, do to create an environment that attracts and retains women?  Here are some ideas:

Be clear about expectations and performance standards. The date when schools will fully open for in-person learning is still uncertain in many areas. This adds to the mounting stress for parents who may be worried about whether they will be required to go back to the office before their children go back to school. Or whether they will be able to secure childcare in time. Be as specific as possible about your return-to-office plans and give an adequate amount of lead time (and flexibility) to accommodate parental needs.

Implement flexible scheduling. Be creative about work hours, taking into consideration that during normal work hours parents, especially moms, may also be supporting their child’s distance learning or caring for an infant who would normally be in childcare. Consider allowing evening or weekend hours in place of daytime hours (not in addition to!) when the other parent or a relative/friend may be able to provide childcare support.

Practice empathy. Demonstrate that you understand that moms are going through a lot right now as they try to juggle work, distance learning support, and domestic responsibilities that traditionally fall to them. Make time for individual check-ins and co-create options that will ease the burden while continuing to advance the work. Assess priorities. Maybe the less critical goals can wait.

Don’t forget that that I will be participating in a panel discussion during a webinar – Professional Women Returning to Work – on Thursday, March 25, hosted by Phase2 Careers.  You can register for the program here.  Learn more about Phase2 Careers by visiting their website.

I hope you will join us!  

The COVID Economy and Its Impact on Working Women

As we enter Women’s History month, we want to shed light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on working women, who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID economy.  In January of this year, women were down 5.4 million jobs from February 2020 as compared to men, who lost 4.4 million jobs over the same time-period.

Industries that typically employ a lot of women – education, retail, hospitality – have seen significant job losses over the past year.

But even women who were able to keep their jobs – either working remotely or because they are essential workers – have struggled because of the added burden of childcare issues, distance learning support, and domestic responsibilities that traditionally fall to women. These stressors can be even harder for women who face additional challenges such as poverty, race, having special needs children, or single parenting.

As a result, nearly 2.2 million women have left the labor force entirely, according to a report by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). This means they are no longer looking for employment and are no longer counted in unemployment statistics. School closures and the lack of available, affordable childcare are two of the main reasons.

At the beginning of 2020, women accounted for 50.3% of the workforce. The NWLC report noted that it may take years if not decades for women to fully return at that level.  The long-term impacts of this for women include stalled career opportunities for higher-level jobs and reduced social security and other retirement savings.

So, what’s to be done?

In an open letter in the Washington Post, a group of men, including celebrities, sports figures, academics and a former Presidential candidate, declared their support for a “Marshall Plan for Moms” a bold 360-plan to get women back to work. The plan was put forth in January by 50 prominent women who called on the Biden Administration to provide direct payments to moms and pass long overdue policies addressing paid family leave, affordable childcare, and pay equity.

The men’s letter declared: “When more than 30 years of progress for women in the workforce can be erased in 9 months, the underlying system is broken. It’s time to create a new structure that works for women, that respects and values their labor. Men have a role to play. As partners and fathers, we need to start doing our share at home. Studies show we are failing.”

Employers also have a role to play. I’ll be talking about that in my next blog. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know that I will be participating in a panel discussion during a webinar – Professional Women Returning to Work – on Thursday, March 25, hosted by Phase2 Careers.

The panel discussion will provide tips and practical advice on:

  • Transitioning back into the job market
  • Professional development
  • The job search process and networking
  • Resumes and interviewing
  • Balancing work and family
  • Resources

You can register for the program here.  Learn more about Phase2 Careers by visiting their website.

I hope you will join us!  

Tackle Today’s Challenges with Executive Coaching

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many leaders are facing significantly more challenges than usual in accomplishing the results they want. Health and safety concerns, adapting to a virtual or reduced workforce, and trying to survive in a slowing economy have strained and stretched leaders to their limits.

Throughout 2020, many managers and leaders reached out to me for 1:1 Executive Coaching. They found that having input and support from someone outside their company gave them a fresh approach and new tools to tackle these challenges.

I launched my Executive Coaching Services in 2018 as part of Connect to HR. Since then, the senior executives and leaders I’ve worked with have come to see me as a trusted, confidential coach and advisor. Over the past two years, I’ve been fortunate to help people through Executive Coaching to become more effective leaders or navigate a significant career change.

My typical Executive Coaching clients are not new executives. They are well established in their careers – CEOs, Presidents of small to mid-size companies and Managing Directors, Senior Directors, VPs, and Executive Directors of nonprofits. 

They are facing challenges such as:

A career transition. They want support with finding a new opportunity or moving into a new career field but are uncertain about the steps they need to take to make it happen.

A larger promotion or new role. They’ve been assigned a new role with different or increased responsibilities, but with little or no mentoring.  Or they’re a leader who has been promoted but doesn’t have the appropriate soft skills to lead their team during these difficult times. 

A restructuring that leaves them with more responsibilities than ever. They are feeling overwhelmed and are not getting much guidance or support.

One lesson from 2020 is that you can’t do it alone.  I am opening up a few spots to executives who are ready to get support from a professional who can help them achieve their goals.

If you, or anyone in your network finds themselves in one of the situations above, and could use a safe, confidential place to talk about what’s really going on, and to strategize a solution, please consider me as a resource!  The first step is connecting with me for a call.  Click the link below to choose a time that works for you:

YES, I’m ready to learn more https://calendly.com/michellemendoza-connecttohr/30-minute-consultation

Stay safe, be well and I look forward to connecting with you soon!

– Michelle Mendoza, SPHR & SHRM -SCP

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