Unemployed Teacher

Claire asks: I’m unemployed and cant get a job. What do I do? I’m a teacher. I have two years temporary experience and due to cut backs in education have found it impossible to find anything. I’ve sent hundreds of CVs and driven to loads of schools. Starting to feel like rubbish about the whole thing. It’s such a mess. Was talking to a few principals where there are jobs going and they are literally getting hundreds of applications for one job. I have a good CV but haven’t even been called for one interview. It’s hard seeing my friends get up in the morning and go off to their permanent teaching jobs. It’s embarrassing meeting people and having them asking me for the last few months if I have a job. What can I do?

In answer:
Firstly, sorry to hear about your situation Claire – honestly, you will get something soon with that drive of yours.

Secondly, there is lots of new competition in the market. In part that is driven by former graduates from the commercial world coming into the teaching world. As they are both new and fairly well remunerated from previous work, they are happy to take lower wages. It makes the market tougher.

Employment in measurement

Do you know why after all these applications why you keep getting rejected? Feedback is the key to eventual employment. If you are not getting 1 interview in 5 job applications, then the problem is in your CV or jobs you are applying for. Other wise, it is in the interview stage.

I suggest you register with some temp agencies and get some stand-in work. As the winter comes on, some one will go down ill. Plus holiday is often the time many conceive, so teachers regularly go on maternity leave.

My cousin and her husband have both built successful teaching careers on being permanent temporary teachers. It gives them the flexible lifestyle they want for their family, and makes their skills appreciated as they are constantly learning new things to apply elsewhere.

Don’t give up, listen to feedback, and recognise the opportunities that do exist – if you have enthusiasm for the art and profession of teaching

Good Luck!

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Social Media

photo credit: mandiberg

Tony asks: I’ve just had an argument with one of my friends who works for the HR dept of her company for disqualifying a candidate, not because of his rich experience, great educational background or excellent references but rather the things she happened to dislike that were on his MySpace profile. Has it come to this, do we know how to make sure all of our google-able references are snooping HR person proof? And does a run-on-blog or dodgy photo speak louder than anything that you might have on your CV?

In answer:
If it is on your Social Media or in your Google CV, it’s fair game. If you put it in the public domain, its public domain information and hence searchable by Google. Which is probably the reason you put it there in the first place, so you could be found by your mates and people who share the same interests.

Working as a recruiter, I interviewed someone to train and an HGV driver 18months ago. One of the pre-requisites of the DVLA is a medical, which checks drug consumption – the medical costs us £150 all in to get undertaken. This chap applies, I Google his name, and up pops his MySpace page which tells me all about the wonders of different types of skunk cannabis and his experiences with them. He comes in for the interview (I was impressed with his CV), denies he takes drugs under our standard questionnaire on site (I made him retake it, saying we had lost it – we hence had a duplicate copy answer), and when confronted in interview with the evidence went “Opps, sorry – I withdraw my application, skunk is too good!”

On average we reject 15% of applicants after Googling their name for driver positions, because of their self-admitted casual drug taking; around 10% still fail the drugs taking part of the test after that. Of those rejected because of Google checks, we get around 10% of those (ie: 1.5%), calling in to find out why. In 2years I have only had one person take that feedback on board, and come back clean 3months later – he’s still with us.

When you know the HR team will be Googling your candidates themselves – between 30% and 70% do – why should we look amateurish not taking on board such information, and vetting out the people we know will not fit their requirements? That is our job as a recruitment company.

There is a fair debate to be had on what is reasonable to reject an applicant on, but as long as its not related to age, race, sex, or ability (ie – the legal requirements of fair selection); then a multitude of reasons could be valid. When 1/3 of applicants don’t include a Cover Letter and are resultantly rejected, many issues could be valid reasons for rejection.

I liked the piece this week in UKRecruiter which addressed this issue, the last point of which said: You can’t call a recruiter checking you out on the internet “sneaky”.  Them following you home and rifling through your bin is sneaky but taking the opportunity to find as much out about you – in the public domain – is fair game.

Good Luck!

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MBA equivalent

photo credit: Maria Keays

strong>Russell asks: How do you present “MBA-equivalent training and experience” on a resume? I don’t have an MBA or graduate degree, but I do have formal and informal education plus work experience that compares very favorably to MBAs from top schools and even PhD (so I have been told by past managers, performance reviews, and academic conference reviewers). What is the best way to present this on a resume? Challenge: It appears that automated and/or outsourced hiring processes screen for key words and simply matching algorithms for work history and training. Thus, people who do not “fit the mold” never get considered by the hiring manager, or even get on the short list for phone interviews or first-stage interviews. Possible Solutions:

1) Just the Facts — just list work experience, education, skills, and accomplishments on the resume as though a knowledgeable human were reading it top to bottom. This assumes that the resume reader will be using “imaginative understanding” rather than simplistic screening based on criteria.

2) Add an entry under “Education” for “MBA (equivalent)” — with “institution” listed as “Various” or naming one or more companies where the training and experience were gained. If space is available, add the specific skills and subjects mastered. This assumes that the resume reader won’t barf over this non-traditional entry.

3) Fake It — List an MBA degree. (You’d have to put a gun to my head for me to do this, some famous people have done it. Is this ever justified?)

I have only tried Solution 1), which works fine for consulting team selection. I have had no luck with this solution in the regular employment recruiting process. To be clear, I am not talking about ordinary management or consulting experience as being equivalent to an MBA. That general experience is very valuable but not the same. If you are curious, you can look at my profile where I have listed some of the subject areas where I have developed by theoretical and practical expertise.

In answer:
I think Russell, the problem is solved through focusing on your delivery results, and not through qualifications. Unfortunately, you choose to work in an industry where in the last ten years the number of degrees and Phd’s people have is seen as the basic floor of entry/operations, and any delivery is resultantly not devalued but only assessed after you have the right number/type of degrees/Phd’s.

So, let’s take the obvious first – option (3) is out: never ever lie on a CV/Resume, period. I think your learning point out of the exercise should be to formalize all that experience and delivery in some form of recognized qualification. If you walked into most colleges with the amount of claimed delivery and published work on your profile, then I can’t imagine you would need too many more credits for an MBA.

I would hence write your CV/Resume up personally as I wrote one up in similar circumstances a month ago, focusing each part on: situation, customer requirement, approach, result, follow-up. Simply this shows a potential employer about which situations you have addressed, how you went about tackling them, and the result – each with an extended re-engagement because of the superb result. The client candidate and I produced a two part CV/Resume, with an extended executive portfolio of such works each with individual customer recommendations, and then a focused CV/Resume for each job application – and the answer is that using this formula, he is now employed.

If you follow though on the formula to your online presence, you will see that your existing LinkedIn profile is potentially over written. Your opening paragraph sounds more “functional element” written and less “evidence of delivery” orientated, which is where you have to focus any application. For instance, what is a “skilled public speaker” – do you have a simultaneous fire eating act? A better way would be to say “Have presented at numerous national conferences and as guest speaker at (insert up to three well known organisations), on subjects including strategy and IT risk modelling.” On the same level, just lose the Microsoft office – be clear on communicating to the reader you are an executive strategist, not a PC jockey.

In your application process, pick out up to ten organisations you would like to work for, and write a direct letter to the President, CEO or COO. Explain why you have written , and an evidenced mini-scenario of what you could do for them. I doubt there are more than 50 recruiters in the world who would understand your niche, or who would understand who wants that skill set you possess. You know that niche far better than they do, and well enough to know who the players are. Even if those employers use external recruiters they will know of you – so just write to them directly, and effectively ask for a job.

I see this scenario regularly in people who have had highly successful careers, and suddenly for one reason or another find it difficult when seeking employment to adapt to the changed world around them, which needs certificates/degrees on which to jump the initial interview barrier. Don’t worry – just don’t lie, and focus on evidenced delivery for the new position you are aiming for. And take the hint and formalize those extensive experiences into a certificate – you are never too old to learn!

Good Luck, and if we can help you further, please – just ask!

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Jayson asks: I am a chiropractor, and I am looking to change careers. My educational background: Undergraduate 1989-1993 (graduated), Chiropractic College 1999-2003 (Graduated) with a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree. It’s the last graduation that’s making things difficult in this process. To make a long story short, practicing chiropractic is not for me, and I’d like to capitalize (hopefully) on the management skills I’ve picked up along the way. I really do not want to draw attention to the fact that I am a chiropractor looking to change careers. This seems to be a nearly insurmountable distraction to potential interviewers, and, quite frankly, it might even hinder my chances at being invited for an interview to begin with. To this end, I have reworked my C.V. into a resume, and I have repositioned myself as having managed the practices in which I have been previously situated (I’m not lying here, either). My question is this: With respect to my chiropractic education, what is the best way to handle indicating that period of time in my life? I have considered various options:

- Eliminating/Omitting it – The drawback to this is that I feel that I would be hiding something, and that I would have 4 years of time unaccounted for.
- Indicating “Selected Courses at Life University, Marietta, GA” (possibly including an indication of a “concentration in healthcare management”) – I might be asked about why I didn’t “finish”/receive a degree, but, at least, I would be including the experience, and I could account for some, if not most, of that time.
- Including it outright – This would cause the distraction to which I referred earlier in this e-mail, and possibly exclude me from many possibilities.

I have also heard of the inclusion of a “professional development” section on the resume which would account for certain experiences that didn’t lead to a degree. Any ideas? They’d be greatly appreciated!!!

In answer:
Here’s a thought – at some point in time during a job application, it will come out that you had a 20 year career as a chiropractor, and you don’t want to do that any more. Had you thought Jayson about when you were going to handle that in a job application process, because the question then from any potential employer will be why (us)?

The answer to the question (and the best tactic is to answer it BEFORE the HR manager asks it), really revolves about what you want to do next. Because it will be seeing what type of skills that ideal new job requires, and if/where those skills show up in your previous occupation that the then writing of your CV/Resume then becomes much clearer. If you are writing a blind CV/Resume with Cover Letter at a potential employer, then I can see the problem. I would address this under a “healthcare management” title to keep it applicable to management as opposed to the physical work. I would suggest your chances of an interview on blind applications would be low, sub 10%.

However, lets get back to the real nub of the question, which is the why the move from chiropractor. Most well planned careers would take your existing skills (a chiropractor who has managed and run his own business), and transition to say management in a healthcare practice, or something which used multiple areas of your skills and competencies before transitioning into a new industry. But the way your question is posed suggests the move you desire Jayson is a move away from being a chiropractor AND a move away from the healthcare sector.

I hence don’t think the problem in any job application is actually in your CV/Resume as a “how I posed my skills and training” issues, but a “why do I want a career change issue away from so many of my core skills.” This any employer will be reading as a high-level risk, and its the why as well as showing Jayson that you have transitioned those skills in other instance that will reduce the employers view of that risk, and result in an interview.

This is one of the clear cases where I think a career coach would be of use to you. They could probe that desire, work up a five year strategy, and then a plan with steps below that/answers to the obvious HR questions. I would always employ a certified career coach, and find one who has handled such a situation before and can reference you directly to that transitioned client.

A cheaper option is to approach a good recruiter in the new sector in which you wish employment, and ask for advice. But they make their money on quick placements and many would have similar risk/desire concerns as any potential employer. Any good recruiter who could show you similar career transitions they had placed and then took you on, would have signed-in to the fact they believed you, and could sell the transition desire to their clients.

Good Luck!

Janice asks: Can you provide me with information on Teaching English in the middle east? I am looking at Dubai and to teach english as a forgien in language schools to adults (TEFL/TESL). I am looking for any information such as qualifications, living conditions, names of schools, what kind of compensation packages to expect etc. Thanks!

In answer:
My sister did this post University – great fun, great travel, but think about it as well paid travel over averagely paid work.

For Brit’s – and many non-Brit’s – the main provider of recognised qualifications is the British Council. You will need a recognised TESL/TEFL (Teach English as a Secondary/Foreign Language) qualification to become a teacher at a BC or other nationally recognised school, but a combination of both is then a passport to work where ever you want to. Japan should be your ultimate goal, where the rates of pay are very good – you will need a minimum of two years experience

The biggest problem in TESL/TEFL programs is recognition – the qualification is non-regulated, so hence authority of approval is key to employment opportunity. Research schools who provide either a BC and other body recognised certified qualification (normally a Trinity College TESOL Certificate in most of the world); or in North America a program certified under the Cambridge University CELTA Program or the North American University Certificate Programs.

If you don’t get a TEFL/TESL, then you are into the private/in-country level of schools, and that’s tough work – not well paid, not well supported. Leave well alone.

For approved schools in a particular country, contact either the British Council directly, or the in-country British, Canadian or USA embassies.

Good Luck!

I love learning – looking at things from new perspectives, adding to a portfolio of idea’s. But something has struck me in the past month which is making me think – hard.

I attended a presentation recently, from an excellent presenter – some body who I would certainly recommend others to go and see and listen to. He mentioned in his presentation that he ran both open general courses and specialist/client focused courses, over either one or up to 3days. I went up after his slot, and asked when his next general open course was in the UK: “I don’t do them normally in Europe these days – I don’t get enough attendee’s.” OK, where do you run these events then was my question? “Asia – I run them regularly in Singapore, and all around South Asia. People want to learn there, and are willing to pay – in Europe, most don’t.”

A couple of days later, I got an invite to a series of seminars from a global sales guru. These were either available in America, one slot in Europe – or a whole plethora of options in South East Asia. Last week, I got one of Brian Tracy’s excellent newsletters, together with his latest dates list. This year he’s running one seminar of one type in Europe on one day. There are alternate options in America – but I notice around 60% of his courses are to be run in The Gulf and Asia, all offering his full portfolio.

OK, now there is a debate that perhaps the Asian’s have not heard about these people and their programs, and perhaps this is just simple brand extension into a new market; and perhaps there are not enough ‘experts’ in Asia at present to fulfil demand. But following the simple principle of “the money follows the need”, then the move into Asia is logical.

The more frightening conclusion for me – not that people want to learn, but that by conclusion: the European’s don’t. Now personally, that’s more frightening than lower wages!