Funny Resume Mishaps

I was recently referred to a website, Funny Resume Mistakes which outlined a few very funny resume mishaps. The following examples are unprofessionally structured and should be avoided at all costs.

1.   Experience: “Demonstrated ability in multi-tasting.”
2. Job Duties: “Answer phones, file papers, respond to customer e-mails, take odors
3. Objective: “I would like to work for a company that is very lax when it comes to tardiness.”
4.   .   Skills: “I can type without looking at thekeyboard.”
5. Experience: “Chapter president, 1887-1992.”
6. Skills: “I have integrity so I will not steal office supplies and take them home.”
7. Languages: “Speak English and Spinach.
8. Skills: “Written communication = 3 years; verbal communication = 5 years.”
9. Application: “Q: In what local areas do you prefer to work? A: Smoking.
10. Application: Why should an employer hire you? “I bring doughnuts on Friday.
11. Awards: “National record for eating 45 eggs in two minutes.
12. Interests: “Gossiping.” 

It imperative that you thoroughly revise your resume before submitting it to employers. Spelling errors can be easily avoided and is never acceptable. The same is true for grammatical and content errors. A good way to minimize likelihood of error is to have friends, family and colleagues revise your resume for you prior to submission.

Employment Trends in the Future – Job Decline

Employment Trends in the Future – Job Decline

Just as we add jobs in some industries, we lose jobs in others. What jobs will suffer from the most decline over the next ten years or so? These tables show the fastest and largest declining jobs according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Two reasons explain why these jobs are declining the fastest – automation and outsourcing. Half of these positions are in textile industries; a product that has become very cheap to produce due to advancing technology. Outsourcing has also hit this industry hard. Postal service positions are shrinking in large part due to the prevalence of email and other forms of electronic communication. Total mail volume shrunk by 3 billion pieces from 2010-2011. These positions have no required higher education and with the exception of postal workers, aren’t very high paying.

Many of these positions are on the fastest declining list as well. Those that aren’t are similar; these positions are almost becoming obsolete because of technology. Agricultural workers are being displaced because of advancing farm technology and the rise of corporate farms, and are likely being underreported because many farm workers are paid under the table. Data Keyers and Typists are being displaced by improved software. These positions require little education as well.

A final note. Even though many workers will be displaced from their jobs, in the long run, most will move into work in other industries and the unemployment rate will not be higher than average for an extended period. The market has a way of ironing out issues such as these. Still, the effect of losing a job is serious.

Landon J. Latham

Career Educator

Humor Can Be Useful at Work!

It used to be said that humor was dangerous in the office. Is that really true though? Sure, jokes may become awkward or offensive very easily, but when executed correctly, it can be a good think.

According to the article Are Funny People Better Employees?  by Jenna Goudreau, “Steve Cody, 57, is co-founder and managing partner of Peppercom, a mid-size communications agency based in New York. He’s also an amateur stand-up comedian, performing frequently at the New York Comedy Club.” 

He decided to launch a 90 minute comedy workshop for his employees to attend every two months.

“Cody says it infuses them with confidence, bonds them with coworkers, teaches the nuances of reading an audience and environment, and livens up their presentations (Goudreau, 2012).”

With this being said, being funny can be a great thing at work, only as long as you don’t cross the line.

• Laughing increases dopamine, which in turn heightens creativity, productivity and engagement
• Humor can alleviate tension in the workplace
• Humor can create more personal relationships between co-workers

On the other hand, it is important to filter your jokes and comments at work. 

Don’t: 

•  Make inappropriate jokes. Anything dealing with sex, money or race is crossing the line.
•  Never use profanity in the work place
•  Disrespect your co-workers or supervisors
• Let any jokes exceed a PG rating

Jobs to Disappear in 2012

With all of the emerging technology entering the workplace these days, it is no surprise that some occupations that were once on the rise are now suffering from the technology surge. A CBS News article by Louise Tutelian published at the end of the year 2011, emphasizes 10 specific jobs that may begin to disappear in the coming months of 2012. The 10 jobs were pinpointed because it may come as a surprise that some of the positions will begin to wane this year.  Some of the jobs the article mentions may not exactly disappear per se, but the outlook for them is so melancholic that finding a job will be next to impossible. The top 5 jobs that the article mentions will disappear are:

·         Judge – The author of the article feels that judges and magistrate jobs will begin to diminish due largely to budget cuts. Additionally, since judges serve long tenures, there will be low chance of promotions for lower level positions to judges in the legal system.

·         Fashion designer – The amount of fashion designers may decrease because there are already enough designers in the world for the industry to function. The world just does not feel the need for multiple Donna Karan’s and anymore Donatella Versace’s.

·         Insurance underwriter – The insurance industry is not quite doing as well as it used to be and insurance underwriters are suffering. New software is another reason as to why the careers of insurance underwriters are being overlooked.

·         Travel agent – For travel agents, job outlooks are not so bright. Websites such as Travelocity.com and Expedia.com have decreased the need for travel agents. Consumers are doing their own travel planning and “the number of traditional travel agencies has been sliced in half.”

·         Newspaper reporter – The Internet is causing print industry jobs to lessen at an alarming rate. “According to the BLS, a whopping 4,400 jobs will disappear by 2018.”

Unfortunately, these findings can certainly discourage college students from pursuing their dreams. For instance, I have come across many students that long to become a fashion designer one day, however with such a dim job outlook, this type of aspiration may never become a reality. Although these results are somewhat disappointing, college students, this is what it is going to be like in the “real world”. My advice is to be knowledgeable and prepared when it comes to your respective industry and career ambitions.

Shayla Frinks

Career Educator

The Benefits of A Seasonal Job

Summer-Calendar iStock

Apart from making extra money during the holiday seasons, working a seasonal job has many benefits. The article, Benefits of a Seasonal Job offers advice on some of the benefits of having a seasonal job. A few of these benefits are listed below:


1. Flexibility - Seasonal jobs typically allow for flexible scheduling. Many times, you have the option to choose whether you would be available to work full-time, part-time, weekends, etc.

2. Networking - Although it may not be a permanent job, you never know what networking opportunities you may encounter while working a seasonal job. Look at it as another great opportunity to meet new people who may be able to help you professionally sometime in the future. 

3. Skills - You would have the opportunity to obtain and develop skills which you may not have had the opportunity to do otherwise.

4. Full-Time Permanent Position - Through hard work and dedication to the fulfillment of company goals and objectives, you could be offered a permanent position with the company post season. 

5. Reference - If you work hard and perform well, but could not work in a permanent position, or are not needed for a permanent position, you could certainly use this employer as a reference in your future endeavors. 

Keisha Francis
Career Educator

Employment Trends In The Future - Job Growth

In my last two blog posts we looked at the role of technology in changes to the economy and how it affects employment. Now, let’s apply these discussions and analyze employment projections from the Bureau of Labor statistics for 2010-2020. Today we’ll look at projected job growth and next we’ll look at projected job decline.

To begin, a disclaimer. The term fastest growing refers to percent changes in the number of jobs and largest growing refers to numerical changes in the number of jobs. If over the next ten years we add 10,000 positions as cashiers and optometrists, they will both be growing larger at the same rate, but the number of optometrists will be growing faster because there are obviously less optometrists than cashiers to begin with.

The fastest growing jobs list shows how demographics affect employment trends. As people live longer and the population ages overall, more workers will be needed in health care. A notable trend is that all of these positions are “hands-on.” It is difficult to imagine computers replacing these positions. Of these positions, only two require a Bachelor’s Degree. The salaries are mediocre, with only Biomedical Engineers standing out.

The jobs that will have the largest growth are a diverse mix. Many of these jobs aren’t growing all that fast, in fact, most of these are growing much slower than those on the previous chart. These jobs are adding large numbers of positions because they are so prevalent to begin with, such as Salespersons and Office Clerks. These positions are also “hands-on” and unlikely to be replaced by computers (except perhaps Postsecondary Teachers). The education requirements are notably low; the top 9 positions don’t even require a Bachelor’s Degree. Other than Nurses and Postsecondary Teachers, salaries are low.


Landon J. Latham
Career Educator

Don't Be THAT Guy at a Business Meal

I don’t know about you, but one thing that really scared me was the thought of having a business lunch or dinner with an employer.  I was always that person who would spill things, drop crumbs on the table and dig right into my dish.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

I will say one thing; working at Career Services this year has taught me a lot about dining etiquette and helped me understand why it is so important to everyone.  We have things like the Dining for Success event which is a way to practice and learn proper ways to eat tricky foods, presentations and so much more. 

Here is a video that quickly summarizes do’s and don’ts of dining:

Knowing dining etiquette is important.  According to “The Top Ten Etiquette Tips For The Business Dinner or Interview” by Hank Coleman, “Many of today’s business meetings, sales meetings, and job interviews take place over the dinner table. Sometimes these meetings are at a restaurant, and other times they are in a corporate dining hall. But, when the big deal or job is on the line that is not the time to realize you do not know which fork to eat your salad with.”

 

Here are some quick important tips you should remember:

·         Don’t start eating until you host or hostess has done so

·         Do not cut large sizes of food and try to shove it in your mouth, cut small bite size pieces instead

·         Place your napkin on your lap before you begin eating

·         Start on the outside and work your way in when using your silverware

 

You have all the resources you need for great dining etiquette. So make sure you drop by Career Services so you aren’t that guy at your business dinner.

Photo Credit: Jim Naughten/Getty Images

Ashley Salim

Career Educator

How To Develop Your Networking Skills Towards Being Productive Rather Than Pointless

Learning how to network and relate to potential employers is essential when it comes to landing a job. Now, more than ever, knowing how to communicate is revered highly by employers seeking candidates for open positions.

A Sagepresence article about networking productively  argues that in order to convince employers to hire you, you should make your conversation more about them than you. Networking is not about selling your achievements and characteristics, but more so about building a relationship with the person you are talking to.

When networking, a primary goal should be to let the person know that you are there to help them in some way. If you take the opportunity to network with an employer and are feeling a little unprepared, it is natural to talk about yourself to him or her. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially since networking involves having a genuine interest in learning about each other. Furthermore, people typically feel linked to us if we talk about ourselves.

You can also build your potential by communicating something meaningful to the employer that can show them how you can benefit them and their company. According to Sagepresence, there are three significant components to prepare for networking with an employer.

1. You will introduce yourself with basic information such as name and of course, an elevator pitch that has been pre-prepared.
2. You should tell the employer about something you are currently lacking that the employer can help you with. For example, mentioning that you are seeking a more challenging position or would like to be employed with a company that encourages autonomy.
3. Tell the employer about your “happy ending."
4. The last stage simply serves the purpose of summing up all three steps and giving the employer another idea of what you are seeking. 

An example of the third step is “I’m keeping busy, but I’m underemployed right now. My best skills simply aren’t being challenged as much as I want them to be”. All in all, at the end, the employer should have an idea of how he or she can help you and vice versa.

Shayla Frinks
Career Educator

Should Money Be The Deciding Factor in Choosing your Career?

Upon entering college, I had one objective in mind; to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in business so that I could get a job that would pay me well. In retrospect, wanting a good paying job was not a bad objective at all. However, I soon realized that there was more to performing an effective job search than just one’s projected income.

 According to research by MSNBC, less than half of all Americans are satisfied with their current jobs. Americans’ dissatisfaction in their jobs have extended to various types of people across the country, regardless of factors such as age and income. However, the inclination is strongest among workers who are less than 25 years old. Could it be because most young workers are after a similar objective? Could it be because of the money? There may be many reasons for such a high dissatisfaction rate. However, one thing that is very important is choosing a career that will not only benefit you financially, but mentally and emotionally as well.

Discover your passions and the various other elements that make you happy, and strive to acquire a career for that reason, first. It is true, money makes the world go around, but happiness is key to a man’s long term success. 

Keisha Francis

Career Educator

What Computers Can (and Can't) Do

How will changes in technology affect jobs in the future? Continued from previous post

Researchers at MIT published an excellent paper analyzing job skills and the possibility that they could be augmented or replaced by computing technology. They divide tasks into two main categories, analytic and manual. Within those categories, tasks can be considered routine or non-routine.  This is shown below:

The researchers analyzed data from 1960-1998 and found that the key determinant of whether a skill could be replaced by technology was not white collar vs. blue collar; the key is whether or not a task is routine. This has played out in the legal world; technology has largely replaced legal research by professionals such as lawyers and paralegals due to cheaper costs. This somewhat defies the conventional wisdom that more education necessarily leads to better job security and white collar workers have more secure jobs than blue collar workers.

Applying these findings to potential careers and jobs is somewhat speculative but worthwhile. The safest jobs are non-routine manual tasks. This category includes jobs like janitor and bus driver, but also includes surgeons. Another key determinant of whether a job can be “replaced” by computers is the “trust” or “people” factor. For example, most people trust an ATM to dispense cash as well as a bank teller, but what a robot surgeon? There’s also tastes and preferences; online learning could replace classroom learning, but most people respond more positively in a classroom with a teacher.


In addition to replacing jobs, technology can also complement workers to the point of increasing total employment in an industry. Beyond obvious fields such as IT professionals, this includes more conventional jobs such as doctors, managers, and even entertainers.

Ask yourself, can computers (or robots, which are computers) replace the job I’m aiming for? Will technology make it easier or harder for me to find an opening in that position. Even if the answer is yes or maybe, it probably shouldn’t affect your career decision. Still, understanding what may happen in the future of an industry can only help you understand it better.

Landon J. Latham

Career Educator