ORCMS Career Blog

A study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), concludes that “employees are clearly not benefiting from management efforts to support their careers.”  (From 2000 HR Trendbook)  Out of 1000 employees interviewed, nearly half said their employer’s approach to career development failed to meet their needs.

Here are some of the statistics:

• 44% said their career aspirations are supported by a system for career development through their employers.
• Nearly half (38%) felt that their employers are only concerned about the career development of their “high potential” employees.
• 30% feel their employer is not committed to helping them achieve personal career goals.

Why does this matter?

Well, it matters for both employers and employees.  The coming years will see a shortage of talent in the workforce due to retirement of Baby Boomers.  Most companies have not yet developed a succession plan (42%) or only have an informal plan in place (29%) to meet their needs.  If employees are not given assistance to enhance their career within their current companies, they may find it necessary to move to a different company that provides these services.  Failing to provide programs for retaining and developing employees is a clear case of myopia.  Companies who do not step up to this challenge will find it difficult to keep their brightest and best employees.

It matters to employees, because in today’s work environment you can plan on changing careers every three to 5 years.  You are responsible for “You, Inc.”  Nobody else will manage your company (”You, Inc.”) for you, so the smart money is on managing your own career development.

There are several things YOU, as an employee, can do to enhance your own career from both inside and outside the organization.  Here are a few great suggestions:
1 - Consult your HR or Training department to find out what is offered through your current company. SHRM says that “a lot of unhappiness over career development programs is a communication issue.”
2 - Look elsewhere for career development opportunities.  Check out the local chapter of your professional organization to see what certification or continuing education classes are offered.
3 - Get a degree.  Your employer may offer some form of tuition assistance for this.  Check your employee manual or ask your HR department.
4 - Change companies.  Chances are good that your company’s competitors care more about their employees than yours does.  Why not take a look at working for them?

Are you one of the 44% of employees who feel their employers do not support your career development needs?  If so, what will you do to enhance your own career goals?

How much do you expect to make in your next job? $50K per year? $70K? $100K? More? Multiply that by the number of years you plan to spend on the job, and that’s how much your resume is worth! If you were going to buy space in the New York Times or Wall Street Journal for an ad campaign that would yield you this much revenue, wouldn’t you want to make CERTAIN you are getting your money’s worth? You bet you would!

Think about it. Wouldn’t it be worth your time and effort to make sure you get it right? Would it be worth an extra $500 or $1,000 to make sure you are presenting your product (i.e. YOU) in the best possible manner?

Here are my top 5 tips for making sure you have a top notch advertising campaign:

1. FOCUS your product offering. Know what you have to offer and who needs it. DON’T try to be all things to all people. Focus your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) to present yourself in the best possible way to your key target audience.
2. DON’T waste any space! Would you put a picture of your dog in a full page ad in the New York Times? Not unless you are selling puppies! Then why list your hobbies and accomplishments unless they are DIRECTLY related to your career objective?
3. BE CLEAR about what you have to offer. Don’t make the reader guess. Don’t allow them to read between the lines. If you can do something for them (which is really all they care about), state it up front and in clear language.
4. QUANTIFY results. The “native language” of the people who have the authority to hire you is NUMBERS. In order to best speak their language and gain their attention you need to quantify your results from past activities. How much? How Many? When? Where? How often? How much of an increase was that? These numbers will show your potential employer that you have done it before and could most likely do it for them.
5. Get help if you need it. There are a lot of great resources out there. Check out our “Resource Page” for more info on this. Especially helpful is “Doug’s List” (at the bottom of that page). If you need more direct coaching you can contact one of us at: info@orcms.com.

Your resume is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Think of it as a high priced advertising campaign. You want to make certain that it is clear, polished, and effective — because you can’t afford to waste time and money on anything less.