Employment
By
James Harvey Stout (deceased). This material is now in the public
domain. The complete collection of Mr. Stout's writing is now at
http://stout.mybravenet.com/public_html/h/
>
Jump to the following topics:
- Choosing a career.
- The resume.
- The job interview.
- Relations
with people at the job site.
- Promotions and raises.
Choosing a career. Some tips:
- For help in selecting a job field, we can use aptitude tests
and employment counselors (at schools, state employment offices,
and private agencies).
- To get a closeup view of the field, talk to people who are
doing it -- and, if possible, spend some time at a job site,
observing the operations (as a guest, a volunteer, or a temporary
apprentice).
- We can consider for these factors in a career-field:
- Salary potential (including benefits).
- Day-to-day duties (i.e., the tasks which we will be doing,
as compared to a glamorized idea regarding the career).
- Job security (including the possibility that this
career-field will not exist in the future).
- Hours and days (which might not be 9-to-5, Monday through
Friday).
- Intellectual requirements (which might require the brain of
a rocket scientist).
- Physical demands (which might include heavy lifting,
repetitive stresses, etc.).
- Environment (e.g., outdoors, an office, solitude in a
cubicle).
- Potential for promotion and advancement.
- Possibility for psychological rewards -- enjoyment,
fulfillment, challenge, etc. If the job offers these qualities,
we will be naturally motivated to succeed -- and we won't want
to dump it all after a couple of years.
The resume. Some tips:
- Limit the length of the resume to one or two pages. We need to
give enough information to attract attention -- but a wordy resume
has two disadvantages:
- Employers will be less likely to read it at all.
- The excess information might contain something which causes
the resume to be rejected.
- Choose the best kind of resume for your job field and your
work history:
- The "chronological resume" is a list of jobs in
chronological order, starting with the most recent one and then
going backward from there. The information includes the company
name, job title, dates of employment (e.g., 5/14/95 to
6/18/96), and an explanation of our duties.
- Advantages: It is simple to write.
- Disadvantages: It clearly reveals:
- Periods when we were not employed
- Previous jobs which were unrelated to the one for
which we want to apply.
- The "functional resume" is a list of our skills, with a
description of each. This kind of resume does not include dates
of employment, and it might not include the names of the
companies where we have worked.
- Advantages:
- It focuses on the skills which are relevant to the
position which we are seeking.
- It allows us to exclude jobs which were not relevant
to this job, and jobs for which we would not receive a
recommendation (perhaps because we were fired).
- Disadvantages: Some employers are skeptical of this type
of resume, because they know that we might be hiding
information about previous jobs.
- Select the information for the resume:
- Information to include: our name, address, phone number,
foreign languages, military service, membership in professional
associations, licenses, accreditation, and education (which is
very important in a resume if we have little or no work
experience, or if we have a master's degree or higher). In the
description of our work experience, we mention:
- The job title. For example, sales manager.
- Explanation of the job. What were our responsibilities?
- Accomplishments. For example, we increased sales by
400%.
- Information to exclude: personal references, salary
requirement, controversial data (such as membership in
particular clubs or churches), our inadequacies, and particular
information about previous jobs (salary, supervisor's name, or
your reason for leaving).
- Consider the aesthetics of the resume. Use high-quality paper,
a flawless photocopy, and a conservative appearance (white or
off-white paper, with no illustrations or fancy borders).
- Use a cover letter. This one-page letter grabs the interest of
the employer so that he or she will want to read the resume. Some
tips for the cover letter:
- Address the resume to a specific person at the company (not
just the "Personnel Director"); if you don't know the name,
call for that information.
- Show some personality and confidence.
- Say that you will call the employer within a few days for
an interview.
The job interview. Some tips:
- Be knowledgeable about the company. At a minimum, we should
have a basic awareness of the types of products or services which
are offered by this company.
- Dress conservatively, and appropriately for this type of job.
- Be enthusiastic, and interested in the job.
- Be likable and friendly, with a firm handshake and warm eye
contact. Make the interview pleasurable and engaging for the
person. Employers hire people whom they (and the other employees)
will enjoy being around.
- Say that you want the job, and ask for a definite decision
that you have been hired. If the boss says that he or she will
make a decision later, send a follow-up letter as soon as you get
home; reiterate your interest, and add any other information about
your qualifications.
- Don't ask about the salary until after you have been offered
the position.
Relations
with people at the job site.
- The new job. Some tips:
- Keep a low profile as you learn the skills, the conduct,
and the "pecking order" (and other aspects of office politics).
- Be friendly. But respect people's right to "check you out"
before accepting you into the established order. And don't join
a clique until you know which ones have influence and esteem
within the company.
- Be eager to learn. Prove that you will do your share of the
work.
- Be willing to accept a certain amount of "initiation" --
which might include menial tasks or teasing; these small
indignities are tests to see whether we respect the status quo
and its leaders. (However, we don't have to accept any type of
"hazing" which is severe or prolonged.)
- Office politics. Office politics exists in every job in the
form of power, competition for promotions (and the boss' favor),
and information (and gossip) about other employees and the
company. Regardless of your feelings regarding office
politics:
- Indicate respect for the power structure (the official one
and the actual one); our ranking within it depends on our
appearance of cooperation.
- Be aware of the people who have power; they are the ones
who advise and spend time with the boss.
- Know the company's "culture" -- its values and rituals.
- Stay abreast of office news and rumors by talking to peers,
secretaries, and other sources.
- Relations with the boss. Some tips:
- Learn about the boss' priorities and values regarding the
job. For example, the boss might value perfectionism, or
quickness, or competitiveness (or cooperation).
- Learn about the boss' expectations regarding your
personality. For example, some bosses demand strictly
professional interactions; others are casual and friendly.
- Learn about the boss' career goals. We are usually rewarded
if we help the boss to succeed in his or her career.
- Be aware of the boss' outside interests (hobbies, sports,
etc.).
- When there is a dispute with the boss, never speak about
the problem to his or her boss (except in extremely serious
matters, e.g., criminal activity).
- Social aspects of the job. This is not just for "fun";
adequate social skills are essential for success. We won't go far
without support and cooperation from co-workers. Some tips:
- Within a degree of leeway, follow the norms of attire,
jargon, subjects of conversation, and casualness or formality
of manner.
- Use etiquette. And say "please" and "thank you."
- Try to remember the names of people you meet; keep a
written record, if necessary.
- Don't act like you are better than anyone in skill, talent,
or personal qualities.
- Know the dividing lines among office friendships, office
romances, and sexual harassment.
- Realize that in most workplaces, employees (and their boss)
seek a measure of "family atmosphere"; they want a feeling of
belonging and acceptance, and they are willing to be sociable
and warm in order to create that environment.
- Teamwork on the job. Bosses and co-workers appreciate "team
players" -- people who contribute to the overall effort of the
department or company. (Loners are generally distrusted, disliked
-- and discharged.) However, even though we are team players, we
know that our own career advancement is our ultimate (though
secret) goal -- as it is for everyone else. To present yourself as
a team player:
- Be enthusiastically cooperative.
- Express happiness for co-workers who achieve.
- Give credit to "the team" whenever there is success.
Paradoxically, our humility is rewarded: we receive credit for
the success and also for our teamwork.
Promotions and raises. Some
tips:
- Keep a weekly diary of your achievements (e.g., new skills, or
an increase of productivity and profits).
- Have "visibility," so that the boss and other officials will
know about your accomplishments:
- Write a memo to the boss when you complete a particularly
significant task.
- Volunteer for high-profile projects which are likely to be
successful.
- Let the boss know that your eventual goal is to achieve a
higher position. (Otherwise, the boss might assume that you are
content in your current position.)
- Prepare for the new position by acquiring the skills which
would be required there. We can learn those skills in our current
position, or in college classes.
- If you are unlikely to be promoted in your current department,
consider transferring to a different department (or a different
company.)
- Don't feel that you must seek advancement at all. There is
nothing wrong with being satisfied in our current position and not
desiring the increased responsibilities and pressure which would
occur at a higher tier; for example, many salespeople enjoy sales
work -- but their success is rewarded by a promotion to sales
management, where they are unhappy because they can no
longer do the sales work.