Daily Career Connection

Article Contributed by CareerAlley

“Anyone who says businessmen only deal in facts, not fiction, has never read old five year projections.” - Malcolm Forbes

The Fortune 500 (and no, it’s not an oversight that I quoted Malcolm Forbes while reviewing the Fortune 500) is as well known as any group. And yes, there are more than a few from last year’s list that are now gone (in one form or another). But that being said, this is still the “top of the heap” and is as good a place as any to look for your next job. Working for a Fortune 500 does not guarantee that you will have a job long term (I should know), but it is a very distinguished list and certainly has more “winners” in the business world than “losers”. Three of the top 5 are in the energy business (no surprise there). Across the first 5 companies reviewed in this post, there were over 2,600 job opportunities (in total) when I checked these sites. This is the first post for this series which will appear in the blog from time to time.

• Exxon Mobil- Ranked number 1 (up from number 2 last year), Exxon Mobil is, of course, is in the Oil and Gas business. Their career page has a few tabs at the top on the company as well as a Your Career tab. There is a “Click to Apply” link on the left hand side of the page which takes you directly to a page where you can search for openings and register. If you stick to the main page you can click Locations, Your Career or Global Careers. Whatever your choice of review/entry, you should eventually pick the location where you would like to search (or check several locations). If you would like to check jobs worldwide, click the Click to Apply and then Search Openings. There were 372 jobs (globally) when I checked the site.
• Wal-Mart Stores - Another well known name, Wal-Mart was ranked 2 this year (down from 1). There are a number of options when visiting the Wal-Mart Careers page: Sam’s Club, Corporate Careers, Logistics Careers and quite a few more. Their main careers page has a large Apply label right in the middle of the page (which does not link to anything). If you would like to explore first, the left hand side of the page is filled with quite a few options. In addition to the ones I listed, there is also College and Recent Grads, Military, Driving Careers and many more. You can also check for jobs in your area by clicking “in your local area” center page. There is a way to search across all jobs. There were 265 jobs when I checked the site
• Chevron - Ranked #3, Chevron is another Oil and Gas company. Their Careers page is crisp and easier to navigate than many career pages. There are tabs at the top for Find a Job, Types of Jobs, Students and Recent Grads and Working at Chevron. On the right hand side there are a few links: Look for Jobs Around the World, a careers link in Spanish and College Recruiting. Clicking Jobs Around the World leads to the Find a Job page where you will need to select a country.
• ConocoPhilips - Yet another Oil and Gas company, ConocoPhilips was ranked 4 (up from 5 last year). Their careers page offers two choices: ConocoPhilips Careers and University Recruitment (these are directly below a company overview and are repeated on the left hand side of the page). Once in the careers, there is are a number of choices including picking region, reviewing benefits, Career Development or simply clicking Job Search. There were 51 jobs when I checked the site.
• General Electric - Ranked 5 (up from 6), GE is involved in way too many businesses to list here. There are over 300,000 people in over 100 locations (according to the website). Their careers page has a company overview followed by segmented opportunities - University and R&D are featured. Click on Start your Job Search and then Search Openings - there were 1,889 jobs when I checked the site.

Good luck in your search.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Guest Post By Nancy Keene, Director, Stanton Chase International - Dallas

In a tight market, why not go beyond the traditional two-page resume to showcase your background and the kind of deliverables you could bring to a new position?

Supplementals provide a key advantage.

Consider:
• News articles about projects and initiatives
• Examples of “dashboard” metrics that you created to track results
• Case studies that highlight situation/analysis/results
• New product pitches
• Research projects
• ”Get started” business plan — how you would approach the new assignment
• “Deal sheets” that list business/financial transactions

Submit them along with the resume as separate attachments. Or create an additional page to the resume and embed weblinks that can take the reader to the content. Or take them to the interview and use them as a “talking piece” at an appropriate interval.

Supplementals are ideal for those in early career stage with fewer years of experience. A standout accomplishment in college or graduate school can still be appropriate content as an illustration of your track record of excellence.

It can also be an effective strategy if there is a high level of competition for the position you are seeking. (i.e., just about any open position in today’s economic environment!) Just be sure you don’t share anything that is proprietary or considered a company’s intellectual property.

Some success stories:

• A young MBA was a near Perfect Fit for a search assignment I was handling, but had fewer years of experience than the client required for a managerial slot. During the phone screen, the candidate casually mentioned some news stories in which she had been featured. It was pre-YouTube, so I suggested she digitize the TV clip. I created a word doc/reprint from the newspaper website. (Another tip: capture news/blog items while they are still available on-line!) I submitted the supplementals to the client along with my recommendations and comments. They still didn’t hire her for the position where there was an experience shortfall, but they were impressed and created another role for her inside the company!

• A second-year MBA student had a long tenure in retail but wanted to move into another sector. He had been a store manager and turned a loser location into a top sales and profit leader. I probed how he did it. He was modest and an introvert. “Oh, it was nothing,” he protested, then told an impressive story of targeting, measuring and rewarding incremental improvements. All with minimum wage staff, many part-time. Wow! He still had the paperwork to create and track the program. He took it to all of his on-campus interviews and won a role at a top consulting firm.

• In my own experience, I was asked for a Who Do You Know roster of VP level and above officers of high tech companies for a business development role at PricewaterhouseCoopers. In lieu, I created a series of Relationship Roadmaps — org charts that illustrated executives and advisors from key tech clients of mine and where they had migrated. They were populating many target companies of the firm. I explained: “It’s not whom you know. It’s who knows whom and how the relationships work together.” I bested the other candidates and won the job.

• In targeting the executive search profession as a late-career move in the last downturn, I created a ramp-up plan: Achieving Growth in a Down Market. It showed I was serious and had a step-by-step approach to winning business. At a time when firms were downsizing, I was possibly the only person in America to get a foothold in retained executive search in 2002!

In the current market, we’re seeing C-level executives creating blogs and websites that detail their expertise, track records and thought leadership.

Get creative. Go the extra mile. Build a case. Sell yourself.

You can do it!

About the Author

Nancy Keene is a director for Stanton Chase International in Dallas, a retained executive search firm. The 450-member organization conducts local, regional and international executive search campaigns for many top companies worldwide. Stanton Chase currently has 67 offices in 41 countries. There are 15 offices in North America. For more information, visit www.stantonchase.com. Read more on Nancy’s blog.

Are you dissatisfied with your current job? Maybe it’s not the actual job you have that’s the problem. It’s possible that you just might not be in the right career field. If you’re not happy with the line of work that you are currently doing, it might be time for you to consider making a career change.

Many people stay stuck in careers that aren’t right for them because they don’t feel they’re qualified to move into a different occupation. While it’s true that you may need a different skill set if you’re going to move into a new profession, it’s also a fact that getting the skills you need to make a change doesn’t have to be difficult or take a long time. There are many excellent career colleges and technical schools where individuals who want to learn new occupational skills can do so in a reasonable period of time, without investing an excessive amount of time or money.

If you’re ready to step up to a new career, don’t you owe it to yourself to find out what types of training and skill development options are available to you? Consider reaching out to training providers in your area to get the information you need, or utilize the online college navigator provided by the U.S. Department of Education so that you can start getting the information you need to make a positive change in your professional life!

Are you interested in the travel industry? Maybe you should consider pursuing a career as a travel agent? If you like the idea of helping business and leisure travelers make find travel deals and make plans for upcoming trips, this just might be an excellent choice for you. It’s up to you whether you decide to go into business for yourself or to seek employment with a local or online travel agency.