Human Resource Consulting Associates

🤓 👔👏💼 🎉Finding a New Career Path 🤓 👔👏💼 🎉

Two of my clients found new career paths this week – let me share the story of Betty and her career readjustment.

Betty was in nursing school. She loved science and people and thought that nursing would be a good merging of these interests. But, after two semesters, Betty found she strongly disliked the field of nursing. Betty was very sensitive to the feelings of others and nursing left her emotionally exhausted.

Betty came to me for help – she wanted to know what options she could explore in the health sciences.

Working together…

Betty completed two career assessments which helped her better understand herself and her career interests. The assessments identified career interests that could be utilized vocationally.

Betty has now switched her career direction - her new career path is radiological technology.

How did career counseling help Betty?

That Betty initially chooses the wrong career path was evident after analyzing her two career assessments and talking with her. Because of her high level of sensitivity, nursing was a bad career choice for her in spite her love of science

Together we searched for colleges and programs that would enable Betty to enter the field of radiologic technology and become an ultrasound technician. This new career path will utilize her science background and love of people, but will not emotionally deplete her. Additionally, this new career path is a growing field with many job opportunities. After she graduates in 20 months, Betty will be well paid and have many employment opportunities. Congratulations Betty -I know that you will have great success in your new career path.

Are you unsure of what to do? Are you doing something that doesn’t feel “right” to you? Let me help you to identify alternative paths in your career so that you can find a career that fits your personality, your needs, and your life style. Contact Norma at mycareeredoc.com so that I can help you achieve your career goals.

Social Media and You

We all love social media. But job seekers beware! What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas but what happens on social media becomes public knowledge for job recruiters and employers.

In the past year, more than 1/3 of companies have disqualified job candidates due to concerns over information uncovered on social sites or via an online search, as per the Society of Human Resource Management. And even though many companies do not publicly reveal that they are searching social media sites and conducting online searches, they do utilize these avenues to help them choose the most professional and qualified candidates.

Additionally, employers say that they eliminate potential job candidates due to online evidence of illegal activities and also due to discrepancies with job applications and resumes. Even though many of these companies give job seekers a chance to explain any troubling information – why start behind before you are “out of the gate”?

Social media is now used as another way to verify an applicant’s employment history and help companies ensure that they are hiring strong, honest candidates. Presently, 84% of organizations are using social media to recruit and an additional 9% plan to do so in the future.

Job-seekers be warned and be aware. Review your social media accounts and even look at sites where pictures and information of you may be posted. Look at all the information posted through the eyes of a potential employer. When reviewing your social media posts, ask yourself:
1. Do I come across professionally?
2. Is the information posted accurate and flattering to my image and my career?
3. Do the pictures and the information pass the “it’s ok for grandma to see” test?
4. What other information should I post that would impress an organization?

If you to make sure you are maximizing your presence in the social media space, contact [email protected]. Remember, you only have one chance to make a first impression!

Are Your Managers Prepared to Manage CHANGE?

Change. This 6-letter word creates panic in some, joy in a few and anxiety for others. It has often been said that the only people that like change are babies with wet diapers! Yet we know that we are living in times of tumultuous change; and these changes can have a powerful impact on us both personally and organizationally.

The impact of change is even more profound today because of the greater momentum, volume and complexity of change. Today’s managers and leaders often feel overwhelmed and stressed because of the impact of change both personally and organizationally. Recent reports by McKinsey and Company, IBM, Forbes/Towers Watson report that change management initiatives are only 25-30% successful over the long term. We know that the most strategic of planning cannot succeed without employee commitment and cooperation – ultimately, organizations cannot change unless individual employees change their behavior.[1] HRCA offers two different change management programs which are designed to help organizations and agencies successfully implement the many changes that they face.

Employees are overwhelmed and often resistant to change. HRCA offers a half-day or 1-day seminars to help staff/employees overcome existing mindsets and personal barriers to change.

HRCA also offers 1 or 2-day change management programs for front-line managers and leaders. As a supervisor/manager/leader implementing changes, you must manage your reaction to change professionally, implement the change (i.e. a new process, product or service) and concurrently managing resistance and push back from employees. Change is an ongoing process that is difficult and complex. But managers who understand change management principles and frameworks will be able to successfully launch a change initiative that is productive and effective. These front-line leaders will be able to develop more clear strategies for helping staff to accept and implement organizational changes. Call HRCA to find out how we can help you manage change so that it doesn’t manage you!

References:
[1] Harvard Business Review. Managing Change, One Day at as Time. Keith Ferrazzi. www.hbr.org/2014/07/managing-change-one-day-at-a-time. August 2014.