CSC Proprietary and Confidential 04/21/23 01:14 5080-11_Coping With Downsizing 1

TURNING LOSS INTO OPPORTUNITY: How

to Grow Personally and Professionally

After Losing Your JobElizabeth W. Adkins, CA, CRM

DirectorGlobal Records & Information Management

CSC

August 13, 2010

DC2010 Session #301:

Coping with Downsizings

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My Story

• Job at Ford Motor Company eliminated January 21, 2009

• Received career transition assistance from Right Management

• Landed job at CSC July 13, 2009

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Job Loss/Grief Process

Shock/Denial

Anger

Worry

DepressionAcceptance

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Your “Reason for Leaving” Statement:“What Happened with Your Job?”

• Establish a response that is:

– Short

– Truthful

– As positive as possible

• Write it down

• Practice and refine it

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Assess Yourself

• What are your strengths?

• How do you want to grow professionally?

• How do you relate to other people?

• Do you prefer to lead or follow?

• Are you looking for rapid advancement or stability?

• Are you willing to move for the right position?

• Do you like to travel or do you prefer to stay close to home?

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Assess Your Ideal Employer and Job

• Self-employed or employee?

• Profit/non-profit/academic/government?

• How large an organization?

• Small or large archives/records staff?

• Startup or well established?

• Financial condition?

• Reputation?

• Geographic location?

• Reporting relationships?

• Level of challenge?

• Is status/title important?

• Do you want to supervise others?

• What salary and benefits are most important to you?

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Establishing an Effective Resume

• Will be read in approximately 25 – 35 seconds, so limit the length– If fewer than 10 years experience: 1 page

– If more than 10 years experience: 2 pages

• Include summary leading paragraph that concisely describes your strengths and abilities, targeted to your ideal job

• Include key phrases that might be included in ads for your ideal job• Format in a way that guides the reader’s eye

– Bold type and headings

– Indentations and bullets

– Plenty of white space

• Do not include:– Personal information or characteristics

– Hobbies or interests, unless relevant to career objective

– “References available upon request”

• Share with others, and request critiques

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Understanding the Nature of the Job Market

Existing Jobs

• Impending vacancy

• Vacancy

• Adding a slot• Modifying a job

Ads

Agencies

Other

Created Jobs

Formal (Reactive) Job Market• Positions have been publicized

• Selection process competitive

Hidden (Proactive) Job Market• Not yet publicized

• Significantly less competition

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Reactive Job Search Strategies

• Respond to ads between 4 – 14 days after the ad appears

– Better chance of being noticed

• Be brief

• Focus on each employer’s needs

• Send a cover letter that addresses both the defined and implied qualifications in the advertisement

• Do not send your salary history

– If pressed, state that your requirements are flexible

• If you can identify the functional manager, write to that manager in addition to responding to the person or department mentioned in the ad

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Informal (Proactive) Job Search Strategies

• Use strategic connections to arrange informal meetings

• Collect information that can help your marketing plan

• Make it clear that you are not requesting a job

• Use the sessions to:

– Build rapport

– Make positive impressions

– Present your chosen career objective

– Ask relevant questions

• If the person is impressed with you and knows of a position that is about to open, you may get considered for it, with little or no other competition

• Even if no position is in sight, you will obtain valuable information and experience

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Interview Strategies

• Establish and practice your selling points• Research the employing organization

– Use your network to gather special insights

• Research and practice typical interview questions• Prepare your own questions• Dress appropriately• Be aware of body language• Demonstrate enthusiasm, interest, and confidence• Avoid talking too much• Neither boast nor be apologetic• Avoid premature salary discussions• Be an interested listener and observer• Determine the timeline for the selection and decision process• Above all, be yourself

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After the Interview

• Prepare meeting notes immediately after the interview

• Send a thank you letter or e-mail within 24 hours

• If you have not heard anything by the date that was indicated, call to check status

• Continue your job search while waiting

• If not offered the position, send a gracious response

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After You’ve Landed the Job

• Withdraw applications from other jobs

• Update your resume and Internet presence

• Establish career goals in your new position

• Request feedback from your employer at appropriate intervals

– 3 months

– 6 months

– One year

• Stay connected with your network

• Expand your network

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Summary

• With the right approach and attitude, you can turn losing your job into the best thing that ever happened to you

• Find a safe outlet for dealing with your emotions

• Establish a short, truthful, positive story about your job loss

• Conduct a thorough, candid self-assessment

• Identify your ideal job and career path

• Develop a resume that sells your unique abilities and targets yourideal job

• Establish a marketing plan to align your strengths and interests with the job market

• Position yourself for success in the reactive and proactive job markets

• Practice interview and negotiating strategies

• Continually develop and refine your personal network

• Apply what you’ve learned as you continue on your career path

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Questions?

Elizabeth W. Adkins, CA , CRM

eadkins3@csc.com

COPING WITH DOWNSIZING

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Appendix

RECORDS AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

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Resume Format

• Heading

– Name in bold, all capital letters or small caps

– Remove street address or P.O. box from resumes that you post on job search sites

• Leading paragraph/summary (e.g., “Career Summary,” “Professional Summary,” “Qualifications Summary,” “Profile”)

– Concise summary of past experience and qualifications

– Emphasizes key information from rest of resume

– Describes the strengths and skills that make you stand out

– First sentence: Generic job title describing your level or responsibility, and your field of expertise

– Second sentence: Emphasize and build on technical expertise, critical strengths, contributions, accomplishments, special talents and/or knowledge

– Third sentence: Management/leadership skills and work style combined with personal characteristics and qualifications

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Resume Format (Cont’d)

• Professional experience section– Begin with the most recent job, and work backwards

– Include employer’s name, city, state, and (if necessary) description

– Include job title, job function, and dates (in years)

– Create short bullet list of job accomplishments for each position• Provide specific examples of success at performing a key duty of your job

• Include the challenge you addressed, the action you took, and the result of your actions

• Use strong action verbs, such as “led,” “implemented,” “developed,” “established”

• Avoid using weak phrases such as “helped to,” “assisted in,” “coordinated”

• Provide specific, measurable results of your actions

• Education section– Start with the highest degree

– Include schooling even when you have earned less than a full degree, and indicate # of years or % of degree accomplished

– Include professional development, special training, and certificates in a separate section

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Resume Format (Cont’d)

• Other resume sections

– Professional affiliations, memberships, certifications, awards

– Volunteer experience (optional)

– Military experience (optional)

– Computer and technical skills (optional)

• Addendum to capture professional activities

– Books

– Articles

– Presentations

– Special projects

• Final step in resume preparation: Share with others, and request critiques

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Internet Job Search Tools

• SAA and ARMA career sites

• Archives and Archivists and Records Management listservs

• Monster.com and similar job search sites

• Web sites that aggregate job ads

– These can help you identify locally advertised ads that might not make it tonational sites

– Be on the lookout for ads that might be “phishing” for your personal information

– My favorite web site is: www.SimplyHired.com

• Primary professional social network: www.linkedin.com

– Post your public profile

– Search job ads

– Allows you to expand the reach of your network

• Critical for Federal job seekers: www.usajobs.opm.gov

• Be aware of your entire Internet presence (e.g., Facebook)

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Handling Salary Questions

Your power to negotiate a good offer is at its highest when you receive afirm job offer; until then, avoid salary questions• Response to request for salary history

– If possible, leave blank

• Options for requests to state salary requirements– Leave blank

– State that your requirements are flexible

– Provide a range, with the employer’s stated range being at your midpoint

• Options for response to questions during interview– “I would prefer to learn more about the position and responsibilities before

getting into salary discussions”

– “I’m sure that XYZ organization has a fair compensation scale, and if we decide that this match is a good one, I’m confident that we will be able to agree on a salary”

– “If I knew what the range for this position was, I’d be able to tell you if that fits with what I expect. What is the salary range for this position?”

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The Negotiating Process

• Once you receive an offer:– Express appreciation and interest

– Ask for time to think over the offer

• Evaluate the offer and determine your goals, trade-offs andwalk-away point

• Items to consider other than base salary:– Bonus

– Vacation time

– Tuition reimbursement

– Relocation costs

– Support for professional development

• Negotiate and obtain or propose a counteroffer– Confirm items in agreement, first

– State that you are certain you can come to agreement

• Obtain agreement and ask for final offer in writing

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Thank You

COPING WITH DOWNSIZING

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