Month: December 2014

How Important is Your College Major?

How important is your college major?

Graduating from college did two things for my career.  I got a key to let me in the door that said, “Degree required” on the job description.  I gained acceptance into business circles and social circles where having a college degree meant credibility.

With a liberal arts degree, I was eligible to do many things and qualified to none.  I developed the skills for my career once my career began.

There are many articles emphasizing that it is not important to pick a major that leads to a career.  One excellent article from the NY Times is, “Your College Major May Not Be as Important as You Think.”

However, I recommend that you pick a major that lays a base of knowledge that relates as directly as possible to the career field of your choice.  The more time you invest in developing a specialty will determine how long it takes you to master that specialty.

“In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.”
― Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success

An example of focusing on studies that directly apply to your career is the early computer studies of Paul Allen and Bill Gates.  They both had thousands of hours of computer times as teenagers.  When they attended Lakeside School in Seattle, WA, they both had access to a Teletype Model 33 ASR terminal and a block of computer time on a General Electric (GE).  They also had computer time on a computer belonging to Computer Center Corporation (CCC).

On the other hand, if you have graduated from college, don’t let your major slow you down from picking a career that is different from your college major.  I majored in English.  I went to Naval Officer Candidate School.  I had classmates who included lawyers, MIT grads, PhDs, Accountants, and a Rhode Scholar.  Some of my classmates had never been in a rowboat.  Some could barely swim.  However, most of us learned the tactics, navigation, and seamanship we needed to become Navy officers in a variety of capacities.

My experience in the Navy helped me to mature.  The fact that I was a junior military officer helped me get jobs in sales with Procter & Gamble and Polaroid Corporation.

Curriculum Vitae or Resume?

A curriculum vitae (CV) is similar to a resume.  In the United States, applicants for jobs in research, education, and medicine frequently use a curriculum vitae.  In England and Europe, job seekers more commonly use curriculum vitae instead of a resume.

A resume has less information and is, therefore, shorter than curriculum vitae.  Most resumes are one or two pages long.  For job seekers in the United States business sector, a resume is more effective in getting interviews with hiring managers who spend just seconds reviewing a resume.

This following example is a skeleton of curriculum vitae.  If you replace your information with the information in this example, you will have written curriculum vitae.

Name
Street Address
City, ST ZIP Code
Phone
E-Mail

EDUCATION
University, City, State
Doctorate of Philosophy, Concentration or Field,     Year Received
Dissertation: “Name of Dissertation”
Honors: Dissertation passed “with Distinction”

University, City, State
Master of Arts, Master of Science, Concentration or Field,    Year Received
Thesis: “Title of Thesis”

University, City, State
Bachelor of .Arts, Bachelor of .Science, Major    Year Received
Areas of Concentration: List of focused subjects
Minor: Subject
Honors Thesis: “Title of Thesis”

AWARDS
Postdoctoral Fellowship, University Name    Start Date – End Date
President’s Fellowship, University Name    Start Date – End Date
Excellence Grant, University Name   Start Date – End Date

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
University, City, State
Lecturer – Subject      Years

  1. Prepared and delivered lessons
  2. Developed course structure
  3. Administered all grades

Adjunct Instructor – Capacity    Years

  1. Prepared and delivered lessons
  2. Developed course structure
  3. Administered all grades

Instructor – Subject    Years

  1. Prepared and delivered lessons
  2. Developed course structure
  3. Administered all grades

Teaching Assistant – Subject    Years

  1. Assisted with curriculum and exam development
  2. Graded exams and written work
  3. Met with students regarding field projects

RELATED EXPERIENCE
Company Name, City, State
Title    Start Date – End Date
Manage team of field researchers, provide feedback to management, develop new research projects for internal review

Company Name, City, State
Title    Start Date – End Date
List of accomplishments and responsibilities

Company Name, City, State
Title    Start Date – End Date
List of accomplishments and responsibilities

Company Name, City, State
User Interface Design Consultant Pick the Year
List of accomplishments and responsibilities

PUBLICATIONS AND PAPERS
Title of paper
Location or medium of presentation of paper and date

Title of paper
Location or medium of presentation of paper and date

LANGUAGES or ADVANCED SKILLS
Name of language or skill and level of competence
Name of language or skill and level of competence
Name of language or skill and level of competence

MEMBERSHIPS
Society Name or Organization Name
Society Name or Organization Name
Society Name or Organization Name

Resumes that are Short and Sweet

Here are some tips for creating resumes that are short and sweet.  These tips will help resume readers see you as a great applicant.  Your credentials will stand out immediately.

Eliminate the summary of your experience.

People often include a summary of the experience at the top of a resume.  The information in your summary belongs with your accomplishments within the body of your resume.  Putting a summary of your experience at the top is unnecessary, is a reading burden, and wastes space.

Eliminate your high school graduation if you are a college grad.

People who have to read resumes do not need to read that you have a high school diploma.  The fact that you have started attending college or have graduated from college shows that you have a high school diploma or the equivalent of a high school diploma.

Eliminate full sentences for your accomplishments and skills.

  1. Increased revenue by 10%
  2. Managed a team to create nationally recognized software development process
  3. Fluent in French, conversant in Spanish
  4. Type 55 words per minute
  5. Operated forklifts and narrow aisle trucks

Eliminate non-skill or education information on your resume.

Hobbies, interests, references, and personal recognition do not belong on your resume.

Include information on certificates and credentials you are studying or have completed.

Even if the certificates or credentials do not apply specifically to the job for which you are applying, a brief statement on these additional studies may broaden a resume reader’s view of your skills.  There may be jobs beyond the one for which you are applying and for which these studies make you fit.

Include information on your major, minor, and other important studies.

  1. Majored in computer science
  2. Minored in math
  3. Completed advanced studies in data analysis
  4. Received a certificate for heat transfer engineering
  5. Interned as an assistant project manager at [specific company]
  6. Studied music for a year under the orchestra master at [name of school]

Include a specific area on your resume for volunteer work.

Volunteer work and community service are important things to have on your resume.  They are particularly meaningful to a person reading your resume when the experiences fit the job for which you are applying.  List the organizations and functions just the way your list companies and skills or accomplishments in your resume.

Learning How to Write a Book

My latest skills development project is learning how write a book.

When I built my first website, I had articles on how to make a job change.  I began to post links to other useful articles.  I added a newsletter to my website.

My son suggested that I begin to write articles for my website on a regular basis.  He said that over time, I would have enough material for a book.

Throughout my career as a recruiter, I helped people with career advice.  Some of these people were senior executives.  Some of these people were recent college graduates who were the children of senior executives.  I have read hundreds if not thousands of resumes and countless cover letters.  I have helped hundreds of people for job interviews.  I have been through hundreds of salary negotiations.  I have worked with multiple hiring managers at over a hundred companies.

When my son suggested that I write articles for the basis of a book, I had plenty of information to share.

He gave me copies of books from bloggers:  Leo Babauta, Tim Ferris, Mark Sisson, Seth Godin, and others.

When my articles began to number in the hundreds, I started to try to figure out how to take these articles and put them into a single book.  This part became baffling.  By the time I finally got all the articles into one editable document, I had nearly five hundred pages of material.

However, five hundred pages of website articles don’t make for any book that I would want to read.  If I want to read website articles, I will go to websites.

If I write more books, I am certain that I will get better at the process.  However, this first book is for me an enormous growth experience.

Some great writers like the brilliant 20th century novelist Thomas Wolfe would write hundreds of pages of material and send them to an editor, Maxwell Perkins, to turn them into a book.  Perkins also edited the writing of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Therefore, the newest phase of my career growth is learning how to write a book , and right now, I am trying to channel Maxwell Perkins through my mind.

Employment References

Employment references are an important part of the job-seeking process.

Generally, companies will ask for professional references.  These are people with whom and for whom you have worked.  They often include former employers, co-workers, vendors, buyers, and people you know through business associations.  In addition, companies may ask for personal references.  These people are your neighbors, friends, professors, college, volunteer groups, and other relationships outside business.

Always ask a person’s permission before listing that person as a reference.

By doing so, you are treating your references with respect.  You are creating a positive relationship your references.  You are helping your references prepare to represent you when employers call to learn about their experience with you.  You help your references help you in a positive and supportive way.

Provide the references when the employer requests them.

Do not include your references with your resume.  Your list of references is confidential business information.  Only give the list of references to employers where you have an interest of employment and where you have a likelihood of employment.  Typically, job seekers give references through email.

The following format for a list of references is simple.

This format makes it easy for you to create a list of references.  The format is also easy for the hiring company to follow when checking your references.

References
Your Name
Your Street Address, City, ST ZIP Code
Your phone
Your Email

  1. Reference name
    Relationship with reference
    Location of relationship (company name, volunteer group, etc.)
    Reference title
    Dates of relationship
    Street Address
    City, ST ZIP Code
    phone
    email
  2. Reference name
    Relationship with reference
    Location of relationship (company name, volunteer group, etc.)
    Reference title
    Dates of relationship
    Street Address
    City, ST ZIP Code
    phone
    email
  3. Reference name
    Relationship with reference
    Location of relationship (company name, volunteer group, etc.)
    Reference title
    Dates of employment
    Street Address
    City, ST ZIP Code
    phone
    email
  4. Reference name
    Relationship with reference
    Location of relationship (company name, volunteer group, etc.)
    Reference title
    Dates of relationship
    Street Address
    City, ST ZIP Code
    phone
    email
  5. Reference name
    Relationship with reference
    Location of relationship (company name, volunteer group, etc.)
    Reference title
    Dates of relationship
    Street Address
    City, ST ZIP Code
    phone
    email
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