Reasons to Stay Out of Prison

I was at San Quentin last month speaking to about-to-be-released prisoners about the career center where I work (Oakland Private Industry Council) and I will be at Santa Rita county jail next month for Career Day.

Michael Jackson, author of How to Do Good After Prison: A Handbook for Successful Reentry was interviewed today on Work with Marty Nemko.

Nemko asked what hope does an ex-offender have in this job market when so many accomplished, educated people can’t get jobs? What hope is there for someone with little education, spotty work history and, say, a learning disability? The kinds of jobs ex-offenders would get — if they could get a job — would likely be low-level and minimum wage — not enough to live on. What reasons do people have not to re-offend?

Here are some answers I’ve heard from folks I’ve worked with:

• “I’m tired of looking over my shoulder — for the police or for a peer who wants me dead.”
• “I want my kids/nieces/nephews to be able to look up to me, not be ashamed of me. I was gone for much of their lives; I want to be there now. I want to be a good role model.”
• “I’m too old to do this anymore.”
• “I realize everything I’ve done has brought me to where I am and only I can change things.”
• “I have the power to help others: to be a drug counselor or social service worker helping re-entry people like myself. Or warning away people younger than me.”
• “I have something that inspires me to do better: my faith/my role models/my ethnic tradition.”
• “I don’t want to go back to prison — it’s overcrowded, unpleasant, violent.”
• “I want my freedom; I want to make my own decisions about daily life.”

Other tips from re-entry and career experts are:

• If you need drug treatment, get it.
• If you need retraining or career help, get it. [Go to community college, adult education, or a One Stop Career Center.]
• Don’t go back to your old neighborhood if it will cause you to re-offend.
• Take advantage of community programs specifically for ex-offenders, such as the Northern California Service League, America Works, Clean Slate. [But don't rely on everything to be erased just because it's expunged.]
• Consider self-employment.
• Ask career experts (such as at a One Stop) which employers are known to be ex-offender-friendly.
• Know what’s on your rap sheet; be prepared to talk about it briefly.
• Look toward non-profits for employment; they tend not to pay very well, so they might be less picky. [In re-entry advocacy organizations, such as All of Us or None, being an ex-offender is a BFOQ -- a bona fide occupational qualification.]

Finally, regarding those college people who can’t get a job: Don’t let that discourage you. They are all going after very few white collar openings that are being offshored. Stay away from those jobs and head toward the skilled trades:

“The dearth of skilled tradespeople has become so critical in society that even the government has recognized the problem and has begun to implement programs to encourage apprenticeships.” (National Post) 

Jackson’s most useful tip was to remember that, wherever you land, you’re not stuck there forever. You should always be plotting your next move. Live one day at a time:

“Do what you have to do to stay out of prison today so you can do better tomorrow.

Filling in the Gaps on Your Resume

If you’re in a phase of long-term unemployment as many people are during this economic downturn, you need to prove to employers that you’ve been using your time well — and that means doing more than just job searching 24/7. You need to “give back” to your professional community and you need to “sharpen the saw,” (improve yourself) to quote Covey.

Today I was quoted in an article by Heather Huhman in Examiner.com called “How to Keep Gaps from Forming on Your Résumé During the Job Hunt.” Heather offers great seven tips to show you’re fully engaged in your career even when you don’t have a full-time salaried job.

Here are two more:

• If you have been caretaking, say so. Employers understand that people are sometimes placed in the role of caring for others. Be sure to stay engaged in your field even if you’re not actively making money in it by keeping up your professional memberships and reading relevant trade magazines and books. This will ensure that you are conversant in an interview instead of appearing out of the loop.

• If you’ve been traveling, tell how it broadened you. I know someone who put this on her resume: “Traveled thoughout South America for six months after completing a degree in Spanish. Visited museums, took classes in language, art and dance and volunteered in for community project building a recreation center for youth.” Clearly, she wasn’t goofing off for those six months. Maybe it makes sense to create a blog of your trip that could serve as a sample of your writing and photography.

During my 12-month stint of unemployment in the 1990s, I volunteered to be a literacy tutor. (My last job had been proofreader.) My first pupil was a gang member. I referred to this fact in my interview for Employment Specialist at Back on Track, a program at Goodwill to help first-time drug offenders avoid a felony on their records. I thought there might be current or former gang members among the clientele. There were. Not just among the clientele, but among management. I wasn’t sure what tutoring would lead to when I did it, but I was drawn to give back. Years later, the experience allowed me to outshine other candidates in an interview — and land the job.

Whatever you do to account for the time between jobs, consider how you might be able to leverage the experience to get your next job or help your career in the long term. Think of it as a sabbatical.

Have you filled in the gaps in your resume in an interesting way? If so, I’d like to hear from you.

Is 80% of the Job Market Hidden?

Markell Steele of Futures in Motion alerted me to a discussion on Linked In regarding the factoid that 80% of job openings are never advertised. I always thought it was urban legend myself, because all but one of my salaried jobs came from job ads. Here’s a post about it from Palladian Career Resources: Where Is The Hidden Job Market?

What do you think? Is most of the job market hidden? What’s been your experience? Have most of your jobs come from job ads or from your network? (Although most of my salaried jobs came from ads, all of my freelance work came from my network, so I’m not knocking networking as a way of finding work.)

Countdown to the Perfect Resume

This is a handout I’ve been using in my resume workshops for a few years…

 

10 Resume Basics

1.    Choose the right format: chronological vs. functional vs. hybrid

2.    Start with a profile paragraph (what you offer) instead of an objective (what you want)

3.    Use the job title as the title of your profile paragraph — let them already see you in the job!

4.    Use reverse chronological order when listing Experience and Education (oldest last, latest first)

5.    Go back only 10 years (15 if you have relevant job experience you feel you must include or are C-level)

6.    Use a professional-sounding email address with just your name (nothing cute, druggy or dirty)

7.    Keep it simple and relevant — better a “meaty” one-pager than a “thin” two-pager

8.    Tweak your resume to match each job ad (targeted resumes get a much better response)

9.    Talk about your current capabilities, not just your past duties

10.  Be clear and concise (use short phrases; don’t use the word “I”)

 

9 Tips for Designing Your Resume

1.    Use a simple but interesting design (look at a lot of examples in books for inspiration)

2.    Don’t more than two typefaces (fonts): one for body text, one for display text (heads)

3.    Use easy-to-read fonts for body text (Times, Garamond, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, etc.)

4.    Use bold, italic, underline, all caps (sparingly), cap/lowercase (LIKE THIS) to draw attention

5.    Leave enough white space so things don’t look crowded

6.    Use bulleted lists for readability

7.    Separate sections clearly with space or lines (lines can add visual interest if well done)

8.    Use a conservative color (white, off white, dove gray)

9.    Produce an ASCII (plain text) version for emailing (email it to yourself to test it)

 

8 Tips for Selling Yourself in Your Resume

1.    Position yourself as someone who can do the job you’re applying for

2.    Write a profile paragraph that tells the employer who you are and what you can do

3.    Use “achievement statements” that tell the impact of what you did in previous jobs

4.    Add numbers to quantify your impact

5.    Add results to qualify your impact — connect it to clients or customers if relevant

6.    Start achievement statements with verbs

7.    Use short phrases and “power words” (initiated, developed, improved, accomplished)

8.    End your profile paragraph with your most valuable personal qualities (work-related!)

 

7 Areas Not to Forget (good if you’re stuck for content!)

1.    Volunteer work (community, church, fraternal organizations, etc.)

2.    Special training you have (seminars, workshops, short courses if relevant)

3.    Professional affiliations (industry or occupational associations)

4.    Certifications or licenses, awards or recognition

5.    Military service

6.    Language fluency

7.    Tech skills (computer systems, languages and software; machines you’re able to operate)

 

 6 Transferrable Skills Employers Love to See

1.    Communication • Written communication • Formal presentations • Organized thinking

2.    Customer service • Client service • Business orientation • Sales • Marketing

3.    Teamwork • Collaboration • Interpersonal skills • Cooperation • Giving/receiving feedback

4.    Time management • Ability to set priorities and meet deadlines • Self-management

5.    Leadership • Ability to show initiative • Ability to motivate others • Coaching • Training

6.    Technology skills • Ability to self-educate • Problem-solving skills • Office software

 

5 Personal Qualities Employers Love to See (use only if they’re true!)

1.    Creative • Able to look at problems from new angles and generate solutions • Dynamic

2.    Flexible • Able to adapt to new situations • Work well with variety of people

3.    Dependable • Conscientious • Responsible • Accountable • Reliable

4.    Productive • Effective • Efficient • Prolific • Helpful • Useful • Innovative • Practical

5.    Positive attitude • Cheerful • Friendly • Enthusiastic • Volunteer for new projects

 

4 Item Final Checklist

1.    Spell check and proofread

2.    Have someone with an eye for detail look at it

3.    Make sure everything on the resume is relevant to the job you’re applying for

4.    Repeat your name and contact info at top (or bottom) of the second page

 

3 Resume Types

1.    Chronological: Emphasizes career path; good for continuous employment in same field

2.    Functional: Emphasizes skill sets; good for career changers or those with employment gaps

3.    Hybrid: Best format; Shows career path, but highlights skills gained (no guessing needed!)

 

2 Resume Rules to Remember

1.    If you have a two page resume, make them two separate pages (don’t copy front to back)

2.    Don’t fold, staple or paperclip the pages

 

1 Purpose of Your Resume

YOUR RESUME IS A SALES TOOL.

 

It’s a tease to get the employer to invite you in for an interview because they want to hear more. Don’t put every duty on your resume; just the most impressive things you did and try to add results.

How did you make things better while you were there? Did you save money, cut costs, increase market share, improve efficiency? Quantify! How big was the company or project? Revenues? Savings? How many clients, customers, patients, etc. does the organization serve, per week, per month, per year? Paint a picture, give a little detail. If you follow these principles, you’ll have a resume that’s better than 90% of your competitors!

Take Charge of Your Career!

You spend a third of your life at work. You owe yourself the favor of having the most enjoyable work situation you can create. This blog captures some of my thoughts on how to empower yourself and make that happen. Welcome!