(00:00:00) Unemployment is universally recognized these days as this country's worst economic problem. Yes conditions are improving last month on employment dropped from ten point eight to ten point two percent, but the experts tell us that unemployment is still likely the average around 10% for the rest of the year. And of course, it's a difficult proposition for any individual who is trying to find work in this economy regular listeners to this program of probably heard half a dozen people offering different points of view on possible changes in National or state policy to improve the job picture. But today a little different Focus. We have a studio guest Whose advice will be personal Roger Clark will answer your questions about the very practical aspects of searching for work in this economy Roger Clark conducts workshops around the area on job motivation and career. Is he's also a columnist in the freeway in Skyway newspaper system, which is published in the Minneapolis. St. Paul area will give out the phone numbers in just a moment. But to lay a little groundwork Roger how much more difficult would you say? It is nowadays for people to find jobs that it was a old 5 years ago or so and the economy was a little better off. (00:01:24) There's quite a difference mainly in specific areas business and corporations are always looking for good managers things like that. However, in some of the less skilled or the Tradesmen type of thing, there's some difficulty in the employment area and also the geographic location has a lot to do with that. So it depends on what you're doing or what you have done to the amount of difficulty you going to have in locating and position (00:01:50) how much time can one expect to find or to spend searching for a job these days (00:01:56) these days it can be anywhere from three months. To whatever 79 months depending on the person depending on the person's restrictions such as relocation the amount of money they want and so forth, but it can vary in average times. It would probably take about 90 days for person to secure a new position. (00:02:14) How would you say the unemployment of the employment Market is in the state of Minnesota generally (00:02:20) generally for different age groups again, it's not real good. I'll put it like that. But however, it's worse for some people than others. So show types of position jobs consoling things like that difficult and education. It's difficult again, the miners and different people that's involved with specific things dealing with Trades that is not it really in demand as much as they were five or six years ago. There's been a lot of increased and technology that we've come more of an Information Society and those jobs are just leaving the market really. (00:03:07) Well, how about the high technology jobs the computer oriented jobs. Are those a little bit more promising for people nowadays (00:03:14) the computer jobs. Well, there's freezes on in the major companies with computer jobs you again programmers can be used in some areas. And there's a lot of other schools technical schools that you're going through for shorter range, 16 weeks to years for computer programming systems analyst or pretty much. Okay. However there still a freeze on in this area and with those two (00:03:40) how does one go about finding out about job openings. The want ads are an obvious one obvious source of information are there some others (00:03:49) really word-of-mouth getting to That what your neighbors doing what other people in the company is doing the majority of jobs are actually filled by word of mouth. And the one I ads are the most obviously known once because of the advertisement, but the approach should be one of Human Resources, you know using people that you know that you're acquainted with or that you hear about or that you read about professional organizations that you could belong to or that others belong to these are better Avenues and getting job openings right now reading Publications with the national scope. (00:04:29) Well don't most companies have to be concerned about fulfilling affirmative action requirements and therefore have to advertise position openings. I mean, is it possible for companies to have openings and and an ad would never even appear? (00:04:43) Well, again many of your major companies like to promote from within and there are a lot of people who are qualified. Try to do more than the job that they're at at this time. So it if it's a government position, it must be publicized. Okay, there are certain restrictions benefits of in Private Industry. Where a great deal of the jobs are that can be company policy on The Advertiser. They will probably advertize in-house and then if they don't feel as though they can fill it that way they will go outside. (00:05:13) It's about five minutes past the hour. If you have a question on finding a job our studio guests will be happy to try to answer it for you. Roger Clark is our guest and the telephone number in the Minneapolis. St. Paul area is 2276 thousand 2276 thousand for those of you listening in the Twin Cities in other parts of Minnesota. The phone number is 1-866-560-4440 for people outside the Minneapolis st. Paul area. And if you're listening in one of the surrounding states, you can call us directly in the Twin Cities at area code. X12 2276 thousand So once a person has located a job of some interest to them possibly through the newspaper possibly through personal contacts with people in the company or whatever. How do you go about getting the job about how do you go about convincing the company that you're in fact personally or higher (00:06:15) if I could go one step back again? All right, and I think before we apply for a job, we should really know ourselves what we're comfortable with what we like what we dislike I say this because When we come into an interviewing situation, a lot of things are related to the interviewer that we may not be aware of ourselves about ourselves. So therefore research and know yourself secondly and in answer to your question you then should research the job make sure it's something again that you feel comfortable with of course knowing that you're qualified for it and then the location of the job the hours of the job all these things are important. It's important because when you get in for negotiation with salary or anything else you're going to want to be able to put your best foot forward. So you want to know the job with the job qualifications are with their duties are going to be in which your area of responsibility will be. (00:07:12) We can follow up on some more of this wood bit later in the hour, but I see that we have listeners waiting on the telephone. So let's go to our first caller. Hi, you're on the air. Yeah. I'm calling from Saint Louis Park. How does one overcome the handicap of being almost 60 years old? No matter what field you in there. What qualifications you're in? They're just too old. (00:07:35) A lot of companies now, I think that's an excellent question. A lot of companies now are using retired people or people who are close to retired as consultants again, that means you getting your resume qualifications brief together your quad. I don't know what your qualifications are. But if it's in an area of a technical nature, it is a possibility you can approach the companies or even your present employer if you are still employed about doing consulting work for (00:08:01) them. All right. We'll move on to another listener with the question. I see we do have some lines open as well in the Minneapolis st. Paul area. The phone number is two two seven six thousand 2276 thousand if you have a question on employment and in other parts of the state toll-free one 800 600 to 900 700 high you're next. Yeah, when companies want figure after tude. What do they mean? (00:08:27) Figure aptitude. I'm not for sure exactly what they're asking for that unless it's in reference to a particular job or qualification for (00:08:37) John. Yes, like tellers want they want to figure out the toot for tellers or bookkeepers or something like that. (00:08:43) Okay, then I do understand your question. They want to know how capable you are dealing with figures mistakes are really important and as a teller and the scrutiny in that area is because they are closely watched themselves. So the figure aptitude is something that if you work well with figures and you understand them. (00:09:04) Okay, let's take our next listener. Hi, you're on the air. Hi. I'm calling from Minneapolis and I'm recently unemployed. And the market that I'm looking for work is not real open at this time. And I would like some more information on if you have any that I can get in touch with government or private agencies that retrain people (00:09:24) you were interested in being retrained in what area. (00:09:27) Oh, maybe clerical or banking. (00:09:32) Clerical work is still pretty open. If you're interested in that the library is an excellent resource has several schools here in the in the Twin Cities that deal with clerical such as a sawyer School of your in Minneapolis is not correct. I mean you didn't you say you were from Minneapolis. Yes. I am right the Sawyer School of Business is one place that they deal with clerical there and they have a pretty good rate of placing their applicants. (00:09:59) Okay. Thank you very much. All right, good luck to you. Let's take another listener. Hi, you're on the air. Go ahead, please. Yes. My question is that I'm an architect and I'm looking for another position with another firm and so far I've sent resumes to architectural firms that I'm familiar with their work and also have been keeping track of the newspaper and I was wondering if professional employment agencies are credible in my case, whether they're worth going to a meeting and I'll hang up. (00:10:32) I think that's a good question. Maybe some other listeners will have some calls concerning employment agencies, but in a technical field such as yours and our professional field, I think that employment agencies can be very helpful. You have a very specified qualifications you have very specified qualifications and that you're able to sell that alone other things that you could do is continue to look through in your library magazines pertaining to your work and oftentimes, there are job listings and companies in the back of those magazines. (00:11:09) What about the resume our caller made some brief mention of the resume. What should be in the resume and how long should it be? (00:11:17) First of all, I don't feel along with other experts at the resume should be the Cornerstone. The Cornerstone of anyone's job search resumes are very difficult in the they tend to tell employers where you've been and not necessarily where you'd like to go or what you're capable of doing the resume should be as long as it takes for you to explain your qualifications. I often for professional people. I often recommend a combination of a qualifications brief and a resume qualification brief tends to put a more of a slant on potential what you can do and Not real specific duties that you've done but responsibilities that you're capable of handling on your job. (00:12:01) You don't recommend rules of thumb like a resume must be no longer than one type written page or five typewritten pages or any of that. Sometimes you hear recommendations like that, you know (00:12:12) for students right out of college, I think a page is enough because it's going to be mainly education and internships and some part-time jobs for person who maybe 45 or 50 that's had some jobs that's required a lot of insight and knowledge and management experience. Of course their resume should reflect that or the qualifications brief should reflect that (00:12:34) the resume you say should not be the Cornerstone of the person's job search. What should be (00:12:39) Human resources that is knowing what they want to do and I think that a lot of people feel there's a magical or a magic in being able to contact contract jobs, but that's not really the case. If you know what you're looking for and you work your real human resources again libraries professional organizations conferences that you may attend. All of these are Avenues to good contacts. So I would say the human resource development part of it is more important and again, nothing beats going out and pounding the pavement. There's been a bush study done. It says that the average unsolicited resume gets looked at for 15 seconds. So the mailing out of resumes is just really not a good (00:13:29) idea. 14 minutes past the our Roger Clark is with us talking about employment finding a job. We have more listeners with questions. Hi, you're next. Good morning. I'm currently employed as a corporate Communications editor and I'm wondering first of all at the job outlook for the 1980s is in my field and secondly what related fields would I have aptitudes and if I wanted to have a job with more demand, (00:13:56) I would probably have to know a little bit more about you for the second part of your question the first part about the communications field, it's excellent Bell. Telephone is really expanding in a lot of areas and did it with the breakup with AT&T or the split Communications is a real active field right now across the (00:14:16) country. Okay, and we'll move on to our next listener high you're next. Thank you. I'm curious as to what point you would recommend that an applicant for a job bring up certain things like salary vacation benefits Etc with the prospective employer. Do you do it would you recommend to do it at the initial interview at a follow-up interview or after you've been offered the job (00:14:48) the discussion of salary and benefits usually comes at a point when the company is very much interested in you I would suggest waiting until the company or the interviewer brings up the salary subject to subject of salary if it's a listed salary one that has been published in the paper or you've read it in a bulletin or a job description brochure. Then you can you know, feel free to discuss it because they've pretty much limited to themselves to that area. Otherwise if You jump into it immediately. You really may not know what their maximum pay is and you may settle for a lot less and that often happens. So benefits and salary should be something that should be reserved for the interviewer to bring to you and then you discuss it. (00:15:35) How much haggling should you do? (00:15:38) Concerning salary. Yeah that depends on you. I think if it's an open situation if I could just take a moment here to go into an example of salary negotiation. I never If an employer was to ask me and I didn't have any idea what the range was that they had to work with ask me how much I would like to make I would tell them that it would depend upon the responsibilities of the job and what I would be responsible for doing and that I would probably go on to say that I'm sure that they are fair in their suggestions. I would work at getting them to give me a Range. Once they gave me a Range I would automatically go for the top if they said between 35 and 40 thousand dollars. I would immediately start discussing the Forty thousand dollar (00:16:28) Mark get them to say the number first (00:16:31) though. Well that's important because The information will how much information you have will have a lot to do with how much you know, you can actually bargain for I mean, you know, you might they might be offering between 30 and 40 and you might say I'm all work for 25 (00:16:49) more listeners with questions for Roger Clark how you're next. Yeah. Hi Roger. Yes. Yeah, this is Barry calling from Bemidji. Well, Barry yoga. Yes, how are you? It was nice to hear you on the radio. I've got a serious question, you know the situation here with my employment just out of curiosity and I listen to another caller call in little earlier about aah, I'm approaching 40. Am I hitting an age? Do you think we're a job change or major career change, it would be very (00:17:25) difficult. No, you're not hitting a critical age. There's an excellent book called called seasons of a man's life and it's an excellent book that says about the different stages we go through also experts tell us that the average person nowadays changes careers three to five times in a lifetime. The average person is in the workforce for approximately 50 years. So Barry you're fine where you are (00:17:52) good to talk to you Roger. Thank you. Thank you for calling from Bemidji. If you have a question for Roger Clark and you're living in the Minneapolis st. Paul area. The phone number is two two seven six thousand. We do have an open liner to now and also that toll-free line for people living outside the Minneapolis st. Paul area is open at one eight hundred six, five two 9700 people living outside the Minneapolis st. Paul area, but within the state of Minnesota, if you are across the border call us directly in the Twin Cities area codes 612 and you know the rest of it. Two seven six thousand. Hi, you're next. Hi. I'm calling from from simple campus at the University. We had students and my husband has a PHD degree in philosophy, which he had to change careers because this is a pedigree. So now he is in love at his heels. He still keep tying into the field of philosophy. So he graduated with high distinction. He has recommendations nice recommendation from different professors. Then he published two and it doesn't seem to have any results. What do you think this universities are looking for? What's the way to apply your what do you think would be wrong with it? (00:19:09) He's still trying to get into education is that (00:19:12) this is what she really this is what his vocation is. (00:19:15) Okay, then the people that are writing him the references are they in the field which he is applying for employment (00:19:24) they have in the field. (00:19:26) Okay, that could be something that could not work real strongly on his behalf. If you can find if he can find someone if he's applying for a position in law other lawyers joining local associations National associations. He will then be able to take it from there. But I think you should really look into the fact of getting people to write references for him that understand or have experience in the field of employment in which he seeking (00:19:54) another listener has a question. Hi, you're on the air. Yes. My name is Tony satton and I'd like to ask mr. Clark a few question number one what he say that Minnesota and the Upper Midwest is a good area for people who are searching for jobs in the communication field that the first question second question. Is that do we have any need in our society for people who wore by or trilingual? (00:20:20) I think for the first question, I think the communication field here is good. I'm in the recent recently. I've contacted people from a particular Communication company that I don't feel comfortable in mentioning right now, but they are looking for people in the field now depends those different types of communications, of course, but the communication field probably in four five six years are going to be like computers are today as far as potential your second question concerning trilingual. I'm assuming that it might be Spanish and English and one other language. Yes, there are needs for that in areas it depending on the company. Of course. I don't think there's a great need if you haven't come out of an industrial relations background, but there are needs for people who are able to speak different languages depending on the languages. Of course. (00:21:15) All right, we will move onto another listener who has a question for Roger Clark High. You're next. Yeah, I don't know how much of a questions is going to turn out to be but I'm going to pose my view or my question from more radical approach. I think that by the way, I'm a holistic masseuse and I think a lot of people these days are real disillusioned with some of the jobs that are being offered and maybe let's say for instance they refuse to work for a company like Honeywell because they are in the production of bombs or they help to make parts for bombs that kill people in Lebanon or whatever or maybe there are people who don't want to work for a company like United Fruit because of their interests in Central America and the fact that they are exploiting the land and The Peasants there and what I what I'm trying to say is that and also Look at the energy problem there a lot of people who maybe would like to work for solar and they just don't feel like they want to work for a corporation that maybe is polluting the environment or let's say is sexist in its work practices. Let's say it requires women to wear nylons and high heels and whatever else man could we ask you to get to the main point of the earth? Could you please get to the point of their comments exactly? So many people are changing their ideas on what they believe in and the jobs are not there for these ideas in these beliefs. How can you expect people to work for companies that they don't believe in and they really don't want to support (00:22:56) me. Let me just make one quick suggestion to you and that is there's a book out by Kathy Matthews called 99 alternative is to a nine to five job and that some random house publication. (00:23:06) It's 23 minutes past twelve o'clock. Roger Clark is with us today. And we're taking your questions on finding employment to 276 thousand is the phone number and we have a line open from time to time. So if you have gotten the Busy Signal don't despair try again. Another listener is standing by go ahead please yes. I have two questions for Roger one. I am the mother of a handicapped child and my work record looks pretty small see from time to time. I've had to be home with her now. I'm wondering how I would go about filling in the big gaps in my resume number one. (00:23:44) Okay, I would like to recommend that a book that I think has been real helpful. First of all Housewives should really become a part of the networking Association. There is a woman's networking Association here in the state of Minnesota the book I'd like to recommend is re-entering the workforce and it is a crown is my crown Publishers and I think it gives a lot of ideas. What would be helpful if you could sit down with someone and go over your talents that you have your strengths again, you can present yourself as a organized person probably a caring person and so forth, but I think that you probably need to sit down and do some self-evaluation and there are tests available through the University of Minnesota and other places that you can get this (00:24:30) done. All right, that kind of answers my second question. I wanted to know how to prepare myself for that. I'm in my early 40s. (00:24:38) You're at a good (00:24:39) age. Thank you. Thank you for calling and good luck to you. We have another listener waiting. Go ahead you're on the air. Yes, good afternoon. I'm interested in automation. The cad cam robotics. I believe that there's going to be a great demand for this people in these these industries in the future. However, I'm finding a major stumbling block in the fact that the people that they want have to have many years of engineering experience and I don't quite have that. I don't have any real engineering experience. However, my background and reading has given me a lot of information in these areas. How do I present this to potential Employers in these industries and get around the the stumbling block are you working now? Yes, I am. (00:25:28) Do you have any time available outside of your job (00:25:32) not beyond the normal work day. (00:25:35) Are you happy with the position that you (00:25:37) have? No, not really. (00:25:39) I would suggest that you look at a career change. The experience is really important. I think that if you can't do that immediately if you can do start doing some volunteer work and that volunteer experience again can is real valuable in and can be used as a qualified experienced. (00:26:00) Okay, any idea where I can get some further information on these industries and how to get into them (00:26:05) again that's pounding the pavement. I don't feel comfortable over the air and announcing job openings that I may be aware of but I think the library is an excellent source the business session. In fact, you might run into me down there sometimes (00:26:21) All right more listeners with questions. Hi, you're on the air. Okay, my I have a question for Roger and I would like to ask since the economy is so bad in Minnesota what feels to he see that will have the most jobs available and what kind of education or skills training would a person have to pursue in order to get the job? (00:26:45) Thank you. I would first of all suggest that you find out what your strengths are again and what you would like to do again self-analysis. Then I think that you can match that up with potential jobs. I think that in certain situations you're going to find it a lot more difficult to find a job. If you are lacking skills. However often that isn't the case, it's just that we don't know about skills that we've been practicing. We just may not have done them for the private sector have been paid for them. But the technical field is open and the communications field is open. (00:27:21) How about Health Care (00:27:23) Health Care nurses? There is some problems with that as to pay and things like that. It depends on what you're willing to work for the type of nurse you're going to be but Healthcare is open and it is it is needed but that depends on your experience and training. We've talked T. Excuse me. Yeah. One thing about that is that a lot of hospitals and different states depending if there's someone out of state if they're coming here, then they have to pass state boards in Minnesota. And so that's important to take a look at if you're going to relocate and often times. You have to become recertified and that may mean several hours worth of training. (00:28:02) Are you recommending to people who live in the state of Minnesota Minneapolis st. Paul area wherever it may be that they Pretty much continue looking for work in their home area or do you find that the attraction of the Sun Belt is really as as positive as all the reports of suggested. (00:28:22) I think now people probably are looking for work now, it depends on Family Ties and circumstances. I think that if I understand your question correctly, and please check me if I don't there is work to be had and it's important that if unemployment it is 10 at 10 percent 90 percent of the people are working and that's where most of your job switching and create career changing is going on. So staying at home and looking for work is not a bad idea most of my clients and I've had them from restaurant managers to sales managers to Personnel people to air traffic controllers. I have find that most do not Maximize their own Human Resources look into the hobbies that they have. I mean there's a lot of money that can be made through hobbies and special interest. That one may have writing skills. Organizational skills. (00:29:23) It's 12:30. Roger Clark is our guest we have more listeners with questions for I'm high. You're next. Okay, I'm 24 years old and I'm a Saint Paul resident and I am have a work history of about six years and over the that period of time I have worked in. About four or five different areas just for instance. I've been a graphic designer. I've been a truck driver. I've been a crew leader for Forestry Crew and and I've done silk screen printing in other words. I've done quite a few different things now, I don't plan to continue. Changing jobs or changing areas of career. I do want to settle into one career. Well, what I wonder is for someone of my age A prospective employer who looks at my resume and see that I have that kind of variety. Is that going to work do you think for me or is it going to work against me? (00:30:24) Well again, it's going to be depend on the type of job. You're applying for there's some disadvantages. However, I think my suggestion to do to you would be to get involved with the career planning (00:30:37) program (00:30:38) and that is finding out what you really like to do out of the six jobs. You've had in the last excuse me out of the jobs. You've had in the last six years. Was there anyone that really sort of got you going that you were well really motivated by (00:30:54) well as it turns out it find out I can do equally well in most of them. I wasn't fired from any of them. I deliberately change just to kind of start seeing the variety of different types of work that are available in my personal case is that I've just found out that any of them really appeals equally well to me. So I have to kind of pick one and go with it. I guess. (00:31:18) Yeah, you're going to have to make some decisions and it's not uncommon but the majority of the people in your age bracket. Do change jobs every two or three years? (00:31:28) Okay, we'll take another listener who has a question now for Roger Clark. Go ahead, please it's good afternoon. I'm calling for Minneapolis and I'd like to say I think the suggestions Rogers been giving our fantastic. However, there are many folks who do not have much Technical Training who have perhaps at most a high school diploma and have been in the workforce for a long line are for a long time it at the other end of that Spectrum folks without transportation without Automobiles and who have been like working in assembly or machine operators. And find themselves out of work because there just is no longer a demand for that kind of production production is down. And I now unemployed. Do you have any kind of do you have any suggestion for those individuals? I am I'm work. I work in a counseling capacity myself and have in the past referred people to when the chips were down and they needed something right now, even for people to the labor Services. However, even they are not sending very many people out anymore. So it says appear like there is a large pool of people who don't have very much training and have been maintaining themselves and being able to work and put in a good honest day's work because there was a lot of production and now we find ourselves in a time where there is no longer that demand and a lot of people are seem to be in a spot where there just isn't anything form is Is that in fact is that real or is there something they can do about that? (00:33:19) You've said a lot I would like to make just a couple of comments one is is that my suggestion to these people is that they continue to look up and as a consular you can share that there's some workshops that I do hold that involves dealing with attitudes emotions and feelings. And those are the things that kill goals number two, as I think that they should get involved again with a career development planning program and it could be very very simple as just as taking the strong Campbell interest inventory. Maybe they're doing things that they don't like to do and they don't like to stick with those positions and maybe they can find something that they're willing to go into a little training for are you know to re get some training to become more successful at the job. So yes, there are things they can do they should not just waste this time and just sort of allow themselves to sink into deep depression, which is possible. (00:34:08) What kinds of things do you recommend to people who face that Prospect to face the prospect of becoming discouraged frustrated irritated annoyed with the whole (00:34:17) process I think and there's approximately two million people in this country that's estimated. It has as having dropped out of looking for jobs. I really suggest a re-evaluation of themselves the work ethic is so strong. Is it in this country that we tend to Define ourselves in reference to what we do and that can have a devastating effect on one's personality and ones being so it's important for them to see their self-worth. It's been proved. It's been estimated by scientists that the average person with now this is without degrees or special education that they're worth six billion dollars how many six billion dollars worth more than a Six Million Dollar Man. Hmm and that even the most sophisticated computer computer in this country in the world cannot originate a thought and I think we need to take a look at ourselves and go from And again and start unleashing the human resources that we do have within ourselves. I can think of a couple of people who started businesses because they were unemployed (00:35:22) 25 minutes before one o'clock Roger Clark is with us. We have more listeners with questions. Hi. Go ahead, please I'm going from Duluth one quick question about he mentioned the strong Campbell interest inventory. Where would I find something like this through somebody is it through like employment agencies or something? (00:35:43) That's a good that's a good question most depending on the type of employment agency you go to they're not all the same their search firms and there's recruiters and so forth, but I would suggest contacting a job counselor or going to the University of Minnesota by calling them and they have the test. I also have the test that I would be willing to mail you out one. (00:36:07) Okay, let's take our next caller with a question. Go ahead please. Yes. I'm calling from Minneapolis. I have 15 years of very business experience all the way from secretarial to paralegal which included oh administrative and case management supervisory experience in the course of completing a PhD specializing in professional ethics. I've obtained of you Consulting physicians in other states, but due to recent cutbacks and funding for those kinds of services. I'm now among the ranks of the unemployed phds and I'm considering trying to get back into the business community and I'm not having any success in that regard. My resumes are being ignored. I have tried networking and I have tried some of the recruitment agencies which don't seem to know quite what to do with me. How do I proceed from here? (00:36:56) What are you willing? What type of work are you looking for? Specifically (00:37:00) specifically I would like to get back into the business community in an administrative (00:37:05) capacity. Meaning what? Personnel and management what pardon and management in management and you've had experience in (00:37:14) management. My experience has not been in management. I have worked in a supervisory and administrative capacity. Hmm and I I consider management to be on the level of setting policies and procedures. I have functioned as an administrator, which is not as authoritative position as management position. I have not been able to get even an administrative. (00:37:40) Are you getting in any interviews? No, I'm not then I would probably suggest to you to take a look at your resume again, is it speaking directly to the needs of the people that you are applying to for position and does it reflect the necessary experience that they need and in or feel comfortable with that you could fulfill the responsibilities of that particular job. Also your cover letters probably really important. And sending out unsolicited resumes is not a real good idea. I would suggest going on some informational interviews as well. (00:38:15) You said earlier that the unsolicited resume is looked at for how long 15 seconds 15 seconds. So all that work could possibly just be going right down the (00:38:28) drain. Oh, it's a proven fact. What color is your parachute is another book. There's been a lot of other National Career Development experts and they all say the same thing. There's another book out called Throw the resume away and I don't particularly agree with that. But and as you read the book you find that's not exactly what the author is saying, but too much emphasis is put on the resume (00:38:53) and not enough on the personal (00:38:54) context. Right and the purpose of the resume is to get you the interview people. Do not hire people off of paperwork. (00:39:03) We have more listeners with questions. Hi, you're next. All right here, this is Robert calling from Minneapolis. I'm 23 year olds right now. I've been working with a major company here in Minneapolis for about two years the public service job. I get to meet a lot of people and work with a lot of people and I guess to be a little tiring at least for my needs that I want other thing about changing a career and I've been taking them career concen right now. The profile that I have is with the strong Campbell interest inventory and showed several areas that I showed some strong interest in and one would be sales personnel and I do have a lead with a major company here in town possibly the sales rep. I was wondering what de Sales Executives look for in their sales Personnel before they hire them. Is it necessary to have a four-year degree or more education than that. They want previous experience in the sales background. Is it possible to get into a field like that without a lot of experience? (00:40:05) A lot of people are born good salespeople previous experience is always helpful. The interview may include if you haven't been on any as yet one that you will be have you will have two tape recorders placed in front of you one will answer ask you a question and then your to record your answer on the other. It's sort of produces some stress and this brings me to my next point is that sells people need to have tough skin. They need to think well on their feet and they have to have learned how to deal with rejection and the secret and that is knowing that they're rejecting the product and not you as a person good sales people should be articulate. They should have good human and public relations skills and they should have good meat and deal qualities the way you come across on the phone Your Voice Sounds friendly and other things I would probably say that you could probably do. All right, if you know that selling is what you'd like get usually long hours and often times it requires our relocation. (00:41:03) Another listener has a question for Roger Clark. Go ahead. Thank you Minneapolis. I'm curious. I just recently I put in an application with our agency and it's one of these ones that charges you a 10% fee ten percent of your annual wage. If you accept the job and in talking about with other people, they said that you have to sort of watch this type of agency, but nobody could ever give me any information as to why they were given These Warnings. Is there anything to watch out for when you're working with these agencies? (00:41:37) Well, I don't think they're just out to take anybody. I think that the responsibility of using using the agency properly is on the client or it would be on you make sure that it's a job that you want. Okay and not sort of being coerced into taking just to be placed most agencies won't do that, but Your range is probably just under $20,000 that you are applying for with that type of a percentage. Sometimes it can go up to 30% And when you're looking at an agency, you can ask them some specific questions about who you're going to be interviewing with the danger comes is that you may make a contact on your own and if the agency is working with that particular company, you still may have to pay them the fee also if you're dismissed or quit you're still responsible for the total fee. So those are just some things to take a (00:42:38) look at. Our next listener is waiting High. Go ahead, please mr. Clark. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. I'm 47 years old and I want to change my career. I've been a pilot for 29 years. I have a degree in accounting that I received six years ago, but I have not used it. I I'm trying to find out how I can go to an employer or Japan the street as you say and when he says what can you do for me? I don't really have a readily. Available answer. So how can I at 47 now go pound the street and convince somebody that I should look for them. (00:43:24) Research again is really important before you going into an to an interview research the company find out what their needs are address their needs very directly with your qualifications. What you can do for them is important and that's what they want to know and 47 again is is it's just a fine age to be at I don't know what it is, I guess in this country. There's a lot of emphasis on being young. There was a study done by the American Telephone and Telegraph company said that the 25 around 25 years of age. Now those that are coming up with that age is that they tend to not want the responsibility of their colleagues that are much older than them then that's all striving to be company presidents or corporate Executives. But 47 is a good age to be at and like my grandmother often says the sugar of life is at the bottom of the cup. (00:44:20) That's a good line. Another listener has a question. Go ahead, please. Good afternoon. I'm at a stage right now in my education where I'm looking at an MBA program at the University of Minnesota. And the concentration area would be management information systems. I'm wondering if in this area if there's a perhaps a glut of MBA people or if that particular area yet has a certain amount of room for people like me. (00:44:48) In reviewing National Publications in some areas. There's quite a few mbas. I think that if you have some other background, I don't know if your previous education wasn't another field like psychology or business then you probably are at an advantage but a straight NBA with no experience is not as much in demand as it was about two years ago. (00:45:15) About 15 minutes before one o'clock Roger Clark is here and we have time for more questions. Hi, you're next. Hi, you had mentioned to an earlier listener 99 alternatives to a 9 to 5 job. I would like first of all the author's name. I miss that on the air and secondly, I tried to see if it was in the catalog at Minneapolis public. They said they haven't heard of it based upon the title and they took books in print so you could tell me availability on (00:45:41) it. Okay. It's on your own and then the subtitle is 99 alternatives to a 9 to 5 job. It's a random house publication 1976 and the author is Kathy Matthews. (00:45:55) Okay, if you got that Matthews and the full title of it is on your own. Okay, another listener with a question for Roger Clark. Go ahead, please yeah, I had previously been unemployed and I highly recommend the personal search on yourself and understanding yourself better because of that. I went from technical Communications and tried to get into sales and my one problem was that people would say to me that I did not have sales experience. Even though I would be very good in sales. What if they come back or reply? How can you get around not having the experience after all these people who are in the profession keep telling you that you can get in the profession (00:46:43) again, we want what I would like to take a look at your approach not maybe me figuratively speaking. But once you take a closer look at the approach, how are you presenting (00:46:53) yourself? Well, when I was presenting, I've totally I've did a qualification brief and really strong pointed Marketing sales. My different (00:47:03) skills. What about your previous part time jobs internships and college or things like (00:47:09) that a few of the jobs had been retail sales and they said that really didn't count for the type for the sales that I wanted to go on to, you know, the direct one-on-one sale and I found it very frustrating to the point where I the summer I actually gave up and have decided to go into business for myself, but I was wondering if I come across this again. How can you get around it? (00:47:33) Well, I would continue to take some first of all most of us are sales people. We may not be selling a product of someone else but we're usually selling ourselves and our ideas. I would continue if you have a strong interest in that field to keep open unless of course your business become so successful that you will have no need for it. Then you'll be hiring your own sales people. (00:47:53) Okay? Roger let me ask you a little bit about the job interview itself. What a person what should a person where how should they conduct themselves? How should they sit too long should their answers be just offer a little advice to people on (00:48:08) that. First of all, they should find out exactly what type of interview they're going on. Is it a screening interview? Is it a selection interview? The screening interview is usually the first interview which most major companies use where they go out and they just want to find out if you're qualified. Most of the in questions are closed ended questions require no more than a yes or no from you. Make sure that you your resume is up to date and that the dates are accurate on the resume the screening interview in essence is to look for reasons to not hire you more so than to hire you if you're called back for a second interview. You should dress a little more authoritive lie because you're probably going to see someone higher up in the company or possibly the person that you're going to be working directly with or Able to their the questions are going to be more open to questions. They're going to ask you things. Like why would you like to work with us? They want to see how you fit into the company every interviewer. Excuse me. Enter. Every interviewee should really look into interviewing the company as well bad marriage is often happened because we may be excited about getting a position instead of being happy with when we you know, we spend a lot of time in the workforce that's real important work on listening skills. That's crucial because there there was a study done by the national hearing Association. That's at 85% of what's being said or what is said we miss therefore we misinterpret and things slip by us that are very important. It could be very helpful to us. So the listening part of an interview is important. You also mentioned the body language that's real important again, it's good for you to know on the inside of you that you're pretty happy with yourself. You might not be happy with the condition you're in but all of this comes across in your voice and that's real important. So the interview is really important often the interview determines how much they will be willing to offer you to work for them. (00:50:08) All right. It's about 10 minutes before one o'clock. Let's answer some more questions from listeners. Hi, you're on the air. Yes. I'd just have one quick question. I'd like to know what specific jobs in the computer industry are most likely to be in demand in the next 5 to 10 years. (00:50:24) That I think is going to take some research and at this point, I don't feel comfortable in saying that because of the economy. I it's hard for us to know I do know and I was just speaking with a gentleman last night who was in the field of Computer Sciences that it's a great deal of potential there but growth and internal hiring and the freezes and so forth as sort of put a lid on that (00:50:50) our next listener is waiting. Go ahead, please good afternoon. Good afternoon. The question I have refers to a particular type of newspaper ad that I've been encountering counting quite frequently in that is the so-called blind add that the only references to the place where the ad is a is a PO box and it's presents kind of a problem in that there's no effective way to do any research or prepare for what type of cover to submit. So for the very little information that might be included and it's also quite frustrating in that there's no effective way to do any kind of follow up to see if you're if you've been heard And my question is what is the source of this type of AD? And what's the motivation for being anonymous? (00:51:50) Some people like to devise mailing list and getting information about people personally, I think such an ad should be pretty much ignored. If you can't find out what exactly what the position is and who is responsible for it or the agency that is presenting the position. I really don't think you should spend a lot of time on that. (00:52:18) Let's take our next caller with a question for Roger Clark. Go ahead, please. Hello. I'm 26 and I've almost completed a master of Fine Arts degree in theater and I have a ba in music and theater what types of options are available to me in the communications field. And also I have two other questions. They are with my background be useful to a potential employer and are there any Publications? I could consult it might give me some insights into potential possibilities. (00:52:45) Yes, the James girone. I believe library right here in st. Paul has a table full of Publications. That would be helpful to you. And that's the reference library soon as you walk in the door. You can run right into that table. So that should take care of that about the communications field as far as your qualifications ago. A fine arts background is excellent. In fact teachers because of their organizational skills or motivating motivational skills and their teaching and training skills have some real transversal transferable qualifications into the management and the private sector. So yes, I think you have a good background that's wide and it's it's quite wide in the variety of things that you could possibly do again. It will depend on how you present yourself and to make sure that you have a specific type of job or position that you're looking for and go for that and I'd like to say this about resumes to is that there should be Tailored to each resume should be tailored to the position you're going for a writing up a resume and sending it off to a variety of employers is just like sending out mimeograph letters to people it just it just tells the employer that you didn't do any special research on his or her needs (00:54:03) Roger Clark has time for more questions. Hi, you're next. Yeah. I'm from Rochester Minnesota. And my question is what kind of career opportunities are there in foreign countries. And also if one was interested in a career in a foreign country, how would one go about looking for that job. Thank (00:54:20) you. Thank you. I think that's a good question as far as foreign company openings and positions. I don't feel comfortable in sharing an opinion with you. My concentration is here in the United States other than to tell you that major corporations that do business or in have Foreign Affairs and I would suggest that you contact them. (00:54:45) Another listener with a question. Hi, you're on the air. Hello. I'm calling from Minneapolis and I had some information that I thought might be of interest to the gentleman who was in his 60s calling about a new job and also to the young man who is the architect looking for finding replacement and another particular firm. My father-in-law has a contract engineering company and one thing that he's done that I think is rather Innovative is to try to pull as many retirees as he can to work for his company and he then puts them into corporations that are needing Consultants dealing with the engineering Fields architecture as well as Drafting and so forth and for the young man who's an architect and his particular company, that is my father-in-law's company. He has lots of Architects who have an opportunity to work for various companies around town and basically from that work experience almost choose the kind of company. They think they might be most comfortable and working with without having a record of going from one company to another other on short-term kinds of jobs (00:55:48) Thank you. That's very helpful. (00:55:51) All right, let's take another caller. We have time for a couple more. Go ahead, please. Yes, I'm mr. Clark. Did you mention that you had a self-analysis test available - how do I go about taking this (00:56:01) test? I have several different ones when they did with values personality traits and so forth. I think that's really important. They're all self-correcting meaning that I don't have to look at them. So it's really it's the person does not have any pressure about not appearing to be the gentleman that he would like to thank himself to be or the woman. She'd like to think herself to be but that's really important to find out they sort of go into things like do you feel comfortable and making your own decisions? Totally do you feel comfortable with working with different types of people other than yourself do you feel comfortable with doing things for other people? Would you rather do it for yourself and then internal and external locus of control which best fits you so it's a good measuring instrument and it also deals. The values of a person and that's really important for any type of job Seeker to know that you have your values are. They coincide with with the job because otherwise you can find yourself. Just hating to go to work and you may not be able to put your finger on as to exactly why. (00:57:07) We have time for another call. Go ahead, please you're you're next. Hi. I'm calling from Minneapolis. And I'd like to know at what point in the job search if it all a person should acknowledge that he's a homosexual. (00:57:22) That is a legal question. I think is verging on that. If one is going to to decide to divulge that information. I think there are agencies that do consult specifically with homosexuals on jobs. I don't have one of the numbers right before me right now, but there are agencies and lawyers who availed themselves to that sip of situation. (00:57:48) We'll take one last brief question and brief answer. Go ahead, please. You're our last caller. Hi, I would like to express a question and a comment. I've been unemployed and between jobs in another city and I found that the temporary services like secretarial word processing and phone sales and the like have at least helped me earn money and helped me to maintain some business contacts while I was looking for a job in my field of Interest. I wonder if Roger if you feel that that approach would be real workable here in Minneapolis. (00:58:24) Doing phone sales. I don't know if I understand your (00:58:28) question. Just finding the temporary services (00:58:33) although the use of temporary services. Well, I think that that can be a benefit. (00:58:37) Yeah, right Roger. I'm sorry. We've run out of time. I certainly want to thank you for coming in and sharing your expertise in your opinions your knowledge with us today Roger Clark career counselor Our Guest today.