Last week we introduced a new topic here on STC’s Notebook, an Intercom Q&A. We put out a call for questions for Saul Carliner, who wrote “Addressing Implicit Age Discrimination in Your Job Search Activities,” in the September/October Intercom. (Go to the Intercom site to review the article; don’t forget that you must be logged in to view the PDFs.)
Below we present Saul’s answers to the questions we received. He goes into detail in many of his answers, so get yourself a cup of coffee or tasty beverage, and enjoy! Then come back next Wednesday, when we’ll have a call for questions on another article from Intercom.
In point 3, you write about giving people a chance to “brand” you. Aren’t you really saying that I can use social media to create my own brand?
In the context of the article, it probably appears that way. But in reality, no. Branding encompasses everything you do. If you participate in your STC chapter, for example, how does that promote your brand? If you write for a SIG or chapter newsletter or website, or some similar outlet—or give a presentation to one of those groups—how do these activities promote your brand?
Even your professional reading, and what you subsequently talk about with others, could support your “brand.” People read professionally for two reasons. One is breadth—basically, to keep up with what’s going on in the field. To be honest, that gives you an idea of how the industry is growing and changing. The other reason people read is for depth—to develop in-depth expertise in an area. Usually the depth is related to a competency that the individual wants to market.
More than all of these activities, your work assignments ultimately reflect your brand. Some go for depth in those assignments. As one of my co-workers says about her research, “It’s all reading, all the time.” All she researches is reading. Similarly, some tech writers focus exclusively on a particular industry—such as documentation for the medical device industry. I knew of another firm that specialized in internal documentation; they rarely—if ever—produced materials intended for outside audiences. It wasn’t their thing.
But many people don’t really think about this when taking assignments. They take the Larry, Darryl, and Darryl approach to it (the characters from the old Newhart show)—three guys who ran a business called Anything for a Buck. As a result, others cannot see the rhyme or reason in their choice of assignments.
But even that could be a brand: they’re generalists.
You’re one of the most successful people I know at creating a personal brand—and you were doing it long before most of us had ever heard of social media. Can you share a few dos and don’ts for creating a personal brand?
Thanks for the compliment. To be honest, I didn’t set out to create a brand; I set out to clearly communicate what I did. And here’s what I learned in the process of doing this (and, to be honest, I learned some of this by doing the opposite first):
What do you want to “stand for” (and, in this case, we’re talking about in terms of work, not politics). Determine whether your focus is on breadth (helping organizations clearly communicate technical content) versus depth (excellent writing—which still clearly communicates technical content, but primarily through one skill—writing—and does not necessarily encompass related activities, such as setting communication strategy and evaluating the impact of communication products).
What don’t you do. Be honest—like “I don’t do windows” or “I don’t make housecalls.” In this consumer-oriented economy, it might seem limiting because it seems like you’re closing off opportunities. But it’s actually liberating, because you no longer have to feel guilty about being something that you’re not.
But it’s not just liberating to you—it’s clarifying to your “clients” (whomever they might be—future contract possibilities or future employers) because they have a clearer idea of what you can do. If you try to do too much, you look scattered. And, as suggested in the response to the previous question, harp on that message over and over again.
In the process of doing so, you might realize what you think you’re communicating about who you are and who you’re not isn’t the message that others are receiving. That feedback comes in a variety of ways—conversations, email messages or, worse, not receiving interviews for jobs for which you feel you have an exceptional qualification. In those instances, seek out the feedback (even if it’s painful to hear what they say). Buried in that feedback might be the key to clarifying your brand.
In your 3rd suggestion, “Take advantage of your network to find opportunity,” you write, “When using social networking tools to call attention to yourself, however, Jeremy Epstein, an expert in online community building, suggests focusing on two or three things you’re passionate about so people can ‘brand’ you…. Ideally, the branding relates to the specialty in which you’re seeking work.” How does one go about this in a LinkedIn network?
This only works for people who use LinkedIn for outbound communication—regularly sending out notes to contacts through LinkedIn and posting discussion questions for others to answer. Keep the notes and discussions on topic.
Also, participate in LinkedIn groups that relate to your “brand.” Be selective—some people respond a lot to gain notice. But the rest of us wonder how they have so much time on their hands.
Instead, I recommend responding selectively, only when you really have something to say. People remember that more than endless messages that repeat what others have said already.
I’m in an organization going through an extensive re-org and I’d say there’s at least a 50-50 chance that I will be out of work by January. I’m 56 years old have been in a training role for the past 11 years with no promotions during that time (that just is not how the IT group in this particular org works, as there is very little upward movement). In trying to compose my resume, I fear I will look stale and as though I have reached my level of incompetency. Any suggestions?
I feel for you. It’s a challenging situation.
Underlying your message is the concern that our business environment might not value stability—expecting movement every few years. There’s no single, fool-proof answer. But there are some strategies you might consider.
The first is preparation, which you’re doing. You’ve mentioned that you’re anticipating a layoff in January. But you might not realize—you’re aware of your weakness. That might actually be an asset. If nothing else, you have time to position your experience.
In terms of presenting the job on your resume, although you have held the same position for 11 years, have you changed roles and responsibilities during that time. Were there reorganizations? You can position those transitions in the organization as slightly different positions, if you would feel comfortable doing that. You might position it on a resume as a series of phases (give them names rather than sequence numbers). Here’s a short example:
SAP phase (2005–2009): Responsible for transition from PeopleSoft to SAP and ongoing training that resulted afterwards.
PeopleSoft Phase (2001–2005) Responsible for all training of end users, as well as the process of transitioning to other systems.
But you might also look at the transferable skills you developed during that time. Certainly your instructor skills are transferrable to other realms. You might be able to parlay that into teaching work (if you care to continue to do that). But the skills you developed with the technology—both the technology of teaching and the technology about which you taught—might also have marketable value. Or, you might present profiles of successful projects, which will draw attention away from the job title and focus it, instead, on your accomplishments.
Although, as someone who’s currently employed, your employer isn’t likely to provide you with outplacement services, you might seek out a meeting with a career counselor to advise you on some options. One great place to go is the school where you earned your degree. Most offer life-long career guidance. In fact, there was an interesting article in the New York Times about this several months ago. They can help you identify some options that might not have been clear to you, and can also link you up with alumni in your area who might be able to help you. (And if you’ve moved to a different city, no problem—many make their services available by phone and e-mail.)
Have you done any research on age discrimination against employees new to the work force (20- to 30-year-old age range), and if so, what are your suggestions for addressing that side of age discrimination? For example, when I was 25 years old and in my second job out of college, I worked with users who could not get past the fact that I was the same age as their daughters. Nearly every side conversation during our training sessions would lead back to an age reference, and I often wondered how much respect the users had for the training materials I provided in light of their comments. I never felt taken seriously.
The short answer is, no, I have not researched discrimination against youth in the job market. The issue arises in the research on middle-aged and older workers who are searching for jobs, however.
Giving your coworkers the benefit of the doubt, part of the issue might not be dismissing your youth, it might be coming to terms with their age. But the reason really isn’t the issue—what matters is the result of this behavior, whether or not it’s intentional. Not being taken seriously by coworkers is a frustrating experience.
The situation you’re describing, however, sounds like one that occurred after you were already employed. It’s no less a form of bias, but it’s addressed differently. This general concern about managing age differences in the workplace (or, as the literature calls it, generational differences) is receiving wide attention in the practical literature on human resources. You might check publications like HR, Talent Management, and Diversity Management for more information to learn more about it.