Marketing Director, Author at Higher Education Jobs - Higher Education Recruitment Consortium

Defining and Finding Your Mentor(s)

July 7, 2021 by Marketing Director

Mentorship is a multi-faceted relationship with many benefits for the mentee:

Advice
Sponsorship
Extended network
Encouragement

This combination of benefits means that mentoring relationships are particularly important for job transitions. While it’s true that advisors may also provide some of these functions, according to Dr. Beronda Montgomery, the key difference between an advisor and a mentor is the specificity of the advice for you. Montgomery is a plant biologist and mentorship expert at Michigan State University. She argues that a mentoring relationship is a bilateral flow of information between the mentor and mentee that allows the mentor to provide advice, sponsorship, and encouragement based on the unique qualifications, attributes, and experiences of their mentee. This is distinct from the role of an advisor, who provides general advice that might suit anybody.

The necessity of bidirectional communication (read: trust) in a mentoring relationship, however, can make these relationships difficult. Furthermore, each phase of an individual’s career is likely to require a different mentor, and “breaking up” with or “retiring” your mentor is tricky business. This is why Montgomery also argues that mentoring relationships should begin with clearly outlined goals and expectations; so that both parties can easily identify when it’s time to move on.

Finding Your Mentor(s)

The likelihood of finding a single mentor that can aid in all facets of your career is unlikely. That’s part of why Montgomery advocates for mentoring networks and the evidence suggests that mentoring networks are particularly important for women.

To identify the types of mentors that you need for your network, Montgomery suggests self-reflection to answer four questions for yourself.

What do I need?
When do I need it?
Where/in what area?
Where can I find it?

Once you identify the strategic areas where you need mentoring, it’s time to begin searching for individuals to fill those roles. On campus, look for institution-sponsored mentoring programs, affinity groups, and/or ask people in your existing network for suggestions. You might also consider contacting someone that you don’t already have a connection with to initiate a mentoring relationship. LinkedIn and other social networking sites are good places to look for mentors. Examine the list of people you follow and look for people with knowledge in your strategic area(s) and post things that resonate with you.

Whenever and wherever you find these potential mentors, consider establishing your goals and expectations before approaching them. Montgomery lists four key items to consider when establishing a mentorship.

The framework (i.e., the relationship purpose and type)
The frequency of interactions
Goals of meetings/interactions
Expectations

Finally, there are a few other things that you should keep in mind when you reach out to your potential mentor.

Be gracious (but you know that one already).
Lead with your framework, goals, and expectations; demonstrate the thoughtfulness of your contact.
Offer an out. Everyone is busy, so invite your potential mentor to suggest someone else who might better fit your needs and/or schedule.

To learn more about mentorship and how to maintain an established mentoring relationship, check out Montgomery’s “Mentoring Roadmap” and her other thoughts on mentorship.

Use Your LinkedIn Profile to Tell Your Story

June 24, 2021 by Marketing Director

When creating a LinkedIn profile, some people simply copy and paste sections from their resume. Using your resume is a good starting point for your LinkedIn profile, but doing only that doesn’t make use of all the bells and whistles offered by that social media platform.

A resume on its own can be quite flat, with facts and stats about your professional background and experience. With a LinkedIn profile, you have the ability to showcase your work, creativity, and, perhaps most importantly, professional story.

*“LinkedIn Rock Your Profile” webinar presenter Bryant Ramirez’s LinkedIn “postcard” (i.e., top portion of a LinkedIn profile)*

Focus on these sections of your LinkedIn profile to get noticed by potential employers and your peers.

Profile Photo

A profile photo is a basic element of a LinkedIn profile, but it’s surprising how many people skip uploading one. When people view your profile, being able to see your face shows that you’re a real person, not a fake account. It can also help your connections recognize you, whether you’re trying to add them to your network or if they’re looking for you.

Headline

The second text element of your profile that people will see (the first being your name) is your headline. The default headline on LinkedIn is your most recent job title and company. Since that information appears later in your profile, you should change your headline to communicate something else about you. Your headline could reference aspects of your work that you are most passionate about or your strongest skills or your values/mission statement. Keep it fresh – don’t be afraid to revisit and change your headline every now and then.

Cover Photo

The cover photo is another highly visible part of your LinkedIn profile that many people don’t bother to add. While your profile photo shows who you are, your cover photo is another visual way to demonstrate who you are, what you do, and/or what you’re passionate about. For instance, you could upload a photo of you in action at work, such as giving a lecture, or it could showcase something you produced, like a photo at an event you organized. Instead of a photo, it could be the cover artwork of a report or presentation that you put together.

Experience

Descriptions

In the description sections under “Experience,” it’s easy to stick to the bullet points included in your resume. During the LinkedIn Rock Your Profile webinar hosted by HERC, many participants asked if it was better to use bullet points or prose. Our speaker, Bryant Ramirez, recommended using both, but he emphasized that you can use this space to highlight your story and professional journey.

You can’t tell from those standard resume bulletpoints why someone chose to take that position at that company or what having that position meant to that person. Perhaps it was this person’s dream job since childhood or maybe they had a special connection to the community served by that organization. Share that story as prose, then use bulletpoints to convey your job responsibilities and accomplishments.

Media

Included in the “Experience” part of your LinkedIn profile are places to upload “Media” – work samples or other pieces that illustrate your skills and expertise. Potential employers may not see samples of your work until after your resume reached their radar and you’ve been invited to be interviewed. LinkedIn makes it easy for you to call attention to projects you’ve completed right away. Add media to your profile, whether it’s a report or case study that you wrote or a link to a video or article that you produced or participated in.

Recommendations

References are often requested near the end of the interviewing process and, usually, only final candidates are asked to provide them. If you have some impressive references or you have too many to include on your reference list, ask those connections to post a recommendation on your LinkedIn profile. Their stories about you and your work could make a difference and give a strong first impression to potential employers.

Social media platforms like LinkedIn have changed the way job seekers and employers find and interact with each other. Use their features and tools creatively to stand out and differentiate yourself from other job seekers!

About the Author: Marcia Silva is the director of marketing and communications at the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium. She strives to create engaging, research-informed content that empowers job seekers and employers committed to creating inclusive workplaces. She is passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations in using digital media and technology to encourage participation, build trust, and strengthen communities.

What’s Next? Take Time to Explore Your Career Options

June 7, 2021 by Marketing Director

This article is from the National Postdoctoral Network. Mark your calendars for July 12 & 13! HERC is partnering with the National Postdoctoral Network on its 2021 NPA Gender Equity Summit. The summit will explore issues across the full spectrum of gender, delving into obstacles surrounding gender equality in the postdoctoral community. Over the course of two days, the virtual summit presents a series of interactive, roundtable discussions, meant to further discussions on the importance of gender equity. Registration is free – sign up today!

Career development is an iterative multi-stage process of self-assessment, career exploration, career choice refinement, and finally focused job searching. Career exploration allows you to consider aspects to incorporate into your future career and learn about potential career options to start.

Self-assessment tools take inventory of your skills (things you’re good at), your interests (things you like to do), and your values (job attributes that are important to you) to identify satisfying careers that might be a great fit.

You can also explore by talking to people who are in various careers through informational interviewing and networking, researching different career fields, and trying out careers using a job simulations tool or taking on part-time internships.

Self-Assessment

Self-assessment is important throughout the career process. An initial self-assessment can help you identify and refine your interests, ideal work tasks and environments as well as your work style. Periodic self-assessment can also help guide you in creating your individual development plan and refining your goals as you move through your postdoc.

Some good self-assessment websites oriented toward those with doctoral degrees include myIDP and ImaginePhD. If you are interested in pursuing an academic career, check out the Academic Career Readiness Assessment developed by UCSF.

Informational Interviewing and Networking

Another great strategy is to conduct informational interviews. Informational interviews are informal conversations that help you learn more about what it’s like to work in a particular type of position.

Networking is also a critical part of the career exploration and job search processes. Networking involves creating focused connections within your area of career interests. Networking can serve many purposes, including identifying sources for informational interviews, potential job leads, or potential professional collaborators and mentors. Many people are uncomfortable with the idea of networking, but good networking involves a mutually beneficial connection, and it’s important to remember that you also bring value to the relationship. The Career Center at UC Berkeley has compiled a guide for Informational Interviewing.

Creating and maintaining an up-to-date LinkedIn profile is great way to stay in touch with people you meet. Many recruiters use LinkedIn to search for talent, so having a complete profile is very helpful for the job search.

An important tool during both the networking and interview processes is the elevator pitch. The elevator pitch is a short statement that briefly explains your research and career goals. Developing a succinct and focused statement that can be adapted for different contexts is an art developed with practice. The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) has created a short video that discusses tips for elevator pitches, introductions, and etiquette.

Career Paths and Options, Particularly for Postdocs

There are a variety of career options after the completion of your postdoc. Fortunately, there are resources to help you understand and explore these different paths. Some common paths include research, teaching, administration, policy, communication, consulting, and entrepreneurship. The positions can be in all areas of research enterprise including higher education, other non-profit organizations, industry, government agencies or a business you may start yourself.

Excellent tools include:

Overview of PhD Career Fields by the University of Chicago myCHOICE Program
InterSECT Job Simulations (to try out potential careers)

You have a huge variety of career options available and this may sometimes feel overwhelming. However, it is important to remember that there are many career resources available to help you with the process. Working with others, whether a career specialist, a mentor, or others via social media, are all great ways to stay focused, receive feedback and feel supported through the process.

This content was adapted with permission from the National Postdoctoral Association’s “A Postdoc’s Guide To Career Development” – access the full guide and other career resources at the NPA’s Postdocs Resource Library.

I Don’t Know How to Talk About Race: How to Prepare Yourself for the Conversation

May 24, 2021 by Marketing Director

A group discussion with focus on a participant's hands

Have you engaged in conversations about race at your workplace? If you think these conversations are hard, you’re not alone. There are many books that focus on how to talk about race. It’s hard to talk about race because we’re coming from different perspectives and using the same words which sometimes have different meanings due to our unique perspectives.

These conversations can be difficult, but are worth it because when done correctly they are eye-opening, productive, and help move the needle to make real change. If you’re looking to have a better experience the next time you have the opportunity to talk about race, it helps to consider the before, during and after of engaging in conversations about race. For example, the first step is to take some time to prepare yourself by doing some homework. You can prepare to engage in conversations about race by assessing your baseline, building your vocabulary, and otherwise engaging in self-study.

Assess Your Baseline Using Personal Reflection

This process of understanding and talking about race begins by learning where you are on your own journey. Ask yourself where you are on your journey? Try to understand how your identity influences you and your outlook on the world. How does this shape your perspective and life? By doing that, you are taking the first steps to course correct or lessen the impact of biases.

If you represent an institution, assess where is the institution in their ability to engage in meaningful conversations about race, and to what end?

Build Your Vocabulary

Be intentional about building your vocabulary. You’ll become aware of other perspectives and approaches to this work. Terms build on and borrow from each other, with bias at the root. We have explicit bias, which is bad, and there’s implicit bias. We can use that foundation to talk about microaggressions and how concepts evolve.

For example, people are reframing the word, “racism.” It’s defined by power and position. Terms like anti-racism are important. We talk about white fragility and why it’s hard for white people to talk about racism. Conversations about race can be ineffective if people are talking about two different topics.

There is an entire iceberg, but you only see the things at the tip of the iceberg. If two people are engaged in a conversation, one of them might only think about individual acts of bigotry. They can’t see the impact from a structural perspective. We must get our words right to move forward, otherwise the conversation will go nowhere fast.

Expand Your Perspective Through Self-Study

Come from a place of humility and clarify throughout the conversation. Ask, “Can you help me understand? Can you share an example of what you mean?” This is not the time for being coy or being afraid to be clear. We need to be clear and concise.

Creating a safe space is ideal but doing so can be difficult without a community of trust. People can act out because they feel afraid and, as a result, conversations won’t happen. It’s important to understand that we all enter the conversation from different points of understanding.

Here are a few resources and existing research to start your self-study:
“Talking About Race” – Tools from the National Museum of African American History & Culture
Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre
National Equity Project

If you’re new to the conversation, keep an open mind and be humble. Share your perspective with others. Don’t wait to become an expert before you say anything. Stepping forward and out is important, and it encourages others to participate.

Ready to Talk

Once you do the work to assess your starting place, learn the vocabulary, and do the research, you’re ready to engage courageously in meaningful dialogue. There’s a historical heaviness that is a part of this process. Your confidence is for the greater good, even if you cannot see it.

Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

Your bravery comes as a person who does the right thing, because it’s the right thing to do. You need the resolve that things must change, even if you’re afraid – that’s how you conquer that fear. What concrete actions will you take to prepare yourself?

This post is based on “I Don’t Know How to Talk About That: Preparing for Conversations About Race,” a webinar presented by Crystal Roberts, J.D. Associate Director for the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at Oregon Health & Science University. Connect with Crystal Roberts on LinkedIn.

HERC Teams with NEOED to Explore the Future of Technology in Higher Ed Workforces in New Report

May 24, 2021 by Marketing Director

EL SEGUNDO, CA AND SAN FRANCISCO, CA – NEOED has partnered with the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) to publish, “Modernization, Development & DEI: The Future Role of Workforce Technology in Higher Education.” The report, sourced from a survey of nearly 200 professionals working in higher education at a variety of two-year and four-year institutions, finds that with the end of the pandemic in sight, educational institutions are looking to take the opportunity to disrupt the status quo of recruitment, onboarding, and workforce development. Download the full report here.

Despite early fears about slashed budgets, 81% of respondents expected to hire at the same rate or even higher for the upcoming year, further demonstrating a need to rapidly scale processes by leaning on technology. 75% of respondents said their upcoming investments in technology would focus on modernizing long-standing, outdated processes that hinder their ability to be agile when it comes to supporting a workforce.

Among the biggest concerns for respondents were attracting and retaining diverse talent, streamlining the onboarding process by going partially or completely virtual, supporting a combination of on-site and remote employees, and ramping up upskilling and training in anticipation of a wave of retiring baby boomers that will depart with institutional knowledge.

The survey that the report was based on also asked respondents to weigh in on their institutions’ overall digital maturity and how well their systems worked with one another. 50% of those surveyed said they were currently using a combination of software and paper or manual processes, and 45% stated that their HR software did not meet the needs of both HR and Academic Affairs. Elsewhere, only 12% of respondents felt that their campus’ current candidate screening process was extremely effective. One in ten said that better access to data and analytics in recruiting and the employee lifecycle was a dire need.

To get the full report and see where your institution stands in comparison to your peers, download it here.

ABOUT NEOED: Serving hundreds of educational institutions, NEOED is a leading provider of a comprehensive human capital management solution for education HR, including an applicant tracking system. Designed specifically with educational institutions’ needs in mind, NEOED’s suite of three integrated modules – Recruit, Develop, and Manage – provide a centralized cloud platform for managing the entire employee lifecycle, while maintaining the highest standards of compliance and a special focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. More information at www.neoed.com.

ABOUT THE HIGHER EDUCATION RECRUITMENT CONSORTIUM: The Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) is a nonprofit consortium committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the higher education workforce. With over 700 colleges, universities, hospitals, research labs, government agencies, and related organizations, HERC works to ensure member institutions are sites of belonging, where all faculty and staff can thrive. HERC provides resources, networking, and outreach programs to attract, hire, and retain a diverse and qualified workforce.

CONTACT: John Calderon, NEOED, jcalderon@neoed.com, 310-426-6304; Marcia Silva, Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, marcia@hercjobs.org, 650-417-3193

7 Tips for Improving Pay Equity

May 10, 2021 by Marketing Director

Hand writing Pay Equity on piece of paper

Transparency in salaries and compensation is one way to help close the pay gaps that exist in the U.S. job market. On average, women only make 82 cents for every dollar that a man makes in 2021 and the COVID-19 pandemic has set the participation of women in the labor force back more than 30 years. Unfortunately, employers are often reticent to disclose their budget in job ads, putting the burden of pay equity in the hands of the applicant and at the mercy of arbitrary biases.

Here are seven tips to help you decide your worth on the job market and have a better chance at closing the wage gap.

BEFORE YOU APPLY

Learn to negotiate

From raising children to working in a team, negotiation is an essential skillset. If financial negotiation isn’t a skill that your background hasn’t already taught you, it’s essential that you both learn (and practice!) how to negotiate with money before you start sending in applications. To get started, try bargaining at the farmer’s market or ask for an extra 5% off that dress you’re about to buy. The key to negotiation is not trying to get the most out of a transaction but getting what you need; the first step to negotiation is to decide what it’s worth to you and what you’re willing to trade.

Learn what the position pays

The job ad might not give you a clue about what the position pays, but there are resources that can. At least two higher education-related associations—the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)—conduct regular surveys to track employee compensation. The AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey breaks data down by the institutional category, affiliation, region, and gender, as well as includes data for medical and retirement benefits. CUPA-HR publishes four reports each survey year with the data for faculty, professionals, administrators, and staff broken down by the position (tenure, adjunct, IT, athletics), institution type, and even demographics. CUPA-HR also publishes a separate Benefits in Higher Education Report that includes data for paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and retirement. Finally, sometimes there are community-maintained spreadsheets on pay data. If one isn’t available in a forum dedicated to your profession, try your own hand at “Google doc activism” to make pay more transparent and hopefully more equitable.

Estimate the cost of living

Compare the cost of living to the estimated pay before you apply. Is the salary a feasible amount to maintain your standard of living or at least close enough to be worth negotiating? If not, save your time and move on to the next ad.

DURING THE INTERVIEWS

Ask about the little things

Make sure that you understand the details that will either contribute, or take away from, your base pay. What benefits are available and what will they cost you? Do they have an insurance plan that will meet your needs? How much of the premium are you responsible for? Is the base salary for 12 or 9 months? Why and what responsibilities will be included (or excluded)? Make sure that you get documentation to help answer your questions and compare your options with other positions. Write notes and consider sending them in a follow up email to ask for corrections and/or clarification.

Ask about pay increases

Evidence suggests that while everyone is just as likely to ask for a raise, not everyone gets it. A PayScale survey of over 160,000 employees found that “Women of color were 19 percent less likely to have received a raise than white men, and men of color were 25 percent less likely.” With that in mind, ask about raises before you start the job. Get the specifics from your potential employer about when and how pay increases happen. Learn what the requirements are and who is responsible for initiating a raise.

Trust, but verify

Reach out to current and past employees of your potential employer to learn what the conditions are, as opposed to what they are supposed to be. Did pay raises happen regularly or hardly ever? Did workplace culture support or discourage the use of benefits?

WHEN YOU DECIDE

Resist desperation

By this point, you should have a solid list of pros and cons as well as a good handle on potential finances. In the case that the math doesn’t add up and options seem few, resist the urge to accept an offer that doesn’t meet your needs. The stress of moving to take a position with a high financial burden will inevitably surpass the stress of waiting for the right job. The end result is likely to be another rushed job search under even greater stress.

About the Author: Dr. Ada Hagan is a microbiologist with a passion for making science accessible. In 2019, Dr. Hagan founded Alliance SciComm & Consulting, LLC as a means to use her strong background in communications and higher education to help make scientific concepts more easily understood and make the academy more inclusive to future scientists from all backgrounds. Her writing and research have been featured by BBC Radio 4, Science Careers, The Scientist, Massive Science, and the American Society for Microbiology.

How to Build Resilience

May 4, 2021 by Marketing Director

The word resilience is used a lot. Resilience has gotten more attention lately as popular authors like Brene Brown and Sheryl Sandberg share the benefits of learning from adversity.

Resilience is the process of adapting to a crisis or trauma. Being resilient is part of being an emotionally intelligent person. If you find yourself in a situation where you are facing adversity, a crisis, or a tragedy, this is fertile ground for deepening and growing your resilience.

In this moment of a global pandemic, when many are suffering economic and social crises, is a good time for us to use some science-based skills to build our resilience.

What Can You Control?

When we think about the things we can control, we usually think about our actions, like what we’re putting into our bodies, but we can also gain control over our reactions.

It may upset you when you see people not wearing masks, but you can’t control that. What you can control is how far you are away from them when you are walking down the street. Instead of focusing on the upset or anger at what you can’t control, find what you can do – avoid them, change course, walk at less busy times of the day.

If you can reduce the things you can’t control, and focus on the things you can control, you will be in a much healthier place emotionally. That’s the first level of finding resilience.

Here are four things you can try in order to build up your resilience.

Change the Story in Your Head

A simple way to do this is to physically write for about 10 minutes. Write about your challenges in whatever awful language you want. At the end of the 10 minutes, see if you can find one (or more) positive things that have resulted from that challenge. See if you can pick out one (or more) things that you have control over in that situation. Make it a routine to write each morning or evening about what happened that day. Hash it out on paper and see what you can learn.

Play Out Your Worst-Case Scenarios

It seems like we’re constantly thinking about what can go wrong. But it can be a useful way to face our fears and play the worst-case scenario out all the way. What if all the awful thoughts come true? What are all the possible outcomes? Then for each outcome, check for evidence to see if they are truly eminent or just likely. Usually the worst thing is, “I’ll be fired.” But what evidence is there that that will really happen? This method can be a useful writing exercise to allow you to “check for evidence” and identify what is likely and what you have control over.

Practice Self-Compassion

Being compassionate to yourself is not self-pity; it’s being kind, or like taking care of your very close friend when they need some help. Would you refuse to give your friend a break for exercise or to lunch? Would you talk to a friend like you do to yourself? Most of us would not.

One way to practice self-compassion is to get out of your head and get grounded. Notice the stress you are suffering. For some, suffering is feeling overwhelmed or uninterested; for others, it’s feeling unfocused or unproductive. If you can accept that whatever you may be suffering is part of your identity, it can be easier to be empathetic and kind to yourself.

An example of self-kindness is how you talk about your suffering to yourself. Instead of being angry (“Oh, I am so stupid and unproductive lately! I can’t do anything right!”), try to state what is really going on (“I know that it’s really hard for me to focus right now and deadlines are making me stress.”). And then find a way to accept this as part of the human experience, with something like, “We’re all losing productivity in some way right now, but it’s temporary.”

Be Present

Finally, it’s important to remember that life isn’t just happening from your neck up and being present in your body is refreshing to the mind.

A simple way to help yourself be present is through mediation or a grounding exercise that takes you out of your head for a few minutes.

For example, you can mentally scan your entire body by noticing what the individual parts are doing. Start with your feet. Put your feet on the floor and feel the floor. Feel your seat in the chair. Notice your hands on your lap. Notice if you can feel the top of your head, your forehead, your eyebrows. Now consciously try to relax your forehead, your eyebrows, your mouth, your jaw, your shoulders. Take a slow breath in and exhale slowly.

There are lots of free apps available that can help you stop and be present for a few minutes a day. You might try one like Breathe, Calm or Headspace.

To change what we don’t like, we have to be intentional about our new choices. If you want to build your resilience and find ways to access your “best self,” give yourself time to think about how to practice self-compassion, how to clear your mind, and what makes you feel present and rejuvenated. And forgive yourself if you don’t get it right the first time. That builds your reliance too.

Thanks to Amanda Shaffer, Shaffer Coaching, LLC, for providing the content that this blog post is based on!

Post-Webinar Q&A: LinkedIn Rock Your Profile

April 19, 2021 by Marketing Director

We weren’t able to address every question submitted by LinkedIn Rock Your Profile attendees during the live webinar, but presenter Bryant Ramirez tackles most of them below!

[Watch the webinar recording and access the presenter’s deck.]

Setting Up a LinkedIn Profile

Q: Is there a way to post an article or published item, so it remains as the first item posted?

A: You can add the article/published item to your “featured” section below the About section and make this the first item.

Q: Does LinkedIn provide tools or templates to help improve your headline, summary, or work experience sections?

A: Check out https://blog.linkedin.com/ for tips and tools.

Q: Every time I try to add volunteer experience, it blocks me. What am I doing wrong?

A: This seems to be an error. Go to help.linkedin.com for more help.

Q: What did Bryant use to separate his ‘bullets’ in his headline? Without them, a lot of text is overwhelming!

A: It’s a special character. In Word, you’ll find it as an Advanced Symbol, as Symbol character 183, Unicode F0B7. You could also just copy/paste it from my profile into yours.

Q: Do you suggest bullet points over sentences? Is a narrative better aided by full sentences?

A: I recommend a combination of both depending on what you’re trying to communicate. Is it a story, or are these distinct accomplishments? You could use prose to introduce a role you have done, but use bullets to highlight specific accomplishments.

Q: Bullets vs. narrative – wouldn’t this also reflect one’s communication style?

A: True. At the end of the day, it’s all about the story you are trying to convey. Likely, prose will have a higher likelihood of capturing someone’s ‘emotional’ attention (e.g., the Apollo Theater example I gave) while the bullets are quick ways of explaining ‘wins’ and ‘accomplishments.’

Q: Can you suggest how to address a 5-year career gap that included relevant/strategic volunteer work?

A: Add this experience as work experience. You can say this is “independent” experience. You can also call out a “sabbatical,” which I’ve seen done before. All of this is about the story you tell. What did you contribute during that 5-year gap? What did you learn?

Q: If we are in one industry but looking to move to another industry, which industry should we list? The current one or the one(s) we think we want to move to?

A: Choose the new one so that it’s searchable. I also recommend showing the “experience” that demonstrates meaningful interest in that new industry, such as education, internships, fellowships, and other projects/initiatives.

Q: What should one highlight if you are an entrepreneur consultant but want to remain open to a great job opportunity? Highlight self or entrepreneur success or hybrid?

A: You can say you’re working on a freelance/part time opportunity. I think employers understand that you could be leveraging your experience for various types of roles. I think your ‘entrepreneur success’ is part of ‘you,’ so tell that story. How does it allow you to add more value?

Q: How do you use LinkedIn to signal your readiness for jobs that don’t have a single title? I.e., higher education program administration jobs that might live in a couple of different areas of the university.

A: Good question. I think this is part of crafting your story by starting with what matters in any of those roles (e.g., leading the next generation of academics, passion for education, etc.) and then highlighting skills and experiences that are relevant for such roles. Many times, while you may not have the specific role or it may not be in the title, your profile should connect the dots and make it apparent how your experience is relevant for these roles you’re applying for. In my experience screening candidates, I look at their holistic background, and there are times I select a “non-traditional” candidate (e.g., a non-profit leader) because I can see how their skills/experience is relevant for the job I am filling (e.g., stakeholder management, current state & future state assessments, problem-solving, data & analytics). I believe everyone could mold their profile to demonstrate these relevant skills and experiences that provide a holistic perspective of your capabilities.

Q: If your LinkedIn profile is different from your resume because you’re tailoring them differently, do employers ever view this suspiciously, as though you’re inconsistent or somehow lying or hiding something about yourself?

A: It’s all about framing. You should be tailoring your resume anyways per role, as each role may require a different framing of your existing experience. Think of the LI profile as simply another way to frame what already exists.

Q: Should jargon be used in profile to demonstrate knowledge or not included to appeal to a broader audience?

A: It depends where in the profile. I would avoid using jargon in the tagline and the first portion of an About, but jargon can make sense in the experience section.

Q: Can you explain how LinkedIn searches profiles (i.e., how recruiters find people with skills or experiences, etc.)? How do you know if your profile is competitive for your field?

A: There isn’t a specific “score” that determines how competitive you are for a specific field; however, recruiters can use the attributes we discussed to search for you in Recruiter. I’m not as familiar with the specific algorithms, but needless to say, the more you contribute and the stronger your profile becomes, the more likely you show up in relevant searches.

Q: In academia, recommendations are almost always confidential. How valuable are non-confidential recommendations?

A: This is an important nuance to consider. I’ll leave this to your discretion. Again, it’s about framing. A LinkedIn recommendation is likely much more brief and is more about their relationship and high-level observations – sort of like a “Kudos” or even a “Thank you note” to you that’s public. I can’t tell you exactly where the “line” is, but I think there is a clear distinction between a comprehensive, confidential, Academic recommendation and a brief, non-confidential, LinkedIn profile recommendation.

Webinar: LinkedIn Rock Your Profile

April 2, 2021 by Marketing Director

Do you know the difference between your resume and your LinkedIn Profile (and why both matter)? Interested in learning how to leverage LinkedIn for networking and finding opportunities in higher education?

A sluggish job market is a good time to get your LinkedIn Profile in order and to explore ways to make professional connections online.

During this webinar, you’ll get answers to the above questions, as well as 10 key steps to optimize your LinkedIn Profile. Then there will be a debrief by walking through selected LinkedIn profiles during the Live Coaching session.

This webinar is presented by Bryant Ramirez, Global Customer Experience Associate and ‘Rock Your Profile’ Ambassador, LinkedIn.

[Check out the Post-Webinar Q&A with our presenter!]

Captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing is provided by CaptionAccess for all HERC webinars. Email marketing@hercjobs.org for a transcript. Click here to access the webinar on Vimeo.

LinkedIn Rock Your Profile from HERC on Vimeo.

Download the presentation deck (abbreviated version).

Read the Post-Webinar Q&A with our presenter.

Download a LinkedIn Profile Overview and Tips one-pager.

What is Professional Development: A Three-Part Framework

March 29, 2021 by Marketing Director

Professional development sometimes seems like another higher education buzzword with a vague definition and even more vague mandate. The Glossary of Education Reform defines professional development in the context of education as, “a wide variety of specialized training, formal education, or advanced professional learning intended to help administrators, teachers, and other educators improve their professional knowledge, competence, skill, and effectiveness.” (See also, the definition for “vague”). I define professional development as, “any activity that is part of a contentious and strategic effort to improve professional skills and competencies.” A shorter definition by far but still vague.

The audience for professional development is also vague, since it includes anyone who takes steps to advance their career.

Ambiguity can be incredibly frustrating for developing a plan. It can also be an incredible opportunity for personalization, especially when used in conjunction with a framework to focus goals. Here is a suggested framework that divides professional development in higher education into three broad areas of focus: the basics of professionalism, improving current weaknesses, and planning for the future.

Level Up the Basics

The basics of professionalism are the essential competencies necessary for success in any career. Their breadth of application sets them apart from skills and techniques, which are field or position-specific. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) lists eight core competencies that college students should attain for “a successful transition into the workplace.” Among these are communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and, ironically, career management, which includes the ability to “identify areas necessary for professional growth.”

Competencies require intentional use and improvement, and combined with their universal relevance, is why they are the first area of focus in professional development. Communication is one particular area that is commonly overlooked as a target of professional development. The requirement for communication as a part of the human experience can hide it as a key focus of professional development. But clear, accurate language is essential for communicating ideas, whether written or verbal. Fortunately, there are many avenues to improve the communication competency. For instance, many colleges and universities have on campus writing services and there is often room in budgets for editorial services to receive project-specific feedback.

A recent addition to the NACE competency list is global or intercultural fluency, which is when “the individual demonstrates openness, inclusiveness, sensitivity, and the ability to interact respectfully with all people and understand individuals’ differences.” As higher education becomes more accessible to groups that have been historically excluded, it is important to constantly update our information and understanding, whether by learning about microaggressions or identifying the structural (and literal) barriers in a program. Fortunately, colleges and universities are increasing the availability of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI or EDI) workshops and trainings. Another avenue is to explore the history of marginalized groups in your profession, field, and/or department. Comparing the history of these groups to ongoing initiatives and programs can contribute to further development of intercultural fluency and sometimes improve execution and performance of a current project.

Bolster Current Weaknesses

Improving current weaknesses is the second area of focus for professional development. While it may seem obvious to some, the surest way to advancement is to get a good recommendation from a current supervisor. Look to feedback from supervisor(s), colleagues, and annual evaluations to identify areas of potential improvement. Since broad categories like communication and teamwork fits in the “basics” category, focus on individual skills and techniques here. Perhaps there are particular tasks that you perform more slowly than you would like or receive less than stellar feedback on.

In either case, first do some background on the skill, technique, or task. Learn more about what it needs to communicate, why it is important, and how it has been done in the past. Use this information to inform the next attempt, and consider volunteering more often to further stretch skill development. If this approach does not yield the desired results, consider looking into formal training methods like continuing education courses and workshops. I consider setting aside time to identify and improve areas of weakness as a crucial part of professional development because positive changes in job performance will get noticed by supervisors. Gaining the confidence of a supervisor encourages them to provide good references and potentially sponsor you for more opportunities.

Plan for the Future

The third area in the professional development framework is planning for the future. This requires intimate and strategic knowledge of both career goals and the skills required to attain them. Those unsure about where they want to go next can employ networking and informational interviews to learn more about potential careers. Even those who do know what their next steps are can use informational interviews to identify silent or hidden skill sets to develop. Consider searching job ad boards for positions that are a logical next step and identify common themes in skills and/or knowledge that you can use to target appropriate professional development activities.

There are many potential opportunities in higher education to develop professional skills for your future. For instance, coding is an increasingly common job requirement. Identify a campus department or program that specializes in the area of coding necessary for your next step. If experience in python for data analysis is necessary, look for seminars and events in groups that study microbiome, public health, or economics. On the other hand, computer science departments and programs may be more appropriate to learn about data storage and infrastructure or webpage maintenance. There is also an abundance of online resources (such as Udacity, Udemy, MasterClass, Coursera, EdX, Codecademy, and more), apps (e.g., skill-specific apps like Duolingo, Mimo, Hacker X, Babble), and podcasts that are now available thanks to COVID-19. Finally, be alert for opportunities to launch or participate in projects that will develop both your professional skill set and resume.

Conclusion

Many employers directly support professional development with funds or credit for continuing education programs. But even if that isn’t available, higher education is offering more professional development programming for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars that are frequently open to staff as well. Even if a supervisor is hesitant, framing professional development as a tool to improve work outcomes and productivity may help earn their support. Of course, too much time on professional development could have the opposite effect of reducing productivity, so be strategic and time conscious when selecting professional development activities.

One recommendation for early-stage professionals (graduate students and postdocs) is to allot 15 percent of working hours to professional development like that described here. That equates to 300 hours in a 50-week work year, or six hours per week on average. Regardless of when it happens, professional development is required for effective and strategic career progression. The three-part framework (basic competencies, current weaknesses, and planning for the future) can help guide professional development to ensure that it meets your needs as a professional.

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