1. Knowing me, Selling me.
Eu e o mercado de trabalho – O que hei-de fazer?
JVCoelho, CSW – CIES/ISCTE, May011.

2. Knowing me, Selling me.
Eu e o mercado de trabalho – O que hei-de fazer?
Contents
1. Career planning and personal choice:
Self-analysis (what I am);
Goal setting (what I want).
2. Labour markets: What can I expect.
Your job is out there.
3. Me and “my” labour market: Efficient job search.
General remarks.
The competency-based interview/.
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3. Knowing me, Selling me.
1. Career planning and personal choice.
What do I really
want to do?
Career Planning
involves personal choices!
What do I really want to do? What are some job options?
How do I get the job that I really want?
What compromises must I make?
When should I start a job search?
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4. Knowing me, Selling me.
1. Career planning and personal choice.
Establish options and set goals.
a. Know your skills portfolio (know what you know).
b. Identify career and life values, goals and objectives:
What sort of job am I looking for?
Where do I want to work?
What do I value in my work?
c. Explore your career options.
d. Plan and set goals
(a goal is a target, a goal is a magnet).
c. Choose the path that you want to follow.
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5. Knowing me, Selling me.
2. Labour markets: `011 trends (1)
The workplace isn’t what it used to be.
1. While 60% of corporate value creation once depended on hard assets (technology
artifacts), now more than 85% relies on the intangible assets of brand, people and
intellectual property.
2. Organizational structures are, on average, 25% flatter than they were 20 y ago.
Today’s flatter organizational structures mean companies have fewer options for
developing their people by moving them “up”.
3. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 60% of all new jobs in the early 21st
century will require skills that only 20% of the current workforce possesses.
4. Technological advances, globalization and the rise of knowledge work have resulted in
work and workers being less bound to physical locations or set hours; teams are
often dispersed across locations and time zones.
5. Work is less routine-based, with the growth in non-routine tasks outpacing routine
tasks by 20% since 1960. Project work, one example of non-routine activity, has
increased 40% over the past 20 y, making collaboration and teamwork more important
than ever.
(Source: Deloitte, 2011; National Bureau of Economic Research,
2011).
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6. Knowing me, Selling me.
2. Labour markets: `011 trends (3)
Skill demands aren`t what used to be.
1. Traditional hierarchical career paths are no longer appropriate to address
development challenges. Rather than the analogy of the vertical step ladder,
the child's playground ladder which goes “every which way” is a more
appropriate concept.
2. Unstable, deregulated work environments.
Downsizing / Re-invention / Knowledge erosion - stands side-by-side with
the individual need to “get on with it”.
3. The ability to adapt, change, re-invent oneself (average 10 occupational
shifts across the lifespan): Self-reflexivity.
4. Capability to “walk the talk” and “get the job done” (Achievement in the work
environment).
5. Self Employed-Nomads, Globalists and Entrepreneurs skill needs.
(Source: Brown et al., 2010)
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7. Knowing me, Selling me.
2. Labour markets: `011 trends (2)
A over-arching trend:
Individual/Group Empowerment.
1. Employees will go to the place of employment - some days they will work at home.
2. The employee as “a private career manager” (decide what to do next…)
3. The employee won`t have a permanent desk.
4. The employee will work collaboratively with a team.
5. The team mates will be professionals in a variety of fields.
6. The individual is accountable for results, and for their contribution to the team.
7. “Personal labour capital” relevance (performance monitoring style, self-esteem and self-
efficiency sense )
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8. Knowing me, Selling me.
3. Me and “my” labour market.
Efficient job search (remarks).
How Most People Look for Work How Most Employers Look for Applicants
Want Ads Internal Networks
Employment
Agencies Job Postings
Placement
Agencies External Networks
Word of Mouth Placement
The Problem Agencies
Most job seekers spend their time checking
and responding to want ads, yet employers Compare How Most People
hire the least number of people through want Direct Look for Work with How
ads. Employer Employers Look for Applicants Want Ads
Contact
The Solution
Identify companies you want to work for, try to
get informational interviews, leave a resume,
fill out a job application, and check back
periodically. Show enthusiasm but do not be a
pest.
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9. Knowing me, Selling me.
3. Me and “my” labour market.
Efficient job search (remarks).
1. Manage your job search. Organize your contacts. Plan your search runs;
2. Write a resume that works;
3. Write customized cover letters;
4. Know the actual recruiter;
5. Update your Linkedin profile (or other);
6. Connect with your network;
7. Use your network;
8. Ensure employers can find you (use web sites; search engines…);
9. Direct mailing, cold calling and walk-ins are the least successful techniques.
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10. Knowing me, Selling me.
3. Me and “my” labour market.
Skill demands.
 Proactividade e Iniciativa
(“Rasgo”) Capacidade de
Relacionamento
Capacidade de envolvimento e (Comunicação e
Compromisso trabalho em equipa)
(“Walk the extra mile”)
Capacidade de adaptação /
Flexibilidade
(“Here today, gone tomorrow”)
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11. Knowing me, Selling me.
3. Me and “my” labour market.
Networking:
A powerful personal marketing tool.
Networking (internet job sites – Linkedin, Talent City, Star Tracker,
CareerBuilder – family, work colleagues, former colleagues, career
advisor, employment agencies) is a very powerful job search tool:
1. It can help to identify new opportunities;
2. It can help to provide positive references;
3. Get relevant information;
4. Get oter contacts;
5. Get new ideas.
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12. Knowing me, Selling me.
3. Me and “my” labour market.
The Resume.
Follow these guidelines when you write the rough draft of your resume:
1.Begin with your contact information.
2.Use category headings such as Objective, Professional Highlights, Education,
Training, Skills, Professional Associations and Organizations, and Honors and Awards.
3.Include volunteer experiences, languages, internships, and certificates that relate to
the position.
4.List your previous responsibilities and results that relate to the job you are seeking
and the needs of the organization.
5.Give examples of your accomplishments and your ability to solve problems.
6.Go back at least 10 years for both education and experience.
7.Research the industry and know what information would impress an employer in that
industry.
8.Leave off salary information. Provide it only when requested.
9.Be honest, positive, realistic, and specific.
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13. Knowing me, Selling me.
3. Me and “my” labour market.
[Your Name]
[Your Street Address]
[Your City, State, ZIP Code]
The Cover Letter.
[Date of Letter]
[Employer’s Name]
[Employer’s Title]
[Organization Name]
[Organization Street Address]
[Organization City, State, ZIP Code]
Dear [Employer s Name]:
[INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: Get the reader’s attention and tell why you
are writing and which position you are applying for. Mention how you heard about
the organization or the opening. Name someone the reader and you both know or
someone in the organization who knows you. Show you’ve researched the
organization. Talk about new projects the organization has taken on, or its
management philosophy, or cite something you’ve read about the organization.]
[BODY: Use this section to build a connection between your background and the
organization s needs. Sum up your related experience or education so the reader
can look for it in your resume. If you have skills or accomplishments that relate to
the job, mention them here. You are effectively summarizing your skills as they
The cover letter relate to the organization. Do this with confidence.]
builds a connection [CONCLUDING INFORMATION: State your interest in working for the
organization and hearing from the reader. Thank the reader for his or her time
between your and consideration.]
background and
Sincerely,
the organization`s
[Your Signature]
needs. [Your Name Typed]
Enclosure
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14. Knowing me, Selling me.
3. Me and “my” labour market.
The Interview.
It`s crucial to know what kind of questions are
typically raised in a employment interview setting:
1. Does the applicant display the set of skills needed to perform
the job?
2. Is he/she motivated?
3. Will he/she fit in the organization culture?
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15. Knowing me, Selling me.
3. Me and “my” labour market.
The Interview.
Know What You Should Do in a Interview (some notes).
1.Be on time or a few minutes early so you can relax and review what you want
to say.
2.Stress your qualifications and emphasize experience and training related to
the job opening.
3.Refer to the organization’s products and services as you answer questions, if
you know about them. Your positive knowledge of the organization will be
impressive.
4.Speak positively about past employers.
5.Stress what was good about previous work experiences, even if you were
unhappy the way things turned out.
6.Ask questions about the organization’s plans and the nature of the job (not
salary). Your questions will indicate interest and motivation.
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16. Knowing me, Selling me.
3. Me and “my” labour market.
The Interview.
+15 “typical” Interview Questions.
1.What do you know about our organization? (Use what you learned when you researched the
organization.)
2.What qualifications do you have for this job? (Match what you know about the job and organization
to your experience.)
3.What is your greatest strength? (Relate your strengths to the job description.)
4.What is your greatest weakness? (Show how your weaknesses can be positives; for example,
indicate that you are a perfectionist with high self-expectations. Admit a past problem and what you
learned from it.)
5.What can you tell me about yourself? (Reveal something that is somewhat personal but still
professional.)
6.Why did you leave your previous job(s)? (Turn this into a positive.)
7.If you were hired, what ideas and talents could you contribute to the position or to our organization?
8.What would you do if _____? (Imagine situations that test your knowledge of the job.)
9.Can you give an example of how you have demonstrated _________skill? (Think first. Be specific.
Speak only long enough to answer the question.)
10.What example can you give me of how you handled a difficult situation on a previous job?
11.Why are you interested in working for this organization? (Relate your skills to what you know about
the organization.)
12.In a job, what interests you most/least? (Show how your interests are related)
13.How do others describe you? (Keep your response positive.)
14.Where do you see yourself in three years? (Demonstrate ambition and flexibility.)
15.How does this position fit into your future plans? (Demonstrate ambition.)
16.What could you have done better on your last job? (Be positive.)
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17. Knowing me, Selling me.
3. Me and “my” labour market.
The Interview.
Let`s try.
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18. Contacts
@ CIES/ISCTE: vasco.jcoelho@gmail.com
@ Critical Software, SA: joao.v.coelho@criticalsoftware.com
@ Linkedin: http://pt.linkedin.com/in/joaovascocoelho
2010_João Vasco Coelho (CIES/ISCTE) [vasco.jcoelho@gmail.com]
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