Making Your Next Move: Advise On Finding That Second Job

Over the past couple of months, several former students have contacted me seeking career advice - help with resumes, discussions about potential career pivots, and general guidance on their professional paths. What strikes me is that they're all at the same career stage: 5-6 years into their engineering roles. While they appear successful in their current positions, there's an underlying sense of curiosity about what else might be available. Here's some advice on how to navigate a transition like this strategically.

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The job search process at this career stage presents unique challenges compared to landing
that first position. You now bring substantial experience and proven capabilities, but you're also weighing factors like long-term career direction, advancement potential, and professional fulfillment. Approaching this transition requires a more nuanced strategy than the entry-level job hunt.

Clarify Your Career Direction

Unlike your first job search, you now have real workplace experience to guide your decisions. Reflect on what you enjoyed and what you want to change. Are you looking to advance in your current field, pivot to a new industry, or take on more responsibility? This clarity will help you target opportunities that align with your evolving career goals rather than just any available position.

Expand Your Professional Network

Your network has likely grown since starting your career. Reconnect with former colleagues, maintain relationships with current coworkers, and expand your industry connections. Former colleagues who've moved to other companies can be especially valuable sources of opportunities and insights. Don't forget to nurture relationships with clients, vendors, or partners you've worked with professionally. I found it interesting that all contacts made came via LinkedIn.

Showcase Your Professional Achievements

Your resume should now highlight concrete accomplishments from your work experience. Use specific metrics and results wherever possible—did you increase sales, improve processes, or lead successful projects? Replace academic experiences with professional ones, and demonstrate how you've grown in your role. Your cover letter should tell the story of your career progression and future aspirations.

Navigate the Search Discreetly

Job searching while employed requires discretion. Use personal email and phone numbers, schedule interviews during lunch breaks or personal time, and be mindful of your LinkedIn activity. Consider whether you want to signal you're open to opportunities on LinkedIn, but be aware that colleagues might notice. Maintain professionalism and avoid using company resources for your search.

Negotiate With Confidence

With experience under your belt, you're in a stronger position to negotiate salary, benefits, and working conditions. Research market rates for your role and experience level. You now have a baseline from your current position, so consider the total compensation package, including growth opportunities, work-life balance, and company culture. Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself.

Stay Resilient and Organized

Job searching is a numbers game that requires persistence. Track your applications, follow up appropriately, and learn from each interaction. Rejection isn't personal—it's often about fit, timing, or competition. Use feedback to improve your approach.

Time Your Transition Thoughtfully

Unlike your first job search, timing matters more now. Consider your current projects, upcoming reviews, bonus cycles, and stock vesting schedules. Plan to leave on good terms—you may want to return someday or work with these colleagues again. Give appropriate notice and offer to help train your replacement.

Your second job search is about strategic career advancement, not just finding any opportunity. Take time to evaluate what success looks like for you and pursue roles that align with your long-term goals. With experience as your foundation, you can be more selective and confident in your choices.

Transforming Workforce Development at Holyoke, MA Dean Technical High School

At yesterday's annual advisory board meeting, the ongoing partnership between Dean's educators and industry was clearly evident. The meeting focused on refining program direction, evaluating student performance outcomes, and anticipating the skills students will need as industry continues to evolve. Having witnessed this collaboration for over 20 years, I can attest to how this model demonstrates the value of maintaining strong connections between educational institutions and the industries they serve while preparing students for successful careers.

William J. Dean Technical High School in Holyoke, Massachusetts, exemplifies how strategic planning and comprehensive needs assessments can transform career and technical education programs even under challenging circumstances. The school has operated under some unique constraints as part of the Holyoke Public Schools district, which was placed under state receivership in April 2015 due to chronically low graduation rates and test scores. The state takeover, which stripped local School Committee and superintendent decision-making power in favor of a state-appointed receiver, created both challenges and opportunities for educational transformation. After nearly a decade under state control and with some resistance, Holyoke is poised to regain local control in July 2025, making it the first Massachusetts district to successfully exit receivership. 

Now operating as the Holyoke High School Dean Campus, this institution serves up to 400 students with a predominantly Latino population, where more than 90 percent qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nearly 50 percent receive special education services, and 35 percent are English Language Learners.The school's evolution demonstrates the importance of feasibility studies in educational program development. Through collaborative partnerships, Dean has completed in-depth organizational assessments and this data-driven strategy helped faculty and staff better understand  student behaviors, develop effective communication strategies, and create supportive learning environments.

Dean now offers nine specialized Career, Vocational and Technical Education (CVTE) programs spanning Advanced Manufacturing, Automotive Technology, Carpentry, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Diesel Technology, Electrical, Health Assisting, and Programming and Web Development. Each program's establishment and growth stems from careful strategic planning that balances local industry demands with student career aspirations. 

The Programming and Web Development program stands as a prime example of the school's industry-aligned approach. For over two decades, I have served alongside other working professionals on the program's advisory board, offering continuous input that keeps the curriculum aligned with rapidly evolving technology and current hiring standards. This long-term partnership ensures graduates move on to college or enter the workforce with relevant, up-to-date skills.

At the meeting, Joel McAuliffe, Director of Career and Technical Education, emphasized the school's commitment to providing diverse opportunities. Dean’s philosophy reflects the comprehensive approach to workforce development that emerges from thorough feasibility studies and ongoing community needs assessment, ensuring programs remain relevant to both student aspirations and economic realities. 

And finally A GIGANTIC shoutout to two of the many amazing faculty at Dean - Pepe Pedraza and José Gastón. Your students are very fortunate!

Beyond Perfect: Career Advice for the Class of 2025

Another year, another semester, another graduating class. Cannot believe it has been 46 years since I graduated from UMass Amherst. Here’s some advice to the class on 2025 based on what I’ve learned over the years.

Focus on what you can actually control. The job market conditions and hiring companies and callback responses from your dream company remain beyond your control. You maintain full authority to handle your application submissions and interview preparation and rejection response approaches. 

Stop trying to have the "perfect" career path. Your very first job position does not need to be perfect. Your second one won't be either. Your success depends on acquiring knowledge and your ability to manage any circumstances that arise. Many new graduates turn down suitable job offers because they choose to wait for opportunities that may never appear. 

You cannot stop difficult coworkers or bad managers from occurring. Every workplace has them. You maintain control over your ability to handle situations and learn from them and your understanding of when it is time to move on. Devote your energy to people who demonstrate a willingness to transform themselves. 

Technical problems will break in ways you didn't expect. You cannot stop all bugs or system failures from occurring. Your control extends to your troubleshooting approaches and your team communication during failures as well as your documentation of learned lessons for future reference. 

Your college grades are history now. The grades you earned in college remain in the past regardless of your academic performance. Your success depends on how you utilize your current knowledge and your speed in acquiring and processing new information. 

Achieving success (however you define it) does not mean you control everything. The most successful develop expertise in handling any unexpected challenges that emerge.

New Report: Talent Disrupted - College Graduates, Underemployment, and the Way Forward

The Burning Glass Institute and the Strada Institute for the Future of Work have released a new data-driven research report titled Talent Disrupted: Underemployment, College Graduates, and the Way Forward, 2024. The report highlights a concerning trend among bachelor's degree holders in the job market. Only about half secure college-level jobs within a year of graduation, with the rest working in positions that don't require a degree. Many remain underemployed even after ten years, indicating ongoing challenges in career advancement. 

A recommended full read for students, families, policymakers, and educators, here's a few key points from the report:

 

Mismatch of Skills and Job Requirements: The fact that only about half of bachelor's degree holders secure employment in college-level jobs within a year of graduation suggests a mismatch between the skills they've acquired and the skills demanded by employers. This mismatch can contribute to underemployment, where individuals end up working in jobs that don't fully utilize their education and skills.

 

Persistent Underemployment: It's concerning that a significant portion of graduates remain underemployed even a decade after graduation. This suggests that the issue of underemployment is not just a temporary hurdle for recent graduates but a long-term challenge that affects their career trajectories and earning potential.

 

Impact on Career Progression and Earnings: Underemployment can have lasting consequences on individuals' career progression and earnings potential. Working in jobs that don't require a degree or make meaningful use of college-level skills can hinder opportunities for advancement and may result in lower wages compared to those in jobs that align with their education and training.

 

Implications for Higher Education: These findings also raise questions about the effectiveness of higher education in preparing graduates for the workforce. It highlights the importance of ensuring that educational programs align with the evolving needs of the labor market and that graduates possess the skills and competencies required for success in their chosen fields.

Addressing underemployment among college graduates requires ongoing collaboration between educational institutions, employers, policymakers, and other stakeholders. This involves aligning curriculum with industry needs, providing career counseling and work-based learning opportunities, and promoting lifelong learning. By working together, we can better prepare graduates for success in the workforce.

Can Success Be Taught?

Success .... Is it luck? Timing? Purely based on abilities and talents we are born with? Can it be learned? Can we teach it to our children? Why are some more successful than others? Can it be taught and learned  Hmmmmm….

Bill Murphy wrote something back in 2016 over at inc.com that I’ve had bookmarked titled Want to Raise Successful Kids? Science Says Praise Them Like This (but Most Parents Do the Opposite) with the tag line Stop praising kids for their innate or God-given abilities, and instead focus on their effort.

In the piece, Bill describes the work of Dr Carol Dweck, a Stanford University Psychology professor that did a couple of studies involving school age children and learning. In both studies Dr Dweck examines the difference between a growth mindset (belief that achievement is variable and intelligence and problem-solving abilities can be developed over time ) and a fixed mindset (belief that intelligence is almost entirely innate and you are born with it) and how that can impact success, arguing growth mindsets can have a much larger impact on success compared to fixed mindsets.

What does this mean? Let’s use a sports analogy. A person with a fixed mindset might say, "Tom Brady was born with super athletic ability" while a person with a growth mindset might say “Tom Brady has worked incredibly hard to get to where he is today.”  

Bill Murphy breaks things down pretty nicely from a parent perspective. I’ll tweak his writing, approaching as an educator with a focus on students.

• Praising students merely for their innate abilities, such as their intelligence, actually makes it less likely that they'll grow up to enjoy learning and to excel.
• Praising students instead for the strategies and processes they develop to solve problems--even when they don't fully succeed--makes them more likely to try harder and ultimately achieve.

Can success be taught? No doubt - yes. Take a look at Dr Dweck’s research and check out some of Bill Murphy’s writing for more.