New Grad Life

10 Ways to Use Social Media to Get a Job

noreply@blogger.com (Chad Bauer) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

How to use social media to land that dream job

Traditionally it was employers who had to make themselves visible when looking to fill vacancies – posting adverts in the press, then choosing a pool of candidates from a veritable tsunami of applicants. But not any more.

There's mounting evidence that personnel specialists are now scouring social media sites and job boards for potential employees.

If you're wondering how to draw attention to yourself in the right way on social-media sites, help is at hand. We've put together a comprehensive action plan for you to follow:

10 expert tips on using social media to get the job you want:

Step 1: Set up multiple accounts

The first rule of successful professional networking is to keep business and pleasure strictly separate. Multiple social networking accounts will help you to present your best face to recruiters.

The first and easiest strategy is to use business oriented networks like LinkedIn, BrightFuse and Naymz for work while reserving MySpace and LiveJournal for mates.

FRIENDFEED: You can update and manage multiple social media accounts via FriendFeed

However, with Facebook and Twitter accounting for the lion's share of media attention and internet traffic, that approach will exclude access to a lot of influential contacts. Setting up two separate accounts for friends and business on these networks will enable you to compartmentalise your image.

To stop all these accounts getting out of control, use tools that are capable of managing more than one account. Both TweetDeck and Twhirl let you post to more than one Twitter account without the need to continuously log in and out.

Seesmic Desktop does the same job, and it handily also allows you to update your Facebook status at the same time.

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Your Student Loans Will Affect Your Credit Score

noreply@blogger.com (Terrance Williams) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:03:00 PST

A financial lesson to for new graduates

This guest post was written by Go Banking Rates, bringing you informative personal finance content and helpful tools, as well as the best interest rates on financial services nationwide. Visit them online to read more student loan articles.

Student loans are a form of debt, which means having one will affect your credit score. Of course, it's pretty hard to get through school without one.

If you're worried about the impact a student loan could have on your credit, know that how you handle it will determine whether that effect is positive or negative.

How a Credit Score is Calculated

Your credit score is an extremely important number. As a soon-to-be or recent college grad, your credit score will play a huge role in your financial future. Basically, it gives lenders and creditors an idea of how financially responsible you are--how heavily you rely on credit and whether you pay bills on time, for example--and helps them judge the level of risk you present as a borrower.

Your credit score will play into how easily you can obtain credit cards, loans and even an apartment, so taking care of it now will save you a lot of grief in the future. Here's a breakdown of how your score is calculated:

Payment History: Your ability to consistently pay bills on time makes up 35 percent of your score.
Amount Owed: Coming in at a close second, the amount of debt you owe is 30 percent.
Credit History: At 15 percent, the length of time you've been using credit is also considered.
New Credit: 10 percent of your credit score is reliant upon how often you open up new lines of credit.
Types of Credit: Also at 10 percent, the varied types of credit you possess (credit card, student loan, auto loan, etc.) will affect your score.

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How New Grads Can Find Jobs Through LinkedIn

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Astley) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Jobs on LinkedIn are easier to find than you think

LinkedIn is a great resource to find jobs online if used effectively. However, many people do not know how to use it - especially new college graduates! Watch this video to find out how to network effectively, create an attention-grabbing profile, search for relevant jobs, and use LinkedIn as a job-hunting resource the way it is meant to be used.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eTDnSnDMgE

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smi23le/4613342990/

The Best Ways to Make Contact with an Employer (Video)

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Aldridge) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

How job seekers can get through to employers

Sure you might have the education, skills, experience, and go-getter attitude, but this all means nothing if you can't actually get in CONTACT with an employer. In fact this is a huge obstacle to many job seekers looking for work - but it shouldn't be! Watch this video and learn some inside tips on how to make contact with employers successfuly.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5QpSRhvCIE

7 Phrases to Leave Off Your Resume

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney Austin) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Resume writing - less is more

This post was written by Rick Saia, a Content Writer and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) at PongoResume.com.

So you're writing your resume and figure the structure is fine, but what about the content? With more and more resumes being sent to fewer positions, employers see the same phrases come up over and over again. In order to write a resume that stands out, job seekers should avoid using the following seven phrases:

1. "Effective Communicator"

This phrase on resumes doesn't distinguish you from other job applicants, but that's exactly what you need to do today to be called in for an interview. Hiring managers assume you can communicate well, so, if you don't know how — either by e-mail or with your voice — you have about as much chance of getting hired as a tree.

2. "Detail-Oriented"

Every job requires a certain level of attention to detail. So, again, this won't help your resume — or your chance at landing an interview. The best thing to do here — if you know the job you're applying for calls for this trait in particular — is to be ready to explain in an interview how your high level of attention to detail resulted in a key accomplishment in your current or previous job.

3. "Highly Skilled"

This is a nothing phrase. You have skills, and you can use some or all of those skills in some kind of job that calls for them. The only way you don't have skills is if you've been doing — here it comes — nothing. Do you believe you have more skills than the average applicant? Show, don't tell.

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5 Subliminal Tricks That Make an Employer Adore You

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Cormac) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Speak in a job interview physically, not just verbally

By Landon Long

Okay, we know everyone adores you anyways, but even you Brad Pitts and Angelina Jolie’s can’t get everything you want on looks alone. Sure, some of that physical attraction counts, but what counts even more is your subliminal body language. Even if people don’t realize it, this is the thing that creates the vibes people love.

Here are 5 ways to get people hooked on you in one sitting.

1. Maintain Good Eye Contact

Eye Contact is huge. Imagine talking to someone who never looked at you, not even once. Rather, they scanned the room with their eyes: the walls, the floor, the ceiling—anything but you. Would you feel like they were listening? Even an unusually long look in the other direction would throw the whole conversation off.

Good eye contact establishes rapport. The listener should be giving more eye contact than the person speaking, as if receiving the information not simply by listening but through sight as well, which is sort of what is going on with all the body language involved.

Be careful, though, being too intense can have the opposite effect. Try to maintain good contact throughout about 70% of the conversation. Gentleman, the ladies are a lot better about making eye contact when listening, so if you’re having issues watch the way they do it. Many have it down to an art.

2. Posture: Not the Time to Practice Your Gangster Lean

A confident, able individual has good posture, and a slouch creates the impression that you are unorganized, unambitious, and undisciplined. Good posture says a lot about someone, so this is something you should work on long before you walk into an interview. Use posture exercises to learn how to master this skill.

Also, a good listener leans towards the speaker, as if trying to get closer. This is a temporary submissive gesture to ease the exchange of ideas. Don’t get so far up in their grill that they can diagnose your halitosis; just lean forward a bit as if making a conscious effort to hear their words.

When its your turn to speak, remain in a more neutral position. Don’t lean back as if you own the place or you might seem unnecessarily arrogant. Sit up straight and save the leaning for when you’re listening.

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10 LinkedIn Mistakes You Shouldn't Make

noreply@blogger.com (New Grad Life) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Reprinted with permission from http://windmillnetworking.com/

LinkedIn is the place to not only find others but also to be found as a job seeker. And that is why you need a LinkedIn Profile that not only helps you get found but also will entice people to contact you once they view your profile. I see many people making fundamental mistakes as job seekers that actually work against them in this aspect. If you’re going to spend time putting together a LinkedIn profile, I assume you want to maximize your chances of being contacted by the right people, right?

With that in mind, I have created an easy-to-understand list of a few things to check for with my reasoning. Just like any website owner, you want your LinkedIn profile to stick out and be found! As a job applicant, you want the same thing, so read on.

Enjoy my LinkedIn Profile Tips!

1. Not Displaying Your Personal Photo

It all really comes down to having social media credibility or not. There are too many fake profiles on LinkedIn, so you want to show that you are real. If you have taken the time to complete your LinkedIn profile, why wouldn’t you display your photo? It just raises too many potential questions. And company logos or photos of pets obviously have no value here

2. LinkedIn Profile Headline is Not Branded Enough

See that space underneath your name? That is your “Professional” or Profile Headline. It will appear in search results next to your name, as well as next to any questions you ask or answer. It is, in essence, your elevator speech in a few words. Are you just putting your title and company name here? Don’t! This is the place where you need to appeal to anyone who finds you in a search result to reach out and look at your profile. Your Profile Headline is the single most important piece of real estate on your LinkedIn Profile, and you need to brand it as such. This really ties into personal branding as a job applicant.

3. LinkedIn Status Update is Not Appealing

This is that “What are you working on?” box that I refer to as a “Status Update.” Assuming someone finds you and looks at your profile, chances are they are going to be looking at what you write here simply because that it appears just underneath your Headline Profile. What do you write here? Many people in transition note that they are looking for a job here. What do you use your LinkedIn Status Update for? It is part of your branding exercise, and it should be something appealing that will both inform the reader of your latest activities as well as hopefully add to, not subtract from, your LinkedIn Brand.

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9 Reasons You Didn't Get The Job

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Montez) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Job seekers - the real reasons you didn't get the job

This post was originally written by Nick Stuart and has been reprinted with permission from Ricochet.com.

People who write job advice columns for a living make their living by writing job advice columns. Consequently paying their rent requires them to grind out a never-ending series of columns with chipper titles like “8 ½ Secrets Of Job Hunting Success," "How To Chose Between Multiple Job Offers," and "Secrets Of Negotiating A Really High Salary." Usually these are only tenuously connected to reality (especially the multiple job offer and salary negotiation ones). Columns on why you didn’t get hired usually include nifty factoids like “because you stuck a pencil in the hiring manager’s eye.”

Not really helpful because they discuss job hunting faux pas that you are highly unlikely to make like “don’t show up for the interview naked”.

It’s high time for the real reasons you didn’t get hired to come out. This will help you make sense of the fact that after months-and-months of job hunting, and numerous interviews for jobs you were perfect for, you’re still looking.

The Hiring Manager Already Made The Decision

Often the hiring manager already knows who he or she wants for the job, and has it wired up. They’re just going through the posting and interview Kabuki theater because their HR department requires due diligence. HR may or may not be in on the scam, but either way nobody has the moral courage or even the common decency to tell you that the whole exercise is a complete waste of your time because the decision was made before the job was even posted.

HAL Didn’t Like Your Resume

HAL 9000 (the fictional computer villain in the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey), is now in charge of screening most resumes and online applications, and he definitely didn’t like yours. So he didn’t pass it through to the next step. HAL uses completely random criteria that nobody knows what they are so there’s no point asking or trying to figure it out, besides the HR people like their secrets (it makes them feel important). And once HAL rejects you for a particular job opening, he makes an indelible note to himself to never pass you along for any other job.

"Open the Interview Room Doors HAL."

"I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that."

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10 Resume Mistakes That Ruin Your Job Search

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Astley) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

The resume mistakes that you have to know

This article was reprinted with permission from 15secondresume.com

Does your resume contain mistakes that are preventing you from being considered for that “ideal” job? There’s a good chance it is, even if you had it prepared by a resume professional. With an average of six job seekers for every job opening in the US, recruiters and hiring managers receive thousands of resumes for every listing. With that in mind you have about five seconds to convince them to read further and they will spend no more than 15 seconds before deciding to interview or not. Most recruiters will tell you that when they scan resumes they are initially looking for easy reasons to eliminate candidates in order to “reduce the pile” of email trash. Here are some common blunders that offered by veteran recruiters.

1. Unprofessional contact information

If you’re using an email address that sounds something like “Billy&JohnnysDad@” you’re giving recruiters and hiring managers a quick reason to say no. A similar blunder is using an email address that appears like some kind of code “pbi439_jht@”. If you’re resume makes it to the interview pile you may never know it because an assistant accidentally miss-typed your email. Give your job search a boost and create a new email address that is simple and professional. Your first and last name is the best way to go and if that’s not available through your preferred provider just add a middle initial or a simple number to the end. While you’re reviewing your contact information take a few minutes to consider the phone number you’re providing. Make sure you’re voicemail sounds clear and professional. Don’t use a phone number that is shared, use a cell phone or have a dedicated line added through you’re provider.

2. Including a “me-focused” objective

Employers don’t care what you want; they care about solving a problem. They want to hire a person who will solve their problem and are not particularly concerned about where they fit into your career goals. While that may be a question during an interview, on the resume you need to focus on how you can help the company. What you should include is a headline or branding statement that speaks directly to what the employer needs. This should be refined and customized for each offering.

3. Highlighting job duties, instead of accomplishments

Resumes should primarily have high-impact statements about your accomplishments that relate directly to the job description. This allows you to sell yourself as the best candidate. Avoid phrases like "responsibilities included" or "duties included" and focus on measurable accomplishments that set you apart from other job candidates.
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10 Rules for a Phenomenal Job Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney Austin) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Job interview guidelines that will lead to success

Prepare for your interview by a review of these 10 rules. They will guide you to be confident, speak with clarity and use the interview to show your talents, fit and value. This is your moment to stand out and get hired.

Rule 1: Think “fit.”

The interview is as much for you to determine if the company is the right fit for you as for the company to decide if you are the right fit for them.

Rule 2: Impressions matter.

Be on time. Be professional and conservative in your appearance. Watch the length of the skirt and the cut of the blouse. Shirts should be pressed, neat and should fit you. Your care about yourself is a statement about the care of your work.

Rule 3. Be positive, upbeat, optimistic and congenial.

Notice details around you to ask about to start a casual conversation; this helps both parties relax. Be human and work first to connect to the interviewer as a person.

Rule 4. Have three great questions ready to ask to show that you want to fully understand how you can make a significant difference in the company.

This also ensures that if you feel an uncomfortable pause, you have a question ready to keep the conversation moving. Here are my suggestions:

1. How do you share information and performance expectations with your employees?
2. What do your employees like most about working here? What do your employees find most challenging about working here?
3. How are employees held accountable for making a difference in their jobs?

Rule 5: Focus on your value.

Interviews are the time for you to give more details about what you are great at and how you add value. Don’t be shy about your ability to make a difference. Be sure you can quantify your impact; give details about how you improved things, invented things, saved the company money, brought a team more together, etc. The more you can focus the interview around your value, the more the hiring company will see that they need you.

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3 Things That Will Get You Hired

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Aldridge) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Job seeker qualities that will get you hired

It is simple – the way to stand out and get hired is to understand what a hiring manager goes through. Today, two or three times as many applications and resumes are received for virtually every open job; hiring managers are buried under reams of paper or thousands of e-mails. So, what would make his job easier? What would get his attention? What would make you stand out?

It won’t be resumes submitted on colored paper or including movie tickets with your application. It will be by ensuring that the hiring manager quickly, easily and accurately knows these three important things about you: how you perform, how you fit and what value you will provide.

Step back for a minute and borrow a little from Stephen Covey, author the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: “start with the end in mind.” What is your real goal of submitting an application or resume? It is to convince the hiring manager that you are the right person for the job because your performance will drive the greatest value for the company. This requires that you know what you are good at (your talents), what jobs need your talents (to see whether you fit) and how your performance can impact company value. Knowing this helps you to apply for the right jobs – jobs that allow you to maximize your performance and value. When you clearly present this information, you make the hiring manager’s review process easier, more effective and more conclusive. You get his attention. You stand out. This is how to get hired.

1. Performance.

Critical to understanding and maximizing your perform is knowing what you are good at and what you love to do. These are reflected in your talents – your natural abilities, interests, strengths and aptitudes. Most people spend very little time assessing and understanding their talents and strengths. Without this meaningful information, we unknowingly apply for and work in jobs that do not use what we are good at; we become disinterested, disconnected and bored. When performance suffers, value suffers.

Most of today’s average and poor performance is due to employees hired into the wrong jobs. They are neither good at it or love doing it – both required to excel and to make provide the greatest value.

To determine what you are good at, take a talent assessment. A talent assessment tool provides survey questions to help identify your thinking style and your natural strengths. Additionally, a talent assessment helps you learn the language of talents – terminology that will be important to include on your resume or application, and to discuss in your interview.

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7 Secrets to Making Employers Find You

noreply@blogger.com (Chad Bauer) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Job hunting and being seen

Reprinted with permission from theundercoverrecruiter.com.

The best recruiters out there pride themselves on being able to find you, not the other way around. So what if they haven’t called yet? Instead of calling them and coming across as desperate, do your best to get on their radar by following these 7 tips. These methods will obviously work for being noticed by employers as well.

1. Get Active on LinkedIn

OK, no surprise here but LinkedIn is where recruiters hang out all day and they always keep an eye on the front page feed. So set yourself up on LinkedIn, pimp your profile, get active in groups and discussions so you get noticed. Get recommendations from heavy hitters in your industry and you will get straight on the recruiter radar. Ensure that your profile communicates that you are open for suggestions.

2. Get Active on Twitter

Recruiters love Twitter as they can spray out their new roles to the market. Finding job opportunities on Twitter is very swift and takes very little effort. Follow the recruiters you know have the positions you want, by searching for your skill + recruiter + your location. Start adding value to them by doing some retweeting of their tweets, help them out with potential referrals etc. Before you know it, they will check out your online bio and see if you are keen on a new position as well. This requires you to have an employee friendly Twitter profile, clearly stating what you do and a link to your online bio somewhere.

3. Write and get read

Everyone likes to write but very few get round to it and publish anything. With the advances of technology, it’s never been easier to reach out so embrace this to the fullest. You can write an article in your favorite industry periodical, a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, a post on your company blog or your own blog. The key here is to write something that will get read by the right people (in this case recruiters). Ensure that you are credited with your name, title and company at the end of your piece to make it easy for the recruiter to look you up.

4. Speak and get heard

Next time you go to an industry event, try to secure a speaking slot either as giving a speech or just participating in an open forum, whatever it takes to get listed in the event’s directory. Recruiters are known to sneak in to these functions and to make contact with prolific people in the industry; public speaking is a brilliant way of being included on the hit list.

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10 Kisses Of Death for a Resume

noreply@blogger.com (New Grad Life) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Resume writing mistakes that ruin your chances

Listen. Is that your phone not ringing? And after sending out 100 resumes, each of them four pages long, powder puffed, enveloped in coral green and sealed with a wax stamp? Maybe it’s time to take stock of that all-important document, and make sure it’s not stumbling around out there with its figurative foot in its mouth. Here’s 10 kisses of death, classic mistakes made in writing a job resume that have been known to keep phones from ringing.

1) Missing Contact Information

You’d be surprised how many people leave off their phone number on a job resume, or ignore the opportunity to include an email address in the heading. And on that latter point, make sure your email address is stable, long term, and professional sounding. Skip the one you use with your friends, PartyGirl@loadsofun.com, and opt instead for something that won’t raise eyebrows.

2) Too Long

If your job resume is over two pages, you’d better be a world-class CEO with instant name recognition. Then again, if you meet that description, you can get by with a single page, can’t you? Regardless of your real or imagined worth to a company, limit your job resume to two pages max, one page ideally. With regards to all the valuable ‘stuff’ you’re leaving off the job resume, be happy you’ll have something to talk about during the interview.

3) Over The Top Design

Ignore your impulse to write a white-text job resume on black paper, or include a scratch-and-sniff perfume spot on the page. Limit your font selection to one or two. Use the traditional and popular New Times Roman if you prefer lettering with a serif, or consider Arial, Helvetica or Verdana if you want a clean, more modern san serif font. Go easy on the bold and the underlining. And limit your paper selection to white or beige with a weight of 22 or 24 lb. Black type.

4) Misspellings; Poor Grammar

Nothing signals inattention to detail like a misspelled word on a resume. The job resume, the one document on which you intend to present yourself to your ideal company, and you’ve misspelled achievemints. Well, you won’t be adding to your list of achievemints with that company.

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How College Grads Can Thrive in Phone Interviews

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly Aldridge) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

How job seekers can overcome phone interviews easily

Phone interviews are becoming a common way for employers to screen potential employees during the hiring process. Unlike traditional, in-person job interviews, phone interviews are usually fairly short, require less preparation, and can even be outsourced by the employer if necessary. These features make phone interviewing an effective way to narrow down the list of candidates before scheduling in-person interviews. Unfortunately, many people are not comfortable conducting a conversation of that importance over the phone. If the prospect of a phone interview makes you nervous, these tips can help turn an awkward interview into a confidence-inspiring success.

Preparation is the Name of the Game

When preparing for a phone interview, don’t forget that not all recruiters and employers schedule them ahead of time. At any moment, a recruiter could stumble across your resume or an employer could decide to call you in regards to a recent application. Your chances for success in your job search will be greatly improved if you try to always expect the unexpected (especially during a job interview).

Keep Your Resume Near the Phone

Knowing that you could get a call from a recruiter or an employer at any moment, you should always keep a recent copy of your resume near the phone. That way, whether or not your phone interview is anticipated, you will have all the information you need right at your fingertips. Of course for a job interview, your resume is not the only resource you should keep handy.

Create a log for keeping track of the resumes you send out, recording each company, position title, contact name, date the position was applied for, and qualifications for the job. If you have a chance to research the company, make a file with that information, and keep it near the phone as well. Finally, you should always have access to a notepad and pen during a phone interview, so that you can write down the interviewer’s name, key questions he or she asked, and your responses.

Practice (and a Cheat Sheet) Makes Perfect

Just like with a traditional job interview, you should try to anticipate questions the interviewer might ask. If you have come up with examples and practiced your answers ahead of time, you will sound much more intelligent and confident in the interview. Moreover, since the interviewer cannot see you, there is nothing to stop you from referring to a “cheat sheet” – notes to help you remember your practiced answers, so that you never sound like you have been taken off guard.

When you practice your answers and put together your cheat sheet, you should think about job interview questions that are traditionally asked, such as:

• Tell me about yourself.
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Where do you see yourself in 1/5/10 years?
• What is your leadership style? Please give an example of a real situation.

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5 Ways to Stay Motivated in Your Job Search

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Montez) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Tips for job seekers to stay on track

Sit in front of laptop. Lie on couch. Eat pickles for lunch. Back to laptop.

Feel sorry for self. Feel sick of self. Tear hair out in frustration. And … back to couch.

If this is your 9-to-5 routine, you’re probably like 14 million other Americans: unemployed. And in addition to the frustration of looking for work, you might find yourself feeling a little lonely.

Sure, you chat with friends online all day. And you may have a family or significant other who comes home in the evening. But good old fashioned, face-to-face contact with another human being before dinner? Kind of rare these days.

In running my unemployment blog, I’ve received plenty of emails from readers. And although many of them were lighthearted in nature, a number of them were quite the opposite. One of the saddest read: “You’re the first person I’ve spoken to in days.”

Unemployment can make a recluse out of even the most social of butterflies. After all, you want to spend as much time as possible looking for work. And where do you look for work? Online. And where do you go online? At home.

But spending too much time alone can be detrimental, not just to your emotional well-being, but to your job search too! Staying connected with the rest of the world is not a luxury. It’s a necessity!

Work from a coffee shop.
Find a coffee shop with WiFi in your neighborhood (even better if it’s free WiFi!). Grab your laptop and go. You may not be striking up conversations with fellow coffee shop patrons, but it’s nice to be in the presence of other human beings. It’s also nice to have a change of scenery; one that doesn’t include Oprah on mute and swag from your previous employer.

Team up with other jobseekers.
Chances are, you know others who are unemployed. Instead of each working alone in your respective homes, why not team up? Agree to meet at someone’s house, and look for jobs together. After all, misery loves company. Not only will you have others to talk to who are in the same situation, you might just find that your jobless friends make good leads. You never know who might know of a job that isn’t quite right for them, but fits you perfectly.

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22 Tips for Landing a Job On LinkedIn

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Montez) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Simple ways job seekers can use LinkedIn more effectively

As a college grad seeking to start your career, you may be unaware of LinkedIn. To find jobs that are more targeted, entry level, and of your interest, you will need to use this social media tool. Job hunting is simplified with LinkedIn because you can build your contacts and references base. Getting a job using social media may seem quite simple but you'll need some tips to get started.

LinkedIn is in a resurgence. Since adding applications and mimicking some other Facebook-style functionality, the Grandaddy of social networks is becoming more relevant. Its important to recognize that Linkedin has different demographics than Facebook, Myspace and other social networks. Linkedin is older (68% are 35+), wealthier (66% make $60/year+), and better educated (72% are college grads!). To many it may just seem like another online-job hunting tool at a job seeker's disposal, but it's so much more. Read on!

The Good News

For many people that enjoy social network connectivity but are not ready to live and breathe it, Linkedin is an ideal option because it’s safe and it’s strictly business. There are very few interactivity options on Linkedin, and you are never faced with the “wow, I wish my client didn’t see that picture” dilemma that’s all too common on Facebook (job seekers know what this is like). LinkedIn works because it purposefully does less than Facebook and MySpace. Connections are controlled. Easy to use. Very little layout control. Minimal advertising. Few applications. No multi-media. And organized like an address book, a familiar paradigm.

The Bad News

The trouble is that the address book approach makes it easy to treat Linkedin as nothing more than Outlook contacts with personal profile data. The reality is that Linkedin offers an amazing opportunity to grow your network, your business, and your career – whatever it may be. But, because it’s much less flashy and in your face than other social networks, you have to dig a little to find the good stuff - especially when it comes to jobs.

22 Ways to Dominate

Here are my 22 tips for dominating Linkedin. Slides are available below via SlideShare.
For the text version of these steps, go to page 2.

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Top 5 Reasons Why Your Resume Sucks

noreply@blogger.com (New Grad Life) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

Is your resume all it can be?

You have sent out hundreds and hundreds of résumés with barely a response. You reason that it’s the economy and some other factors that you are simply not aware of. How can this be? No response whatsoever? You have accomplished a lot; you were well liked in your last role and did a number of things for the company that even resulted in a promotion. So what’s going on? I will tell you. It has nothing to do with you. It’s your RÉSUMÉ that sucks! What’s wrong with your résumé? It may be these top five things:

1. Your Résumé Is Not Results Oriented
For reasons completely unknown to me, people like to reference the things they are responsible for rather than the results they obtained! Again, this document is an important marketing and sales tool. The examples of what you have done with the corresponding outcome are paramount to ensure that your résumé is considered! If you don’t reference how you drove productivity, revenue, profitability, or added value – some type of value, you will not be successful!

Make sure you provide the reader with the juicy details of how you added value for your employer. Here are a few examples to help you get started:
- Drafted a full business plan, including the financial forecast to open a new profit center for the company, resulting in a 40% revenue increase in year one.
- Conceptualized and implemented a team training concept, which reduced production downtime by 35% and increased employee productivity by 50%.

2. You Don’t Have Core Competencies Called Out
This is a quick snap-shot of what you are offering your next employer. This section is critical; it shows the reader at a quick glance what you bring to the table and what you have accomplished in the past. It will help the reader quickly understand the competencies you possess as they connect with the position for which you are applying.

It can be a bulleted list of key words that when scanned by a person or a system will be easily identified as your key attributes. Don’t be afraid to revise your existing, or add new competencies to meet the position description. I would not suggest adding them verbatim; get a little creative in how you write them.

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Job Interview Questions: "Can You Work Under Pressure?"

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Cormac) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:05:00 PST

A job interview question that can really test you

One job interview question that many job seekers have trouble with is "Can you work under pressure?" Sure, it may seem like a pretty straight-forward interview question but the reality is your answer has to be very compelling, with some good evidence of how and why you can perfrom well under pressure. Watch this great video so you can ace your next big job interview! Good luck job seekers!

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Top 10 Job Hunting Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Brenda Mitchell) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:05:00 PST

More job hunt techniques that can lead to success

By Julie Kramer for melissacooley.com

1. Create a website and/or online portfolio for yourself.

More things will come up on you when your name is Googled by potential employers, plus it will be a good place to direct people on Twitter or LinkedIn to learn more information about you. (Of course, Google yourself every now and then to make sure that nothing you would not want them to see is out there.)

And it is OK if you do not know how to design a website. There are tons of easy-to-use websites out there that do the hard work for you. For example:

wordpress.com
extendr.com
shownd.com
carbonmade.com
vfolio.com
wix.com

You just have to enter in your information!

2. Put yourself out there.

The more places you have online presence, the more likely the right people might find you. Create profiles and post your resume on the main job sites, like Monster, HotJobs, CareerBuilder. But be careful of the scams!

Also, get involved with other job and networking sites like VisualCV or others that relate to your industry or geographic region. One great site I found is BigShoesNetwork, which posts tons of great marketing and graphic design-related jobs in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

Your area’s newspaper, broadcast news, and industry organization websites usually offer local job postings, too! With marketing being a focus in my case, I look to my local chapter of the Business Marketing Association to see the positions they have listed.

3. Make a brand for yourself.

One way to do this would be to design a personal logo. If you are not very artistically inclined, a simple logo idea would be to download a neat font from a free font site like www.dafont.com and use the new font to type your name or initials. Play around with colors, too!

Also, take a professional photo of yourself to post online, and carry the two throughout your online profiles, your Twitter account, LinkedIn, and even your business cards. Yes, business cards! Design your own business card with your new logo on it. Again, if you need help, try one of the many free business card template sites out there, such as www.businesscardland.com.

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7 Words That Make Your Resume Irresistible

noreply@blogger.com (Terrance Williams) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:05:00 PST

A great resume's ingredients

Make no mistake about it, writing an effective resume has to be a highly individualized matter, since no two people are alike. Nevertheless, it is such a constricted and standardized format, that we resume writers find ourselves adopting certain phrases or words that each of us tends to prefer and that in fact help our clients get jobs. Every resume writer has his or her own list. Here is mine:

1. "$3,000,000" (vs. "$3M") - To a skimmer's eye, "$3M" looks like three dollars. If you are dealing with big numbers and write out all the zeros, the employer's eye will find it anywhere on the page, no matter how fast they are skimming through your resume.

2. "Created a database for..." (vs. "Developed a database for...") - "Developed" is an overused and nondescriptive word. Often databases, procedures, lists, or whatever other job activity you are writing about is something you actually put together (even if you used a standard software program to do it, for example). "Created" is closer to the truth and is certainly much more impressive on your resume.

3. "Applied xyz methods..." (vs. "Learned xyz methods....") - Many job seekers list important skills or knowledge that they learned on a job on their resume. But that isn't going to impress a potential employer. The potential employer wants to know if you actually used those skills. How and where you learned them is immaterial.

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Job Interview ANTICS: What HR Is Really Asking

noreply@blogger.com (Brenda Mitchell) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 00:05:00 PST

Job interview secrets you don't know

OK, you’ve made it past the initial resume screening and now have a job interview. It could be in person or on the phone. (More and more interviews are on the phone now, and I’ve heard of Skype interviews also – better dress up for that one!)

The point of an interview is to explore two main things:

1. Do you really know what you’re doing, or “is that stuff on the resume real?”

There’s a lot of BS in some resumes and interviewers will ask pointed questions to determine if you actually have the skills and experience you claim to have.

Questions about this could be:

• Tell me about this accomplishment. How did you do it?
• Why did you decide to go into this field?
• How did you make the transition from this job to the next?
• What is your greatest strength?
• How do you manage people?
• Tell me about a project you managed/a plan you developed and implemented/a team you worked on/a goal you achieved.

Be prepared with stories about what you’ve done in the past, to illustrate a key message you want to deliver about the reasons you are successful, the skills you have and want to use again, the way you work with others, and the value you will bring to your next employer.

2. Will you be the “right fit” for our culture and can you really help us reach our company goals?

Interviewers want to know how you think, how you approach and solve problems, and your attitudes toward colleagues and customers – internal and external.

Job interview questions about this will focus on your behavior and attitudes, and attempt to discover your values and work ethic. Sample questions could be:

• Here’s a scenario or problem we face at this organization…how you would go about dealing with it.
• Tell me about your greatest challenge at work and how you addressed it successfully.
• How would you deal with someone on your team who isn’t pulling their weight?
• What failures have you had and how did you deal with them?
• Tell me what you would do in your first 90 days here and why.
• What do you like to do in your off-time and why?

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7 Reasons Why a Potential Employer Won't Read your Resume, and What to Do About it

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Montez) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:05:00 PST

Resume ignored? Find out why

When you write your resume (with or without advice and professional help), who is your target audience? Who are you trying to satisfy?

First of all, you’re not writing your resume to satisfy yourself. For that matter, you’re not writing it to satisfy any “expert” – the author of the resume book you just read, or the recruiter you’re working with, or your career guidance counselor, or your cousin Fred who is a human resources manager, or even a professional resume writer.

You are writing your resume for a particular kind of reader: a potential employer. And if you’re like most of us, you make some very, very optimistic assumptions about that reader. You are certain that your reader is eager to find the best person for the job. Your reader, you are sure, is going to read the important things in your resume, and his or her eye will be drawn to all of those clever formatting tricks you’ve used (columns, underlining, different fonts, boldfacing, italics, strong verbs, skills, numbers, results, etc.).

But you’d better take off the rose-colored glasses. Your resume has a better than 98% chance of ending up in the garbage can (real or virtual).

Here are 7 characteristics of the psychology of the typical resume reader:

1. Resume readers are some of the smartest and most skeptical readers in the world. They know that at least half of what they read consists of lies, exaggerations, half-truths, and semantic and formatting “tricks.” They don’t accept anything at face value. Remember, the typical resume reader sees literally thousands; they know every trick in the book by now.

2. Most readers are in a bad mood, not a happy mood of eager expectancy. They’ve got 300 resumes to read, and nobody is giving them an extra penny to carefully peruse each one. They are rushed for time, annoyed at having to read yet another resume, and hostile rather than sympathetic. Reading yet another resume is a burden that is keeping them from their attention to what they consider much, much more important matters.

3. Therefore, the typical resume reader is looking for a quick and convincing reason to throw out yours. Some will even discard it if they don’t like the envelope or the way the email looks. Some will read only the resume and not the cover letter, or vice-versa. And they are unwilling to open up a zip file. You know how annoying it is to get an email that requires you to open up several files? For the resume reader, it is triply annoying.

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Common Job Networking Myths - don't believe them!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Cormac) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:05:00 PST

Fact or fiction? Job seekers must decide

Myth #1: Networking means you're looking to use people to achieve selfish goals, or opportunistically ask people for help.

REALITY: The definition of the word network according to The Oxford Dictionary:

nétwerk n. & v. a group of people who exchange information, contacts, and experience for professional or social purposes.

Therefore, networking can be defined as one’s efforts to create this group, and of course it can be done honestly and considerately.

You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go.

• Jeanette Rankin

Myth #2: You have to be a born networker or a natural at it.

REALITY: The skills needed to be an effective networker can be learned by anyone. Start by getting comfortable asking folks you meet, “So, what are you working on these days?” or, “What do you need help with right now?” Then, read the new book titled, “I’m at a Networking Event—Now What???” for more ways to further develop your networking muscle. (Yes, I'm the author.)

....relationships take time, getting to know folks requires patience, and people are generally cautious – if not fearful – of Johnny come lately that is asking, rather than giving.

• Jeremiah Owyang, Sr. Analyst at Forrester

Myth #3: You must have above average charisma to be a good networker.

REALITY: You merely need to be thoughtful, sincere and genuinely helpful. You get offered a job or opportunities from people who are trusting of you. There IS a hidden job market out there, but you have to be willing to be open and giving to be part of it.

To be successful, you have to be able to relate to people; they have to be satisfied with your personality to be able to do business with you and to build a relationship with mutual trust.

• George Ross

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Job Interview Questions: "Tell Me About Yourself"

noreply@blogger.com (Terrance Williams) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:05:00 PST

Casual interview question or tricky scenario?

Job interview questions can often be difficult, but most people seem to struggle with the ice-breaker: "Tell Me About Yourself." It is an open-ended, difficult job interview question, and one that every job seeker could use a few tips on how to approach. Essentially, it's just one hurdle in your job hunt you will need to overcome - so to learn how to respond to such an interview question with a clear, confident, and impressive answer, watch this video!

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Ten things your resume shouldn't have

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney Austin) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:05:00 PST

Resume tricks that will backfire on you

As a Certified Professional Résumé Writer, over the years I have come across many tacky résumé tricks that candidates use in a misguided effort to stand out. Most recruiters are on to these gimmicks. When you use these tricks, you may appear desperate, or worse yet, dishonest. Avoid them because they do not work and are bound to fail.

1- The Extensive Vocabulary Gimmick

Using big words and lengthy sentences will not help you sound important, especially if they are used incorrectly. Don't hide behind your vocabulary. Your résumé should be an easy read. When your résumé is not concise and direct, the reader gets uncomfortable. Use common words and clear sentences to put the focus on your background and abilities. Make sure to include effective keywords and phrases that you know the reader will be looking for, but stay away from industry-specific buzzwords that may get lost on your recruiter

2- The Case of the Missing Employment Dates

Eliminating your dates of employment to disguise career gaps will not work. Recruiters know that missing dates can only mean one of two things, either you are trying to hide a poor career history or you are just plain careless. Always include employment dates to pass the detailed résumé review. To extend the longevity of your résumé and minimize gaps, consider listing the year only, instead of month and year.

3- Hiding Behind a Functional Résumé

The functional, or ‘skills based’ résumé is designed so that your skills and relevant accomplishments are separated from your employment list and placed upfront. Many job seekers trying to minimize career issues such as gaps in employment use the functional format. If you use this technique, you can be sure a perceptive recruiter will go directly to your career history to try to find what you are hiding. In addition, these résumés tend to be disliked by many recruiters because it is difficult to connect where you did what you did. Avoid the functional format if you can. Whenever possible, use a reverse chronological format to keep your responsibilities and accomplishments under their respective job titles. If you must, use a combination of functional and reverse chronological that will strategically minimize your obstacles and meet your prospective employer’s needs.

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