Every year as summer approaches, most job seekers and career changers make the mistake of halting all their efforts. They believe there is no point in pursuing new opportunities during the summer, and that nobody is making hiring decisions until the fall.

Ford R. Myers, career coach, speaker and author of “Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring,” (John Wiley & Sons, http://www.getthejobbook.com) says, “Summer is no time for job seekers to be trading in their business suits for swimsuits or their briefcases for beach bags. Summer is the perfect time for career advancement.”

Myers offers the following 10 tips to help job seekers stave off the summer “brain drain” and focus on career success:

1. Create and Control Your Internet Image.

Whether it’s LinkedIn, YouTube or Facebook, every professional should have an online presence. Many employers research job candidates on the Internet before making hiring decisions. Therefore, it is vitally important that you take control of your online identity and carefully monitor the “personal brand” you’re building on the Internet.

2.  Invest in Career Coaching.

It might seem that career coaching would be a luxury in this difficult economic climate. Actually, this could  be the best time to get some career coaching. A qualified career coach can help you get totally clear on your objective, differentiate yourself from the competition, market yourself effectively, get the offer, and negotiate the best compensation.

3. Tune Into the Network.

Summer is one of the best times of the year to make new connections and find new opportunities. Contrary to popular belief, there are many summer networking events, planning meetings and social activities going on.

4.  Perform an Internal Career Audit.

Summer is a perfect time to take an honest look at your career – where you’ve been, where you are today, and where you’d like to go. Identify new goals based on your own definition of career success and then take action.

5.    Update Your Career “Tool Kit.”

Most job seekers use only their résumé as the cornerstone of their search because their other “tools” are weak or nonexistent. But there are many other documents you should have in your “career tool kit” – accomplishment stories, positioning statement, one-page biography, target company list, contact list, professional references, letters of recommendation, and more.  These items are important not just to land the next job – but also to maximize your long-term career success.

6.    Solidify Relationships.

During the summer, most people are naturally more relaxed, convivial and generous in spirit. There is simply no better time to solidify existing relationships and forge new ones.

7.    Volunteer.

There are myriad volunteer opportunities available during the summer. This is a good way to help people, to feel good about making a difference, to have a renewed sense of purpose during your search, and to meet other professionals who may be able to help you.

8.    Call People.

Make new connections through your network and follow up with people you’ve already met. In many cases, people who are at work during the heat of the summer will not only be available for conversation, but will be grateful just to speak to someone.

9.    It is Better to Give Than to Receive.

The fastest and most effective strategy for getting help is to offer help to others. Ask the people in your network who they might like an introduction to or if there is any way that you can be of assistance to them professionally.

10. Become and Opportunity Magnet.

Always think and speak positively and never say anything negative. This will help you to become an opportunity magnet – poised to attract, interview and “hire” your next employer.

“If you are currently in career transition, these strategies should give you a fresh perspective on a summer job search. Instead of ‘taking a vacation’ from your career development activities, take full advantage of this overlooked opportunity to make real progress in your career quest,” adds Myers.

For more information and other useful tips for achieving career success, visit http://www.getthejobbook.com .

Reprinted by permission of Ford R. Myers, a nationally-known Career Coach and author of “Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring.” Download your free bonuses now at http://www.careerbookbonuses.com.

As an employee, one of the most important parts of your job may surprise you. You’re a star performer, hitting your targets and generally being the best at what you do. Beyond that, what’s the most valuable task you can do to add value to your company? The answer lies in helping attract other talented people.

How you can empower your company through quality referrals

We know the hiring manager is the one with the requirement, writes the job description and ultimately is responsible for deciding who gets hired. However, think of yourself — the employee — as a brand ambassador. You’re the one with the experience. You’re the one who translates the message of your organization to the public on a daily basis. You’re even the one who can truly say what it’s like to work in a certain position, particularly if it’s the same position that needs to be filled.

According to Thomas Boyle, director of product marketing at SilkRoad,

“It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that employee referrals are the number one source; those candidates come with built-in recommendations and in many cases have already been sold on your culture and know more about your company than the average external candidate. And those candidates typically hold the highest retention rates as well.”

In addition, employees are the ones who can truly speak of the organization based on firsthand experience. Using your network, you can harness the best and the brightest to add to the team. After all, if you’re a great performer, chances are someone you know is as well. But, how can you do your own version of recruiting, without it feeling like a full-time job?

Here a few tips according to Kes Thygesen, the co-founder and Head of Product at RolePoint, a tool that allows recruitment managers to socially power their hiring to increase the number and quality of employee referrals:

Suggest a referral program

A referral program is just what it sounds like: a program designed to encourage employees to refer friends, co-workers, and members of their network to a job in exchange for some sort of reward. Suggest this to the hiring manager for this reason: it gives everyone more motivation to do more referring, besides maintaining company culture and helping the organization move forward.

In addition, the referral program gives you all the tools necessary to bring forth the right applicants, such as a completed hiring site, proper job description, links to company materials, etc. This helps you to relay the company message on top of just saying, “this is a great workplace.” Additionally, referral programs typically have rewards that range from a mention in the company newsletter, to a bonus, to a half-day on Friday.

A referral program obviously isn’t a requirement, but it does allow you to feel like you’re being honored for your efforts and gives you a reason to continue providing quality leads.

Start a conversation

The words of employees can do wonders for an organization. Creating and distributing interesting content about the company helps start a conversation and communicated the company culture. For instance, you can blog about your experiences with the organization and relay what a candidate needs to do in order to be successful. When there’s information like this, it can be linked to your referrals so they know exactly what they need to do to land a spot in your organization. Plus, you can speak to these referrals in a more casual fashion, as opposed to a standard job description. It’s makes the whole process a lot easier for both parties.

Take advantage of your social networks

Social networking is a key component in the recruiting space and you need to foster this within your internal network. Further, there are social recruiting tools out there that allow you to see who’s the best fit for the particular position based on the people in your network.

This works well in two ways. First, it makes it easy for employees to actually do the searching because the work is essentially done for you. Second, once you find a match, you can vouch for the potential candidate since you already know them. There’s no background research necessary, which makes your job easier and allows you to confidently give those quality candidates to your employer.

Take on a bad employee and a work environment could stumble or even fall apart. However, by hiring a remarkable employee by way of a referral, an organization can flourish since these workers are pre-approved, have already demonstrated they are outstanding, and will probably work well with the established team. In the end, referrals work out in everyone’s favor.

If you want to become a Notary, the National Notary Association has the guidance and expertise you need.

The most popular industries for notary public today resides in Law, Government, and Real Estate contracts, however, there are many more available.

Different Industries

• Law
  Attorneys practicing all fields of law, especially property & criminal law will often need to use a notary service. Notaries will often have to sign affidavits and agreements signed by a defendant (or victim).

• Government
  Local, State, and Federal governments are one of the most popular sectors for notaries. Government contracts between other agencies, contractors, and businesses are being signed daily, and most of them need to be notarized. Often times, government officials like tax collectors have to sign a contract that they will legally do their job, as they are largely unsupervised and unregulated. As a notary yourself, you might be asked to sign such an agreement.

• Real Estate
  Most real estate signings and closings are signed contracts between two parties, and a notary helps verify the legality of the contract. Furthermore, any time a client needs a home repaired, a contract is signed between the client and the repair agency, with the use of a notary.

• Health
  Hospitals often require their patients to get signed agreements notarized. This verifies a legal witness to the contract, often being that the patient promises to pay the hospital the full cost of a procedure or medication. Notaries may also be needed for documents such as advanced directives, DNR’s, etc.

• Home Repair
  Electricians, plumbers, roofers, and other general contracts most often hired for a home or business repair job get a surety bond between the two parties notarized. As contractors are often unknown, and their job cannot be accurately measured without time, a notarized surety bond protects both parties from misleading promises.

• Insurance
  Insurance companies, for their own protection, will almost always require a customer to get a form notarized. Whether it’s a statement declaring truthful personal information, or a new policy, an insurance company wants to have a witness to important signings.

• Justice System
  While closely related to law, the Justice System is the branch that specifically carries out sentences, such as probation, drug court, community service, or jail time. As a condition of the sentence, they will most often have to sign a sworn statement, which will then have to be notarized. The courts recognize a notary seal on a paper as a legal and authentic agreement.

Notaries have many different industries to supply their services towards. By taking advantage of all of the different possible clients, you could make a great and useful career out of being a mobile notary. It’s vital to spread your name around different businesses and contractors, as they will often provide you with long-term regular clients, which are a key to a successful notary career.

Are you ready for your close up? If not, you should be, because your next job interview may take place through the medium of video conferencing.

Why are employers choosing this interview method?

Difficult economic conditions have forced businesses to look closely at their budgets and conducting interviews by video allows employers to cut the time and costs involved in the hiring process. It also means companies can meet a much larger number of candidates in a shorter space of time than traditional face to face interviews would allow.
Video conferencing gives employers the chance to be consistent, by asking the same set of questions to each candidate. It also allows the interview to be replayed and reviewed, so interviewees can be compared without the need to rely on notes, or the memory of the interviewer.

How does it work?

If you are looking to work abroad then your interview may be carried out by using video conferencing software. It may take place at an office or other off-site company location or perhaps even at your own home. If they don’t already have the necessary setup, the company may send you a webcam and the appropriate software. An interview appointment will then be scheduled and you will receive instructions on how to use the software. The process may be one-way, with a pre-determined list of questions and software taking the place of the interviewer, or two-way, where you  and interviewer will speak using the software in real time.

Essential Video Interview Tips

•  Prepare yourself ahead of time

Since you are not meeting your employer face to face, you should think about sending the interviewer your CV and any other applicable document prior to the day of the interview. Two days before is the best time to send all the relevant papers.

• Practice

If you are not used to being in front of a camera then a good way of becoming comfortable with it is to practice the interview in the form of a role-play with a friend who is also in front of a camera. This way, you will hopefully gain more confidence which can be used to your advantage when you’ve got the real video interview.

• Background and light

If you have the video interview at your own home then make sure you test the software and also check your background and lightning. If the sun is shining, the light often blocks out the screen so make sure that that doesn’t happen by checking everything first.

• Look in the camera

You may be tempted to look at yourself when you have the video interview but it is extremely important that you look throughout the interview at the webcam and not the screen. This will ensure you are keeping good eye contact with your interviewer and also gives the impression that you are very confident.

Can a Video Interview Increase my chances of getting the Job?

The good news is that if you approach it correctly, a video interview can help you be successful in your job search. If you give a good interview using video conferencing software, you’ll show that you’re comfortable with technology. You’ll also have the chance to practice with the software until you’re at ease. If you have picture-in-picture during the interview, you’ll be able to see how you’re coming across to your interviewers and adjust if necessary, something you don’t get the chance to do in a traditional interview format.

If you prepare thoroughly for your video interview and take care to give the best impression possible of yourself, you may be able to secure the job without ever having set foot in the office!

Other Resources and references:

Some other good tips are at this Yale university document on Video Conferencing Interviews.

You must first understand that on Pinterest people are attracted to the visual appeal of what’s presented on the boards. Those in creative careers can benefit the most by attracting people to hire you through your Pinterest portfolio. Some such careers are graphic designers, architects, bakers, culinary experts, designers, photography, arts and the likes. But there is no limit for the creative!

Pinterest might come in really handy as a job search tool for those who have acquired degrees through online programs, where you did not get the opportunity to get placements through on campus career centers. Some applicants are using Pinterest to their advantage after graduation with a degree in Arts from the South University online programs.

1. Go Creative with your Portfolio on Pinterest

Create a board on your Pinterest account as a portfolio. The visual nature of the site is very effective at grabbing the readers attention and showcasing your talents. You can post a photo directly to Pinterest or link to your website or blog for more information. If you do not have a photo of your work, search the Internet for a royalty-free image to use. You can include previous work, degrees, previous jobs, special classes, hobbies and awards as necessary. The idea here is to be creative; you cannot expect people coming to Pinterest to read pages of text. You can also add a video on this board. Use different pins to show your work around. An investment in a good camera would help you tremendously.

Pinterest can be of huge help to someone working from home and looking for a contract job. I know of an acquaintance who has recently set up her Pinterest boards with the pictures of hundreds of creative cakes she has made over the last few years. She made sure that she added her portfolio board which directs users to her website and they can contact her for orders. With thousands of women on Pinterest I can only imagine her business going north with this new social media channel!

Just remember: If you use Pinterest professionally, keep all of your pins and boards professional in case a prospective employer looks at your profile.

2. Look up Company Boards

Many businesses use Pinterest to market their products and services. Look up a company’s boards to see what they post before you submit your application. Read comments and descriptions to get an idea about the tone of the company. Are they formal or casual? What do their pins tell you about the company’s priorities and culture? Keep these in mind when creating your resume and application. You can also get a good understanding of the company culture before you apply.

3. Find Career Resources

Search for and follow career experts. They often post advice from resumes to the interview to help you with your career search. These career experts also can offer the much needed motivation during the job search.

Pinterest may not be the obvious social network choice for all types of career option, but it has potential in your search. Use it to learn about a company before applying, find valuable advice from colleges or career experts or just keep yourself inspired. Some graduates from an Atlanta, GA college have used Pinterest for their job search and helped them find the creative career of their choice.

Have you used / or are using Pinterest for #jobsearch? What’s your experience so far? 

Here are our top five fastest-growing careers that will get you up and about:

Physician Assistant

Physician assistants work with doctors to care for and treat patients. You’ll spend lots of time on your feet, making rounds, evaluating patients, and moving about operating rooms. With the rising demands for healthcare workers, this job is expected to grow a whopping 39% by 2018.

Main Education Level: Master’s degree

Average salary: $86,000

Job Growth: 39% by 2018

Athletic Trainer

The basic job of an athletic trainer is to help prevent and treat injuries in all kinds of people—from professional athletes to soldiers. You’ve got to stay on your toes as you work with patients in rehab centers or run onto the sports field when a player goes down. Because of increasing awareness of sports-related injuries, this job is projected to expand 37% by 2018.

Main Education Level: Bachelor’s degree

Average salary: $42,000

Job Growth: 37% by 2018

Dental Hygienist

Keep your clients’ teeth bright and clean as a dental hygienist. True, you do generally sit to examine a patient’s mouth. But you are also kept on the move walking between exam rooms and setting up X-ray machines. As more people seek out dental care, this occupation is calculated to grow 36% by 2018.

Main Education Level: Associate’s degree

Average salary: $68,000

Job Growth: 36% by 2018

Veterinary Technician

Always dreamed of working with animals? This could be your ideal career path. Veterinary techs help veterinarians care for our fuzzy friends by performing diagnostic tests and helping pet owners understand the best care for their animals. Working with pets can a physically demanding job, but the rewards of seeing a healthy animal can be extremely satisfying. Plus, opening in this area are forecast to expand 36% by 2018.

Main Education Level: Associate’s degree

Average salary: $30,000

Job Growth: 36% by 2018

Physical Therapy Assistant

Under the guidance of a physical therapist, PT assistants use exercises, massages, and stretching to help patients recover from major injuries. Between setting up equipment and assisting clients, you won’t spend much time behind a desk. As the baby boomer population gets older, demand for physical therapy is expanding. This job is no exception: it’s expected to rise by 33% by 2018.

Main Education Level: Associate’s degree

Average salary: $38,000

Job Growth: 33% by 2018

Sources: All job growth and salary information comes from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

About the guest author:

Annie Favreau is the managing editor for Inside Jobs, a site that helps people discover a career they’ll love and build strong, successful futures.

Why is that?

Of course there are hundreds of reasons, many of which likely pertain only to your personal situation and so can’t readily be explained. That said, there are reasons that are more or less common factors for everyone who can’t manage to get a foot in the door. Below we take a look at five reasons why you’re aren’t getting any job interviews.

1. The Economy

If you haven’t heard, unemployment is rampant in the U.S. Many people get caught up in month-to-month averages because that’s the focus of most news reports and political spin doctors, but a quick look at employment over the past 10 years shows just how tough it is out there.

The point is that it’s not just you. The only way to combat this is to broaden your search and consider options that that may have not fit into your original plan. Don’t give up on your dream; just think of it as making your dream bigger.

2. The Medium

Everything is digital, therefore everything is disposal. The online application process has simplified the transaction between prospective employee and employer so thoroughly as to make it almost nonexistent. It’s also made it too easy for email inboxes to get flooded with applications from ever larger employment pools – you’re essentially competing against the entire world.

Break away from the herd by reaching out in other ways. Follow up on online applications with phone calls when possible. Send a paper resume if you have a good address for it. Close your cover letters with polite statements about your willingness to talk in person or over the phone at any time, at the employer’s convenience.

3. Resume Gaffes

The most basic weapon you have in your arsenal to secure a job interview is your resume, whether it is digital or a hard copy. Even if all else is three degrees off to the left or right, this thing has to be dead on. And, people still manage to make the most basic mistakes.

Things to avoid:

• Spelling errors
• Including hobbies
• Making it more than one page
• Leaving off contact info

This stuff may seem too obvious to even mention, but these mistakes occur all the time. Tighten it up! Make it perfect. Take it seriously, and get help if you need it.

4. Online Presence

You may have heard that more and more employers are checking the social media profiles of prospective employees. What you may not know is that you could have disparaging material floating around on the Internet and not even know it.

It used to be that social media profiles were more easily controlled by the owner, but now everything is getting linked together. Google likes to call it a ‘seamless Web experience,’ but what it really adds up to is a paper trail of your life that may be longer and more twisted than you think. Make sure you, your friends and your friends’ friends do not have you linked to anything that may put you in a bad light.

5. Credit History

Much like with getting a bad rap because of unknown (and undeserved) social media slander, your credit report may be saying bad things about you behind your back as well.

Many employers will run a credit check on you, because many employers equate good credit with responsibility and trustworthiness. Regardless of the merit of this supposition, you should protect yourself by getting a credit report to make sure there are no errors that are sending the wrong message. Just don’t do it too often – too many credit report requests can lower your score.

Have you investigated on the reasons why you are not getting any job interviews despite the economy looking up? Pls share..

About the guest post author:

James Madeiros writes for Masters in Accounting, a leading informational website providing individuals with a launchpad for getting started with researching advanced degrees in accounting and finance.

The following list expands on these pros and cons of working for a charity:

1 – Add Value to your Resume

Getting voluntary or paid charity work means that you are able to demonstrate a range of skills to other employers. Charity work shows a deep level of commitment to a good cause, while also demonstrating a willingness to provide support on a voluntary basis. Experience of organising others as part of a charity team can also help you to develop transferable skills for other jobs.

2 – Getting New Experiences

Charity work can expose you to a number of new experiences. Local charity jobs can give you a much greater insight into the needs of people in your area, while working for a larger charity can lead to international postings and experiences.

3 – Giving Back to the Community

Working for a charity, and particularly a local one, is one of the best ways in which you can give something back to your community. Work might include helping out as part of a voluntary shelter, assisting in hospitals, or helping to coordinate a local fundraising drive for an established charitable organisation.

4 – Stability

Charity work can lead to long term job stability and security. Non profits that provide salaries are less likely to go under, and are more likely to be risk averse in terms of expanding as an organisation.

5 – Rewards

Long term commitment to a charity can mean that you receive employment benefits and security. This security might include everything from pensions to generous annual leave, and special allowances.

DISADVANTAGES

By contrast, there are disadvantages to working for a charity that should be taken into consideration by anyone wishing to change careers.

6 – Difficult to Meet Targets

Charity work can be frustrating due to the difficulty of creating and meeting realistic targets. Unlike other businesses, charity work might involve short bursts of activity and a lot of planning. In this way, it can be difficult to organize your time across the year.

7 – High Stress

Any job that involves a lot of direct fundraising, often on small resources, is going to be stressful. This stress is only magnified by working as part of a small team, or as part of a charity where you might be expected to take on a lot of different roles.

8 – Time Consuming

Charity work takes up a lot of time, which can be difficult even if the work is rewarding. You may find that you struggle to create a work and life balance, and might feel that you are neglecting your friends and family.

9 – Transition from Voluntary to Paid Work

The transition from voluntary to paid work can be difficult depending on a charity, with places and positions often limited. You may need to build up a lot of experience, or just be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

10 – Public Cuts

The experience of working for a charity can be made particularly stressful by public funding cuts for local services. The pressure that shifts to charities to provide support rises as public services are reduced, which can stretch already tight resources.

About the guest post author:

Patrick Hegarty is a freelance writer with a passion for advising people about getting charity jobs.

Make the most of every failure. Fall forward.

~ Unknown

Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one’s ideas, to take a calculated risk – and to act.

~ Andre Malraux

The way to get ahead is to start now. If you start now, you will know a lot next year that you don’t know now and that you would not have known next year if you had waited.

~ William Feather

Successful business people don’t get ahead by wishing they had someone else’s job title, corner office, company car or market share. They get ahead the mundane way, by doing more and doing it better. Envy is a monster with a gluttonous appetite. And it’s never satisfied. Pursue your goals, not someone else’s goals.

~ James Dale

Deliberate often – decide once.

~ Latin proverb

Originality does not consist in saying what no one has ever said before, but in saying exactly what you think yourself.

~ James Stephens

There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it.

~ Dale Carnegie

If you organize your life around the things you are passionate about, nothing is a time burden. You end up spending time with people you want to spend time with and doing what you love.

~ Jeffery Bores

Making anything a success rests with people and commitment; strong will to always do the best, confidence in one another.. and absolute determination.

~ Jorgen Roed

If you have fun at your job, I think you’re going to be more effective.

~ Meg Whitman

Anyone who has achieved excellence in any form knows that is comes as a result of ceaseless concentration.

~ Louise Brooks

It is all too easy to speed through life with our eyes focused only on the road ahead. The challenge is scanning the horizon from time to time to determine where we are headed.

~ Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

There are three rules of success. The first: Go on. The second: Go on. And the third: Go on.

~ Frank Cane

The first rule in opera is the first rule in life: See to everything yourself.

~ Nellie Melba

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.

~ Helen Keller

There are too many people who get degrees and think they are educated. In order to be a truly knowledgeable person on e has t got to be engaged in serious, systematic, lifelong learning.

~ Benjamin Payton

Good communication does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn’t about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way.

~  John Kotter

Never make a permanent decision based on a temporary storm.. No matter how raging the billows are today, remind yourself: “This too shall pass!”

~ T. D. Jakes

There is no ceiling on effort!

~ Harvey C Fruehauf

You have to take it as it happens, but you should try to make it happen the way you want to take it.

~ German Proverb

In the end you are measured not by how much you undertake but by what you finally accomplish.

~ Donald Trump

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.

~ Andrew Carnegie

The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say ‘I’. And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say ‘I’. They don’t think ‘I’. They think ‘we’; they think ‘team’. They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but ‘we’ gets the credit…. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done.

~ Peter F. Drucker

Every time you acquire a new interest, even more, a new accomplishment, you increase your power of life.

~ William Lyon Phelps

Stop asking if the glass is half full or half empty. Instead ask “What’s in it? How did it get there? What can I do with it?”

~ David Kaufman

The fruit we wish to pick tomorrow lies hidden in the seed of today. The goals we are to read and the problems we are to solve tomorrow depend upon today’s diligence, hope and faith, today’s conviction of the almightiness of good.

~ Ralph E. Johnson

Courage as an acronym is:

Continuing
Onward
Under
Rigorous
And
Grinding
Experiences

~ Micheal Staver

Which one is your favorite?