Job Search Techniques
Using Facebook’s New Career App To Find a New Career
If you’re actively looking for a new job, and your first instinct is to go on Facebook to procrastinate, you may actually be taking a great first step. Facebook’s growing professional networking application, Branch Out, can be a useful supplement to your medical device job search and turn the process of networking into something as easy as posting on your friends’ walls.
Using Personal Connections in the Professional World
Branch Out matches the professional networking aspect of LinkedIn with the comfort and personal features of your Facebook profile. It’s a third party application that opens up a whole new world of connections that you don’t have access to on LinkedIn with some important differences. Whereas your LinkedIn network is likely made mostly of professional contacts, your Branch Out account taps into your friends’ profiles and lets you see easily where your friends work. It even extends to friends of friends. How does this help you? Your friends are the people rooting for you. They’re on your team. They want you to land a job, and they actively want to help.
Use these personal relationships to your advantage. Search for companies you’d like to work for with Branch Out’s company search feature. It will automatically tell you if any of your friends or their friends work there. You may have connections to these companies that you don’t even know about. Your college roommate may be working for a company that just put up your dream engineering job listing or your coworker’s husband may be looking for someone with exactly your skill set in pacemakers.
Privacy Concerns
Several people have expressed privacy concerns about crossing their personal lives with business. However, in the six months that Branch Out has been live, most of these fears have been put to rest. The application allows you the option to choose what you share on your profile and only pulls from the corporate section of your profile so you don’t need to worry about potential employers seeing that embarrassing picture of you in your college Halloween costume.
If you still feel uncomfortable mixing business and personal, you can always find jobs using Branch Out’s job board and apply for them outside the “empire” of Facebook. Call up your friend and ask about the opportunity you found or go to the company’s job board to lay your fears to rest. If you prove to be a good fit, they’ll probably check your Facebook profile anyway, but if it makes you feel better, go for it.
If you’re not on Branch Out, signup after you read this article. It’s not just a good way for you to search for jobs, but also a good way for you to get discovered by recruiters. Many companies are searching Branch Out for qualified candidates because they value hires who already have company connections. What’s the harm? We know you’re going on Facebook on your lunch break anyway!
Paula Rutledge is the President of Legacy MedSearch, a retained recruitment firm specializing in emerging medical technology. For more resume and interview tips, visit http://www.LegacyMedSearch.com/blog
Our website also has dozens of pages of resources for job hunters. Download our 24 page interview prep guide or company research template at http://www.LegacyMedSearch.com/candidate-services.php
Finding That Dream Job That Doesn’t Support Your Degree
Many people in this economy know firsthand how it feels to have a college degree but no job to show for it. If you went to school for accounting but your dream was always to work in Hollywood, it doesn’t mean you have to settle for being the Tax Attorney to the Stars, no, you can still pursue that dream job you’ve always wanted, even if you do not have the degree to support it. College graduates are finding themselves in this situation across the country, they did what they were told and got a degree and now they have nothing to do.
So how do you make the best out of this situation? The first thing you do is stop crying. It can be a real bummer to realize that your degree does not hold much weight in the job market, but next time you are rejected from that dream job, remind yourself that you have a dream and that you will fulfill it.
You choose your path, not someone else
You can sit around and feel sorry for yourself that your degree isn’t what you want to do or you can move on and get creative with your job search. Just remember that the U.S. Department of Labor still says that college graduates face shorter periods of unemployment and have an overall higher income through their lives.
Time to get creative
As long as you are willing to work hard, there is always a way to find your dream job, even if you have a liberal arts degree. The first thing you need to find out is: What is your dream job? What are the right steps to get there, what can you do to help you get to that position, just how badly do you want this and how hard are you willing to work for it?
You must figure out these questions if you are going to develop a plan of action. The answers may seem elusive but you can find the answers. Admitting that you do not know what you want to do with your life is not a failure, it just means that you have more time to find yourself and find the thing that makes you happy. Dealing with debt can be a difficult task when you are trying to change paths, so make sure your finances are handled before making a big transition. And it’s much easier to make a change now before you’ve trapped yourself in a career.
Work for free
Sounds awful right, but what if an unpaid internship gets you into the position you wanted? It doesn’t matter if you’re 15, 35 or 65, if you decide to change something and you find a way in, go for it. This could be your only opportunity. Sure it might be hard in the interim but you’re life will be enriched from your personal growth. Besides you can always get a second job to supplement your income. It’s your life, so go live it.
Erin Kennedy, CMRW, CPRW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional & Executive Resume Writer/Career Consultant and President of Professional Resume Services, Inc. She is a nationally published writer and contributor of 12 best-selling career books. She has achieved international recognition following yearly nominations and wins of the prestigious T.O.R.I. (Toast of the Resume Industry) Award. Erin has written thousands of resumes for executives and professionals. As a proud member of CDI, NRWA, PARW, and AORCP, Erin also sits on CDI’s Credentialing Committee for new certification candidates and serves as a Mentor for CDI’s Member Mentoring Committee. She also is a featured blogger on several well-known career sites. Reuse of this article is encouraged but must include a link to http://exclusive-executive-resumes.com.
Want to know more about Erin Kennedy, CPRW? Read her LinkedIn profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/erinkennedycprw
Job Vacancies for College Students
The demand for job vacancies from college students has significantly risen in the recent past. This is attributed to the fact that the current college programs enable students to work and study at the same time. It gives them an opportunity to have different types of jobs to choose from. In this article we will be looking at some of the vacancies these students can consider.
Working as a customer representative
This forms a good working place for college students. So long as they have the patience to not only tolerate, but attempt to rectify the complaints of very demanding customers, are well informed about the products and services offered by the firm they are working for, and have a good voice and are articulate in the company’s preferred language. The good thing is that there are so many firms in need of such representatives, and the hours are usually flexible to work around your study. So, search out these firms and send in your CV. It is a way of making extra cash at the end of the day.
Working in the hospitality industry
There are different restaurants and hotels in need of waiters and waitresses. Most of these hotels and restaurants present their employees with flexible working periods. The hospitality industry therefore, can be one of the best places a student in need of some extra money should search for any job vacancies. Remember that we have all had experience of being a customer in such places, and there are no professional skills required apart form communication skills and an ability to serve customers efficiently, as per their needs.
Working for any online firm
Online firms do not expect their employees to be present physically. They can work from the comfort of their own homes. It is another workplace that is ideal for college students. Where students can work around their education schedules to find time to produce the work for the firm. A number of college students have applied for online jobs, and are very satisfied with the income they are receiving. They don’t have to depend on their parents for all their college needs. That is why it would be wise to apply for any vacancies available.
Perhaps one of the most important elements in getting a job is how you conduct yourself in the job interview. As always, first impressions matter a lot, so consider carefully when thinking about your appearance and your conduct during the interview. Your dress code should be professional, how you carry yourself in front of the panel, and how you provide the answers to questioned asked, matters a lot. Remember that you may have all the qualifications needed for a job, but a single mistake during an interview could ruin your chances of getting the position.
Royal Mail Christmas jobs 2011, Xmas job openings and other Christmas job vacancies are available on our job forum.
Finding a Good Job In a Bad Economy
Finding a good job any time can be tough. But, let’s face it, finding any job in a bad economy can be a very serious challenge. There are lots of questions like:
• Who is hiring?
• Are they a good company to work for?
• How stable are they?
• Have they fired or laid off any employees in the recent past?
• What type of salary do they offer?
• Is the salary and/or benefits package competitive?
• What positions are they looking to fill?
• Am I qualified?
And this could go on and on and on. And unfortunately, for most of us, there might not be very many concrete answers. You might just be taking a shot in the dark, rolling the dice, trying your luck or any number of old, used up cliches. The bottom line is, finding a good job, no matter what the current economic client is, can be a very tricky endeavor indeed.
Fortunately, there are several industries that somehow seem to be almost impervious to the economic client and good, strong candidates with the right experience, credentials and skill sets are always in demand. Take for instance the field of IT (Information Technology). Throughout the ups and down of the latest economic roller coaster, this field constantly shows growth and the right candidate applying for the right position is almost assured a position. Also consider the medical field. No matter what the economy does, people are going to always get sick and many will require medical attention. This fact makes the medical field another almost sure-fire bet.
Another field that doesn’t appear to suffer much ill effect from the state of the economy is the communications field. Granted, it too may have suffered somewhat from the current state of the economy but, the bottom line is, there are quite a few companies out there that are searching for the right candidate to fill that one opening that is open and requires just the right person, with just the right skills in order to keep the company moving forward.
So that brings us right back to where we were before. The plethora of questions that a potential employee has. And, let’s not forget, the potential employer has their own set of questions that they need answered, as well. So, the big questions is… How does the right employee and the right employer go about finding one another?
Fortunately, in the world of executive communication positions, there are executive search firms that make it their business to find the right employee and match them with the right employer and create a bonafide win win situation for all parties involved. If you are an employer looking for that special executive candidate that has all of the right skills, experience, tools, desire and energy or an executive candidate that is looking for the right company that will treat you with honor and respect, give you a challenge, help you to further your career and will definitely compensate a stellar candidate when they see one…. then you both need a quality, tried and true executive search firm and in the DC Metro area, that would most certainly be the Travaille Executive Search Firm.
Travaille has been in business since 1972 and they specialize in bringing together the right candidate and the right employer. Their years of dedication and service to the Communications industry have made them one of the front runners in sizing up the talent and making sure that the employee and employer get exactly what they want and need, even if neither initially knows exactly what that is. Their years of experience, attention to detail and unwavering dedication to optimal customer service, has given them a supremely unique ability to find the exact right square, round or oblong peg to slide seamlessly into the hole presented by the employers’ current needs. And since they serve all of the major metropolitan areas, including Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, Chicago, New York, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, you can be sure that there is position with a great firm that is challenging and rewarding in just the right area to suit your needs.
For the best in executive search, communications jobs, etc. visit: Travaille Executive Search.
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I Spy – Social Media and Recruiting
Having been in the executive search business since 1986, I am very familiar with methods for vetting candidates. Besides the usual reference checking, credit and criminal investigative reports are being conducted by outside agencies mostly for executive level candidates but even more junior rank potentials are now being checked.
In this world of technology we live in, other methods are being utilized now including reviewing social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. The New York Times recently posted an article about this called “Social Media History Becomes a New Job Hurdle”. The article discusses one start-up company that scans the Internet looking for information on potential candidates going as far back as 7 years! They review the more popular sites like LinkedIn but also try to find comments, videos, and photos on more obscure sites like Tumblr, Yahoo groups, and Craigslist.
This practice is widely used. According to this article, about “75 percent of recruiters are required by their companies to do online research of candidates. And 70 percent of recruiters in the United States report that they have rejected candidates because of information online.”
So what can you do especially when it is considered almost necessary to have a LinkedIn profile and a Facebook page? LinkedIn is a business networking site so the only area that could be a problem is the recommendations section. Make sure you edit any recommendations and also have another person read it so nothing will be misconstrued. In other words, what you think sounds fine may be to an objective person very troublesome. In addition, be careful who you link with. One recruiter I know will scan the connections list to ascertain what types of people the candidate interacts with.
Facebook is more tricky and needs to be monitored even more carefully. Although many people have their settings for only friends and family, many companies are now asking for candidates to show their Facebook page during their interview. I checked with two employment attorneys regarding this and they say it is not legal to do that but most candidates will comply or face not being considered for the position. Carefully review what your contacts are saying and “unfriend” or “block” them if they are posting anything that is not acceptable. Stress with your children that their postings can reflect badly on you and that they need to watch not only what they say but how they say it.
Recently I facilitated a workshop on personal branding. We discussed Facebook and how things can be misinterpreted. As an example, I participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and raise money through Facebook. Someone questioned that a potential employer may think I have breast cancer or someone in my family and will pass on my candidacy for medical reasons.
Even more importantly be extra careful with tagging. Being tagged in a photo is fun, however, if there is alcohol, drugs, nudity, etc. this will be a knockout as part of the interview process. According to this same article, one man posted many pages of himself with various guns and would never be considered for employment opportunities. If there are too many mentions of goofing off on the job or complaining about their coworkers or employer that will be a quick way for a recruiter to move on to the next candidate.
Employers do have to be cognizant about what information they will consider and what is not necessary or illegal. Recruiting practices need to be outlined thoroughly so there is no room for misinterpretation on what is acceptable in determining the viability of a person’s candidacy. I have heard in my workshops that some candidates are pushing back and not willing to partake in a social media background check. They feel that this is personal information and not indicative of their job performance. Whatever your views are just be wary of what you post and what others post as well. Others are definitely watching you…
By E. Elizabeth Carter
President
Carter Consultants Ltd.
Best Online Sites for Finding Jobs
Finding jobs online is a common occurrence in today’s world. It helps the job hunter save on a number of things including: gas, stamps, envelopes, and being completely clueless. Having the internet to search for jobs and apply online can save a lot of stress. It also helps to narrow down markets and areas to search in.
It is hard to do a search for job sites on the internet and not run across Monster. This is one of the largest databases that exist online. It contains job openings for all types of positions and to this day contains over 41million resumes. This site is also great for those that already have a job, but are searching for a new one because profiles and resumes can be blocked from current employer’s search. They offer optional information on interviews, resumes, and how to negotiate salaries. This site is at the top or near it in most reviews for online job sites.
Another site commonly found is CareerBuilder.com. This site finds jobs from major newspapers and combines them in one place. It has over 23 million visitors each month, and can produce very unique job postings. The site also offers resources for specific types of needs. This site has been one of job seekers favorites for a few years now.
A highly rated site, but more focused on technical jobs and resumes is Dice.com. They offer more than 88,000 tech job postings. The site also claims that many applicants receive offers within 48 hours. An email is sent to the user every time jobs are posted that match their skills. The search engine works to look for jobs by location, industry, and percentage of travel time required. The site also offers links to complete online computer training and certification exams.
Yahoo’s! HotJobs is another popular site to search for jobs. It ranks just below Monster, which actually recent bought HotJobs, but it has many appealing features. For instance, users can see how many times their resume has been viewed, and they can also keep certain companies from viewing their resume.
Simplyhired.com is a site for job seekers only. The site shows job listings from many other websites and the users can send their resumes to the other sites. After the user has used the site for a while, it will send links to job postings that are similar to what the person is looking for. Resumes cannot be posted directly onto the site, but it does allow posting to other sites. It has recently partnered up with LinkedIn.com to allow users the maximum potential in having their resume seen and communicating with potential employers.
One last site is MediaBistro. It is a highly ranked site but is directed at the media niche. After registering, users can search listings by job, industry, and location. Jobs are offered from the largest media companies in the country. There are active bulletin boards for different interests in media related fields. The site also sponsors network gatherings across the country.
Dallas Sumahit is an entrepreneur and enjoys his time creating new and innovative techniques to help people find jobs and become employed. To view more of what Dallas Sumahit does, visit his website at http://www.sierrajoblink.com
Five Secret Steps To Find A Great Job
Getting things you have always wanted makes you feel on cloud nine and sets you aback. Just like you might have felt when you were graduating, isn’t it? But the real tough time is when you actually have to step out into the real world and accept the challenges that are thrown your way. The first most challenge would possibly be your job search. Searching for a job usually is time-consuming and frustrating. Finding a job may even take ample amount of time and effort and yet not yield the desired result. Internet job search often throws up results that are totally irrelevant to what you are exactly looking for.
So, wondering what should you do for optimizing your results? You need to plan and prepare to succeed in a job search. Be positive while searching for your job. This will turn your hard work into a great job. Here are top five secret steps for a job search that will make you win your chance of getting hired. What you are about to learn here are some skills that will stay with you forever. As you will soon see, skills you learn here will be applicable to many situations throughout your life.
Step 1: The most basic thing which will fetch you the right job (or should I say a Great Job) is Mind Preparation. What you need to do is – start with the right frame of mind and attitude, else whatever you do will show fear and lack of confidence. The employer will believe in you only if you believe in yourself. To be able to convince the employer, you yourself need to be convinced.
Step 2: The next step is to write a good and effective resume. Make use of the ready templates that are relevant to your profile. Sometimes you will need to make customized resumes, depending on the types of positions you are looking for. If you are a first timer, make sure to do a thorough research about how to write good resume. Don’t underestimate the importance of a good resume. Being careless while writing your resumes may cost you a job. Always remember that you must keep your resume edited and updated.
Step 3: Don’t mass-mail your resume. Blasting a generic resume to a bunch of people can be a huge waste of time and energy. In many cases, the company may not even be hiring for your applied position. Always put some thought into where you are applying, and figure out what the employer is looking for.
Step 4: Keeping your profile up-to-date and staying connected with people who can assist you in your job search will help you strengthen your professional networking. A potential employer should be able to find you anytime by searching for the skills you have listed or by reference. Make use of better keywords in your resumes skills section as well as in the professional profile section.
Step 5: It might be an assumption to say that employers prefer candidates who follow-up after interview and so on. But a follow-up is required to ensure that your efforts bear the best results possible. Following up doesn’t require you to call up the employer day in and day out. Just sending a thank you letter after the interview might give you a good start.
Martinez Betheliza – Ph.D. – Organizational Psychology. Provides you with a deep level of insight into your career direction and career development.
How to Answer Tough Interview Questions – Why Should We Hire You?
When you cut to the chase on every interview, there is really only one question that every employer needs to ask: “Why should we hire you?” Every job seeker needs to be able to answer this question in one form or another, without hesitation and with conviction. Here are some tips to help you prepare your answer:
Right Skills: Every job requires some core skills. Hopefully you have some or all of the skills required for the job. It is unusual for any candidate to have a complete match for every aspect of the job requirements. Nevertheless, before you are prepared to answer the key question, you must understand what the employer is looking for in a candidate. If you have experience in the industry, you are likely familiar with the specific job requirements. If you don’t have experience or if you are a recent graduate, then find out what skills are required for the job by asking around. If you don’t have the skills or are making a career change, then you either need to go back to school or look for an entry-level job where you can acquire the skills. In today’s competitive environment, having the right skills is a minimum job requirement.
Right Experience: If you are looking for something more than an entry-level job, then you must have experience. Employers will pay a premium for people who have been through the “school of hard knocks” and can bring their experience with them to a new job. If you have relevant experience, then you will quickly become productive without a long training period. Furthermore, you are less likely to make “rookie” mistakes that could cost the employer money, production time, and possibly customers.
Right Attitude: More than skills and experience is the right attitude. When people are fired, more often than not, the reason is poor attitude and not their technical ability to do the job. Employers look for people who can work together well with others. Business is a team sport. While individual positions are important, every enterprise succeeds based on the ability of everyone in the organization to work together and succeed as a team. Thus, bringing the “right attitude” to the game is a key to a successful job search.
These are three critical elements to answer the basic question for all employers: “Why should we hire you?” If you can craft a concise response that includes the right skills, the right experience and the right attitude, you will be on your way to respond with confidence. This will be your “elevator pitch” that you can practice until you can say it without thinking about it. Whatever else you might be asked, nothing is more important than conveying this core message. Even if the question is never asked, you can conclude your interview by summarizing the essence of why they should hire you, and leave them with a positive lasting message to remember you. While this will not guarantee you will get hired, it will be the best way to maximize your chances of success.
Leonard Kloeber is an author and leadership consultant. He has extensive leadership experience as business executive and as a military officer. He has been a hands-on leader in a variety of organizations large and small. Most recently he was a human resources executive for a Fortune 100 company. His book – Victory Principles, Leadership Lessons from D-Day – illustrates seven bedrock leadership principles that all successful leaders use. Download a free summary of the Victory Principles at: http://www.victoryprinciples.com and find other bonus materials for leaders. Contact him at staffride@gmail.com or find his book Victory Principles at http://www.leadershipthebook.com
How to Write a Job Interview Thank You Letter
If you are reading this article, it means you have just had an interview and now you want to send a thank note to your interviewer.
Why should you write a thank you note?
Thank you letters have a powerful impact on the interviewers. An interview can take weeks or even months to set up and conduct. Interviewers are human and they appreciate the fact that their hard work and effort is noticed. A simple thank you note makes interviewers take a second look at your CV with a smile on their face. This a powerful tool when you are being short listed. Thanks to the thank you note, your name will be fresh in the interviews head.
How to write a thank you letter
A thank you letter must be done in a letter format and can be emailed or sent to the interviewer. A thank you letter normally consists of three paragraphs. A thank you letter should be sent within 24 hours of the interview so that recruits can see it before they start to short list.
First paragraph
The first paragraph should consist of you thanking the interview for the interview you had. Make sure to include the position you applied for and the date it was held.
Second paragraph
The second paragraph should be a little about why you are the best candidate for the job and what can you bring to the position. Also state how interested you in the company and why would the companies best suit for you.
Third paragraph
The last paragraph should be about re-thanking the interview for his hard work and also that you available to come down again for a second interview if needed. End the paragraph by letting them know that you are expecting to hear from them soon.
Here is an example of thank you letter
Dear James
I would like to thank you for the time you have taken to meet with me about the retail Assistant manager position yesterday. The job seems to be an idea match for my skills and interested. I was very impressed about your companies’ success rate and how it become the retail market leader in a few years.
As well as bring 10 years of retail management experience to your company, I will also bring strong leaderships skill and people management skill, excellent selling with a track record and also brilliant project management skill.
Once again thank for the time you have taken to see me and conduct the interview. I am very interested in working for you from the begin of June. I hope to hear from you soon.
Kind regards.
To see more samples click the links below:
http://www.squidoo.com/interview-thank-you-note
The Black Hole of Job Applications
A career coaching client recently updated me on his job hunting progress. He told me that in the preceding six weeks he’d made twenty applications to recruitment agencies and employers in response to advertised jobs. He had received no response from any of them – by which I don’t mean that he had failed to get invited to interview, but literally that he’d received no response at all. When I tweeted about this later that day, I received a flurry of replies and retweets from others who had experienced the same response – or lack of it. This is consistent with the experience of my other outplacement and career coaching clients over the past year or so. Indeed this has been a growing issue for a few years but it now appears to be almost standard practice. Not that long ago I remember it being considered poor form for candidates merely to receive an automated response to applications. They would typically read along the lines “…thank you for your application. If you haven’t heard from us within the next 10 days please assume that your application has been unsuccessful”. Today, automated responses like that are approaching best practice.
In the past when I have discussed this with recruiters the impression I have often had is that it is not considered a major issue and that commercial pressures of time and cost mean that responding to all applications is not viable. I think there is a real issue here with far reaching implications for employers. It is creating a firm mindset among potential employees about organisations and business that is harmful to both. It includes beliefs that companies are exploitative, uncaring, ruthless, faceless and lacking in integrity. I see this is an underlying and almost unspoken assumption and attitude in many of my job seeking clients, and this is naturally exacerbated among those recently made redundant.
What are the implications? I believe this behaviour leads to a jaundiced view of organisations when people join them – which is not a great start – and which leads to candidates reciprocating with the same poor treatment and lack of commitment. In the wider picture I think it further diminishes people, their wellbeing and the climate of work and organisational life. This is not healthy for anyone.
Among that flurry of tweets, one follower sent me the flipside – what about a nudge to those candidates who don’t bother showing up for interview and don’t advise of non-attendance? From my conversations with hiring managers and recruitment companies this is increasing too. We need to ask why – I believe this is in part a response to the shoddy treatment many candidates have experienced for years from employers and recruitment companies. In many ways, poor candidate behaviour reflects, and is a symptom of, how they regard employers.
It must be time to turn this around. If you’re an employer or recruitment company, in future how about all applications you receive for a job you’ve advertised get, at least, an acknowledgment? If you’re a candidate how about you meet your interview commitments, or at least advise of non-attendance or lateness? Let’s pick up on consideration for others…
If you have experienced either side of this issue I’d be interested in hearing from you.
Sarah is a career coach and coaching psychologist at Managing Change, based in Cambridge, UK.
T: 01954 718037
E: sarah.jaggers@managingchange.org.uk
W: http://www.managingchange.org.uk