The career advice category is the top level category for all professionally written articles that provide career advice and tips to help you advance your career.
This section is more of a general career category that include articles related to your job search, job interviews, career planning, career change or career networking
Questions to Ask During The Interview
It comes up all the time, people are at the interview and things are going along smoothly. You think you have done a good job of expressing yourself, your achievements, and how you can add value; and then – the question from the interviewer: “So, do you have any questions for me?” Silence. You didn’t think about this; you don’t really know what to ask.
Leveraging LinkedIN Groups For Your Job Search
I have found that many people still do not see the obvious power that LinkedIN has as a networking tool, and I regularly spend countless coaching hours helping people establish a presence on LinkedIN, including how to find and connect to people that might be able to further their careers – which is very easy, by the way. To give you an idea of how powerful it can be, I have two personal examples of how LinkedIN groups were instrumental to job seekers:
Down But Not Out – Dealing with Job Loss
Involuntary job loss due to a reorganization or downsizing happens. Oftentimes, people don’t even see it coming. One day you are employed; the next you aren’t. Of course you will feel that initial jolt of shock; it is important that you take stock of the situation as you prepare to recharge and take the necessary steps to fuel your motivation and begin anew. Here are some tips and recommendations to get you going:
Preparing for a Successful Job Interview
Preparing for a job interview is something akin to auditioning. Of course you want to put your best foot forward and ensure you are knowledgeable about the company and your own background to make a strong impression. The interview is an opportunity for you to ‘market yourself’ to a potential hiring manager and demonstrate the skills and competencies you possess that make you a unique and compelling candidate for the role. Below are some recommendations to help you get your ‘game face on’.
Creating a Resume for Mothers Returning to the Workforce
I am often contacted by people (oftentimes mothers) who took an extended absence from the workforce to raise children. Those children get older and more self-sufficient; the stay at home moms decide they would like to return to the workplace. Oftentimes these women had good careers, working as attorneys, project managers, analysts, and technology professionals, among many other professions.
Keeping Up With the Joneses and Your Social Networking Strategy
It is so funny to me when I think about the phrase: Keeping up with the Joneses. To give you the dictionary version of the phrase I did a quick search online and here it is:
“Keeping up with the Joneses” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses) is a catchphrase in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one’s neighbor as a benchmark for social caste or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to “keep up with the Joneses” is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority.
In the world of career planning and networking, I think there is also an element of ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ – you want to ensure that you have the ‘right’ contacts and cultivate those relationships so that you can benefit from the assistance / advice of others. Similarly, they can benefit from your network; after all, what goes around comes around (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/what_goes_around,_comes_around). This brings me to the point (finally). What are some of the critical elements that should comprise your networking strategy so that you develop, maintain, and nurture the ‘right’ connections to generate results?
Social Sites: There are numerous social sites to keep you busier than you ever expected to be, or confounded, as the case may be. Facebook, LinkedIN, Plaxo, YouTube, and MySpace are just a sampling; there are hundreds of these sites with more cropping up everyday. Naturally you will not be able to join all of them; even if you could, why would you want to? Pick two or three sites that you feel comfortable with; your choice will be wholly depended on what your primary goals are with regard to enhancing your search and business strategy. Your message, objective, and time spent on these efforts should embody a professional presence where you can engage in open and productive discourse with others, share ideas, seek opinions, and form relationships.
Establishing your Objective: Depending upon your objective will certainly govern which sites you join and frequent most often. From my own research, and discussions with clients and peers I have found that sites like Facebook and MySpace are much more geared toward personal interactions – purely for chatting and sharing things about family, friends, kids, etc., whereas LinkedIN, Plaxo, and other sites operate more in the professional arena. Identifying your objective will enable you to choose the sites that are most appropriate for you.
Your Message: This is perhaps the most important part of your social strategy. Your message should be clear, concise, and to the point. If you are using social sites to facilitate your job search, it will be imperative that you are prepared to share related ideas and information regarding your background and competencies to potential hiring managers. Your online profile, résumé, and cover letter should be complete and ready for viewing / submission should the opportunity arise. If you have a blog or method of sharing your ideas with people; be sure that it is established and that you are ready to share. More importantly, be prepared to help others. Networking is a two-way street. Just as you are concerned with your search, other people are trying to achieve the same thing for their own job hunt. Communicating with others should include your willingness to help the other party, too.
Here are some items for your to do list:
1. Research which social networking sites you want to join.
2. Establish your online profile with an appropriate picture.
3. Start making connections with friends or people you know.
4.Cultivate your extended network by engaging with people that are 2nd or 3rd removed from you.
5.Contribute to online postings by either answering questions or posting information that might be interesting or useful for others.
6.Continue to expand your network by engaging people online while being receptive to new connections.
As you refine your strategy, you will learn new ways of connecting to people and establishing value in your social networks.
How’s that for ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’?
What Do You know about Rugby and Lessons Learned About Assuming What People Know
This morning, as I was daydreaming between cups of coffee, I stumbled across a wikipedia entry on rugby (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_football). Wow! Did you know that there are two different kinds of rugby – with different numbers of players and different rules – who knew? As I have a wont to do, I started reading and it turns out that rugby is as confusing to understand as cricket (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket).
Motivation for Success
When you start to feel unmotivated because of a demanding job search that is moving along at a snail’s pace, it’s hard to get going again! It happens to all of us. You don’t even want to think about it sometimes. You need to jumpstart your engine, reengage, and get pumped to keep going. Here are some things to help you go the distance:
Getting Your Game Face On
We all know how draining the interview process can be. If you really want to kick butt and take names you better get your game face on. What does this mean? It doesn’t mean you should be a “face painter.”
Professional- Me – The Touchstone of the New Digital Persona
Creating a personal branding strategy to accelerate your career growth
Still No Job… Is There Really A Way?
While the weeks crawled away into months there’s still no job. As the paradigm shifted a while ago from “I need to find a job fast” to “ I wish that I could find a way to make a quick buck”, the light at the end of the tunnel looks yet dimmer. Tired of the anxiety and the pressure and the depression of being in this mess… man it’s tough to keep your head up isn’t it?
What’s in a Name?
Before I get to my point, I want to be upfront and admit that yes, Americans are xenophobic. OK, I said it. Now that the air is clear, I can get to my point. If you come from another region of the world and want to work in the US – I have a little piece of advice; give yourself a nickname – an English sounding nickname.
The Importance of Learning Another Language for Career Growth
As a writer and career coach I have made more than a few observations over the years. Having dealt extensively with people in both the US and international locations, I have noticed some very important cultural, professional, and personal differences. One thing that I think is particularly noteworthy to reference is the globalization of the workforce. In reviewing the way companies are operating, global expansion is happening more rapidly than ever before; and with the prevalence of not only international offices, but the significant increases in diverse business operations throughout the world, it will be important – no, mandatory that people speak more than one language to maintain a competitive advantage during career search. Yes, it is true that business is often conducted in English. The global business landscape is changing, though. In the not to distant future, fluency in one or more languages will enhance your professional prospects.
Keeping a Positive Attitude During a Demanding Job Search
One of the hardest things to do is to maintain positive and proactive during an especially challenging job search. It can be totally disheartening to apply for positions and hear nothing except the crickets chirping in the clear night. Why isn’t anyone responding? There are some things that you need to consider, seriously, as you dig in and get busy to get the interviews. Here are some tips to getting the interviews and also keeping it in perspective:
Acronym Soup for Your Job Search
So, you want to change verticals; financial services is no longer your cup of tea — maybe you are thinking of moving to a role in healthcare. Or maybe you spent your whole life working in engineering and think it might be good idea to work for an investment bank. Certainly, it is not uncommon to change jobs or industries multiple times throughout your professional career. But, you better make sure you can talk the talk as well as walk the walk. It is not just enough that you can get the job done. When you walk into the interview, the first thing the interviewer thinks is “Wow this person’s background is impressive but he has no experience in <insert vertical here. >
Practice Interviews Make Perfect Interviews
Maybe you have a job that you like and are just testing the waters; maybe you got a bad review and think it’s time to move on; maybe you are hearing rumors of yet another round of layoffs (YAROL); or maybe you are out of work, but not desperate enough and can still afford to be picky.
Smart Answers to Stupid Interview Questions
I got a lot of good feedback on my previous postings on bad interview questions so I decided to add another one. So, for your reading and interview pleasure here are some more that you could possibly encounter:
Keeping Your Chin Up When Your Job Search Gets You Down
We all go through it; the period of time where you want to ‘throw in the towel’ as it were. Sometimes it’s easy to think that you are always the bridesmaid but never the bride – especially when you are scouring ever possible website, linking up with people at networking and other events, contacting your alumni association, and basically starting conversations with people in the vegetable aisle at your local supermarket – all in the hope of getting a bite – no, not a bite to eat – a bite at a job lead.
Job Interviews are a Two Way Street – Here are Must Ask Questions
Going on that all-important interview? Is this the place that you really, really want to work? If it is, you cannot afford to leave the interview unfinished; that is, you must ask some questions before departing. How could you go on an interview and have absolutely no questions? You want to learn about the company, hear first hand from the people that work there what it’s really like.
Rules for Resigning
When the time has come to move on, there is a way to make a graceful exit. Hopefully your experience has been a positive one; regardless your resignation letter should never provide information to your manager that you were disgruntled or thought that the manager could not manage his way out of a paper bag. You never know when paths will cross again. You will be much better served with a short, to the point, and positive message. There had to be something – (albeit maybe a long time ago) when you started there that you enjoyed.
This blog's author, Debra Wheatman of Careers Done Write, provides executive career services including resume and cover letter preparation, job search / interviewing strategies and professional branding including how to effectively use LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media in your career.
Visit CareersDoneWrite.com to learn more about how we can put your career in gear with interview catching resumes and professionally written career documents.