How’s Your Network Working?
May 26, 2010
By Carole Martin, The Interview Coach
Seeking a job and networking are a lot like trying to meet new people at any event. I recently moved to San Diego – knowing only my family and no one else in the area. It was like I was starting all over and seeking to find new contacts.
One of the things I had to do – and job seekers will have to do – is decide that I was going to have to stretch and be assertive if I was going to meet new people.
Even though I am an out-going person doing this sometimes takes me out of my comfort zone. If you are an introverted or shy person this will be even more of a stretch and take you into a zone of major discomfort at times.
My advice – Get over it and do it. If you want results then you will have to move forward. Sitting still and sending out resume and hoping – will offer a slim chance of results or change. You are going to have to be assertive if this is going to work.
The next problem is where do you meet the “right” people?
I happen to have a passionate interest in movies and film. By attending local events I found out that there was a Cinema Society in my area and knew that I would find people of like-interests. I became a member and have enjoyed every meeting and event. Sometimes I make a new friend and sometimes I don’t, but I am around people who are interested in what I am interested in and have a far better chance of meeting someone than in going to a place where I have no connection. The people in this Society and I have a common bond.
The job seeker can use the same principle. What area of interest could you find a group of “like-minded people?” The more specialized your experience the easier this will be. For instance if you are an Engineer – The National Society of Professional Engineers would be an organization where you would find people who are in the industry that you have an interest in pursuing.
Career Transition Expert Harnesses the Power of Twitter to Deliver 800+ Tweets in One-of-a-Kind Career Book
May 24, 2010
Career transition expert, prolific writer, and author Billie Sucher, helps job seekers from any walk of life with her latest book, Happy About the Career Alphabet: An A-Z Primer for job seekers of all ages – 800+ fast and easy Tweet-Style Tips.
Sucher’s newest book delivers career wisdom, encouragement, insight, and direction to those searching for their next job or professional opportunity, offering 800+ easily-consumable A–Z tweet-style tips for recent college grads, career changers and seasoned senior-level executives to military personnel transitioning to civilian employment. Job seekers will delight in its 100+ pages of simplicity, inspiration, and breadth of career knowledge delivered in less time than it takes to fly from Dallas to Denver.
Happy About the Career Alphabet provides a quick read in Twitter format, giving job seekers over eight hundred tips on such topics as career transition, resume writing, interviewing, job search, networking and personal branding, inspired by Sucher’s 25 years of career coaching, consulting and counseling. With wisdom, humor, and reflection, the book helps today’s job seeker gain a competitive advantage in an ever-changing global market. Sucher’s colleagues have described Happy About the Career Alphabet as “Simply brilliant” and “a breath of fresh air.”
Billie Sucher is a nationally-known career transition expert, outplacement consultant, professional résumé writer, speaker, author, poet, and prolific blogger for Career Hub. For over two decades, she has provided professional career management services to organizations and individuals (entry-level to executive-level) throughout the country. Sucher holds a Master’s degree in Counseling from Drake University and numerous industry certifications including International Job and Career Transition Coach, Career Management Alliance Credentialed Career Manager Distinction, and William Bridge’s Transition Management Certification. Her résumé/cover letter work is featured in twenty-eight national best-selling books. Earlier this year, Billie was named one of the 150+ Experts on Twitter ALL Job Seekers MUST Follow and one of the 50 Personal Branding Consultants Worth Working With.
Job seekers of all ages will benefit from these tips to find a job. No need to spend hours learning or hundreds on a career coach; this book delivers quick advice that can be applied immediately.
Happy About the Career Alphabet is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.
The 5 Most Important Things To Do If The Company You Work For Is Taken Over
May 17, 2010
Richard Wanderer, author of the critically acclaimed The Holiday Party (A Tale of a Corporate Takeover), a fictional, suspense novel, has spent many decades working in New York City and LA in the advertising departments of major national magazines and newspaper chains. He is also a lawyer and a member of the California Bar.
One of the characters in Wanderer’s novel enacts important steps to take if one’s company is a takeover target, which can apply to just about any industry.
- The takeover company should be checked out. Find sites like Glassdoor.com that list, according to employees, reviews of thousands of companies. Ask friends and acquaintances in the industry involved what they’ve heard. Get feedback.
- Visit your Human Resources Department, with this caveat – remember they work for your employer as well as for you. Nevertheless, find out about all of your benefits – savings program, if the company has one, as well as your 401K, health benefits, etc. and receive all the paperwork you are entitled to.
- See an actuary with this paperwork. If you are an older employee, you may find that certain magic words like “late retiree accrual” can open up employee earnings you may never have known you were entitled to.
- Locate a good employer/employee lawyer – seek advice from your state’s bar association to help you find one – it may be worth one’s investment or it could even be given at no cost. Remember the employer has a legal department and therefore, the employee should not be standing there alone.
- While the new management is settling in, you should be very careful about confiding anything of a negative nature to the new management you find you are now dealing with. They may have their own agendas.
Whether one is confronted with a takeover, layoff or downsizing, the author advises people to pause and think of all of their options. Realize, too, this could be a good time to go back to school to expand one’s opportunities or even contemplate the possibility of becoming their own boss in an enterprise of their own.
The Holiday Party (A Tale of a Corporate Takeover) is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.
Changing Careers Requires a Fresh Perspective
May 13, 2010
One topic that hits home for North Americans dealing with economic uncertainty is how to make a meaningful career change. Many are seeking practical advice on how to adapt to the changing economy in order to advance in their present career or get a job in a new one.
Communications expert David Cunningham of Landmark Education was recently interviewed by Random House author and Wall Street Journal columnist Alexandra Levit. They talked about how a change in perspective can provide the keys for people to get unstuck and launch a new career.
Levit, author of New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career, says: “A lot of people are feeling very stuck in this current climate. Either they’re in a job that they feel is not personally meaningful or they’re just not sure what the next step is to take.”
Cunningham outlined some tips for career changers to give them power and explore their opportunities. To avoid confusing the facts of their situation with their interpretations of those facts, he suggested making two separate lists. The first should list the facts of their situation, such as salary and opportunities for promotion. The second list is for added thoughts such as “I’m not successful enough,” “We’re going to have trouble paying our bills,” or “I’m not going to be able to retire.”
“When you go to work on just the facts versus what you add to them, you get a lot of power,” Cunningham says.
New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.
Job Interview Essential – The Thank You Letter
May 7, 2010
By Martin O’Brien
When I was a corporate recruiter I would interview candidates for positions within the firm. I was amazed how few ever bothered to send a thank you letter after the interview. Let me explain why it is always good to send a thank you letter after a job interview.
First, it is likely that the company has identified only a few candidates to interview for the position. Therefore, you can assume that the candidates selected for the interview will be almost equally in qualified. Now let’s say that you are one of two finalists. Up to this point both candidates have sent a resume with a cover letter, possibly had a telephone interview and were brought in to meet with the hiring team. The company may be having a difficult time determining who will be the better candidate. At this point a well-timed thank you letter may be just the edge to help you get the offer.
As I said above, when I was working as a corporate recruiter I very seldom received a thank you letter. Please don’t think my ego was hurt. That’s not the point. My concerns were more scientific than that. First, it says a lot about a person who recognizes and values of the interviewer’s time. Also, it shows the candidate is interested, has good follow-through, and takes ownership of what they do. When I’m in a situation where two candidates are virtually tied for the position, often the one who sends a thank you letter will get the job.
It would never be a decisive factor but it never hurt anyone’s chances either.
About the Author
Martin B. O’Brien is a former recruiter with over twenty years of experience. He shows job seekers how to utilize marketing concepts and strategies so they can stand out from the sea of competition they are up against. His latest report “The Marketing Bullets Resume Strategy” can be obtained at his website http://www.askmrjobhunter.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_O’Brien
Public Speaking as a Career Option
May 3, 2010
An interesting article was published recently on the Online Universities blog, about the 10 Highest-Paid Public Speakers In the World. It’s hard to believe that some people make millions of dollars just for one speaking gig!
Of course, we’re talking here about well-known businessmen and politicians, and not your average Joe, but everyone has to start somewhere, and you don’t have to be world famous to become a successful public speaker. There are probably thousands, if not millions, of people all over the world who would gladly pay to learn what you already know.
If you’d like to earn a good income speaking at conferences, seminars, schools, colleges, or corporate training programs, check out the FabJob Guide to Become a Motivational Speaker. It’s full of expert advice from successful speakers, and including insider tips on how to:
- Sound like a polished professional speaker
- Get speeches written for you
- Get hired to speak for conferences, seminar companies, conventions, corporations, schools, colleges, cruise ships, non-profit organizations, and continuing education programs
- Get jobs through speakers agencies
- Profitably present your own seminars
The print book includes a bonus CD-ROM with forms and samples you can use in starting your own business.
