New Job Tips

Four Tricks to Learn to Land the Interview

By leidson on Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Without the right guidance, filling out applications, sending your resume to numerous people, and searching for jobs online, can seem impossible. But we want to help make that process easier for you. So here are four tricks to learn how to land an interview.

Have a Strong Tailored Resume and Powerful Cover Letter
Make sure your resume is specifically tailored and relevant to the position you’re applying for. And don’t skip the cover letter. This is your chance to tell the hiring manager exactly who you are and what you have to offer. A cover letter can say what a resume can’t, so include specific examples of instances where you have excelled, use this avenue to craft a picture of your expertise you want the prospective employer to know.

Follow Up
Communication is the key to landing a job interview. After you’ve sent in your resume and cover letter, follow up by sending an email to say thank you for their consideration, confirm that they’ve received your resume and cover letter, and ask where they are in the hiring process. Communicating with your potential employer will reiterate your interest and show them you’re serious about the job opportunity.

Don’t Forget to Be Yourself
Make sure everything you’ve provided is accurate and uniquely you. Although you may have received help with writing your cover letter or resume, be sure that every bit of information you share is truthful and allows your personality to shine through.

Network and Research
Get to know people who work where you want to work. It’s important to network with experts in the field you want to be in, so don’t be afraid to reach out and develop relationships with them. Begin by looking online and using social media networks to learn more about the company and industry you want to work in. Facebook Graph Search is a great tool to see if any of your Facebook friends work at the specific company or industry you want to work in.

Another way to learn more about your potential employer is by following them on Twitter and LinkedIn or by liking their company’s page on Facebook. Put your best foot forward by being active on their social media networks. Believe it or not, most recruiters, human resource directors, and hiring managers scan over candidates’ social media profiles before they begin the hiring process. So, remember to keep your social media sites clean and professional.

Have you recently landed a job interview? What are some tips you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments section below!

At Work Career Options New Job Tips The Daily Grind The Job Search Uncategorized

Resume Tips To Help You Get Lucky

By leidson on Monday, March 17, 2014

When you’re trying to catch a potential employer’s eye, your resume has to stand out from the crowd. It has to have something extra, a little bit of magic that no other resume has. But, sometimes magic is hard to come by, and it can be difficult to find ways to make your resume distinct. So, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here are seven tactics to add some luck to your job search.

Give Your Resume a Pinch
Less is more, so cut unnecessary content, eliminate meaningless phrases, and shape it to fit each job opening in order to get noticed.

Find the Pot o’ Gold with the Right Style
What you bring to the job is unique, which means you need to pick the resume style that best matches your work history, skills, and qualifications.

Show What You Have to Offer
Apply some eloquence to that meaningless objective statement and shift the focus to what you’ll bring to the job.

Make Your Competition Green With Envy
Your work history is the core of your resume, so make sure it’s strong and sculpted for the most attractive resume possible.

Treat Your References Like 4-Leaf Clovers
If you say “references available upon request” in your resume, make sure you have great references prepped and ready to vouch for you.

Follow the Rainbow to the Perfect Format
Do your research to ensure you know which electronic resume format – Word or PDF – works best for you and the job opening.

Check for Overlooked Shamrocks
Hiring managers expect a resume to contain certain elements, so give it one final look to ensure nothing’s missing.

Getting lucky in your job search starts with taking the time to fix up your resume so it can work it’s magic. After all, employers will never know what an amazing job candidate you are if your resume doesn’t grab their attention.

What have you done to make your resume stand out? Share your own tips for building a golden resume in the comments section below.

New Job Tips The Job Search Uncategorized Work/Life Balance

Don’t Let Spring Break Ruin Your Reputation

By leidson on Friday, March 14, 2014

Spring break is finally here, and students everywhere are in the home stretch of this semester! The time has come for many students to take a much needed week away from school. It’s a time for fun, relaxation, and a chance to recoup from late night study sessions and homework. As you begin planning for your spring break, keep in mind that it’s easy for your reputation to be tainted in a short amount of time if you’re not careful. Here is some trustworthy advice to remember before you start your spring break shenanigans.

Protect Your Online Reputation
How can you protect your online reputation? By keeping your social media profiles private and being aware of what others post to them can help guard your reputation. When you and your friends get together there will probably be some pictures taken, and with the accessibility of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you could find pictures posted you wish had never been taken. Your friends could also include you in posts or status updates, so it’s important to have strict privacy settings on your social media networks before Spring Break begins. According to a study by CareerBuilder, two in five employers use social media to screen candidates. So you never know when a prospective employer is searching for you. If they happen to find an inappropriate picture or see something that they don’t like it can impact your job search.

Spring Break Precautions
Most students don’t plan on getting into trouble on Spring Break. Of course you want to have a good time, but if you’re not careful you could find yourself tangled with the law, or worse. While a “YOLO” attitude may serve you well in the moment, take a pause to consider future implications of snap decisions.

Take Advantage of Spring Break
Spring Break is a great time to jumpstart your career. You may not be able to get a job or intern at a company in a short week’s time, but there is another alternative – job shadowing. Shadowing someone for a few days will provide you with great insight into the everyday aspects of a job. Ask your friends and family if you could tag along and learn what a day in their life at work is like. Instead of going on a trip or just staying at home, get out and learn more about the career you want to have.

Finding a job is a full-time job in itself, so get a jumpstart on your future this Spring Break! How are you planning to get started on your job search, or are you already in the process? Let us know in the comments section below.

New Job Tips The Daily Grind The Job Search Uncategorized Work/Life Balance

Easy Tips to Job Search on Facebook

By leidson on Wednesday, March 12, 2014

According to a recent survey from Jobvite, 83% of people looking for a job use Facebook to search for work. As Forbes writer, Susan Adams, points out in her article 4 Ways to Use Facebook to Find a Job, with 1.23 billion users, job seekers should tap into Facebook’s networking power to help them find work. If you don’t already have a social media presence, you should consider creating an account on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Here are three tips to help you get started.

1. Take Advantage of Facebook’s Graph Search
Networking is an important step in finding a job whether you’re online or off. To start your job search, first you should use the Facebook Graph Search tool. Last year, Facebook implemented Graph Search which they say helps “you find more of the people, places, and things you’re looking for and discover new connections” which can include connections to jobs!

Learn more about Facebook Graph Search

Graph search is a good way to identify networking opportunities and connections you didn’t know you have. For example, if there’s a job at a specific company that you’re interested in, consider searching on Facebook for any friends or acquaintances you have who already work there. Search terms such as “my friends that work at (name of company)” and a list of connections should appear. You can also search for things like “people who work at (name of company)” to see if you have any mutual friends with their employees. If you’re not directly connected to an employee, maybe you know someone who can introduce you.

As you network, don’t just hunt down your friends to ask them to help you get a job at their company. Be considerate of their time, work on building those friendships, and keep networking.

2. Interact Online with the Companies You Apply At
A good way to stay up to date with companies you’re interested in applying at is to Like their company page on Facebook. Many companies post jobs and other relevant information that could be helpful to know. When you “Like” their page, you’ll start seeing more of their information show up on your newsfeed. Keeping up with the companies you’re interested in will allow you to learn more about them. When you have something to say that is relevant, post it on their Facebook wall and begin to professionally interact with them.

While it’s important to stay engaged with your prospective company’s Facebook pages, be careful not to say something out of place or irrelevant. Keep in mind that company Facebook pages are generally not the place to post resumes or follow up on your application.

3. Subscribe to Job Feeds
Did you know some companies like Gap, Inc. and UPS have job feeds on Facebook that allow you to search for jobs? Some of these job feeds can even alert you when a job is open and you can even apply for jobs directly on their page. Some will even match your profile to search for jobs most relevant to you. Check out the app section of the company’s Facebook page to see if they provide job alerts. These job alerts are not available on mobile versions of Facebook so hop on a desktop computer to take a look are job feeds.

As you search for jobs online it’s important to remember that recruiters and potential employers can and will search for you on social media too. As you begin your Facebook job search, remember to put your best foot forward and present a professional image on your social media profiles.

How has Facebook helped your job search? Let us know in the comments section below.

At Work Career Advancement Career Options New Job Tips The Daily Grind The Job Search Work/Life Balance

Cracking the Code: 5 Must Have Computer Skills

By leidson on Monday, March 10, 2014

No matter how tech savvy you may be, technology is always changing, so it’s important that you stay proficient in your computer skills as you’re looking for a job or trying to further your career. We asked a few current recruiters what their top five must-have computer skills were, and here is what they shared with us.

1. Microsoft Office, Including Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel
Microsoft Office is not just a computer system you have to use to get through some college classes; it’s used often in almost every corporate setting. From emailing, writing articles, creating PowerPoint presentations, to making a spreadsheet, you’ll most likely use Microsoft Office at some point in your career. If you need to touch up on these computers skills, Microsoft offers free training if you have purchased the software. You can also find courses that teach Microsoft Office skills at many different community colleges and through continuing education programs.

2. Be Comfortable Conducting Business Online
Surfing the World Wide Web is as easy as clicking a button, but most jobs require much more internet knowledge than just the fundamentals. Employers look for people with online skills including: managing passwords, completing transactions, filling out online time cards, ordering supplies, and logging activities. They’re also looking for people they can trust with having a computer and internet access.

3. Basic Typing Skills
Communicating via text or email requires some form of a keyboard, so having basic typing skills is a necessity. Not only are these skills helpful in our everyday lives, they’re an important skill to have when searching for a job. In fact, many employers will administer a typing test before a final interview to see if you can to type efficiently. To improve your typing speed and for typing practice, check out 10fastfingers.com.

4. Working Knowledge of Both PC and Mac
We all need to have some understanding of computers and how they work. Some of the differences between PCs and Mac are their design, software, and technical specifications. Whether you’re searching for a job, working for a corporate company, or are a barista at a coffee shop, it’s good to have a basic familiarity with operating a computer.

5. Knowledge of How to use a Smartphone
Smartphones have advanced to having many of the same capabilities as computers. They can be used for making phone calls, accessing the internet, managing social media, organizing contact information, sending emails, and even finding jobs. A Wall Street Journal article shared, “Employers are starting to experiment with the next frontiers of mobile recruiting: using QR codes and text-messaging, two capabilities that are specifically geared to smartphones.” Getting your foot in the door could be as easy as having knowledge of computers and your smartphone.

Most 21^st century jobs require basic computer knowledge. What skills do you have that helped you get a job? Share with us in the comments section below.

At Work Career Options New Job Tips The Daily Grind The Job Search Work/Life Balance

Spring Clean Your Reference List

By leidson on Friday, March 7, 2014

Have you been using the same references for years? If so, what better time than now to spring clean your reference list? Cleaning up your reference list is just as important as updating your resume. Here are some tips to keep in mind when reviewing your reference list.

Maintain a Good Relationship with Your References
When is the last time you talked to your references? If you’ve listed supervisors you’ve worked for in the past, do you know if they’re still employed at the same company? Touch base with your references and let them know they’re still on your list. If your supervisor is no longer employed with your previous employer, consider deleting him or her off your reference list. Although you should look for senior-level co-workers or leaders, you don’t have to strictly include supervisors in your reference list. Find a co-worker or manager who knows your work ethics and will give you praise.

Always Ask
Don’t forget to ask your references if it’s okay that you continue to use them as a reference. Each time you apply for a job and use references, make sure you give them a heads up and time to prepare. Not only is it polite, it’s practical. Your potential employer could be calling them and they may not pick up if it’s a number they don’t recognize.

Choose Your References Wisely
Your references should be professional colleagues. While family and friends would be great spokespersons to tell of your success and accomplishments, you need to use professionals as references who can speak of your work experience. Having a variety of colleagues that know you from different perspectives will give a diverse and positive statement to your future employer.

Coach Your References
It would be a shame to have worked so hard job searching and getting your resume together only to find out that you didn’t land the job because of a bad reference. Coaching your references will help avoid this. Write an email to your references or give them a phone call reminding them of your job search. Let them know about the job you’re applying for and give them the description so they can be ready to tell about your qualities and skills that fit that specific job. Give them a copy of your current resume so they can speak to your abilities.

What’s been your experience in asking for references? Have you ever had a reference that was the deciding factor in whether you were hired or not? Let us know in the comments section below.

Career Advancement Career Options New Job Tips The Daily Grind The Job Search Uncategorized Work/Life Balance

Lucky Words for Your Resume

By Job Journey on Wednesday, March 5, 2014

On average, a hiring manager will look over a resume for only six seconds, and if they don’t see something that stands out, you may not end up landing an interview. Knowing this fact can add even more stress to the job search process, but don’t let it. Resume writing is easier than you think. Writing a precise resume is key to securing a job, so it’s important to pack the right words in your resume to showcase your skills and abilities. Your resume doesn’t need to tell your life story, but it does need to get the hiring manager’s attention.

Resume Word Choices
It’s important to use words in present tense when writing about your current job and use past tense when referring to a previous job. Employers aren’t only looking for skills, but also certifications, degrees, job titles, and company names. They are also looking for keywords that highlight your experience, personality, and abilities. Some of these keywords include:

Information-related

Administered
Analyzed
Compared
Compiled
Gathered
Organized
Prepared
Recorded
Researched

People-related

Coached
Coordinated
Consulted
Evaluated
Instructed
Managed
Negotiated
Persuaded
Scheduled

Objects/Material -related

Arranged
Assembled
Created
Inspected
Maintained
Operated
Repaired
Sold
Tested

Be careful not to be repetitive in your word usage. You can easily spice up your resume to convey similar actions by using different words. What are some keywords you’ve used in your resume? Share with us in the comments section below!