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Cheer Up Your LinkedIn Profile

By leidson on Monday, March 24, 2014

We all spend time reading other peoples’ posts and updates on social media, but when is the last time you skimmed over your own profile and updated your information? Do you need to refresh your profile by adding new skills and work history, or do you need to delete some old things from your profile? Here are a few quick tips to cheer up your LinkedIn Profile.

What is Your LinkedIn Profile Saying About You?
Is your LinkedIn profile leaving an accurate and good impression on those who view it? A CareerBuilder study shows hiring managers are using social media to evaluate candidates’ character and personality traits outside the confines of the traditional interview process. When asked why they use social networks to conduct background research, hiring managers stated the following: 65% wanted to see if the candidate presents himself/herself professionally, 51% wanted to see if the candidate is a good fit for the company culture, 45% wanted to learn more about the candidate’s qualifications, 35% wanted to see if the candidate is well-rounded, and 12% wanted to look for reasons not to hire the candidate.

LinkedIn is a great social media tool for letting people in the professional arena learn more about you, your skills, and your work experience. So, where do you start?

Update Your Profile Picture
First things first, start with updating your profile picture. If your picture is more than five years old, it’s time for a new one. Make sure your photo is a head shot of you in business attire, not a picture of you with other people. Don’t forget to smile!

Freshen Up Your Summary
If you don’t have a professional summary, you need to write one. Don’t ever leave your summary blank. In fact, don’t leave any field blank on your profile. Your summary is one of the first things an employer sees when they look at your profile, which is a great way to introduce and present yourself. Take a quick look through your profile and professional summary to make sure you’re showcasing yourself and your abilities. Your summary doesn’t need to be long or in-depth, but it does need to point employers in the right direction. Keep in mind, your skills and information are searchable so you’ll want to use key words and descriptions that align with your industry.

Clean Up Your Group Lists
Joining groups on LinkedIn is a great way to grow your network. If your interests have changed since you first joined LinkedIn and you’d like to learn more about a different industry or company don’t hesitate to join their LinkedIn group. Cleaning up your old groups and add new ones can help you cheer up your LinkedIn profile.

Follow New People
Do you have professional role models that you look up to? See if those people have LinkedIn accounts and request to follow them. Following those you look up to and seeing their updates on your LinkedIn feed can help encourage you in your job search and keep you motivated during your career journey.

Cheering up your LinkedIn and other social media profiles might be just what you need to get noticed. These edits and updates can be done in a short amount of time, so cheer up your LinkedIn profile today. Have you landed a job by using LinkedIn? 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.

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.

At Work Career Advancement Career Options The Daily Grind Work/Life Balance Workplace Relationships

4 Questions to Uncover If Your Workspace is Out of Control

By leidson on Monday, March 3, 2014

When was the last time you paused and took a good look at your desk? Sure, you’re busy and work is crazy – we get that. But an out-of-control workspace is only going to make it worse. Your environment impacts your own productivity, efficiency, and attitude, as well those of your co-workers.

So how do you objectively determine if your workspace is just a little untidy or a complete mess? First, you have to stop running from one project to another and spend some time in your workspace. Take a good look around. Then ask yourself these four questions to uncover if it’s out of control.

How does your workspace make you feel?
As you gaze across your desk, how do you feel? If the state of your workspace leaves you feeling assured, confident, and in control, then you’re probably in good shape. But, if the sight of your workspace induces feelings of panic, uncertainty, or insecurity, then it’s probably out of control.

Does your space hinder your productivity?
Now think about how you work in your area. How often do you waste time searching for files, digging for a pen, or sifting through papers? In a Forbes article, Susan Kousek, a Certified Professional Organizer, said, “For many people, it’s difficult to focus when their desk is filled with papers, phone messages, business cards, magazines, and newsletters, especially when the layers are inches high.” A workspace that’s out of control can take a toll on your efficiency and productivity.

Are your visitors and co-workers comfortable?
Unless you work alone at home, your workspace impacts others. You need to consider if visitors and co-workers are at ease when they stop by your desk. Are they able to focus on you and the task at hand? Or are they too busy dodging stacks of folders and being distracted by the clutter? If you’re brave enough, you might even ask the next person who stops by if they think your area is out of control.

Does it come across as unprofessional?
Your workspace says a lot about you and your work ethic. And the number one thing you don’t want is for it to come across as unprofessional. According to the Huffington Post, a messy desk is “often associated with disorganization, thereby giving others around you the impression that you may not have your work (or life) under control.” Don’t let your co-workers, superiors, or customers get the wrong idea about you based on an out-of-control workspace.

Based on those questions, is your workspace out of control? If the answer is yes, don’t panic. Just take it a step at a time, and before long you’ll have a tidy workspace. Organizing your desk and work area might take a little effort and time, but the end result will be a workspace that inspires feelings of confidence, productivity, and professionalism for everyone who enters.

How out-of-control has your workspace gotten? What tips do you have for organizing and maintaining your desk and workspace? Share your experiences below.

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

Fall in Love with Your Job: Whether it’s a New Job or Your Next Job

By leidson on Friday, February 14, 2014

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress or if you’re not loving your job anymore, it’s probably time for something new or a fresh perspective. Changing your job could be just what you need, but there’s more to it. Changing your job won’t fix everything. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when looking for a new job.

Make the Most of Things

Analyze your day and “to-do” list to determine what tasks you prefer to do the most and what tasks you put off until the last minute. Find ways to make unpleasant tasks more enjoyable. Don’t lose yourself in the everyday monotony of your work. If you struggled at your old job with meeting deadlines or if you didn’t enjoy your work at all, try looking at things in a new light. Figure out more efficient ways to get your work done at your new job. Don’t fall back into the rut of hating your job; make the most of where you are.

Have a Good Attitude

Having a good attitude will help you stay positive going into your new job. If you struggle with being positive don’t let a negative mindset ruin your new job. If you’ve ever thought your job doesn’t matter, remember everyone in the company plays a role in its success. Your individual job is important to the business you work for. So have confidence and pride in your work and do your best to keep a good attitude.

Having Fun

Having fun does not mean to neglect your duties, but rather, change your attitude so you don’t see every job you do as a tedious task. Doing your job with a more positive attitude and focusing on the parts that are more fun for you will help you become more productive and help lighten your overall mood. Make your job fun by setting goals for yourself or incorporating friendly competition into your work. Competing with co-workers not only improves the overall performance of work in many instances, but by having someone to compare yourself against, it will highlight your strengths and weaknesses. If you find a way to work together, you can help compensate each other’s weaknesses and build on both your strengths.

Do you love your job and have your own tips to share with us? Let us know in the comments section below.

At Work Uncategorized

What to Do When You Don’t Like Your Boss

By leidson on Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Today is Boss’ day, and employees everywhere are finding little ways to show their boss how much they appreciate their guidance and leadership.

How it All Started

According to Wikipedia, Boss’ day was started by an employee named Patricia Haroski who happened to work for her father in Deerfield, Illinois. On his birthday, Oct. 16, she wanted to celebrate her dad/boss and let him know how much she appreciated him so in 1958, she registered “National Boss’s Day” with the U.S.Chamber of Commerce and four years later it became an official holiday that is recognized on Oct. 16 every year in the U.S. and Canada.
Patricia’s effort surely made her dad proud, but for some of us Boss’ day can feel a lot like the workplace version of Valentine’s Day. It’s great if you have a manager you love but what do you do if you don’t even like your boss?

Not a Fan of Your Boss? You’re Not Alone

Some of you are thinking “I really don’t like my boss and don’t exactly want to celebrate this day.” You’re not the only one that doesn’t feel like your boss deserves a national holiday dedicated to them. The 2013 State of the American Workplace report from Gallup showed that 70% of survey respondents either hated their jobs or were completely disengaged citing awful bosses as one of their biggest complaints.

The key to getting through Boss’ day or any other workday with a manager you don’t really like is to focus on the positives. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, so look for the strengths in your boss and let them know what you do appreciate about them. You never know, it could actually help change some things around the office. And if you can’t find any, use this opportunity as a chance to learn what not to do in your own career.

If you don’t like your boss, look at today as a chance to build a better relationship. Make an effort to really understand what makes your supervisor or manager tick. What could you be doing differently to help? Today is the day to start. That’s really the best gift you can give today.

Career Options New Job Tips The Job Search Uncategorized

Persistence in the Job Search

By leidson on Friday, September 27, 2013

Whether you’ve been searching for a job for just a few days or more than a year, it’s easy to become discouraged. The continual hunt for new openings, tweaking your resume over and over, rewriting your cover letter for the hundredth-time, and going through the roller coaster of emotions is enough to make anyone want to give up. But giving up isn’t how you land a job.

Unfortunately, millions of other Americans have stopped being persistent and have fallen into defeat. This current phenomenon is the focus of a recent Express Employment Professionals white paper. The Great Shift highlights the recent decline in America’s labor force participation rate, which describes the percentage of working-age adults that are either actively searching for a job or currently working. Today, the rate stands at 63.4%, a level not seen since the 1970s. As the white paper points out, that rate means “among the estimated 89.9 million Americans not in the labor force as of July 2013, at least 6.6 million still want a job.”

Those are some pretty bleak numbers. To get the full picture of the situation and learn why it’s happening, you can check out Express white paper.

It would be easy to let these facts dissuade you from continuing your hunt. However there is something that sets you apart from those millions of Americans, and that one thing is you. While you may not be able to give yourself a job, you do have the ability to NOT give up. Staying hopeful and remaining persistent is the name of the game, and there are some practical ways to keep yourself from losing momentum.

Set Goals
Searching for a job is practically a full-time job in its own rite, so treat it like one. Set daily and weekly goals for yourself, such as spending a certain amount of time each day looking through online job boards or applying for a specific number of positions per week. This will keep you moving forward and give you achievable short-term targets to hit along the way.

Review Your Skills
If you haven’t already, take an inventory of your skills. Consider both your hard skills, like education and work experiences, and your soft skills, such as time management and flexibility. Are there skills listed in the jobs you’ve been applying for that you lack? Do you have the top three hard skills employers want to see in a job candidate? If there are areas you need to work on, make a plan to grow those specific skills as you continue the hunt.

Check Your Expectations
No one wants to be in a job they’re over-qualified for, but turning down a job when you’re out of work just because it doesn’t meet your expectations isn’t the best move. In the argument between underemployed and unemployed, underemployed wins out. So don’t derail your job search by saying “no thank you” to a legitimate job and then buying into the idea that there is nothing out there. You can always take the job and still keep looking.

Don’t let yourself become another worker who’s given up and called it quits. Being persistent will pay off in the end. Share your ideas for staying positive and persistent during a job search in the comments section below.