Thursday, March 31
Wednesday, March 30
Volunteering Opportunities Pay Off
Can working a job without a paycheck set you up for big bucks? Job seekers who took this route tell all.
Volunteering is good for your soul, and it can also be good for your resume.
Many in the ranks of the unemployed have sought out volunteer work to pass the time and remain active in the absence of a 9-to-5 daily assignment. And some of those volunteers have found, by design or serendipity, that donating time and skills to a charity can be a ticket to employment.
Making such a transition takes planning. Job seekers who have leveraged charity work into full-time work, executives who run nonprofit organizations and job-search experts told TheLadders that making the connection is not as simple as signing up to serve meals at the senior center.
To turn volunteer work into employment requires a strategic decision about what organizations are most likely to help your career and what roles you can serve that will put you in a position to connect your volunteer service to full-time work, these experts said.
But don’t discount your passion for a particular cause or group, they cautioned. Combining a strategic appraisal of your options and your heart’s desire can lead to a job that nourishes your income and your soul.
- Do what you know
- Leverage your network
- Choose your charity carefullyStill volunteering
read the full article here: http://ops.theladders.com/career-advice/volunteering-opportunities-pay-off?et_id=1998595520&sign=y&link_id=540
Tuesday, March 29
5 reasons NOT to take job out of fear
(CareerBuilder.com) -- Despite all the talk of economic recovery, things are not yet a normal we are ready to accept. However, in a tough job market, you might be tempted to say "yes" to a job offer, any job offer, out of fear that there won't be another one following behind it.
In a shaky economy, that sounds wise, but here are five reasons why you'd be deluded to follow this conventional wisdom.
1. Low interest means low performance: If you are lukewarm about your new job it will be tough to give it your all. Once your learning curve is over, you may have a hard time staying engaged and motivated enough to give the job your attention and effort. There's only so long you'll be able to "suck it up" and you'll be out looking for another job before you know it.
2. Low pay means low satisfaction and resentment: Sometimes it's necessary to take a job just to pay the bills, but if you're taking a big pay cut or settling for sub-standard pay, it won't be long before resentments start percolating. Interpersonal conflicts, feeling undervalued or getting frustrated at how long it can take to get a raise or promotion are likely outcomes.
3. You are setting a precedent and it will be hard to change: In accepting a job out of fear, you are coming from a mindset that you better take whatever you can get. It's a bit of the "why ask for the pie when you'd settle for the crumbs" mentality. You may start to believe that you deserve less, which may mean that you'll settle for less again in the future.
4. Fear will become your M.O.: If you take a job out of fear, you'll also fear losing it. Can you make your most important decisions or most creative innovations from a fearful state? It's unlikely. What is likely is that you'll be afraid to speak up, to take a risk , to stick up for yourself or put yourself out there. What will that do to your chances for good exposure, advancement and building a reputation? Not much.
5. You may have stopped three feet before gold: There's an old story of a man who inherited an abandoned gold mine. He dug and dug with his small backhoe everyday for months, trying to dig up the gold that he was convinced was in his mine. Day after day he toiled to no avail.
Finally, convinced he had a dud of a mine, he sold it and felt glad to have walked away with some profit. When the new owner took over and got into the backhoe, he got to work and struck gold within three feet of the first chisel. The former owner was three feet away from gold, but he gave up.
By taking that job because you were afraid there was no other, you may have stopped just three feet before your big, ideal prize.
If your time has run out, you have to do what you have to do. But if you can wait, please do. You deserve a job you can really bite your teeth into -- and the company you work for deserves an employee they won't have to replace in six months.
In a shaky economy, that sounds wise, but here are five reasons why you'd be deluded to follow this conventional wisdom.
1. Low interest means low performance: If you are lukewarm about your new job it will be tough to give it your all. Once your learning curve is over, you may have a hard time staying engaged and motivated enough to give the job your attention and effort. There's only so long you'll be able to "suck it up" and you'll be out looking for another job before you know it.
2. Low pay means low satisfaction and resentment: Sometimes it's necessary to take a job just to pay the bills, but if you're taking a big pay cut or settling for sub-standard pay, it won't be long before resentments start percolating. Interpersonal conflicts, feeling undervalued or getting frustrated at how long it can take to get a raise or promotion are likely outcomes.
3. You are setting a precedent and it will be hard to change: In accepting a job out of fear, you are coming from a mindset that you better take whatever you can get. It's a bit of the "why ask for the pie when you'd settle for the crumbs" mentality. You may start to believe that you deserve less, which may mean that you'll settle for less again in the future.
4. Fear will become your M.O.: If you take a job out of fear, you'll also fear losing it. Can you make your most important decisions or most creative innovations from a fearful state? It's unlikely. What is likely is that you'll be afraid to speak up, to take a risk , to stick up for yourself or put yourself out there. What will that do to your chances for good exposure, advancement and building a reputation? Not much.
5. You may have stopped three feet before gold: There's an old story of a man who inherited an abandoned gold mine. He dug and dug with his small backhoe everyday for months, trying to dig up the gold that he was convinced was in his mine. Day after day he toiled to no avail.
Finally, convinced he had a dud of a mine, he sold it and felt glad to have walked away with some profit. When the new owner took over and got into the backhoe, he got to work and struck gold within three feet of the first chisel. The former owner was three feet away from gold, but he gave up.
By taking that job because you were afraid there was no other, you may have stopped just three feet before your big, ideal prize.
If your time has run out, you have to do what you have to do. But if you can wait, please do. You deserve a job you can really bite your teeth into -- and the company you work for deserves an employee they won't have to replace in six months.
Monday, March 28
Friday, March 25
Wednesday, March 23
Brain Dump and Brainstorm Your Way to a Resume
By Lisa Vaas from www.theladders.com
If you’re not a professional writer, writing about yourself is hard, but brainstorming techniques can get the ball rolling and the creative juices flowing.
How can you perform your own resume brain dump? First, stop weeping. Stop staring blankly at the questionnaire your professional resume writer has asked you to fill out. Most of us have ample skills and qualities that can shine in a well-done resume. TheLadders spoke to professional writers for their tips on how to mine that gold and brainstorm your resume.Brain-dump prep
Professional writers recommend job seekers take these steps before sitting down to brainstorm resume writing:
1. Analyze the job posting. What specifically is the employer looking for? This will come in handy when a job seeker analyzes which of his own skills and qualities will match the job description.
2. Get organized. Before tackling your resume, Heather Rothbauer-Wanish advises job seekers to make a list of previous employers, dates of employment and job duties. Know the official names of schools and dates of graduation. You'll use all this information when you sit down to write the resume, said Rothbauer-Wanish, a professional resume writer and owner of Feather Communications.
Brain dump
McDaniel's brain dump is a simple technique that should take about 15 minutes but "yields incredible results," she said.
1.Brainstorm First, set a timer and write without stopping for a minimum of 5 minutes. The key to success is to keep your pen flowing without stopping; just keep writing, no matter what garbage you cough up, even if it's, "This is stupid," or "I don't know what to write," MacDaniel said. The technique, familiar to creative writers who've worked through the Zen techniques Natalie Goldberg teaches in her book "Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within," breaks down your internal filter, "opening the way to fresher ideas and deeper insights," MacDaniel said.
If this is too loosey-goosey, try this exercise from Rothbauer-Wanish: Ask yourself, "What did I really do at that job?" Many times, she said, people don't give themselves enough credit for the tasks and responsibilities they've had in the workplace. Detailing a typical work day and writing down your activities "may spark ideas and help you recall additional job duties," she said.
2. Find the nuggets. Next, McDaniel said, set the timer for 5 minutes again. Go over what you've written, and sift out the key points. If most of it is chaff, don't worry: "Even the rejects are part of the process and lead you from one point to the next."
3. Outline. Assign each key point a number. Make the best information No. 1. That's the material that you'll feature at the top of the resume. Go through and label the rest of the key points in this manner, from most to least important. This form of outlining is "organic," McDaniel said, because it evolves from the material and "helps to cut down on procrastination."
4. Write. Using the key points from the outline, start adding to the meat of the resume. Make sure you prove your worth in quantifiable ways. Amanda Collins, chief of staff for The Grammar Doctors, suggests using the CAR (Challenge, Action, Result) formula.
She provided this example:
Sales were down (C), so you implemented training and employee recognition programs (A), which boosted sales 25 percent in six months (R).
"Of course, quantitative results are best, but qualitative are great too," she said. "Consider things like increasing revenue, decreasing costs or improving customer service/employee relations."
Tuesday, March 22
7 Ways To Get Removed From A Hiring Process Without Having A Bad Interview
1. You’ve heard this one before but it’s always worth repeating: a poorly written cover letter or resume (or both)
2. An unprofessional online presence; make sure the only people who have access to those photos from your rowdy weekend getaway are the people you vacationed with because if a hiring manager can see it, so can his potential clients (this goes for facebook, twitter, blogs—any searchable site on the internet)
3. And this should go without saying, but make sure your LinkedIn profile is bulletproof; no spelling or grammatical errors, cross reference it with your resume to be sure it’s complete and doesn’t provide conflicting information, make sure your photo is appropriate and be sure to use all of its built in tools and apps for professional purposes only (your entire professional network does not need to know you’re reading the Twilight series)
4. Failing to follow up…On your way out the door, you should have expressed continued interest in the company and the position; prove it by sending a thank you note, by following up if you don’t hear anything within the agreed upon timeframe
5. Bad references or failing a background check; be thoughtful and selective when it comes to the folks you are asking to vouch for your outstanding performance and if you know that something in your background is going to throw up a red flag, make sure it’s not a surprise—tell someone (your recruiter!) early in the process
6. Being difficult—make sure your recruiter, the hiring manager, everyone involved in the process knows the best way to reach you, particularly if you are generally hard to get a hold of; and when you get a call, return it as soon as you can
7. Being inconsistent—if you say you want 75K and you get it, don’t come back and ask for 80K; make sure all of your questions are answered before everyone invests lots of time, money and energy into trying to make a hire
written by Kate Harlow, Strategic Sourcing Manager @ TMG
written by Kate Harlow, Strategic Sourcing Manager @ TMG
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