Sunday, September 25, 2011

Unemployed? Got Talent? Start Promoting Yourself Now!

 
Even during tough times, there are jobs to be had. These days, job seekers have to learn how to market themselves better as well as consider a broader range of potential employers and career direction in order to secure employment. 

Step One:  Clean up your Internet presence

ALL potential employers will search the Internet before calling you in for an interview.  If your online presence is even remotely questionable, your application will be tossed.

Step Two: Learn how to use the Internet to maximize your job search
  • Create, review  and optimize your social media profiles
  • Subscribe to industry newsletters 
  • Join professional organizations in your industry
  • Join the maximum number groups [50] on LinkedIn
  • Post thoughtful comments on discussion boards
  • Follow companies on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
Step Three: Upgrade your skills on a regular basis

Upgrading skills does not have to cost a lot of money.  There are TONNES of resources for those looking to upgrade their skills.  Job seekers can find these resources online, at their local library or their local community centre.  

Step Four: Add a face to your on-line presence

Take some time to get out and meet people.  Head out to networking meetings, workshops, conferences and social events with the sole purpose of ‘pressing some flesh’.  HINT: If you can’t afford to attend the conference as a guest, ask the organizers if they need any volunteers.

Step Five: Broaden your target job or area

Consider taking a part-time or freelance job to keep your skills sharp.  Consider looking for work beyond your neighbourhood.  Thanks to globalization, the virtual world is getting smaller and there are jobs today that only require Internet access.

Have any comments or questions?  I would love to hear from you!

Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. This blog is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Landing That ‘Perfect’ Job Is Not Easy


It is difficult to find fault in business magnate, Warren Buffett’s, advice that when you,  “Find your
passion and the money will follow.  After all, who can argue with the 3rd wealthiest person in the world (2011).  Even as a child, Buffett displayed an interest in making and saving money. At the age of 11 he developed an interest in the stock market and even bought shares with the money he earned from selling chewing gum, Coca Cola and weekly magazines door-to-door. Buffett also worked in his grandfather's grocery store. In high school, Buffett made money by money by delivering newspapers, selling golf balls, stamps, and detailing cars.  By the time he finished college, Buffett had accumulated more than $90,000 in savings (as measured in 2009 dollars.)  Buffett had a passion and that passion was making money.

If you are currently unemployed and desperate to find a job, you need to know that there are jobs out there.  They may not however, be the job you want or think you should have. Finding that ‘right’ job takes work and at some point you will have to come to the realization that you can have that ‘perfect’ job, but just not yet.  Once your unemployment benefits run out and the bills begin to stack up, it is time to reassess and revise your plans for your future.  You will need to “Play the cards you have, not the cards you wish you had.”

Step One: Get a résumé. 

If you can’t afford to have one written by a professional, use one of the many templates that are available on the Internet.  It may not be perfect, but it is a start.  At the very minimum, make sure that your résumé is neat, and puts you in the best possible light. Explain times that you were not working by detailing any volunteer work or education you were getting during these periods. Also take the time to have someone else look over the document and check it for neatness, completeness, and accuracy.

Step Two: Find a Job

The modern way to look for a job is to check a few websites like Monster or CareerBuilder for jobs which you think you would be willing and able to do.  Don’t forget to follow their contact instructions. That said, you ought to know that this is probably going to be your LEAST successful way of getting a job quickly. 

Step Three: Post your résumé EVERYWHERE

There IS a hidden job market out there and until you can ‘network’ your way to your perfect job, post your résumé on all the job boards you can find and make sure it is searchable by prospective employers.  N.B.  Be careful of the information you choose to share.  Sway away from your exact address and list only the city and province/state in which you live.  Also don’t forget to include ONE contact number and be sure to have a ‘professional sounding’ voice and message on your answering machine.

Step Four:  Check job boards on a regular basis.

Know that you are currently living in a buyer’s market when it comes to finding employees and the companies are the buyers.  Also, know that there is a lot of talent out there and the majority of opportunities are advertised for 3 days or less.

Step Five: Pound the pavement

Make a list of the companies where you think you would like to work and check out their career section.  Know that the majority of companies will advertise opportunities on the company’s website BEFORE they make the opportunity known in a more public fashion.

Job Hunting Tips

It is tempting to spend your job hunting time simply sitting at home and e-mailing résumés. You can tell yourself how hard you are working to find a job, and how many hundreds of applications you have sent out. However, this is still an inefficient way to get a position. 

In addition to everything else you have done, you must take that list of companies that interests you, and find out where each company, manufacturer, store or business is located and focus your time on certain companies that are of particular interest to you. One of the best ways to maintain that focus is to pay them a visit.  HINT:  Dress well and be well-groomed when you drop your résumé off at the HR department and/or the receptionist.  The receptionist is a real person who has seen you, and will report your mannerisms and attitude to the person who reads your résumé. In fact, it is especially important to be polite to the receptionist. People will notice!

If and/or when you are given an opportunity to complete a job application, follow the instructions exactly! If they tell you to fill out an on-line application, do so. If they send you to an office to speak with a particular person, be polite and courteous, even if they tell you they don't have anything available at the moment. If they like you and are impressed with your attitude, friendliness and behaviour, they will remember you when something does become available! If they ask you to leave the résumé with the receptionist, do as they ask.!

Regardless of your educational background, if you are offered a job, even if it is not the one you want, take it.  Take it even if it is a temporary position. It may not be the job you hoped to find.  It may not be a full-time position and it may not pay as much as you hoped. You should still take it. It is far easier for working people to get better jobs than it is for the long-term unemployed. An employment contract is not a marriage contract.  It is not unusual for someone new to the company to experience a honeymoon period.  This honeymoon period usually lasts about 3 months.  During this honeymoon stage, you will begin to get a feel for the entire company.  You will begin to understand how you fit with the company and how the company fits you.  You may even find that there are opportunities open to you now that you are a valuable employee and that you will have access and be able to become knowledgeable about internal opportunities for advancement before the general public.  You can also consider that if and when something better comes along, you can always make the decision to stay with your current employer, or not when you are offered another job with another company.  More importantly, you will be able to make this decision from a place of calm and logic and not desperation and that piece of mind is worth far more than money.

Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. This blog is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Virtual First Impressions: Why Your E-mail Address Matters

 In this digital age, there are many times where the first contact with another human being is a virtual one. From virtual introductions to on-line applications, the first time someone ‘meets’ you may very well be via an e-mail.

Do you realize that you can effectively lose a career opportunity or job based upon your e-mail address alone?  In this day of virtual address books, we rarely have to type an e-mail address more than once, however, the kind of a ‘first impression’ are you making when someone really looks at the address to try to figure out if they know you before opening that first e-mail, or they have to type your e-mail that first time is critical for your success.

PROFESSIONAL PERSONAL E-MAIL ADDRESSES:
When doing anything that is of a personal, professional nature (be it applying for a job, applying to school, submitting a loan application, etc.), make sure that you use an e-mail address that contains your name. Using an e-mail address such as first.last@gmail.com allows you to make a professional ‘first impression’. Likewise, any of the following are professional, personal e-mail addresses:

lastfirst@xxxx.xxx (where ‘xxxx.xxx’ may be gmail.com, yahoo.com, comast.net, verizon.net, msn.com, etc.)
firstlast@xxxx.xxx
first.last@xxxx.xxx
first.mi.last@xxxx.xxx
firstinitiallast@xxxx.xxx
etc…

USE YOUR REAL NAME. If you have a common name, add a number but not the year you were born, 3-digit area code, city, or something similar.  Unprofessional e-mail addresses are actually used as an excuse to ‘dismiss’ someone from consideration when there is a crowded field of applicants.

One more note: While shaw.ca and telus.net e-mail addresses are fine, if you want to change your internet service provider, you are going to have to change your e-mail address, as well. You might be better served by setting up your personal e-mail address on a free service such as those available from Google, Yahoo, MSN, or a myriad of others. By doing this, you are less ‘obligated’ to your Internet Service Provider because you can switch your service provider without changing your e-mail address. You may also want to consider setting up an e-mail account on a free service provider that is used only for job searching.

P.S. Don’t forget to have a professional sounding message on your answering machine, too!

Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. This blog is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Monday, September 5, 2011

Job Search & Marketing Yourself in a Virtual World - Part 4

 Today, you are cordially invited to make a better virtual first impression!  As there are many ways to ruin your virtual on-line presence. Simply follow the tips listed below and you will be well on your way to a more professional presence on-line:

1)   Provide hyper-links to inactive social networking accounts below your signature and contact information in your cover letter. When you are looking for career opportunities, if there is a prospective employer who is interested enough to check out your Linkedin or Twitter profile and they discover that your profile is incomplete and your Twitter account either has zero tweets or the last time you tweeted was back in late 2009, this is inexcusable!

2)    Stop dancing the “LinkedIn two step”. When you send or accept someone’s invitation to connect, this is not an invitation to launch into your sales pitch. Think courtship not singles bar.

3)    Refrain from starting a discussion and then going MIA. Would you walk into a room, start a discussion and then slip out the back? If you want to be seen as a ‘professional’ in your industry, you will need to stick around and facilitate your discussions.

4)    Don’t stalk people.  When you ‘like’ everything and comment on every status update, it is just creepy.

5)    Curb your ‘need’ to flooding your Twitter Stream with irrelevant data: Live tweeting, twitter chat, rapid-fire tweets, Foursquare updates. Think value before you click send!

6)    Don’t ask for a recommendation from someone who accepted your invitation to connect said hello to you once.

7)    Never ask for a recommendation from someone by using the template.

8)    Lower your expectations when it comes to social networking and your job search.  Job search social networking is a long-term strategy.  A presence on social networks will show prospective employers that you are keeping up with social conventions, not necessarily that you are the most qualified for the opportunity.

9)   Include a photo on your social media.  Also, if you are not one of the lucky ones who looks like they should be on the cover of a magazine, invest in a professional make-over and photography session. 

10)  Use a tagline on your social media profiles that describes what you do.

11)  Join the professional organizations in your industry both on and off-line.

12)  Use a hyperlink in your signature when you contribute to an on-line discussion.  N.B. You should also include your phone number.

13)  Add value to those in your network.  When you come across an interesting article, share it!  If you know of someone who is an expert in the field, share that information, too!

 Have any other ideas?  Please let me know!




Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. This blog is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca