Refine Your Small Talk Job Search Skills

We’ve all found ourselves in that situation where someone we don’t know asks us what we do for a living. Depending on your mental energy level at the time, you may offer a job title-only response or you might go into a little more detail about what it is that you actually do for a living. In many instances, we don’t really know who’s asking us the question and we likely don’t know anything at all about what he or she does for a living. You never know when the opportunity will arise to meet someone that may actually help you in a future job search or in your current career. And if your current job requires you to hire IT contractors, for example, you won’t know if you’re talking to one unless you start to ask some questions.
The art of the small talk requires some skill, however, and nothing is more likely to end a conversation for conversation’s sake faster than a poorly crafted segue into career-related questions. Some people simply don’t want to talk about it and you have to be able to recognize that early on. But some people will offer loads of valuable career information out of sheer boredom, if the situation is right. The key is to be able to mine for some information that may be of value to you – and often times that will come simply by offering some of the same information about yourself.

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Would You Rather?

Last week, I had a conversation with a client who had recently lost his job. He offered that he might possibly get rehired by his former employer, either working nights at one job or traveling 100% of the time at another. He had worked a day job prior to getting downsized. The two choices he presented reminded me of the Would You Rather game and how life is always presenting choices. As a professional, would you rather…

• work at a job you hate for a lot of money or work at a job you love for a little money?
• be president of a company where everyone disliked you or vice president of a company where everyone loved you?
• be the one doing the talking or the one doing the listening?
• be the leader or be the manager?
• have a competent manager or a competent team?
• work nights for more money or work days for less money?
• be seen or be heard at a networking event?
• have someone read your company e-mail or listen to your phone calls?
• be the one who speaks up or the one who shuts up?
• know a little about a lot or know a lot about a little?
• be the one to give or the one to receive?
• be the changer or be the changed?
• be the winner or be the whiner?
• manage others well or well-manage yourself?
• be respected for your knowledge or trusted for your common sense?
• wear an old suit that’s comfortable or a new one that’s uncomfortable?
• be the employer or be the employee?
• buy an existing business or build an organization from scratch?
• be the question or be the answer?
• be the innovator or be the implementer?
• be the interviewer or be the interviewee?

What career choices are facing you right now? What would you rather?
Article by, Billie Sucher and courtesy of CareerHub.com. The Career Hub blog connects job seekers with experts in career counseling, resume writing, personal branding and recruiting.

How To Avoid Becoming A Victim Of Your Environment and the Economy

In the UK, talking and complaining about the weather is a national pastime.
Whilst I dislike the wet and unpredictable weather in London (and frequently dream about owning a beach house in the sun!), I rarely talk about the bad weather and certainly don’t complain about it.
Why?
Because it’s a complete waste of time and mental energy. I can’t control it, I can’t change it and so why worry about it…?
Instead it’s much better to focus on two things: The things I can influence and the things I can control.

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What’s the best company you have ever worked with?

Honeywell

– Submitted by G. T. from Redwood City, California, United States through the CollegeRecruiter.com Career Blog Application on Facebook.com.

Personal Branding Online: The Short and Sweet Version

Article provided by Brand-Yourself.com
Why does personal branding online matter?
We live in an age where understanding the implications of your online presence is not only helpful, but essential. When it comes down to it, creating a strong web presence serves two very basic functions.
First, it allows you to control the information about you that is already inevitably swirling around the web on its own free will. It is extremely important to take the reins and tame that information so that employers, colleagues, family etc. see the good and not the bad.
Second, a strong personal brand online gives you the ability to stand out among a sea of similarity. We live in a big, connected world and the best way to stand out from the pack is by actively marketing yourself. Consider yourself as the CEO of your own company – but if this company fails, it doesn’t have the option of filing for bankruptcy.

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Networking is icky! … or maybe not

Ok, for some of us, the thought of networking is just plain icky, not to mention scary. To be honest, that was how I felt, especially when I was still new to my field and did not have any work experience. I thought networking was just another work for “sucking up.” And then I realized, networking is just a means of gathering and sharing information. It doesn’t need to be icky. As a college student, if you have questions about an assignment, about a new concept that’s been presented in class, or about an upcoming exam, I hope you feel comfortable approaching your instructor with your questions. You’d probably call or email, or you might seek out your instructor before/after class, or during his or her office hours. Likewise, if you have questions about a particular occupation or about working for a specific organization, it makes perfect sense, and is absolutely acceptable, to seek out professionals who can answer those questions during an informational interview.

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Financial Hotshots Join the World’s Oldest Profession

A four star Army general with 28 or more years of experience makes $187,225 a year in salary. They can make a little more–$225/month–not as a bonus, but in combat pay. Our country pays all of its soldiers a small stipend for putting their lives on the line in the nation’s defense.
So, a general is willing to go to work–to spend horribly long hours and face unrelenting pressure–for a paycheck that is one-tenth, one-twentieth or even one-one hundredth of the pay of the wizards at AIG, Citigroup, UBS and other investment firms. A general does his or her job for what financial types consider chump change, yet generals (and colonels and sergeants for that matter) have a far greater impact on the course of human events than even the most senior trader on Wall Street. Or the most experienced banker on Fleet Street. Or any and all of the hedge fund hotshots in Greenwich, Connecticut.
You see, generals (and colonels and sergeants) are responsible for human capital, not financial capital. And despite what the Street walkers in New York or London or leafy Greenwich may think, leading people in defense of the nation is far more difficult and demanding than manipulating puts and shorts and derivatives will ever be. Said another way, Army officers put people in harm’s way to protect the American Dream, not to line their own pockets and put it at risk.
But now the financial community is up in arms because the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that would tax the ill gotten bonuses of AIG executives and traders. Whatever you may think of that strategy, there’s no doubt that, if enacted, it will have a normalizing effect on the compensation of all bankers and brokers. And that outcome, they howl, will lead to a hemorrhage of talent from the financial services industry. They huff and puff that nobody will do the onerous and dirty work of their industry without the porcine pay packages they have come to expect.
What these Streeters are really saying is that the kind of people the financial services industry has sought to attract will work only for money. That’s not true of the many hardworking people down in the ranks, of course, but it is certainly the case for all of the traders and executives who have suckled for years at stratospheric pay levels. These masters and mistresses of the universe are only in it for the cash they are paid.
So, what’s that make them? There’s only one other profession where people work solely for the money they can earn. It’s a talent, I suppose, and it’s also the oldest job title in the world.
Thanks for reading,
Peter
Pay a visit to CareerFitness.com
Article by, Peter Weddle
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.
Article originally posted on Michigan IT

Not a Morning Person? Here is who to blame.

You stumble out of bed, bleary eyed and only one resonating thought: coffee. You space out on the way to work, seemingly forgetting the drive in your haze. Enter the tortuous place (commonly known as work) that is responsible for this fog.
If you are like the overwhelming majority of the population, you fit into this category rather than the chipper, happy to be alive, seize the day, almost alien-like other category: morning people.
What is with these people? Where does their energy come from? Where does their will to live reside and how are they so happy at 8:00am?
The truth is that I’m envious. I want to know their secret, so I decided to get some answers. Is it my fault that I hate the world early in the morning? Or are there factors outside of my control when I unleash on innocent and unsuspecting bystanders with my anger in the morning? What I found out is that it is a mixture of both. The morning person vs. night owl fits in quite well to the nature vs. nurture debate:
NATURE: Genetic research is beginning to show that some of this debate is rooted within our genes. Our hypothalamus (the same part of the brain responsible for hunger and thirst) affects our body clocks as well. Our internal body clocks are innately connected with the time you prefer to wake up or how well (in my case, poorly) you respond to sleep deprivation. Continue reading …
Article by Lauren Kleinman and courtesy of Andrew G.R. and jobacle.com – your cure for carbon copy career advice!

College Students Can Invest in Their Futures With CDs

Whether the economy is going through a boom or a bust, it’s always a good idea to save money, especially for college students. Sooner than you think, you’ll be tossing your mortar board in the air and embarking on a bright and rewarding future. Just remember that unless you were lucky enough to have a full scholarship or very wealthy parents, student loans are likely to be as much a part of your future as your brilliant career. By saving part of the money earned from internships or part-times jobs in certificates of deposit (CDs), you could have a nice little savings waiting for you after graduation.
Although they fluctuate constantly, some of the best CD rates are available right now. The minimum CD amount that most banks will allow is $500. You can select a maturity (pay out date) of six months (sometimes nine months), one year, two years or five years for your CD. For example, a freshman college student who bought a five-year, $500 CD could let it earn interest at the current rates, then when it matures, he could use it to make a substantial payment on his student loans.
Web sites like SelectCDRates.com can help you find out what the average CD rates are nationally or what the current rates are in a particular state. Investing your money, especially during a down economy, in conservative assets like CDs can help any student to be better prepared for what he has to face after graduation, whether it be student loans, buying a new house, or relocating to start a new entry level job.

A Perspective on Resumes in College Recruiting

When meeting with prospective employers at career events, most college students understand the importance of having their resumes on hand. No surprise, right? This is what they have been told by their college career services office. However, some students may be unaware of a new perspective that recruiters have on resumes.

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