Are You Making the Right Connections?

“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. ” – George S. Patton

Some of us have had the good fortune of knowing from an early age exactly where we wanted to go with our careers. However, many job seekers do not discover their professional calling until later in life. Others—even as the last few grains of sand seem to run out—are still trying to figure out “what they want to be when they grow up”. These candidates often feel insecure about their resumes, which frequently show a pattern of moving from job to job without any identifiable career plan in place. If you find yourself in this situation, what can you do to strengthen your resume?

The first thing you need to realize is that moving neatly up the corporate ladder is not the only respectable career path out there. While these types of employees have orderly, easy-to-follow resumes, they don’t necessarily jump off the page as the most compelling candidates to interview. In fact, workers whose careers have veered in several different directions along the way often have very interesting resumes—if their history is presented correctly.

I recently worked with a candidate who had worked at five different jobs in the last eight years—in industries ranging from insurance to entertainment. At first glance, her resume did not seem to present a very cohesive career. However, as we talked about her experience, two important points emerged. Firstly, this candidate had been promoted into management positions within six months of her hire date—by several of her former employers. Clearly, she was able to learn quickly and win the trust of her coworkers. Secondly, the majority of her experience involved managing others, even though the actual work varied from company to company. Currently, this candidate is in an M.B.A. program, learning operations management.

What started as a disjointed progression of jobs evolved into an interesting resume showing a very competent manager who was pursuing a graduate degree to back up her practical experience. Is there a similar way for you to tell your story? Maybe your jobs have included different types of positions—or involved numerous industries. Regardless, you have brought something unique into each and every one of those roles. Even if your professional history doesn’t read neatly, you can still present a compelling picture of yourself as the best candidate for the job.

It all involves making the right “connections”!

Good luck in your search.

 

Author Byline: Jessica has a true passion for the job seeker, evidenced by her desire to share everything she can with everyone she can about resume writing and interviewing.
Author Website: http://www.greatresumesfast.com

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 searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

4 Ways To Quickly Improve Your Executive Resume

Try this: pick up your resume and scan it for 15 seconds. Now put it down and write down what you can remember. Now ask yourself, “Would I call this person”? If your executive resume does not have a clear value proposition that compels someone to call you, then you need to make some changes. Here are 4 ways to do that and immediately improve your results.

1. Have a clear value proposition.

Call it personal branding or a unique selling proposition, the bottom-line is employers want to quickly know, “Who are you and why should I consider you for this position”? Start by taking the fluff out of your resume’s opening. I define “fluff” as statements that anyone can make but no one can prove. For example, “results-oriented,” “great communicator” and “accomplished professional.”

Here’s a simple trick. Make believe you are on Jeopardy and Alex Trebek is introducing you to the audience. Would he really say, “Here is an accomplished executive with great leadership skills and the ability to motivate staff”? Probably not. Instead you would hear something like “Our next contestant is a senior IT executive who specializes in startups and turnarounds. He has worked at such industry leaders as EDS and Accenture where he used world-class best practices and methodologies to drive record levels of revenues, profits and market share.” In short, what can you do for the company and what do you bring to the company that makes you stand out?

2. Keep a consistent theme throughout the resume.

Now that you have established a clear value proposition in your opening, you must continue that theme throughout the rest of the executive resume. If you stated that you are great at turnarounds, then your resume should answer the questions: What did you do and what was the result? Don’t lead with your managing a migration from Windows XP to Windows 7 unless it was an important part of your turnaround strategy.

3. Make your executive resume easy to read.

I was trained by one of the best copywriters in the world, a man who was paid $114,000 per day for his direct mail copy (he commanded that much because his work would sell millions more than other people’s work). His tip to me? Your document must have a compelling message and be easy to read.

The same is true for an executive resume. A 1-page densely written resume is hard to read; a 3-page easy to read resume that has little valuable content will not land an interview. Choose an appropriate font like Tahoma or Calibri and make sure the resume is physically easy on the eyes. Just as important is to make sure you have followed the rules and stayed with your theme.

Should you have a 1-page resume or a 3-page resume? Yes. See my previous blog, What the Well-Equipped Executive has in Their Portfolio.

4. Pepper your resume with testimonials.

A great way to prove your value is to intelligently pepper the resume with quotes and testimonials from bosses, customers and colleagues. This is especially true if you are changing career directions.

For example, I prepared an executive resume for a retiring Colonel but his military experience had no bearing to what he would do in a civilian leadership role. We added quotes like “One of the Top 5 Officers I ever worked with” from a General in the Pentagon and he received dozens of calls. Testimonials are third-party tributes to your value and you should make them easy to find by placing at least one on the first page.

If your executive resume is not getting the results you want, try these simple tricks and you should see a big difference in your job search results.

Want an expert opinion? Send me your resume for a Free Resume Evaluation and I will give you candid advice.

Author Info: Don Goodman, President of About Jobs (www.GotTheJob.com) is a nationally recognized Expert Resume Writer, Certified Career Management Coach and Job Search Strategist. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business and Stanford University’s Executive Program, Don has helped thousands of people secure their next job. Read his blog at www.GotTheJob.com

Author Website: http://bit.ly/h7mO4x

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 searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Work the Networking Events & Tips of the Icebreaker

• Get the most out of networking events.
○ Join industry networking functions by checking online with relevant associations.
○ Research who is attending and make a list of the best people for you to meet.
○ Develop and strengthen relationships by following up with your top connections.
○ Arrange your own networking functions!

• Look and act appropriately.
○ Practice and know your elevator speech! Use it as your introduction.
○ Be positive, friendly, and enthusiastic! No one wants to talk to (or hire) a bore!
○ Ask questions and listen.
○ Get to know the person and the company.

• Remember people’s names.
○ Use their name at least 3 times throughout your conversation.
○ Swap cards and write a note or description on the back to remind you who they are.
○ Later you can forward articles or other information about their industry (or hobbies) to them. This keeps you connected with them.

• Getting into a networking group at an event.
○ Stand by and observe their body language until you get an opening.
○ Offer them some refreshments.

• Getting out of a networking group at an event.
○ Always act interested, even if you are not.
○ Say, “Thank you! I enjoyed talking with you. Enjoy the rest of the evening.”
○ Swap business cards and say, “Can I call you so we can discuss this further?”
○ Always close with a handshake and smile.

• Do not forget about unconventional networking places like community events, prayer groups, PTA meetings, charities, political campaigns, local shopping, etc. You never know where your next lead will come from, so keep resumes in your car and business cards in your pocket or purse.

In your first networking conversation with someone new:
• Always begin with, “Hi! I’m ____. How are you?” and shake hands firmly.
• Say your elevator speech.
• Focus on them, not you.
• Compliment them.
• After you have talked business, ask about casual topics like family and spare time.
• Use the lingo and networking tricks you overhear, if they get a positive response!

Try using these statements as icebreakers or to spark further conversation:
• “I’d like to know more about [the company/positions available/something else you have researched].”
• “What an outstanding [booth/event/turnout]!”
• “Isn’t this is a clever [brochure/marketing item]?”
• “Where do you work?”
• “What kind of work do you do?”
• “How did you get into that industry?”
• “What do you enjoy most about that industry?”
• “How did you go about getting your job?”
• “What do you enjoy most about your job?”
• “What keeps you motivated?”
• “How are you going to continue growing your business?”
• “Who is your most challenging competitor and why?”
• “What is your greatest challenge?”
• “Which industry websites or blogs do you follow?”
• “Are you attending other [career fairs, events, etc.] soon? I’m interested in going too.”
• “If you weren’t in your current career, what would you be doing?”
• “When you are not at work, what do you do for fun?”

 

Author Byline: Matthew Warzel
Author Website: http://www.mjwcareers.com

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 searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Salary Negotiations: The Initial Offer and Your Response

When negotiating salary or other benefit, you are also negotiating the foundation of a relationship, so you want to get off on the right foot. You and the employer must come to an agreement that you both feel is fair.

If you have multiple job offers, you can sharpen your negotiation skills. Practice with a company you are indifferent about working for. If you are feeling confident, try for the company with the best offer. Remember, if they are negotiating, then you are the leading candidate. Use this power to your advantage.

The following are the best steps to take when negotiation begins: 
1. Do not negotiate until you have an offer in writing. Let the employer go first with the offer. However, if they ask you first, tell them your salary range (that you determined with the Considerations in this handout).
2. Restate their offer, and then process it. Keep an honest yet non-emotional response (including body language) based on your research.
3. If it is less than you expect, indicate that it is lower than you expected per your research. Be prepared to verify the sources of your research.
4. Counteroffer with your research-based response and desired range. Remain objective, optimistic, and polite.
5. Never accept an offer right then and there. Ask when they need to know your decision. A respectable company does not ask you to respond immediately.

Their Response and Your Arguments
They may have to consult with the company and get back to you. Rarely do they withdraw an offer because of a counteroffer, but they may if the company is reorganizing or downsizing. Hopefully the employer returns with a satisfying offer. Otherwise, they state their objection and the offer that stands.

Numbers always work in salary negotiation just as they do in your resume. Never give subjective or emotion-based arguments like, “My co-workers really like me” or “I deserve it”. Give undeniable business-related numbers such as, “I increased annual sales by $25,000” or “As vice president, I’ve reduced my department’s employee turnover by 40%”.

Handling Common Salary and Raise Objections
You may hear the following objections. Here are some methods for overcoming these:

Their Objection Your Response
1. “That’s not within our budget for the job.”
-or-
“That’s all we have allocated for the job.”
• Communicate your value to the employer.
• Convince them to revise the budget allocation for the position.
• Point out that the amount is below market value, using your researched range (not an exact amount).
• Show your interest in the job, but mention that you cannot justify accepting less than the market value.

2. “Other employees with similar qualifications and experience aren’t paid that much.”
-or-
“You’d be earning more than others in this type of position.”
-or-
“No one else has received a raise, so why do you think you should?”
• Persuade them that you should earn more because you are worth more. Give specific examples to support your argument (e.g., more advanced degree or more experience than others).
• Suggest that they give you a different job title so you fall into a higher salary bracket. Offer to take on additional responsibilities to offset the higher salary. Usually big companies are not quick to blur job titles and salary levels. But smaller companies not using formal pay-grades may be more flexible to this.

3. “Your salary history does not justify such an increase.”
-or-
“That’s a lot more than your last salary.”
• Stress that you expect to be compensated for the value of your work and what you plan to achieve within the organization. Help the employer realize that previous salaries are unrelated to this job. Try using these responses in terms of your situation:
• “Yes, I earned less at my last job. However, I held that position for 3 years and the experience I’ve gained certainly warrants an increase.”
• “What I’m paid is below market rate. That’s one reason I’m looking for a new job. Because of my skills and recent degree, I don’t want to accept anything less than market value for a new job.”

4. “You haven’t been working for a while.”
• Do not let them assume you are willing to work for less, need retraining or are desperate for a job. Let them know that you offer as much as those with current experience.
• Stress that your endeavors away from work (training, education, volunteer work, personal projects) enhanced you as an employee.
• Accept a lower salary and request a performance review in 6 months. Ask for a guarantee that if you meet your goals, they will increase you to the market value.

5. “I’m sorry, but it’s our policy not to negotiate.”
• Look into whether this is true about the company. If it is true, you may have no choice. If might not be true, say, “I understand you don’t normally negotiate salary. But I am an exception, because…”
• Negotiate for better non-cash benefits.

Final Offer
Know when to quit. If you sense the employer getting frustrated with your proposals or states that this is all they can do for you, stop and evaluate the existing offer. Do not give the impression that you are impatient or greedy. You may annoy the employer if you push beyond their limits, and they may withdraw offer.

When they come back to you with their final offer, be ready to evaluate and decide to accept or decline. Once an offer and package is agreed upon verbally, always make sure they are going to mail it to you in a signed, written document (an “offer of employment” letter).

Other Negotiables
Salary is not the only area to negotiate. If the employer rejects your desired salary or in certain jobs, industries or companies where salary is non-negotiable, you still have other options. These other options may be more important to you and might be negotiable.

To better prepare and negotiate, you may want to ask their HR department for information about benefits and options available. These can include:

• Bonuses (performance-based)
• Performance reviews (including timing and percentage)
• Health, dental, life and disability insurance
• Retirement or pension plans
• Vacation and sick days
• Work-from-home days
• Tuition reimbursement
• Overtime policies
• Profit sharing plans
• Stock options
• Employee discounts
• Company car and expense accounts (like commuter expenses)
• Relocation/moving expenses
• Termination contract
• Professional association or gym memberships
• Certifications
• Childcare
• Sign-on bonus

 

Author: Matthew Warzel
Website: http://www.mjwcareers.com

Social Media Marketing Growing Much Faster Than Search Engine Marketing

A new study just released indicates that ad buying on Facebook and other social media marketing is on track to surpass classic search engine marketing (SEO and SEM), reflecting social media’s huge impact.

The Ascent of Social Marketing

Online marketing projects have become a necessary tool for many businesses. These cover everything from the “classic” lead generation and public relations campaigns – to newer forms such as search engine marketing and social media marketing. According to DoNanza, in 2010, social media marketing projects grew by 67 percent as compared to 2009. The social marketing share of all projects grew to 35 as compared to 29 percent of projects in 2009. DoNanza data shows this trend will continue into 2011. However, growth rates for search engine marketing projects remain high, at 33 percent compared to 2009, although their share of overall marketing channels has dropped from 44 percent to 41 percent.

“This shift towards social marketing indicates that businesses believe that the potential value of social marketing is higher than any other online marketing channel”, said Liran Kotzer, CEO of DoNanza. “I believe there are many reasons for this: first, the huge number of people spending their time on social environments such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, and the fact that social networks are here to stay and people are learning how to use them for business. In addition, many social media campaigns are more visible and easier to measure and understand than some of the methods used for in search engine marketing. However, search engine marketing is definitely not decreasing, quite the contrary. In 2010, it is still the largest in terms of projects available on DoNanza.” Yet even though search engine marketing projects dominated the work-from-home site, DoNanza, social marketing projects were typically budgeted higher than search engine marketing with social marketing projects budgeted on average at $1,090 and search engine marketing projects budgeted at the much lower $683.

If You Feel That You’re Going To Be Fired

Tips for financing a graduate school education

You’ve graduated from college and have made the decision to go to graduate school. Or you’re working at a job and need to supplement your Bachelor’s degree with more education to further your career. As our society has continued to evolve, education has become the most favorable route to professional success: pursuing a graduate degree is the best way to receive training and gain expertise in a specific field. Higher education is an essential ingredient. Employers increasingly use degrees to determine salary offers and award raises. You want your salary to reflect your credentials.

Graduate degrees are being pursued by professionals who see them as a means to increase their salary potential and improve their professional expertise. But how do you pay for it? You should explore the following options:

 

Complete the FAFSA

The first step in securing funds for higher education is to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). This application is required if you plan to receive any funds from the government or take out student loans to pay for your education. Colleges also require you to fill out the FAFSA before they can disburse any funds in the form of grants, loans, or work study.

 

Loans

Borrowing to finance your graduate degree is always an option. There are two types of Graduate Stafford loans: subsidized and unsubsidized. Subsidized loans are awarded based on financial need. You will not be charged interest before you begin repayment or during periods of deferment. The federal government “subsidizes” the interest during these time periods. Unsubsidized loans are not awarded based on financial need. Any eligible student can take out unsubsidized Stafford loans. You will be charged interest from the time the loan is disbursed until the time the loan is repaid in full. You may borrow up to $20,500 per year of graduate study. A word of caution: before you incur debt, you should familiarize yourself with the repayment information and check the repayment calculators to assure you will be able to repay these loans.

 

Grants and Scholarships

You can check at Meritaid.com for scholarships associated with your institution. This site allows you to search by major or by college and gives you grant and scholarship information related to each. Many graduate degrees have specific grants set aside for graduate students in certain areas of study. Do some research regarding your field of study and investigate private scholarship opportunities on scholarship sites such as FastWeb or Cappex.com.

 

Tuition reimbursement

If you are getting a graduate degree to enhance your knowledge of something that’s related to your current area of employment, check with your employer to see if they offer tuition reimbursement. Many employers will reimburse you for graduate tuition if you get a B or higher in the courses you are taking.

 

Fellowships, teaching assistant positions, and research assistants

Once you have been admitted to a graduate program, ask about and apply for fellowship positions if they’re available. These are awards funded by government agencies for students studying specific fields, most of which have a research component. In addition, ask the head of your department or program if there are research or teaching assistantship positions available while you are pursuing the degree. These are paid positions and can help defray the cost of your degree.

 

Continue working

Many students opt to continue working part-time while pursuing their graduate degree. This income can not only help pay for the degree itself, but provide you with necessary living expenses. You could also consider attending classes while retaining your present full-time job and utilizing the “pay as you go” option. This might increase the time required to complete your degree plan, but graduating without debt is certainly an attractive option.

 

If you are interested in discovering how much you can expect to earn once your graduate degree is completed, you can find that data at Payscale.com. This information will help you determine if the long-term benefits of the degree outweigh the costs based on your expected salary increase.

 

Suzanne Shaffer is an expert on college-related subjects. She writes about them for New Jersey Colleges.

Record Low Number of Job Seekers Relocating, Starting Businesses

Indeed, Bureau of Labor Statistics data also showed a decline in self- employment.  In the fourth quarter of 2009, the Bureau counted an average of just over 9.0 million self-employed workers.  In the fourth quarter of 2010, the average was down 2.3 percent to about 8.8 million.  In contrast, the number self-employed Americans reached a pre-recession peak of nearly 10 million in December 2006.

“It may seem counterintuitive, but we could see an increase in self-employment, as the economy and job market improve.  Right now, job seekers feel compelled to take the first stable position that comes along.  When they feel more confident about their job prospects, they may be more willing to explore entrepreneurship, figuring that if it doesn’t work out, they can jump back into the labor pool,” said Challenger.

“The same can be said for relocation.  As the economy continues to improve, job seekers should find themselves in a better position to relocate.  Not only could home prices recover, but companies may be more willing to help reimburse losses incurred by relocating employees.  A stronger economy will also ease job seekers’ fears about relocating only to lose the new job after a short time, due to a double-dip recession or some other unforeseeable event, and being stuck in a new city without an established social or professional network,” said Challenger.

FAQ: The College Graduate Resume

Rule number one for resume writing: it is an art, not a science.  You can ask 10 people for feedback on your resume and you will get at least 10 different suggestions.  The key to a resume is to clearly delineate what you can offer to the employer.  With that said, here are some Frequently Asked Questions about a resume for a college graduate.

 

Should me resume fit onto one page? Yes.  College graduates typically have limited work and real life experience. One page should suffice.  Do not go lower than an 11 point font to squeeze your background to one page.  If I have to get my glasses to read your resume, you’ve now made me work.

 

Should I have an objective? Again, yes.  I realize that many career services offices do not recommend an objective but when I have a stack of resumes to review, I need to know (and quickly) what you want.  Be sure that your objective is clear and concise.  ”Pursuing a career in publishing to bring my writing and editing skills to a growing organization” can suffice.

 

Should I list my personal interests on my resume? Yes, but only if they tell me why you are unique or how you will add value.  Including volunteer work at the Big Brothers Association tells me a lot about a candidate so that should be included.  Reading science fiction books should not.  BTW… being able to navigate Microsoft Office software (Word, etc) is a given these days.  You don’t have to include it.

 

Should I include my GPA? Yes, if it’s a 3.5 or better.

 

One last thing…  when listing dates of employment, do not include the months. For some reason, when I see months, I automatically start “doing the math”, thus taking my attention away from the content of the resume.  If it was a summer job, you can just put “summer, 2010″.

CareerBliss Announces the Happiest and Unhappiest Cities to Work

New Data Reveals Cities such as Birmingham, Alabama and El Paso, Texas

Outrank New York City for Happy Workers

Irvine, CA (February 2, 2011) CareerBliss, the leading online career community helping people find joy and success at every step in their careers, announces new data revealing the CareerBliss Happiest and Unhappiest Cities to Work. The information is based on analysis from more than 200,000 independent company reviews and highlights what cities have the happiest workers. Leading the way is a city known for its tech market, San Jose, Calif., which earns the title of the Happiest City to Work.  Unfortunately, Minneapolis, Minn., takes the title as the Unhappiest City to Work. Employees in Minneapolis rated very low on all eight factors that measure job satisfaction levels. 

 

CareerBliss picked the top fifty cities by evaluating eight factors that affect work happiness: growth opportunities, compensation, benefits, work-life balance, career advancement, senior management, job security and whether the employee would recommend the company to others.  Cities which ranked high for having happy employees include Birmingham, Ala., Memphis, Tenn., and El Paso, Texas, which all outranked well-known metropolitan areas such as Chicago, New York, and Atlanta. The research shows that workers in cities such as Jacksonville, FL and Washington, DC are happier with job security, work-life balance, and growth opportunities.

 

The CareerBliss Happiest Cities to Work:

* Happiness Rating: One to five scale – rating eight aspects of job happiness

Selected Cities Not on the Top 10:

Happiness Rating: One to five scale – rating eight aspects of job happiness 

The CareerBliss Unhappiest Cities to Work

Happiness Rating: One to five scale – rating eight aspects of job happiness

Heidi Golledge, Co-founder and CEO of CareerBliss says, “Some may be surprised that a smaller city like El Paso, Texas actually outranks large metropolitan areas like New York and Chicago. Our data highlights how different industries and employers create work environments that greatly affect employee happiness, and the overall temperature of the workforce within a city.”

 

Matt Miller, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of CareerBliss says “A field that often yields happy employees is information technology. The city of San Jose comes in first overall with happy workers, and San Jose is home to Silicon Valley, a technology hub, where tech jobs provide growth opportunities, advancement and good compensation. All of these factors can have a significant impact on scores.”

 

Both San Jose and San Francisco which rank number one and two respectively, have an average salary that exceeds most cities. For example, CareerBliss data indicates that the average annual salary in San Jose is $82,000 a year, whereas the average salary in Minneapolis is $62,000 a year.

 

Heidi Golledge of CareerBliss says, “There is never just one factor that contributes to overall work happiness. In the CareerBliss Happiest Cities to Work list you will find employees who not only feel they have an opportunity to grow their career, but find there is a sense of work-life balance and good compensation in the city they work.”

 

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About CareerBliss

CareerBliss is an online career community designed to help everyone find happiness in the workplace. An information hub for everyone who works, employers, job seekers and recruiters, CareerBliss offers the ability for people to find out what makes them happy and the ability to seek that out in other jobs or improve it in their current one using our PhD Board of Advisors, more than six million independent company reviews and salary comparisons, and more than three million job listings.

For more information, visit: www.CareerBliss.com