Career

Everyone knows that your alma mater’s alumni network can help you find a job. But just how, exactly, does that work? What if you’ve lost touch with the alumni you once knew, or they all ended up working in fields other than your own? Is beginning the process while you’re still in school jumping the gun? Is it too late when you’ve been laid off? As a Syracuse University Alumni, as well as by working for the University of Southern California’s online MSW degree program, I have first hand seen the value of this kind of network. Participate In Alumni Association Your first stop for alumni networking should be the local chapter of your alma mater’s alumni association or, if you are still a student, your school’s on-campus alumni center. Regularly attending events or even volunteering at one is a great career move because it allows you to connect personally with a large number of alumni. When talking to alumni, try to build connections through shared experiences, like living in the same building on campus, participating in the same club or even drinking at the same bar. And when you meet someone whose professional interests align with yours, make sure to follow up! Connect With Alumni On Social Networks It may seem obvious these days that Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn should be among your first stops in alumni networking. But really taking advantage of these resources takes work. Just joining the alumni group or friending/following grads is not enough. Research potential contacts and reach out to those who share your interests in a concerted manner. Introduce yourself, try to establish a rapport and if possible, set up a face-to-face meeting. Use social networking as one of many tools that help to leverage your alumni network. Become A Mentor/Mentee Everyone knows that finding the perfect mentor, unusual as that experience may be, can change your life — but many people underestimate the value of acting as a mentor. Any productive mentor/mentee relationship adds value for both parties by creating a vital social and professional relationship. It can also open doors by opening another person’s professional network to you. And while your mentee might not have the experience you do, some young professionals have astounding networking skills even before they achieve great success in their careers. Start Early If you wait until you desperately need a job to begin reaching out to alumni, you risk rubbing people the wrong way. You are more likely to make initial connections by reaching out to others in a spirit of generosity than you are by reaching out to ask for favors. But if you have some degree of recognition among alumni when your job search begins, you will find the network to be a valuable resource. And if you do begin leveraging your alumni network at the last minute, try to do so in a manner that is relaxed, friendly and genuine. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Last Article Next Article The post How To Leverage Your Alumni Network To Get A Job appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

In the last month, I have done 366 resume reviews from 13 different countries and four different languages, despite only speaking English (ask me about that later). Some of you had PhD’s while others had little more than a high school diploma. Every industry was covered, skill included, activity and interest referenced. With each resume, I was looking for a story, but I found so much more. I Observed… The best resumes are overtly obvious. They tell more than a story, they show the writing on the wall. Rather than assuming your audience will get the proverbial it, leave little room for open interpretation. Share your brand upfront and use your academic and professional experiences as proof. I Discovered… More often than not, we know what’s right and we also know what’s wrong. To change seems menacing, almost inconvenient. If she doesn’t understand the jump from finance to technology than it’s her loss. Sometimes it takes a professional opinion and objective assessment to set us back on the right track. I Was Surprised To Remember… You gotta give to get. At least 183 resumes included an objective asking for a job at X company, position in Y field with Z responsibilities. Rather than opening with what you want, why not lead with what you can offer? Oh, and one final offer. In the spirit of giving, I want to offer you another chance to submit your resume for a free review. Visit MichaelPeggs.com/Resume and sign up today. And to those already registered, thank you for your patience. I’m off to work on 367 right now… Photo Credit: Shutterstock Last Article Next Article The post 367 Resume Reviews And Counting… appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

The best way to introduce yourself to a company that doesn’t appear to be actively looking is to know the “What, where, and how you can help the company.” I can give you a better-than-even chance to get the door to open to be able to introduce yourself, perhaps even create a job that is just right for you. It will take time and careful preparation, but it will pay a dividend. Here are seven steps for opening a career door: Step 1 – Functional Strengths Begin by listing all your functional strengths across the top of a sheet of paper. Some examples of ‘functional strengths’ are marketing, financial operations, research and development, information technology, engineering, strategic planning, recruiting, training and development, and so on. Some people have several; some only one. List as many as you can. Step 2 – Core Competencies Next, under each functional strength you listed, write down anything and everything it qualifies you to do: Qualifies you to do for any organization, not just those you may be considering today. Of course, not every organization needs help in every area but it is good for you to know in any event what you have in your armory. To do this, you need to think in terms of employers’ needs, not just in terms of your strengths. Step 3 – Think Like An Employer In order to think like an employer, you need to think in terms of solving problems and recognizing opportunities. For example, if “Marketing” is your functional strength, under it you might list Uncovering new markets; Identifying markets for new products; Finding new usage for old products; Improving internal/corporate communications; Stimulating client communications; Evaluating expansion opportunities; Stimulating sales; Writing brochures; Coordinating events, Community outreach, and so on. as ‘competencies’ tied to your that strength and where problems and/or opportunities may be found. Hence, you are thinking like an employer. Step 4 – The “Big Picture” You will need to develop a big picture perspective for targeting employers. First, carefully review your experience and interests, giving equal consideration to both. There may be experiences you have where you performed well but didn’t enjoy yourself. No sense focusing where job satisfaction will be lacking. Next, with an open mind, review all of your experiences – trying not to lock yourself in to traditional position or industry boundaries. Take the “blinders” off… broaden the scope. For instance, your experience may be in the Pet Supply Industry, but your “Marketing” prowess extends throughout “supply chain.” Or, maybe it lies more in the program management and strategic planning side and ties less to a specific product category. Or, perhaps you may enjoy service-oriented environments, organizing people, and moving them forward smoothly and well. This may suggest other organizations. Maybe your perspective turns to the client-side suggesting a very different set of organizations such as ad agencies or associations, councils… or consulting firms, for example. Step 5 – Targets Once your have completed Step 4, you are ready to identify the types of companies most appropriate for your strengths, experiences, skill-sets, and competencies. Then, you can begin to find the names and decision-makers of such companies with the confidence that those you uncover are also those most likely to have need for someone like you. (This part can be accomplished with a minimum amount of Internet savvy). Once you have identified companies’ names that are likely to need you, and the decision-makers, you are ready to prepare your approach strategy. (If you already had a company or companies in mind, take the time to complete steps 1-4.  The exercise is still invaluable for developing your personal introduction as an “individual solutions provider”). Step 6 – Ready… Aim… MARKET As you may already know from job searching experience, your initial approach should be a letter targeted to a decision-maker a

Most of us emit a discontented grunt when the alarm goes off at 6.30am every morning - a shrieking harbinger of doom for the working day ahead. Spare a thought for these chaps, though – their lives are very often on the line. Miners and Rig Workers Roof cave-ins, fires, floods, explosions. All in a day’s work for your average miner. And if that wasn’t enough, they also run the risk of contracting lung disease and other respiratory illnesses because of their prolonged exposure to dust. Similarly, rig workers are vulnerable to a myriad of dangers. Those poor fellows going about their daily duties on the rig floor have the highest accident rate of all – volatile substances, heavy machinery and extreme weather conditions. Construction ‘Health And Safety’ – often the three-worded scourge of the modern working world – has actually been a force for good in the construction industry, with fatalities reduced by two-thirds in the past 20 years. That said, the risk of injury and fatality is still high – only 5% of the UK workforce is employed in construction but it accounts for 27% of all employee fatality statistics. Slips, trips and falls are the main injuries, so watch your steps.

Land your dream job? Get a promotion? Make a successful career change? Congratulations! We want to share your inspiring story with other job seekers, hard workers, and career changers on our Success Wall – a place where we celebrate your accomplishments. Here’s today’s story: Meet Gina… Name: Gina Kokoska Age: 27 Title: Office Administrator I am in my late twenties and have a bachelor degree. When I finished university, I had a hard time finding work. I decided to go overseas and volunteer, and when I returned home, I had my first “career break.” I since moved to a new city I found it hard to break into the new job market. Her Goals I wanted to find work that in an organization that contributed to the community. I have a degree in international relations, so I had a good understanding of how non-for-profit organizations worked. I have always promoted my degree’s focus on community building and understanding of non-for-profits. My goal was to find a place of employment that was a non-for-profit that gave something back to the community. Her Challenges I had moved to a new city after my contract ended with my first career job. I was excited about the prospects of work in a more vibrant area, but I soon found out that you needed a lot of connections to get employment. I signed up for some temp agencies but I didn’t find them to be very helpful. In my search for employment I sought out job seeking advice and came across the CAREEREALISM website. I think this was really a turning point for me in my job search. I started volunteering and networking, and using the tips from the website to aid in my job search. Her “Aha” Moment After reading the articles on the website, I started taking the advice and changed the way in which I applied for jobs. Instead of applying for any job that came up, I started focusing my time on apply for jobs that met my criteria – jobs I knew I could find satisfaction in. I took the advice of tailoring my resume to each job and really selling myself in my cover letter. I updated my LinkedIn and started networking. After apply for a few more jobs I secured a interview. This is when it got really interesting. The day after my interview I had been at my volunteer position that I had taken up to keep my skills current. I was invited to attend an event and accepted the offer which was something I had not done in the past. At the event, the two women who interviewed me had been there. It was prefect. Taking the advice I found on CAREEREALISM and going outside my comfort zone helped me secure my position. They were very impressed with my interview, my follow up e-mail, and the fact that I was out networking. Her Success I got the job! I was offered the position as Office Administrator in an employment support organization! Now, I tell all our clients about this website and the useful tips you provide! I am very happy in my new position and see great career opportunities moving forward. Congratulations, Gina! If this story inspired you, please help Gina win a FREE $25 Amazon Gift Card by voting for his story by clicking the button below: VOTE FOR GINA ? Do you have a success story you’d like to share? Submit your story to our Success Wall and enter to win a FREE $25 Amazon Gift Card! Learn more by clicking on the button below: SUBMIT YOUR STORY ? Photo Credit: Shutterstock Last Article Next Article The post Success Wall: Gina Got A New Job After Moving To A New City appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

Land your dream job? Get a promotion? Make a successful career change? Congratulations! We want to share your inspiring story with other job seekers, hard workers, and career changers on our Success Wall – a place where we celebrate your accomplishments. Here’s today’s story: Meet Andy… Name: Andy Seck Age: 43 Title: Branch Manager I’m a highly motivated leader who enjoys helping people realize their true potential. His Goals I want to be the most successful branch manager at my new job. His Challenges I am new to this industry and i have never done sales before. His “Aha” Moment I sold myself at the interview instead of selling my resume. His Success I am three weeks into the most satisfying job I have ever had. Congratulations, Andy! If this story inspired you, please help Andy win his FREE $25 Amazon Gift Card by voting for his story by clicking the button below: VOTE FOR ANDY ? Do you have a success story you’d like to share? Submit your story to our Success Wall and enter to win a FREE $25 Amazon Gift Card! Learn more by clicking on the button below: SUBMIT YOUR STORY ? Photo Credit: Shutterstock Last Article Next Article The post Success Wall: Andy Found A Job He Loves! appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

Land your dream job? Get a promotion? Make a successful career change? Congratulations! We want to share your inspiring story with other job seekers, hard workers, and career changers on our Success Wall – a place where we celebrate your accomplishments. Here’s today’s story: Meet Lauran… Name: Lauran Smith Age: 35 Title: CEO After quitting my corporate America after 13 years w the #1 auto insurer, I am now the CEO of my own Social Media Public Relations Firm. I was severely unhappy with my corporate job, so it had to be left behind to pursue my dreams. Her Goals My goal was to be happy in my career, not just to work for a paycheck. Her Challenges My biggest challenge in becoming a CEO was dealing w less money, no health insurance, and having to sell my product. However, I don’t mind the hard work as it is paying off! Her “Aha” Moment What I did differently to reach my goal of becoming my own boss was dropping the dead weight of a “going nowhere” job path. Deciding to leave that job was the best decision I could have ever made. Her Success I am currently working full time as CEO & Principal Publicist of my firm, with a total of 11 clients and counting! Couldn’t have achieved this without focusing on what mattered most: HAPPINESS. I have rough days, but they are much better than driving an hour or so away from home daily to a job that I hate! Congratulations, Lauran! If this story inspired you, please help Lauran win a FREE $25 Amazon Gift Card by voting for his story by clicking the button below: VOTE FOR LAURAN ? Do you have a success story you’d like to share? Submit your story to our Success Wall and enter to win a FREE $25 Amazon Gift Card! Learn more by clicking on the button below: SUBMIT YOUR STORY ? Photo Credit: Shutterstock Last Article Next Article The post Success Wall: Lauran Just Started Her Own Business! appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

I recently re-read one of my favorite “quick read” books – The Power of Nice – How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness, written by the team of Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval. This book reminds us that “nice” companies have lower employee turnover, lower recruitment costs and higher productivity. Nice people live longer, are healthier, and make more money. What a great leadership trait! The book identifies the following six “Power of Nice” Principles: 1. Positive Impressions Are Like Seeds Every time you smile at a messenger, laugh at a co-worker’s joke, thank an assistant, or treat a total stranger with graciousness and respect, you throw off a positive energy wave that rolls out endlessly in all directions. 2. You Never Know You really never know who the next person you’re nice to knows or how they ultimately may connect back to you in some way. It is therefore important to treat EVERYONE nicely. Simply make it a habit not to discriminate when it comes to being nice to others. 3. People Change People change, grow, and take on new roles. None of us know who MIGHT become quite important to us five, ten, or twenty years from now. Again, the simple message is to treat everyone with kindness – the bank teller, the grocery store check-out clerk, the young waiter who is paying his way through school to become a doctor. 4. Nice Must Be Automatic It important to become skilled in the art of being nice – being nice must become a habit – something that is “second nature” to you. Small gestures and random acts of kindness can have an enormous impact. 5. Negative Impressions Are Like Germs Just as positive actions are like seeds, rude gestures and remarks are like germs – you may not see the impact they have on you for a while, but they are there, silently infecting you and everyone around you. 6. YOU Will Know Even if you never see a person you have treated with rudeness or bad behavior again, YOU will know. It will be on your mind and heart when you walk into a meeting and try to convince the people in the room they should put their faith in you. Your belief in yourself will be compromised and the negative energy you carry with you will ultimately manifest in some way to your disadvantage. Be the role model for being nice to others. The energy of consistently being nice to others will return to you many times over. That is the POWER of nice. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Last Article Next Article The post The Power Of Nice – Kindness As A Leadership Trait appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

How has age bias in the workplace affected you? I’m hearing from a lot of people about this. “We have a youth culture in this country, where younger is better than older,” says Tom Osborne, senior attorney with the AARP Foundation in Washington, DC. It doesn’t matter how good you are at your job or how much experience you’ve acquired over the years. If you’re rounding the corner toward 50, you’d be smart to start looking for signs of age bias.” OK, so this is a radical reality of our times, but there are many things people can do to manage and impact this. Fight it and fight back! “Perception is reality” right? If you act and appear old and passe, that’s how you will be treated. If you act and appear current, relevant, and fresh, that’s how you will be treated. It’s not so much about age. It’s more about attitude, persona, language, and culture and how you stay in tune with and on top of today’s world. When you use the platforms, play in the playgrounds and speak the current language no one cares how old you are. There are four areas you can cultivate your relevance – where people focus more on you and what you bring rather than how old you are: 1. Your Persona Seriously look at your personal and professional image. Invest in a style update and makeover, with regard to your hair, grooming and clothes. Get some professional current pictures taken that flatter you. Take the 20 plus year dates off your resume and marketing materials. Quit talking about what you did 30 years ago! Create a ‘younger image’ by looking, acting and speaking more current. Bring your essence out in a fresher way. Build your communication skills and a bold persona. Join Toastmasters, volunteer to speak, teach a workshop, or take an acting class. 2. Your Skills Make sure you do a serious evaluation of your personal, professional, technology and social skills! Invest in some classes from your local adult education programs, or chambers and professional organizations. Check out the Women’s Business Center or Small Business Development Centers in your county. Get up to date on how people communicate, where they are gathering on and offline. 3. Your Process People watch and observe how we do things. In the past 3 years, I have built out my business, social platforms, and my media activities. A friend of mine recently e-mailed me and said, “I’m watching you do good work. Keep it up.” That really made me feel good. People watch us triumph and handle our challenges. How we operate says a lot about us. How do you operate? Are you in the game or on the sidelines? 4. Your Platforms It’s NOT negotiable anymore to say I’m not using any social platform if you’re networking online, job or career searching. You must have a LinkedIn profile and start using your Facebook account more! The benefits of using the social platforms are far reaching. Ask a friend or your children to sit down and help you. Make the time. It’s an investment. You do realize people are  checking you out by “Googling” you right? If you are not linking yourself to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or YouTube you are not going to be considered a player. You don’t have to be on everything but you do need to be on one or two. So, how does your persona, skills, process and platforms impact your image? They all work together to put you out there, make you available and accessible and give you a much broader reach to make the important connections that just may lead to your next big job, sale, break, or lead! Photo Credit: Shutterstock Last Article Next Article The post Has Age Bias In The Workplace Affected You? appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

Congratulations, you’ve done it! You landed your first job. You bought new clothes, printed some business cards, and even decorated your cubicle. But, what comes next? No matter how excited you are for that first paycheck, it’s important to keep learning beyond what’s required in your job description. Here’s how: 1. Find A Mentor Sometimes, the best resources are sitting in a desk nearby. Reach out to a new co-worker(s) and find out their story. At one point, they were sitting where you are now and probably have a few tips to pass on. Also, it doesn’t help to make friends! 2. Volunteer Offer your services to nonprofits in your area. Reaching out not only makes you feel good, but can help you learn how to solve new problems you haven’t faced yet. It can also help you generate ideas for your day job! 3. Take Advantage Of Company Discounts Sometimes companies offer discounts to industry publications and professional associations to help you stay involved with and up-to-date about your profession. Find out if your company offers any and subscribe to/join your favorites to stay in the loop. 4. Join LinkedIn Groups And Twitter Chats LinkedIn and Twitter have endless opportunities to keep you learning. On LinkedIn, find a few groups you like and tune into news items and discussions. On Twitter, use Web sites like hashtags.org to find live discussions going on about your area of interest. This will help you reach people outside of your network and connect with new and experienced professionals. 5. Set Up Google Alerts Think of subjects concerned with your profession you’d like to know more about and set up alerts for the latest news. This will help you stay up-to-date on your areas of interest without having to sort through multiple Web sites yourself. 6. Stay Humble Don’t think just because you’ve finally landed your dream job you can call yourself an expert. No matter what industry you are in, there is always so much more to learn. Stay open-minded, and you’ll be surprised how many opportunities come your way. But Why? When you’re in the middle of learning the ropes of your new employer, outside learning can fall to the wayside. It may seem understandable while you get acclimated, but it can really do a disservice to your future career goals. It may not be Scantron, but at some point you’ll definitely be tested again. If you go to a company mixer or a conference, your peers will be talking about unfolding events. You need to have something to bring to the table, whether or not you’re sitting at your desk. Continuing to learn will help you feel confident about your contributions. It’s not your manager’s responsibility to teach you everything you’ll ever learn about your industry. Your manager will teach you a lot while you are under his or her supervision, but you can’t rely on them for everything. Take the initiative to learn more, and you will undoubtedly impress your employer. You’ll improve the skills you already had and gain a few more. No doubt everyone could use a little improvement. By continuing to learn, you can add new skills to your basket and you can sharpen the ones you already had. It will give you much more reason to tout those skills when you need to. Don’t be ‘that guy.’ You know the type. The know-it-all who is actually really outdated. If you aren’t continuing to learn with the rest of us, your peers and managers won’t have confidence in your input. Stay out of the dark. You don’t want to be caught off guard by news in your industry that could affect your job status. The very beginning of your career is the perfect time to get in the habit of staying in tune with your industry so you aren’t facing a mountain of information later. Congratulations on your new beginning and good luck! Photo Credit: Shutterstock Last Article Next Article The post Learning Doesn’t Stop Once You Have The Job appeared first on CAREEREALISM.