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Why Should I Worry About My Online Identity?

Whatever shows up when you Google yourself is your first introduction to many people. If you apply for a job, the human resources manager might Google you to find out what kind of person you are. If she finds nothing but pics of you drunk, half-naked and partying it up, you’re probably not even going to get an interview. On the other hand, if you’re applying for a job as a software engineer and she stumbles upon your insightful technology blog, you’re a shoe in.

The best advice I’ve seen for managing your online identity is to act online as you would in person. Simply be yourself, and if you’re looking to impress, be the best possible version of yourself.

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online identity, career, job search,

HeyOverbey!: TOP Jobhunting Tips November 2011

heyoverbey:

Here is a shortlist of some of the top tips for jobseekers I have gathered from all my social media interactions from November 2011. Pass ‘em along…

(1) Although still in beta, fill out your skills section on Linkedin. You will show up in more search results. Even if you have a small business, still fill out the section with your expertise. You will get found more often. Here’s the link: http://www.linkedin.com/skills/?trk=skills-global-nav 

(4) STOP asking fluffy, dating-like questions in interviews - both recruiters and interviewees. Ask questions about measurable performance. (by way of: @levyrecruits - yeah, you need to be following him on Twitter, too!)

Companies have a problem to solve and clear challenges they are facing in an open position. Ask what those problems are. Then demonstrate in your interview exactly how you can and have solved those problems in your career.

(8) A timely tip for looking for work during the Holidays. @ClarkHoward shares a great video tip about showing work ethic by STILL looking for a job right when you think the season slows job hunting down. It doesn’t! Hardcore recruiters will work right through December to fill positions.

 http://www.clarkhoward.com/videos/clark-howard/employment-military/a-timely-tip-for-job-hunters/vFPcw/

job search, social media,

Reblogged from A Hire Calling

Looking for a job can be a full-time job in and of itself. Finding a job in today’s market is more than just posting a résumé and waiting for a call. It’s a combination of old-fashioned résumé sending, online brand building, and networking

Tips to Avoid Job Search Time Wasters: Part 1 (via careertime)

career, job search,

Reblogged from A Hire Calling

The ABC’s of Common Bio Blunders

By 

Here are among the most common bio blunders independent business professionals make that can stop opportunity in its tracks.

Arrogance

  • Lofty language
  • Too many five dollar words that don’t count for a lot
  • Too many words that say too little
  • The story leaves you with a gut feeling that this emperor has no clothes
  • You feel at arms length as opposed to wanting to lean in and engage.

Blah, Blah, Blah, Boring, and Boilerplate

  • The words scream “Who cares!”
  • The story conveys no personality
  • Unmemorable and unremarkable information put the reader to sleep

Content

  • Crisis of credibility
  • Absence of credentials or proof to your claims
  • Absence of clarity about who you serve and why it matters
  • “Cute” stories that don’t deliver relevant, compelling content
  • Too little content, too much content, and absence of “right sized” choices to suit the right media or new business occasion at hand

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bio, business, career, job search,

8 Ways to Be A Smart Job Seeker The holiday season is probably one of...

vaultcareers:

8 Ways to Be A Smart Job Seeker

4. Treat your job search like you’d treat a job: Finding the right job requires the same commitment as one would commit to a full-time job.

job, career, holidays, christmas, job search,

Reblogged from Vault.com Inc

Top 5 Happiest Careers in the U.S.

Based on an extensive study conducted by CareerBliss.com, here are 5 of the happiest career in the U.S.

Teacher. People who become teachers are excellent communicators, organized, patient, able to inspire, and adept at dealing with different personality types. Teachers are actively involved in the educational and social development of children and youth. To become an elementary school, high school, orspecial education teacher, a bachelor’s degree is a must. In 2008, elementary school, middle school and high school teachers earned between $47,100 to $51,180 annually on average.

Administrative assistant. These individuals are responsible for making sure an office runs smoothly and often play a role in managing the office, clerical tasks, planning office events, and other important office work. Since an administrative assistant is the liaison between the general public and the upper management, excellent communication and writing skills are a must. The average administrative assistant salary in 2008 was approximately $50,000.

Buyer. When you walk through your favorite clothing store, everything that is on the floor was purchased by a buyer. These individuals often travel the country to see fashion shows and pick from the latest trends what they think their market would buy into. A buyers responsibilities often overlaps with fashion merchandising professionals. According to BLS.gov, purchasing managers earned $89,160 on average in 2008.

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How important is it for you to be happy at work?

careers, happy, job, job search, teacher, education,

Three Tips to Not Trip Up Your Teacher Job Search

By 

Apple-0031. Have a great digital portfolio. A digital portfolio is used to market your unique strengths before you even get the interview. Someone asked if a principal or recruiter will actually spend time online looking at your online materials. Absolutely. No one gets hired today without being Googled so why not point them to the an online space where you want them to look? Also, as online learning becomes more important in today’s schools, having a digital portfolio can demonstrate that you are onboard.

2. Use a Gmail address for your job search. There is data that shows that resumes with Gmail addresses get looked at more often. Think about your brand and check out this piece from The Oatmeal on What Your Email Address Says About You. As for university-based email addresses, recruiters don’t want to see them for two reasons. One, student email addresses quickly expire so I am going to assume that after May, it’s only a 50/50 chance I’ll actually get you so I’ll just contact someone else than potentially get a bounced back email. Second, I want to hire someone who has already transitioned to adulthood and not a student.

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teacher, job search, education, college, university,

4 Networking Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

Mistake #1: Talking about Yourself—All the Time

You’re talented! Eager! Ambitious! You have lots of ideas to share! And you want to make sure that every person you meet at the event knows who you are and what you do!

We get it. And yes, sharing your story with new contacts is important. But sharing your life story is overkill: Nothing can set a person off more than an aspiring professional who takes no interest in anything beside her own ambitions.

The Fix: Take Some Interest. Stop highlighting your latest accomplishment and start listening instead. Find people with industries or careers of interest to you, and ask them questions: How did they get their start? What do they love about their jobs, and what do they wish they could change? By taking an interest in your contact, you will make her feel valued—and hopefully interested in continuing the relationship. And you’ll likely gain some new insights, too.

networking, career, job search,

What You Should Know About Holiday Hiring

Photo: Richard Collinson

If you’re considering applying for a holiday job, here are some stats from CareerBuilder’s recent infographic, ‘Tis the Season for Holiday Hiring, that you should know.

Timing is everything

  • 33% of employers are still recruiting for seasonal positions in November. The early bird gets the worm!
  • 11% reported they may still be recruiting as late as December for their seasonal staff. Don’t wait and chance it — start applying now.

Transition to full-time after the holidays

30% of employers are planning to transition some of their seasonal staff into full-time employment after the holidays are over. Want to be part of the team? Be proactive! Here’s a few things employers look for in full-time employees:

  • Instead of waiting to be instructed, take matters into your own hands and provide excellent customer service
  • Don’t assume they know you want to continue on with them after the holidays. Express your interest to your employer.
  • After completing all your work, proactively ask for more to do

Read More… 

career, holiday hiring, job interview, job search,

Holiday Job Hunting: No Better Time Than Now, Really


You’ll discover a world of decision makers with a little bit of time on their hands. There are openings if you’ll just take advantage of them.

 

As always, the only trick to a successful job hunt is knowing what you want. As you reach out to the leaders you hope to work for, keep the following things in mind.

  1. Keep your message short and clear. Practice describing your goal until you can say it in under a minute. When you get your next boss on the phone, you need to be flawless.
  2. Find their phone number in advance. Use LinkedIn to identify the people you want to talk to. They are the managers of the groups you hope to work in. Find their phone numbers by calling into the company and asking for them by name (preferably after hours).
  3. Send your resume, on paper, in advance. Address it to the attention of the person you are going to call.
  4. Begin your call with a solid value opener. “I know you are working on X and I am in a position to really help”. You’ll know what X is by looking at their LinkedIn profile.
  5. Tell them what you want to do. 60 seconds. Max.
  6. Offer a money back guarantee. “Let me come into the office. I’ll work for a week. Then, let’s talk about whether or not you want to hire me. If you don’t, I won’t charge you.”
  7. Be persistent.

Read More from GlassDoor.com… 

job search, holidays, thanksgiving, career,

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