Have you repeatedly found yourself up against the same wall in your career with no way to get over it? Often, the advice of a mentor can help you understand what’s missing in your motivation or skillset to get ahead, he or she can help you avoid missteps that slow your career growth, or just serve as a confirmation that you’re on the right path.
Did you know that we can personalize our LinkedIn profile layout by moving most sections up or down our page? This flexible functionality allows us to emphasize and highlight our unique skills, experience, education, and performance accomplishments by placing selected sections higher up on our profile. As a job hunter, business owner, recruiter, or sales professional, this up/down arrow design feature is a powerful way to attract readers’ attention and new opportunities.
So what’s your Yellow Brick Road? Are you navigating a clear path for your job search? Are you making progress overcoming challenges on Career Transition Road? When Glenda the Good Witch advised Dorothy to “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”, Dorothy had a choice: to listen and move forward into uncharted territory or do nothing. Rather than letting fear of the unknown paralyze her into inaction, Dorothy followed the Munchkins’ chant which encouraged her to move forward. Create the mindset that you’ll overcome obstacles and achieve success by applying four key action steps that Dorothy used to achieve her goal.
In a blog post last month, “Stand out. How conventional thinking kills your job search”, I touched eight strategies that job seekers can use to improve their odds by standing out from the competition in a crowded job market. Then something really interesting happened just last week: A friend, Derek, who is also one of our advisors, used an even more unconventional tactic, and in doing so he accomplished virtually all of the eight strategies in just one swoop! He took out an ad on LinkedIn and advertised himself for hire. Here’s how he did it.
Imagine a stranger cutting through the crowd at an event—a networking happy hour or hey, even a concert—to say, “I would like to add you to my professional network.” He quietly hands over a resume and walks away, leaving you to guess the nature of his interest. Awkward, right? Downright off-putting. Creepy, even. So why do so many people decide to approach new contacts on LinkedIn this way?
Should candidates should ask for feedback after an interview? Asking for feedback can help you improve your interviewing skills/candidacy for future job interviews, so if you encounter a recruiter or hiring manager willing to give honest feedback, that contact’s advice could be career gold. You might just find out that your writing skills aren’t strong enough, you’re overqualified for a certain position, or you simply just don’t qualify for the job you’re seeking. Or, the most vague and frustrating answer; you just weren’t a good fit.
You may not be surprised to learn the best time to find a job is when you already have a job. Recent ERE.net research shows that some employers consider passive candidates—people not actively looking for work because they’re employed—one of the best sources of hires.
A friend recently lost her job, and she asked me for some suggestions on how she could differentiate herself from the other job seekers she was competing against. Here are 7.5 tips that will help you stand out from the job seeking masses
Whether you’re just starting to apply to jobs for the first time, or are a seasoned job search veteran, here’s a refresher course on things that you should never include on your resume.
These days, social media can be a help or a hindrance to your job search. Social media sites are not hidden. Anything you post is likely to be seen. Most hiring managers search candidates’ online presence and that includes social networking. You will want to do the same.
