Evaluate Your Job Offer

A job offer ? – Congratulations! You’re probably excited, but don’t let your excitement get in the way of evaluating the offer objectively.  Make sure that you fully understand the terms being offered to you before you accept it.

You seldom have the luxury of deciding on multiple offers.  Any offer usually requests a reply in just a few days. What other interviews do you have outstanding? Might you make a follow up call to determine the decision time-frame? Be sure to observe the offers specified deadline.

For five points to consider in accepting an offer see the entire article here.

Pivot Into a New Career

Are you stuck and asking yourself, “What’s next?” 

A career pivot is “doubling down on what is working, to make a purposeful shift in a new, related direction.” Pivoting, in this sense, is “an intentional, methodical process for nimbly navigating career changes.”

Everyone—regardless of age, career stage or bank account balance—can use the pivot method to get unstuck from a career plateau and get better at adapting to change. 

See questions and answers about Career Change here.

A Goal Without a Plan Is Just a Wish

We are the sum of our experiences and the habits we have developed. Some of these habits will dramatically influence your life. We have to be very careful in choosing our pursuits, because our habits make us. Cultivating specific habits will send you in the right direction. They’ll help you to lead a more meaningful and fulfilling life, whereby you cultivate the best within yourself. 

For 10 intentional habits that will dramatically influence your life see the complete article here.

Tips on Landing an Internship

If you are in college and hoping to use an internship to get your foot in the door of any industry, you are not alone. The competition can be intense, but there are certain things that you can do to enhance your chances of landing a position 

This article highlights some of the important considerations to check off the proverbial list before going after that internship. If you know the career path you want to take, get started as quickly as possible with an internship

Find some pointers from the financial industry that are also useful for other industry internships here.

Mistakes Older Job Seekers Make

If you are job hunting in your 50s your last resume probably won’t cut the current screening process. Your technical jargon, even your e-mail carrier can quickly date you. 

For 8 pointers ranging from your attitude through your resume content, see the material here.

Explore Careers for Women

Exploring careers for women provides a basis for making a selection among many popular options. Based on interests, summaries of a wide range of careers are available including the training and education necessary.

See the website here for an interactive exploration.

Build Your Career Network

The most effective method for finding a new job is through networking. Networking calls on a network of contacts and enlists their help in uncovering job leads.

The problem for many job-seekers is in the execution of networking. Job-seekers wonder, where do all these networking contacts come from — and how can I get people to be part of my network? The key point to remember is that networking is relationship-building. Your network consists of people you’ve met (either in person or online) — and you build your network by going out and meeting more people.

The question then becomes, how do I meet people to add to my network?  See 10 proven techniques for building your career network here.

Resume Action Words

Action Verbs and "power words" can provide your resume power and direction. When employed strategically throughout your resume, action verbs can help you resume stand out from the competition. 

Make sure to backup any assertion or claims you make in your resume with detailed experience that demonstrates your skill and ability. 

See a comprehensive list of action verbs to consider using in your resume and cover letters here.

Skills Job Seekers Need

When it comes to a job seeker’s skills/qualities, employers are looking for team players who can make decisions while solving  problems Employers who interview and hire new college graduates were asked to rank a job candidate’s desired skills and qualities. The highest ranked qualities previously listed are the first of 10 highly rated.

For the compete list see the article here.

Importance of Attending a Job Fair

Job fair events are popular in the eyes of both employers and potential employees. To aid the recruitment, application, and networking process, job fairs and training expos are usually held in significant urban job markets.  Typically they occur one or more a month. This is an ingenious way to meet the needs of both employers and potential employees to the benefit of both..

To find out exactly what a job fair is and how it benefits students and job seekers see the full article here.

Careers: Graduation vs Job Availability

The odds are that you will change careers several times during your working years. It then makes sense in career planning to gain skills that are transferable and select education targets that meet future opportunities. Do the research necessary to keep you career flexible and responsive to the job market.

For a discussion of the current career – opportunity picture, see the article here.

Top Career Opportunities by Degrees

Whether in school or in any stage of employment, looking forward in time is a good idea. A time horizon of several years is useful for making mid course adjustments in your career, or course of study. Being aware of the likely-hood of a demand for your skills and talents is a realistic objective.

The article here presents projections of employment demand in various fields and for varying levels of  educational programs.

Careers: What is Your Plan B? Plan C?

Whether you are a youth preparing to attend college or a working adult, the odds are your career path will change a few times both during your education and working years. It is a good idea to plan to gain skills that are transferable and select education targets that match future opportunities. Be aware of the trends and keep you career flexible and responsive to the job market which will certainly change during your college / employment years.

Here's a look at the current changing career – opportunity picture in Colorado which is the first-part of a four-part career planning series.  See the article here.

Research with an Informational Interview

An informational interview is a meeting to learn about the real-life experience of someone working in a field or company that interests you.

It's not a job interview, so it's important to keep focused on getting information, not a job offer. It has future value in its planning and conversational interaction. Three steps will outline the process:

• Find contacts.
• Make connections
• Hold a meeting. 

For details on utilizing an informational interview, see the article here.

Use and Evaluate a Mock Interview

In order to polish your performance in an interview you can engage a person to ask some tough questions.

As a job seeker, you have to practice for your upcoming interview.  This practice interview, or mock interview, provides the opportunity to gain experience fielding questions for the purpose of polishing your answers and professional presence.

Maximize the benefit you gain from this valuable exercise by creating a rubric from which to assess your mock interview performance.

See the criteria for an assessment in the full article here

How To Calm Your Mind For An Interview

Job interviews are stressful business, but they do not have to make you crazy with worry if you focus your thoughts on three main things: 

• preparation
• positive thinking
• presentation

The thought of a job interview can make your head spin. There can be much anxiety prior to an interview– What will they ask? Will I know the answers? Do I look okay? What if I just freeze? Will they like me? Will I like them?

For more details on the three key factors see the article here.

Address Long-Term Unemployment in Interviews

For the long-term unemployed feelings of despair and bitterness are understandable. It is important to deal with those feelings privately, and not carry them with you into a job interview. It is human nature to respond to positivity and avoid negativity – employers want to hire someone upbeat and positive.

There is no sure opportunity killer than expressing your views about the economy or job market in your interview. Employers know the market setting, but in the interview setting, all they care about is finding the right person for the job. 

For thoughts on answering questions related to frustration long job searches see the article here.

Polish Interview Skills at Job Fairs

At any stage of our job search you can take advantage of Job Fairs. Even as you are preparing your resume, which of course you want to be perfect, use a job fair as a dry run for interviewing. This includes dressing for the occasion, and a 30 second summary.

Use the Job Fair in parallel with your other preparations – practice for the final event of a real interview. This interview will be very short, so the pressure will be less.  The handshake, eye contact, speaking and responding are all valuable experiences to have been through prior to receiving a real interview invitation.

For more details see the complete article here.

Make a Positive Impression in Seven Seconds

It is said that your resume may get 10 - 15 seconds before warranting the wast basket or the 'read again' stack.

If your resume is solid enough to warrant an interview, there is another short time frame that is critical. It is your first impression.  Whether it is in an interview or in nearly any other situation of a first meeting, first impressions are critical.

That time frame is around 7 seconds.  Review four points to make the most of first impressions here.

Send a Thank You After Interviewing

There is really no  "downside" for sending a thank you note after a job interview, although most job candidates don't bother to do it. Sending a thank you --if done reasonably well-- will not hurt your chances at a job.

Worst case, your thank you will be ignored.

Best case, it will improve the impression you left after the interview, making you stand out from your competitors..

For a good discussion on 'Thank Yous'  see the article here

Get the Most of Job and Career Counseling

If you're currently or considering working with a career counselor, how can you reap lasting benefits from the experience? There's no precise formula, but these tips will help make your voyage successful.

• Think Participant, Not Recipient
• Have Realistic Expectations
• Be Honest, Especially with Yourself
• Know What You Want to Accomplish
• It's OK to Think, But Do as Well
• Be Open to Challenge

For full details on these career counseling topics, see the complete article here.

Change Your Career Successfully

If you’re considering a career pivot, follow these key steps:

1. Start With the Why
2. Get Clear on the What
3. Figure Out the What’s it Gonna Take
4. Make an Action Plan
5. Track the Effort
6. Shift Your Brand
7. Mobilize Your Network
8. Get in With the Right People

For details on these steps see the complete article here.

Have a Career Network

A career network should be in place when you need it, both for job searching and for moving along the career ladder. Since you never know when you might need it, it makes sense to have an active career network, even if you don't need it today.

Career networking, or "professional" networking, involves using personal, professional, academic or familial contacts to assist with a job search, achieve career goals, or learn more about your field, or another field you'd like to work in. 

Networking can be a good way to hear about job opportunities, or get an "in" at the company you'd like to work in.  For 7 tips see the article here.

Job Fairs Are Not a Waste of Time

Armed with your resume and the floor plan of the Companies participating, you are ready to stand in some long lines. Your objective is to present your resume to a select few of the recruiters.  To make the most of the opportunity some upfront planning and research is warranted.

This is an opportunity to present yourself in a mini-interview without the presuure of participating in the real thing. What you do at the fair may or may not result in any further contact.

For a list of 25 reasons to prepare and attend a fair see the article here.

Your Elevator Speech

The 30 second summary, often referred to as “the elevator speech” is a simple concept; it’s how you present yourself to others in 30 seconds, whether it is a person with whom you are networking, or perhaps an old friend who you actually do meet in the elevator!

Crafting that perfect elevator speech is not so simple. Most people experience some degree of difficulty in deciding what information to include in their summary.  Many are fearful about their ability to deliver their summary in a smooth, conversational tone.  Although 30 seconds does not seem like a long time, think about a 30 second commercial on television; you can convey a tremendous amount of information in 30 seconds!

A 30 second summary must be compelling and leave the listener wanting more.  For considerations to accomplish this see the full article here.

Live Within Your Means

If you are unemployed, you may find that you are spending more than you're saving and steadily going deeper into debt as a result. This is an easy and common pattern to fall into, and one that requires some planning and discipline to reverse.

The first step is creating a budget. As unpleasant as this may sound, creating a budget is nothing more than examining your income and expenditures in order to determine exactly how much money you have coming in and where you’re spending that money.

Once you've got a clear understanding of your current budget, your challenge is to find places where you can spend less (or earn more) in order to achieve your financial goals. Find some steps you can take toward that end here.

Prep for Your Salary Negotiation

Whether already employed, or looking for your next job, eventually you have to negotiate about salary. While circumstances are always different, pre-negotiation prep work can translate into results, whether  discussing money with an existing employer or a new one.

One thing to keep in mind: If you’ve recently had your annual review, it might be worth holding off a few months before re-engaging in a salary discussion, especially if the review resulted in a raise. The exception is if your job responsibilities changed radically in the time since the review.

Remember, a solid negotiation is just as much about avoiding mistakes as it is about leveraging your skills to make more money. See the key steps of preparation here

Fix Resumes Biggest Mistakes

Aren't sure what to put on your resume? Make sure you don't include any of these common errors. 

It's deceptively easy to make mistakes on your resume and exceptionally difficult to repair the damage once an employer gets it. So prevention is critical, whether you're writing your first resume or revising it for a mid-career job search. Check out how to write the perfect resume by avoiding these common pitfalls.  Click here.

Google Search for Unadvertised Job Openings

Job openings at most companies go unadvertised—that is, they're posted on their site, but not sent to recruiters or posted on job boards. That also makes them harder to find, but Google can do the job for you. Use custom search strings to uncover matching desired jobs.

The market for new jobs is so competitive that most companies don't see a need to spend a ton of money hiring recruiting firms or posting their jobs to the big job boards. Between internal referral programs and word-of-mouth, posting an opening to the company's "Careers" page is usually enough. 

To uncover those unadvertised openings, see the complete article here.

Interview Thank You Letters

It may be one of the most commonly dispensed pieces of job-search advice, but sending a thank you note after an interview really is crucial to sealing the deal. Thanking the hiring manager for their time isn't just polite — it also demonstrates a sincere interest in the position and the company. 

According to a survey, 75 percent of interviewers said that receiving a thank you letter from a candidate affects their decision-making process. 

Beyond showing your enthusiasm for the position, a thank you note also allows you to reiterate why you are the best person for the job. See more pointers here.

Career Change in 10 Steps

Perhaps you just begin to lose interest. Perhaps you find something that interests you more. Perhaps your company is downsizing. These are some of the reasons people find themselves on the cliff looking back on their career just as the dirt begins to crumble beneath them.

Faced with a career change plunge? Do you wish you were? Take it slowly and make sure what you really want to do is change careers. Career change is a natural life progression; most studies show the average job-seeker changes careers (not jobs) several times over the course of a lifetime.

Get on a path toward career change success; find a 10-step plan here

Networking Tips for Job Seekers

As many job seekers have often heard, it's all about who you know. When it comes to finding a job, your industry connections can often prove to be as important as the practical skills and work experience you have, if not more so.

College students, career changers and other newcomers to their chosen field can and should use networking events and job fairs to meet key industry players who could put them on the path to employment.

For seven tips to make the most of time at these events, see the full article here

How to Be More Efficient at Work

In Today's world coping with Job pressure is really tough. Anyone who's held down a full-time job knows that an average work day is not always long enough to get everything you need to do done. However, your productivity can be greatly improved by adopting habits designed to make you work more efficiently. 

Being efficient at work won't just improve your productivity and win you recognition - it'll also make you feel accomplished, satisfied that you've had a full and productive work day. 

For a three part discussion see the article here.

12 Networking ‘Need to Knows’

Not only are jobs scarce, but those that do exist are highly competitive. Networking is the key, whether you are just entering the workforce and trying to land your first job, or whether you want to continue to successfully climb the ladder, successful job search networking can give you a leg up on your competitors.

Explore 12 tips designed to help you become a more effective networker here.