Has the Job Search Changed

Has the Job Search Changed Yes, it has significantly changed. Technology has been one major catalyst of the change.  The economy has been the other major catalyst. What has it changed TO? Check out this post by Meg Guiseppi titled Todays Executive Job Search Toolkit. Meg says you need these things for a successful job search (especially as an executive): A specific career target and list of target companies (read more) Research on each target company and the industry (read more) Target Contact List for networking (read more) Personal branding designed to renonate with your target companies (read more) Branded Career Documents (read more) LinkedIn (read more) Google Profile (read more) Recruiter Relationships (read more) List of References (read more) Online brand-building communications plan (read more) In-person and online networking strategy (read more) Interview Preparation (read more) Thank you notes (read more) Job search managmeent and tracking system (JibberJobber, of course!) (read more) Check out her post for more info and links. The job search is not as simple as it was.  Be proactive, take ownership of it, and excel! Has the Job Search Changed Yes, it has significantly changed. Technology has been one major catalyst of the change.  The economy has been the other major catalyst. What has it changed TO? Check out this post by Meg Guiseppi titled Todays Executive Job Search Toolkit. Meg says you need these things for a successful job search (especially as an executive): A specific career target and list of target companies (read more) Research on each target company and the industry (read more) Target Contact List for networking (read more) Personal branding designed to renonate with your target companies (read more) Branded Career Documents (read more) LinkedIn (read more) Google Profile (read more) Recruiter Relationships (read more) List of References (read more) Online brand-building communications plan (read more) In-person and online networking strategy (read more) Interview Preparation (read more) Thank you notes (read more) Job search managmeent and tracking system (JibberJobber, of course!) (read more) Check out her post for more info and links. The job search is not as simple as it was.  Be proactive, take ownership of it, and excel!

Incoming Resume Writing - Creating A Strong, Well-Written Resume

Incoming Resume Writing - Creating A Strong, Well-Written ResumeWhen it comes to a job interview or when you're trying to get an invitation to that special dinner with a business partner, resume writing can be extremely important. Resume writing is actually a two-part process: your resume must be able to get your named correctly in the first place and it must get through the approval process in order to even be considered. While there are a lot of factors to take into consideration, the following are the most common resume writing issues and how to deal with them.First off, keep in mind that your resume isn't the only tool you have in order to get your name and information in front of a potential employer. In fact, you can be in far better shape if you have several other pieces of writing work to send out to other professionals. To that end, make sure that each of your notes, letters, emails, etc. are all directly addressed to potential employers. This way, you can demonstrate a wide range of skills, which will be more likely to go unnoticed in a resume than just your name and the company you work for.The first step in building your resume is to make sure you're aware of any industry references or organizations that are important to you. This will make it easier to create your 'whole' document and all of your documents should begin with this letter. It is also a good idea to include some biographical information that describes yourself and explains what you do for a living. This can include past jobs, education, awards, and recommendations from a good friend or relative.The next most important piece of your document is the cover page. This is where you are able to really let your personality show through. Some people feel that they should not write their resume cover page because it's so personal. However, if you've been applying for jobs, have a great resume, and are certain that the interview can only be had with your full attention, then a cover page is abso lutely necessary.In addition to a cover page, you also need to do some keyword research in order to help get you through the application process. This can be accomplished through some basic keyword research and can actually be done at home on a daily basis. Using keywords like lawyer, doctor, veterinarian, accountant, nurse, and others, you can find some of the most commonly used keywords for your field, allowing you to be more competitive for jobs that you do get.When you're designing your resume, remember that its purpose is to build your resume into an overall, well-written document. You don't want to sit down and just decide that your name is Jane Smith and build a resume around it. You also want to make sure that your name and date of birth are clearly displayed so that you aren't going to appear to be wasting paper by putting your name on it.Also remember that your main focus should be on the content, not the number of words you use. Keep your message clear and concise, which makes it easier for your audience to read. And always be conscious of the grammar and spelling that you're using in your resume. You want your readers to be able to understand you and what you are saying in any situation that you might be in.Resume writing takes practice and knowledge. But in order to get as much experience as possible, use your skills and research as you can. This will help you learn how to make better resumes and get a better job.

Business Career Advice - Common Pitfalls

Business Career Advice - Common Pitfalls If you are a young person who is almost finished with formal education and is considering a career, there is much to think about. You will have a lot of varying opinions from your peers, perhaps your father thinks that accounting is a solid business to get into, or your uncle wants you to learn a trade, but you must always remember that your chosen profession should be something close to your heart, which means you would at least have a basic interest in that area. A Question of Perception There are different ways to look at anything, and with a career, for example, one could see it as a way to make a living for the next forty years, or, one could see our work as being something that helps us develop, and with an interest in the field of work, we can realise our full potential. You must like what it is you are going to spend the larger part of your life doing, it is as simple as that. If you are one of the people who has already identified the interest area, and have focused your studies on that field, the next step would be to seek employment with a suitable company. Making the Right Choices Very often, a young graduate would receive several job offers, all resulting from applications made earlier in the year, and would have to select one employer. The right choice would offer opportunities for training and valuable work experience, and providing the new employee’s performance was up to scratch, they would develop within the company. The wrong choice, on the other hand, doesn’t look good on anyone’s CV, and the person would not be happy at work, which can be very stressful. If you are in the dental industry, for example, you could use a reliable temp dental agency with FP recruitment, who can find the ideal placement for your new career. Look to the Future If you are yet to decide on a career path, whatever you choose should be something with sufficient demand and longevity. Dentistry will always be needed, and although the techniques might change with time, people need their teeth fixing. Many young people are seeing the opportunities in the cosmetic surgery industry, where qualified orthodontists and teeth care specialists are always needed. Your first few years at work are critical in one respect, as this is the time where you will learn, and be able to apply your theoretical knowledge together with the practical experience, which will make you competent. Therefore, the first employer should be one that is committed to on-site training, and has the scope for promotion within the company. A specialised recruitment agency would be the best way to source such a company, and with an online search, you will soon be in touch with a reliable organisation with the right contacts. Stay focused on your long term goals and always do your best at work, and be prepared to go that extra mile when necessary, as it is the small things that will make you stand out from the crowd. . Image credit.  Pixabay.

The meaning behind work placements What my work placement taught me.

The meaning behind work placements What my work placement taught me. The importance of gaining work experience is currently on the rise. There have been debates on whether it is better to apply for placements during university, or to wait after graduating. Some courses include a placement year and others do not.   Either way, I do believe it is beneficial to gain an insight into the profession that you aspire towards. A placement may seem as a restriction to those who do not wish to embark on a legal career, but the message behind this post adds to those who seek inspiration from Career Geek on a regular basis. For those who wish to gain legal work experience, and have not done so, here’s an insight of what you may be required to do.  For those who are on a journey to a different career goal, relate it to your situation and ask yourselves whether you have done enough to prove to yourselves that your chosen career path is your desired one. Note:  Not every law firm provides its interns with the same pattern of work. What I was required to do and what skills I acquired My work experience placement at a local law firm provided me with a valuable insight into the legal profession. I was given the opportunity to gain experience within a variety of legal areas and develop substantial skills. The legal areas that I was exposed to were contract law, commercial law, property law, dispute resolutions and equity.  I was given a variety of tasks to illustrate how I achieved a beneficial skills-set. This included developing my numerical skills, writing credibility and organisational skills. On the first day of my placement, the first department I sat in was residential commercial property. Here my task was to fill out a land transactions returns form. It was my duty to download the form from the HM Revenue Customs website and fill the form out using details of a case file given. Within the equity department, my task was to create an estates account document using the information that I had been given from a client case file.  I then had to present my work on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. On my second day I was instructed to produce a case analysis, and the area of law that I was working on was the law of contract. I had been given a large case file where the case concerned a destruction site being left in an unacceptable condition. My responsibility was to read the case carefully in order to pick out and analyse the relevant information. This task enabled me to develop my analytical skills and my writing credibility also improved. On my last day, I was given another case to work on. This case involved an online clothing site, where the customer received an item of clothing which did not match the image on the website. It is important to note that the item of clothing wasnt produced by the clothing company itself, but the order was sent to another company. The main purpose of this task was to discover who was at fault. As a result, this required me to analyse the clothing site and the complaint. After producing my findings I had a discussion with the solicitor who was originally dealing with the case. What I learnt about training contracts It is no surprise that competition is tough when applying for training contracts. There is a great proportion of students wanting to become prospective lawyers, but with not enough training contract vacancies available.   This firm, however, definitely proved that it is tough to gain a place in any law firm.  I found out that the firm had received over 100 applications for one training contract vacancy in 2012. My opinion To some of you, my experience might seem quite boring. However, I was amazed at how much responsibility I was given.   Not once did my time there feel tedious, dull or boring. I was appreciated and I felt that they wanted to teach me about practising law. What helped considerably was that I had just completed my second year studying a law degree. As a result, this was very beneficial as I was able to put my legal knowledge into practice. Most importantly, this placement confirmed that I was following the right direction in pursuing a legal career. What I learned was that students should not apply or carry out work placements just to put it on paper and show to prospective employers. I believe that anyone who wishes to embark on a particular career should be passionate about applying for placements.   It is important to know who you are applying to and have an interest in that firm or organisation. This shows that you have used your initiative to advance your understanding of your cho sen career. You may be asked in an interview what you learnt from a particular placement, and how you progressed from it. Some placements may not provide you with much. For example, you could spent your whole placement just filing. Nevertheless, you could use this experience to show an employer your motivation and willingness not to give up. Filing jobs do have their perks, however. Knowing how to file accordingly illustrates that you have good organisation skills and are able to pay close attention to detail. I say this, as I was required, on a different placement, to place numerous files in alphabetical order. Use work placements to your benefit. It’s better to create a CV that you’re proud of, rather than a document which doesn’t mean much to you. Here are three affirmations to keep you going: 1)           Be positive 2)           Continue to achieve 3)           Strive to develop Editor: Simi Gupta has also written a very handy  guide to U.K law schools, which we recommend you read and share. 4

Skills to Write on a Resume - What to Know to Land That Dream Job

Skills to Write on a Resume - What to Know to Land That Dream JobKnowing the skills to write on a resume is crucial to one's job hunting success. These skills can make or break you in this highly competitive job market. Below are some of the common resume writing skills that need to be honed in order to land that dream job that you've been dreaming about for so long. By implementing the following skills on your resume, you'll have an easier time finding the right job.Passion is a very powerful tool when it comes to getting hired. The more passionate an individual is about their work, the higher their chances of landing the job they want. This makes sense because if they can relate to their employer and highlight their passion, then they will have a much easier time getting hired. Here are some tips on how to shine with your resume.First, let potential employers know that you are a workaholic. If you want to work extra hard and take that job you've been yearning for all this time, let your employer know. Tell them that you will be working nights and weekends in order to finish the project you are working on at the moment. By demonstrating your passion for work, it shows the employer that you will be motivated to work hard for them.Secondly, show them that you are a great communicator by having a clear and positive image. Try to be as polished as possible in your presentation. Make sure that your writing style is well balanced between formal and informal.Lastly, show them that you have excellent problem solving abilities by presenting a variety of positive images. You don't have to be a technical genius to be a great resume writer. Be sure to present a variety of positive images for your employer. Make sure that you are not only presenting yourself positively, but also that your potential employer has a positive impression of you.Lastly, be sure to learn proper grammar conventions. People are less likely to hire someone with poor grammar skills, so learning prope r grammar is important. Keep in mind that employers aren't going to be looking at the spelling and grammar problems on your resume, they are most interested in the strength of your writing skills.These are just a few of the skills to write on a resume. There are plenty more. Remember that you must be willing to practice them as much as possible. These are just a few tips to get you started.As the economy becomes even more dire, job seekers are realizing that they must embrace the desperate times and go after those jobs that are available. This means that more job seekers are trying to learn new skills to write on a resume. It is now the skill that is needed in order to make that dream job come true.

Is the government considering cutting tuition fees

Is the government considering cutting tuition fees If theres one thing Ive learnt from following the ups and downs of UK tuition fees over the years, its to never get your hopes up. The big tuition fees debate gets wheeled out time and time again, with Labour promising to completely scrap them in last years election. It proved a popular policy, and helped them secure a huge student vote. Are the Conservatives finally catching on? The i have reported that the Treasury have cleared the way for the prime minister to cut tuition fees by as much as a third. Yes, a whole third! Theyve apparently said that reducing tuition fees to 6k a year instead of the current £9,250 is feasible. But wheres all this coming from? Unpaid debts As things stand, its predicted that over three-quarters of students will never pay off their student loans. Because lets face it, theyre absolutely huge AND accumulating interest. And we cant all turn out to be millionaires. Current policy states that after 30 years, all unpaid student loans will be written off. But that debt doesnt just disappear someone has to pay it, and that will fall to the government. If we dont want the bill to fall at taxpayers feet, something has to be done. Prioritising degrees Nothings set in stone, but theres also been murmurings of the government using tuition fees to incentivise certain degrees. They want more students to take up skills-based degrees in STEM subjects science, technology, maths and engineering. Doing so would be a huge move, the first time any degree subject has been prioritised over another. Theres no doubt that skills shortages do exist, but are tuition fees the best way of rectifying this? It certainly looks like the UK higher education system could be about to receive a major shake up. The right move? We all automatically assume that cutting tuition fees is a good thing. And in many ways it is. But some have argued that cutting tuition fees isnt the main problem here. Former Education Secretary Justine Greening argued that bringing back maintenance grants was a better way to go. These grants meant that students from lower income backgrounds didnt graduate with more debt than their wealthier peers. Since theyve been scrapped, some students are graduating with upwards of £50,000 in debt. Robert Halfon, the Tory chair of the education select committee, argued that cutting tuition fees would just be a gift to the middle classes, and wouldnt necessarily benefit students from other backgrounds. So whats the best solution here? There isnt an easy answer, but if the government are going to cut tuition fees, they also need to make the student finance system fairer for all, and thats going to take a lot more work. Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

What To Do When You Dont Have A Team To Delegate To

What To Do When You Don’t Have A Team To Delegate To What do you do when you’re working long hours with a lot on your plate still left to do? And by the way, all of it is tagged as “urgent and important”, so you’re constantly fighting fires. Well, when you’re running the show, an obvious solution is to delegate. It’s all good and well to talk about delegating as a way to get more done while preserving your time and energy. But what if you’re an independent contributor without a team, or the person on the team who takes on the brunt of what gets delegated? The good news is that you are only being asked to do important things. That said, there can be too many of them, and perhaps it's hard to determine which are even more important than the others. In these situations, how can you be more efficient, effective, and still have a life? Ask questions up front One way to address both the volume and priority of work is by discussing with your boss (or client) the question of deadlines, work flow, and the degree of importance. It’s best to do this up front when they are assigning the work to you. Asking a few key questions at the outset saves a huge amount of time and effort later. The questions I like to ask are: What’s the goal and what does success look like? Who needs this and how will they be using the output? What’s the deadline and where does this work stand in priority relative to the other work you’ve given me (or that’s on my plate)? What makes me the best person to do this (or what led you to choose me to do this), and is there anyone else you considered? And don’t despair if you haven’t asked yet, it’s not too late. Just do it as a mid-course check-in. Use these to “triage” Asking these questions helps you do triage, which is what medics do on the battlefield. First, they get clear on the goal: to save as many lives as possible using the available resources. Then, they go through a quick assessment of how urgent the patient’s situation is, what kind of intervention is needed, and how likely they are to succeed in saving the patient’s life. This, in turn, determines what category the patient is put into and the priority order in which they are seen. So, what would be the triage categories for you? For example: Do now Schedule for later Push back on the request and suggest an alternative Ignore for now (a small category, but there could be garbage requests that go away, or some bosses like to ask 3 people to do the same thing and it may make sense to discuss with the likely suspects before duplicating efforts) Know when to speak up In terms of “pushing back”, it’s important to think through the circumstances under which it would make sense for you to speak up and challenge the request in a constructive way rather than take on that extra piece of work that tips things into firefighting mode. Unless you're in the armed forces, you don't need to accept tasks just because they're given to you. Sometimes bosses get used to dumping everything on their go to person and only stop when that person puts their hand up and says, hold on, I've got too much on my plate to do this justice what is the purpose of this task and how does it fit into the broader mission, am I the best person to do it, and, of all my tasks, which do you want me to do first? Whether you recommend someone else for the job, query whether it needs doing at all, or something in between, you’ll feel better when you speak up and stand up for yourself. Form your own view of “urgent and important” You can also form your own view on what’s worth doing, and when you should be doing it using former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s method of looking at what's urgent vs. not urgent, and important vs. not important. James Clear has written a great piece on this and how you can use this method to determine priorities. Forming your own opinion is particularly useful when you have multiple people assigning you work, and no one else can compare all your tasks across the board. It’s also great practice for figuring out what’s worth doing in your life overall. Realize that you don’t have to do everything Related to forming your own view, I wonder what the answer would be if you asked yourself Am I the best person to do this task? before you started working. This is about figuring out whether this is a good use of your time, energy and abilities, and if not, then who is better placed to do this. And you don’t need to make this about getting out of doing the work. I’m guessing you’ve proven your hard-worker stripes sufficiently by this time. Instead, it’s about being intelligent in how you’re using finite resources your own as well as that of the organization. Ideally, each of us would be doing what we uniquely do and what plays to our strengths. Set the bar at “good enough” If you must do the task, then it's useful to determine to what standard the task needs to be done. Not everything needs to be done to the standard of perfection. Back in my investment banking days, we called that “gold plating”. And it wasn’t a compliment. So get in the habit of asking yourself, what is good enough for each task? You may find that you are being inefficient in using your most precious resource, which is your time, by creating a Tesla when a bicycle will do. What can you outsource? Even as an individual contributor, there may still be some tasks or parts of the task that can be outsourced to others who don't report to you. When this is the case, could you point out to your boss that it would help speed things up if an assistant could pull together all the files so that you could more efficiently analyze them, or something similar? After all, it's in the organization's interest to have the most junior person who can do something do that thing. Not only is it more cost efficient, it also creates better outcomes when people grow, stretch and feel empowered to step up to the next level. So those are seven things you can do when you’re swamped and don’t have a team to delegate to. Remember, you’re a valued part of the effort and it’s important that you treat yourself that way too. If you don’t stand up for yourself, you can’t count on anyone else to do it for you. What challenges are you facing as an individual contributor or the “go to person” for just about everything, but without any team members to share the burden? Leave a comment below and let’s see how can we help you.

Freakin (Great Links) Friday Installment 22

Freakin (Great Links) Friday Installment 22 The Daschund Easter Bunny can be yours from SharonFoster Art. Im stuffed with matzoh, brisket turkey (Luke wanted to know how the Jews managed to get out of Egypt so fast, since the foods that we eat are so heavy!) from a wonderful Passover with my family and some time spent (not enough!) with my BFF her two incredible little girls. Happiness. Here are this weeks freakin great links: Id take some of the lines from Jen Lemens The Meaning of Hope make them into affirmations. If I was someone into affirmations. The Bloggess quit her job!  If youre someone clawing at your cubicle walls, make sure to leave yourself some room to be still before reading this post. Then, ask her how she did it because shes going to be The Best Advice Columnist Ever. Danielle at White Hot Truth not only gives you a guide to How To Be Depressed this week, but comes up with her own tough question when she asks, Whats It Going To Take? I had to add this to show why visiting NY/being a NYer is awesome. Wondering what a life coach does? Let Oprah show you! Ask IttyBiz, What do I do with my life? and you can guarantee a pretty sarcastically awesome, kick-in-the-pants answer. Learning to Let Go by a beautiful ripple effect describes the release you need to have when something is beyond your control. Hear me, fellow perfectionists? To everyone celebrating Easter, have a great one! To those keeping leaven-free for Passover, have a great Matzohfest 2009! To those that are simply enjoying the weekend, have a great whatever-you-want-it-to-be! Dont forget to come back visit me for the 2nd installation of Sunshine Sunday. You can see all of the Freakin’ (Great Links) Friday installments here.