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CareerJuice Blog
Credit Scores and the Job Search
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For years, we’ve been told how important our credit rating is. The higher your FICO score, the lower the APR on your mortgage or car loan or new credit card. And with the collapse of the banking industry, a solid credit rating has become more vital than ever. Radio and TV commercials bombard us with promises to reduce debt and improve our credit. Well, now you can add a job search to the many ways your credit rating affects your life.
What does it mean to network?
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As many job seekers know, and as many job-search resources will tell you, it is important to network as you look for your next position. Everybody says it, but what does it really mean? How can it help you to find the position you want or the person you want to speak to?
Long story short, it doesn’t always do that, but both concentrated and light networking can help to supplement your job search. Hopefully by creating some new connections, an internal recommendation or two, or even a tidbit of information about a person, position or department you wouldn’t otherwise know about.
Here are two tips we’ve come up with to help our candidates best focus their networking efforts.
Map out your social connections: Using resources like LinkedIn and Facebook, take stock of who you know and what those people do for work. Do they work in a position or at a company you’d like to target? Ask to speak with them briefly over a cup of coffee to find out more about what their career trajectory was like, or who they know in a department you’re trying to target. Be open about your desire to work for the company or in a specific position and ask them what they think you should do to get an informational interview.
Find a MeetUp Group: If you have completely exhausted your existing network, it’s important to grow some new connections! There is a MeetUp group for virtually every interest under the sun (sometimes two!). MeetUps offer a way to connect with new and different people around a shared career, field of industry or simply a shared interest. These group meetings follow a variety of different layouts, usually meeting at a neutral location for some education, networking and socializing. While these do tend to be more prevalent in urban areas, it is always possible that you’ll find something close to where you live. Here in Boston, from the Boston Volunteers MeetUp, which covers a variety of volunteer opportunities in and around the city, to the HTML5 Game Development MeetUp to the Boston IT JobSeeker’s MeetUp, there is a lot to do and talk about.
Do you have a networking strategy that’s worked for you? Let us know about it in the comments below!
Blogging Forward,
Landing a New Job Can Be…Stressful
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“You’re hired.”
For professionals who have been treading water in the unemployment pool, one would think those words would resonate as loudly as “you’ve just won the lottery.” For some people, however, finding a new job can be bittersweet. The pressures of exceeding new employers’ expectations, coupled with the fear of being laid off again, weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of some.
An article in the Wall Street Journal by Joann S. Lublin, spotlighted this growing phenomenon.
“Persistent ill effects [of being unemployed] include damaged self-esteem, fears about repeating job mistakes, concentration difficulties and insomnia,” writes Lublin.
Networking: The Power of Meeting Face-to-Face
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It’s no secret that online social networking outlets are all the rage. It seems that everyone has their own Facebook page or Twitter account. Not surprisingly, job seekers, as well as gainfully employed professionals, have found ways to utilize this technology to aid them in their job searches or to build their business.
In fact, social networking sites seem so popular that you might get the impression that traditional networking strategies are as relevant as your dusty collection of VHS tapes. But industry experts caution while online networking does have its uses, old-fashioned networking techniques should not be overlooked.
Job Search Must Have Books
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If you or someone you know is actively searching for a new job, or even passively surveying the job market, there are a number of notable, recently-published books to consider. Covering topics such as evaluating career choices, unleashing the power of successful thinking and writing winning resumes, these books are sure to satisfy any job seeker.
What Color is Your Parachute? 2010 A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
By Richard Nelson Bolles
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Laid Off? Stimulate Your Job Search.
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Even as the wheels of the country’s economy try to get back on track, professionals in all lines of work continue to run the risk of hearing those dreaded words: “We’re eliminating your position”, or “We’re downsizing”. Regardless of how delicately it is put, the harsh reality is you’ve just been laid off. And with the national unemployment rate hovering around 10% Bureau of Labor Statistics , you are not alone. What do you do now? Even if you are among the fortunate to avoid the swinging lay-off pendulum, it’s best to be prepared.
In fact, if a lay-off appears imminent, preparation is the key, according to Alison Doyle, job search expert for About.com.
Hot Jobs of the Future
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Who isn’t ready for some good news? For two years now, with the global economy mired in one of the worst recessions in generations, we have been inundated with a constant stream of depressing reports and discouraging statistics: the stock market’s precipitous decline, plummeting housing prices, and rising unemployment. So, as we near the close of Q1, it’s time to look ahead and identify the career opportunities of the future, as well as who will be filling them.
The Importance of SEO and Resumes
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In late 2010, we encouraged people who are actively job seeking to revamp their resume for 2010. If you missed it, you can catch that post here. So that post was a good first step in taking the fluff out of a resume. The next question is what will recruiters want to see? How can a simple resume rewrite make you an easier target for the recruiters and headhunters at companies you want to work for?
The answer lies in keywords. Just like websites and companies focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)- so should you as a job seeker. Many companies that are hiring rely on resources like Monster.com, CareerBuilder and internal job search engines to divert qualified candidates right into the email inboxes of recruiters and hiring managers based on established searches built around—you guessed it—keywords. This means that because companies have an automated and easier time finding candidates, your job as the job seeker is harder. It should be obvious that you reread and tweak your resume to fit every position you’re applying for, but now failure to do so can mean that a well-qualified candidate could be skipped over completely (or rated a low percentage match).
Make a habit out of comparing the description of every job you apply for with the words on your resume. If a company is referring to a position as a “Web Developer” and you’ve got “Software Engineer” on your resume, it will be harder for a search filer to catch your resume first. Additionally, if a non-technical person (such as a human resources representative) doesn’t know that these phrases are synonymous, you risk the chance of being passed over all together for a job for which you are qualified.
This simple exercise should make the job hunt a more productive endeavor. Good luck!
Blogging Forward,
Weekly Series: How Recruiters Work Part 1
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A while back I wrote a series explaining why recruiters ask you certain questions. Well this is a new post that will answer a common question we get with new candidates we work with all the time: “I’ve never worked with a recruiter before, how does this work?”
“WILL THIS COST ME MONEY?”
I want to get this out of the way first: recruiting companies do not charge the candidates they work with a single dime. It is a free service for you to use us to help you find a job; which is a pretty great deal. The way recruiting companies make their money is from placing the candidates they work with at companies. Generally companies hire recruiters to fill roles for them that they are having trouble filling, or don’t have the time to find the right candidates. Recruiters specialty lies in finding talented individuals that are hard to find and matching them up with their clients positions and charge a percentage fee on top of the open position’s salary to the client -not the candidate. So the bottom line is working with a recruiter will never cost you, the candidate, any money, but will work hard to get you the position you are looking for.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post on, “How Recruiters Work.”
Blogging forward,
What to Wear to an Interview for Women
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This may seem like a fairly basic topic but first impressions are extremely important and many people are unsure about the proper dress attire to wear to an interview. There are a lot of different type of work environments and different corporate cultures that range from casual or informal to very formal business attire. For both men and women try to keep tattoos and piercings limited and covered up, obviously if you are applying to be a designer as a tattoo artist this may differ; but for an office setting you should not show up with your nose ring, ear plugs, and tattoo sleeves showing. I am of the mindset that one should always be overdressed rather then under-dressed for interviews, this shows that you are taking the opportunity seriously. Even if the place you are applying to allows you to wear jeans, a t-shirt, and sandals everyday you should still be in some sort of business attire which also is a sign of respect and professionalism.
For women, don’t confuse dressing-up to go out to a club or bar as the same as dressing-up for an office environment, they are two very different things. Stick to pants suits or blazer with a long skirt that covers the length of your thighs while you are seated, and ends just below the knee when standing. You do not want to look foolish or inappropriate with a short skirt. Longer skirts are professional as well but make sure that they do not billow or aren’t so thin that it’s difficult to climb a staircase. Navy, dark gray, and black are all safe colors to wear with this type of attire. Try to avoid very bold and bright colors, trends come and go, it is better to stay with an understated traditional style.
Underneath the suit jacket, wear a tailored blouse in a modest color or print that coordinates with the color of the rest of your outfit. Do not show cleavage and keep the blouse simple. You don’t want to have too many frills, or stripes, or patterns, or feathers etc. these are distracting and can look awkward. In terms of jewelery and accessories keep it light and modest, too many large shiny objects can be once again distracting. Keep you makeup conservative as well, a little is better than none, but keep it modest, you don’t want to look like a clown. For shoes, keep it to a closed-toe pump and avoid very high heels, stilettos, or chunky platforms. If you are bringing a purse make sure its not too large, you don’t need a Mary Poppins situation, or casual, you aren’t going to the beach today; and make sure its color matches your shoes. Lastly, your hosiery shouldn’t be patterned but plainly styled in a neutral color that compliments instead of contrasts with your suit.
Keep you hair clean and neat (try to avoid the gusty winter winds of Boston as much as you can), perfume application moderate, and go ace that interview!
Blogging forward,
