What to Consider When You Start Your Job Search

What to Consider When You Start Your Job Search When youre starting your job search, you dont always know exactly what youre looking for. You may have had a vague idea about where you would like your career to go, but not necessarily an accurate idea about the kind of role that you believe would suit you. There are  a few things to consider when you begin your job hunt, to assess what kind of job will best suit you. Wiley have put together a list of questions to ask yourself when you start your job search and an exercise that can help you to answer them. Where to start? When you were younger, people probably asked what you wanted to be when you were older. No doubt you had extravagant dreams. Do these match up with what you want to do now?! Think realistically about what you would like to be doing on a day to day basis at work. What is your ideal job and what kind of environment do you want to be working in? What factors  should you consider? Do you want to work for a big or small company? Or maybe even start up your own business? Would you like to work in an office, on the road or outside? Can you envisage yourself working with animals or children? Are you choosing your job based on financial motivation or emotional? To help you to answer these questions do the following Make a list of activities that you have been involved in over the years. These can be professional experiences or leisure activities, on your own time or with work. Rate each of these activities based on how much you enjoyed them. Use a scaled of -10 to +10 (enjoyable activities get a 9 or 10, unenjoyable ones get a -9 or -10). Analyse your list, asking yourself why you enjoyed or didnt enjoy some of the activities you rated at each end of the spectrum. Look for patterns in the kinds of things you enjoyed or didnt enjoy doing. If the common threads suggest that you enjoyed activities that involved people you are probably an extrovert, whereas if you enjoy helping people you may be suited to a service-based job. [Image Credit: Shutterstock]  

Getting to Know You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Getting to Know You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Getting to Know You” became a popular song first heard in the old film classic, The King and I. The song continues: …getting to know all about you. Getting to like you, and hoping you like me” The lyrics are very applicable in today’s environment of dating, entrepreneurship/sales and interviewing. A successful outcome for any of these endeavors is contingent upon getting to know one another well first. Lyrics ring true today Trust must be the underlying motivating force to advance from dating to significant other, from interview to a HIRED! candidate or moving from prospect to client. The likeability factor is also crucial. I frequently ask clients have they purchased from someone they disliked more than once? 100% of the time, the answer is “no”. If there is an energetic disconnect between you and the other party, you will not continue dating, aspire to acquiring the job or even want the next potential client. Therefore every step of the way for getting to the selling process must be based upon building relationships for your best results. Finding common ground Your mindset must be focused on getting to know what motivates the other person and how they view the world. You must also find elements of commonality. The more you find you have in common, the higher you will rate on the likeability meter. Only in this manner will you have a solid foundation to move your relationship forward and make the sale however that may look like. When the other party recognizes you care about them and you do have much in common, your likeability factor will increase significantly. This carefully thought out process will allow both of you to know each other well and bring about a win-win for all concerned. Taking the process slowly but definitively by making certain the match is a good one before making the long term commitment, you will stand a much better chance of building a satisfying career, attracting a significant other, or a long term client who provides you with additional sales. Underlying your relationship building efforts will be your marketing message coming across loud and clear that the other person is equally important. This alone will distinguish you from everyone else. In marketing it is called your unique selling proposition. In sales it is referred to as your competitive advantage. Rising to the top As you distinguish yourself from the crowded playing field, you begin attracting like-minded people to your way of thinking. This is true for hiring managers, partnerships or new clients. It is the unique you that people buy. Even when you represent the company of someone else, prospects begin to see the value in you. Once the value you are offering is detected and you continue to strive to get to know the other person well, it becomes readily apparent your relationship will be mutually beneficial. Salespeople refer to this as a win-win. And when you achieve the win-win, you recognize the Smooth Sale! Author: Elinor Stutz, CEO Of Smooth Sale, LLC, International Speaker, Author and trainer strives to motivate and inspire her audiences and clients to achieving their own success.   Elinor authored the international best-selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results” , Sourcebooks. It was featured in TIME Magazine and translated into several languages.   Her new book, HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews, Career Press, is available online and in major bookstores.

Shy Heres How to Get Over It.

Shy Here’s How to Get Over It. One of the keys to a successful job search is networking, which can be defined as meeting people you don’t know to ask for something you don’t have.   If you’re by nature a shy person, networking can be agonizing.   When biologists and zoologists use the term shy to describe animals, it generally means tends to avoid human beings.   Career coaches define it the same way. One sure way to overcome your fear of speaking to strangers is to focus on them, not on you.   Many shy people are so focused on what they are feeling (embarrassed, unsure, tongue-tied) that they completely forget the other party in the transaction.   Instead of wondering what in the world you’ll say to someone, prepare a couple of questions to get the other person talking about himself. Since this is a discussion about career search, we can start with two questions that anyone can answer and will always start a conversation: “What kind of work do you do?” or “What kind of work are you looking for?” (if the other person is unemployed.) People love to talk about their work, and you can keep the conversation going by asking general questions like: Do you enjoy it?   What do you specialize in? What do you like most about it? Once you start really listening to what the other person says, you can start to relax.   It’s not about you; it’s about her.   Think of it as a game: how long can you volley back questions to keep the conversation going?   Trust me; you’ll come off as a brilliant conversationalist in the other person’s mind. Eventually, the conversation may come around to you again.   Hopefully, by this time, you’ll be more at ease with your conversation partner.   Come prepared with some conversation openers about yourself. “I’m here hoping to connect with other people in the logistics industry.” “I’m thinking about finding a volunteer opportunity while I’m out of work, so I’m here to ask people what civic organizations they support.”   Even this: “I’m here to practice meeting new people, since that’s the hardest part of my job search.   Thanks for making it easy for me.” Heres a professional’s take on how to get over shyness and anxiety.

How about a career in Higher Education

How about a career in Higher Education The idea of staying at university after graduating isnt going to appeal to everyone. But, if youve relished the campus environment and rarified atmosphere  during your time as a student, have you considered a career in Higher Education (HE)? This doesn’t have to mean postgraduate study or the academic job market. Have you ever stopped to think about what goes on ‘behind the scenes’ at your university, or about all  those people working in offices, libraries, student support centres? Here at Warwick, around two-thirds of our 5,500 employees are not academic or research staff. In other words, there are a lot of opportunities out there! Could there be something to suit you? What are  the career options in HE? As with all career planning, you need to do your own research into the sector, but to get you started here are some of the things people do within a university’s professional and administrative services: Policy and governance Finance Legal Management information and statistics Marketing and communications Information technology Library Student welfare Human resources Learning and teaching support Research support Student/staff training and development Recruitment and admissions Community engagement and widening participation Hospitality and events Fundraising and the list goes on… How would a job in one of these areas fit with your own skills, strengths and values? Why would anyone  want to work in a university? Values can be an important driver for people working in Higher Education. Supporting the education and wellbeing of students, or the researchers whose work is making a difference in society, can be innately rewarding. On university campuses new ideas and intelligent debate thrive, and this stimulating environment doesn’t stop at the doors of academic departments . As university employees, we have access to libraries, sports, cultural and research events. We work in a people-centred and multicultural environment. We  don’t earn the stellar salaries of some private-sector jobs, but there are compensations, workâ€"life balance (flexible working, generous holidays etc). That’s not to say that this is a safe route to a lifelong career. Rather than the proverbial ivory tower, HE is a constantly changing environment influenced by government policy, global relations, funding changes, new ideas and technologies. And that’s what makes it interesting. What skills can you bring to a university? As a current student or recent graduate, you have the advantage of understanding what university is like from the inside. Your university works to ensure students have an excellent experience. As an employee  you can offer your views on how to change things for the better. Your perspective is a plus. Throughout your studies, you’ve been in an international environment, working alongside a wide variety of staff, fellow students and, potentially, external contacts. You’ve been developing a range of skills which can be valuable. These will include communicating and presenting; thinking critically and strategically; problem-solving; developing persuasive arguments; team-working and collaboration; researching; writing; specialist technical knowhow. What else have you achieved that makes you stand out? Leadership positions? Awards? International experiences? Volunteering or community work? Mentoring? Teaching? Research projects? What challenges have you overcome along the way, and what have you learned from them? Depending on the role you’re interested in, you’ll need to translate these skills and experiences in a way that has relevance and value for the team you’re applying to join. Your university careers team can help you, at Warwick  you can Tell Your Story., A mini example: my career path so far As a PhD graduate  I have  a passion for teaching and critical debate. Working in skills development and training in HE was an attractive prospect;  it allowed me to focus my energies on supporting the education of others, to stay connected to the world of research, and to open up possibilities for career advancement without having to work seven days a week. As a student I learnt about how universities work. I volunteered at open days, invigilated exams, ran research events and  (during and after my PhD), taught and administered undergraduate modules. I knew I needed a wider perspective so I found a part-time administrative role to develop my knowledge of some of the policies, procedures and politics that shape universities. This combination of academic teaching and administrative experience was really valuable in securing me a job in my desired field. Three and a half years, a couple of professional qualifications and one promotion later, this feels like the right path for me. What’s next? If you are interested in a non-academic career in Higher Education, here are a few tips: Talk to staff at your university (we tend to be very happy to share our own career stories) â€" start to build your professional network from within. Get some experience. This might involve volunteering, a part-time job or work-shadowing; you might be a student rep. or even run for election as a Students’ Union sabbatical officer. If you’re a Warwick student, you can find campus job opportunities via the new Experience Pool website or Unitemps. And if you’re an undergraduate, the Warwick Undergraduate Internship Programme offers summer internships within our administration (watch out for the next recruitment round in April 2016). Look at job adverts to understand the job market and what skills and experience are required. Subscribe to the jobs.ac.uk ‘Jobs by Email’ service for professional/managerial jobs. Or search for job vacancies via specific university websites. Do a skills ‘gap analysis’. What stands between your current skill set and the requirements of your dream job? Talk to your careers consultant about how you could bridge that gap. Further online resources Jobs.ac.uk is the main UK website for jobs and career advice in the Higher Education sector (there are equivalent sites for other countries). It features useful  case studies Association of University Administrators Leadership Foundation for Higher Education

Why Your LinkedIn Content Must be Mobile Friendly - CareerMetis.com

Why Your LinkedIn Content Must be Mobile Friendly It had been coming for some years now, so it was no surprise when mobile web usage overtook desktop last year. The progress that smartphones have made since 2010 when mobile accounted for just 5% of web use has been phenomenal.While from a recreational/social point of view it is easy to see why people are more likely to use their mobile rather than go upstairs and log onto a PC, how people access the web for business is also changing significantly.Of course, more websites are now built to behave responsively to whatever electronic device is used to access them, and the same goes for email templates. Therefore, smartphones are becoming quicker, easier and just as efficient as a laptop or desktop; with the added perks of mobility and data roaming.Photo Credit â€" Pixabay.comevalNow, if you are using LinkedIn to market your skills or any other type of website to showcase yourself, you need to ensure that it is created with the mobile user in mind. The LinkedIn platform itself works pret ty well in terms of being responsive, but if you are creating heavy text blogs, for example, you need to check how this appears when you view it from a mobile. The last thing that you want to do is spend ages creating an informative article that will look disengaging to a mobile user.Remember, potential employees are likely to browse job applicants’ profile using their mobile, so this is your chance to ensure you impress people.Video is a type of content that works extremely well on mobile, so you might want to invest some time in creating a video that details your knowledge and skills. Other content that works well is graphic content such as infographics that are typically much more engaging than other forms of content.It might sound difficult to create infographics, but there are some exceptionally good templates and elements that you can use through websites like Canva.com. Most of the infographic templates are free to use and also offer free images and engaging shapes, etc. Th erefore, you could easily create a professional looking infographic without spending hours creating your own images.Formatting also helps to break up large sections of text to make it easier for readers to take in. The use of bold, bullets, headlines and colors are commonly used to try and make information more digestible for readers. So, when you are building your profile on LinkedIn, remember to use formatting to make your text easy to read.If you have an online portfolio, then you can put in some extra efforts to make your content stand out more than the content of rival applicants. For example, if you have created a video, did you know that you could buy YouTube comments and likes through Social Media Daily?If you can show that your video has received many likes, then you will look like an expert in that field and give yourself the edge over people who haven’t been able to build up many likes. Your video will be highly ranked, and be seen over lesser liked videos which could b e your company’s competitors.evalTherefore, if you have a practical and professional YouTube channel linked to your LinkedIn account, this could improve your success rate for any future job searches.

To Excel, Never Stop Learning! - CareerAlley

To Excel, Never Stop Learning! - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. What is it that you think truly separates the best from the rest? Is it their skills? Their confidence? Their charisma? Is it the experiences that they have had or is it their work ethic? Is it the fact that they are work-ready around the clock of the fact that they are always ready to challenge themselves. Maybe its the fact that they use their mistakes as an opportunity for learning, growth, and development and not just as an opportunity for personal embarrassment! It might be their education paths, their choices or their decisions. All of the above plays a huge part in being the best that you can possibly be, and not just for the sake of your career but for your growth as a person and your development throughout your own life. Theres a lot to learn through life and that can come through chosen development, like when we invest our time and money in education via colleges and courses or when we make mistakes. Truth be told, we cannot develop without both, in a way and although there is arguably more to learn from our mistakes, we can gain a lot of critical thinking skills from academia. What makes the best the best? Its the fact that they know and fully understand that they will never stop learning at any point in their lives. They take on board learning opportunities whether it comes from the error of their ways or through courses like an accredited online MBA program or a university degree. In fact, they never stop looking for opportunities that can help them grow, learn, develop and move forward in their line of work and beyond. If youre looking to move up in your career path, you can do a lot worse than learn and find ways to grow. While you might not fit the profile of your wanted role right now, whos to say that you wont be the perfect candidate down the line when youve picked up more experience and skills? If you want to move forward with your career, and your life, what you must do is seek out opportunities to develop and grow, so you can fit the criteria of the roles you want to move into. This is the type of planning ahead that anyone at all serious about their career needs to take into account. The thing is, learning isnt a zero-sum game. Its got plenty of benefits for the present and the future and it molds you into the type of person who succeeds, and the type of person that will get by, no matter what. Learning keeps you humble and it sets you up for life. Either that or you can stay on the same path only find opportunities for growth when you stumble upon them. This isnt going to get you anywhere fast not in life nor in your career. You can always find room in your brain to learn more and you will never stop learning! What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to launch your career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Using Professional Resume Writing Services for a Competitive Edge

Using Professional Resume Writing Services for a Competitive EdgeProfessional resume writing services provide employers with a unique opportunity to show that they understand the pressures that are placed on job seekers. A professional resume is designed to win an employer's attention and it is designed to benefit the applicant.One of the best ways to ensure that a professional resume is effective is by using the resume cover letter. The personal touch helps to make the professional resume stand out and provide a competitive edge. The professional resume is not just another piece of paper, it is meant to be used as an effective marketing tool. If you need a professional resume written then there are a few things that you should consider in choosing the right resume writing service.It is not enough to have a professional resume if you have a non-professional resume. That means that you need to consider the type of work that you do and the nature of your job. If you work in a manageria l position, a professional resume can be quite beneficial but if you are primarily in sales or call center positions then a non-professional resume will be more beneficial.When you choose a professional resume writing service for the first time, consider what their services include. While it is always good to have a professional resume, there are some services that offer free consultation, which can be very helpful. Consider their experience and ability to offer a competitive advantage to your resume.Resume writing services are generally found online. You need to be able to get an idea of their quality from their previous work and see if they have the experience and skills to get the job done. You can also ask if they can send you a sample or demonstration of their resume writing services and see if they can give you a good estimate.You want to make sure that you keep the integrity of your resume in mind. Some of the best resume writing services offer different styles and will custo mize your resume to fit your personality. They have the best resume writing skills, but the best resume writers will also have a passion for writing resumes. Try them out and see what you think.Professional resume writing services can help you write your resume to increase your chances of getting a new job. These services can help you make sure that you get your resume noticed, thereby helping you to get a promotion or raise in your current position. Since so many applicants are competing for jobs, you may want to take the time to look at the quality of service that is offered.