Make the most of LinkedIn with a comprehensive and engaging All Star profile!
LinkedIn, a professional networking site, is an amazing tool for professionals and students regardless of career field or interest. To make the most of your LinkedIn presence, it’s important to create a comprehensive and engaging profile. A great profile will allow you to showcase your qualifications and career aspirations via your online presence/professional brand, attract more quality connections, and rank higher in LinkedIn searches. Follow these steps to build your LinkedIn profile! read more
A reference will always say something nice about you, right? Wrong!
Each company or organization invests significant resources into new hires, and the act of checking references is one way to gain critical information about a candidate before sending out that offer letter. Although a candidate can look great on paper, in reality that person may not be a fit with a company’s professional needs or culture. By checking professional references, potential employers connect with people that will vouch for a candidate’s qualifications and even character. Selecting and submitting a reference can enhance or damage your candidacy. As a former recruiter, I encountered quite a few references that said negative things about the candidates in question. Their feedback absolutely influenced my hiring decisions, and not in a good way. Here are some tips about how you can ensure that your references will help you get the job! read more
Need more experience to land that job? Here’s how to get it!
It’s a catch-22. You need experience to get a job, but if you don’t have a job how will you get that experience? Employers value experience when it comes to assessing candidates because it illustrates that an employee can perform desired duties and tasks, hopefully at a high level (that’s why it’s important to showcase accomplishments on your resume). The good news is there are many ways that you can gain experience that aligns with the skills and abilities affiliated with your target jobs. That’s right, full-time employment is not the only way to gain professional experience! Whether you are a college student or seasoned employee, you can gain valuable professional experience through internships, volunteer opportunities, and project work. read more
How can you ease the stress of starting a new job?
Whether you’re a recent grad or seasoned professional, starting a new job can be both exciting and terrifying. You’ll encounter a new organizational culture, supervisor, responsibilities, and colleagues. How can you prevent it from becoming an overwhelming experience? Have a plan! Your job search strategy was effective (you landed the job!), so now it’s time to develop and execute a new job strategy. Some of the keys to success include connecting with others, doing your research, and focusing on positivity. read more
What is the hidden job market, and how can you tap into it?
Whether you don’t know about it, or are aware of what it is and choose not to access to it, you are missing out on countless career opportunities if you are not engaged in the hidden job market. The hidden job market is defined as a collection of jobs that are not formally posted or advertised, and career experts estimate that it represents 60% to 80% of all jobs hired for each year. That means that as active job seekers are roaming job sites and applying to online postings, they are competing for just 20% to 40% of all available jobs. Applying to online job postings may feel productive, but where are the results? Many clients claim they are getting nowhere with their job search despite applying to hundreds of postings. In most cases, the answer lies within the hidden job market. read more
Do you know where to find valuable information on LinkedIn to make better career decisions?
The benefits of LinkedIn extend way beyond connecting with other professionals and presenting a top-tier profile through which you can market your professional brand. What many people don’t realize is that LinkedIn is a source of game-changing information for your career, that is, if you can find it! Whether you are climbing the corporate ladder or in the midst of some serious career exploration, tapping into content you’ll find within LinkedIn can help you gain knowledge and tools that will support smart career decision making. Where is this information, and how can it help you? To answer those questions you’ll do a little dreaming and then some detective work. read more
Informational interviews deliver much more than information!
An informational interview is an important networking tool that can help you gain valuable career knowledge while connecting you with professional resources. How does an informational interview work? It’s simple! You arrange a meeting with an individual who works in a position, at a company, or within an industry that interests you, and then you have a conversation with that person who will provide information and advice in response to your questions and curiosity. Naturally, informational interviews will allow you to access information; that’s how this type of interview is defined. However, it’s important to realize that there are many other benefits to conducting informational interviews, many of which that can help support your career development. Key benefits include the establishment of network connections, development of professional skills, and advancement of your career vision. read more
Looking for career direction? Then targeted exploration is a must!
Whether you are new to the world of work, a professional thriving in your chosen profession, or at a career crossroads, the choices you have when it comes to your professional life can be overwhelming. Where do you start? Do you stay on the path you have established? What are your options? You may be unhappy, but don’t know where to turn. The first thing you need to know is that there is no magic wand or career genie that will do the work for you. However, the good news is that there are resources you can access and steps you can take that will help you find clarity amongst the chaos. They key is to look at yourself, gather the right information, and connect with other people. That process is called targeted exploration, and here’s how it can work for you! read more
How can different types of mentors enhance your career?
While the vast majority of people that I work with in my role as a career strategist know that mentors can provide valuable support and inspiration, few comprehend the true magnitude of mentorship. As a result, they miss out on many mentor-related benefits and opportunities. To make the most of your mentor experiences, it is critical to engage different types of mentors throughout your career in order to gain diverse and relevant skills, knowledge, and wisdom. Learn how traditional, peer, specialty, and reverse mentors can enhance your career. read more
How jury duty is like a job search
I walked to the mailbox, opened it up, and there it was….a jury duty summons! The morning of my report date I packed some snacks and a book to help pass the time, and then headed to the courthouse. After waiting for over three hours in the potential juror room, I was selected for a case. That was the beginning of my two-week term of jury duty service. I soon came to realize that jury duty and a job search have quite a bit in common. You never know who you will meet, how you will interpret the evidence, or how long the journey will take. read more