3 Tips To Power-Up Your Resume

The New Year is at hand. With holiday parties over, now is the time to roll up your sleeves and execute your resolution to move your career to the next level.

As you sit down to compose or edit your resume, remember that its singular purpose is to address an employer’s first question: “Can this person do the work that is associated with this job, and do they have the right background to make a potentially strong fit?” Only if you pass this test can you begin to move along the other stages of the hiring process.

In my latest article published by USNews & World Report I show how you can use your intelligence, perspective and especially the power “How” to juice up your resume and jumpstart your job search for 2013. Here’s the link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/01/02/3-ways-to-power-up-your-resume-for-the-new-year

Happy hunting!

How Headhunters Hunt… and How To Get Yourself Found

This week I interviewed Susie Hall, the President of VitaminT – a very large recruiting agency that deals primarily with “creative types”. We spoke about how recruiters go about finding great candidates, what they look for, how they network, and how job seekers can get on their radar. I’ve shared the highlights of that discussion, along with several tips about things that a job hunter can utilize to create an effective personal brand and get hired faster. Note: her advice is valid for people with all kinds of backgrounds, interests and aspirations. You can see what she says by following this link to my USNews & World Report article for this week: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/12/26/how-to-be-found-and-prized-by-headhunters#comments.

Happy reading… happy hunting, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

If You Want a Great Job, Tell a Great Story

The film Lincoln is getting rave reviews because it tells a great story in an engaging way. And, it reminds us that the 16th president was most effective at convincing someone to take his side when he was able, without hesitation, to reach into his past and relate a story to the current moment. If you are a job hunter, there are several important lessons you can learn from this movie to aid you in your search.

First and foremost, you need to begin to see yourself as a storyteller. In my article this week in USNews & World report, I explain what I mean by this and offer five other key insights about your job hunt gleaned from this great new movie. Here’s the link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/12/11/if-you-want-a-great-job-tell-a-great-story?s_cid=related-links:TOP

Why Your Networking Isn’t Working & How To Fix It

Thrilled to be invited to return to TENG (Temple Emanual Networking Group) in Netwon, MA to speak at their program this week!

We’ll be looking at common mistakes people make both in person and online… and more importantly what you can do to avoid these mistakes to begin with, or fix them if your networking skills are shaky.

Please join us! This program is FREE and OPEN to all at 6:45pm, Wednesday, December 12th at: Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA. The building is handicap accessible and there is on-street parking.

Who should come: the fully-employed, the business owner, the self-employed, the under-employed, the unemployed or the part-timer, the volunteer and the career changer. Now is the time to reinforce your network and help out others in our community.

LI Group: Knock em Dead Secrets & Strate

LI Group: Knock em Dead Secrets & Strategies – great discussions. Glad to be one of this week’s Top Influencers http://ow.ly/fUfQG #jobhunt

3 Things LinkedIn Can Do To Help You Nab Your Next Job

Have you noticed the zillions are articles written about the virtues of LinkedIn and necessity of you getting on board in order to have a successful job hunt? Social media permeates our society, and LinkedIn has become the most fertile hunting ground for talent for recruiters and businesses of all sizes. The buzz about LinkedIn does point to something real, but it often doesn’t clarify, beyond “help you get a job” the three basic ways this business social media site can help you do just that.

Put in simplest terms, you should use LinkedIn in such a way as to:

1. Make you findable by companies and recruiters looking for someone with your talents and experience;
2. Enable you to find employment opportunities worth pursuing; and
3. Help you learn what you need to know about the “latest and greatest” in your field, about companies you want to work for and the people who already work there, especially including the people you want to hire you… and much, much more.

In my latest article, 3 Ways LinkedIn Can Help You Nab a Job, published by USNews & World Report I not only talk about these three things, but give specific tips about how to do so. Here’s the link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/12/04/3-ways-linkedin-can-help-you-nab-a-job

Happy hunting!

 

Are You Ready To Own Your Own Business?

Are you in a dead-end job that is stifling your creativity? Have you had it with your boss or are you just fed-up with working for someone else? Are you coming to the conclusion that you will never be hired again? Have you always wanted to build your own business?

This week I interviewed two entrepreneurs who have opened their own businesses recently. They are “in the trenches” of building their American dream, and offer valuable insights into what it takes to succeed as your own boss.

Suzanne Gray, a small business coach with a nationwide clientele who works with The Entrepreneur’s Source in New Hampshire counsels, “Up front clarity is of critical importance.”

Read their insights about the motivation, skills, and personality you need to succeed, along other issues every potential business owner must work through in my newly published article on USNews & World Report.  Here’s the link to the full article: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/11/27/the-entrepreneurs-checklist-7-clues-youre-ready-to-own-a-business

Don’t Just Find “a” Job. Find the Right Job!

As a savvy job hunter, it is critically important for you to continually research potential employers for two reasons:

1. You can tailor your cover letter and interview performance to demonstrate that you care about the company, and have given serious thought to ways in which you can contribute to it.

2. You can make an educated decision about whether the job you’re applying for is an excellent fit for your experience, skills, personality, and long-term aspirations. Before you make a commitment, your eyes should be open wide to both the challenges and opportunities that come with the job.

In my article on USNews & World Report this week I give concrete examples of how to go about researching potential employers, and what to look for when determining if a given job or employer is a good fit for your career aspirations. Here’s the link:

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/11/13/how-proper-research-buoys-your-job-chances-and-career-path

How to effectively research to get The R

How to effectively research to get The Right Job – not just any job http://ow.ly/ffN0M #career #employment #jobhunt #jobsearch

Enjoying reading 100 Conversations for #

Enjoying reading 100 Conversations for #Career Success by Labovich & Salpeter http://ow.ly/fdsBR. Valuable for #jobhunt @Keppie_Careers