Filed under: Job Search, Networking | Tags: job search, networking, switching careers, volunteering
Not so long ago, professionals could count on spending the majority of their career with the same company, and the gold watch and comfortable pension were a guarantee. Not only are those kinds of companies few and far between these days, but workers are making the choice to switch up their career paths more often than ever before. If you’re thinking of making a sharp turn on your career path, check out these recommendations:
- Make sure that the hiring trends in the industry you’re considering are favorable. Check job-search sites like Monster.com or even the classifieds of your local paper to see how hiring trends are looking. Job-listing sites will often – usually towards the end of the year – publish lists of the fields with the best outlooks for hiring in the months to come. (more…)
Filed under: Job offer, Salary | Tags: hiring bonus, job offer, job search, negotiating, salary negotiation, vacation
You’ve just gotten the offer for the position you’ve been hoping for – but the salary leaves something to be desired. So how do you bump up the bottom line on your future salary? Here’s some things you’ll need to do before countering an offer:
- Know the market. Use online tools like Salary Wizard or the Salary Research Tool from Monster.com to make sure your expectations line up with comparable positions in your area. Salaries can vary widely from region to region, so knowing what other jobs like this one are paying in your city or area will help you see how much room you may have for negotiation.
- Base vs. bonus. Asking if the figure you’ve been offered is a base salary shows you’ve thought about things like bonuses and stock options. And it opens up conversations about these topics, which means you may be able to…
- Bank on a hiring bonus. If the gap between your offer and the going rate is substantial, ask about a hiring bonus. A one-time payment may be more agreeable to the employer than an ongoing salary commitment. Ask if a hiring bonus might be an option to help bring the total compensation closer to where you want. (more…)
Filed under: Branding, Job Search, Social networking, social networking online | Tags: job search, online identity, social networks
If you’re on the job hunt in this economy, you can’t afford to ignore your online identity. And we’re not just talking about making sure you don’t enter your Social Security number into insecure Web sites.
If you have an account on any of the major social networks – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – or an online profile anywhere else, anything you’ve posted out there could be viewable by future employers. Posting information about yourself online has often been compared to sending details through the mail on a postcard – it’s visible to anyone who handles that postcard on its way to its recipient.
So check that information out. Google your name and take a look at the results. See what images, pages and phrases result from that search. Do they line up with the image you’re working to present to future employers? What about posts and photos that others have tagged you in? Do those project the image you want? If they don’t, get those posts and photos untagged and removed from your profiles. Adjust whatever you need on your online profiles to reflect the image you want to potential employers. (more…)
Filed under: Community support, LinkedIn job search, Networking | Tags: job search, linkedin, networking
LinkedIn is the fastest-growing social network out there, and it’s definitely a place where job seekers need to be spending significant time. But how do you make the best of this network in your search process? Here’s some tips on maximizing your LinkedIn presence on the job hunt!
Get serious. The most important thing you can do as a job seeker on LinkedIn is to get serious about your profile. If you’ve got just the bare minimum (name, prior positions, and that’s it…) complete your profile as much as you can. LinkedIn even gives you a handy scale to indicate the completeness of your profile and provides tools to help you identify what needs to be added to make it as complete as you can.
Be proactive. Use LinkedIn’s Advanced Search feature (look for it in the upper right corner of your LinkedIn window) and find people you should be contacting. Make a list of people in your industry that you want to connect with – executives, HR professionals, recruiters, professional society leaders – and find out how your existing connections know them. (more…)
Filed under: Job Search, networking on Facebook, Social networking | Tags: job search, Tips, websites
You probably think that the best use of the Internet is for finding job listings. But there’s a whole wealth of information online to provide for every phase of your job search, and for job seekers in all situations. US News and World Report has put together a list of the 11 most useful sites for job seekers – you can access the full list here, and we’ve highlighted a few of the most unexpected below.
- National Employment Law Project – if you’ve been out of work for a long period, this site can help you keep track of legislative updates on unemployment benefits and COBRA options.
- JobBound – the partners in the JobBound recruiting firm offer up rock-solid free advice on resume writing, cover letters, and interviewing tips.
- Brazen Careerist – this site is focused on the twentysomething demographic, but offers up great advice for anyone interacting with that age group during the job search process. (more…)
Filed under: Job interview, Job offer, Job Search, New Job | Tags: job interview, job offer, job search, offer letter
After weeks and possibly months of job searching, having multiple offers in your hand can only be a good thing, right? But that means you’ll need to choose between those offers – which can sometimes be just as challenging as the job hunt! Comparing the two offers against each other using these criteria can help you see which position offers more of the things that are important to you, and help to make your decision-making process a little smoother.
Compensation – this is usually the first, and sometimes only, deciding factor. But there are more things than dollars and cents in each compensation package. How do the two offers compare when it comes to things like insurance and benefits, retirement contributions, overtime pay, and vacation time? Make sure you’re comparing the complete compensation package, not just the salary. (more…)
You know what a “brand” is, right? We’re surrounded every day by messages from folks like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Google, McDonald’s, Apple, and other big names that have poured millions of dollars into creating an awareness of who they are and what their products can do. But how much time and thought have you put into developing your own personal brand, the brand of “you” that potential employers will recognize? It doesn’t take millions of dollars to do it, but it does take some time and thought about who you are and what you can bring to a future employer. Here’s a way to start:
- Figure out what you bring to the table. The best brands have a simple, clear way to communicate who they are and what they do. And that communication usually leads with an emotional appeal. So, who are you in the workplace? What do you want potential employers to know and remember about you? Make a list of all those things that describe you – organized, creative, funny, strategic. Think about how others describe you, what they compliment you on, and how others have told you that you make them feel. (more…)
