3 ways to make networking fun for introverts and extroverts -

3 ways to make networking fun for introverts and extroverts - Today’s post is one of many from members of the Career Collective community I co-coordinate with my colleague Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter. This month’s question? How to overcome networking fears and make networking fun tips for introverts AND extroverts. I encourage you to visit other members’ responses, which are linked at the end of my post. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective. I dont know very many people who love to network. (There are some, but when it comes to job hunt networking, most seem to find it onerous and difficult.) First, lets make it clear why you need to network. CareerXRoads found (and continues to find every year) that almost 27% of hires that companies make are via referrals. If you look at the big picture ways that people find their way to jobs referrals account for the majority of hires. In the bigger scheme of things, some people believe that up to 80% of jobs actually are the result of networking. This could mean someone you know letting you know about an opportunity or a Twitter friend passing along a tweet about a job. Neither of those are captured as referrals by a company that hires you, but ultimately, they are networking related hires. Theres no doubt that networking is important. But, what about introverts? Are they at a significant disadvantage in a world where its so important to connect and engage with people for career success? In an earlier blog post, I shared information from Lindsey Pollak about why shy or introverted people make great networkers. You dont need to be someone who loves working a room or sharing your life story to be good at networking, as there are innate traits anyone identifying in these groups may have. In summary, shy and introverted people ask for personal referrals, tend to be polite, are good listeners, bring a friend to networking events and leverage their on-line contacts â€" all great indicators of a successful networker! Here are tips to help make networking fun that apply to both introverts and extroverts: 1. Choose a networking venue that you enjoy. If you like talking to people in person, go to events where you will have that chance. If you like networking in your pajamas, with a laptop balanced on your knees, look to social networking. There are more opportunities than ever there for you. 2. Recognize networking applications of things you are already doing. For example, have you considered the great professional networking opportunities that can come of Facebook? I shared ideas about why Facebook is such a great tool for job seekers in a previous post. The first reason Facebook is fun! Lets face it, most people are not drawn into spending hours pouring over LinkedIn. (Although it might be useful to do so!) Facebook is about relationships. Read more about why you should consider being there for professional reasons. You may decide that you actually enjoy job search networking if youre getting it done without even realizing it. 3. Try new things. Are you using Twitter for your job search? Did you know that some people think Twitter users are more likely to get interviews? If you are not already there, learn how to   use Twitter for your job search and youll have an opportunity to try out some new networking opportunities that are different from what you may have already tried, such as Twitter chats. Twitter chats are a great way to expand your network. (Follow that link to learn more about them.) Chats such as #jobhuntchat (Monday nights at 10 pm eastern) are great places to ask questions and share experiences. If the chat goes too fast for your taste, you can always network as an observer and then reach out to respondents after the chat is done with clarifying questions. I think that chats provide opportunities for anyone who wants to reach out to a larger network to do so. What did my colleagues suggest? 5 Little Secrets About Networking, @Careersherpa Networking: Easy as 1, 2 , 3, @WorkWithIllness How to Take the Intimidation Out of Networking, @heathermundell Networking for the Shy and Introverted, @KatCareerGal A tale of two networkers, @DawnBugni Introvert or Extrovert: Tips for the Job Search No Matter Which Vert You Are, @erinkennedycprw Networking for Job Candidates Who Hate Networking, @heatherhuhman Networking? Ugh! @resumeservice Network, Network, Network, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes Grow Your Career Networking Seeds Organically, @ValueIntoWords Networking: Its a Way of Life, @WalterAkana Social Media Networking Your Career, @GayleHoward Networking for the Networking-Phobic, @JobHuntOrg Networking: Why Who You Know Doesnt Count, @Chandlee photo by loupiote (Old Skool)

Resume Writing For Engineers - How to Write a Successful One

Resume Writing For Engineers - How to Write a Successful OneWhat would you do if you were hired to write a resume for an engineer? Wouldn't you get nervous as it is with any job application you write? It's easy to be that way, especially when you are not fully prepared. The truth is that it is just as easy to succeed in this as it is in anything else you do, when you are confident in your ability.The first thing you need to do is to collect all the materials you will need to write your resume. Some materials include resumes for all possible engineering positions. You will also need to research and read a lot of resumes online. Your resume will only get as good as the content of it.In order to make your resume as attractive as possible, you should make it look professional and very focused on your career. The content must contain enough information to let the hiring manager or recruiter know that you're up to the task.If you have strong communications skills, then that's a plus. Howev er, the content should be written to appeal to the reader and contain some kind of interesting information.There are plenty of websites online that offer excellent job placement services. These sites can also help you create your resume with some of the services that they offer. Keep in mind that not all of these sites will be able to give you free services, so it's a good idea to find one with a minimum charge.In your resume, you will need to address each of the areas that you would like to emphasize. For example, if you have expertise in environmental monitoring, mention it in your summary paragraph. This will highlight your talents and give you a good start.Writing a resume for engineersis not difficult. All you need to do is find a good resource for help and put it to use. You will be surprised how quickly you learn how to craft a successful resume.

What Your Resume Should Look Like In 2018

What Your Resume Should Look Like In 2018 Let’s be honest: Writing a resume is a drag. After all, this isn’t exactly a task for the gainfully employed. If you’re reading this, you’re probably out of work or daydreaming of greener pastures. But here’s the good news: Learning how to write a killer resume can ratchet up your job search, cement your status as a top notch candidate, and increase your chances of landing a new gig. In other words, it’s a major game changer. Here are some expert-approved resume tips for nailing the job search this year, and a downloadable template that will make the process a whole lot easier. Note: Each numbered tip corresponds with the example resume below. (Some resume elements courtesy of TopResume; downloadable template here) [1] Resume design matters A good resume design is eye catching, without being an eyesore. This template is simple and clean, with a sleek aesthetic that sets it apart from every other resume out there. Don’t be too heavy-handed with italics, bold, and all-caps â€" use them sparingly, and for emphasis. The best resume fonts look good on both a screen and on a sheet of paper, so choose a modern style, and do a test print before you send it off to employers. “If content is king, then aesthetic value is queen,” says Debra Wheatman, President of the New York-based Careers Done Write. “I would stay away from Times New Roman. That’s the sweatpants of font.” [2] Format your resume so the juiciest parts are up top The top one-third of your resume is valuable real estate, so make it count. Instead of a mailing address, a good resume tip is to add your LinkedIn address next to your name and contact info. And while you’re at it, make sure your LinkedIn profile is as robust as it can be, and an accurate reflection of your candidacy. “The overwhelming majority of professions use LinkedIn,” says Amanda Augustine, TopResume’s career expert. “So your profile not only has to exist, it also has to support your resume.” Objective statements on your resume are a thing of the past (“This is a marketing document, not a Dear Abby letter,” Augustine says). Use a summary statement instead, which is basically just an elevator pitch for why you’re the best person for this job. When it makes sense, change the title on your resume to match how it’s presented in the job listing, Augustine suggests. If the company is looking for a “Marketing Communications Director,” and you meet the qualifications, it’s in your best interest to use that title something like “Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications.” If you’re applying for a job you’ve never held before, it’s best to lead with something more generic, like “Marketing Professional.” Even if it’s not a perfect match, your resume summary statement can provide some context. “View everything through the lens of ‘what do I want in my next job?’” Augustine says. “If you want to be competitive in today’s job market, you have to be able to advertise yourself.” [3] Beat the resume bots Large companies don’t have time to parse through the numerous resumes they get for every open position. So they get applicant tracking systems to do it for them. It works like this: When you upload your resume to an online career portal, an ATS scans it for keywords applicable to the job you’re applying for. The main function of these programs is to whittle down candidates, so the majority of resumes are swiftly eliminated. “Normally, over 75% of candidates are taken out of consideration before a human ever sees their resume,” Augustine says. “So you have to strategize your resume based on a piece of technology.” ATS systems are trained to scan vertically, so resumes that are aligned down the center are a safe bet, Augustine says. Another key to passing the bot test is tailoring your resume to include some of the keywords or skills from each job posting. If you’re unsure of which words to choose, Augustine recommends pasting the text from the ad into a free word cloud app, which will tell you which resume skills, technologies, and qualifications the posting references most frequently. “You want to make sure whatever you’re listing is matching up with whatever they’re asking for,” she says. “That’s the greatest insight you have as to how they’ll evaluate your application.” [4] Find a balance To give the eye some variety, use a mix of paragraphs and bullets throughout the resume body. The same principle goes for the actual content. When you’re deciding what resume skills to add, technical and other expert-level know-how should definitely get first dibs. Certain soft skills, like those that signal leadership, negotiating, and communication skills, are OK to add to your resume in moderation. But be selective â€" this resume template nods to public speaking and event planning, and not punctuality or attitude, for a reason. “You want to be avoid being overly fluffy,” Wheatman says. “Employers are looking for concrete skills. If they’re filling an engineering position, they don’t care how ‘outgoing’ you are.” [5] Walk the walk Avoid the temptation to stuff your resume with “responsibilities.” Employers care far more about your successes, and how you can mirror them at their company. Be specific, and provide relevant statistics wherever you can. Revenue wins, client growth, and budget savings are easy to quantify â€" and are resume gold. Don’t have any numbers-driven examples? Look to your skills section and think about how to validate that section. Are you the go-to resource for new hires, or for customer queries? Do you specialize in increasing efficiencies, or decreasing defects? Have you ever acted in a leadership capacity, even if it wasn’t in your job description? “Underneath the text, there’s a story,” Augustine says. “Find a way to connect the dots.” [6] Be selective The more crowded your resume looks, the less likely you are to hold a recruiter’s attention. Instead of cramming every entry-level job and internship you’ve ever had onto one sheet of paper (two sheets if you have more than 10 years of experience), pick and choose the roles most relevant to the one you’re applying for. Be discerning in your descriptions, too. The exact date you started and finished your previous job, or the year you graduated from college, is probably irrelevant. “Reading a resume is a boring, tedious thing,” Wheaton says. “Think about the most compelling things you want to share with your audience, and move along.”

How I Got Published (Without Having to Do it Myself) - Work It Daily

How I Got Published (Without Having to Do it Myself) - Work It Daily By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Emily Bennington I’ve been asked a lot of questions about this, so I thought I’d put it out there once and for the record. First, I want to tell everyone publishing is not an easy process, but it’s not an impossible one either. If you have a great idea, a fair amount of talent, and an enormous amount of tenacity, you can make it happen. Here’s how it worked for me. I hope this journey gives you ideas and inspiration to tackle your big ideas too, whatever they may be. Lesson #1: Fix Your Product I’m a marketing girl at heart and this is a golden rule of the industry. In short, you can’t save a bad product. Period. Not with good marketing, good salesmanship, a lot of money, or even a mountain of tenacity. Especially in our social-media driven world, if you have a bad book (or business idea, widget, whatever), it’s not going to get off the ground regardless of what you do. For Effective Immediately, my co-author Skip Lineberg and I wrote the book we wanted to read as young professionals. We knew the content was good, we just needed to… Lesson #2: Find an Agent Oh...the mountain of books I have on this subject. Stacks and stacks. I read everything that had the word “agent” in the title and I became obsessed with finding free teleseminars/webinars with ANYONE from the publishing industry who could tell me how it worked. In fact, I would schedule my days around Rick Frishman’s teleseminars (this was a few years ago) and I asked so many questions that â€" eventually â€" he came to know my name. And that was the point. When I was confident that Rick a.) knew who I was, and b.) knew I wasn’t a dilettante â€" I sent him an email and requested a personal consultation about our project. In the interest of full disclosure, I did have to pay Rick for his time â€" and it wasn’t cheap! At the end of the call though, he recommended me to Linda Konner, a nonfiction agent interested in career titles. Because she knew Rick (never underestimate the power of a referral!), she agreed to read our proposal. She liked it and signed us. Sounds easy enough right? Here’s what happened in the interim: Our proposal took 6 months to write and was 40 pages long. (This also includes the time it took me to read a mountain of books with the word “book proposal” in the title.) Tip: In the proposal, I made sure to place a heavy emphasis on research that demonstrated the market need for our book and very detailed plans on how we were going to promote it. Skip and I have always had a strong vision for the layout, so we commissioned a designer to create a mock-up of a few sample chapters. I traveled to New York multiple times attending author courses and the BEA pre-show writer’s conference. Most of these events have a “speed networking with agents” component and I was determined that if I could just meet with the right people, my passion would sell them on this project. Incidentally, I did meet with Linda face-to-face prior to being signed â€" and after so many speed networking events, I had my elevator pitch d-o-w-n. Prior to being accepted by Linda, our proposal had been turned down by about 45 other agents. Enjoying this article? You could get the best career advice daily by subscribing to us via e-mail. Lesson #3: Be Patient Unless you’re Ivanka Trump, you’re probably not going to get accepted by a publisher immediately. No worries though. Some idiot rejected J.K. Rowling too. To give you an idea of the process for a first-time, unknown author, Linda accepted Skip and I as clients in June of 2005. She finally sold our book to Ten Speed Press (now a division of Random House) in September of 2008. The key is you need to have an agent who is as tenacious as you are and willing to bird-dog your book until it sells. I have a stack of faxes and emails from Linda documenting rejection after rejection (maybe 50 in total) and we had lots of close calls that fell through at the end for one reason or another. However, Linda didn’t give up and neither did we. Instead, Skip and I focused on ways to... Lesson #4: Build a Platform A platform is a body of work that positions you as the expert in your field â€" and believe me when I tell you it’s the Holy Grail of publishing. The good news is with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social sites, it’s easier to grow a community of followers than ever before. Skip and I are social media geeks, but we also made a point to write columns for regional business publications and speak to any college class or group that would have us. We never charged for any of our presentations because we were trading our time for the privilege of getting our name out in the market. And, despite the fact we now have a publisher to help market the book, the work has only just begun. If Phase One is writing and finding a publishing home for your title, Phase Two is actually selling it. So now we have to maintain a blog, find readers, connect with meeting planners, start speaking more frequently, creating videos, etc. I’ll continue to post updates on how it’s all going but, in the meantime, I’ll leave you with the Goethe quote I’ve kept on my desk since day one of chasing this dream. If you’re chasing one too, remember to “Be bold â€" and mighty forces will come to your aid.” Good luck! Did you enjoy this article? Read more articles by this expert here. Emily Bennington is the author of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. She hosts a popular blog for career newbies at www.professionalstudio365.com and can be found on Twitter @EmilyBennington. The photo for this article is provided by Shutterstock. Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

Heres Why Listening To Holiday Music at Work Is Bad For Your Mental Health - Fairygodboss

Heres Why Listening To Holiday Music at Work Is Bad For Your Mental Health - Fairygodboss Once Thanksgiving comes and goes (or, depending on your level of holiday-season mania, once Halloween comes and goes), we typically accept that well be exposed to an endless stream of carols, ranging from the traditional to everyones favorite Mariah Carey Yuletide banger. And when were at Target or tuning into FM radio during our commutes, some seasonal songs can feel fun and festive. But when it comes to playing holiday music at the office, you may want to keep the Jingle Bells and White Christmases out of the workplace.According togeschftsleben Insider, overexposure to holiday songs can have a detrimental effect on your mental health.This, in turn, can have negative implications for your work performance.So why do holiday songs inspire such strong (and frequently negative) responses? Auditory researchers blame it on the mass exposure effect. Essentially, hearing a song thats specifically conne cted to a particular season or event often evokes an initial reaction of pleasant nostalgia. However, the tide eventually turns, and after the 100th replay (or the 1,000th or the 1,000,000th, depending on your own personal tolerance threshold), the song that once put a smile on your face now makes you want to cringe and hit Mute on the office Bluetooth speaker. Its a natural result of mental oversaturation, according to clinical psychologist Linda Blair,People working in the shops have to tune out Christmas music, because if they dont, it really does stop you from being able to focus on anything else...Youre simply spending all of your energy trying not to hear what youre hearing, she continued.This can seem like an unavoidable problem during the month of December, but Business Insider introduces some useful tips for keeping your music-related cool when faced with a wall of holiday sound. If you keep your playlists diverse, interspersing the Christmas jams with some rock or pop or j azz, youll be able to hold off the fatigue associated with nonstop holiday cheer. Business Insider also cites a study by The Daily Mailsuggesting that holiday scents like pine and cinnamon conjure up feelings of happiness, so giving yourself a multi-sensory experience by keeping a seasonal Yankee Candle at your desk and taking a whiff whenever Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas turns up on the playlist can keep you feeling merry and bright (or, at least, even-keeled enough to get your work done until January 2nd rolls around).More on the holidays... if you dare

Resume Writing Services North Carolina Can Be Fun for Everyone

Resume Writing Services North Carolina Can Be Fun for Everyone You would like a geschftlicher umgang thats going to involve you in the writing process. For more than ten years, the procedure to write and create a resume has been accomplished more efficiently and affordably as a consequence of technology. Whatever type of document you require, you are certain to find the very best. All things considered, theres nobody right approach to guarantee you a better document. Resume Writing Services North Carolina Ideas In some instances, the business will even give you a money-back guarantee in case you dont secure sufficient job interviews. There is a good explanation for any applicant to seek the services of a professional resume writer. Think about how much you could be making in the event that you land yur first choice job. With years of expertise and a professional group of certified writers, our service will supply you with all the work search documents you have to help you acquire the job of your dreams. The One Thing to Do for Resume Writing Services North Carolina Even when youre a skilled writer with an advertising background, you are going to be surprised by how good a professional resume writer can force you to look. A freelance professional resume writer may be a little more affordable, but a writer backed by a dependable company will probably have more quality safeguards in place to enaya you get exceptional resume services. Resume writing services have a personalized approach to come up with a type of resume that will certainly supply the maximum quality of professional resume writing. A superb method to make certain your resume is flawless is to enlist the help of a professional resume writer. Who Else Wants to Learn About Resume Writing Services North Carolina? Our company will give you with a cover letter editing support, however tricky your requirements are. The plan is going to be an essential portion of your resume. The service is likely to make sure to format your resume the direction you want it. You may also view a resume sample on the internet to find a notion of a professionally written resume. The Dos and Donts of Resume Writing Services North Carolina With the newest technologies, there are new methods to earn a good resume. Resume composing firms are a really good place from where you are able to readily get your resume crafted in a way which potential recruiters would want. Reputed firms undertake all of the communication with the customer through telephone. If you wish to land the job that you want, then you want to submit a high quality resume. Its hard for a writing service to guarantee you a job as there are many variables that will impact the last selection. The service supplies a custom written resume thats totally free from any mistakes too. Make certain you choose the perfect professional resume writing service based on your demands and expectations. The Meaning of Resume Writ ing Services North Carolina You are able to hire the assistance of competent resume writing professionals at astonishingly competitive rates. As stated earlier, the panel of resume writers are handpicked by these kinds of businesses and short listed dependent on the expertise they carry in each individual area. You are able to choose such writers to compose your resume in rather economical budget. In summary, you can employ the best resume writers at the lowest prices. Thus its always best to try their service for obtaining a great response. The service will be able to help you in having the best resume. An excellent way to be certain youre dealing with a reliable service is to first check their BBB rating. The great thing is they provide exemplary customer support.

Jobs Prospects for Today#8217;s Graduates

Jobs Prospects for Today8217s Graduates For a college graduate, career planningas involved as it can beis the easy part of finding the ideal job. Finding a job after graduation is becoming more challenging as the economy struggles to rebound. Current college graduates have to complete with the previous graduates, as well as displaced or furloughed employees with years of experience under their belts. For many college graduates the anxiety of finding a job out of college is coupled with the burden of student loans and watching many of their relatives lose their job or homes as a result of the recession. Companies that are implementing salary and hiring freezes further compound the problem. According to a report issued by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), an independent Washington, DC think tank that studies economic trends, the Class of 2011 is facing the worse job market on record. Unemploym ent among recent graduates rose to 9.6 percent in April 2011 from 5.4 percent in December 2007. Despite these dismal figures, there are indication that things are slowly improving for the better on the employment front. Employers report a significant increase in their spring hiring projections since 2007, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Corporate recruiters are slowly returning to college campus in search of candidates.For many graduates, career goals may have to be modified or temporarily put on the back burner in order to find gainful employment. Another sobering reality in todays tough job market is more companies offering unpaid internships as a tryout for permanent positions, which is good for building work experience, but bad when you have thousands in student loans to pay back. According to the EPI report, more than half state college students had an average of $20,467 in student loan debt as of 2009. Sixty-five percent of private school gradu ates had an average of $26,728 in student loan debt.It may seem that having a college degree isnt worth it, but it still gives you a major advantage over someone who doesnt have one. Unemployment for persons without a degree is more than twice as high than for college graduates. After you graduate, career goals may change, but a few measures may increase your chances of finding the job you want. Volunteer or intern at a company you would like to work at. Social networking sites can be a very effective tool. Establish and cultivate an online presence that showcases you and your skills and talents. Take classes to learn new skills. Consider other jobs in your field of interest or other fields altogether. Lastly, dont get discouraged in your job search.