In order to advance in your career or show improvements on your resume, you need to make sure that you are constantly trying to better yourself and your skills. Employers want to see that you will make their company a more profitable place. Whether by awarding you with a promotion or giving you the job in the first place, you need to show employers the value you offer by doing something to enhance your career on a daily basis. You will be surprised how simple it can be to improve and develop skills, which may in turn lead them to give you the job or the promotion.
Practice: This is simple, but if you continue to practice the skills you already have, then you will become more proficient and they will become more impressive to employers.
Networking: This is another simple thing, but so very important. You need to make sure that employers know your name so that when promotions come up you are one of the first names that come into their head. Make sure your name is prominent on successful projects, that your initiative to move up the ladder is known, and that you introduce yourself to those attending meetings with you, especially when interacting with the company’s executives.
Training: Look for training and professional development opportunities in your industry that would help you develop new skills or enhance yourcurrent skills. Training by professionals can be a great way to learn and become impressive. If the training is especially applicable to your job, employers may even pay for part or all of the training.
There are so many things you can do to improve your career and resume. If you feel you are not improving, then take the time to ask yourself what you have been doing lately to add value to your career, as well as create a plan to further your skills and expertise. In today’s competitive job market, it is essential that you show employers the value you add to the company, every single day.
One place where many people fail at work is in maintaining a professional distance between them and colleagues.This is primarily a problem for young and inexperienced workers because they are not used to being in a business environment. This can be especially problematic for those looking for a new job. It’s normal to look to those you work with for friendship. By working at the same company you already have many common interests and expectations. You know the same people and likely work on the same projects. The problem is that very often your coworkers are also competing with you for promotions, bonuses, and even a job in the event of layoffs or cutbacks. There is a natural competition that goes on in a work environment to be the best and to be the one that gets the promotions. If you have been overly liberal in complaints, for example, the person you were speaking with just might use that as a means to get ahead at work. It’s better to save your complaints for non-work friends. It’s especially advisable to maintain a professional distance when you are looking for a new job. More than one person has made the mistake of letting those at work know he was looking for something better only to find out that the boss was not happy to hear about it. Worst case scenario is that this can cause you to lose the job you already have before you find a new one. While networking is important in your job search, keep those you work with, even your friends, in the dark about this.
Everyone makes mistakes and everyone knows this. The problem is that some mistakes are a bigger problem than others. Never before has this been an issue the way it is now. Today, a social media mistake can be blasted around the world in a nanosecond. That’s why it is so important to simply avoid certain mistakes, no matter what. Don’t discuss your company online
It’s not normally a problem for your social media friends to know where you work, but avoid discussing your company online. Something you regard as a joke might not be funny to the corporate executives. More importantly, your behavior might be seen by future employers as less than desirable. It’s become the norm for personnel departments to perform a search on the candidates they are considering inviting for an interview. If you are having trouble landing an interview, try looking at your Internet persona from an employers perspective. Your mother was right: if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all. Don’t discuss your co-workers online
Everyone has a bad day now and then. You don’t want your mistakes blasted around by your coworkers so don’t do it to them. This is seen by both your employer and your fellow workers as poor judgement and something of a betrayal. It’s not worth the aggravation, hurt feelings and possible questions about your integrity.
Because more and more companies are performing searches on prospective employees and even current employees, you don’t want to make those two mistakes. They can literally be career killers.
They can be the difference between getting an interview, a promotion or even losing your job if the mistake is bad enough. It’s simply not worth the risk. If nothing else, make your accounts as private as possible, but remember that someone else may choose to share your comments. Ask yourself if it is really worth it before you post it.
The question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” is considered to not only be one of the most hated and laziest questions asked during an interview, but also the most common. Because you are certain to be asked this question at least once during your job search process, it’s a good idea to have an answer ready. Because it generally comes towards the end of the questions posed to candidates, it’s a good idea to anticipate it being asked and to be proactive about getting the information you need to answer it. During the interview there is generally give and take between you and the interviewer. Use this to your advantage by asking about projects that are currently being worked on, what types of projects you are likely to be immediately assigned to, and that sort of thing. You want to have enough fresh information to be able to give a good answer should this dreaded question be asked, and also to properly formulate questions later on when asked. There is no correct answer to this question, but there are several wrong answers. Answers where you seem arrogant or glib are to be avoided at all costs. You also want to avoid sounding as though you have no future plans and haven’t considered your role and impact on the company. When you are finally asked the question, talk about how the projects mentioned previously have been completed successfully, how you have moved on to other projects and expanded your role with the company. If there is continuing education involved, talk about how you anticipate it positively impacting your role within the company, completion of projects and your work with assigned teams. This makes you look thoughtful, like a team player and as an asset to the company. An important note is that when you tailor your answer to your impact on the company you are interviewing with, you save the interviewer the trouble of trying to picture how you would fit in with the company and what you would offer. This is a winning approach to an often dreaded question.
A common question asked during an interview is “Why Did You Leave Your Last Position?” A friend of mine who worked in Iran during the 1979 revolution offers an easy answer: his resume always says “civil unrest.” While that is a concrete and completely honest answer, most of us don’t usually have such a perfect answer when asked that question during an interview. Futhermore, the answer can be even more difficult if you are still in your current position and interviewing for a new position at another company.
If the questions “Why did you leave your last position?” or “Why do you want to leave your current position?” come up during an interview (and they will), your answers should be brief and honest. Simply stating that you are looking to advance your career or enhance your skill set are easy answers. You want to talk about using your skills, especially new ones you might have acquired through additional education or on-the-job training. You could also mention that you are looking for a position with more advancement opportunities and responsibilities.
What if the reason you are leaving is because of harassment, horrible policies, downsizing, or that your last boss was a complete jerk? Pretend it never happened. Under absolutely no circumstances are you to mention anything negative about you supervisor, your company, or anyone you have ever worked with. There is no possible way to complain without looking bad to the interviewer, so avoid it at all costs. If for some reason the interviewer knows that there was a situation at your last job, answer his questions truthfully, without giving a lot of detail, and direct the focus of the interview back to your qualifications for the job he is interviewing you for.
When interviewing, you want to leave the impression that you are ambitious, hardworking, and the best candidate for the job. Before you interview, take the time to rehearse concrete answers as to why you’re looking for a new job and how your skills, experience, and work ethic make you the best candidate.
You Prepared for the Interview…Did you Prepare your References?
A great resume and fantastic cover letter will get you an interview. What happens from there has a lot to do with you, and if you nail the interview, then you need to be sure that the final factor in the job search process – your references – are prepared to help you seal the deal.
It used to be standard to put “references on request” on your resume. This had essentially become the norm, but because most employers aren’t really interested in your references until after they’ve met you, you no longer need that line on your resume. But…you do need to ensure your reference list is prepared and ready to hand over to a potential employer during the interview. .
Here is how hiring generally works: The company goes through and picks out a handful of candidates to interview. This is where your outstanding resume and cover letter are so important because it’s all they have to work with at this point. Once your resume is selected, you are scheduled for an interview. It’s after the initial interview that employers begin to check references. What happens here can be the difference between a second interview (or if you really blew them away, an offer) and being removed from consideration.
You not only want to have a list of references ready, but you want the right kind of people on that list. Exclude your mother, doctor, and 3rd grade teacher. What the employer wants are past professional contacts. People who know your work ethic and can speak professionally about your skills and expertise. If you are a recent graduate, you might need to look at the supervisor of your internship or volunteer work. In a pinch, if you have nothing else, check and see if a professor will consent to be a reference.
Always ask the person for permission before using them as a reference. You are not generally required to request the permission of your last boss or supervisor, but it’s a classy touch that can help when they get the call. If possible, let your references know the job you’ve interviewed for, the name of the personal who will be contacting them, and any other significant information. The more prepared your professional references are, the better they will be able to speak on your behalf.
