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.
5 Ways Your Online Lifestyle Can Ruin A Career Opportunity
Many people want to keep their “work lives” and their “personal lives” separate. However, with social media it has become more and more difficult to keep the two worlds from colliding. Today’s employers will look through social profiles in order to help them decide who would be a good candidate for a job position. The amount of information your publish on social media sites makes it easy for potential employers to have access to your personal life, which could turn out to be bad for you if they happen to spot some things that will turn them off, and ruin your opportunity to get the job.
Vulgarity and Obscenity: People generally speak on the internet the way they speak in real life. Or at least that’s the way employers think. If you use vulgar language in your profiles, then employers will assume you lead a lifestyle where you speak publicly the same way, and they will not want to hire someone who they cannot trust to communicate in a professional manner.
Negativity: Employers want to hire people who will keep a positive atmosphere in their company. If you are a negative person, don’t show it. Don’t post negative comments or qoutes on your online profiles, and when you are at work try, your hardest to be positive and upbeat. People have actually been terminated because of posting negative comments and/or making negative or derogatory remarks in the workplace.
Gossip: If you gossip at work or gossip about co-workers or supervisors outside of the office, you can jeopardize your current job, your chance at a promotion, and your potential for new jobs. It may be hard, but try to avoid gossiping on the internet and everywhere else. Things you say on the internet travel fast and they stay there forever, even if you think you have gotten rid of them, once your post has been seen by someone else, the damage is already done.
Overly Outspoken: If you have an extremely outspoken personality, it can cause problems. Now you don’t have to ignore your beliefs or not express them, but try to avoid “screaming” your beliefs over the internet or getting into arguments about them at work. While employers shouldn’t decide who to hire based on a candidate’s beliefs, they may have a negative feeling towards you if you are loud and obnoxious about those beliefs.
Hygiene and Appearance: Once again, employers cannot keep a job from you simply for how you look, but it can affect how they think about you. If you look unprofessional or you don’t appear to be clean in pictures that you have posted online, potential employers will not want to hire you because you may show up to work looking unprofessional and unclean.
Be smart with your social networking and think twice before posting controversial or negative information on your personal sites-don’t hurt your chances of getting a great new job before the employer even has a chance to speak to you in person.
In order to have a successful job search you need to be outgoing, resilient, and be able to put yourself out there. You can’t afford to be passive. If you are passive, you may lose out on opportunities, or come off as incompetent in an interview. So the other choices are to be aggressive or assertive. There is a fine line between being aggressive and being assertive, so you need to be aware of the differences between the two and the differences in results from being assertive or aggressive.
Aggressive: People that are aggressive will push their ideas and thoughts onto others. They will not take no for an answer. They will use almost any means necessary to get what they want. They are pushy and can become obnoxious, annoying, and rude. If you are aggressive in a job search or an interview, potential employers will become upset with you and your attitude. They will not want to hire you because you are not the type of person they want to work with or be around. Avoid being aggressive; it can cause you problems.
Assertive: Many people have a hard time deciphering the difference between being aggressive and assertive. While aggressive people are pushy with their ideas, assertive people express their ideas without pushing their ideas on others. Be confident, but be willing to back down if you become pushy or obnoxious. This will show potential employers that you believe strongly in your ideas and yourself, but that you are also willing to listen to others. Being assertive is a trait you want to make sure you develop and show at interviews and in your job search.
Now that you know what being aggressive and what being assertive look like, you can avoid being aggressive and you can work towards being assertive in order to have a successful job search and an even more successful interview.
You have a killer resume and you feel like you aced the interview. If you want to maximize the positive impression that you leave following an interview, be sure to send a thank you note to the interviewer. Keep the interviewer thinking about you
With so many people applying for every job, you need to set yourself apart from the crowd even after the interview is finished. This is often even more important than the initial impression because the interviewer is looking to actually hire or do second interviews at this point. You need them to think about you in positive terms for this to happen, and when they receive your thank you letter after the interview, you are showing them that you were grateful for the opportunity to talk with them, as well as are serious about the job. Exhibit class and ambition
Face it, the competition is steep, but as every company is now finding out, it’s not all about the skills. Many people with matching skills are going to apply for the same jobs. Just because they have the skills to do the actual job doesn’t necessarily make them a good fit for working well with a team in a corporate setting. A simple thank you note for the interviewer’s time and consideration shows that you are not only ambitious, but that you also have the class to recognize social protocols. This attribute can be invaluable in a business setting and is not something that even the best resume communicates. Show courtesy
Courtesy is very often lacking in the workplace. Always remember that while you are applying for a job in a company, the person doing the hiring is is also human. Showing them courtesy is a great way to generate a positive attitude on the part of that person. More importantly, if you flubbed part of the interview, it also gives the interviewer a reason to overlook the mistake and give you a chance. If you are courteous before being hired, then chances are you will be a pleasant person to work with. Remember…being polite never hurt anyone!
Your professional portfolio is a collection of physical evidence that documents, describes, and emphasizes your professional accomplishments. A professional portfolio can be very useful in encouraging potential employers to offer you that coveted job. Many job seekers know they need these documents during their job search, but aren’t always sure of what needs to be included and how they should be presented. Here are some simple answers to help get you get started. Why use a professional portfolio?
Effectivelyexpress your professional and career goals
Articulatethe work you have been doing to achieve your goals
Record accomplishments
What goes into a professional portfolio?
Introduction:Statement of your professional goals and your professional philosophy.
Career History: Resume or Curriculum Vitae.
Narrative description of experiences you want to highlight such as: Academic Work, Research, Teaching, Leadership, Service, Publications, Conference Participation, Lectures/Speaking Engagments, Performance Reviews, Recognition, and Awards.
Appendices: Annotated materials and examples to illustrate or elaborate on the previous portions of your portfolio.
Professional References: Not all employers ask for these during an interview, but if they do, show them you’re prepared by having your list ready.
How to get started with your professional portfolio?
Develop the practice of collecting materials that represent your skills, achievements and accomplishments.
Study job postings and learn what potential employers value when they are hiring.
Determine what materials and examples provide the best representation of your goals and philosophy.
Select an organizing principle that best reflects your work: chronological, functional, thematic.
A portfolio will help you stand out amongst the scores of job applicants. It will look very different from all the other candidates because your experiences will be unique. This makes it easy for you to stand out and impress those potential employers.
In life, you have to make goals. You want to go to a certain college, get married, have children, etc. These goals help you to stay focused and help you progress and lead you to new and exciting opportunities. While many people will make goals for their lives in general, a lot of people fail to make goals for their career. They get into a rut thinking things like, “I have a job, so I don’t need to try and progress” or “There is no room for me to progress; it is safer to stay where I am.” These thoughts are ridiculous. Of course you should try to progress! You want to progress in life, so you should want to progress in your career. This is why career goals are so important.
Remember: When making goals, you don’t want to make one big goal without having smaller goals to achieve while working your way up the ladder. That would make your job much harder and a lot more disappointing. You need to have an ultimate goal, but you also need some small, short-term goals to get you up to that point. If your ultimate goal is to be an executive, then what do you need to achieve on your way up to that level?
These smaller goals may be simple. They may be things like making a goal to get a $0.50 raise before the year is over, or they may be a little bit bigger, like being in charge of a new project or managing a department. Establishing realistic short-term goals will keep you on the track to where your want to land professionally and will make your work experience much more enjoyable and meaningful.
Career goals help you keep focused, but they also make your job less monotonous and boring, because you are always working towards something. Having specific goals will make your daily work a little more exciting, help you feel like what you’re doing is worthwhile, and will add value to your life.
Job interviews are unlike any other social interaction.An interview is one of the few places where you go into it knowing that you are going to be judged and that how you perform in front of those judging you will have a direct impact on your professional future. Job interviews will also have their own expected manners and behaviors that you should follow in order to make the best impression you can. If you do that, then you can relax after your interview knowing that you did the best you could and no matter what happens, you can move on without too much disappointment.
Dress Your Best:Wear an outfit appropriate for the interview. Make sure it is not too tight or revealing. While you need to be comfortable during the interview, you also want the interviewer to be comfortable, and not distracted by your attire.
Smile: This is imperative. It seems simple, but a smile will put your interviewer at ease and will help you appear more confident.
Do not interrupt: This also seems simple and obvious, but you would be amazed at how many people do not understand or follow this rule of etiquette. In other social interactions you may be able to get away with interrupting someone, but you can’t get away with it in an interview and also get the job. Wait until you are sure your interviewer has finished speaking before answering questions or giving your input.
Look interested: Even if you are not interested, make the effort to look like you are. Make eye contact with the interviewer and others in the room who may be speaking to you regarding the job. If your interviewer feels you are not interested in them and what they are saying, they will be turned off and will return the favor by not being interested in what you have to say.
Following these common sense tips will help to ensure you are putting your best foot forward during your interview. They don’t take extra effort, you just have to think about what is happening and what you are doing in order to make sure you are following good interview etiquette and ultimately leaving the interviewer with a great impression of what you can offer in the workplace.
Written In Stone? Can Job Posting Requirements be Flexible?
Searching for a job can be a daunting task.You scan through dozens of job postings without any of them fitting your idea of the job you want. But then there will be times that you will find it – a posting that describes a job that is everything you’ve been looking for.
The problem? You don’t have all of the qualifications required in the job description. You don’t have any of the education, work experience, or skill requirements specifically listed in the posting. What do you do? Do you give up now and keep searching? Or do you pursue the job and see what happens? It is a different decision for every person and every job. Not all requirements are written in stone, and employers may wave some requirements, if they think you have other attributes that would make you an ideal candidate for the position. Here are a few things to consider before making a decision whether or not to apply for a job you’re not completely qualified for.
Ask yourself some tough questions: Before pursuing a job you need to ask yourself if you feel you are really qualified for even some of the position requirements. Could you do well at this job even without having all the requirements mandated in the posting? If the answer is yes then proceed with the application/resume submission process.
Do you have different skills, education, or experience: If you have skills, education, or experience that differ from the requirements in the posting but would apply to the job, you may be able to get the job anyway. For example: The requirements say you need at least a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, but you have a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a minor in Psychology. You earned a degree, and have learned other skills during your education that are marketable and could still get you the job.
If you don’t have any of the above: The fact of the matter is, if you don’t have something to give the company in exchange for what they have posted, then you shouldn’t pursue the job. The company put those requirements down for a reason, so if you want to change those requirements, then you need to give them something worthwhile in return.
While it will be different for every job, if you have something to give a potential employer, for the most part, you may be able to get around specific job requirements and land the job.
