How to keep up the Job Hunt during the Holidays

Career CollectiveJob Search


I am a member of the Career Collective, a group of  resume writers and career coaches. Each month, all members discuss a topic. Please follow our tweets on Twitter #careercollective
This month we are discussing helping job seekers stay focused and encouraged during the holiday season.  I encourage you to visit the links below to read other members’ posts as well!     +++++
manwishingforjob
The holidays can be one of the worst times to find yourself out of a job.
Not only do you face pressure to attend family functions and buy presents, but it can also be very difficult to get an interview during the short work weeks, and all the vacation time that tends to pop up for recruiters and HR staff during winter. Still, it’s important that you don’t give up your job search over the holidays simply because people are hard to reach. In fact, this time can be an excellent point to begin a job search, for several reasons.
First, you have the greatest opportunity for networking during the holiday season. If you’re attending a lot of parties and functions, you’re guaranteed to run into acquaintances that may or may not know you’re looking for employment. Go to dinner parties and family gatherings as often as you can. Be ready to pass out your business card or resume at a moment’s notice. You’d be surprised how often a conversation over a punch bowl can serve as a preliminary interview. You’ll be exposed to plenty of people in a variety of fields. It’s an excellent way to build some connections.
Another often overlooked benefit of job hunting during the holidays is that most people don’t do it. Because so many quit just before the holiday season, or put off hunting for a job until after the new year, you have a great opportunity to get yourself out there before the glut of new applicants drifts in. Work with HR employees and recruiters now, while everyone else is still polishing their resumes to show on January 3rd. You’ll be forefront in everybody’s mind, even if you don’t get the interview until later.
December is also a great time for you to work on putting together a great presentation online. Because so many hiring executives will be traveling or spending vacation time at their homes, email and the internet may be the best way to get in touch with them. Make sure you have a great presence on all the social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. You can also put together a slide show resume on SlideShare. You never know – an employer may get your cover letter while he’s eating Christmas dinner, but just because he’s not in the office doesn’t mean he won’t read it.
Most importantly, don’t get discouraged, no matter how long the job search takes. If you convince yourself that you’re never going to land an interview, or get your foot in the door of a new career, you probably won’t. Perseverance will serve you much better than luck. If you give up on the job hunt until it’s business as usual in the places you want to work, chances are that they’ll have already filled the position you want to occupy.
Treat the holiday season like any other job hunting time, and give it everything you’ve got.
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Follow us on Twitter with our hashtag #careercollective and read these posts:


@MartinBuckland, Elite Resumes, “Season’s Greetings and your Job Search”
@GayleHoward, The Executive Brand, “It’s Christmas: And a ho-ho-ho-hum?”
@KCCareerCoach, Career Chaos, “The Gift Every Laid Off Job Seeker Needs”
@resumeservice, Resume Writing Blog,“Holiday Resume Sparkle: Outshine the New Year Job-Search Mob”
@heathermundell, life@work, “Have a Holly Jolly Job Search”
@sweetcareers,Sweet Careers, “Holiday Job Search Tips for College Students 2009″
@careersherpa, Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa, “Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa Cheers”
@careerealism, CAREEREALISM.com, “Holiday Tip for Job Seekers: 4 Ways to Impress Others with Your Professionalism”
@heatherhuhman, HeatherHuhman.com, “4 Tips for Making the Most of Holiday Job Hunting”
@LaurieBerenson, Sterling Career Concepts, “Three Resolutions to Take It Up a Notch”
@KatCareerGal, Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog, “Avoiding the Holiday Blues in Your Job Search”
@WorkWithIllness, WorkingWithillness.com, “Avoid this Minefield: Drive Your Bus!”
@DawnBugni, The Write Solution “Could that sound really be opportunity? During the Holidays?“
@andyinnaples, “Shift Your Focus to the Highest Impact Job Search Activities During the Holidays to Leverage Your Time”
@erinkennedycprw, Professional Resume Services, “How to keep up the Job Hunt during the Holidays”
@keppie_careers, Keppie Careers, “Four tips for effective networking follow-up for the holidays and the rest of the year”
@ValueIntoWords, Career Trend, “Navigating the Mistletoe of Job Search”
@GLHoffman, What Would Dad Say, “Merry Christmas! Can I Buy You Coffee to Talk About Me?”
@BarbaraSafani, Career Solvers, “Holiday Networking Can Facilitate New Year Opportunities”
@expatcoachmegan, Career By Choice Blog, “Expat Networking: Holidays Are a Great Time to Nurture and Grow Your Network”
@chandlee, The Emerging Professional Blog, “Footprints & Associations: Job Search Tips for the Holidays”
@JobHuntOrg, Job-Hunt.org, “(Holiday) Party Your Way to a New Job”



Work-at-Home Career Options for Seniors

Career & WorkplaceJob Search

(**I found this article online and thought it might be of interest to you)

              WORK AT HOME OPTIONS FOR SENIORS

The older generation today may prefer a home based career for a number of reasons. You can save a great deal of your time and energy, as you don’t have to travel long distances to reach your workplace anymore. In addition, you don’t have to go through the embarrassing ordeal of attending an interview and get rejected only because you are perceived to be ‘too old’ for the job.

It can be very disturbing to know that you are not being considered for a job only because of your age, even though you have the expertise and the experience.

Work At Home Career Options

Once you decide to work from home, you can research and choose a career that works for you and fits your lifestyle. A lot depends on your individual skills and interests and also the amount of time you would be able to devote for your home based career.

Listed below are some of the most common home based career options:

Website Advertising Programs

You may begin with having your own page that contains useful information about your area of interest. It could include information about consumer products, finance, arts, technology, or any other field that interests you. You can seek assistance from professional web designers who will help you make your web page appealing to online users.

If your web page is able to draw a good number of visitors, you can use it for advertising products of other companies. You can earn a handsome commission every time someone clicks to see these advertisements. However, to be in this business, you need to continually monitor your website and make necessary changes as and when required to increase your web traffic.

Selling Online

The Internet is an important medium for selling any type of products online. If you don’t manufacture your own products, you can partner with a good wholesaler or distributor and help them increase their sales. You can use your own website to sell a wide range of products, from food and costumes to cards and clothes. You can also choose to sell seasonal products; for instance, during holiday seasons, you can sell gifts, cards, and scented candles, while on other occasions you can restrict your sales to books, stationery and other common items.

Conducting Surveys

There are countless companies looking for people who can help them conduct surveys. You can work for several companies at a time on these kinds of jobs.

Writing

If you have great writing skills, you can write articles on various topics and post them on the Internet. You can write for several websites that require up to date information on a variety of topics. You can also consider writing product reviews to let the online communities know how a particular product is.

Data Entry

Data entry jobs are probably the easiest way of making money on the Internet. All you have to do is simply key in data provided by the company, so that it can be stored as a soft copy for future reference.

Research is all it takes to find a suitable home business opportunity and make a fresh start. By taking advantage of the myriad of opportunities that are out there, you can share your wealth of experience and knowledge with millions of Internet users across the world.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions – Six Sigma Online ( https://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts. Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Jacowski

 

 

 

Networking when Shy

Networking
How to Network if You are on the Shy side

I am the first to admit that networking with a bunch of strangers is not easy when you are shy. Early in my career, I was in sales (seriously) and would literally have to force myself to cold call. It was daily torture. I finally admitted to myself that maybe I was in the wrong field, and no, it was not hereditary (many family members were in sales). I was never that suave, chatty, BS’er-type that seemed to dominate my lineage.
Networking when you are shy is worse than a root canal.
I understand this first hand. So, when you would rather scrub your toilet then walk into a company that has never heard of you, here are a few different things you can do to help you cope with and overcome this predicament.
1) Join LinkedIn. The fabulous benefit of LinkedIn is that you can literally cold call without ever having to be face-to-face with a living being. Simply look up a company in the directory and send your resume to whoever is in charge. How easy was that?? Now, what I would really advise would be to find someone in your network, or one of your connection’s network, and ask them for the name of someone first. Then send that person an email and begin a dialogue. I can go on and on about LinkedIn. Most of you know I am obsessed with it. If you would like to know more, send me an email go here.
2) Join a Local Business Organization. The beauty of a joining a local organization (either business or volunteer) is two-fold. Or maybe tri-fold. Is that a word? Yes, but for a closet door. Anyway, I will make it work in this situation.
A- You can go and sit at a table and have a nice breakfast/lunch/dinner where minimal attention will be paid to you (unless you stand up and introduce yourself, and c’mon you can do that) and still get to know the organization, feel productive, and get excited because you got out of your comfort zone.
B- Once you are in that comfy place, you will start talking with people and slowly begin making new contacts/acquaintances/friends that you wouldn’t have made sitting at home in front of your computer posting your resume on the useless Monster.com.
C- Now that you are talking with people, you can tell them what you do for a living, find out what they do and see if you connect anywhere.
On a personal note: I joined my local Optimists organization when I got out of college and worked for the career center as a Career Counselor. Within a year of initiation, they recruited me to be President of our Chapter, which encompassed two cities. Talk about being nervous… (but that was with public speaking, and I had to get over it quick… that is a whole different story).
Let me tell you though, the contacts I made during that time were with professionals I still talk with to this day.
3) Tell everyone you know that you are job searching. Even if you are embarrassed about it or don’t want anyone to know that either you lost your job or your job is in jeopardy, or whatever the case may be, tell them. People like to help and you really never know who may know someone that you need to know. The stories my clients tell me about who helped them get their jobs are always priceless. Your dry cleaner? Your mail person? Your colleague? Yes, I’ve heard of all these great stories and more.
Networking is the #1 way to get a job, so even if it hurts a little, get out there and tell them who you are.

Olympics and the Job Search

Job Search

(Ed. Note: In honor of the Winter Olympics, I thought I’d repost this article from Summer 2008… Enjoy!)





I was reading this morning through the blog of Adam Kreek, a member of the Canadian Olympic Row team (I’ve been into rowing this year because of my niece who was on Michigan State’s Crew Team last year), when I read about the training that he puts in to get to where he is today.
Here is an excerpt of what he said:  “The pain experienced while rowing is similar to middle distance running, biking really hard or speed skating. Your legs burn and scream for oxygen, while your lungs wheeze with your heart struggling to transport renewed blood to the complaining body parts. Suffering is the best word to describe how I feel in a race. The after-effects of competition are exhausting. My body aches and I have depressed energy and drive for weeks after the event.”
Or, the US Boxing Team who leave the comforts of home for 10 months to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in intense preparation for China.
What does this have to do with job search? It is a job. Job search is a full time job. Similar to Olympic training, it has to be your number one focus. A person can’t expect to land a dream job after posting his/her resume on 5 job sites. It has to be worked on daily. The good thing is, there are lots of job search activities you can do without leaving your house, and will keep you busy for hours.
When you get up in the morning, what do you do? Consider putting on nice clothes, not just your sweats. This makes you feel productive and gets you into the job search groove. Check your emails and respond to offers (with monster.com you will get hundreds of those that should end up your junk mail). Let all old acquaintances, family and friends know that you are job searching.

Go to companies you’ve thought you’d like to work for and research them online. Most companies offer hoards of company information, press releases, employment opportunities, etc. Get to know the companies well. Create a folder with information on the companies you like and organize it alphabetically, by industry, or however you like. When the time comes that you get invited for an interview, you will be armed with an arsenal of information that will impress even the most straight-faced hiring person. Know your stuff.
Join online networking groups like LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo, etc. It is a great opportunity to network with old co-workers, friends and strike up conversations with people from companies you would like to work for. The possibilities on these sites are endless.
And, as always, getting out and going to local business mixers and job fairs are excellent ways of getting your name out there. Be prepared and have your resume, references and any other documentation ready to hand out.
Job search isn’t something you do once a day for a half hour or hour. It’s a full time job. Not only will it keep away the anxiety of not having a job, it will keep you feeling productive while getting your name out there for potential employers to see.
Keep at it, stay the course, be positive, and watch great opportunities come your way!

DEVELOPING YOUR 2-MINUTE COMMERCIAL

At some point in your job search you will be asked to tell something about yourself.

Focus on what you have to offer. This is like a television commercial about you. A commercial sells products. Therefore, you should emphasize those strengths and qualifications most suited to the position you are pursuing.

Watch your language and presentation style. Use the formula: language + motivation = outcome. In other words, positive language + positive body language and behaviors = a positive and favorable outcome. This means there is absolutely no room for negativity. When you see advertisements, you will notice that they emphasize the positive outcome you will gain from the product, not the downside.

A sample two minute commercial may include information such as: personal qualifications, technical skills, relevant education, training, certifications and achievements.

Look at this sample two minute commercial from a corporate accountant:

“I am a CPA with over nine years of corporate accounting and financial reporting experience. In my most recent position, I was selected to lead several special projects which included strategic planning, forecasting and corporate treasury functions.

I was recognized last year as Manager of the Year for my ability to develop my accounting staff and provide training in many facets of customer service, auditing, time management, problem solving and other key functions. I have an MBA and am active in both the National Management Association and the Space Coast Chapter of the Florida CPA’s Association.”

Developing a fluid, confident and natural sounding commercial takes time and practice.

Good Luck!

Erin Kennedy, CPRW

Networking… the #1 way to get a job!

Job SearchNetworking

NETWORKING

A friend of mine recently asked me what was the hardest part of job search for most people. The answer? NETWORKING.

Networking can be as unnerving as standing up in front of an audience for some people. Of course you have others, like most of my sales cleints, who can get up in front of anyone and speak for any amount of time. But for most, just the thought of having to meet new people makes them wince.

Here are a few pointers to help ease your way into the networking circuit:

1) Tell everyone you know that you are job searching. You never know what doors may open for you. While in college, I told a client of mine (I was a Nail Technician!) that I was looking for an intership that would be accepted by my university AND be relevant to my degree. Guess what? As the Director of Human Resources at the time (now she is President/CEO) of an international non-profit organization, she had the federal funds to open a new career cneter and guess who was going to be interning there? All of my worrying about finding the right PAID internship, and it (she) was in front of me the whole time.

2) Get together with other professionals you know. Start your own networking “club” with friends/family/colleagues. Keep as current as possible on your own company’s job openings, too. It never fails, there is always someone who will let you know of a job opening a their place of employment.

3) Hit the job fairs. It may sound scary, meeting ACTUAL human resources people from the companies you admire, but remember, they are there to meet YOU. Their job is to take resumes and potential candidates back to the company for review becuase they NEED employees! So, dust off your best outfit, take clean copies of your resume, and head out the door to the nearest job fair.

4) Remember, you are qualified! If you are second guessing yourself as you are about the introduce yourself to a possible contact, remember that you ARE qualified for the position. Take a quick moment to remind yourself of all the RIGHT reasons that you shold be hired.

5) Visualize. This is one of my favorite tools for every area of my life. I’ve used it in job search, interviews, and presentations. Picture yourself having an interesting conversation with a contact. Picture them responsding to you in a favorable way, seemingly taken with whatever you are saying. Play our the scene in your head. What are you saying? What are they saying? How are you describing yourself, your abilities, your training/education, etc? Visualize them writing down your number or taking your card, later calling you in fo ran interview. Not only does thsi make you feel relaxed, but it helps you when you actually begin speaking with the person because you feel more prepared and not as tense when they ask you about yourself.

These simple steps will help reduce the panic and stress of meeting new people and networking. Good luck!– Erin Kennedy