changing jobs

9 LinkedIn Changes Every Job Hunter Should Make

Julie Rains — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:24:36 +0000

If you are looking for a new job, your social media presence, especially your LinkedIn profile, can play a major role in your success. (See also: 10 Outdated Job Search Techniques to Avoid)

According to a recent report from Career Thought Leaders Consortium [PDF], employers check LinkedIn profiles of candidates between receiving an application and conducting an interview, indicating that the site provides insights to hiring decision-makers. A video by job search specialist J.T. O’Donnell of CAREEREALISM and CareerHMO emphasizes that recruiters use LinkedIn to find candidates who meet or exceed qualifications for openings, often locating qualified job hunters through keyword searches.

Even if you aren’t in the pipeline for a pending interview and don’t anticipate being wooed by recruiters, LinkedIn can be a great resource for networking, researching target companies, and connecting with leaders in your industry.

You may have the perfect LinkedIn profile that’s garnering loads of attention. But most people can make a few changes that will boost visibility and desirability in the eyes of your network, HR folks, recruiters, and hiring managers.

1. Upload a Professional Headshot

Your LinkedIn profile is often the focal point of your online professional presence, in addition to Google+ and Twitter. So, your photo should depict your professional image not a casual, inappropriate, or blank one.

Hire a professional photographer for digital headshots or capture images of yourself using a high-resolution camera. Choose the best one and upload to your profile.

2. Use Keywords in Your Headline

Your headline should contain keywords that sync your capabilities with your desired future position. So, a header that indicates you are "unemployed" or "in transition" or similar verbiage may not attract interest from hiring organizations.

The headline defaults to your current position, so if your present status doesn’t match your hoped-for future, create a distinct statement for this section. An article in Forbes on LinkedIn headlines gives tips on crafting this content. Advice includes showcasing your specialty or value proposition and keeping in mind the needs of your target audience (e.g., hiring managers in your field and geographic region).

3. Tell a Few Interesting Career-Related Stories

Stories describing accomplishments using the CAR (Challenge-Action-Result) or STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) framework are becoming more essential for a successful job search, according to the Career Thought Leaders Consortium. Reflect on the actions you took and the outcomes achieved from major challenges or day-to-day situations to reveal your unique leadership style, decision-making processes, knowledge, and skills.

These stories can be told in interviews and conveyed through the summary or experience sections of your LinkedIn profile. For examples of the STAR method, see this video by Curtin University and article from Recent Grad.

4. Secure Personalized Recommendations

Recommendations can give readers an understanding of the types of problems you solve and how you get things done.

Ask for write-ups from people who know your work and are credible sources. To make this process easy, select a project to be highlighted by your colleague, customer, or boss writing the recommendation along with skills that could be mentioned.

Social media strategist and leadership coach Laura Rubinstein suggests this format for a LinkedIn recommendation:

The state [clients, bosses, or colleagues] were in or the problem they had before using your service
The positive experience they had while working with you
The results they produced
A statement "I would highly recommend ___ to anyone who wants ____."

5. Make Regular Updates

Being active on LinkedIn can keep your name in front of those who participate in sourcing, recommending, and hiring new people. Make new connections, post status updates, revise your profile based on current activities, and more.

Your actions should be consistent with your brand and relevant to your job search and career development needs. Status updates could include links to articles beneficial to your network and mentions of continuing education classes as well as volunteer work and networking activities.

6. Be Active in Groups

Career-services professionals associated with Career Thought Leaders Consortium have found that joining and participating in LinkedIn groups is beneficial to the job search. They recommend finding relevant groups that are manageable in terms of establishing and maintaining relationships. Start by listening and observing activity. Next, engage with colleagues by commenting on posts and starting discussions. Eventually, demonstrate thought leadership, which may involve offering insights on industry and discipline-specific topics.

By being active in groups, you'll stay on top of trends in your field plus deepen your network and possibly become sought after for consulting and permanent opportunities.

7. Add Skills Consistent With Your Capabilities and Goals

List skills in the summary or skills section of your LinkedIn profile that are relevant to your audience. Note that most skills can be elaborated on or described in more than one way. For example, if you are a great sales person, you may have excellent selling skills plus great capabilities at networking, relationship management, presentations, negotiations, and deal closing.

Identify skills among keywords most often associated with your career goals by researching positions on online job boards and career sections of your targeted employers.

8. Make Sure Your Profile Is Consistent With Your Resume

Your LinkedIn profile doesn't have to be the online version of your resume. But the information on the site should not conflict with details contained in your portfolio and job-search materials. Check employer names, position titles, dates of employment, and other key information to make sure your communication pieces are consistent.

9. Update Your Privacy Settings

Set your privacy levels based on your employment status as a job seeker.

If you are still employed (and want to keep your job), turn off your broadcasts so that your boss won't question an increase in activity. Those who are unemployed or working on a contract basis will most likely want to increase visibility; for example, make key aspects of your profile public so that you can be found on Google searches.

Employed or not, consider whether you want your connections to be seen by prospective employers, who may be just as interested in your contacts as your capabilities. Don't be afraid to be discreet about proprietary information.

You don't have to spend hours every day polishing your LinkedIn profile and pushing out content to your network. But periodic updates can show that you have a professional demeanor, skills that are in demand, and an approach to problem solving that can benefit a future employer.

What have you done to improve your LinkedIn profile? Have you noticed results after making changes?

This article is from Julie Rains of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Finding an Internship as an Adult

Thursday Bram — Fri, 03 May 2013 09:48:34 +0000

Internships have become a standard part of the learning process for many careers — they can be one of the best ways to get on-the-job experience when you don't have a resume that will get you hired for a position. But the stereotypical intern is in college, or perhaps a recent graduate. It can seem like a less useful experience for an adult who may already have a career or two under her belt.

But the reality is that an internship can be a good experience for anyone moving into a new career, no matter your age. (See also: Great Summer Jobs for Kids and Adults)

Avoiding the College Credit Issue

Many companies justify offering unpaid internships by rewarding interns with college credit rather than a paycheck. They can be reluctant to accept interns who aren't eligible for those credits (i.e. enrolled in college). But it is possible to land an internship just the same, provided you have the flexibility to work without pay.

Consider approaching the owner or manager you want to work with directly. It may be easier to make that connection with a smaller company. Let them know why you are looking for an internship and what you're expecting from an internship beyond college credit.

Finding the Best Internships for Adults

The steps necessary to finding an internship aren't that much different for an adult than for someone younger. You'll need to invest some time in your resume, find some great references who will speak well of you to prospective employers, and be prepared to write some persuasive cover letters. The cover letters can be particularly important, as you may need to explain why you're pursuing an internship rather than sticking to your current career.

From there, it's a question of looking. If you can identify a few key companies that you want to work for — the leaders in the industry you want to move into and who happen to be in your area — start there. Even if they don't have official internship programs, it's worth contacting them and checking if they might consider offering an internship to you.

There are also plenty of online job boards devoted to sharing open internships, like Internships.com, InternMatch, and InternshipPrograms.com. However, you may be facing more competition for the internships listed on such sites. It's up to you to be proactive about finding the right opportunity.

One Problem With Internships for Adults

Many internships are structured so that the only payment is college credit. For an adult who has more financial responsibilities than the average college student and who may not be enrolled in classes, it can be difficult to work for free.

There are options, however.

You can specifically target paying internships during your search for opportunities. You may also be able to find a part-time internship or find one with flexible hours that will allow you to work elsewhere for pay at the same time. It's tough to juggle both paying work and an internship, along with your life away from work, but for the right internship, it may be worth it.

Have interned as a prelude to a mid-career career switch? What other strategies have you tried?

Like this article? Pin it!

This article is from Thursday Bram of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How to Make a Major Career Switch Without Going Back to School

Julie Rains — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:24:33 +0000

Recurring layoffs at your workplace, unwelcome developments in your chosen profession, or other life events may prompt career-oriented soul searching. A natural response is to return to school for retraining in order to launch a second career.

But you don't have to go back to school in order to make a major career change. I have worked with people who have altered the course of their careers without the benefit of an extra degree or even specialized training. They were able to trade their experiences, knowledge, and expertise in one field for an equal or better position in another area. Here are some techniques that worked for them. (See also: 25 Career Changes You Can Make Today)

Never Tell a Potential Employer That You Are Changing Careers

When you realize that your education, experience, and expertise is in a dying field or one that no longer holds your interest, your instincts may direct you to tell a potential employer that you want to change careers.

What you may be trying to convey is you realize opportunities in your current field are limited or non-existent in a variety of ways. What the employer hears is that you have little to offer except for a willingness to try something new at someone else’s expense.

This same employer, however, may welcome your aspirations if they are presented in a different way. Instead of focusing on what you expect to gain, you should highlight what you have to offer.

Learn about potential employers and their opportunities through research and informational interviews. Using this inside knowledge, describe how your professional approach is an excellent cultural fit for the company and how your capabilities match specific accountabilities of job openings.

Use the Skills You Already Have

To land a job in an unrelated field, use the skills you have now. But don’t recite them verbatim from your current job description. Instead, think deeply about what you really do and how you accomplish objectives.

For example, if you are in charge of month-end and year-end statements, don’t just talk about processing debits and credits, handling account reconciliations, and publishing financial reports. Instead, explain how you develop and nurture relationships with departmental managers on whom you rely to get information on a timely basis. Talk about the visual timelines you created to promote schedule compliance. Share how you trained your direct reports to serve as financial guides to peers in field operations.

A hiring manager may not need an accountant. But she may need someone who can manage relationships, design work processes that relate financial data to operations, or develop people to interact effectively with those in other professional disciplines.

Reframe Your Resume

Resumes are often designed and written to appeal to a hiring manager in a candidate’s current field or industry. They are filled with industry lingo and corporate buzzwords, reference accomplishments that don’t make sense to outsiders, and contain attempts to highlight generalized capabilities, such as communication and leadership skills.

To transition to a new career, you’ll need to think about your past differently. When writing the resume, discuss accountabilities and accomplishments in a way that doesn’t assume specialized knowledge on the part of the reader. Explain the context for those unfamiliar with the inner workings of your field or industry. Present accomplishments, but also provide insight into your thought processes and actions that generated results.

Hiring managers want to know what you’ve done in the past, but they also need to know how your work will benefit them in the future. The right kind of reframing reveals both. (For guidance in portraying your past in honest yet illuminating ways, see these examples of showcasing transferable skills and experiences.)

Leverage Industry Knowledge

Your knowledge may be valuable to companies that seem to operate in completely different fields than your own. Such businesses may serve an industry in a way that is not apparent to the casual observer or have plans to reach a new market segment.

For example, a consumer products manufacturer may want to embed its products in the construction industry supply chain. Its current slate of employees, though, are experts in retail merchandising. They know little about capturing sales from companies engaged in construction. Your knowledge of a seemingly unrelated industry may be a boon to this potential employer.

Don't dismiss your industry know-how as irrelevant to outsiders. Learn about an organization's plans first. Then, identify and articulate how your expertise could be instrumental in helping the business reach its goals.

Apply at Fast-Growing Companies

Fast-growing companies often have difficulty attracting and keeping a full roster of capable employees. While some of these organizations may need people with narrowly defined, highly technical skills, many are simply looking for smart, motivated people.

These employers are often more apt to hire someone who is comfortable with ever-evolving responsibilities, frequently changing organizational structures, and increasingly competitive environments, despite lack of experience in a particular field. If you enjoy change and challenges, then search for opportunities with growing organizations.

Enter a Management Training Program

Getting educated by a new employer in a management training program is similar to going back to school. However, in this scenario, you’ll get paid while learning, plus have a job when the program ends.

Even mid-careerists may find that a training program can launch them successfully into a new career. Sure, trainee pay may be lower than you’d like. But program graduates with significant real world experience are attractive to hiring managers within the company.

In the right environment, you may be able to land a position that offers fast upward mobility. The combination of your newly acquired knowledge and longstanding workplace wisdom should enable you to deliver strong performance that will get you noticed and moved quickly to the next level.

Leverage Your Contacts

Your professional network and industry contacts may help connect you to a new career.

Now, I am not suggesting that you beg friends to recommend you for a job that’s out of your league, reach out to acquaintances to generate sales for a business startup, or ask colleagues to end long-term relationships to begin doing business with the new firm you’ve joined. But I am saying that specific relationships may allow you to bring value to a company in a different field than your current one.

For example, if your clients have the need for certain goods or services outside of your field, then a potential employer that distributes these solutions may bring you on board to connect with them. Similarly, contacts in a hard-to-reach demographic, such as high-income professionals or busy institutional administrators, can give you an edge if a prospective employer wants to market to them or those like them.

Find Companies That Hire People With Backgrounds Similar to Yours

Managers often use a gut feel when making hiring decisions. Consciously or not, they notice a link between successful hires and employment candidates with particular backgrounds (such as experience with a certain company, a degree from a specific college or university). As a result, they favor candidates who have qualifications seemingly unrelated to the job description or industry at hand.

Keep up with the career paths of your former classmates and colleagues. Detect hiring patterns, note the companies that seem to have an interest in people with backgrounds similar to yours, and determine what the hiring organizations found attractive about your connections. Apply for positions with these companies or similar ones.

Learn as Much as You Can

Just because you don’t have to go back to school to change careers doesn’t mean that you don’t have to learn anything new. Your professional experience, industry knowledge, and educational credentials may land you a job in a new field, but you can’t count on your past alone to propel you to a successful future. Applying expertise in a new professional discipline or industry requires effort and creativity. To learn on the job and thrive in your new position, take these steps:

Arrange meetings with colleagues to learn about the company and its functional groups.
Develop resources for domain knowledge, market insights, and tips for navigating the organization (and offer yourself as a resource to others).
Enroll in classes offered and/or paid for by your employer.
Take opportunities to visit clients and field operations.
Go to professional events, both locally and nationally, to get up to speed on industry norms and trends.

Many people are surprised at how the skills they have honed in one setting are applicable to new environments. They often enjoy great success because the change has afforded them newfound perspective.

Have you changed careers without going back to school? Tell us how you landed a new job and made this transition.

This article is from Julie Rains of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Give Your Career a Boost With One Skill

Carlos Portocarrero — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:48:35 +0000

Let’s get real — the economy isn’t in great shape right now. The unemployment rate is hovering around 8%, and companies like DuPont and Kodak keep announcing more and more layoffs. Amidst the doom and gloom, however, there are some positive signs...if you know where to look. (See also: 25 Awesome Websites to Help You Get a Job)

In this case, the place to look is the tech industry.

Tech Is Hot

Turns out the unemployment rate for IT workers is 4% — half the national average! In fact, many employers complain they're having trouble finding candidates to fill tech roles. Software developer (some of you call them programmers) is one of the hottest jobs out there right now.

Does that mean you should abandon your current field and become a developer? If it were that easy, everybody would be doing it. In order to join the tech party, you need a basic understanding of the fundamentals of coding and how developers approach their work. Learning how to be a developer can take years. But there are skills you can learn now that make you immediately more hireable, lay the groundwork if you want to continue pursuing tech, and can apply to any field.

You need to learn the foundation of how websites are built. And that means learning HTML and CSS.

How Web Development Can Help Your Career

I don't expect you to become a web developer overnight (or at all), but I do believe there are some skills that will make you more valuable at your current job and to any future employer.

1. Learning to Think Like a Developer

Developer's brains work in a very specific way. They approach problems and projects in a linear, logical fashion. That means less chaos (in work and in life) and more organization. This type of thinking will help you get things done no matter what industry you're in.

2. Creativity

Most people think coding is like math — that there is only one right answer. Not true — developers need to be creative because there are a hundred different ways to solve the same problem. This approach is instrumental no matter what field you’re in.

3. A Possible New Career

Believe it or not, it can happen. People who decide to learn coding can wind up with a new career. It’s rare, and I wouldn’t bank on it, but some people are doing it.

4. Understand the Magic

Most people think creating sites and apps is magic. But once you know the basics, you’ll have a huge leg up on everyone else...and you’ll be in a better position if you decide you have a great app you want to create.

5. Stand Out

If you aren’t in a technical field but you have some tech skills, that can take you a long way. I was a writer who had SEO and analytics skills before they were mainstream, and that impressed a lot of people at former jobs because the two fields (writing and tech) felt so different to them. People took chances on me knowing I had the ability to learn new things quickly.

What About Mobile Apps?

Some of you might be thinking that web development is a waste of time, asking "Aren’t apps the hot trend right now? Shouldn’t we all be learning to create iOS and Android apps? Aren’t people using their phones and tablets more than their computers?"

Yes, mobile is very hot right now, and if you’re a developer you should absolutely be learning how to develop apps. But if you're reading this, you probably aren’t a developer. And learning to code isn’t as easy as you might think.

That’s why HTML and CSS are such great places to start — they are relatively easy to understand, and you interact with them every single day.

If you pick them up really quickly and decide you want to go even deeper down the rabbit hole, then by all means take the next step and learn how to develop mobile apps.

But for most people, learning HTML and CSS is a better introduction to the world of programming. It’s simpler, and there are so many tools out there to help you see how websites you use every day actually work (Firefox’s Firebug and Chrome’s Inspect Element come to mind).

The Best Places to Learn

Ready to get your learn on? I have great news — there are some fantastic learning tools out there for you.

Code Academy

If you’re a “learn by doing” type of person, then you’re gonna love Code Academy. They’ve broken down HTML and CSS into bite-sized modules that you complete by actually typing in code and checking your results. I recommend this free course to everyone — it’s easy, it’s engaging, and it’s fun.

Udemy

Udemy is blowing up — it seems like they’re adding more and more courses every day. Most of these aren’t free, but if you’re into learning by watching videos, this might be a good fit. How to Become a Web Developer From Scratch ($199) is a great course that covers HTML/CSS and also goes into some additional languages for those of you that want to go a bit further.

W3Schools

If you’re more into traditional reading-and-then-doing type of learning, then W3Schools is a good place to do it — and it’s free. W3Schools.com is a reference used by thousands of web developers, but it’s also a great place to learn. Not only that, you can get a certificate (for $95) if you want to be a show off about it.

Coursera and iTunes U also have tons of resources devoted to computer science if you still haven't found something that works for you. But if you're having trouble deciding where to start, I really recommend going through Code Academy; it's a fantastic, free place to learn.

Go Forth and Code!

I hope I've made a good case as to why the basics of web development are worth learning. It's a great portal into the world of programming, and who knows — maybe you'll find yourself getting more and more into it and eventually learning more complex skills.

If you already have some coding skills but aren't a developer, please let everyone know in the comments how it's helped you in your career.

This article is from Carlos Portocarrero of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Step-By-Step Guide to Rolling Over Your Old 401(k)

Janey Osterlind — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 10:24:37 +0000

Last year, I left my job at a bank holding company in the Midwest, packed my things, and headed to law school on the East Coast. There’s one thing I forgot, though — my 401(k). Well, I didn’t exactly forget it; I just left it hanging for the past year. But no more! It’s summertime, I’m out of school, and I’m ready to get my finances in order. It’s time to roll over my 401(k) — and tell you how you can, too. (See also: 4 Reasons Why a Roth IRA May Be Better Than Your 401(k))

Before we get into the step-by-step guide of rolling over a 401(k), though, let’s go over some basics.

What Is a 401(k)?

Sure, you probably know that a 401(k) is a retirement investment vehicle that allows you to put away pre-tax money, and that your contributions are often matched (if not dollar-for-dollar, then at least at some proportion) by your employer. You may not know, however, that there’s generally a waiting period before new employees are allowed to invest in the funds (ours was two months). You might also be unaware that while employers may offer matching funds, they also often require you to remain with the company for a certain number of years before you’re eligible to receive those funds. At my company, that period was five years. If you move on earlier than that, you forfeited all employer contributions to your 401(k).

Why You Should (Almost Always) Roll Over Your 401(k)

Why should I roll over my 401(k) in the first place, you ask? Well, here’s a post we did a while back covering the considerations you might look at in deciding whether to roll over your 401(k). In general, it is a good idea to move your 401(k) because plan administrators charge a fee for managing the account. While the fee is worth it when you’re receiving employer contributions and contributing with pre-tax money, that benefit goes away as soon as your employment ends. What’s more, if your 401(k) balance is less than $5,000, you’re required to cash out or roll over your account upon leaving the company.

What Exactly a 401(k) Rollover Is

When you leave a job, you have several options regarding your 401(k):

Leave it where it is (if it’s over $5,000)
Cash it out
Roll the account into your new employer’s plan
Roll the account into an IRA or a Roth IRA

The fourth option, rolling over your account into an IRA or Roth IRA, is what is traditional meant by a 401(k) “rollover.”

We’ve already established that it’s rarely a good idea to leave your 401(k) with your former employer. It’s also generally a very bad idea to cash out your 401(k) (you’ll end up paying 30% or more in taxes — check out Wells Fargo’s 401(k) Early Withdrawal Costs Calculator to find out exactly how much you’ll be paying). There’s also no real benefit to rolling over your old 401(k) to your new employer. Your investment options are limited, there are other limitations that don’t exist with IRAs, and your employer doesn’t match those old funds in any way. The bottom line is this — if you’ve left your job and you’re not in dire financial straits, roll over your 401(k).

Choosing a Traditional or Roth IRA

Characteristics of a traditional IRA are:

Individuals can contribute pre-tax money to investments that grows tax-free
Distributions taken after retirement are taxed as ordinary income
There are no income limits
Individuals must start taking minimum distributions by age 70½

Characteristics of a Roth IRA, on the other hand, are:

Individuals cannot contribute pre-tax money (i.e., you pay with after-tax income)
Qualified distributions taken after retirement are tax free
There are income limits (you can’t contribute if you make over $105,000 per year if single or $167,000 if married filing jointly)
Individuals do not need to start taking minimum distributions at any point

In general, if you’re eligible for both a traditional and Roth IRA, you should go for the Roth unless you expect to be in a lower tax bracket when you retire. It can also be smart to go the route of diversifying and have one of each type of account. If you’re like me (eligible for both but expecting to be ineligible for a Roth IRA as my income rises), you’ll stick with the Roth for now and open a traditional IRA later. Check out CNNMoney’s guide on which type of account is right for you for more guidance.

Importantly, note that if you’re moving your money from a 401(k) (funded with your before-tax contributions) to a Roth IRA (funded with after-tax contributions), you will owe taxes at the time of conversion. After 2011, though, you can spread this over two years. For me, the benefit letting my money grow tax-free in a Roth IRA account outweighs the relatively small amount I’ll owe in taxes.

Last note — prior to 2010, if you wanted to convert your 401(k) to a Roth IRA, you had to go through an irritating two-step process of rolling over your 401(k) to a traditional IRA and immediately converting it to a Roth IRA. After 2010, all plans are supposed to offer the direct-to-Roth IRA option. Be aware, however, that some still do not offer this.

And Now, A Step-By-Step Guide to Rolling Over Your 401(k)

Once you’ve decided that you should roll over your 401(k), there are four basic steps you’ll need to take to actually move your money.

1. Open Your IRA or Roth IRA

Find and open an IRA/. Check out this article from Kiplinger or this article from Get Rich Slowly on how to choose the right Roth IRA for you.

2. Contact Your Old 401(k) Plan Administrator

For me, this one involves digging around in my records to find the retirement plan website and login information. From there, I can find the forms I’ll need to fill out to make the transfer. Then I’ll just need to fill them out and submit them.

3. Confirm That Your New IRA Is Able to Receive Your 401(k) Funds

Just in case, you’ll want to confirm with your new IRA account provider that everything is in place to receive a direct transfer from your old 401(k).

4. Confirm Direct Transfer From Your 401(k)

While filling out paperwork and verifying transfers, make sure you go with the direct transfer option — that way, your old plan simply sends your money to your new IRA account. Your other option is to have your 401(k) plan cut you a check, which will be for 80% of the fund balance (20% is temporarily withheld for taxes). You’ll need to deposit the full 100% old balance in your new IRA, though, (meaning you’ll need to make up that withheld 20% from personal funds) within 60 days. If you do deposit the full amount, you’ll get the 20% withheld when you file your taxes the following year. If not, you’ll be subject to early withdrawal fees.

So there you have it — the guide to rolling over your 401(k), and how I’m planning on rolling mine over in the next few weeks. Good luck!

Had any experience with rolling over your 401(k) or thoughts on the matter? Share your thoughts in the comments!

This article is from Janey Osterlind of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Great Ways to Improve Your Resume Today

Julie Rains — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:24:37 +0000

Does your resume work? Are you communicating how your professional capabilities and past experiences are relevant to the needs of hiring managers? Make these quick changes to convey why you are valuable in ways that other people can understand. (See also: Stupid Things to Put in Your Cover Letter)

Focus on Targeted Industries, Companies, and Disciplines

Just as your job search should be targeted to specific industries, companies, and disciplines, the language in your resume should be geared to those who make hiring decisions in these fields. Very often, the culture of your current employer requires you to use certain terms, phrases, and acronyms that are unrecognizable outside of your workplace; as a result, reading your resume is like deciphering a foreign language.

Fix whatever is confusing or misleading:

Replace company lingo and buzzwords.
Update lists of customers, brands, vendors, etc. to include those relevant to your targeted industry. (This process may involve removing relatively unknown customers and inserting those that are widely recognized or giving broader descriptions such as “a leading company in the outdoor gear industry” or “Fortune 500 corporations.”)
Revise sentences that showcase accomplishments using industry-specific references. (For example, a manager of an industrial laundry could replace “doubled pounds washed weekly” with "increased facility output by 100%.”)
Reword job duties to resonate with hiring managers in your desired field. (For example, a salesperson who is trying to land a training position may “educate customers on product attributes through hands-on instruction and formal presentations.”)

Add the Obvious, Yet Essential

If you are rightly trying to be succinct and touting what makes you unique, you may leave out essential points. Certain tasks should be mentioned, even if they seem mundane. Reassure your readers that you can unhesitatingly handle duties such as:

Staff supervision
Budgeting
Presentations
Interdisciplinary collaborations
Global travel

For example, you can "direct employees and manage recruitment, hiring, performance reviews, coaching, and career development...develop and administer annual operating budgets...deliver presentations to customers, employee groups, and vendors...collaborate with design, merchandising, sourcing, and logistics teams...travel throughout Europe and North America to visit customers, investigate new vendors, and research global trends."

Place Your Work Into Context by Quantifying Volumes and Dollar Values

The complexity of your accountabilities and the magnitude of your accomplishments can be revealed when you mention numbers. Quantify this type of information:

Sales, percentage of sales growth, and new accounts opened.
Presence worldwide (e.g., stores, distribution centers, visitor traffic, subscribers, countries with sales offices).
Purchases to support daily operations or expended for capital projects.
Employees supported or supervised directly.

Clarify the Confusing

Not every job or assignment fits neatly into a standard format. Quirky requests from your boss, unusual situations, and once-a-career opportunities boost your qualifications but are tricky to capture on a resume. Deviate from the established format to give clarification:

Add specifics that convey your duties explicitly if a position involved performing tasks not typically associated with your job title. Place a descriptive title in parentheses next to the official title.
Elaborate on unconventional arrangements, such as an intense project that consumed a couple of years of your career or a major assignment that you handled in addition to your regular duties. (For example, under a heading of “managed product launch concurrent with accounting duties,” describe your success in marketing a new product.)
Streamline your employer's names, especially if your employer has been through mergers, acquisitions, etc. List the most recent or most prominent name rather than every variation.

Polish and Showcase Accomplishments

If you have been engrossed in day-to-day challenges, worked for tyrannical bosses who didn't acknowledge employee wins, or stayed at a single job over an extended period of time, you may not easily recognize and record major problems solved, value added, or results delivered. Reflect on your past and pump up your accomplishments:

Send a visual signal that certain items are important. List accomplishments in bulleted form distinct from regular duties contained in a paragraph or add a heading for "accomplishments."
Rephrase content about assignments that seemed ordinary at the time but, in hindsight, led to significant accomplishments. (For example, sales calls required to keep your job yielded "7 new accounts and $2M in incremental sales.”)
List team achievements in addition to individual ones, as most are made possible in collaboration with other people. Introduce or conclude the accomplishment with "contributed to" or other appropriate wording to show your role.
Tout great things that happened during your tenure, even if everything did not go perfectly. (For example, showcase that you “developed and executed a logistics plan for the 2010 holiday season that supported a sales increase of 30%” even if you missed the company goal of reducing shipping costs.)

Move to the Next Level Professionally

If you are a recent grad, then you may struggle with getting rid of entries for jobs and activities that represented your identity just a few years ago and laid the foundation for your success. If you have been in the workforce for a while, you may have had compelling experiences that are no longer relevant to your career goals. Put your past into perspective by taking these actions:

Update your professional and community activities to reflect current involvement.
Replace your objective with a professional profile indicating areas of expertise.
Streamline information on portfolio projects, interim jobs, part-time work, and internships to key points meaningful to your present career goals, rather than a full description of all activities.
Boost the visual impact of your real-world jobs by elaborating on most recent positions and accomplishments, especially if you are now working in your desired field.
Move your education to the bottom of your resume so that your more current experience is highlighted.

Improve Readability

Great content on your resume is crucial but information should be easily and quickly gleaned. Make these changes to improve readability:

Adjust your font size to 11+ points and add white space by trimming words and widening margins. Expand content to two pages if necessary.
However, if your resume has a few lines on a second page, trim to a single page by:
- Eliminating articles such as “a” or “the”
- Placing titles, employer names, and dates on one line
- Putting contact info on one line
- Using actual numbers rather than spelling out details (5M, not “five million”)
Ditch the template, particularly the one that places your contact information in teeny-tiny font sizes.
Consolidate freelance positions rather than listing each assignment separately.
Eliminate repetitive information.
Reduce the number of fonts to one but use attributes (italics, bold, character spacing, all caps, etc.) to differentiate headings and sub-headings.
Remove wording that reads like a job description.

How have you changed your resume to improve job-search results?

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This article is from Julie Rains of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

25 Awesome Websites to Help You Get a Job

Meg Favreau — Mon, 16 May 2011 10:24:13 +0000

Searching for a job can be frustrating and overwhelming, but the resources below can help you ace your job search. Collectively, these 25 websites provide thousands of job postings, great networking opportunities, advice for resumes and interviews, and much more. (See also: How to Answer 23 of the Most Common Interview Questions)

Local and National Job Listings

Whether you're looking to cast your net wide or you're searching for a niche position, these major job-search websites can help you out. Plus, most of them allow you to set up a profile and add your resume, meaning that potential employers can search for you.

1. Indeed — A comprehensive job-listings aggregator and search engine, Indeed grabs listings from all over the internet and puts them in one place. You can search by job title and location, as well as upload your resume.

2. Monster — One of the most popular job websites, Monster allows you to search by job title, skills or keywords, and location. You can also upload your resume for employers to peruse, get career advice, and sign up to receive emails from Monster with potential new job matches.

3. CareerBuilder — Another major site, CareerBuilder aggregates jobs from "more than 9,000 Web sites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL." Job searchers can also post resumes, receive job recommendations, and peruse advice.

4. Craigslist — Good ol' Craigslist is still one of the best resources out there for local jobs. The site includes sections for both full-time work and freelance gigs. Craigslist can also be a good resource for finding paid volunteer positions, like medical studies.

5. Simply Hired — This site promises a simple-but-effective job search, plus information on salaries and job trends in your area.

6. LinkUp — Where many of the above search tools only feature positions that employers have posted to those outside sites, LinkUp aggregates "often unadvertised" jobs posted on company websites.

7. Idealist — If you're trying to be the change you want to see in the world, Idealist is the job search engine for you. It only features job postings at non-profit organizations.

8. USAJOBS — The U.S. Government's official site for Federal job listings nationwide.

9. HigherEdJobs — This site allows you to search faculty, staff, and executive positions at a variety of colleges and universities.

10. The Green Job Bank — Find eco-friendly jobs.

Freelance Job Marketplaces

These resources are great for both full-time freelancers and those looking to make some side income.

11. Upwork — A large marketplace of freelancers and freelance employers, Upwork lists gigs in areas including programming, design, writing, virtual assistants, internet research, and more. Upwork's success as a marketplace is due to its escrow service, provider rating system, and global reach.

12. CrossLoop — CrossLoop is a remote desktop application and marketplace for finding PC help and/or getting paid to fix a PC problem. If you're a PC whiz, you can make money at the marketplace, where you can set your own rates and determine your own specific services. Helpers are rated by clients at the end of a job, so if you continually provide excellent help, your sales will snowball as the community comes to trust you.

13. FreelanceSwitch — The best blog around for freelancers. The FreelanceSwitch site also has a job board for freelancers and a lively forum. Gigs tend to be on web work like design, development, and writing.

14. Freelance Writing Jobs — This site makes daily posts with both local and location-independent writing, editing, and proofreading gigs. The links are curated by real people, which means no scam posts here.

15. Online Writing Jobs — An aggregator of Craigslist and other sites, Online Writing Jobs collects blogging, copywriting, and other related gigs in daily posts.

16. ProBlogger Job Board — A great job board for professional blogging gigs run by uber-problogger Darren Rowse. If you want to find a blogging job, this is one of the best places to stop.

17. About.com Weblogs — Susan Gunelius, About.com Guide to Weblogs, regularly posts new blogging jobs to her forum.

Work-at-Home Resources

Working at home can be rewarding, alienating, joyful, and frustrating all at the same time. Use these resources to learn more about the work-at-home lifestyle and interact with other WAH folks.

18. Sparkplugging — This site provides resources for its community of entrepreneurs, freelancers, consultants, authors, work-at-home moms and dads, and other independent workers. Founder Wendy Piersall's passion for helping work-at-home folks and solo business owners really shines through on the site.

19. Work at Home Success — A comprehensive site for people looking to work at home. WAHS has get-started guides, information on where to find work-at-home job listings, and a community of other work-at-home folks sharing tips and tricks. WAHS gives you the tools and know-how to earn a side income from home or to start your new work-at-home career.

20. WAHM — Standing for Work-at-Home Moms, WAHM has job listings, articles, and even recipes.

Networking Sites

Several great job opportunities come through personal connections and recommendations. Leverage yours with these networking sites.

21. LinkedIn — A social networking site created specifically for professional networking, LinkedIn allows you to use both personal and professional connections in your job search, receive recommendations from colleagues, and much more.

22. Facebook — Yeah, it's the place where you post pictures of your summer vacation and share kitten videos with your friends. But it's also increasingly a place where employers can check up on you, and you can make valuable employment connections. Only put things on Facebook that you're comfortable with an employer seeing, or else create different privacy settings for friends and the general public.

Resumes, Interviews, Potential Careers, and More Information

It doesn't do you much good to find the perfect job if your resume and interview skills aren't ready to impress. Make yourself look great with these resources, plus research what career paths might be right for you.

23. About.com Job Searching — About.com's job search site features everything from sample resumes to job-search advice to scores of potential interview questions.

24. CareerOneStop — Run by the U.S. Department of Labor, CareerOneStop includes information about all aspects of looking for and having a job, including education and training, applying for jobs, and to how to file for unemployment.

25. Occupational Outlook Handbook — From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this annual publication provides information on training needed, expected salaries, and more for "hundreds of different types of jobs."

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This article is from Meg Favreau of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Career Advice for Those With Vanishing Professions

Julie Rains — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:48:09 +0000

The "Plan B" storyline of "30 Rock" surely resonated with millions of the unemployed. In this episode, comedy writer Liz Lemon discovers that she is the only one among her coworkers who has no alternative plan for employment when her show (TGS with Tracy Jordan) is placed on "forced hiatus." As she frets about her future, she encounters a travel agent and other shadowy people whose professions are no longer a "thing." (See also: Contingency Plans)

Watch video

Many people find themselves in similar circumstances to Liz. Their former professions and industries are vanishing.

Some jobs (independent travel agents, for example, as mentioned in "30 Rock") have nearly disappeared, but the industry itself is still thriving. Some industries are dying, though the professional disciplines within those industries are still viable.

According to a report by IBIS World, the top 10 dying industries include:

Wired telecommunications
Newspaper publishing
Mills
Photofinishing
Apparel manufacturing

The decline of apparel manufacturing has been most evident to me. For many years, I worked with professionals who have experienced near-constant turmoil in this industry. On a regular basis, local plants were closed. At first, manufacturing activities were moved to company-owned facilities offshore, and then outsourced to third-party trading agents and vendors overseas.

Studying the paths of people in many disciplines (operations management, merchandising, design, engineering, sourcing, etc.), and observing changes in companies' organizational structures have given me insights into ways of preserving, advancing, and realigning careers in changing conditions.

Here are steps to take if your profession or industry is disappearing.

Transfer Your Skills to a New Industry

Start by researching new fields and identifying skills needed to excel in specific positions. Pinpoint industries that are growing and hold interest for you. Arrange informational interviews or simply talk with friends who have expertise in your targeted fields. Listen as your contacts describe their work; then brainstorm ways to transfer your skills to new industries. Supplement your research by reading online postings and studying industry news to get an a feel for high-demand positions and their requirements.

Next, convince potential employers that you have the skills they need without confusing them about your past experiences. Translate your existing skills into terms that hiring managers can understand. If in doubt, use plain language to give an accurate portrayal of your strengths rather than unintentionally distorting or overstating capabilities.

Specific tips for job-search documents (such as resumes, letters, and online profiles):

Substitute standard word use for industry and company lingo
Reframe accomplishments in terms that an outsider can understand
Avoid the purely functional resume that highlights skills but obscures work history (see why I don't recommend a functional resume)
Use a chronological resume or combo chronological/functional resume to place skills into context and show career progression

Move to a Different Country

Leaving the country for a job may seem like a dramatic move. This option may be unrealistic due to personal issues. But industries disappearing here may be expanding in developing countries, creating opportunities for those willing to relocate to another part of the world.

For example, many U.S.-based plant managers and engineers in apparel manufacturing accepted jobs doing nearly identical work overseas when manufacturing shifted to new locations. Or they leveraged existing skills to new roles in sourcing, production management, product development, and social compliance.

Go Back to School

Figure out whether you want to reinvent yourself completely or make some modifications. Think about the time and money you are willing and able to invest for the purpose of getting yourself ready for a new profession or industry. Depending on your goals, you may:

Freshen your skills, which may involve taking a computer class to broaden your knowledge of technology-based applications
Finish your degree, if you left college short of graduation
Earn credentials in a specialized area, such as project management
Completely change directions; start a career in nursing after working in manufacturing, for example

Career counseling (typically free at community colleges) can help you to make decisions about what types of education and training to pursue. To minimize expenses associated with going back to school, apply for scholarships available to non-traditional students.

Take a Lousy Job

Taking an average job with great benefits may be a possibility, but such positions seem to be non-existent right now. So, you may need to accept a lousy job to help pay the bills while you reinvent or update yourself. Be strategic to get yourself ready for the next job. For example, take an entry-level job in your target industry.

Wait Until Your Job Resurfaces

I know this approach sounds crazy, but some professions do resurface.

For example, apparel patternmakers nearly became extinct. People in these positions interpreted creative designs into patterns for use by manufacturing, plus they assured proper fit. But when plants were closed locally, their jobs began to disappear. However, as garment fit became more prominent as a brand differentiator, demand for patternmakers began to increase — until more industry changes diverted this role to overseas vendors.

Likewise, retail sales associates are disappearing from the employment landscape as shoppers turn to online stores. But as boutique shops and luxury sellers re-discover that high-touch service can garner premium prices and generate high profits, demand for amazing retail sales professionals may grow.

Continue Searching for an Opening in Your Profession

There may be a couple of openings in your profession or industry now, either with companies who maintained traditional positions or because the professions have resurfaced. Such positions may be tough to land because of stiff competition from experienced professionals. Be careful to evaluate the long-term viability of these potential employers — they may be run by visionaries who can channel your strengths in a new direction, or they may be getting ready to shut their doors, forcing you to look for another job again soon.

Do a Combination of the Above

Moving from a vanishing profession to a vibrant one isn't easy. Based on my observations, those who made the most successful transitions leveraged high-demand and highly transferable skills (relationship building, vendor evaluation, decision making, staff management, and leadership); took risks with start-ups, turnarounds, or companies moving overseas; and continually developed their capabilities. Plus, they were always plotting Plan B.

This article is from Julie Rains of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Hate Your Job? It Could Be Your Fault

Vibha Dhawan — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:00:11 +0000

In today’s world, ”I hate my job” is something we have all said or heard at one point in our lives. Though you can enjoy life with a job you dislike that pays your bills, my idea of life is not just enjoying a fraction of it, it’s enjoying the whole package itself. Do you spend your week waiting for Fridays and the weekends dreading Sundays?

Let me compare the job hunting process to finding your better half. How long do average people spend to find their ideal mates? We may come across several people in our lives and chose to date a few. We take years to ensure that we are with the right person, from analyzing their every action to digging into their past. We conduct so many verifications, even though we may have fallen in love right at the start.

So what about the other half of your life? How long did you take to decide what job you would take? A day? A week maybe? Did you give yourself options, or did you simply pick the first job that was offered with a decent package? It is important to realize that we spend at least equal if not more time of our active adult lives at work as with our better halves. Though I’m not saying that our working lives are more important than our relationships, I just wish to stress that we may not be putting in the time and effort the job-hunting process deserves.

Sometimes unforeseen circumstances may cause the frustration at work, though in most cases all it takes is a little due diligence to avoid the additional stress. Here are some thoughts that will enhance your job-searching process:

Research the Company

Now this may sound like a “duh” moment, but you will be surprised at how superficially this task is performed. It is important to know what the company does and where its offices are located, but these are not the vital facts you are looking for. In addition, one should research the company values as well: Are they profit oriented and fast paced? Or maybe they regard employee satisfaction as a key parameter to success? Are they quality or quantity focused? Ensure that your values are aligned with that of your company.

A person who likes to do things quickly will feel stuck and frustrated in a slow organization where nothing gets done, while if you like to work at your own pace, a fast-paced company will be a nightmare. Try to learn about the office culture as well. No matter how great the company values may sound, if the office culture is radically different from what you like, you’re back at square one. You don’t want to be a late morning person getting into an office culture where 7 a.m. meetings are a norm, or an early morning person getting into a company where things start to pace up only after noon.

Some may argue that you don't have to agree or like everything at work, but I personally believe that taking into account these minor details can make a huge impact in your everyday life. Not only will it reduce additional stress, a comfortable office environment will also enhance your productivity enabling you to succeed at a much higher pace.

Interview Your Manager

This task will probably be the determining factor between your job choices. Have a list of well-thought-out questions for your manager. Not only will this help you decide, it will also put you a step higher in the interview process as they see the effort you’ve put in. Ask what is expected of you and the level of independence you will have. Does your manager like things done a certain way or do you have your creative space? Are there set procedures to follow or are you expected to develop your own? Is formal training provided or will you learn as the days pass by? There are numerous questions that you can ask your boss that would give you a better insight of how and where you fit in.

Talk to Ex-Employees or Colleagues

If you want to go a step further, you could get in touch with ex-employees or colleagues in the industry who can give you their perspective on the company. Websites like RateYourJob-RateYourBoss or social networking sites like LinkedIn can have an enormous amount of inside information, things you’d never know otherwise. Though opinions can be biased and should be taken with a pinch of salt, closing your eyes to information will only land you in the ditch. See what the world has to say, do your research, and further enhance the quality of your decisions.

Just because a potential employer is a Fortune 500 company does not mean that it is the best for you, and just because the package is lucrative does not guarantee a positive work environment. Your work life has an immense impact on your overall happiness as well as your physical and mental health, and it should not be taken casually. Life already has its share of ups and downs: Why add to them simply because of ignorance?

Guest Post Blurb:

This is a guest post by Vibha Dhawan. Vibha enjoys writing about life, from questioning the bases of our existence to wondering why we feel the way we do. She's fascinated by little things in life, it doesn't take much to make her smile. Read more by Vibha:

This article is from Vibha Dhawan of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

8 Job-Getting Tips from a Guy Who's Hired 500 People in the Past 5 Years

Chris Birk — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 13:00:12 +0000

August Nielsen has hired about 300 people in the last 20 months.

Seriously.

He's the Human Resources manager for one of the nation's fast-growing private companies. In the spirit of full disclosure, let me say upfront that I work for the same company (VA Mortgage Center, which happens to be the country's largest dedicated VA lender). Part of dealing with rapid growth is bringing new faces into the fold.

Needless to say, Augie has been busy. His work over the last five years includes a stint as a recruiter at a giant insurance company, where he helped hire 200 more folks. All told, he's been involved in hiring about 500 people since 2005.

The guy knows job interviews.

Given that, I asked him to step back and retread some familiar ground. He's seen his share of good, bad, and downright bizarre from his side of the interview table. Here are eight of his tips and hints for successfully navigating the job interview and hiring process. (See also: How to Recognize and Answer Illegal Interview Questions)

Do Your Research

"This should go without saying, but you might be surprised by how many people (even in this economy!) don't conduct even cursory research on our company. With everything everywhere online, there really is no excuse for not doing your due diligence. Beyond that, if the position that you're applying for is not familiar to you, do some digging. If the job duties in the job posting are not sufficient, search similar titles on a job aggregator like SimplyHired.com or Indeed.com. The bottom line here is to be prepared — know the company and know the job. We take notice when an applicant references our company values."

Write Worthwhile Cover Letters

"Most cover letters are so generic that they're of little value. And it's amazing how often applicants forget to change the company name from the last place they applied. Don't bother to provide a cover letter unless you're putting serious effort into it."

Apply Online

"A lot of corporate HR/recruiter types generally do not like resumes dropped off in person and unannounced. Sorry, but paper resumes went out of fashion around 2001. They're incredibly likely to get lost. Second, most HR people are extremely busy. It's tough to remember the sum and substance of a quick, impromptu conversation with a stranger after a hectic work day."

What to Wear

"We have a very casual dress code, but that doesn't mean prospective employees should show up in a T-shirt and flip flops. When in doubt, dress up. It conveys a degree of seriousness and preparation. Sure, you'll stick out to employees in the office as someone interviewing, but that's about the worst of it."

Interview Time

"Be on time or early, but not too early. HR folks can get a little on edge if their 11 a.m. interview shows up at 10:30. Five to 15 minutes is usually enough."

Don't Push for Promotions

"Be humble and don't ask how soon you can get promoted — unless the interviewer brings it up. In fact, if they do bring it up, that's also a good indicator of a competent manager with an eye for talent. The reality is most hiring managers want to hear how interested you are in their job, their department and working for them. They want to hear that you're going to be there for the foreseeable future and that you'll be happy. There will be plenty of time to scheme and game plan your promotion after you get the job. There is a time and place for those things, and the interview is not one of them. But, again, there's that caveat: Feel free to walk through that door if the hiring manager opens it."

Send Thank You Notes

"A good handwritten thank you note to the hiring manager can go a long way. Emails are OK but not as effective. Pick up a business card after the interview and send a note within a day or so. Cite a couple reasons why you're an ideal candidate and possibly reference a discussion point from the interview. It can do wonders. Be sure to use your best penmanship. Sloppy handwriting looks, well, sloppy. There's no need to send a separate note to the HR rep or recruiter. It can't hurt you, but they get plenty as it is."

Accepting the Offer

"When you get that call from HR offering you the job, hopefully you've thought about it and are ready to accept. Playing hard to get in this economy is likely to get you moved down the list. Make no mistake — there's a lot of competition out there for good jobs and employers are generally in the driver's seat here. If you have multiple job offers or serious job prospects, that's great. If you receive a job offer from Company B while still waiting to hear from Company A, be sure to let the HR rep at Company A know of your new offer — and that you would gladly turn it down to work for them. When I get those calls it's a signal that my gut was right and confirmation that you are indeed a great candidate. I will usually try to get an answer from the hiring manager a little quicker so that I don't lose out."

This article is from Chris Birk of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Must-Have Qualities to Ensure Long-Term Job Security

Little House — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:00:08 +0000

Securing a job in today's economy is more challenging than it's been in decades. Whether you've just graduated from college and are looking for your first "real" job or you're between jobs, there are a couple of qualities that are timeless. They can make you an indispensable part of any company or business, or can help you strike out on your own: Flexibility and Resourcefulness.

Become Engrossed in Your Position

You've just heard the news; a company you interviewed for has selected you as their favorite candidate. You start in a couple of weeks and can't wait to begin your new career.

A great way to become an essential part of a company's team is to become engrossed in the company's product or service. Though many positions have specific responsibilities associated with them, taking on more challenging tasks, redefining your position, and "getting your hands dirty" can ensure the beginning of a long career.

Many years ago, I interviewed for an online video streaming company. The job entailed a lot of research and contact database management. Being a hard worker, I knew I could manage the responsibilities of the job. However, the job also entailed some new responsibilities that I had little experience with. A few months into the position, I decided to redefine my role; I organized a large trade show and began writing press releases for their upcoming product. This act alone ensured my position with the company and I happily transitioned to trade show manager.

Enjoying the learning process is essential to growing your career. The more you commit to a position, the more likely you'll be regarded as the point-person within that arena.

Flexibility and Balancing Acts

Two people in your department have left and now their responsibilities have been placed upon your shoulders.

More and more I hear stories from friends about reductions in their office staff, yet those tasks, which are now unassigned, still need to be completed. The coworkers who are happily, or at least willing, to assimilate the new responsibilities into their work load are the ones who will benefit in the end.

My first corporate job as a sales coordinator was region specific. I was responsible for the east coast region and three other coworkers were responsible for the other cardinal directions (west, north, and south regions). A few months into my new job, two of the coordinators left. All of a sudden, there were two coordinators for a total of four regions — all with similar tasks. Being flexible, I assumed responsibilities for one additional region and won the praise of many colleagues.

Flexibility is highly regarded in most environments. The more tasks you can manage and coordinate seamlessly, the better chances of management regarding you as promotion material.

Resourcefulness Breeds Creativity

Layoffs are looming and you're beginning to think you might be next. That entrepreneurial spirit is kicking in.

Not everyone is cut out for one life-time career; lifestyles change, job opportunities pop up, and independent ventures become possibilities. Acquiring different talents, or becoming a "Jack-of-all-Trades," instills resourcefulness in oneself and nurtures creativity. Being resourceful means opening yourself up to potential job opportunities and multiple streams of income.

After realizing that a nine-to-five corporate job wasn't what I had in mind for myself, I began working side jobs to cover my bills while transitioning into a new career path. Having good time management skills, I juggled working as a Starbucks barista, a lactation educator, and a substitute teacher while redefining what I wanted my career to look like. Being resourceful allowed me the flexibility and opportunity to envision the career I really wanted. Like a chameleon, I was able to meld into temporary positions until I found one that suited me best.

The ability to draw upon skills and resources means there is less of a likelihood of becoming financially strapped. Multiple streams of income create plenty of opportunities to branch out into a new field without worrying about your bottom line.

Though these must-have qualities come in handy during tough economic times, they can also be helpful for future job seekers and entrepreneurs.

This article is from Little House of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Avoiding grass-is-always-greener syndrome

Philip Brewer — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:31:03 +0000

For a worker down in the cube farm, it's easy to see the dysfunction of your own company, and to imagine that almost anyplace else would be better.

I don't have any data to back this up except my own personal experience, but I've worked at enough companies and seen enough others up close that I'm willing to go out on a limb here: All companies are dysfunctional. The thing is, they're all dysfunctional in different ways. This means that it's possible to pick an employer whose dysfunctions are ones that will bug you less. The key is to understand what it is that's really bugging you, and then to check for those particular dysfunctions at the new company.

The first part is easy to describe, although it may be hard to get the perspective to do a good job. All you need to do is:

Analyze the dysfunctional aspects of your work that bug you.
Think about them.

The "thinking" stage here is not about coming up with ways to fix things at your current employer--let's give you credit for having made those efforts long ago. The reason to think about them is to come up with questions to ask at a potential new company to see if they're dysfunctional in the ways that you've already learned are a problem for you. (You don't need to find out if they're dysfunctional in other ways: they are. But maybe they're dysfunctional in ways that, although they may bug other people, you'll be able to just shrug off as no big deal.)

If you're interviewing with people who will be your peers, you don't even have to be especially subtle. They don't want to have to work with some new-hire who turns grumpy and grouchy as soon as he or she starts, so if there's something that would make you grumpy or grouchy, ask about it. In the thinking stage above, you've come up with polite ways to get the information you want.

You don't need to ask, "Is the manager a insecure fool who cares more about face-time than actually getting the work done?" But you can ask, "What measures does the boss seem to use when evaluating performance." Your potential peers will very likely clue you in.

You don't need to ask, "Is the manager a psycho who yells at anyone who suggests that doing things differently might be better?" But you can ask, "Is process-improvement an important goal here?"

It's always good to toss out a few general questions that can elicit warnings. "Tell me about the culture here," is worth trying. Ask about how different departments work together. If there are multiple sites, ask about how they work together. Any general questions about how things are done give people a chance to warn you about the things that bug them, giving you the information you need to decide if those things will bug you.

If your only chance to interview is with the boss, it gets a little harder, but only a little. Your boss is no more interested in hiring someone who will be miserable there than your peers are. Find ways to ask the questions such that asking won't ruin your chances if the answer is what you're hoping it is. Neutral questions, such as "What are a couple of things you do to promote teamwork among your employees?" are usually safe. Even better are questions that give the boss a chance to praise their working environment. You'll find out what the boss thinks are plusses, without needing to mention things that might be minuses for you.

When a potential boss or coworker doesn't have a good answer, it's always possible that simply asking will shoot down your chances--but that isn't so bad if you'd just have been miserable at the new place anyway.

I've known too many people who have gone from job to job to job, always leaving because they were unhappy, but always finding themselves at a new job that also made them unhappy, simply because they didn't take the time to get clear in their head what it was about their job that made them unhappy and then check whether the new place would be better.

This article is from Philip Brewer of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How to inspire corporate confidence

Julie Rains — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:25:16 +0000

A recruiter friend once told me that working at one employer for more than 15 years was a red flag to his client companies. “A red flag for what?” you might wonder. At best, the long-standing employee is seen as unwilling to make a move; at worst, a loyal employee is seen as unable to make a move. You can build confidence in your capabilities if you understand that, from your senior manager's perspective, there are two kinds of people.

There are: 1) those who pursue, embrace, and thrive on change (and deliver great value in the process) and 2) those who avoid and resist change (and prevent the company from adapting to new circumstances).

The change-happy are often considered the winners of today’s corporate culture. They are wooed by employers, promoted as company saviors, and make alterations to strategic direction and day-to-day operations as quickly as possible.

In the change-monger’s ideal world,

Vendors finally understand quality standards and stick to delivery schedules;

front-line staff are now knowledgeable and able to make independent decisions;

communication channels receive timely input from all stakeholders and speed along, rather than slow down, decisions;

information systems provide visibility with key information without weighing down decision-makers with unimportant details.

And as a result,

throughput times and inventory flow accelerate;

sales and profits increase; and

customers, employees, and shareholders are very happy.

Then the change-master moves on to a different company, typically in a higher paid position.

The left-behind employees (perhaps you, one of the loyal souls who keep things going and who may have recommended the improvements all along) often don’t command such respect. You, like those who thrive on constant movement, may have worthy career ambitions, incredible flexibility, and fresh ideas; however:

you’ve recently experienced significant disruption in your life and, for right now, seek sameness (you may have just created a stability plan per Justin Ryan’s guidance);

you grasp that too-frequent or ill-considered changes make a company seem more like a chameleon than a market leader;

you don’t want to disturb your professional life, which will often disrupt your personal life.

If you decide to stay put at least for now, you can still show that you are eager, willing, and highly capable of tackling new challenges and producing significant results -- without ever changing employers.

Here are a few ways how:

Keep learning new information. Attend the seminars and workshops recommended on your professional development plan (if you don’t have one, make one yourself); take a class at your community college (traditional or online); read a book from the best-selling list.

Become an expert in your industry or discipline. Read trade periodicals, visit vendors or listen in on meetings when they visit the office; go to professional conferences; earn professional designations; make presentations to groups with an interest in your field.

Continually expand your skill base. Learn a new software package through self-study, help from a friend, or a class; offer your services for special projects (sponsored by your company, a non-profit group, or another organization) to strengthen your planning, organizational, networking, and/or leadership skills.

Try out new ideas. You may be able to make changes to your daily activities without any corporate approvals. Even small improvements, made consistently over time, can keep your habits up-to-date and work results stellar.

This article is from Julie Rains of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: