Lion Cub Job Search

21 do's and don'ts to improve your LinkedIn experience

2012-01-26T19:00:00.001-05:00

I have usedLinkedIn since 2004 to help job seekers and grow my own career. I have seen people make mistakes in how theyare using the site. Here are 21 do’s and don'ts to improve your LinkedInexperience:

Don’twait for something to happen on the website, do be proactive and make ithappen.

Don’tbe an Open Networker or LION, do be selective in who you connect with.

Don’tbe a know-it-all in group discussions; do be humble while sharing yourexpertise.

Don’tignore status updates, do be sure to check your colleagues’ status updatesregularly.

Don’texpect recommendations to just appear on your profile, do be proactive inrequesting recommendations

Don’tignore others requests for help, do respond to others and help when you can.

Don’tmake it difficult for others to contact you, do make your contact information readilyavailable.

Don’t“invite all” when importing your contacts, do be selective and choose who youknow that you’d like to connect with.

Don’tjust join groups, do be proactive and actively participate in conversations.

Don’tjoin any groups, do be selective in deciding what groups can help you.

Don’tadd the same education and job in your profile multiple times, do be careful inadding all relevant information to your profile.

Don’tmake it obvious you are looking for work, do make it obvious you have theskills for the type of job you want.

Don’tavoid posting status updates, do post useful information you’d like to share inyour status updates.

Don’tforget to ask your network for help, do be proactive in asking your network forhelp.

Don’tmix your professional and personal life on LinkedIn, do focus on theprofessional you when sharing information on LinkedIn.

Don’tuse a headline like “Job Seeker” or “In Transition”, do use a LinkedIn headlinewith your professional title (i.e. Accountant) and unique skills.

Don’tignore your LinkedIn inbox, do check your LinkedIn email regularly.

Don’tconnect with everyone on LinkedIn, do focus on building actual relations andconnections.

Don’tuse a blurry or unprofessional picture, do use a professional, clear headshotin your profile picture.

Don’tmisspell, use typos or avoid proofreading, do proofread your profile carefully.

Don’tleave your profile incomplete, do take the time to fill in your whole profileincluding work history, education and summary.

- Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

Like this article? You'll love the book.

Is Graduate School Right for You?

2012-01-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

Image by Fred

Graduate school has always been a popular, if not thoroughly explored, topic on this website. For that reason, I've asked Shira Melody Berkovits (an expert in this area as well as many others) to write a series of articles on this subject. We'll be bringing them to you over the next few weeks.

APPLYING TO GRADUATE SCHOOL

Applying to graduate school can be an overwhelming process.Colleges offer many resources for students that struggle academically in theircoursework, but few sufficiently prepare their students for the graduate schoolapplication process. This series will provide thought questions to help youdecide if graduate school is right for you and tips on navigating the maincomponents of a graduate school application.

IS GRADUATE SCHOOL RIGHT FOR YOU?

Graduate School as a Must

It has become increasingly common for students to assumethat graduate school is a natural ‘must’ in their educational training. Manyargue that graduate school today is what college was 20 years ago, and thatwithout a graduate degree, prospective employers won’t even consider yourapplication[1]. Whileit is true that graduate degrees are an added credential that may increase yourlifetime earnings,[2] thereare also arguments to be made against a graduate education. In my opinion, thestrongest “con” argument is financial[3] [4].Consider that an inexpensive graduate school generally costs somewhere between$25,000 and $30,000 (doctoral degrees can easilyreach $100,000 to $150,000). Add to that the cost of living and the opportunitycost of being a full-time student. Assuming that you are not independentlywealthy, don’t forget to factor in interest and compounded interest rates on yourstudent loans. If the graduate program you are considering is 3 years or longer,we’re talking about a lot of money, probably enough to purchase a home … and payin full[5]. Nowdetermine the amount you can reasonably expect to earn after graduation and calculatethe number of years it will take to repay your debt. Finally, imagine analternate life. One in which you skip graduate school, work hard, livefrugally, save moderately, and enjoy your quality of life. Can you see itclearly? Good. Because quality of life as a graduate student tends to suck.Whether you are considering going to school full time or taking a class or twowhile you work, graduate school is time consuming and difficult. Imagine acompetitive and stressful learning environment, long hours, tons of homework, andminimal free time. Think all nighters, and lots of research, writing, andreading. Before you find yourself caught up in the inertia of the applicationprocess, consider the financial and quality-of-life sacrifices you will need tomake, and ask yourself if graduate school is the right decision for you.

Reasons to Apply to Graduate School

There are two basic reasons to pursue a graduate degree. Thefirst is because your dream career requires more education. If you’re in thiscategory, make sure to determine what it is about the profession that attractsyou and if there is an easier way to achieve the same goal. For example if youwant to go into obstetrics because you think you’ll love delivering babies, knowthat there are options beyond medical school that will grant you similarexperiences: such as nursing, midwifery or becoming a doula. Granted,obstetricians make more money than midwives, but, with the exception of somesub-specialties such as reproductive endocrinology and infertility, you don'tgo into obstetrics to make money – if you wanted to make money, you would be aninvestment banker… or a dermatologist. If your passion is delivering babies,then ask yourself if you are prepared to endure two years of pre-doctoralcoursework, four years of medical school, and four years of residency, when youcould achieve the same end with only one to two years of training. Now, if youwant to be the one operating in a cesarean birth, conducting other life-savingsurgery in emergency situations, or performing any of the other specializedskills that obstetricians alone perform,then you should go to medical school.

The second reason to go to graduate school is because youlove to learn. Understanding the theory and research behind practical skills isof the utmost importance to you. If you aim to be a mental health therapist,you want to do more than just provide psychotherapy services, you also want tobe able to conduct research of your own, or at least understand the researchthat’s out there. But here too, tread carefully. Even students who pursue a PhDdegree because they love research and learning, will wonder at least once onthe long road to a doctorate if their decision was a mistake. And if you are ambivalentabout the education to begin with, your chances of completing the degree, orenjoying the process of obtaining it, are greatly diminished.

This section is not meant to deter you from graduate school,which can be a wonderful, life-changing experience. Rather my message is this:despite current trends, realize that the choice to go to graduate school isindeed still a choice. You'll need togive up a lot and invest even more in order to succeed in school, so beforeembarking on the journey, make sure that it is the one you want. Remember: employerslook for smart, diligent, motivated people. Whether you go to graduate schoolor not, if you can sell yourself, havea great personality, and an excellent business sense, you don't need graduate school to land a greatcareer. There are many ways to be successful in a career, and graduate schoolis only one.

Now that you’ve asked yourself the important questions, come back next week for information on how to apply to graduate school.

Recap: Questions to Ask Yourself

What are your life goals?
Will graduate school help you obtain them?
If so, what type of graduate degree will be most helpful?
Can you handle the time, the finances, and the effort?
For PhD applicants: Do you enjoy research/can you handle the lifestyle it entails?
Make sure you really want to go to graduate school

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/education/edlife/edl-24masters-t.html?pagewanted=all).

[2] (http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/moneymatters/a/edandearnings.htm

[3] http://www.learnvest.com/2011/05/the-rising-cost-of-graduate-school-is-it-worth-it/

[4] http://gradschool.about.com/od/financialaid/a/worthit.htm

[5] http://www.realestateabc.com/outlook/overall.htm

Shira Melody Berkovits ( melodyberkovits@yahoo.com) has worked nationally as a graduate school application consultant and internationally as a youth consultant for community youth centers since 2005. Shira has a Ph.D. in Learning Processes and Behavior Analytic Psychology from The Graduate Center, CUNY, where she was an Extended Chancellor’s Fellow and served as an adjunct instructor. Currently, Shira is pursuing her JD degree at Cardozo Law School, where she is a Monrad Paulson Scholar. Upon graduation, Shira hopes to combine her psychology and legal training in the defense and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders in alternative court room settings.

- I encourage anyone needing assistance with the graduate school application process to contact Shira regarding her availability for graduate school application consulting. Thank you Shira for your contributions.
Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

Need help with career direction and job search strategy? Check out the book.

Get $2.00 off The Roaring Job Search Anthology

2012-01-26T18:30:00.000-05:00

JobMob is running a $2.00 special off copies of The Roaring Job Search Anthology. Check it out at the bottom of their most recent article, Use Your Job Strengths For A Faster Job Search.

From the Inside Looking Out: Learning from HR folks

2012-01-25T19:00:00.000-05:00

As job seekers, we are always on the outside looking in. What if we could take the perspective of being on the inside, as an HR professional, looking out or even within an organization? For that reason, I am pleased to provide a 10 question interview with the authors of The Big Book of HR . Many of the tidbits shared will be helpful to you when crafting a job search plan and navigating your career.

1. Howdoes one select the best applicants?

Thereis no magic to making a good hiring decision--it takes work and above all,preparation:

· Understand your culture

· Have a carefully writtenjob description that outlines both the duties but also the skill set necessaryto succeed in this position

· Train interviewers toask the right questions

· Determine your questionsbefore the interview

· Determine who shouldalso interview the applicant and coordinate questions

· Listen carefully in theinterview

· Check references

2. Howdo you identify a superstar employee?

Youobserve their attitude and ability over time and in a variety ofsituations. You use performance appraisal information to evaluate theirpotential. Your succession planning process can also identify highpotential candidates. Most important is to spend the time necessary toget to know your employees and where their talent lie and also where theirpassion is for your organizaiton!

3. Howdo you motivate a great employee?

Bytapping into their passion--what do they love to do in your organization? Where do you see them shine? Then, put them in situations where they cando their best, praise them, and step back and let them do what they dobest! The greatest demotivator is to micromanage good employees--theytend to resent their manager and will probably look for a way out of the job orthe organization!

4. Whatare some of the keys to retaining top talent?

Askthem why they stay? Most organizations focus on asking people why theyare leaving but it is much more important to find out why your good peopleenjoy working for you. Once you know what keeps them with you, build onthat. Constantly "re-recruit" them--provide developmentopportunities so they see growth. Build on their strengths!

5. Howdo you determine the kind of employees needed?

6. and how do you determine when to hire needed employees?

Awell crafted workforce plan is the key to both these questions. Look atyour strategic plan to see where you're headed and when you will needadditional employees to meet the plan. Look at what skill sets yourcurrent employees have and then look at what skills you need to meet yourgrowth plans. The gap analysis will tell you when you need to hire (orretrain) and what skills are needed. Workforce planning is critical tounderstanding your current workforce and your future needs.

7. Whatare the challenges to assimilating new talent into the organization?

Theassimilation process starts in the hiring process. How welcome do you makeapplicants feel when they are going through the process? Do you respond to themin a timely manner? After the offier is accepted, the process continuesduring the critical time between acceptance and start date when people may havedoubts they've made a good decision. Keep in touch with them. Make surethe first day is filled with positive experiences--don't make them sit throughlong sessions of filling out paperwork--get them involved and meetingpeople. Have a plan for their first week, first month, first 60 days,first 90 days! Assimilating executives is even more critical andfrequently overlooked.

8. Whatare some best practicies to maintaining positive employee relations and manageconflict?

Fororganizations to maintain positive employee relations, they have to develop andcultivate a culture that treats people fairly, professionally and respectfully.This includes having well-written policies that reflect the needs of theorganization and the employees. However, the cornerstone is having andmaintaining good communication practices with employees. A communicationsplan can should include both in-person vehicles such as an open-door policy anddepartment staff meetings, town-hall meetings and brown-bag lunches to foster afree exchange and provide a flexible and informal approach for communication,and written communications such as newsletters (paper editions or electronic)e-mail, blogs, Intranet, webcasts and social media to keep younger workersengaged. Storytelling is an emerging trend that can convey information inan engaging manner and stimulate conversation. An organizational culturethat encourages conversation, a two-way dialogue where information isgiven and received, will build an atmosphere of trust that will enhance morale,employee engagement and productivity.

Cornelia Gamlem, SPHR

9. Howcan HR be most effective in the recruitment and hiring phases?

Bybeing responsive to applicants and following up when they say they will. Nothing is more discouraging to an applicant than applying for a job and hearingnothing! Have a way to at least let applicants know you've received theirresume. If you say you'll call on Friday with an update on theirapplication, call on Friday--even if you don't have an update--or send a quickemail to let them know their status. HR can monitor how long it takesmanagers to make decisions and encourage them to move quickly. HR can assist bykeeping the pipeline filled with strong candidates. HR can and shouldmake the applicant feel welcomed and valued. Remember, every applicant is apotential customer or client and you want them to feel as if they were treatedfairly by your company. They may not be right for this job but maybe somedaythey will be the right applicant.

10. What misunderstandingdo job seekers have about the role of HR?

Jobseekers have been told to avoid HR--that HR is a roadblock to their getting ajob. While this may be true in a small number of offices, it is not thecase for the majority of US businesses. HR plays a vital role in bringing intalent so it makes sense for job seekers to see the value HR brings. Manyjob seekers are told to send resumes directly to hiring managers and bypass HR.This can be a mistake if the organiation has an applicant tracking system--HRstarts the process by ensuring the applicant's resume is entered into thedatabase before it goes to a hiring manager. HR is typically involved inhiring decisions in well-managed organizations so don't overlook them--involvethem!

About the Authors:

Barbara Mitchell is a humanresources professional and management consultant who is a recognized expert inthe HR field. She is co-author of TheEssential HR Handbook. Prior to co-founding The Millennium GroupInternational, LLC, much of her HR career was spent with MarriottInternational. She is now managing partner of The Mitchell Group, an HRconsulting practice.

Cornelia Gamlem, SPHR, is presidentof The GEMS Group, Ltd. She co-authored Roadmapto Success: 5 Steps to Putting Action Into your Affirmative Action Plan.She has served on the National Board of Directors of the Society for HumanResources Management and on the Federal Advisory Board founded by the U.S.Departments of Labor and HHS.

Both authors live in the Washington, D.C.area.

- Thank you Barbara and Cornelia for your time. I think this interview will be especially helpful to our readers. Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

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When networking, stop being so me focused

2012-01-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

Image by roseoftimothywoods

Below are modified excerpts from an email that ran 500 words. The recipient was a person that the sender barely knew:

I'm hoping that you can help me....

I'min the market for a position and was hoping that you may havesome names for me...

Perhapsthere are some people you know of that would be able to assist me?

Please feel free to pass along to any contacts you may havethat may be able to assist me.
If you know of anyone that I can talk to in those fields tonetwork, that would be helpful. Thehours that I'm looking to work are 9-5. If full time, my salary requirementswould be 50K annually.

I figured I'd outline a little bit of what I am lookingfor so that you can help me out a bit more with networking.

Here are the different jobs I am looking for...

Please let me know if you have any ideas. Please get back to me and let me know what you think.

What is wrong here? The whole message is about the following: Me, Me, Me. Unfortunately, this email is not unique. Too many people are so focused on themselves that they are hurting their chances to get help. Think more what you can do for someone else and you are more likely to receive help in return.

What would have made for a better message?

Hi Tom,

I hope this email finds you well. It was a pleasure learning more about what you do in our last correspondence. I've been passing your name along to some people that I thought could benefit from your services.

I am in the market again and wondering if I can share some more information with you (in case you hear of anything)?

As always, let me know if I can be of assistance.

p.s. There is a great conference coming up that seems like it might be of interest to someone with your background. Here's the link...

- Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

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Why to skip the fancy resume paper

2012-01-20T17:00:00.000-05:00

Image by Arnold Reinhold

From time to time, job seekers will still ask me what type of fancy resume paper they should use? Does gold, cream or off-
white work best? The answer is: none. It is perfectly acceptable to print your resume on a regular white piece of paper from home with your printer.

With technology as it is today, the employer has no expectations that you will hand in a heavy stock, gold colored resume. It will not make you stand out in a better way and the color actually makes it harder to read, thus hurting your chances of getting the job.

In the "old days", you'd use the same resume for every job and most employers would be receiving your resume in the mail. In order to make the best impression, you'd go down to the copy shop, ask to see the resume colors/styles available, pick one and print a hundred copies.

Today, you have to change your resume for every job and employers are first evaluating your resume on their computer. The content and layout of the resume is king, as opposed to color schemes and feel of the paper.

Make sure that the paper you use is a regular, white piece of paper with no perforations or too similar to computer paper, used in the late 1980's (as shown in the picture above).

With the rise of tablet readers and other handheld devices, the days aren't too far off that there will be no expectation that you bring your resume to an interview or a job fair. You'll be able to immediately forward it over and the interviewer will review the resume on the device while talking to you. Until those days are here, make sure to bring a few copies of your resume to the interview.

My newest book, available on Amazon

The When, Why and How of 1 to 5 Page Resumes

2012-01-18T19:30:00.000-05:00

Image

Many of us are confused by conflicting advice on how to write a resume. The most glaring disagreement is how long a resume should be. You meet with a career coach and they tell you one thing. A recruiter tells you something else. The workforce center asks you to change it again. Before I suggest some numbers, remember the most important rule: Your resume is an advertisement and the resume should effectively sell your skills, experience and abilities for that job.

In general, the length of your resume depends on your industry, education and experience level.

Academia (unlimited length, typically 5 pages or more): Let's get an easy one out of the way first: If you work in academia as a Professor or in another academically based field, your resume is known as a curriculum vitae (CV). The CV is as long as you have credentials to fill it including listings of papers published in scholarly journals. It is not uncommon for the CV to run five pages or more.

C-Suite Executive (3 pages): As a seasoned top-level executive, you will have a significant trail of accomplishment to showcase. Don't try to cram it all into two pages. Allow the document to breathe in three pages.

Experienced Technology Professional (2-3 pages): In technology, the employer wants to fully grasp all of your relevant technical skills and training. Don't skimp. Include this information within two or three pages. No one wants to go through more than three pages for a technology professional.

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Experienced mid-level professional or post Bachelors degree holder (2 pages): Persons who have been working for more than five years or possess a masters degree often struggle to fit all the information onto one page. There is no reason to do this. Be sure to keep the content compelling on the first page so that the reader will want to move on to the second page.

Recent College Graduates (1 page): As a recent college graduate, your most important experience should fit on one page. Employers don't want to have to read through more than one page for a recent college graduate.

College Student (1 full page): Some college students struggle with filling up a full page when writing a resume. Be sure to include part time and volunteer work as well as internships when creating a basic resume.

Remember again, the resume is a marketing piece that should effectively sell your skills, experience and abilities for the job. If you need slightly more/less space to do that, it is OK.

Need help writing a resume? Hire me with no risk to you. Effectiveness Guarantee: If you use the techniques learned and do not get a 50% increase in response from employers in the three months following a session as you did in the previous three months, you’ll get a FULL refund. Info here.

Need more resume advice and job search strategy? Check out my book on Amazon

Perfecting Your Elevator Speech- NYC program

2012-01-18T19:00:00.000-05:00

I highly recommend you check out this free event. You'll polish your elevator pitch and make some new contacts.

Perfecting Your Elevator Speech

Tuesday, January 31, 2012
6:30pm until 8:00pm

You have 30-seconds with a potential funder, a future employer or a "big wig." How do you perfect yourelevator speech, whether its for supporting your program, advocating your innovative idea, or showcasing YOU?

Join AJP for a fun, interactive and enlightening workshop... in which you will learn how to convey your pitch in order to get results. We are honored to have Alisha Goodman, Executive Director of The Jewish Lens and Founder of AJP, facilitate this discussion. Come at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments and networking, the program will start at 6:45 p.m.

Location: Union of Reform Judaism 6th Floor Conference Rooms - 633 3rd Ave. between E. 40th and 41st Streets

RSVP to advancingjewishprosnyc@gmail.com or on their Facebook Page.

- Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

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Technical Project Manager - Web/Mobile apps. for Major Media Sites New York, NY

2012-01-18T18:30:00.000-05:00

RCN is recruiting for the position below. Contact information is at the bottom.

Title: Technical Project Manager – Web/Mobile apps. for Major Media Sites
Location: New York, NY

The Job:
Are you an entrepreneur who wishes to set the stage and build the foundation for the next generation of news media? Your passion for new technology and strategic vision will set the groundwork and direction for cutting-edge Mobile apps and Web offerings. You must be passionate about keeping all of our client’s internal/external geniuses organized, while sharing your good sense of humor during a time of immense and intense growth!

Your Experience/Skills:
Experienced early career leader -10 years’ experience in project management/technology development of web/video development
Experience and success integrating database and server (client) side products
Experience and success integrating database and iOS apps
Proven track record coordinating multiple constituencies including, but not limited to: app development, database, SAAS client-side products, design and UI, and business units
Technical chops inprogramming or development of database, client-side and/or apps

Interested?
Sweet! Share past Technical Project management experience and Brag about any entrepreneurial innovative ventures you have been involved in or tell us why you want to break away from a life of bureaucracy in your present role!

Reference #609511

We look forward to working with you in a private and professional manner. We ask the following of you:
Resumes MUST be submitted as a Word document to POSITIONS@NDT.COM

Technical and Tech/Business Recruiting Since 1979

http://www.ndt.com
http://twitter.com/JOBSinMA
http://www.facebook.com/JOBSinMA

- Thanks for sharing this with our LCJS readers.

Lavie Margolin, Career Coach.

No creativity needed: copy an ad for best resume results

2012-01-13T16:00:00.000-05:00

The Roaring Job Search Anthology, available on Amazon

Image by Psychopoesie

Uncreative. Plagiarism. Rip-Off. These are harsh words for any writer of any body of work: be it fiction, non-fiction or research project or any creative research project. Somehow, the resume has fallen into the category of something that has to be original, creative and unique.

To better your response rate, the resume shouldn't be unique or creative at all! If you want to increase your response rate for a job, you should be copying the job advertisement, every time and for every job.

There is some concern that the employer will know that you copied the job description. So what if they know? As long as you are honestly representing yourself on the resume, you are making their job easier. Employers will thank you for it by calling you in for interviews more often.

Image

It will show that you aren't just applying scatter shot for any job and have spent time to tailor your application for this specific job. The fact of the matter is that even if most job applicants bought-in to this concept, most won't do it. It takes too much time and effort. When you are willing to do it, you will stand out above the crowd and put yourself in a much better position to get what you want.

Who get called in for interviews? People whose resumes most closely match the job description. How do you do it? Go through the job description and requirements line by line. If the line relates to you, include it in the resume- in the bullet points within jobs, where applicable.

You've done this on the job? Perform organization’s accounts receivable functions including, recording all pledges and payments and processing cash receipts

Great, include this on your resume:

Performed organization’s accounts receivable functions including recording all pledges and payments and processing cash receipts

If you have the work responsibilities on your resume already as Processed cash receipts and recorded all data related to accounts receivable and cash receipts, change it to the line above.

The first person looking at your resume is an internal recruiter, who has no expertise on your day-to-day functions besides the job description given to them by a manager. You want to make it as easier for that person to make a match: determine that your skills, experience and abilities appear to be a fit for the job (almost a mirror image of what the company wants), as advertised.

- Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

Need help writing a better resume? Now there is no risk to hiring me when you use my effectiveness guarantee: If you use the techniques learned in a one-on-one session and do not get a 50% increase in response from employers in the three months following a session as you did in the previous three months, you’ll get a FULL refund.

Jobs: Internet Coordinator/ Account Supervisor/ Social Media Manager/ Ecommerce

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Atrium Staffing is looking to fill the job openings below. Feel free to email at the address provided with your interest, if you qualify:

Our client, a NYC based fashion brand, is looking for an on-site freelanceInternet Coordinator. This person will have 1-2 years working within the field, or related field (e-commerce, production). Candidate will need to have strong design background with an eye for detail. Fashion industry experience is a plus.

Responsibilities of Internet Coordinator:
·   Responsible for set-up and proofing of website images
·   Proofing and verifying copy accuracy on website
·   Cropping images to be uploaded onto site in line with formatting rules
·   Able to communicate well with merchants and IT department
·   Edit and proof live site or trouble shoot for errors
·   Research areas of site improve in order to create optimal user experience
Education Requirements for Internet Coordinator:
·   Bachelor’s degree and 1-2 years of experience
Candidates needed ASAP. Position lasts for a month
Please email resumes to tscarlett@atriumstaff.com

Leading Fashion Public Relations Agency is seeking aFashion Account Supervisor and Accessories Account Director. Fast-paced environment with top-notch and cutting edge accounts.
·   3-5 years of experience in a PR Agency & pitching media
·   Bachelors Degree in Public Relations, Communications or Related Field
·   Established and maintained relationships with press including key editors, bloggers and stylists.
·   Conceptualize and execute create communications plans for clients.
·   Use social media platforms to help leverage media coverage for clients.
·   Press event coordination—set-up, break-down, budget and execution.
·   Attend key industry events.
·   Ability to accompany editors and clients on Domestic and International Press Trips.

Please email resumes totscarlett@atriumstaff.com

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Are you an expert in all aspects of Social Media—including strategy!? Our award winning client is a cutting edge Public Relations agency that is looking for a new addition to join its rapidly growing social media department. They are searching for aSocial Media Manager with a focus on creating and executing effective strategy and management.

The Social Media Manager will have:
·   3-5 years of social media, community management, digital strategist or social media strategist experience
·   Bachelors Degree in Marketing, Digital Media or a related field.
·   Knowledge of social media platforms such as Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, Tumblr, Vimeo, Foursquare, Flickr, Youtube, Digg and MySpace.
·   Innovative thinker with experience creating and managing strategies and platforms for social media platforms.
·   Ability to manage multiple social media voice simultaneously.
·   Love for social media, luxury, fashion, and pop culture.
·   Ability to multitask and succeed in fast-paced environments.
·   Strong organization skills and ability to manage deadlines and multi-task.
·   PR Agency Experience a BIG plus!
Please email resumes totscarlett@atriumstaff.com
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Our client, an NYC Beauty Company, is seeking aneCommerce Marketing Manager to create and execute on-line marketing initiatives to grow their eCommerce business as well as generating awareness of the brand across multiple trade channels.

This eCommerce Marketing Manager position will be responsible for all digital platforms including all initiatives related to online communication, ecommerce, social media and customer acquisition/retention programs.

This is a direct hire position in which the eCommerce Marketing Manager reports to a C-Level executive.

Responsibilities of eCommerce Marketing Manager:
·   Implement digital marketing strategies and initiatives to drive significant traffic, conversion, revenue and profitability.
·   Define best practices and optimize customer shopping experience.
·   Create and manage SEO, SEM, PPC, display and affiliate marketing campaigns.
·   Develop email marketing and rebranding campaigns, as well as managing customer loyalty program.
·   Oversee and manage social media strategy and initiatives.
·   Manage a P/L.
·   Track daily web analytics, responsible for reporting.
·   Implement mobile commerce initiatives.
·   Managing digital agency and vendors.
Requirements for eCommerce Marketing Manager:
·   Bachelors’ Degree or MBA.
·   5-10 years of solid background in e-commerce marketing including search, display & affiliate marketing.
·   Experience managing a P/L & heavy project management of an ecommerce site rebrand/development.
·   Experience with HTML coding and email marketing campaigns.
·   Strategic, analytical thinker with the ability to thrive in a small company environment
Please email resumes totscarlett@atriumstaff.com

- Thanks to Atrium for sharing these opportunities with our readers.
Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

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The 16 resume mistakes we are still making

2012-01-09T21:44:00.000-05:00

MesserWoland, based on Or17's graphics

To celebrate the release of my new book, The Roaring Job Search Anthology, I offered free resume evaluations for the first twenty people that responded to my posting on various New York area community yahoo groups. And respond they did. I ended up providing resume tips to over sixty job seekers via email last week. Why is this relevant to you now? Sixty resumes is a nice market survey of professionals (soon to be college graduates through senior level executives) of the resume mistakes that we are still making. Here are the same mistakes that I saw over and over again:

- Failing to list an address on the resume.
- Using the resume as a life/work history instead of a marketing piece.
- Using an objective instead of a summary statement.
- Listing education first when the person is not a recent graduate.
- Listing job responsibilities but no accomplishments.
- Using a font that is way too large (10.5 to 12 point font is standard).
- Using abbreviations. For example, NYC instead of New York.
- Including a paragraph of information for each job instead of breaking the content up with bullet points.
- Assuming computer skills are "obvious" or not relevant.
- Not sending the resume as a Microsoft Word document or PDF attachment.
- Sending the resume in DocX format instead of .Doc
- Trying to cram too much information in to one page when two pages would suffice.
- Not including a footer that makes it clear the resume is two pages.

- Listing "interests/hobbies" as well as "references available upon request".
- Listing a date of graduation that was more than 25 years ago.
- Including work experience that was more than 20 years ago.

The resume is a marketing piece. Don't be generic. Use your skills, experience and abilities to effectively sell you for that specific job.If you need resume assistance, I can help. I even have a performance guarantee. See the details here.

- Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

Becoming visible to increase your job prospects (Audio)

2012-01-04T20:00:00.000-05:00

Today's two minute podcast is on becoming visible to increase your job prospects. The subject matter is taken from one of the articles that appear in my new book, The Roaring Job Search Anthology. Enjoy!

Listen to internet radio with Lavie Margolin on Blog Talk Radio

Check out the book on Amazon

Resource for Entrepreneurs in New York City

2012-01-03T19:00:00.002-05:00

As a Career Coach, I always think it is a good idea to explore your entrepreneurial options. This is a great organization to start with. Check it out if you are in the New York area.
- Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

Have a career or job search related question? Ask it on the Lion Cub Job Search Facebook page.

Check out Lavie's brand new book on Amazon.

Instability is the new stability- get used to it (podcast)

2012-01-03T19:00:00.001-05:00

Check it out on Amazon

In celebration of the release of my latest book, The Roaring Job Search Anthology, I plan to regularly share an article from the book in audio format to give you a taste of what's contained within.

Today's topic, Instability is the new stability- get used to it, is 2:27 long.

Listen to internet radio with Lavie Margolin on Blog Talk Radio

The Roaring Job Search Anthology has arrived!

2012-01-03T19:00:00.000-05:00

Check it out on Amazon

Lavie Margolin, Career Coach and author of Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers, has been writing on the areas of practical job search assistance and career direction since 2003.

Collected in this anthology are many of his most well received articles he has written on practical job search advice and career direction.

Articles include:
- What to do when you know someone who knows someone.
- Understanding and utilizing alumni relations to your advantage.
- Why people will agree to meet with you.
- Refreshing your job search with a healthy break.
- Does work from home actually work?
- Why we change jobs so frequently.
- 13 questions to ask an insider when changing careers.
- 4 ways to make a better impression on your boss
- Making the job fair a worthwhile experience.
- Breaking into our dream industry.
- Unemployment benefits as a temporary lifeline, not a solution.
- Avoiding funny business on the job while salvaging your career.
- Best practices for follow up calls.

In over eighty articles, Lavie has included his best tips, examples and strategies to increase your chances for job search and career success.

Book sales help to support the work that I do on this website.

Join the release party on Facebook!

12 tips to make 2012 a more productive year for your job search

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Image credit: Amgalanbaatar

Happy New Year!

With apologies to mental health professionals, Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results." (www.c-spanarchives.org).

With it being a new year, it is time to ignore old, bad advice such as: your resume must always be one-page and only change the cover letter for every job, leave the resume alone.

Some of us have spent the majority of 2011 either trying to obtain employment or switch jobs, to little or no demonstrable results. With it now being a new year, it is time to evaluate what we have been doing in
looking for work, determine what has been working and what has not:

1) Are you submitting your resume/cover letter and getting very little response?

2) Have you been asking your network of contacts for help but not gotten the type of help you were looking for?

3) Have you been getting pre-screening calls for interviews but not being asked to come in?

4) Have you been getting initial interviews but not been asked to come back for the next stage?

5) Have you had multiple interviews but no offers?

6) Have you received offers but not been able to close the deal?

Here are some suggestions for a new approach:

1) Target the industry in which you would like to work and what role you are qualified to play instead of just looking for any job

2) Determine if you need any additional skills to obtain that job and seek out resources for gaining those skills.

3) Spend time giving back to your network so that you may ask for help in return

4) Change your resume and cover letter for every job to which you apply

5) Prepare for interviews by reading articles about the company online and speaking to people who work for the company

6) Grow your Linkedin profile and be proactive in using that network to help you find a job

7) Use Facebook to spread the word of what you are looking for and why you are qualified

8) Keep track of the jobs you applied as to be best prepared when you receive a response.

9) Treat your job search as a full time job plus overtime (40+ hours per week)

10) When applying for work, apply through the traditional methods (online application/emailing resume/fax/mail) and then find a connection on LinkedIn/networking to advocate for yo. You'll improve your chances from a half a percent chance of getting the job to a ten percent chance.

11) Research the value of your current skills/experience/knowledge in order to negotiate your salary most effectively.

12) Consider using a reputable Career Coach to maximize successful results during every phase of your job search.

Coming soon to Amazon.com

Professional Challenges of Young Modern Orthodox Professionals: Musings of a Career Coach

2011-12-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

That was me. I had no idea I'd be a Career Coach in '99.

Since starting in the field in 2003, I have worked with over a thousand young observant Jewish professionals (which I define as college graduates between the ages of 21-36) in private career coaching sessions as well as through serving clients in a workforce development agency in addition to holding seminars in New York and New Jersey. Through this work, I have noticed some unique challenges to career success faced by the community. As I grew up in a Modern Orthodox setting in Riverdale, New York and attended SAR Academy and Yeshiva University, I can bring some personal perspective as well. As it should go without saying but I'll say it anyway, my findings are purely anecdotal based on my experience and purview and I'm sure some will disagree. I encourage you to do that in the comments section below (or in the LinkedIn forum in which this article is posted). I'll try to respond to all comments. Here is my list (in no particular, or even organized, order):

Choosing a prestigious profession. Doctors and Lawyers are known as well paying fields that are prestigious (or at least one still matches both criteria). The old joke that a parent wants their son to be a doctor, or at least a lawyer, is still very true. How well do you even know yourself as a teenager or in college or by your early twenties? When pressured to choose a profession early on, you may be choosing one that is not a fit for you and you may not be happy or even succeed to your full capabilities. You want to take some time to get a better sense of who you are through career exploration (possibly including formal career testing) and experiential learning. The more environments you are exposed to, the better sense you'll have of what you ultimately want to do.

Photo by Robert Lawton

Feeling the need to work in a comfortable environment due to religious needs. My grandfather was a furrier (please no emails from PETA as it was the 1940's and we didn't yet know any better). After he closed his business when he lost the ability to import fur during the time of the Korean War, he had to go work for someone else. Being strictly Sabbath observant, he would have to move from one job to the next on a nearly weekly basis as Saturday work was required and it was grounds for termination if you could not work late Friday night and Saturday. Today, times are different. Many employers are familiar with Sabbath observance and religious holidays. When you are upfront with a potential employer before you are hired of what your needs are and how you will make up the time to complete your assignments, most will work with you. Some choose to work in fields that are sabbath observant friendly but work harder and many more hours than they would have in a secular environment.

Education for education's sake until you figure out what you want to do. As a people, we value education. Education certainly has its purpose but you need to figure out what that purpose is and how it can work for you. Some go to law school or for a master's degree and then try to figure out what is the right fit. Start on that path early as you will save yourself time and money.

Early financial stress. Shidduch crisis aside, many people get married just after college or even in college. With children and yeshiva tuition around the corner, pressure begins to mount. Your needs take a back burner to family needs. Take some time to plan long-term goals for yourself. If you can't do what you want career wise in your early twenties, make a plan to get yourself there by your early thirties.

Family Involvement. Isn't lots of family support a good thing? Well, yes and no. One of the biggest challenges is having parents you can rely on too much. Have a problem with a grade in college? Have a parent call. Need help with a job? Have a parent ask around (networking in action!) or even email resumes out on your behalf. Not doing enough for yourself, won't allow you to gain the early maturity necessary to get your career off to a good start.

Hopefully, my preliminary suggestions help you or someone you know to consider these issues. Certainly these challenges are not unique to only the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. Each group has similar challenges to deal with in achieving professional success. p.s. I will deny partaking in the things discussed in the family involvement section as I've only benefited from a few of them!

- Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

Know someone who could benefit from career coaching? Check out Lavie's services here.

My new book on Amazon

Top 5 Things Missing from Your Resume That May Be Costing You a Job

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

By Jesse Langley

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With only one or two pages of space available to convince your prospective employer why he or she should hire you, it's important to be selective about the information you include in your resume. Although you might spend most of your time determining what information should be cut out, it's more important to focus on what you should include. To see if your resume is truly complete, consider whether or not it includes the following elements.

Your entire job history

Your job history should include more than just companies you've worked with for an extended period of time. You don’t want to go all the way back to the ice cream shop you worked at when you were 16, but if you interned at an accounting firm for six months while you were in college, you should definitely include the experience in your resume. If there is a company where you only had a short-term employment, you should consider the benefits of including it on your resume if it reflects the extent of your experience.

International travel experience

Taking a year off to travel used to be detrimental to your job search, but the response to such an endeavor has shifted recently. Most businesses value individuals who culturally aware and who are willing to learn more about the world around them. You may have spent the majority of your time lying on a beach, but your prospective employer doesn't have to know that. Instead, talk about how you picked up on the language and customs of the region and how you used your planning and budgeting skills to successfully make the trip. Doing so will exemplify your value to the company for international relations and reflect your independence and innovation.

Volunteering experience

Listing your experience as a volunteer is a great way to show your potential employer that you are a person who genuinely cares about your community. Aside from reflecting on your personal character, your volunteer experience can enhance your professional image as well. If you're a web designer who volunteers to teach computer proficiency to K-12 students three days a week, your experience can reflect positively on your ability to communicate and instruct others. Volunteering on more complicated projects can also give you leadership skills that can increase your value to the company.

Complete educational background

It's more common for applicants to leave out valuable information about their educational background than it is for them to embellish it with unnecessary details. For example: if you attended two years of college, or even just a semester, you should always include that information in your resume to add to your value as a potential employee. If you have refrained from including information about your incomplete education simply because you aren't comfortable with it, you might consider completing your business degree either online or at a local institution to give you a competitive advantage in your search.

Links to your online accounts

In the modern era, having a professional presence online is a good way to show off multiple dimensions of your abilities and personality, as well as your proficiency with various online mediums. If you have a LinkedIn account, a Twitter account and a blog, you should include these links in your resume. This allows your potential employer to get to know you on a more personal level, while also reflecting on your communications and networking skills.

If you’re worried about “padding”your resume, don’t. The more accurate information you add, the more likely employers are to get a complete picture of you. And if they like what they see, your revised resume could lead to an interview or a new career.

Jesse Langley lives near Chicago. He divides his time among work, writing and family life. He writes on behalf of Colorado Technical University and has a keen interest in blogging and social media. He also writes for professionalintern.com

References
Whittaker, Z. (2011, August 3). Five Things YouShould Add to Your Resume. Retrieved on December 10, 2011

Kepnes, M. (2008, July 28). How to Make TravelLook Good on Your Resume. Retrieved December 10, 2011

Thanks Jesse for your contibution. - Lavie Margolin, Career Coach.

Coming January 2012

Wouldn't it be nice...

2011-12-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

Image: Faccialive edited by VolodyA! V Anarhist

As job applicants, we get frustrated after spending the time applying for the job and going on several rounds of interviews when we hear later that the position has been filled by a internal applicant. A large university posts the following message for all applicants to see:
An internal candidate has been identified and has applied for this position; however, we are still accepting applications and will consider all qualified candidates.

Wouldn't it be nice if every employer did this?

- Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

Coming January 2012

Salary and cost of living considerations for NY/NJ

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

You might be content with your job and salary, but didyou know that you might make more money by taking the same job in theneighboring city? An extra 20 minutes onyour daily commute could mean an extra $20,000 a year.

With a little research, you can see how your city stacksup against others in your area.

Lets look at accountants in the New York and New Jerseyarea, for example. According to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, accountantsand auditors inNew York City make an average of $89,000 a year. Compare that withaccountants across the Hudson in Newark, New Jersey, who make an average of$84,000. That’s a $5,000 difference fortwo cities that are less than 10 miles apart.

Image by Graham Horn

Is an extra $5,000 enough to make you move to the BigApple?

Before you start packing, there’s something else toconsider: the cost of living. TheEconomic Policy Institute ranks New York City the 5^th most expensiveregion in the country for housing, taxes and food. Newark, on the other hand,doesn’t even rank in the top 100 most expensive metropolitan regions. Yourmorning cup of coffee that costs $2 in Newark will cost closer to $3.50 in NYC.

But coffee isn’t the only thing you’ll be spending moreon in NYC. Consider the average apartment rentfor both New York and New Jersey before you move. According the U.S. Departmentof Housing and Urban Development, the average studio apartment in Essex countyNew Jersey will set you back $1,500 a month. In New York City, a studio apartment averages for about $1,730. Since housing is usually a person’s highestmonthly expense, consider what you’ll spend on rent before you move.

So while you might make more money in NYC, you’ll bespending more too.

Arm yourself with data and look for a better paying jobin a nearby city, but only after you’ve considered the average rent and cost ofliving index. Only then will you know if moving makes sense.

Evan Thomas is astudent at UC Santa Barbara and an intern at FindTheData.org, an organizationthat compiles messy data into an easy-to-use platform. Compare anything from non-profitorganizations to section-8housings.

Thanks Evan for your contribution. - Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

Do you need a career coach to help you navigate today's difficult job market? Consider hiring Lavie as your career coach. Details here.

Coming January 2012

Forecasting job demand through 2018

2011-12-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

Work of Robert Anning Bell

Georgetown University’s Center on Education and theWorkforce put out a report forecasting job demand through 2018. Hopefully the information below peaks your interest to explore further.As most of my readers are college graduates (or expect to be soon), I willfocus on the data that would most relate to you. If you haven’t yet had theopportunity to get your college degree the information is clear: jobs that donot require a degree will continue to decline- only 37% of jobs in 2018 willnot require a college degree.

The field of health sciences is expected to add the mostjobs.

Jobs in manufacturing will actually rise due to baby boomersretiring (while the field continues to decline).

Engineers will move beyond manufacturing to business,management, and marketing sectors.

Nearly 75% of all jobs for college graduates are in nineclusters: Science/technology/Engineering/Math (STEM), Finance, Government, IT,marketing, hospitality, health sciences, business management andeducation/training.

You can access any field with a bachelor’s degree. It is notjust about the field, it is about your occupation within the field.

Men exceed women in these major fields: education/training& health sciences.

The best paying jobs are doctors and nurses with CEOssecond.

Under CEO, high paying fields (over 100K) include operationsmanagers, sales managers and industrial production managers.

Business Management, Sales, Tourism are expected to remainthe top three fields, by volume, for jobs.

Information technology is the fastest growing careercluster. Associate degree and certificate programs play a role in supplementingthe skills of bachelor degree holders in the field. There is a shortageof employees who have skills in new applications.

Human services andcorrections are fields that are expected to grow.

The fields expected to slow in job growth or lose jobsinclude transportation, distribution and construction.

Through 2018, there are projected to be 47 million total jobopenings: 32.4 million due to replacement jobs and 14 million due to growth.

IT and Science/technology/Engineering/Math (STEM) are thebest paying fields for those with “middle” skills at $71,000 and $74,000respectively.

The three fields that are projected to match criteria ofhigh wage, high demand and high skill are IT, health science and law/publicsafety. Additional fields with at least two of the three criteria areeducation, science/technology, finance, business/management and human services.

There are also severaltidbits of information that I found very interesting contained in the reportsuch as “Jobs forcustomer service representatives are projected to grow by 18 percent becausecompanies are projected to meet increasing price competition by offering user-friendlysupport services.”

Read the full report for extensive details into these areasand analysis of job types sector by sector. If you can’t read the full report,be sure to perform a keyword search for job titles and terms that relate toyour field/industry of interest.

Coming January, 2012

Why your online application may not be secure

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Image by: Woodennature

Statistics tell us that the next best thing to networking your way into a job is to apply directly through an organization's website. Your chances are about six times greater of actually getting a job when you apply via a company website as opposed to a major job board. What could be the problem? In most cases, there is no problem. From time to time there is a major issue: the company is not protecting the private information you've submitted through their website.

In googling for information on various organizations on behalf of a client, I came across his information on the website of a financial company in which he had submitted his resume about one year ago. His resume just popped up for all of the world to see. Here are a few reasons why it could be an issue:

If your current employer finds your information, they will become aware that you are in an active job search. This could hurt your ability to retain the job and will certainly influence the chances of you getting a promotion.

You are no longer able to control the message that you putting out there. If you plan to tailor your resume for every job, you don't want someone else to see a message that was not intended for them.

You may be putting some information on your resume that you don't want to share with the whole world- such as your cell phone, home address, dates of graduation or full employment history. You are sharing most of it already on LinkedIn or various other public forums but the choice to share all of it is up to you.

How do you know if this has happened to you? Google yourself once in a while. Go through all the results. If it does happen that your name/resume comes up on an employer's web application portal, alert them. Call the main company directory and calmly inform them of the situation. Most likely they will take your concern seriously and inform the IT department to remove it from public view right away.

While you have someone on the phone, you may as well ask if they know of any current job openings and if they'd be comfortable forwarding your information along. After all, the only way to better your chances of getting a job after applying via a company website is to have someone submit your resume to the hiring manager/human resources recruiter on your behalf.

- Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

Need help with navigating an internet job search? Hire Lavie for one-on-one career coaching.

NYC Employment: Where we’ve been and where we are going

2011-12-11T05:00:00.000-05:00

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In the first half of this post, we’ll look highlights (orlowlights might be appropriate) from The Fiscal Policy Institute’s State of Working New York: Smaller Incomes, Fewer Opportunities, More Hardship report followedin the second half by a look at Governor Cuomo’s job creation plan for New YorkCity:

New York lost 500,000 jobs during the recession: 400,000actual jobs and 100,000 businesses that never got started.
Since 2008, Low wage jobs ($45,000 or less) have been theonly fields to show gains including Home Health Aides and restaurant workers.
120,000 middle and high-wage jobs were lost.
Household incomedeclined nearly 4% since 2007. Forty percent (!) of the city’s population ispoor or near poor.
The number of New Yorkers without health insurance hasrisen by 500,000.
Almost 60% of New Yorkers don’t have employer fundedpensions.
Unemployment has topped 7.5% for three years.
Earnings in thecity for lower wage earners is an average of 3.4% less than before theinflation with higher earnings making 8.6% more than when the inflation started.
The biggest industry gains for higher earners are inbusiness and finance.
Fields like accountants, K-12 teachers and hotel managersreceived a 3.9% increase.
Fields like Lawyer, Doctor and It Manager had a 5.2%increase.
Over the past 22 years, only those with a 4-year degreehave seen an increase in median hourly wages.
Educational services has shown growth. I would speculatethis is due to the fact people feel they need betterskills/training/certification to compete in today’s market.
Jobs have been added on the college and university level.
Median household income declined more in the suburbs thanin the city.
Median household income was $40,000 in the city and$56,600 in the suburbs.

Photo by Pat Arnow

Governor Cuomo has awarded over $60,000,000 to 50 newprojects in New York City to spur job creation, growth and sustainability. The trends that standout from the awards in New York include assistance to construction, greenprojects, basic training in the medical industry, technology incubation andproduction/food distribution. Those funded projects include:

Construction related to affordable housing units.
Construction improvements to help those with disabilitiesbetter navigate their living spaces.
A modern produce facility in Hunts Point.
Green/recycling projects.
Facilities for food production.
An incubator for technology companies.
Home Health Aide certification training (a growing butlow paying field)/CNA training.
Park facilities improvements
Creation of professional office space and facilities toattract employers to the city.
Electronic medical record (EMR) training.
Additional tax incentives to employers to spur jobgrowth.

Note that growth within an industry includes jobsdirectly related to that field as well as peripheral services and officesupport. Even if you are not a construction worker or green energy expert, thinkabout how your skills might fit directly with these projects or how you cansupport these projects with your skills in an office-based support ormanagerial position.

The full report is available here. New York City information starts on page 75.

- Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

Need help navigating the difficult job market in New York City? Use me as your Career Coach.

Coming January 2012

Who is hiring 200 employees in the tri-state area?

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Image info

You want to find a job? Follow the news instead of just looking at job listings.

The WWE is set to launch their network next year. The Sucherman Consulting Group has been hired to find 200 employees for the network. The WWE is based in Stamford, Connecticut. I would assume that there will be jobs not only for media professionals but for those with appropriate skills in a variety of departments.

Who else might be hiring soon? How about the 5,000 fastest growing companies? Check out the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing companies. When you read that company is growing, think about their competitors as well. Sometimes a company growns because it is taking away market share from competitors othertimes it is an industry that is growing and competitors are having greater success as well.

Additionally, look at the Fortune 1,000 (no, that is not a typo. Fortune ranks 500 more companies beyond the 500).

Also, I suggest a subscription to Crain's New York Business as they have great lists all year round.

Follow the news...

Coming January 2012

17 salary negotiation mistakes that are costing you money

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Virginia's State Route 17

We lose out on several thousand dollars per year simply because we fail to negotiate properly during the interview process. Here are 17 salary negotiation mistakes we make that can be avoided :

1) Thinking you should negotiate based on what youneed. Successful salary negotiation is not based on what you need; it is basedon receiving the highest salary that the employer is willing to pay for thatposition.

2) Basing your negotiations on your last salary.For better or worse, it is not about your last salary.

3) Not having a sense of your ‘value’ in thecurrent market place. This is important not only in avoiding undervaluingyourself but also overvaluing yourself.

4) Not having a sense of what the company might bewilling to pay. The company might have been willing to pay more but you askedfor less.

5) Using only one or two resources in trying todetermine your worth and what the company might be willing to pay. Gather asmuch market information as you can to make a well executed salary negotiationplan.

6) Asking about the salary before the interview. Ifyou ask at that point, it appears you are only interested in the money.

7) Asking about the salary as a question duringyour interview. It is not the time. You should be using the time to better sellyour skills for the job.

8) Bringing up salary expectations before you receivean offer. You are in the best position to negotiate at the end of the process.

9) Failing to ask if the company is open tonegotiation. We often think when a company gives us an offer that there is noroom to negotiate. It is often just an initial proposal and they expect acounter offer.

10) When told it is acceptable to counter offer, nothaving a particular range/figure in mind. If you are asking if you shouldcounter offer, you better be ready to do so.

11) Failing to factor in benefits when consideringan offer. Benefits are a huge component of the salary package.

12) Thinking that ‘health benefits’ means the samething on every job. How much do you have to pay in and what type of coverage doyou (and your family) receive can be a difference of several thousand dollarsfor you.

13) Not inquiring if the benefit package isnegotiable. More things are negotiable than we expect.

14) Giving a number for your salary expectationsinstead of a salary range. A range keeps things more open for both sides.

15) Asking if you could get paid part of your salary“off the books”. It is unprofessionaland not to mention, illegal. A company might even pull an offer if you saysomething like this. If a company offers something like this to you, run. Yes,even those in the restaurant/retail industry. If they are up to somethingshady, you don’t want to become a part of it.

16) Negotiating based on an hourly rate when thesalary is for a fulltime position. Asking what the salary rate per hour ismakes you sound unprofessional and someone who has only done very entry-levelwork in the past.

17) Not considering the amount of hours requiredwhen weighing a fulltime offer. A job that requires 40 hours but pays $10,000less might be more appealing than a job that requires 60+ but pays $10,000more. Consider what works best for you.

With these 17 tips in mind, you should be one step closer togetting the salary you deserve. Continued success!

- Lavie Margolin, Career Coach

Do you need help with your salary negotiation skills? The cost of a session with Lavie is $200 for the hour. If you use the techniques learned the next time you receive a job offer and you do not receive a final offer from the company of $2,000 over your initial offer, you’ll get a FULL refund. What do you have to lose? Info here.

Coming January, 2012.

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Till Death Do Us Part: Marrying LinkedIn and Your Resume

2011-12-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

Image info

By Jesse Langley

Just like a marriage, the two components ofyour professional image—your resume and your LinkedIn account—should eachcontribute something original and beneficial to the image as a whole. Manypeople make the common mistake of structuring their LinkedIn profiles tocompletely mirror their professional resumes. While this may initially seemlike a good idea to maintain consistency, a tech- and social media-savvy jobhunter will make sure to exemplify multiple facets of his or her professionalabilities in each medium. Think of this relationship in terms of the datingmantra "opposites attract." Your resume and your LinkedIn profileshould each be distinct in such a way that they complete one another.

Both your resume and your LinkedIn account playvery important and very specific roles in introducing you to the professionalworld. Your resume is essentially a surface introduction of who you are from aprofessional perspective. It's the first point of contact you have with otherprofessionals in a similar industry and shouldn't go into depth regarding yourpersonality, professional connections and recommendations. The latter detailsshould all be addressed on your LinkedIn account, since the primary purpose ofyour resume is to give interested professionals a general idea of your value tothe industry.

Although your LinkedIn account should certainlylist your most significant credentials, it should go into much more detail thana simple introduction. A basic description of your responsibilities andaccomplishments should be reserved for your resume. If a partner or potentialemployer would like to know more information about you from reading yourresume, he or she should be able to recover this information from your LinkedInaccount and vice versa. Although both mediums illustrate your professionalimage, your resume should reflect self-discipline and dedication, while yourLinkedIn profile should express your sociable and creative side.

To illustrate the relationship between resumeand LinkedIn account, consider your educational background. Say you earned anonline degreein Business Management from XYZ College. On your resume, your hiring manager shouldfind the degree earned, dates attended, name of the college, and any honorsearned. There is room for very little additional information on your resume.However, if a hiring manager wanted to learn more details about yourperformance at XYZ College, he or she should be able to access your LinkedInprofile to view a list of detailed course descriptions, professorrecommendations, awards earned, and other important information reflecting youracademic accomplishments.

In this way, your resume and your LinkedInprofile work as a team to frame your professional accomplishments in a positivelight. Like a marriage, they should be compatible with one another but alsohave an established individual purpose as well. For example, your resume shouldillustrate your autonomy and your ability to maintain a refined andprofessional image. Alternatively, your LinkedIn account should highlight yoursocial side, your ability to communicate effectively with people, and yourdiverse social circle. Both aspects work together to create a well-rounded andhighly-valuable image for the professional world.

Jesse Langley lives near Chicago. He divides his time among work, writingand family life. He writes on behalf of ColoradoTechnical University and has a keen interest in blogging and social media.He also writes for professionalintern.com

Lavie Margolin Career Coach can help you with your resume as well as tutor you in using LinkedIn.

Can you be reached? 13 communication reminders

2011-12-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

Made by Einar Faanes in Inkscape,

You've done all the work to get called for an interview by networking in your industry, tailoring your resume and cover letter for every job and searching for job opportunities beyond the obvious job boards. What could possibly go wrong?

The employer might not be able to reach you!

Some quick reminders regarding the ability to communicate with you:

If your area code is not local, some employers will not be able to call you. Some companies restrict any calls that are not local.
If you list your home phone number and are not home, do you have an answering machine?
If you are not home to pick up the call, will the person answering be able to take a message? People who might have difficulty would include young children, those of vary advanced age or those whose first language is not English.
If you list your cell phone number, is your coverage strong enough to hold a decent conversation?
Are your phone numbers on your resume up-to-date?
Choose either your home or cell phone number. Use whichever one makes it easiest to reach you.
Do you still use the email address listed on your resume? If not, check the old email for several months for any new messages.
Be sure to check emails regularly.
Do you make people verify their account before they can reach you? Employers will never go through this step. Remove this extra step when you are looking for work.
Check spam filters as employer emails might end up there if your filter levels are high.
Do you check your phone messages and emails when you are on vacation?
Are you checking your LinkedIn inbox?
Do you check your messages on twitter? Yes, this is an emerging way employers are using to communicate.

You've done all the work. Review this list to make sure you can be reached.

Need additional job search help? Let me coach you!

Join the Lion Cub Job Search group on LinkedIn

Like us on Facebook.

The Roaring Job Search Anthology: January, 2012

How to win the business school application game

2011-12-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

In a challenging job market, many of us consider graduate school to improve our job prospects and opportunities for career growth. The MBA often comes to mind as the most well known degree to consider. How can you get in to the best schools possible? I had the opportunity to interview Scott Shrum and Omari Bouknight , author's of YourMBA Game Plan, to get some more clarity :

1. How does one begin the process of selectingtarget schools?

The process ofselecting target schools really begins and ends with understanding your careergoals. We often hear from applicants who simply pull out the latest businessschool rankings and select their targets accordingly. That approach is a poorone, because every business school student is primarily pursuing an MBA asmeans to jump start his/her career and each business school has strengths andweaknesses in different industries, functions and geographies. As such, it ismost important that applicants first evaluate their career aspirations and thenselect their targets accordingly.

2. Is there a way to highlight the personalcharacteristics and skill sets that your target school wants?

We believe that schools essentially look for four differentcharacteristics in their applicants: leadership, innovation, teamwork andmaturity. While each school prizes these attributes, they evaluate them underdifferent lenses and place different emphases on each of them. Accordingly,it’s important to understand how the admissions committee will evaluate yourcandidacy and highlight the attributes that they value most. This can andshould be done across the array of application materials, but typically can beaccomplished most effectively through the application essays. The essaysprovide you with the best opportunity to demonstrate to the admissionscommittee that you embody the characteristics that they look for most. In doingso, we always advise applicants to “show” not “tell.”In other words, provideexamples and anecdotes whenever possible rather than simply stating that youare a leader or innovative or a team player or professional.

3. Should I take theGMAT or GRE entrance exam?

The GRE is quite new in the MBA admissions world. Until justa few years ago, the GMAT was the only standardized test that any top MBAprogram accepted, but that has changed as business schools have made a push toattract a more diverse applicant pool. When we say "diverse" we'renot only referring to someone's race or sex, but also their educationbackground and career aspirations. By accepting the GRE, business schools hopeto attract more people who may not have been considering pursuing an MBA. Ifyou've been targeting an MBA program all along, though, then there's no reasonto take the GRE instead of the GMAT. Some applicants are attracted to the GREbecause they hear it's easier, but that can also work against you -- when thetest is easy, make just one or two mistakes and your percentile score dropsquite a bit. So, at the end of the day, we still recommend taking the GMAT,unless you already have a terrific GRE score.

4. How can I assessmy candidacy in the same way that a MBA admissions officer would?

After you understand the lens under which the admissionscommittee will evaluate your characteristics, it becomes much easier to assessyou candidacy similar to the way in which an admissions officer would.Truthfully though, it can be very difficult to look at ourselves in a holisticmanner. One of the more valuable steps you can take in evaluating yourapplication(s) is to ask for a close friend to review it and make sure that itreally sounds like “you.”One of the great clichés of business schoolapplications is: “be true to yourself.” It’s fairly opaque advice, but behindit is a rationale that admissions officers can sense when applicants are notbeing true to themselves. If someone with no history of community service orsocial engagement writes at length about his goals to move into the non-profitsector without providing substance behind it, the admissions committee may cometo the conclusion that the applicant is simply espousing what he believes thecommittee wants to hear. Now that most business schools require interviews, itis incredibly difficult to simply “fake it.”Moreover, your recommendations areless likely to align with what you’ve infused into your application. A closefriend can be a great reality check to make sure you don’t sound like someonewho you are not.

Scott Shrum, Co-Author

5. How can I create agreat resume for business school?

A great resume shows career progression and increasedresponsibility while aligning well with your overarching application story interms of your professional goals and motivations. In some ways it can helpfulto think about a poor resume when striving to create a great one. Poor resumessimply state what you’ve done in a position not how you did it or the impact ithad. We talk a lot about the “SAR” framework, which stands for situation,actions and results. This approach can be applied to both resumes and essays.Effective resumes elucidate the situations you faced, what meaningful actionsyou took and the results of those actions. The more quantifiable measures thatyou can provide in each of those categories, the more compelling your resumewill be.

6. What makes for acompelling essay?

A compelling answer must first answer the question at hand.It sounds so obvious and yet many applicants fail to fully address thequestions that are posed in the application, either because they shoehorn aresponse they wrote for a different application or because they run out ofwords or because they simply don’t feel the need to so. Nothing draws the ireof admissions counselors more than applicants who simply fail to answer thequestions. Beyond that compelling essays help to advance your story. In otherwords, each of the application components, provides you with an opportunity toput your attributes on display and in the best light possible. You are onlygiven but a handful of opportunities to do so, so be sure to advance your storyrelative to what has been noted in your other essays, your resume, etc.Compelling essays also are quite effective in terms of “showing” not “telling”as noted previously. Lastly, effective essays are memorable. This may be thehardest to capture, because almost by definition memorable essays are unique tothe author. There are, of course, ways to make your essays memorable in anegative way, so stay away from highly obscure or potentially offensiveapproaches. Overall, in your attempt to standout make sure that it passes the“friend review” test.

7. What are some ofthe mistakes that applicants make each year?

One of the most common mistakes that applicants make is tonot prepare their recommendation writers enough. The letter of recommendationis the part of the application where an applicant has the least control, sincehe's not writing it. However, admissions officers put a lot of emphasis onthese letters, and applicants tend to give their recommenders too little timeor don't give them enough guidance regarding what they should write. Anotherplace where many applicants hurt themselves is in failing to answer thequestions asked in the essay prompts. Yes, that's right... They fail to answerthe questions asked, as crazy as that sounds. When an essay asks, "Howhave you dealt with the toughest criticism you ever received? What did youlearn from the experience?" many applicants forget to actually spell outhow they dealt with it and what they learned, instead rambling for 500 wordsabout why it wasn't their fault. This is an easily avoidable mistake, but onethat can easily kill an applicant's chances for success.

Omari Bouknight, co-author

8. How do I performflawlessly during the admissions interview?

Prepare, prepare, prepare. You may know yourself well, butif you're not prepared to answer questions in a succinct, tidy format, you canget yourself into big trouble in the admissions interview. We recommend thatapplicants practice using the "SAR" format (short for"Situation, Action, Result") to describe their past experiences. Asan example, if an interviewer asks, "Describe a time you used youranalytical abilities to solve a tough problem," the applicant will ideallyspend roughly 30 seconds describing what the issue was, then one to two minutesdescribing what we did and how he did it, and then another 30 secondsdescribing the outcome. Contrast this with a long, rambling response thatleaves the interviewer feeling confused or (even worse) bored. With enoughpreparation, an applicant can learn to answer any question this way, even onesfor which he hasn't specifically prepared.

9. What advice do youhave for international applicants?

Many applicants who apply to U.S. schools from overseas aresurprised by the emphasis that American schools place on things beyondundergraduate grades and GMAT scores. For these applicants this can almost seemunfair -- after being told all their lives that grades and test scores are whatmatter most, they're now being told that they need to demonstrate awell-rounded profile including leadership experiences on the job, interestinghobbies outside of work, and community involvement. Many internationalapplicants have terrific test scores and grades, so the best way to stand outvs. the competition is to show that you bring much more to the table than theseattributes.

10. What do you wishyou had known about the admissions process when you applied?

Back when we applied, we underestimated just how challengingadmissions officers' jobs are. They need to read through thousands ofapplications, knowing that just 10% - 20% of those applicants will ever receivean offer. Said another way, they devote a ton of time on applications that willnever make the cut. They're overworked and stressed, and applicants make theirjobs harder by greatly exceeding essay word limits, mumbling their way throughinterviews, and constantly calling to ask for status updates. The more anapplicant can do to make it easy for admissions officers to spot hisapplication and say "This looks like an application that I should spendmore time on," the better his chances are. Be clear, interesting, andconsiderate as you craft your applications. Admissions officers are human,after all!

Not sure if an MBA is the right step for you? Schedule a career coaching session with Lavie.


Coming January, 2012

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How to search company websites for jobs more effectively

2011-12-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

Sage typing at his laptop keyboard. 6/27/10

The chances are sixtimes greater that you will get a job offer from a position you applied to via an official company website (3%) as opposed similar jobs in which you applied by way of a well known job board (.45%). Many of us already know to go directly to company websites but how can we doso more effectively?

Let's say you are looking for a job in advertising. From time to time, youwill google search for advertising agencies in your local area. You'll find afew (or perhaps many) agencies of interest and look at their job listingsection.

If they have a job in which you are qualified, great. Apply for that job. Whatif they don't have a job for you? You'll have nothing to apply for. End ofstory, right? What if the company has a job listed on their website in three weeks, willyou see it? Once you have found a company within your industry (or in another industrythat has a department of interest to you), save the link. Choose what works bestfor you: bookmark it in your browser or copy and paste the link into aMicrosoft Word file.

Go back to all the company websites regularly. You don't want to miss out on agreat job because you forgot to google the company again or it didn't come upin your next search. Once it appears that a company updates their job listings on a somewhatconsistent basis, plan to check on the jobs section consistently. It would be hard (and somewhat unnecessary) to check the company websiteevery day. It may be too time consuming to even check every week (especiallyonce your list has grown to several hundred potential companies).

Don't let more than three weeks go by without checking back on eachappropriate company website. To better manage your time, take each URL link and put it into a category of#1, #2, #3. Websites in the #1's category plan to check the first week,websites in the #2's category check the second week and websites inthe #3's check the third week. Repeat the cycle on the 4th week.

Keepin mind that your list should continue to grow as you find more and moreprospective employers. By using this strategy, you will have a more consistent approach to a provenmore effective way to search for jobs beyond the major job boards.

Need help with conducting an effective internet job search? Hire me to coach in this and all other necessary job search strategies.


Coming January, 2012. Info here.


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Finding transitional opportunities with minimal effort

2011-11-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

Image by Pfctdayelise April 25, 2006

We know that securing a job that fully utilizes our level ofeducation, skills and experience takes time. In the time that it takes to find that next greatcareer opportunity, many of us have a need to work for various reasonsincluding having a source income to pay the bills, gaining additionalexperience, making contacts or even qualifying for basic health insurance coverage.

Transitional jobs include hospitality, food services as wellas retail work. Sometimes it feels like it takes just as long to search for atransitional job as it would to find a ‘professional’ position. Fortransitional jobs, skip the online application process and just go down foropen house recruitment events. You will have the opportunity to meet a manager(or recruiter, in some cases), make a good impression and possibly receive ajob offer on the spot.

How can you find these open house vacancies? Use Indeed.comand Craigslist.

Search the following keywords once the AM and once in the PMas recruitment events are usually posted within 24 hours of the actual event(or less) and you don’t want to miss one:

“Open House”

http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=%22Open+House%22&l=New+York%2C+NY

http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/jjj?query=%22Open+House%22&srchType=A

“Job Fair”

http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=%22Job+Fair%22&l=New+York%2C+NY

http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/jjj?query=%22Job+Fair%22&srchType=A

“Career Fair”

http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=%22Career+Fair%22&l=New+York%2C+NY

http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/jjj?query=%22Career+Fair%22&srchType=A

“Recruitment Event”

http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=%22Recruitment+Event%22&l=New+York%2C+NY

http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/jjj?query=%22recruitment+event%22&srchType=A

Focus on the companies that you have actually heard of (orcan research) as you want to be careful to avoid scams or multi-levelsales/marketing commission-based time wasters.

If possible, take a job that is part time or on off hours toavoid conflicting with your 'full time' job: finding the next great careeropportunity.

Need help with your job search? Consider my Career Coaching services.

The Roaring Job Search Anthology coming January, 2012.

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Join us on LinkedIn.

Want networking help? Do all the work.

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Public Domain image.

People always want to know why they can’t get more help fromtheir network of contacts. If you want help, make it as simple as possible forpeople to help you:

A) Before reaching out to any of your contacts,identify who they know that could be of assistance to you by reviewing theircontacts on LinkedIn.

B) When reaching out to your contacts, identify thespecific people that they know that you would like to be connected to. Don’tmake your contacts try to figure out who they know that could help you, do itfor them.

C) Explain to your contact why you want to reachout to each one of those people (Don’t just ask someone to forward along ageneric note to everyone they know).

D) Write a specific note for each person that yourcontact could easily forward along. A generic note will not make it clear whatyou want.

E) Write a few lines for your contact to use (ifthey so choose) in explaining who you are and why he is helping you in reachingout.

F) Ask your contact if it would be OK for you toreach out to the person and use his name if you do not hear back in a couple ofweeks.

G) If your contact has questions for you, makeyourself available at their convenience.

People are very busy and don’t want to be bothered trying tofigure out what you want, how they can help you and why you want to reach outto their network of contacts. Make it as simple as A-G and you are likely tosee the response rate to your outreach improve dramatically.

Need Help Mastering LinkedIn? Hire me to tutor you! Info here.

The Roaring Job Search Anthology coming January, 2012.
Join us on Facebook. Join us on LinkedIn.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a tool in your career search

2011-11-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

By Alex Freund

There are a number of very good testsof personality type on the market, and as a career coach I always recommendthat people in transition explore the results of such tests and apply thoseresults in their decision-making processes. Being in transition is an opportunetime to assess where you are and what you want to pursue in the future. For thepurpose of this article, I focus on one of the most popular tests: the Myers-BriggsType Indicator, or MBTI.

Let’s face it: we are what we do.When casually asked, “So, what do you do?” we typically answer with our titleor we identify our industry. We reply, “I’m a vice president at XYZ Bank,” or, “Iteach in special ed.” However, neither answer gives a clue about whether theperson is good at the job or enjoys doing it. If you probe a bit further with asecond question, ”How did you get into that profession?” the answer in mostcases proves that it was a coincidence. When deciding on a profession, we tookinto consideration what we thought we could do, what others such as parents andfriends thought we should do, and what our own intuition said regarding what wewanted to do.

A few years ago, I took theopportunity to sit for several personality tests, and while all of them gave meclues and insights beyond what I see every morning in the mirror, I found the MBTIintriguing. Most of us are not clear regarding what it is that satisfies us,but we know well what we don’t like doing. The MBTI personality test can revealthe secret of which career choice might fulfill and satisfy you and enhance thequality of your life.

The traditional approach we take inselecting a career path focuses on our values, interests, and abilities basedon skills. None of those assures us that we’ll enjoy what we’ll do and thatwe’ll have fun with it. Each person has an individual personality type—an issuethat usually is neither recognized nor properly addressed in the choosing of acareer path. The MBTI deals with personality types. It deals with how weinteract with the world, how we focus our energy, the kind of information weinstinctively notice, the ways we make decisions, and whether we prefer morestructure versus spontaneity.

The MBTI suggests that there are16 personality types. It differentiates between extroverts and introverts,between people who sense and those who make decisions on intuition, betweenthose who are thinkers and those who are more gut-feeling types, and between thosewho judge and those who perceive. The completed test needs to be interpreted bya qualified person for a nominal fee. My results were pretty accurate, but thelikely profession that the MBTI recommended I would enjoy was a far cry fromwhat I can associate myself with.

To learn more about Alex Freund and his career coaching services, click here.

Information on the next Lion Cub Job Search book here.

Join us on Facebook. Join us on LinkedIn.

Don't think you need a college degree to make decent money?

2011-11-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

Image info

With the struggle of finding work, many young people are thinking about forgoing college completely. Here is some interesting information from the Wall Street Journal on the earnings potential of young professionals in New York:

"A college degree has a substantial impact on earning potential. New Yorkers between the ages of 25 and 29 with only a high school degree earn an average of $17,000, the report found. Those with associate's degrees earn $29,000 on average, and those with bachelor's degrees earn $40,000."

There is no question in my mind that everyone who has a choice should get a bachelors degree. It is the first step to getting on the professional career ladder.

Information on my next book here.

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What am I thankful for? You.

2011-11-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on what we are thankful for. With the anonymity of the internet, I will never get the opportunity to speak to some of you, although I do get to interact with many of you through consulting sessions, workshops, LinkedIn as well as our Facebook group.

I wanted to let you know that I am thankful for you this year. Yes, you. All of you. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts on career growth and job search strategy and have you listen (or at least read).

As noted in the graph above, Lion Cub Job Search continues to grow in popularity and I have you to thank for it. I think we are just getting started. There are so many others who could benefit from practial job search advice and career direction.

Please tell others about the advice provided on this website and share the link with those in your network.

The Roaring Job Search Antholo gy will be available January, 2012.

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12 tips to shorten the time to your next job offer

2011-11-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

Image info

Securing that next job will take some time, from finding the rightopportunities to working your way through the interview process to finding theright people to network with. What if you could cut down significantly on thetime it takes to find your next ideal opportunity? Use the 12 tips below tospeed up your job search:

1. Instead of using major job boards to search for a job, use indeed.com tosource publicly available jobs.

2. Have search queries from LinkedIn emailed to you directly to save time.

3. When you find a company that has a job listed that is a fit for you, goto their competitor's websites and search their job vacancies for additionalopportunities for you.

4. Instead of using the same resume every time you apply for a job, changeyour resume every time for every job.

5. Use a summary of your appropriate skills, experience and educationinstead of an objective on your resume.

6. Instead of using a generic cover letter, show your passion for eachcompany when you apply.

7. Instead of just 'networking', be specific with people in how they can helpyou.

8. Every time you apply for a job on the internet, find someone throughLinkedIn at the company that can advocate for you.

9. Prepare extensively for an interview by reading the jobdescription, company website, industry articles, speaking to people thatworked there and by practicing how you'd answer interview questions.

10. Prepare your answers to interview questions based on the people (andtheir roles) that will be interviewing you. Each will have different prioritiesand find different types of answers appealing.

11. Never bring up salary until you receive an offer. If you must respond,try to keep it as open as possible by giving a salary range.

12. Always send a thank you note after an interview.

Need some more help? Contact me for coaching, resume writing, interview preparation, Salary Negotiation or LinkedIn tutoring.

The Roaring Job Search Anthology will be available January, 2012.

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LinkedIn Premium Services: To Pay or Not to Pay?

2011-11-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

Image by David Levy

Having used LinkedIn since 2004 and being a strong advocate forthe website, I am often asked by clients if they should upgrade their accountto a premium. My perspective is from using a basic LinkedIn account and neverhaving used any form of premium service. Let’s focus in on some of the featuresfor job seekers:

Contact Anyone on LinkedIn

The value of LinkedIn is finding someone that you know toadvocate on your behalf. If you don’t know someone, there is not a tremendousamount of value to contacting them directly through InMail. People are lesslikely to check their LinkedIn email as they would their regular work email. Itwould be best if you could figure out their email address and contact themdirectly via the company email. Responses are ‘guaranteed’ on LinkedIn. Thatmay help mitigate the risk of investment in premium services.

Job Seeker Badge/ Move to the top of the list as afeatured applicant

It seems like it will help you in search resultpermutations. I’ve found the best way to use LinkedIn is to be proactive asopposed to passive. If this helps in the passive aspects, all the better.

Let Recruiters Message You forFree on OpenLink

Include a website and contact information in your profileand people can reach you if they want.

Who’s viewed my profile? Get thefull view

You already have a pretty good idea of the people thatlooked at your profile, although names are not always listed. If it is someonein education management, it is usually the person on the list that you are mostclosely connected to, whether it is a second level contact or group.

Join Lindsey Pollack’s webinar, “JobSearching on LinkedIn”

I have not seen the presentation. Given Lindsey’s reputationand an endorsement from LinkedIn, I would assume it is helpful. If someone hasseen it, please post a comment.

Zero in on $100k+ jobs with detailedsalary information

If you are a professional qualified for six figure jobs, youprobably don’t need a website to tell you what those are. You can performsearches for jobs relevant to your background and that take full advantage ofyour skills using a regular LinkedIn account.

Get introduced to the companiesyou’re targeting

It would be best if someone you know can introduce you tosomeone at the company as they could actually advocate for you.

Get Priority Customer Service

Thankfully LinkedIn is fairly straightforward and I have notfound it to require too much support. If I did need help, it was answeredwithin a day or two.

Summary: I believemany of the networking features can be handled effectively without premiumservices. That being said, if you wantsome more convenience to your use of LinkedIn, it may be worth your time tocommit a year to spending $19.95 per month for a talent basic account. Spendingless than $250.00 to improve your career prospects and save time, is a smallrisk to take.

Please note: The advice given above is my opinion only. Ihave provided insight into the issue to the best of my ability. If anything isinaccurate, please contact me and it will be corrected.

If you use (or have used) premium services, please post yourcomments.

Do you need LinkedIn Tutoring? I can help.

Our new Facebook page. Info on my next book, here.

25 Mistakes on your Resume

2011-11-21T05:30:00.000-05:00

User: Micheletb. Image Info.

Some mistakes that we make on our resumes are keeping us from getting the jobs that we want. Below are twenty five common mistakes that I often come across from job seekers and are best to avoid:

1. No address listed: How can employers know if you are local to the job if they don't know where you live?
2. Too many phone numbers: Just list the number at which it is easiest to reach you (normally your cell phone is best).
3. An email address that is unprofessional or too revealing: If your email includes 1973, I will assume that is the year you were born.
4. A summary or objective that is too generic: If you try to reach everyone with the same message, you'll reach no one.
5. Not changing your resume for every job: see comments above.
6. Using too much underlining or bold- If everything is highlighted, nothing stands out.
7. Including every job your ever held on a resume: The resume is a marking piece, not a life history.
8. Putting education first when the work experience is more important.
9. Putting work experience first when the education is more important.
10. Including work experience that is more than 20 years old.
11. Including dates of graduation when you finished college more than 20 years ago.
12. Failing to include computer skills because you assume that it is obvious you have those skills.
13. Listing Microsoft Office under computer skills when you don't know Access.
14. Listing Microsoft Office and assuming keyword searches for Word, Excel or PowerPoint will bring up your resume in results.
15. Failing to use bullet point to break up job descriptions. Think of a large paragraph as a big cookie. It is hard to chew. Make it more digestible with bullet points.
16. Only describing your job duties and not listing accomplishments.
17. Listing generic soft skills (team player, hardworking, go getter) without proving them.
18. References Upon Request- Of course! No reason to write this anymore.
19. A resume that is more than two pages (with the exception of those candidates with C-Suite level experience or in the world of education/academic). It is just too long to go through two pages. Your third page (and beyond) will never be read.
20. A picture. In the United States, it is not acceptable to include your picture on a resume.
21. Putting a salary requirement on your resume. Never put your salary requirements on your resume.
22. Including reference information of your resume: This is not the place for it. Protect your references and only provide their information when you are in the formal stages of the interviewing process.
23. Listing "company closed" in the parenthesis next to the job: Many people have worked for companies that then went out of business but no reason to emphasize this on the resume. Save it for the application and 'reason for leaving'.

24. Using a fontsize that is hard to see. Afont between 10-12 point works best.

25. Using a font style that can’t be easily read.

Resume Service Effectiveness Guarantee: If you use the techniques learned in a private coaching session with me and donot get a 50% increase in response from employers in the three months followinga session as you did in the previous three months, you’ll get a FULLrefund. Info here.

Our new Facebook page. Info on my next book, here.

Our New Facebook Page

2011-11-20T05:00:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I appreciate all of your support. In order to spread the word about this website, I've created a Lion Cub Job Search page on Facebook.

As a special thank you, once the page reaches a tipping point of 100 likes, 5 randomly selected winners (only those living in the United States are eligible) will win a copy of my first book, Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers.

Please spread the word. Thanks!

- Lavie

13 Thank You Note Mistakes

2011-11-17T05:00:00.000-05:00

Image info

The thank you note is an essential part to the postinterview selection process. Here are thirteen common mistakes that job seekersmake in regards to thank you notes:

1) Figuringthat interviewers do not need or appreciate a note of thanks because they arejust doing their jobs.

2) Thinkingthat people will know you are interested in the job without sending the note.

3) Notsending a thank you note ever.

4) Thinkingyou should only send a thank you note if you are interested in the job. Youshould send one even if you are not interested.

5) Forgettingto send a thank you note to everyone that interviewed you.

6) Sendingthe same thank you note to everybody.

7) Writinga hand-written note when you have terrible hand writing.

8) Writinga generic thank you note that does not specifically relate to the job.

9) Waitingmore than a week to send the thank you note.

10) Notproofreading your note for typos or errors

11) Misspellingthe name of the person you are writing the note to

12) Forgettingformalities (Dear, Mr. Ms. Dr., etc.)

13) Figuringthat you are a shoo-in for the job and don’t need to send a thank you note thistime.

Need help with other aspects of preparing for a job interview? I am available for coaching. Check it out here.

Info on Lavie's next book here.

12 reasons to remove a LinkedIn connection

2011-11-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

Image info

Upon joining LinkedIN, it is often a race to see how many contacts one can add. Once you've been on the site for awhile, it is time to evaluate whatyou are doing. Have you been adding contacts and engaging them in conversationor never reaching out to them? Have you asked others for help and not heardback? Do you even remember who some of your contacts even are?

To strengthen the LinkedIn contacts that you do have, take some time tooccassionally remove people. The contacts that are left should be the ones thatyou remember, that you are most likely to help and that you are mostcomfortable asking for help.

How do you decide who to remove? Here are some tips on who you shouldconsider 'de-friending' on LinkedIn:

1. You have no idea who the person is. Perhaps you exchanged emails threeyears ago but have had no further contact?

2. You know who the person is but would not be comfortable reaching out toyour contacts on her behalf.

3. Your contact does not remember you.

4. Your contact would not be comfortable reaching out to her contacts onyour behalf.

5. You've asked for your contact's help and he has never responded.

6. You've suggested ways to help your contact and she has never responded.

7. Your contact has extreme views on controversial topics and you no longerwant to be associated with the person.

8. Your contact is a Lion- Linkedin Open Networker and will add anyone tohis network.

9. Person isn't a LION but invites everyone to her network.

10. The person spams your LinkedIn regularly without engaging you in actualconversation.

11. Your contact accepted your LinkedIn invitation years ago and has neveractually used the site or added more than a handful of additional contacts.

12. If you no longer want to speak to the person or have anything to do withthem in 'real life'.

Removing a contact is a major move and should not be taken lightly. If youare 50/50 on keeping or removing the person, better to err on the side ofcaution. Once someone is solidly in one of the categories detailed above,consider removing the person to strengthen your LinkedIn contacts.

Is LinkedIn still a mystery to you? Need help? Hire me as a tutor. Info here.

Info on Lavie's next book here.

The Roaring Job Search Anthology

2011-11-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to announce that my next book will be out in January, 2012.

Lavie Margolin, Career Coach and author of Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers, has been writing on the areas of practical job search assistance and career direction since 2003.

Collected in this anthology are many of his most well received articles he has written on practical job search advice and career direction.

Articles include:
- What to do when you know someone who knows someone.
- Understanding and utilizing alumni relations to your advantage.
- Why people will agree to meet with you.
- Refreshing your job search with a healthy break.
- Does work from home actually work?
- Why we change jobs so frequently.
- 13 questions to ask an insider when changing careers.
- 4 ways to make a better impression on your boss
- Making the job fair a worthwhile experience.
- Breaking into our dream industry.
- Unemployment benefits as a temporary lifeline, not a solution.
- Avoiding funny business on the job while salvaging your career.
- Best practices for follow up calls.

In over eighty articles, Lavie has included his best tips, examples and strategies to increase your chances for job search and career success.

I will be sure to let my loyal readers know as soon as the book is available for pre-order.

18 tips for managing job search stress

2011-11-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

Author: Claude Covo-Farchi

The job search is stressful. No doubt about it. Here aresome tips or general truths to keep in mind during this anxiety inducing time:

1) Give your family some insight into what you aregoing through and tips on how they can support you during this time.

2) Prepare the night before an interview to manageyour stress the next day.

3) Don’t try to figure where you are going the dayof an interview, do a practice run.

4) Get a good night’s sleep the night before yourinterview but don’t try to force yourself to go to sleep too early.

5) Stay in touch with your contacts so it is lessstressful when you have to ask them for a reference.

6) Know that not everyone is willing to help at alltimes and some people will disappoint you.

7) When you put yourself out there, you are leavingyourself up to dumb responses. Be prepared and expect it in order to receivehelpful suggestions from others who respond.

8) Be patient as it might take people awhile to getback to you. Try to gain clarity when you reach out to them as to how long itwill take to hear back.

9) Engage in networking in a way that you arecomfortable, not in a way that is standard. If you are not comfortable calling peopleon the phone, send them an email instead. If you aren’t comfortable asking forhelp in person after meeting someone at a networking event, follow up onFacebook or LinkedIn.

10) Know that the job search takes time. You can dothings to speed up the process but you must be patient.

11) Take a break when you need it to recharge yourbatteries, whether it is an hour or a day.

12) Get outside of your apartment and get some freshair every day.

13) Get some mild exercise to feel better.

14) Some days will feel like you made big progress inyour job search while other days will be disappointing. It will even out.

15) Take some times to enjoy your pastimes, if youcan afford them. It will make you feel refreshed to deal with daily job searchfrustrations and interview success.

16) Avoid hyped up news reports on how bad the jobmarket is. Sensationalized news will get you no closer to your goals.

17) If someone tells you that you can’t accomplishsomething, use that as a motivator to prove them wrong.

18) Think good, you’ll get good.

LinkedIn Recommendations with Typos- What to do

2011-11-13T05:00:00.000-05:00

Details on image

Picture this: You have reached out to your contacts on LinkedIn and requested recommendations. You received a stellar one to showcase on your profile. What could go wrong? Upon reading the recommendation over, you realize there is a typo.

What should you do now? There is the option on LinkedIn to request a replacement for your recommendation. Should you do it? When you receive a recommendation with a typo on Linkedin, you have to consider your best course of action. How strong is the relationship with the person recommending you? How do you he will take the feedback? Do you think he would rather know that he made a mistake or not be told? How would you react?

The answer to tell someone they made a mistake really depends. Is there one typo or many? If there is just one and it is not too glaring, perhaps let it go. If there is more than one mistake, you might not want it on your profile. Perhaps you'd like to ask for a replacement in that case.

Is the recommendation from a close contact or a former boss that is doing you a big favor by even writing the recommendation? If it is a close contact, you'd probably feel more comfortable asking for a new recommendation as opposed to a former boss, one that you have not spoken to in a few years.

Some people just don't like to be told they did something wrong, while others will want to know if they made a mistake. Think of the kind of person that wrote your recommendation when considering requesting a replacement.

I have over 125 recommendations visible on my LinkedIn profile. I have only not displayed one that someone wrote for me as it was from a former student, whose first language was not English. I felt that he would struggle to write another one that would be an improvement and I did not feel that I absolutely needed his recommendation to strengthen my LinkedIn profile.

Has this ever happened to you? What did you do?

Info on Lavie's next book, here.

9 ways to use your LinkedIN connections more effectively

2011-11-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

Source: Bountiful Fruit, Author Karunakar Rayker:

As the majority of my readers are LinkedIn users, we alreadyknow that most people are one or two levels away from us and we just needsomeone to help facilitate a connection to the people that we would like tospeak with.

But how to get people to make that connection? Here are somesuggestions:

1) Don’t ask your contact to share yourinformation/request with all of their contacts.

2) Be specific as to who you would like to beconnected to.

3) Be clear as to why you would like to speak withthem.

4) Have a message from you that your contact canpass along.

5) Don’t use a generic message for every contact.Something for everybody appeals to nobody .

6) Create a specific note for each person- not justchanging the Mr./Ms./Dr. part but read the person’s profile. Make note of whatappealed to you and caught your eye and made you want to reach out.

7) When choosing which of your connections contactsyou’d like to reach out to, don’t focus solely on recruiters. Recruiters aregreat but they are inundated by requests for help ALL THE TIME. Focus on peoplewho work in your industry of interest in roles similar to yours or seniorcapacities.

8) Email your contacts off LinkedIn, as many peopledon’t notice their LinkedIn messages.

9) Ask your contacts to let you know of any feedbackthey may receive.

I offer to everyone in my network help facilitating aconnection. Unfortunately, most “pick the low hanging fruit” by writing ageneric note and only want to reach out to recruiters and head hunters. Followthe nine tips above for a better chance of success.

Info on Lavie's next book, here.

Could Bad Credit Keep You From Your Dream Job?

2011-11-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

by Jane Atkins

Image by Mattes

When you are looking for a job, you have a lot of things onyour mind. You need to make up a good resume, search your area for a job thatwill fit your skill set, and know what to say in an interview. One thing thatmany job hunters don’t think about is their credit, but it is a very importantpart of your history that some employers will consider when filling a position.

Unemployment and credit can create a terrible catch-22. Whena person doesn’t have a job, they may fall behind on their payments, and theymay not be able to get a job because they haven’t been able to pay their bills.Your credit report will tell creditors your level of risk by showing howresponsible you are when managing your debt, but it also shows your generallevel of responsibility and your character to a potential employer.

What Are EmployersLooking For?

A potential employer isn’t just going to look at your FICOscore. They are more interested in the details of your whole credit report. Theemployer will look into judgments, collection accounts, charge-offs, and othersimilar data. Even if your credit score is fair, you may be in trouble if youhave made poor financial decisions recently. Another bad sign for employers isif they see a bounced check on your credit report. Bounced checks aretechnically illegal, so any sign of them on your report could be a very bigsign of caution to potential employers.

High-Trust Positions

If you are applying for a job that requires handling moneyor involves finances or confidentiality, your potential employer will be muchmore likely to run a credit check than other employers. It is incrediblyimportant to have good credit when applying to work in a bank, for example,because they need to be sure you can handle the requirements of the job. Theseemployers figure that if you aren’t able to handle your own money, you probablyshouldn’t be trusted with other peoples’ money. Other high-trust jobs, such asjewelers, armored-truck drivers, and casino dealers, are usually treatedsimilarly. Employers hiring for these jobs are looking for people with a solidpersonal credit history because they will be less likely to steal from or dothings that go against the company.

Credit Check Laws

There are many state laws that have come about to reducediscrimination based on credit history when applying for a job. However, theselaws are still not perfect, and they leave some room for exceptions (i.e.high-trust job applicants). According to the Federal Trade Commission,companies can’t access your credit report without your permission, so youshould be asked to sign a form giving them this permission before they can seeyour credit history. If there is a problem on your credit report, the employermay give you a chance to explain the problem, but if they decide not to hireyou based on something in your credit report, the Federal Trade Commission saysthat they must let you see the report and tell you how to get your own copy.The copy of your report should be free as long as you make the request within60 days of the rejection.

If you are applyingfor a general job that does not require very much trust and you are stillrejected based on your credit history, it could be a violation of the federalFair Credit Act, and you have the option to take legal action against theemployer.

Jane Atkins is an author who writes guest posts on the topics ofbusiness, credit cards, and personal finance. Additionally, she works for awebsite that focuses on educating readers about a credit cards for collegestudents.

The 14 things non-profit employers want

2011-11-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

I served as a panelist for Advancing Jewish Professionals of New York on the subject matter of, "What employers are really looking for (specifically those in the not for profitarena)".

In preparing for the program, I had a good sense of what they werelooking for, having spoken to hundreds of managers and professionals in thefield but I wanted to confirm my thoughts with practical research.

I usedJewishjobs.com, idealist.org and indeed.com to get a better sense of whatemployers in the field really want by examining job descriptions and recording trends.

Here are 14 themes that came up in my research:

· A Masters degree is preferred (MPA or Masters inEducation)

· Computer: Database Management, Access, Excel, RaisersEdge, HTML

· Some related prior experience

· Flexibility to travel

· Passion for the organization, and not just aninterest in any job.

· Strong communication skills (including writing,speaking and presentation abilities)

· People that are good at “relationship building”

· People that can relate to those at otherorganizations including member organizations and board of directors

· Bilingual Skills (Hebrew, Russian, Spanish).

· Current on industry news.

· Knowledge of social media

· Understanding of the role within the context of thewhole organization.

· A true “expertise” in one or more area

· The ability to raise money or save money for theorganization.

In reviewing the information, it is interesting to note thata great deal of what is required are qualitative skills/abilities as opposed tohard skills. Organizations are really looking for people that will fit wellin at their organization and handle a multitude of functions as opposed tobringing in only excellent hard skills, like computer knowledge or accounting aptitude.

Info on Lavie's next book, here.

2011-11-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

50 Tips from Best-Selling Career Authors

Over the last several months, I've had the pleasure of interviewing several best-selling career authors for their advice on today's job market. Below are 50 tips that stood out. Enjoy!

1. Most people have job-hunting skills that work perfectly well in a good economy (how to write a resume, how to use social media, how to conduct an interview; period!) but prove woefully inadequate in a bad economy.- Richard Bolles

2. It is important to recognize that no one converts 100% of their prospects into clients- Elinor Stutz

3. You still need a crisp resume. You still need the right look and the right interview outfits. You still need to have the right mix of hard and soft skills to succeed in the targeted job.- Donald Asher

4. 60% of the time people who have nothing to do with the
job itself but are responsible for reading the resumes and deciding if a
candidate is qualified based on what they read.- Tony Beshara

5. Most people focus exclusively on communicating their ability to do the job. However, hiring managers are also looking for fit and motivation- Joshua Waldman

6. Don't just focus on how you are coming across when faced with a power play on the job. Remember to consider how other people feel about themselves in your presence.- Maggie Craddock

7. Job-hunters have got to understand that job-hunting has become a survival skill, and requires advanced job-hunting strategies, not the elementary ones that work well only in good times.- Richard Bolles

Elinor Stutz

8. The hiring company is your prospect that you want for a client; therefore, the interview is all about them and very importantly, how you will help them solve their problems- Elinor Stutz

9. Not every organization is hiring all the time, but every industry is hiring, all the time. People die, they get hurt, they retire, they get fired, they go on maternity leave, or work gets reorganized and the remaining workers don’t match up right to the skill sets needed- Donald Asher

10. The middle page of a document is usually read first what is reviewed
online. What this all means is that it is important to have whatever you
think is most important to a prospective employer in the very middle of the
first page of your resume- Tony Beshara

Michelle Tillis Ledereman

11. Networking or at least “Relationship Networking” is just another way of saying – making friends. When we make friends, we don’t think about WHY we are making them or WHAT they can do for us.- Michelle Tillis Lederman

12. HR professionals are only looking for red flags- Josua Waldman

13. Clean up your entries on the Internet, so you come across as both a professional and also a human being. Human, not perfect. Nobody can stand being around a "perfect" person.- Richard Bolles

14. There will be little satisfaction taking a job that falls under the “any” and “have to” category.- Elinor Stutz

15. For some reason, all of us in the career field have been repeating for decades that 80% of all jobs are never advertised. That’s not what the research actually says. I found the specific study that this claim is based on. It says 78% of people who get a job did not apply for a posted opening. - Donald Asher

16. Once you determine what makes you uniquely likable then you will be able to project that belief and confidence in your interactions.- Michelle Tillis Lederman

17. Each social network has their own rules of unspoken acceptable behavior and you have to figure it out.- Joshua Waldman

18. A new career should be built by first dissecting your old career or careers and then seeing what, out of all that, you want to preserve in a new career. - Richard Bolles

19. If you go into a networkingevent with a plan or strategic approach – you are more focused on following itthan forging real connections.- Michelle Tillis Lederman

20. Think about Internet dating. There’s a lot of exaggerating and lying going on. So someone who is introduced to you by a human is in a fundamentally different category than someone introduced to you by a sorting algorithm.- Donald Asher

21. Just rushing off for school and retraining for a new career that you have chosen on a hunch, is vocational suicide.- Richard Bolles

22. There’s been a lot of talk about a “hidden job market”, but the reality is that there is nothing hidden when you are networking.- Joshua Waldman

Joshua Waldman

23. The most important aspect of building relationships is following up.- Michelle Tillis Lederman

24. Most jobs never make it to job boards, instead they are posted on corporate websites, distributed internally or spread word of mouth.- Joshua Waldman

25. Job-markets always go through the cycle of "easy" and then "difficult" for job-hunters looking for work- Richard Bolles

Donald Asher

26. If someone likes you and thinks you’ll do something at work that’s more valuable than the expense of your salary, they’ll hire you.- Donald Asher

27. If you tend to be loud and talk a lot and you are with someone more reserved, just tone it down- Michelle Tillis Lederman

28. Smaller companies don’t draw hundreds of applications every day. A Fortune 500 company gets 1000 or more unsolicited resumes every single day, whether they post a single opening or not. But a local, family-owned business does not.- Donald Asher

29. With Google indexing every tweet, and with Facebook having incredibly complex security measures, not to mention complex interactivity between the job-hunter's page and the pages of their friends (oh my! those photos!), you no longer control what an employer can find out about you- Richard Bolles

30. When you start using social media strategically, to find new people and make real connections with, then there is nothing hidden any more- Joshua Waldman

31. Things that scream self serving are 1) When your questions are following a path that become an interview rather than an exchange. 2) When you ask for a favor in the first conversation 3) When you don’t give someone your full attention and instead scan the room for who else you want to meet.- Michelle Tillis Lederman

Tony Beshara

32. Don't write a resume based on what you think looks good or what you particularly like. Write a resume that communicates what you could do for a prospective employer based on what you've done before, in simple, layman's terms.- Tony Beshara

33. People get intimidated by the words “personal branding” and don’t dive any deeper. The problem with this is that by ignoring your brand, you loose control of how people perceive you and you get “branded”.- Joshua Waldman

34. There is a huge difference between confidence and ego. The most important message to get across to a client or hiring manage ris how you are able to deliver upon their needs and desires with impeccable customer service- Elinor Stutz

35. I just reviewed the literature on how people get jobs, and decades of research confirms that between 55 to 80% of jobs go to someone who did not respond to a posted opening- Donald Asher

36. Ask a question about something you really want to know the answer to and see where it leads you.- Michelle Tillis Lederman

37. If you refuse to move for a job--if you’re picky about titles, levels of responsibility, and salary at or close to what you were making before—then you’re going to be very frustrated. But if you’re flexible, and you approach the project with some sustained zeal, you can land something even in this market.- Donald Asher

38. The hiring manager is looking for a stand-out talent they can cull into a list of possibilities.- Joshua Waldman

39. I can't tell you the number of "authorities"that tell people to use a functional resume. Hiring authorities can't stand the functional resumes.- Tony Beshara

40. The interviewing manager most often doesn’t want a pushy “salesperson” but rather an applicant who they feel confident will best get the job done- Elinor Stutz

41. Applying for posted openings is very conventional job search advice. This channel is just not working unless you’re a perfect candidate, an overwhelmingly obvious choice.- Donald Asher

Maggie Craddock

42. When your desire to please others is driven by fear, you are trying too hard to please- Maggie Craddock

43. The best way to negotiate anything is to remain calm and collected or matter of fact.- Elinor Stutz

44. Interview extremely well. Give them plenty of good reasons why they ought to hire you and they will give you plenty of good reasons why you should go to work there.- Tony Beshara

45. An applicant needs to make a daily habit of reading the business newsand applying to the industry with which he is affiliated.- Elinor Stutz

46. The best way to take the lead is through listening, questioning and answering.- Elinor Stutz

47. Doing an inventory of yourself is the most effective job-hunting method, even in the most brutal economy.- Richard Bolles

Dr. Larry Chiagouris

48. One should leverage the Internet by building a website on it that telegraphs one's personal brand.- Dr. Larry Chiagouris

49. Doing a careful inventory of yourself is 12 times more effective in finding a job than merely mailing out your resume.- Richard Bolles

50. You need to be 99% (you can never be 100%) certain of a reference's support. - Dr. Larry Chiagouris

Information on image used at the top

2011-11-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

Consistency of message: Your LinkedIn Profile and You

by Perry Newman, CPC CSMS

I just updated a Linked-In profile for a client and his picture was of he and his wife, (yes and his wife) in a tuxedo and she in a sleeveless gown and with two full glasses of wine in their hands.

LI is the perfect opportunity to show people who you are. I tell clients who say they don't have an updated picture to use their iphone if need be and take a picture. I prefer a straight-on headshot with nothing in the background. Although one of my clients, an avid skier, has a picture of himself on a slope holding his skis and it looks real cool, as does the one of a client who is an avid golfer taken on the links. I would avoid gun lovers posing with a rifle.

Whether to wear a suit or be business casual depends on the line of work you are in and the image you want people to have of you.

One thing to remember is when you interview you must at least match the image you portray. One client who had a real ultra clean cut Brooks Brothers business look on his LI page went on an interview on a Friday afternoon with his hair much longer, a slight 5 o'clock shadow and in a pair of Dockers slacks and a sports jacket, patterned shirt and tie.

As soon as he saw the expression on the interviewer's face that this was not what the interviewere expected, he knew he made a mistake. Needless to say it was a short interview and he was not invited back.

Perry Newman is a Executive Resume Writer, Career Coach, Social Media Strategist, Author, Lecturer and the founder of TRWCCC

Image used: Norwegian Museum of Cultural History by Anders Beer Wilse

5 things to say (and never to say) to your out of work spouse

2011-11-04T05:00:00.000-04:00

Wedding Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Countess Sophie Chotek

The job search is a frustrating and stressful time not only for ourselves but for family members as well. Here are some quick pointers of what you can say, and what you should never say, to a spouse who is looking for a job:

What you should never say:

* What did you do wrong?

* I have been able to keep my job, why couldn't you?

* How could you do this to us?

* We are behind on our bills because of you.

* You better find a new job fast!

What you could say:

* I understand that it is not your fault that you lost your job.

* We will get through this together.

* Let me know what I can do to support you.

* I think it is important that you still keep doing many of the activities that you love, as long as we can afford it.

* and don't forget, I Love You

You are more likely to find a job if you feel confident and are in a supportive environment.

Your spouse and family members have a direct influence on your professional success. Please pass it on.

Information on Lavie's next book, The Practical Job Search Anthology, here.

2011-11-03T05:00:00.000-04:00

Increasing the Employment Odds: What College Students Should Know About Industry Associations

By Jesse Langley

Improving JobProspects

College students face a tougher economy and far fewer jobprospects than just a few years ago. Even companies with solid financial footing and large cash reserves arehedging their bets about adding significant numbers of new hires until theyhave a sense that the economy is rebounding for good. This makes effective job searching strategiesmuch more important for college students than it used to be. The days of waiting until graduation to startlooking for a job and then finding one easily are long gone. But there are ways to improve your chances ofemployment upon graduation significantly. You just have to be creative.

Advantages ofIndustry Associations

When I was in college, I didn't even know about industry associations. And if I had, they may not have ranked highon my list of priorities. Many college students may have the same perspectiveas I did. But if you really want to makesure that you have a job lined up that's in your desired career field, joiningan association can be a big move in the right direction. Using career services is an important part ofany effective job search strategy for both traditional and onlineuniversity students. But joining an industry association cansignificantly boost the odds. Theability to extend existing networking skills into a larger arena of industryheavyweights contains a lot of potential for job placement.

The Difference betweenTraditional Networking and Industry Associations

Joining an industry association is a logical way to extendwhat you're already doing with your networking. Think of the membership fees as the price of admission into a targetrich environment. The ability to rubshoulders with industry leaders on a regular basis offers incredible networkingopportunities. And if the idea ofmembership fees is unsettling, joining as a student makes even more sense. Many associations offer significant discountsfor students and some even offer free student membership. If you take advantage of all the associationdinners and seminars, your chances of leveraging networking into an eventualjob offer in your career field extend far past what normal networking canoffer.

Benefits beyondNetworking

The advantages of joining an industry association go waybeyond just expanding your networking circles. You'll gain access to job listings made available just to your specificindustry association. That can be a bigadvantage by itself. But in addition tojob listings, many associations offer insurance, legal advice and industryjournals as well. If you're a year awayfrom graduating college, joining an industry association is logical. Think about what your resume looks like rightnow. Is there anything on your resume tomake you stand out from all the other individuals who're going to be competingagainst you for the job you want? Getting involved in professional development through an association canprovide excellent industry-specific experience for your resume that many ofyour peers won't have. If you reallywant to show involvement, commitment and boost your chances of getting a greatjob after graduation, joining an association makes a lot of sense.

2011-11-02T05:00:00.000-04:00

The East Versus West Showdown

The top future jobsand salaries on the East and West coasts

by Tom Samph

The East coast versus West coast rivalry finds its way intoeverything from Hip Hop stars to food trucks, sports teams to weatherphenomena. But what about jobs? Whose jobs are better and who makes more money?

Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),such as the topjobs of the future and average salaries by city, the Eastversus West rivalry comes into focus.

The BLS forecasts biomedical engineering as the top jobprospect in the country. With an employment rate expected to rise 72 percent,adding 28,000 jobs by 2018, the field of biomedical engineering is on the rise.Similarly, network systems and data communications analysts and financialexaminers rank second and third, respectively, rounding out the top threefuture job prospects in the country.

Using the example of biomedicalengineers based in New York and Los Angeles, we can track employment andsalary data to shed light on the East versus West debate.

The 630 listed biomedicalengineers in New York make an average salary of $85,740 each year. Withapproximately 870 biomedicalengineers in Los Angeles who make an average salary of $87,020 each year,this Southern California city claims a larger share of the market than NewYork.

The difference in average salary between New York and LosAngeles means that the West Coast city’s $0.42 higher average hourly wage racksup an average of $1,280 more per year. With this snapshot of employment data inLos Angeles and New York, we could say that the West wins.

However, the range ofsalary data paints a more interesting picture. Entry-level biomedicalengineers make an average of $56,190 to their New York entry-level counterpartof $55,330 as an average salary. Los Angeles, it would seem, offers betteropportunities for younger biomedical engineers with less experience.

As for experiencedbiomedical engineers, the East Coast seems to be the more promising venture.The 90^th percentile of average annual salaries in biomedicalengineers, or those with the most experience, is $131,450 in New York and only$118,560 in Los Angeles.

It may be too early to close the case on the Eastversus West argument, but as long as you’re a biomedical engineer in NewYork or Los Angeles, you’re likely to be earning a good living.

Tom Samph, a graduate of Boston University, is a Marketing and PR intern at FindTheBest.com. He recently moved back to the United States after living in France for a year where he was teaching English, working in a bakery and freelance writing. He currently lives in Philadelphia.

image author: User:Derfel73; User:Theshibboleth

2011-11-02T04:59:00.000-04:00

Genuine Networking

How do I stayin the minds of others, long after an initial meeting?

The chapter on the Law of Familiarity has lots of ideas forlight touches of how to stay in someone’s mind. You can send notes of congratulations, you can use social mediaconnections, groups, or instant chat for a quick hello, or maybe just send yourregards through someone else. Combinethe light touches with the Law of Giving to really add value to your relationshipsand you will stay front of mind. Remember, you want to be in their circle – not in their face.

Why do somenetworking tactics feel so phony?

If it feels phony – you are probably “trying” rather thanjust being. If you go into a networkingevent with a plan or strategic approach – you are more focused on following itthan forging real connections. I promotea more organic approach where you do what feels right for you and realize thatwhoever you end up talking with is potentially a great connection.

Michelle TillisLederman: Author, The 11 Lawsof Likability