6 Ways to Streamline Your Job Hunt

6 Ways to Streamline Your Job Hunt Job hunting is often described as a full-time job in itself; so it’s no surprise that it can sometimes become challenging and stressful especially when you are not achieving the results you want. We often make changes to process and work-methods to become more efficient in our days jobs; so the same approach can be taken when looking to become a more effective job seeker. Here are six simple changes you can make to streamline your job hunt and quickly land more interviews. 1. Tailor your CV for every application: Although you are likely to be applying for numerous similar jobs throughout your job hunt, it just not good enough to fire off the same CV for every job application in a bid to send out as many CV’s as possible. In the employment game; quality is certainly more important than quantity, so spend some time ensuring that your CV meets the job requirements for each role. If you have the necessary skills mentioned in the job advert but they are hidden at the bottom of your CV; nobody will see them. You need to prioritise your own skills in line with what the job advert is asking for so move the most important skills to the top of your CV to make sure the recruiter can instantly see that you are a good fit for the job. Conversely, if you have a lot of experience in an area that isn’t being asked for in the job advert, then you may want to play it down a bit in the CV to avoid looking unsuitable. 2. Mix up your job search terms: Industry terminology and jargon is constantly changing, which means that in the modern job market there can often be dozens of terms to describe one type of job. For example a Salesman could just as easily call himself a Business Development Officer or a Sales Executive, but still be performing the same role. So remember this when searching job websites; be creative and use a few different job titles to increase the number of suitable roles you find. If you struggle to find variations of your preferred job title; have a browse through your connections on LinkedIn and see what titles they are using, as well as checking out industry publications and blogs online. 3. Introduce yourself properly: Job hunting can sometimes become a little tiresome but try not to get sloppy when sending applications. The first hurdle to overcome is ensuring that the recruiter opens your CV, which won’t always happen unless you give them a reason to do so. Use a short, professional introduction that gives a brief explanation of your suitability for the role and make sure you triple check it for spelling and grammatical errors â€" nothing will get your application deleted quicker than an introduction littered with errors. Add a personal touch too; remember you are addressing a person, not a machine.  Address the recruiter by name (it will usually be on the job advert) and open with a simple, friendly line such as “hope you’re well”. 4. Use multiple job websites: After a few weeks of job hunting, it’s easy to slip into a routine where you find yourself circling the same one or two web sites repeatedly and seeing the same vacancies over and over again.  The more job web sites you search, the more vacancies you gain exposure to; so therefore you increase your chances of landing an interview.  Use as many of the mainstream generic sites as you can find as they have a very high volume of jobs advertised and tend to attract a lot of the big well-known brands.  However don’t forget to search out some of the lesser-known industry specific sites as they tend to attract some of the smaller niche firms and you will often be able to side step the competition in to some lesser known vacancies. 5. Chase up applications: All too often job seekers will pour tons of time and effort into finding and applying for a dream job; only to forget all about it days later. If you don’t get an instant response from a job application, don’t give up. Just because you don’t receive an instant call back, doesn’t necessarily mean that you are not suitable for the role. Your CV will often be sitting an inbox amongst dozens of other similar candidate CV’s; so if you don’t hear back for a few days a quick call to the recruiter can be exactly what’s needed to put you ahead of the competition. A quick chaser call will not only draw instant attention to your CV, but will also give you a chance to build a rapport with the recruiter and sell yourself into interview stage. 6. Use LinkedIn (properly): With thousands of recruiters and hiring managers logging on to LinkedIn every day, it’s an absolute must for modern day job seekers. However you can’t just create your profile, sit back and wait for the job offers to flood in. If you want to make LinkedIn work for you, you need to stay active on it and build your professional network. Reach out to recruiters and industry peers to introduce yourself and explain what you have to offer them â€" they will not always have immediate vacancies for you, but it’s good to be on their radars for when opportunities arise. You can also keep up to date with what’s happening in your industry via your connection’s posts and participating in professional group discussions. Author: Andrew Fennell is an experienced recruiter and Director of Professional CV Writing Company StandOutCV.

Why is a Positive Attitude Important - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Why is a Positive Attitude Important - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career It’s human nature to gravitate toward people, information, or places that imply a happier outlook. You provide that outlook for yourself, one that no one can take away. Frankly, few of us have any justification for the negative, pessimistic perspective that we let ourselves get bogged down with. No matter what you’re going through that’s tough, unless you’re using your last breath on earth, it’s not that rough or as a bad as it can seem. In fact, you can manage your own perspective about the immediate world around you, and doing so: Helps in any struggle. Costs nothing out of your pocket. Buys you time to think before you act. Causes people not to avoid you. Makes you viewed more favorably and for a longer period of time. Makes you appear confident and self-assured. Gives you a better day today and better memories when you look back on this day

Personal Branding Interview David Siteman Garland - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview David Siteman Garland - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to David Siteman Garland, who is the Founder of The Rise To The Top, and the author of Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-Boring, Fluff-free Strategies for Marketing and Promoting Your Business. In this interview, David talks about how to grow your brand without spending a lot of money, how to compete with mega brand names, and more. What are three ways to grow your brand without breaking the bank? 1) Shift your mindset from a product pusher to a trusted resource. A product pusher (online and offline) focuses on shoving his or her product down peoples throats. And really who wants that? On the other hand, a trusted resource is the go-to person that spends their time educating, entertaining and inspiring as opposed to hard selling. An approachable authority. As opposed to focusing on marketing and promoting a product, a trusted resource focuses on marketing and promoting great content (online and off). As a result, trusted resources not only make more sales from a soft selling approach, but also have a great reputation. Not a bad position to be in! 2) Start the online media arm of your company with some type of FREE no-strings-attached content around an interest or passion (not a product). For example, if my company was a hockey stick company, I wouldnt create content about how cool the sticks are (because reallywho cares?). Instead, a better play would be to perhaps create a web show interviewing hockey players or a series of short videos with shooting and tips. Why? Because content is marketable. People share content. And it builds influence and trust. Influence and trust leads to sales. 3) Respect the blogger: Focus on one-on-one relationships with bloggers and new media sources. There are influential and up-and-coming bloggers in really every industry and niche. Search Alltop.com or Google Blogsearch and identify the key players. Look for opportunities to participate on their blogs (leaving comments, offer guest posts, etc.). A key component of brand building is relationships and networking with likeminded people. Trust me, good things will happen. How can someone just starting out compete with already established brands? It used to be the big brands had all the power. Now, due to the social web and new economy, the Davids have advantages over the Goliaths. The key is focusing on things that you can do as a small company that big brands struggle with. For example: On social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), big brands REALLY struggle with one-on-one connections. The Goliaths often focus on campaigns and coupons. The advantage of small here is to really get in there and form a personal connections with friends and followers. It might be as simple as asking people how their day is going or joking around. We are in in the midst of a return to the way business is in small towns. You do business with the butcher on the corner because not only is he the closest butcher but he knows your kids names and your favorite sports team. The Internet has allowed for geography to no longer be the barrier. At some level we all crave connection. And connection is at a one-on-one level. This is what I did when growing The Rise To The Top. Entrepreneurship is a crowded industry and there are lots of big players (Goliaths). I knew I couldnt out-spend them with a limited budget, so I decided to out-connect and out-engage. That meant replying to all comments on my website. All tweets and messages coming my way (as many as possible). All emails. Is it time-consuming? You bet. Is it worth it? A million times over. The key is being a human as opposed to a company. If youre looking to build a business on a shoestring budget, what are your first steps? This might seem like common sense, but open your big mouth and let everyone in you know you are starting a business and ask for a nudge in the right direction. My company started as a local TV show and I had very little money to get going. What I did first was made a list of people I knew and simply told them, Here is my idea. What do you think? If you hate it, feel free to punch me in the face. If you like like it, would you mind nudging me in the right direction? What ended up happening was people were helpful. Someone knew someone in production. Someones brothers friends mothers cats uncle (or something) knew someone in the TV business. Introductions happened. The funny thing is you NEVER know who will be helpful until you ask. It might be the guy on the corner who serves coffee. Should everyone become an expert source in their field? Why or why not? Ab-so-freaking-lutely. Here is the secret sauce: The word expert is often misused and kind of gives you that ewwww feeling and I get it. An expert isnt some all-knowing being who sits in silence for twenty hours a day or someone that the media deems an expert or someone that is a jerk and knows more than you. That might have been the way it used to be, but not anymore. I like the term trusted resource. A trusted resource is someone that brings people together around a common passion, interest, idea or quest and the leads the way. Trusted resources arent inaccessible hiding behind PR reps, but instead friendly, approachable and helpful (and human!). When you bring people together and you are a leader, it is incredibly powerful. Building a community is like building an army that supports an idea. This can lead to everything from more sales to delicious media attention and more importantly long term brand value. What has been the most important thing to you as youve grown your business? I have a saying: Money follows passion and not the other way around. Ive found that to be more than true. The most important thing Ive done to grow my business is to focus on at least 50% of every day being dedicated to actual business activities I love. For me, that is writing, interviewing awesomely creative entrepreneurs for my show and schmoozing and connecting with our fans/community. And I strongly believe that has been the key to growing my business from 0 to over 100,000 viewers a month online in less than two years as well as profitable business model bringing in well into the six-figures in profit. David Siteman Garland is the Founder of The Rise To The Top, The #1 Non-Boring Resource For Building Your Business Smarter, Faster, Cheaper and author of Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-Boring, Fluff-free Strategies for Marketing and Promoting Your Business (Wiley Publishing). He writes/hosts RISE, a web show for entrepreneurs, forward-thinkers, business owners and marketers, as well as The Rise To The Top TV show on ABC. To date, David has interviewed over 250 of the worlds most unique, interesting, successful and passionate entrepreneurs in the world.The show and web resource now has over 100,000 monthly viewers and numerous syndication deals with a big focus on interviews and picking the brain of top entrepreneurs, forward-thinkers and authors including Tony Hsieh (Zappos), and The Millionaire Matchmaker Patti Stanger. He has been featured on CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, CBS Bnet, Small Biz Trends, Personal Branding Blog, and Speaker Magazine. He was recently selected by Speaker Magazine as one of the Hot Speakers Of The Year.

Judge Kavanaugh has taught me so much about how the world works

Judge Kavanaugh has taught me so much about how the world works I cant stop reading about Judge Kavanaugh. I am learning so much about how the world works. His yearbook from high school is horrifying. There were derogatory jokes about women throughout the pages. Everyone knew, but the boys were rich, and they were going to top colleges, so it was okay. I didnt know there were yearbooks like that. I knew that in those rich-kid private schools the teachers decide who goes to which school. I know that, for example, Yale takes a certain number of kids from Choate, and Choate tells Yale which kids will be the best fit. There is a symbiotic relationship. Choate can say they always get kids into Yale. And Yale knows theyll get the best kids for Yale without having to do much searching. What I didnt know was that the most coveted clerkships work the same way. Judge Kavanaugh always takes law students from Yale. The symbiotic relationship there is that Yale can say their students always get great clerkships, and in exchange Yale law professor Amy Chua makes sure Kavanaugh always has a stream of female law school students who look like models. Really. Click that link. Kavanaugh fed law clerks to Judge Alex Kozinski. Thats part of what made Kavanaugh such a great place to start a law career. Kozinski was famous. For power. But also for harassment. Chua and her husband, Jed Rubenfeld, also a Yale law professor and also already under investigation, knew about the harassment. It was common knowledge among Yale faculty. That feeder system is done. Kozinski was forced to resign. And Chua is on mysterious, emergency medical leave, not even able to write her own emails to the press. People like to hire people who are like them. We have so much research that supports that. The only way to get around that is to be way, way better than everyone else (black men often do this) or to be really hot. Middle-aged men do not have access to young, hot women except when they pay for it, or its their daughters friends. But if the men have power they can have access to those women at work. I knew there were not a lot of female staff in the Senate. But I did not realize that every time there was a female issue, the male Senators sent a woman to deal with it. The all-male Republican judiciary committee does not want to have to question Kavanaughs accusers. They think the optics are bad. So they want a female staff member to do it. But the female staff are saying no.They say its part of a Senators job to know how to work with women. The female staff are sick of doing it for the male Senators. I have done this job for men my whole career. I have stepped in to tell my boss that there are women in the company not making as much as their male counterparts and we have to fix it. I have told male leadership that we have a client who keeps harassing the women in the company. I thought it was my job to take care of lower-level women because I knew leadership would not. I did not even know I was doing that. I never expected the men to look out for the women. Im not doing that anymore â€" I will ask the men why they are not making sure themselves. I will show them how to do it. Its a mentality. To know what to look out for. It is not the job of women like me. Its the job of all of senior management. I didnt know that women so bright and successful as Christine Blasey Ford got derailed for years after sexual assault. I got derailed for years from sexual assault. But I thought it was because I was weak. I thought I was making too big a deal out of it. I am shocked that the time in her life when she finally told her husband, in couples counseling, is similar to the time in my life I finally told people about my experience. I was shocked that Debbie Ramirez was so ashamed of having been forced to touch Kavanaughs penis that she never talked about it with anyone. I am shocked because I was forced to touch someones penis. But, like Ramirez, I wasnt sure how to talk about it. I’m still not. I mean, I was there with a penis in front of me. And I said no, get away from me, gross. But I still touched it. I am shocked that its hard for Ramirez to put a coherent story together. I thought not having a coherent story meant maybe what I thought happened didnt happen. But now I understand that not having the words to describe it is part of the problem. We have no word in the English language for being so stressed and so full of shame that you start trying so hard to block it out the minute you get away. Of course we have no word for that. Because it’s only women feeling a loss of power who need that word. Im so angry. I find myself checking the news every hour. I lived through Anita Hills testimony. Watching the Senate make fun of her was heartbreaking. I was young â€" I didnt realize at the time how personally I took that. But Im sure thats why I have assumed, through my whole adult life, that I need to keep things to myself and try to help other women by navigating around men instead of trying to work with them. I knew that people protest things all the time in Washington DC. But I would not have known what to chant if I were staging a protest. I  cant think of a snappy chant to encapsulate all those things I want to say. But I learned so much from the women who are protesting this week at the Capitol. They know what to say. And they are saying it all with men as well. Men, too, are in front of their Senators offices, chanting, We believe Anita Hill! We believe Christine Ford!” I want to do that. I want to be in this new wave of women who demand that Yale stop funneling women to lecherous men. I want to stand with women who risk their lives to testify in our male-privileged Senate. But most of all I want to say: I believe women. If I keep saying that, I will believe myself, as well.

What Makes a Good Resume for Experienced Professionals?

What Makes a Good Resume for Experienced Professionals?What would your resume look like if you wrote it for an experienced professional? I bet it would not be anything like the resumes of new graduates. It is true that a lot of new graduates are applying for jobs and therefore making their resumes so that they can land on the first page.But the interesting part is the resumes written by the experienced professionals. These resumes will have a positive impact because it clearly points out their achievements and expertise.There are many resumes that are written by inexperienced or even by writers who do not even have a degree in writing. These resumes are usually littered with random keywords or word combinations. One would think that the resumes written by such writers would be more appealing to employers. But that is not true at all.So many other resume writers, who are experienced, tend to make a resume that focuses more on facts and fewer on the form. There is no room for putting i n personal statement and no room for creativity. That is the reason why it is important for the writers to hire writers who are experienced.These writers should have a strong portfolio that showcases the skill and expertise of the writer. Such resumes will be more likely to get picked up by an employer and the chances of the writer landing a job are higher. That is why the professionals must invest time in hiring the right writers who can write a good resume for experienced professionals.Before hiring a writer, the professionals must ask whether he has experience in writing resumes which are written for experienced professionals. This will help the writers identify the kind of content they need to write. A writer can write the resume with the experience but it will be a much better resume if he had not written resumes written for experienced professionals.Writers of resumes for experienced professionals will know the tricks and techniques of the job market. They will also be able to tailor the content to meet the requirements of an employer. The best way to hire these writers is to search for a freelance writing service provider and ask for samples of the work they have done.The best thing about hiring a writing service provider is that you will get not only a quality resume but also experience on how to get the job done properly. The writers can choose the kind of content and the format according to the job requirements. Writing for experienced professionals can be quite a challenge but that is another story.

Understanding Careers in Business Analysis - CareerAlley

Understanding Careers in Business Analysis - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Most careers have some sort of set path to achieve higher level positions and prestige. This usually involves a specific degree and on-the-job skill sets. Getting started with a career in business analysis is different. In broad terms, a business analyst brings a fresh pair of eyes to an organizations structure and culture in an attempt to solve problems or maximize efficiency. Specific Applications There is no one set of skills or educational program necessary for a career as a business analyst. There are trends to watch for. Organizations are currently most interested in acquiring help in the fields of environmental compliance and computer science. There will always be a need for well-rounded analysts capable of assessing every aspect of a business, from human resources to accounting, but specialists in sustainable protocol and software processing or internet marketing will likewise find plenty of work. General Duties As an outside contractor, the first duty of a business analyst is to uncover the relationships that are often hidden behind formal job titles. Analysts will hold meetings for specific subgroups of staff and conduct private interviews. This information will be combined with an analysis of the business itself, including records, changes to policies and resulting trends, and even archived tax data or emails in some cases. The business executive who hires an analyst usually does so in response to a specific problem or worry, and analysts are given more or less free reign to address the issue. After compiling data, the analyst proposes changes and likely outcomes to the executive. These may include reorganizing management, hiring and firing decisions, utilizing a new process to carry out specific tasks, or adopting a new type of technology for greater efficiency. Once a course of action is established, the analyst will provide guidance in implementing it. They will host training sessions for future trainers, often referred to as professional development courses, and bring in relevant experts to make changes as smooth as possible. After implementation, analysts may be asked to collect data and show improvements. Necessary Skills Specialized knowledge of certain aspects of business will recommend different analysts for different types of problems, but there are some general skills every analyst will profit from. Most of the following skills can only be earned by actually working in the business world. A resume showing strong performance in different business sectors will be most valuable to the analyst. Experience with writing job descriptions and preparing requirements Attention to detail and certification or experience in project management Experience with use cases, preparing use-case diagrams, data modeling Strong interpersonal skills and experience in leadership positions Ability to quickly learn the parameters of new products, technologies, applications, etc. Strong communication and presentation skills, including the ability to engage diverse audiences If you have experience in the business world and have found yourself performing strongly while always seeking new challenges, a career as a business analyst is likely a perfect choice. Education trends matter in this high-end service sector, but adaptability, leadership and communication are more important qualities. A successful business analyst can expect the need to travel and constantly learn new skills. Heather Green is a freelance writer for higher ed blogs nationwide. She recommends reviewing online mba programs to discover the many options out there. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook

Those Who Teach - CareerAlley

Those Who Teach - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. Albert Einstein I am sure you have heard the old saying, Those who cant do, teach. Well, here is an update to that. Those who cant find a job, teach. With the economy and job market the way it is, many new college graduates are having a hard time finding a job in what they trained for. But while many companies are firing, higher education is hiring. You do not have to have a degree in education to teach. Colleges vary, but there are always opportunities for those who want to teach others. Most colleges prefer a Masters or Doctorate degree, but some part-time opportunities are usually available for Bachelors. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes desperately need native English speakers- whether they have a degree in Business, Accounting, or Art. There are also opportunities in working with people with disabilities in a college setting. You can help disabled students to take notes, take tests, or just proctor exams. Wherever your interests lie, there is an opportunity for you to teach. You may have a degree in business but have an interest in writing or grammar. Many colleges will give you an opportunity to use the skills you mastered as long as you can document them. Classes taken, certifications received, and papers published all validate your background. You may think that you cannot be a teacher because you do not like talking in front of crowds. Or maybe you just do not think you would be good with children. Not to worry, there are places for you. Adult learning is a huge part of college, especially in community colleges, ESL, and night classes. There is no need for you to keep track of a roomful of teenagers then. Do not let the idea of speaking in front of crowds spook you away either. Many colleges are turning to smaller classes, with groups of less than thirty students at a time. Even if you have a fear of public speaking, thirty people is hardly a mob. Plus, as a teacher in a position of authority, you really have nothing to fear. If those ideas dont thrill you, then try teaching online. Online classes are very popular because they offer flexibility for students and drastically decreased costs for schools. Teach from home and never worry about being late to work again. If you are a recent graduate, a retiree who is looking to get back to work, or even just looking for a new field to work in, try teaching. You can help others, make the world a better place, and get paid for it. So get out there and teach. Author BioMelanie Slaugh is enthusiastic about the growing prospects and opportunities of various industries and writing articles on various consumer goods and services as a freelance writer. She writes extensively for internet service providers and also topics related to internet service providers in my area for presenting the consumers, the information they need to choose the right Internet package for them. She can be reached at slaugh.slaugh907 @ gmail.com. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to identify and land your dream job. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search