I am on LinkedIn. Now what?
Do you wonder how to use LinkedIn TO ADD VALUE to your career or job search? Do you know how to use it to lead you to results?
LinkedIn can be an excellent resource for new business development or for job searching. Following a recent blog post about LinkedIn Settings in 2019, this post is an infographic on How to use to LinkedIn for job searching or for new business development purposes. When it comes to posting your resume online, your privacy is of utmost importance. It may be a good idea to learn how to protect your privacy on LinkedIn as well. Follow the steps in the infographic above and you will discover an amazing professional platform to catapult your career and you will broaden your perspective about this great professional resource; plus, it’s free! 25 Strategies to give an All-Star SpeechWhat is your elevator pitch?How to give a professional speech
Did you know that giving a speech tops the list of most common fears. Standing in front of a group of people, hoping you don’t mess up, and praying that the words come out right is frightening. Try these tips to help you stay calm and give that all-star speech that you’re capable of giving...
How to preapre your elevator pitch?
A day in the life of a Celebrity AssistantAs a Celebrity Assistant, there’s no telling what you might do from one day to the next. There will likely be many routine activities that won’t surprise you. There can also be a few tasks that will raise your eyebrows. Before you say yes, be sure to learn how to evaluate the new job offer. Some celebrities are known for being easy to work with, while others are challenging, to say the least. There is no typical day from one celebrity to the next. What is the job of a Celebrity Assistant?Be certain to ask what the average day is expected to be like before taking a job as a Celebrity Assistant. The job might be right up your alley or a tale of nightmares. Even when you get a detailed job description, there’s no predicting what each day will bring. There will be days when you will be completely out of your comfort zone. Whatever the case, be sure to quantify your accomplishments as you move along.
There are a variety of tasks you may be asked to perform as a Celebrity Assistant:
● This may be a significant part of the job. After all, someone has to respond to all those requests for signed autographs.
● Be determined and flexible in your approach.
● Considering the amount of damage some celebrities have done by handling this themselves, you might just be the right person for the job.
It’s easy to see that your day might be quite mundane or filled with excitement. Celebrities have unique lives and consequently, your job will be unique, too. It’s impossible to predict what your average day will be like, but it’s safe to say that it will be unlike any job you’ve ever had, at least part of the time. How to get along with coworkersYou think your work life would run smoothly if you get along with your coworkers. However, if they’re feuding with each other, you could wind up caught in the middle. Maybe an office romance has turned sour or two junior account executives are competing for one promotion. Maybe 40 hours of togetherness each week is just too much for personalities that are basically incompatible. Whatever the causes, office conflicts often create stress and lower productivity. How do you decide whether to intervene or keep your distance? Take a look at these suggestions for navigating a common workplace dilemma. Tips for Intervening with Feuding Coworkers You may need to take action if the battles are interfering with your ability to do your job. In some cases, you may also feel like you can help to restore harmony even if it’s not part of your job description. Conflict resolution techniques
Tips for Keeping Your Distance from Feuding CoworkersOn the other hand, you may prefer to watch a drama on TV instead of dealing with it in the next cubicle. As long as you’re not in a supervisory position, you have alternatives to playing peacekeeper.
Consider these ideas:
Office squabbles may sometimes be inevitable, but you can maintain healthy boundaries. Try to empathize with your coworkers while continuing to focus on your own career goals. How to work with a Resume Writer“Resume Writing Services: Everything You Need To Know”When you make the decision to hire a professional resume writer, you’re not only investing your time and money, but you're also entrusting me to articulate your personal brand and shape how you'll position yourself in your job search. I take this responsibility very seriously, and am providing these 10 tips to help ensure we have a successful, positive collaboration! 1. Communicate clearly
2. Be clear on your career plans and objectives
3. Meet your deadlines
4. Invest in yourselfYour new résumé is just one tool in your job search toolbox. If I suggest you purchase a new outfit for your interview, or I recommend additional services to complement your résumé, consider the request carefully. Your income is your number one asset, and as the saying goes, “sometimes you need to spend money to make money.” Spending 1-3% of your annual income on improving your career prospects is a wise investment. 5. Trust me, I'm your Résumé WriterPlease don't solicit opinions about your résumé from your friends or family members. You hired me for my expertise. So, if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask me. Related to this: Don't believe everything you read on the Internet. For every article that talks about why your résumé should be one page, there are more which say it should be two pages (and not longer). 6. Remember, your résumé is a marketing document, not a biography.I'm not going to include every detail about your life and work history on your résumé, especially if you have certain jobs that aren't relevant to your career target. These details are important to who you are, but they are not necessarily important in this résumé for this job target. I will be selective in what information I include because your résumé tells a story about who you are and what you can do. 7. Don't “lend” your résumé to anyone else.Your new résumé is a customized document developed just for you. Allowing someone else to use your résumé (format, design, and/or wording) may even dilute its effectiveness for you — especially if you "lend it" to a co-worker or colleague. If someone admires your résumé, send him or her my way and I will create an equally awesome document customized for their job search! 8. If you're not getting results, let's talk.We might need to make some changes to make your résumé more effective, or I might be able to share some strategies to help you increase the number of interviews and job offers you receive. 9. Let me know how you're doing.Sometimes I don't hear from clients until they need an update to their résumé when it's time to look for a new job. But I want to hear from you when you get a job offer. We'll celebrate together! 10. Keep your résumé updated.Speaking of your new job, once you land a new position (and you're sure you're going to stay -- usually, after the first 90 days), get back in touch with me to add your new position. Keep an accomplishments journal so you can track your achievements in your new role, which makes it easier to respond to new opportunities that come up. I look forward to working with you. We can start here! Things to keep in mind Your job search success
Your resume won't necessarily look like the samples on my website
Don't just use your new resume to apply for jobs online, please!
Provide the information you want on your resume up front
What to wear to a job interviewThe job search has changed over the past 10 years. So have fashion trends. But one thing that hasn’t changed in the job search process is that people will judge you based on first impressions. What you wear to an interview may have changed — in some situations — but the need to dress appropriately for the interview has not. It used to be that a suit (for men) and a dress (for women) was required attire for a job interview. Now, wearing a suit might actually work against you — for example, it might signal to a prospective employer that you don’t understand the company culture. (Particularly if the employee dress code leans more towards jeans and sneakers than ties and loafers.) While it’s important to feel comfortable in what you wear to an interview, you don’t want to look too comfortable. Little details about your attire will likely be noted by the interviewer and can make the difference between getting a second interview (or job offer) or not. Dressing appropriately for an interview demonstrates that you’ve done your research and that you pay attention to detail. Just like you would study the company’s website ahead of time to be prepared for a job interview, studying the company culture — especially as it relates to employee attire — demonstrates your interest in working for the company. You’ve heard the old saying, “Dress for success.” Nowhere is that more relevant than in a job interview. Don’t give the HR person or hiring manager a reason to rule you out because you were overdressed, underdressed, or sloppily dressed. The hiring manager can form an impression about you in the first five seconds of meeting you. Dressing appropriately conveys a very different impression than an impression made with poorly hemmed pants and shoes that are falling apart. It’s very difficult to change a first impression. Even if your interview is a virtual interview (telephone or video — i.e., Skype), you should still “dress to impress.” Don’t make the mistake of only dressing your top half for a video interview either. There are dozens of horror stories about having to stand up suddenly or change positions and your suit-on-top-shorts-on-the-bottom look is revealed. Dressing appropriately can also give your confidence a boost. Getting a compliment about your appearance from friends or family before an interview can put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. On the other hand, if you are worried about a loose sole on your shoe, it can distract you. The right attire can also affect how credible you are perceived to be. The Lab Coat EffectYou’ve been told “not to judge a book by its cover,” but the reality is that we constantly judge things by their appearances. It’s why “curb appeal” is so important in real estate. Clothes can make an impression — for better or worse. But more important, the right clothes can convey authority. Clothing not only communicates to others how you want to want to appear, but may also impact the way you think about yourself. These concepts were reinforced by a research study. The Washington Post also reported on March 10, 2012 that in a study conducted by the Kellogg School of Medicine, researchers found students did better on tests that measured accuracy and attention span when they wore a white lab coat. The lab coat — long associated with scientists and medical doctors — apparently leads students to aspire to live up to it. Students wearing lab coats performed better in concentration tests and were more engaged in the activity. While no one is suggesting you wear a white lab coat to a job interview (especially if you’re not in the medical or scientific field!), this research validates the need to wear appropriate clothing to both make you feel more confident and reinforce the confidence of the interviewer that you are the right candidate for the position. Interviewing when you are currently employedIf you are job hunting while you are currently employed, you might find yourself wondering what to do if you have a job interview scheduled for a day you have to work. How do you dress for an interview when the interview attire is significantly different from what you wear to work in your existing job? You don’t want to show up for work in a suit when you normally come to work dressed in khaki pants and a button-up shirt. Instead, plan to change clothes before your interview — but don’t change at your current workplace or at the company where you are interviewing. Instead, change somewhere in between — preferably some place that you will have access to a full-length mirror so you can double-check every detail of your appearance. If you don’t have time to go home, a mall or clothing store can be options. Be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to change and still get to the interview a few minutes early. And don’t forget to change back into your regular work clothes before you go back to the office. For this reason, you may want to schedule your job interview towards the end of the workday so you don’t have to change clothes again. (This is a good idea anyway so you don’t feel rushed in the job interview.) How to research a company's dress codeThe job search has changed over the past 10 years. So have fashion trends. But one thing that hasn’t changed in the job search process is that people will judge you based on first impressions. What you wear to an interview may have changed — in some situations — but the need to dress appropriately for the interview has not. It used to be that a suit (for men) and a dress (for women) was required attire for a job interview. Now, wearing a suit might actually work against you — for example, it might signal to a prospective employer that you don’t understand the company culture. (Particularly if the employee dress code leans more towards jeans and sneakers than ties and loafers.) While it’s important to feel comfortable in what you wear to an interview, you don’t want to look too comfortable. Little details about your attire will likely be noted by the interviewer and can make the difference between getting a second interview (or job offer) or not. Dressing appropriately for an interview demonstrates that you’ve done your research and that you pay attention to detail. Just like you would study the company’s website ahead of time to be prepared for a job interview, studying the company culture — especially as it relates to employee attire — demonstrates your interest in working for the company. You’ve heard the old saying, “Dress for success.” Nowhere is that more relevant than in a job interview. Don’t give the HR person or hiring manager a reason to rule you out because you were overdressed, underdressed, or sloppily dressed. The hiring manager can form an impression about you in the first five seconds of meeting you. Dressing appropriately conveys a very different impression than an impression made with poorly hemmed pants and shoes that are falling apart. It’s very difficult to change a first impression. Even if your interview is a virtual interview (telephone or video — i.e., Skype), you should still “dress to impress.” Don’t make the mistake of only dressing your top half for a video interview either. There are dozens of horror stories about having to stand up suddenly or change positions and your suit-on-top-shorts-on-the-bottom look is revealed. Dressing appropriately can also give your confidence a boost. Getting a compliment about your appearance from friends or family before an interview can put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. On the other hand, if you are worried about a loose sole on your shoe, it can distract you. The right attire can also affect how credible you are perceived to be.
Once you have a general idea of dress code, you need to decide how to apply that information to what you’re actually going to wear. One guideline for interview attire is to “Dress One Step Higher.” Once you know what an employee in the position you’re applying for would normally wear to work, elevate it one notch. So, for example, if the typical employee wears khaki pants and a button-up shirt, you might wear dress slacks, a blazer, and a shirt with a tie. Wearing a suit to a company with a less formal dress code would look out of place. This type of attire is usually referred to as “business casual.” Business casual attire is appropriate for interviews where a full suit would be overkill. For men, choose a dark, single color or lightly patterned sports coat or blazer, solid color dress slacks or trousers, a collared shirt, complementary tie, and dark-colored dress shoes. Socks should closely match the trouser color. Although the word “casual” is in the description, khaki pants are too casual. For women, a pair of black dress slacks can be worn with a nice sweater and/or button-up shirt or blouse, or button-up shirt and blazer or jacket, and dress shoes or low-heeled shoes. A modest dress (knee length or longer in an interesting color or a muted pattern) is also an option. When interviewing for a job in retail, food service, or customer service, the right interview attire might lean more towards “casual” than “business casual.” In this situation, you’re not wearing a jacket or necktie, but the outfit still has to look professional. A collared shirt (with no tie) or polo shirt and slacks or neat khaki pants are appropriate. Men can wear a jacket or blazer but can take it off if it seems too formal. For women, a dark blazer with a simple blouse or button-up shirt can be worn with khaki pants or even dark-wash jeans if they are well fit, with no rips or tears. Shoes should always be closed-toed — no sandals or flip-flops. If you’re interviewing for a job that requires you to wear a business suit every day, however, that’s how you’d dress for the job interview. This attire is appropriate for most executive roles as well as positions in law, banking, and finance. In this case, men would wear a conservative suit with a white or solid color shirt, tie, dress socks, and well-shined shoes. Women would wear a suit (either a pantsuit or skirt suit) or a conservative dress with panty hose and dress shoes. You can offset a black or dark suit with a pop of color in the form of a brightly colored shirt or blouse. However, it goes almost without saying that women should avoid short dresses and low-cut, revealing necklines when choosing interview attire. For both men and women, avoid anything too bright or flashy. Don’t let your clothes be a distraction. You want the focus to be on you, not what you’re wearing. Be remembered for your interview answers, not your interview attire. Do’s and don’ts of job interview attire
Don’t get too crazy with colors or patterns. Don’t wear socks that are too short with your pants. Socks should cover at least half the leg so that when you sit down, no leg shows. Don’t forget your hair! Your hairstyle should be professional and shouldn’t distract the interviewer. Biggest mistakes in dressing for interviewsMen:
Women:
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AuthorMandy Fard is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, CMRW) and Recruiter with decades of experience in assisting job seekers, working directly with employers in multiple industries, and writing proven-effective resumes. Archives
May 2024
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