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Career and workplace advice for employees and job seekers: interviews, starting a new job, managers and colleagues, and what it is like to work at sought-after companies.

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GuideStarting a New Job: The 90-Day GuideWhat to focus on in your first three months.Insider guideLanding a Job at AnthropicWhat to know before you apply.How-to25 Smart Questions to Ask in an InterviewQuestions that help you stand out.AdviceUnresponsive ManagersWhat silence from a manager tells employees.

  • 7 Ways to Build a Professional Network in College

    ByGuest

    Professional networking has to play an important role throughout one’s career. The benefits that networking brings can sometimes leave you amazed. If you want to achieve professional success, you should start career networking as quickly as possible. In fact, it’s a good idea to start building your network while you are still in college. 

    Given below are some cool tips that college students can use to network and connect with influential people.
     

    #1. Meet as Many People as You Can
     

    While you are studying in college, you should never hesitate to meet with as many people as possible. You never know who you meet by regularly interacting with a wide variety of people.
     

    #2. Connect Online
     

    Thanks to the emergence of social media, you can now use a range of social networking platforms to connect with influential people online. Participate in online conversations on social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus among others. Get in touch with employers, industry experts, recruiting agencies, passionate people etc.
     

    #3. Listen More Than You Talk
     

    If you want to expand your network and benefit from it too, you need to become an active listener. Listening is a great skill, which you can use to attract a lot of people. So, don’t just speak. Let other people share their point of views. And learn from what they say.
     

    #4. Attend Social Events
     

    Many college students are too shy to attend social functions. This is not the right attitude if you aspire to achieve career success. Whether a social event is organized by your college or the community where you live, you can use this as an excellent opportunity for connecting with influential people.
      
    To get social online, LinkedIn is a great place to network with fellow students. More at 7 Ways College Students Can Benefit from LinkedIn.  
      

    #5. Be a Conversation Starter
     

    It’s always advisable not to wait for the other person to approach you or start talking to you. Be ready to take the lead and start the conversation yourself if the other person is not very comfortable.
     

    #6. Make People Feel Important
     

    People like to be heard. They want to be felt important. If you have the capability to make other people feel important, you can easily grab their attention. It is a great skill to connect to a lot of people and expand your network even while you are in college.
     

    #7. Get Rid of the Fear of Rejection
     

    When you start meeting people, you may have some fear of being rejected as well. Many people won’t simply want to connect. Don’t let this fear hold you back. Step up and march ahead. Always be positive!
     
    The professional networking that you do while in college can pay great dividends when you are out in the real world. Your network of contacts can bring you plenty of career development benefits. Start using the above mentioned tips and start to build you network right away.

    And when you finally graduate, here’s How To Find Jobs as a College Graduate.
      
    James Tomerson writes regularly on career, education and latest job trends. To read more from him, you can visit Jobdiagnosis.com, which also offers jobseekers a free career aptitude test to choose a career which is in tune with their career, aptitude and skills.
     
    Image credit Glenn Waters

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    Looking for a New Job? Time To Get Out of the House!

    ByJörgen Sundberg

    We recently had a chat with the great blogger, author and speaker Tim Tyrell-Smith. In this interview, Jorgen and Tim discuss the importance of personal branding and blogging, go through the main pitfalls to avoid in looking for jobs, and give top strategy tips for anyone’s career.

    Tim’s top three tips to job seekers are:

    1. Get out of the house! As tempting as it sounds, don’t spend all day long on your computer: get out there!

    2. Knowing who you are. Have a strong personal brand and find ways to be memorable!

    3. Be strategic. Don’t be impulsive, figure out what you are going to do and put together a plan.

    You can connect with Tim on twitter at And don’t miss the interview we did Tim some time ago (yes same picture but some other ideas in there) at How To Network Like Crazy! Interview with Tim Tyrell-Smith.

  • Top 10 Android Apps for Your Job Search

    ByGuest

    On this blog we recently featured a brilliant post which highlighted iPhone apps that aid job seekers out there, this post highlights apps for the competing Android operating system!
     
    Job seekers need every bit of help they can get to navigate today’s difficult job market. The economy is in the doldrums, and the employment landscape is extremely competitive. As you know the old days of grabbing the newspaper, looking up the “Help Wanted” or employment classified ads and simply placing a phone call to set up an appointment for a job interview are few and far between.
     
    A modern-day search for employment involves a lot more than just scanning the job boards and submitting a resume. Potential employers, recruiters and human resources departments know exactly who they are looking for. They are looking for individuals who pay special attention to detail on their job search. Hiring managers can tell if a job applicant has done his or her homework about the company and the position they are applying for.
     
    Tech-savvy job hunters already know that the Internet is a vast depot for job vacancies, yet there is no central job repository or clearly established protocol for conducting a job search. The job application process these days demands different strategies and plans of action. Some of the new paradigms that job seekers must adopt include online social networking and instant availability.
     
    Thanks to the proliferation of Internet-connected smartphones, job seekers can now take their job search on the road and be immediately notified of the results their efforts are bringing. A smartphone powered by the Android mobile operating system can be transformed into a powerful job hunting device with the right applications. From resume writing tools to interview tips and from networking to organizing, the following Android apps will help you get the job you deserve:
     

    1. LinkedIn

     
    The premier online social networking platform for business professionals is an absolute must for all job hunters. LinkedIn is the only social network that truly connects employers and recruiters with job applicants. Hiring managers conducting a background search may want to spy your Facebook page, but serious employers will really consider the social worth you’ve amassed on LinkedIn.
     

    2. Best Resume Tips

     
    That old staple of the job search process, the resume, is still one of the most important factors when it comes to landing a job. Sticking to a single resume for all applications is not recommended; job seekers should keep different versions of their resume handy and be able to quickly modify them as needed. The Resume Tips app is a great pocket reference guide to remind resume writers not only about the golden rules, but also savvy tips and warnings.
     

    3. Job Search by Indeed.com

     
    The most widely downloaded job search app in the Android marketplace aggregates and organizes millions of job openings that can be searched intuitively.
     

    4. Monster Job Search

     
    Monster has been one of the premier Internet job boards since the early days of the dot-com revolution. The Monster Android app has many exclusive listings not found anywhere else, and it allows job seekers to instantly apply for a job with just a couple of screen taps.
     

    5. LinkUp Job Search Engine

     
    With so many applicants for each vacancy, several companies choose to keep their job openings on their own corporate websites instead of listing them on an Internet job board. LinkUp’s Job Search Engine allows users to search and apply for these discreetly posted openings by category, company, keyword, or location.
     

    6. Evernote

     
    This wonderful app is a favorite of journalists and researchers, but it has proven very useful for job hunters. Evernote records, categorizes and organizes everything, from notes to online clippings, and from audio recordings to photos and videos. Evernote is great for making post-interview notes and recording contact information.
     

    7. ResumeMaker On-the-Go

     
    Job seekers should never find themselves without resumes on their Android devices, but should that awkward moment ever arrive, ResumeMaker On-the-Go makes it simple to craft a spiffy resume directly on a smartphone.
     

    8. ResumeBear

     
    It seems like eons ago that employers used to send a polite note to job applicants that a resume had been received. The massive amount of resumes flying around in cyberspace these days has made that courtesy practically impossible, leaving job seekers in the dark about whether their resume has been viewed at all. ResumeBear is a tracking tool that sends a notification to Android users the moment that their resume is opened.
     

    9. RealTweets Job Networking

     
    Can you find a job in 140 characters or less? Many employers and hiring managers swear by Twitter’s lightning-fast message delivery and social networking functions. RealTweets Job Networking delivers job search-related tweets to Android devices in real-time.
     

    10. Hire*a*Droid

     
    All the major online job boards like SimplyHired, Indeed, CareerBuilder, and LinkUp can be searched at once with Hire-a-Droid. This nifty app channelizes all search queries into a clean, standard format. Users can submit their resumes right from within the app, and prior job queries can be saved so that familiar keywords such as “bilingual administrative assistant” can be turned into a job agent.
     
    With so many apps to choose from, career success is right at the fingertips of Android users. Have we missed any other Android apps that can be helpful to job hunters? Please let us know!
     
    Isaac Bullen is an Android user and probably one you could call a fan-boy, he currently works in digital marketing in the UK on behalf of a range of clients specialising in everything from healthcare news to fiduciary management. His spare time is consumed learning to cook, reading endless blogs on Google reader and cycling.

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    How to Promote Yourself on LinkedIn

    ByGuest

    LinkedIn has over 135 million members internationally and the average household income of a LinkedIn user is over $100,000 annually! With just a little bit of effort you will see how the powerful social site can help you market your personal brand and your business far more than you imagined. 
     
    Our friends at MindFlash have enrolled you in a basic LinkedIn boot camp training to give you the fundamental tools necessary to use the site for all your business and personal marketing needs.

    If you want to learn more about LinkedIn, check out our London based LinkedIn workshops.

  • How to Make LinkedIn and Your Resume Work Together

    ByGuest

    It is a known fact that when it comes to employment, being hired is not always dependent on what you know but often times it’s who you know that can be your biggest asset. That’s why you always hear people talking about the importance of networking. LinkedIn is an excellent website created specifically for professional networking but some users just aren’t using it to its fullest potential.
     
    In comparing your LinkedIn page to a sandwich your resume would be the bread and your profile page would be the meat. The bread might come first, but the meat is the star of the show. Try adding your LinkedIn profile link to the bottom of your resume and encourage potential employers to check it out when you submit a cover letter or get interviewed.

    Your profile not only illustrates your experience but it also shows people you may have in common, provides a complete work history, links out to other things you’ve done, lists recommendations from former colleagues, and much more. Your LinkedIn page is your opportunity to expand your resume and get all of your great accomplishments that may not fit onto the resume.

    Here are some tips to help beef up your LinkedIn profile and impress your future employer.
     

  • How to Land Your Dream Graduate Job

    ByJörgen Sundberg

    Earning your college degree opens doors to a number of career choices, but it takes surprising effort to step through those doors. No one expects to be handed a job, but many don’t expect challenging interview questions and online assessments either. Graduates must carefully prepare for their job search. They must know who they are, what they want and the proper steps to succeed. The following tips will help you maximise your potential for landing your dream job.
      

    Get your CV together

     
    Know who you are and be expected to share that information with potential employers. This is where the curriculum vitae (CV) is important. Employers request a CV from every applicant, which means they’ve seen one from every person who’s received an interview. Your CV must stand out to them.
     
    There are a number of templates from which you can work, but as that’s the route many will take, it is worth the extra time and effort to start from scratch. Begin with the job description for each job you are applying. What important points and key terms stand out to you? These are items you’ll want to include in your CV. Along with your personal details and references, you will list your educational background, your work experience and any relevant skills that aren’t work-related. With each of these sections, include achievements and responsibilities wording them specifically to fit with the information gleaned from the job description.
      
    Be sure to keep it between two and three pages; use reverse chronological order as well as action verbs when describing your education and work history; and search for CV examples to help you perfect your formatting. With an all-inclusive, custom curriculum vitae, you’re ready to prepare for your interview.  

    More on CVs at Why Your CV is Boring and Ineffective.
      

    Get your applicant collateral together

     
    Your CV already holds a wealth of knowledge, but you will be asked to expand on the information you provide. Write out a list of examples describing times you’ve led a team of others, solved a problem or handled unexpected obstacles. Add to that list any instances you are particularly proud of explaining what happened, how you were involved and the outcome. Now memorize this list, and you will be equipped to answer any of the questions that typically catch interviewees off guard. 
      

    Get suited and booted

     
    Knowing what to wear is equally as important as knowing what to say. Dress as though you already have the job. Is a suit required, or is it a business casual environment? Never wear denim trousers or t-shirts. In fact, if it’s a casual workplace that has no dress code, the interviewee should still dress professionally. There is only one time this rule can be disobeyed: if the interviewer specifically tells you to dress a certain way, listen to them.

    More on how to dress at Professionalism in the Workplace: Myth, Mystery or Must?
       

    Get in the right frame of mind

     
    Your choice of clothing won’t matter if you do not have the right attitude. Being negative, arrogant or outwardly terrified will be detrimental to your job search. Instead, keep it simple: be friendly and be confident. Remembering you manners, using eye contact, sitting up straight and speaking clearly and thoughtfully will guarantee you your best possible interview.

      

    Get ready for interviewing

     
    Many employers are using pre-screening online assessments to filter through applications even quicker. These tests examine your skills and ethics, and while answering honestly is the easiest way to pass, many applicants find them to be intimidating. The fact is, by following the tips above; you’re already prepared for the test. You need to know the company, and you need to know yourself. By completing a custom CV preparing for your interview, you’ve already got these answers.
      
    Familiarize yourself with additional information about the company that could be quiz-worthy, read each question carefully and take your time answering. Finally, take practice tests beforehand. Online assessments are available from a number of sites for your benefit. Practice tests will familiarise you with the structure as well as providing sample questions.

    More on interviews at 17 Ways to Interview Like a Pro.
      

    Get ready for success!

     
    Writing a custom curriculum vitae, preparing for your interview, dressing the part and practicing sample pre-screening tests will guarantee you a successful interview and a higher probability of landing the job. Earning the degree was your first step. Now making it count is your second.

    More on this topic at How To Apply for Your First Graduate Job.