Monthly Archives: September 2011

Big Changes at Gradversity

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Hey everyone!

Over the next week, Gradversity is going to undergo some major changes. We will be changing from a simple blog to an article directory focused on the Entry Level Job Market. This means that all of the guest posters who have been bombarding me over the last several months will now have the ability to submit articles directly.

Along with this changes comes an updated WordPress theme. Not a dramatic departure, but hopefully one that will give us a new look and feel.

As with any upgrade, there may be a few bumps in the road. But don’t worry, we’ll be back to 100% in no time.

Thanks for your support and we are looking forward to bigger things in the future!

 

~ Trevor Wilson

 

3 Reasons Why Creating a Blog is Great for Your Job Search

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Developing and maintaining an online presence is becoming more important as employers rely on online background checks to research candidates. This is why it’s a good idea to create your own blog. Blogs are a great technique for building your brand and enhancing your job search as a whole. But if you’re unsure that it will work for you, here are three reasons to place it on your list of considerations:

 

1. You Have the Opportunity to Grow and Share Your Expertise

As your wealth of knowledge in your field grows, it’s great to share it with others. By creating a blog, you have the opportunity to do this on a large scale. Even better is that, as you share, you get to research the topic, which helps you learn even more. And you get to receive input from others who know even more than you, helping you to continue to broaden your horizons.

 

2. You Get the Opportunity to Network With Others

Networking is not just a plus when conducting a job search; it is oftentimes a necessity. This is why blogging is so beneficial. As you take time to write on industry-related topics and draw an audience, you get to interact with others in your field. This gives you the opportunity to build your arsenal of professional connections so that, in the future, you may be able to swap opportunities that can be helpful for everyone.

 

3. Building Your Resume Becomes Easier

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to find various aspects of our professional lives that are impressive enough to add to our resumes. But by starting an industry-related blog, you not only have additional information to include, you actually get to show that you are so dedicated to the field that you are willing to discuss it outside of the traditional work environment.

Keep in mind that it’s a good idea to include the actual link to your blog—in addition to its name—when adding it to your resume. This will help the employer easily locate your Web site.

It’s easy for people to think that blogging is not beneficial to a job search because so many people can start their own without having a professional background. But there are many blogs being written by well-respected professionals—so why not try it too? You might be surprised by how well it enhances your job search efforts.

 

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow us on Twitter @GreatResume or visit our blog.

Global resume authority Jessica Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast is a former HR Manager who partners with professional- and executive-level candidates to create authentic, branded resumes and cover letters.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

LinkedIn And Your Resume: Related, But Not Twins

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LinkedIn profiles and resumes share overlapping functions, but their differences are too often overlooked, especially by users uncertain about social networking and new to LinkedIn. One common mistake made is viewing your profile as not much more than an electronic version of your resume. They’re not twins, and if you approach the two as tools with different purposes, you’ll significantly increase your exposure to the right people. A good starting point is to understand the landscape changes that created the market for LinkedIn. That same landscape changes the nature of resumes, forever.

The theme song for the Showtime hit Weeds, “Little Boxes,” describes, in mocking derision, the generation that came of age immediately following the end of WWII. Not quite the leading characters of Mad Men, but the younger siblings. This generation “went to the university,” took work in a major corporation and spent the balance of their working lives in one career. Today, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average job tenure is 4.4 years. Not only do those in today’s workforce change jobs, they change careers only slightly less than they do positions. Future can expect to have several careers in their lifetimes.

Education has also transformed with society’s workforce. Over the years, jobs requiring only minimal schooling have virtually disappeared, while bachelor’s degrees, once a reliable key for lifetime entrance to employment, are constantly in need of supplemental updating, driving growth in online education programs for students working full time jobs. These developments, while not making resumes obsolete by any means, have changed the nature of telling potential employers about who you are and what you can do.

LinkedIn has been described as a “living resume.” That’s a pretty fair portrayal by which to approach your account. Your resume is a good starting point to build content for your LinkedIn presence, but just as today’s human resource managers expect every resume to be uniquely tailored to the specific job in question; your internet presence should be customized as your career direction is focused by constant interaction facilitated largely by social media. The dynamics of LinkedIn activities should guide improvements to your resume, not the other way around.

Another essential distinction between your resume and your LinkedIn profile is the goal of each. Resumes have traditionally and continue to be the tool used to get an interview. LinkedIn is the tool you use to find the right job for you and the decision maker, who will not only select an employee but may also build the job description after becoming aware of a potential candidate’s skill set. See the difference? The resume goes to the HR department and is used as an interview tool, but your LinkedIn account is your guide to the boss’ door. Networking makes that mysterious path to the new job visible.

As the very scope of this article, is understanding the subtle and not-so-subtle difference between your resume and your on-line profile. You need only know that the wise use of your network is the powerful, indispensable pursuit you must follow by using LinkedIn and that your resume, tailored after you identify an opportunity, comes last. Your connections should be chosen with much greater care than those of any other social networking site associations. Unless your high school classmate is hiring in the field in which you wish to work or they are tennis partners with a potential boss, they don’t belong among your networking connections. Your initial goal should be to acquire at least 200 serious contacts which should be harvested from a very active campaign of meetings and activities that put you in close proximity with people affiliated with your employment goals. Your resume comes into play after you meet someone, again, as a tool designed, (and personalized) to secure a bona fide interview, directly or indirectly.

Those in your growing LinkedIn network should be intelligently sought out as informational resources. Picking up the tab for a couple of lunches, a cup of coffee, or if appropriate, a cocktail after business hours is an astute investment. Everyone likes to be asked for their advice, and while it’s your job to evaluate the information, there is real value to be had by objective eyes imagining you in a job or, just as valuable, letting you know their doubts about a career direction you might, at the time, not see.

With every intelligence boon you garner from your networking, you narrow your search efforts, making those efforts more efficient and more beneficial. Your resume, always changing to reflect new lessons learned, new advantages revealed, remains a vital companion to your LinkedIn account, just not a sibling.

Protect your Privacy while Job Hunting Online

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If you are a recent graduate who is currently unemployed, chances are you’re using technology to help you with your search. While older, traditional job search methods such as inquiring about open positions in person have been replaced with online newspaper classifieds and job listing sites such as CareerBuilder and Monster (and despite the fact that these newer method have simplified the way a job seeker can go about finding employment) the truth is that job hunters can quickly fall victims to the many threats that await for them in the online world such as identity theft. To make sure that you don’t get duped by a fraudulent online job posting or that you accidentally expose sensitive information during your online job search, make sure to follow these few simple tips below.

Do Not Put Sensitive Information on Resumes/Cover letter. While you want your cover letter and resume to reflect you in the best light—after all these two documents are the items that help you score an interview—you do not want to irresponsibly put down information that can be used for criminal actions if put into the wrong set of hands. For example, some hackers and identity thieves go as far as rummaging through garbage (both traditional and cyber) in the hopes of finding improperly disposed resumes and cover letters that give them easy access to all of your info. So never include sensitive information like your social security number, driver’s license number, your sex, age or marital status on any of the forms when initially applying or inquiring about a position. You should even be careful about including your Alma Mater—some really advanced hackers will fill in the necessary blanks by simply looking you up in school directories. And since by law employers can’t even hire you on the items mentioned above anyway there is no real need to include it, unless of course you think earning a degree from your particular school will give you a competitive edge.

Additional Tip: If an online job application asks for something like you social security number, simply state that you will provide the information during the background check stage. Remember that there are no such things as a “preliminary background check,” meaning they cannot scan for one until after you’ve been interviewed.

Do Not Fall for Fraudulent Job Postings. While there is tons of legitimate employment opportunities posted online, there are even more fake ones. Yes, these criminals go as far as creating lucrative sounding job openings so that can prey on the vulnerable unemployed community to get all sorts of information from them, including social security numbers and even bank account numbers. First things first, always remember that you cannot be hired without having an interview. While yes if you are applying to work overseas a phone interview or video-chat interview may suffice, but if all you did was simply submit an application/resume and the employer contacts you via email or phone already offering you the job, you should proceed with extreme caution, especially if the employers next line is, “what’s your social security number so we can do a background check?” or “we need your bank account information.” The only time a company needs your bank account info is to set up direct deposit, but even then you still need to have an in-person interview to get the job. That said, to avoid responding to fraudulent job postings all together make sure to pay attention to the following details:

  • The company’s web site: It should look professional, contain some of the company’s history as well as and contain all of the important contact information, including the corporate office. If you cannot easily find the company’s site using a search engine, it may just be because the company you are applying for does not really exist. If a web site does exist but you are still on the fence about whether the person who contacted you is a con artist or not, don’t hesitate to attempt to contact the company’s HR department and verify their identity.
  • Email: Legitimate companies will not have you submit applications from personal email addresses such as Companyname@gmail.com. Instead, the domains will look like this: @Companyname.com
  • Lastly, never ever will you have to submit checks or money orders to apply for a job. Most work-at-home scams will do this. For a full list of typical work-at-home scams and how to avoid them, click here.

This guest contribution was submitted by Lenore Holditch, who specializes in writing about top online colleges. Questions and comments can be sent to: holditch.lenore@gmail.com.

How Career Exploration Can Help New Grads Find Direction

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The bad news: One of the toughest challenges for new grads is finding the direction they need to create a clear, focused, and ultimately successful job hunt. In a world filled with both thousands of career options and serious job competitors, even knowing where to start can be overwhelming, right?

The good news: There are tools to help. You are probably familiar with the personalities tests and job boards, but there’s one resource that’s often overlooked: career exploration sites. With descriptions of jobs, salary statistics, work environment, and more, these pages act as centralized hubs of career information.

So, how does this sort of tool help you find direction?

 

You can investigate a range of possibilities.

Maybe you’re one of the lucky few who knows exactly what career path to take from day one; yet, if you’re like many job market newbies, all you know for certain are the skills you can offer. Hyper-organized? Good with people? Need a social work atmosphere? Career exploration sites let you sort jobs according to certain traits, strengths or desired work space. Casting a wide net can open your eyes to a whole slew of job options in fields you may never have considered or even heard about.

I know, you’re saying “I don’t need to explore, I need a job!” However, the more opportunities you’re aware of, the more likely you are to find a good career fit. In the long run, taking more time to land a job that truly aligns with your skills and values is much more beneficial than scooping up the first offer that comes your way.

 

You get industry-specific information.

Once you’ve pinned down a general area of interest, career exploration sites supply you with in-depth information about specific positions. Using the job profiles as a jumping off point, you can thoroughly research your target industry.

This investigative work will help your job hunt in three ways. First, you’ll need to have a strong grasp on the ins, outs, and current climate of the field in order to impress at interviews.

Second, understanding the industry will help when you’re looking for good contacts to ask for informational interviews. The more exactly your chosen expert’s job matches your interest, the more accurate and valuable the interview will be.

Third, having a firm idea of how your desired job fits into the industry will give you the best estimate about which work experience you need to highlight on your application.

 

You can see your next step.

Maybe you need an internship, externship, or apprenticeship before applying directly to positions. Or maybe your career path is the kind where you just have to dive into the deep end of the job pool and start swimming. Either way, career exploration sites can point the way toward the best steps to take when breaking into an industry.

Direction isn’t easy to come by. However, by doing your research and using the right tools, you can gain a better sense of where you want to be going and how you’re going to get there.

Annie Favreau writes for Inside Jobs, a career exploration site where people can discover what opportunities exist and learn what paths can take them there.

4 Tips for Writing a Clean Green Resume

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The U.S. economy is slowly but surely making space for the green industry. As many products and services place their focus on energy preservation, more jobs are cropping up to accommodate those needs.

If you’ve been thinking about going green in your career, you’re about to enter a fresh and exciting industry. Of course, you need a new and exciting resume to match. Here are some tips for helping you to write a resume that can facilitate your transition into a green-collar career.

 

1. Learn Green Industry Keywords

As with any other industry, it’s important to immerse yourself in the keywords. Not only will this be important when trying to get your electronic resume past scanning software, but it will be necessary to show—when your resume is viewed by human eyes—that you know the industry.

There are a number of keywords to make note of—and of course, you want to make sure the ones you choose match the job you’re applying for—but some to consider adding are: green audit, recycling, precycling, carbon trading, and ecoflation in order to increase your chances of snagging an interview.

 

2. Show That Your Previous Experience Aligns With Employers’ Needs

Many candidates have never worked in the green industry because it is so new. Employers understand this and don’t always expect your experience to be an exact match. But if you want to show that you’re the best fit for a position, it’s good to highlight all of the experience you have that aligns closely to each job’s requirements. You’re likely to have more transferrable skills than you think.

 

3. Prove You Care About the Planet

If you currently belong to a recycling program, have ever volunteered for a green organization, or have made other green efforts, your resume is the place to mention it. Also, if the company you apply to asks for a paper resume, send it on recycled, chlorine-free paper with a matching envelope to show your commitment to living the green lifestyle.

 

4. Get Help From a Green Insider

Also, don’t be shy about asking for help from a person who is already working in the green industry. Get tips on ways to impress hiring managers, as well as how to get more involved in the industry on both the professional and personal levels. Your hard work in officially “going green” will pay off.

 

There’s nothing more rewarding than dedicating your life to enhancing the planet. So if you are serious about working in the green industry, start with creating a great resume that can help you get your foot in the door of a company that’s truly making a difference.

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow us on Twitter @GreatResume or visit our blog.

Global resume authority Jessica Hernandez of GreatResumesFast is a former HR Manager who partners with professional- and executive-level candidates to create authentic, branded resumes and cover letters.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Book Review: Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies

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Today we are reviewing the new book Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies by Joshua Waldman. At 316 pages, it’s a medium length book and should be a quick read for almost anyone.

Let’s take a closer look…

The Goal

This book tries to help readers not only understand the benefits of using social media in their job hunt, but also to know what options are available and how to get the most value out of them.

The Good

  • As with most “For Dummies” books, the content is very easy to read and digest, which is perfect for job hunters of any kind.
  • It contains lots of information which was “new” to me, such as the Pomodoro Technique and a number of job search management tools (like Gist and JobKatch).
  • Joshua takes time to discuss many different social networking options, including those beyond the “Big Three” (Facebook Twitter, and LinkedIn).
  • The chapter on Personal Branding is a must read for any modern job seeker, especially those who are looking for Entry Level Jobs

The Bad

  • The book briefly covers many topics, but there are spots where I was wishing for more detail.
  • At a few points, I felt as though some topics were only loosely connected to the social networking theme (ie. setting up your job search, time management, etc), even though it’s good information to have.

What It’s Missing

  • Google Plus. I can’t fault Joshua for this, but the timing of the book’s release has resulted in the exclusion of Google Plus, which appears will play a major role in social job searching in the future.

The Result

This is a great book and one that I would highly recommend. There aren’t too many other books on job hunting that feel so relevant to the modern job hunt. If you are a job seeker of any age, be sure to pick up a copy!