Job Search Books from Alison Doyle

Job Search Books from Alison Doyle Alison Doyle is the job search expert at About.com, and has been blogging and writing about jobs and careers for years.  She has also counseled many people one-on-one as they work on their own job search.  Shes definitely in the trenches. Here are three job search books Alison has written, the most recent/current at the top: Alison Doyles Job Search Guidebook (more info) Internet Your Way to a New Job (third edition) (more info) The About.com Guide to Job Searching (more info) I remember my first discussion with Alison. JibberJobber was relatively new, and I was anxious to have people like her learn about it, blog about it, share it with their audience.  I emailed her a few times, and she finally called my phone number.  At the time, I didnt have a work number so she called my home I was in a bedroom taking apart (or putting together?) a bed frame tools and stuff where a strew, when she called.  I was flattered, and delighted.  We had a great call, and over the years weve had a number of communications, including lunches when shes been in Utah. Alison Doyle is the real deal.  She is genuine, smart, current, and really passionate about all-things-job-search.  Check out her books here. You can learn more about Alison on Twitter (@AlisonDoyle), and of course find her atJobSearch.About.com. Job Search Books from Alison Doyle Alison Doyle is the job search expert at About.com, and has been blogging and writing about jobs and careers for years.  She has also counseled many people one-on-one as they work on their own job search.  Shes definitely in the trenches. Here are three job search books Alison has written, the most recent/current at the top: Alison Doyles Job Search Guidebook (more info) Internet Your Way to a New Job (third edition) (more info) The About.com Guide to Job Searching (more info) I remember my first discussion with Alison. JibberJobber was relatively new, and I was anxious to have people like her learn about it, blog about it, share it with their audience.  I emailed her a few times, and she finally called my phone number.  At the time, I didnt have a work number so she called my home I was in a bedroom taking apart (or putting together?) a bed frame tools and stuff where a strew, when she called.  I was flattered, and delighted.  We had a great call, and over the years weve had a number of communications, including lunches when shes been in Utah. Alison Doyle is the real deal.  She is genuine, smart, current, and really passionate about all-things-job-search.  Check out her books here. You can learn more about Alison on Twitter (@AlisonDoyle), and of course find her atJobSearch.About.com. Job Search Books from Alison Doyle Alison Doyle is the job search expert at About.com, and has been blogging and writing about jobs and careers for years.  She has also counseled many people one-on-one as they work on their own job search.  Shes definitely in the trenches. Here are three job search books Alison has written, the most recent/current at the top: Alison Doyles Job Search Guidebook (more info) Internet Your Way to a New Job (third edition) (more info) The About.com Guide to Job Searching (more info) I remember my first discussion with Alison. JibberJobber was relatively new, and I was anxious to have people like her learn about it, blog about it, share it with their audience.  I emailed her a few times, and she finally called my phone number.  At the time, I didnt have a work number so she called my home I was in a bedroom taking apart (or putting together?) a bed frame tools and stuff where a strew, when she called.  I was flattered, and delighted.  We had a great call, and over the years weve had a number of communications, including lunches when shes been in Utah. Alison Doyle is the real deal.  She is genuine, smart, current, and really passionate about all-things-job-search.  Check out her books here. You can learn more about Alison on Twitter (@AlisonDoyle), and of course find her atJobSearch.About.com.

How to Write a Professional Resume

How to Write a Professional ResumeNow that you've read the first article in our mini-series on resume writing, it's time to move on to part two of the mini-series: how to write a professional resume and how to write a killer cover letter. After you've followed along with this first article, we recommend that you head over to your favorite resume writing software, download a sample resume or CV and start getting it ready for submitting to a hiring manager. You'll have to be patient and dedicated to your resume writing software, so don't give up if it doesn't come out perfect the first time around.As you work on your resume, it's important to keep in mind that not everyone will get the same job, even if they have identical resumes and samples submitted to the same employers. Different employers use different approaches when interviewing and evaluating candidates, so it's important to consider each of these when you're developing your resume. Here are some tips to help you create a resu me that stands out from the crowd.First of all, never send a resume or CV through various applicant tracking systems or to individual employers without making sure it's polished and professional. This can include editing and trimming. A resume should be updated regularly. There are usually two job fairs in a year, so expect that the first two weeks of your resume will show up with the majority of it already filled in. That's okay - just go back and add the information that needs to be added.The idea is to make sure the resume is well-written, professional and polished, not to mention very professional and not too long. Generally speaking, a resume should be between 200-600 words, though if you're submitting to several companies, you may want to think about going longer. Remember that resume software will only read your resume.While a resume does not need to be as fancy or creative as some people think, you should at least have a neat introduction and call to action. You want your re sume to stand out from the crowd and draw attention from the hiring manager.If you've included some kind of information about yourself online, then include a brief biography in your resume. If you are doing your own research online, include the links to the relevant articles.Don't be afraid to include a picture of yourself in your resume. I know some resume writers who don't include a picture, but that's because they feel it's inappropriate, or because they don't have a photo of themselves. But that's just not true - most hiring managers and interviewers use pictures when evaluating candidates, so why not use one in your resume?Resume writing is very easy if you know how to do it right. Just follow the steps in this article and you'll get your resume ready for submitting to an employer.

How blogging leads to business - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How blogging leads to business - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career People from around the world are interested in a variety of subjects. They scour the internet, using google and technorati to search for these subjects in order to gain knowledge. Blogs have become the center resource for this knowledge, providing a first hand and personal feel that people can relate to. When visitors or perspective customers visit a blog, they can not only gain insight into a subject they are interested in already, but get a feel for the author who is writing it. There is no better way to start, grow and expand your business than creating a blog that is the interface to the customer. A blog acts as the middle-man between your business and the potential customer. It is a touch point by where visitors are converted to customers. Your Personal Brand allows for this connection to take place. By branding yourself as an expert in your field, readers are more likely to be interested in your writing, your brand and your corporate brand. Your goal is to be perceived as a maj or player on the subject that you deal with on your blog. There are 3 stages that will help you generate new business or retain customers, which I call The Blog Conversion Cycle. It all starts with writing a blog! Stage 1: A visitor searches the internet and lands on your blog. They enjoy the material, as well as your subject matter expertise. They are an active participant in the blog by commenting or emailing the author. Once this connection takes place, there is a relationship and as we all know, that leads to new business opportunities. Remember that not everyone who visitors your blog will purchase your products or services or even subscribe. The percentage that hold interest are more inclined to travel to your corporate webpage afterward. Stage 2: When a visitor has enough interest in your blog and perceives you as a leading service provider through your bio (could be LinkedIn), then they will be more likely to visit your corporate webpage or the page in your blog designated to product or service transactions. With a clear value proposition and marketing collateral to back it up, your business will be viewed as attractive to this customer. After learning about the topic, your business and your Personal Brand from your blog, visitors will be converted to customers that are ready to purchase. Stage 3: As an expert providing a high quality product or service through your business webpage, you have now found an evangelist to spread awareness of your blog, business and Personal Brand to others. This may be done virally through the internet, physically through word of mouth or by links on other blogs or webpages. Either way, a happy customer is bound to speak about your business to others. Customers who refer others in their network to your blog are valuable assets to your company because they are your spokesman. Your customer can create new visitors to your blog, who will go through a similar cycle. By using your Personal Brand through this cycle, you can expedite the results. I say this because the deeper the connection and relationship you have with visitors, the quicker they will be converted to customers. By blogging you are establishing that connection and through comments, email and other forms of communication, you are creating a bridge from your blog to your business.

Coachology Redesign your blog and get more readers

Coachology Redesign your blog and get more readers Just after I redesigned my blog last March, Cory Miller sent an email to me giving me some suggestions on how to tweak the layout to get more traffic. My first instinct was to delete the mail because I had just spent $3000 on a blog design and I didnt want to hear it was already out of date. But I have learned my lesson about ignoring reader advice, so I gave some of his suggestions a try. Its because of Cory that there is suggested reading at the end of every post. The suggested posts are supposed to be related to the post at hand, but in fact, I find they are seldom related. That doesnt seem to matter, though. As soon as I implemented this feature, my traffic went up. Cory also told me that I could put search toward the bottom of the page. I was shocked to hear that most people dont search blogs. But when I looked at the record of recent searches on Brazen Careerist, it was true: Almost every search was one I had done myself, looking for a specific post to link to. It was around this time that my book publicity was heating up, and I was launching a home site to promote the book, and I needed to hire someone to help me. When Cory saw that I implemented his changes, he offered to do work for me for free. That would have been great. But I know myself. I make lots of little changes and I work really late at night, and I overreact to problems like the day I accidentally turned my whole blog bold and I couldnt figure out where the missing HTML tag was. I need to pay someone to make it worth putting up with me. So I hired Cory at his regular rate. And it was worth every penny. But hold it. You know what I did first? I read his blog a little more carefully because he is an evangelical Christian. As a liberal Jew, I have never really come into contact with someone like him. And, now that I think about it, I have managed to live among a heavily gay population in New York City and Los Angeles, and in a bastion of atheist academics in Boston, and the most conservative place I have ever lived is in the spot in Chicago where tourists go to bars ? not outright liberal, but I certainly didnt meet any evangelists there. After reading his blog, I decided that hiring Cory would broaden my world. And it has. For one thing, Cory is smart about search engine optimization and how it relates to design, so I am getting smarter. And he is an ace with WordPress to the point that hes made me love it. But he has also taught me about living ones values at work. Of course I asked him about all the religion stuff. He was shocked to hear I was Jewish, and I was shocked that he didnt know. But maybe Jewish radar is like gay radar and straight men dont have any. Anyway, the final thing I have learned from Cory is about living life according to ones values. He does it in a more extreme way than I could. I cherish my moments of hypocrisy. But I really admire him for believing in something. I think thats important. I want to live life according to my values, too. I am just less certain than he is about what they are. But I digress. This is Coachology, right? Cory is offering to create a new blog design (and implement it) for someone for free. Its gotta be in WordPress, (technically called a WordPress Theme) and hes going to give you six hours of his time. If you are high maintenance, indecisive and difficult, you are going to find that six hours is a tight limit. (But maybe you can change. Here are instructions on how to be a good client during the design process.) Corys expertise is creating blog designs that boost traffic, so the people who will benefit the most from this offer are not brand-new bloggers, but people who have established some sort of an audience already. If youd like this chance to spruce up your blog, send an email to me at penelope@penelopetrunk.com with three sentences about why youd be a good candidate for the award. The deadline for submitting an email is Sunday, and Cory will pick a winner next week.

Skills For a Resume Writing - How To Make Sure That You Are Actually Focusing On The Job You Want

Skills For a Resume Writing - How To Make Sure That You Are Actually Focusing On The Job You WantPeople do not like to put the skills for a resume on paper. Most of them are more than willing to give a rough outline of their professional background and how they want to utilize the skills they have to succeed in their chosen career. One common problem in this case is that they may write their skills too in a way that does not fit their career goal.What is more, some job seekers also want to use skills for a resume as a tool to impress the hiring managers. If this happens, it can be dangerous. It can create a negative impression that will certainly cause hesitation on the part of the employer. They might see you as somebody who does not know what he wants or maybe a low performer.People should avoid using the skills for a resume they have for a job they want. Rather, they should use the ones they have for the job they want. There is no point wasting valuable time, effort and money on t he one that do not fit what you want to achieve. You can't expect to be hired if you show your true colors. Besides, you will look less professional and employ the skills for a resume writing to be worthless.One of the ways to make sure that you are actually focusing on the job you are applying for is to take a good look at yourself and the people around you. You might need to realize that there is a great disparity between what you think about yourself and others. This disparity can create a level of conflict.Then again, you could let these disagreements develop until it hurts you could take away the self-confidence you think you need to excel in your chosen career. It's better to handle conflicts wisely and with maturity. Even if this takes away the skills for a resume writing, it is surely better than letting this conflict hurt you.Also, the skills for a resume are subjective. You can hardly say that your skills for a resume are perfect. This is why you need to have an overall pi cture of your personal strengths and weaknesses. By taking a good look at yourself and the people around you, you can find out the areas that need more improvement.The only downside to this approach is that you need to be consistent in such skill. Most likely, you won't get these skills for a resume writing to be perfect in one day.However, you will get the skills for a resume to be what you want. You need to be consistent in such skill. This consistency can be found if you focus on the good parts of yourself.

How to Make It Work in Intergenerational Teams [Guest Post] - Career Pivot

How to Make It Work in Intergenerational Teams [Guest Post] - Career Pivot Trouble Collaborating? How to Make It Work in Intergenerational Teams If you’re a Baby Boomer, you may have profoundly different expectations and practices about work and workplaces than other generations. Millennials, those born between 1980 and 1995, get a particularly bad rap from Boomers for being riveted to their smartphones at the expense of face-to-face communication, living with their parents at an age when Boomers had gone out on their own and preferring telecommuting on a computer to a presence in the office. It isn’t only Millennials who are generationally different from Baby Boomers at work, though. Generation X, those born between 1960 and 1979, grew up at a time when authority was being questioned left and right (think Vietnam and Watergate). Despite the fact that Boomers are associated with the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll of the 1960s, Boomers’ growing-up years were generally stable politically. It was Generation X who bore the brunt of questioning authority. Knowing how things can fall apart, they tend to like efficiency and practicality in the workplace. Your potential colleagues aren’t limited to those two age cohorts. Given the skyrocketing cost of living, many older workers keep their jobs past the age of 65. They are the Traditionalists, born 1933 to 1945. In their day, a job was to be kept at all costs, and hierarchies were rigidly maintained. These differences in the workplace can cause friction among generations. Despite the differences in approaches to workplaces, though, collaboration is essential to good working relationships and productivity. When project managers are asked to pinpoint what causes projects to fail, 30 percent cite inadequate or poor collaboration. Good communication and respect are essential to good collaboration, and it’s precisely good communication and respect that might be flying out the window if generational differences are allowed to become negative issues. Here are three ways to collaborate with all the age groups in your office. Acknowledge and Work With Differences A lot of tension can be released if generational differences and preferences are acknowledged. Generational stereotypes may be true. As a baby boomer, you might prefer to have meetings around a conference table rather than via Skype or text. Your Millennial colleague might have new ideas for a Facebook campaign that seems overly oriented to pictures as far as you’re concerned. It may help to keep an eye out for generational preferences and to discuss them. If you’re a manager, for example, you might notice that Generation X’ers thrive on email, Millennials are highly productive in a telecommute position that allows them to manage your social media and Boomers and Traditionalists flourish in the direct communication of a physical office. There is no need for a one-size-fits-all approach. Make note of these differences and work productively with them. For More:Gen X and Y â€" Like Oil and Water? Set up Mentorship Programs Studies have shown that Millennials especially like mentorship programs. They’re tailor-made to foster collaborative relationships. Why? Generational differences in a workplace can cause misunderstanding and frustration. They allow stereotypes (“Boomers don’t understand technology” or “Millennials are addicted to their phones and can’t look me in the eye”) to take root, grow and fester. Listen to the most recent episode Pairing people of different generations in mentorship programs allows each generation to work with and help the other. Both people build respect for different experiences and outlooks. After all, Baby Boomers have much experience to offer, while Generation X and Millennials have had rough roads with the recession and 9/11. Understanding the other’s point of view can only help. In addition, if the stereotypes are true, mentorship can help. Perhaps a Millennial who understands everything a smartphone and its multitude of apps can do can show a Boomer things they never dreamed possible, like faster ways to create budget projections and ways to access Word documents as you powerwalk. Sounds good, right? It cuts both ways. Millennials have a reputation for needing and expecting open and transparent communication. As much as corporations may strive toward transparency, though, they can’t always achieve it. This tends to frustrate Millennials, who may not know how to negotiate workplaces. A Boomer can give Millennials good advice on when to expect transparency and positive feedback â€" and when to know it may not be forthcoming. Generation X may be having difficulty managing growing families and workplaces. A mentorship program can give them advice on juggling responsibilities from Boomers and pointers on increasing productivity through technology from Millennials. For More:4 Reasons Boomers Need a Mentor Your Kid’s Age Goodies for All Companies are making every attempt to make workplaces more friendly to Millennials. After all, they constitute one-third of the workforce right now. Businesses are offering flex time, the option to work from home and fitness classes at the workplace because they are attractive to Millennials. It is important, though, to make it clear that these goodies are available to all workers, and to emphasize that the new workplace benefits all. Working with three or four age groups in one company and collaborating effectively can be tough. Through management that acknowledges differences, mentorship programs and making benefits associated with Millennials available to all workers, you can make collaboration a reality and a strong force in your company. This post was written by Career expert and blogger Sarah Landrum is the founder of Punched Clocks, a site for professionals about finding happiness and success in life and at work. Subscribe to Sarah’s newsletter and follow her on social media for more advice to grow your career. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn andPinterest. Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

8 Interview Questions You Shouldnt Be Answering in Interviews - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

8 Interview Questions You Shouldn’t Be Answering in Interviews There are some questions and some topics that should be off-limits during an interview and some of them are even illegal. But, it is not common for inexperienced and even sneaky interviewers to throw one of the trickiest questions at you. They do so to check what the candidates are capable of and if you pass, you have the opportunity to give the job your best shot. Take a look at the following interview questions that you should never answer and what you should say instead: How Old Are You? It is illegal for a recruiter to discriminate against a candidate on the basis of age, and when you answer this truthfully, you are offering the recruiter a fodder for age discrimination. When asked, simply inform the interviewer that you are above legal working age and that you are capable to perform well when it comes to the work related responsibilities. Are You Married? The interviewer may ask you if you have had a professional name change but asking you whether you are married or plan to get married in the future is a total no-no. Simply inform your interviewer whether or not you have any personal commitments that may affect your ability to work.Make sure that you are not being too generous by providing them too much information. How Many Children Do You Have? This is another question that should be off-limits. Like the previous question, simply assure your interviewer that you have no personal commitments that may affect your ability to do the job. Do note that you may be asked this question after a job offer has been made if the company plans on offering family insurance benefits. In such a case, you are required to answer this question honestly and not hide the number of children you have, no matter how many. What Religion Do You Follow? As with age, discrimination on the basis of religion is also illegal. If asked, try to figure out the employer’s concerns and answer the question in a way that addresses the concern. For example, if you are interviewing at a restaurant, the interviewer may be trying to determine your stance towards alcohol. You can let them know whether or not you have any issues. Where Do You Live? Your recruiter may be trying to figure out whether you can report to work at a certain time or not. Simply assure them of your ability to do so. When pressed, you can simply give a vague answer such as “close by. Do You Smoke, Drink Or Do Drugs? Your interviewer may simply be trying to judge how responsible you are. Just let them know your personal habits and that your indulgences will not interfere with your on the job performance. What Is Your Nationality? This too is another illegal question. If you are asked, you are merely required to inform your interviewer whether or not you are legally able to work in the country or state; there is nothing much that they should know. Any Questions Regarding Political Affiliations When asked, try to determine the intent behind the question and answer accordingly without actually revealing your political leanings. As a general rule, if you are asked any of these questions, try to keep it light and friendly at all times. Often the interviewer may only be trying to make conversation and it is likely that they are either inexperienced or unfamiliar with the law. There is, therefore, no need for you to lose your cool. Lara Pole works at dissertation corp as a media manager. She’s also a blog enthusiast with a core specialty in topics like career, job interview, etc.

Boomers Retire - A Brave New Work World -

Boomers Retire - A Brave New Work World - Tammy Erickson of Harvard Business Online recently wrote about the changes that may be coming as a result of baby boomers reaching retirement age.   Ive written about how the workplace may need to become more flexible to avoid the brain drain that would occur as more mature and experienced workers leave their companies.   Ericksons prediction goes beyond suggesting the employers will offer flexible jobs: Over the next several decades, as more sectors face the looming talent shortage, there will be a rapid increase in the number of people who work in cyclical or project-based arrangementsmany with no fixed affiliation to one corporation. Its even possible that project-based work will become the norm in several decadeswith most workers operating as what some have called intellectual mercenaries assembled by project, as needed. Essentially, these cyclical workers are what might today be called contractorsThey come in to do a job, get the work done and leave. Imagine if our workforce really adjusted to this type of scenario.   Many workers would be like cogs in an ever spinning wheel.   Benefits could go by the wayside, as only a select group of essential workers would be considered full time employees.   Presumably, some permanent jobs may be lost, but many would benefit from the flexible arrangements.   Erickson suggests that this workplace may be decades in the future.   Its difficult enough planning for next months workplace, let alone for something that may happen 10 years down the road.   However, the suggestions she makes to prepare seem timely and  well suited to anyone in todays workforce who hopes to influence their own career path. In summary, Erickson suggests: Building and maintaining your professional network. Understand your skills and talents and where they can be put to use. Keep current on research and thinking in your field. Keep licenses and certifications up to date. Maintain a home office as a launching pad for marketing and selling your skills as well as maintaining records of billable hours. Dont become so immersed in the here and now that you forget to take time to consider planning for the next thing. This last point strikes me as particularly important.   In any changing or volatile work environment, dont let yourself get so caught up in getting through the week that you forget that another Monday is just around the weekend.   We could all benefit by more involved planning and efforts on our own behalf to ensure that we are really driving our own career bus. Keppie Careers will help you drive your own career bus.