How to double your salary (Linked In article)

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-double-your-salary-hiring-j.t.-o%2527donnell.

Thought this was really good--especially for those starting out your career. Not sure the disruptive cover letter will work anymore but if it's as detailed in actual specifics about the job the you want, maybe it would (hard to get anyone to look at that stuff anymore....)

40 Incorrectly Used Words That Can Make You Look Dumb

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141203134446-20017018-40-incorrectly-used-words-that-can-make-you-look-dumb.

I would love for someone to write the same for oral/verbal usage .... We can start with "me and Mary went to the store"

College Majors and Lifetime Earnings

And for those of you who are looking to change careers.....

http://www.hamiltonproject.org/papers/major_decisions_what_graduates_earn_over_their_lifetimes/.

When Google speaks, people listen

The Biggest Mistakes I see on a resume (from a google HR person). I'm going to check my resume now...

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140917045901-24454816-the-5-biggest-mistakes-i-see-on-resumes-and-how-to-correct-them.

Remember this is from a company that hires engineers. Other companies will give you some slack--but check for anything obvious....

Resume Tips for recent grads and interesting blog

This is an informative blog and a re-post--couldn't have said it better myself.

http://www.youtern.com/

10 Things That Aren’t On Your Resume (But Should Be)

This post was originally posted on YouTern written by Mark Babbitt .
Many young careerists – even those with a couple internships under their belt – feel as though their resume and LinkedIn profiles are, for lack of a better word… lacking.
And sometimes this is true – especially when you’re up against someone with three, five and even ten years of at least semi-relevant experience. In that case, how do you compete?
You compete – and win – by including on your resume the achievements, projects and assignments you may have overlooked, or chose not to put on your resume because they were short-term, campus-only related or “not a real job.”
Here are nine great examples (and one thing that probably is on your resume, but shouldn’t be):

Social Media Savviness

No. You aren’t a guru, ninja or an expert. But you do know your way around Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest. Your profiles may be the envy of all your friends and colleagues; the number of followers is respectful. Throw in your knowledge of Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Twitter Chats, LinkedIn Groups, Facebook ads – and whatever else you’ve dabbled in so far – and you just might impress the social media novice whose organization needs social help, right now.

Self-Learning

In today’s job market, there isn’t a single employer who doesn’t respect someone who took it upon themselves to learn a skill, or master a software program relevant to their organization. Demonstration of expertise using project management, Photoshop, Salesforce, Infusionsoft, Google Analytics – and maybe even a little coding – can take your resume from “meh” to “marvelous!”

Freelance Projects

Remember that project you did for the business near your campus? Or the couple of weeks you spent at that non-profit solving its biggest problem? Those mini-projects weren’t real jobs, no… but they were real experience. List every relevant project you’ve ever taken on. Display the impact you had on the organization you served (quantify!). Show your entrepreneurial spirit! And you’ll catch the attention of a hiring manager looking for someone not afraid to take on a project alone.

Theses, Studies and White Papers

Did you head up a research project? Write an industry relevant thesis that blew your professor away? Did you lead an on-campus or community-based study? Each of these projects shows attention to detail, problem solving and analytical thinking – three skills in high demand by nearly every employer. Again, show the impact of your work; and talk passionately about the mission. Employers don’t only want to know what you did… they want to know why you did it.

Content Creation

Have you begun blogging? Guest blogging? Have you begun to show your subject matter expertise in a podcast, or a video blog? Maybe a YouTube channel? Have you built a community of followers? All of those things go on your resume! Employers will respect that you are willing to let your thoughts be known, and aren’t afraid to stick your neck out. They’ll get a glimpse of your personality and passion. And – if the fit is right – they’ll develop a bond with the digital you, well before they call for an interview.

Industry Relevant Competitions

Speaking of not being afraid to stick your neck out: relevant competitions – online, through your community, industry associations, the local chamber of commerce, and your fraternity or sorority – are a great way to punch up your resume. Although a bonus (instant credibility), winning isn’t necessary!
Just show that you have competed for the third consecutive time at the regional business plan competition, for example, and entrepreneurial minded employers will be impressed. These organizations also make for great networking and keyword elements on your resume. An employer might say, “You were in the Alpha Kappa Psi CASE competitions? So was I!” And, just like that, a relationship has started – and an advantage gained.

Anything Leadership

On-campus clubs, volunteer assignments, part-time retail jobs, heading up a fund-raiser or a committee, campus ambassadorships… anything that shows you were leading from out front must go on your resume. Again, be sure to show your impact; don’t just say you are a lifelong learner, show your impact and talk about what you learned.

Conferences Attended

That person with the three to five years of experience on their resume… have they attended your industries’ annual convention this year? Last year? Ever? Probably not, but perhaps you did – giving you another advantage over the competition. While you were out there listening to Seth Godin, Dan Pink and Matt Cutts, your competition was watching Wheel of Fortune in their pajamas. Who would you hire?

Reverse Mentorship

All that social media and blogging experience you’ve obtained… ever put it to good use? Ever walk a CEO through a Twitter chat? Or set up a WordPress blog for a solopreneur? Maybe helped get a Mom and Pop shop’s books in order, then show them how to run Quickbooks? Each of these instances of reverse mentorship shows you are willing to give back and teach across generational boundaries – a fine, and marketable, skill in today’s workforce.

Bonus: Remove THIS from Your Resume

When you’re all done with the newest version of resume – when you’ve added all your relevant accomplishments – you’re going to take one more step guaranteed to help you compete better…
Unless you are going into a field where these things still matter (medical, engineering, law, etc.), you are going to get rid of everything that makes you look like a current or recent student. Everything!
GPA, relevant coursework, expected graduation dates – all of it. Why? Because no one hires students. They hire capable, work-ready young professionals prepared to help them achieve their goals and solve their problems. On your resume and LinkedIn profile: Don’t be a student.
How does your resume look now? More professional? More complete? Perhaps less… lacking?

Is your student prepared for life? Career Training 101.

From the NYTimes: http://nyti.ms/1qtDkFp.

Very few colleges/universities are preparing our graduates for life. That may have been okay years ago, but not now. Courses preparing you to find a job/career should be required to graduate and should start early--by second year the latest.

There should be a dedicated office and staff within schools to meet this huge need. It should be staffed by people who have real world experience (corporate HR and recruiters for example) not academics. Helping to direct these students to areas of greatest need and opportunity is key. Start the experience building early in the summer and on-campus. Help the students to navigate the world of social media early--for business purposes not social.

There are many companies that are looking for a bargain--someone they can bring in on the cheap but has a little bit of experience so they can help immediately. 

The 11 Top-Paying Jobs Straight out of College

Thanks for this Lauren Hughes: http://www.careercast.com/career-news/11-top-paying-jobs-straight-out-college.

Two of the top 10 are in digital marketing/development.

UX/UI and more

This post is great. http://www.fastcodesign.com/3032719/ui-ux-who-does-what-a-designers-guide-to-the-tech-industry?partner=rss&utm_content=buffer4be1b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer.

If you can do this stuff, you will be employed. It's hard to tell though what the real skill set is for most of these jobs. Can someone with limited graphic design ability do this?

Catching Up

I haven't written in some time. I have lots to say (or read things that I'd like to pass along) so I'm back...

Just saw this article today and thought it would be great for new and junior people in the work force. And maybe even refresher info for the seasoned executive.

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140705055830-52594-the-five-deadliest-job-interview-mistakes?goback=.mpd2_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_20140705055830*552594*5the*5five*5deadliest*5job*5interview*5mistakes&trk=prof-post.

The article has very basic info on how to be remembered and coveted for a job--how to break through the pack of other applicants.

What I find very interesting about this article is the assumption by the writer (a seasoned ex-HR person) is that so many people would make it to interview stage. There has to be a screening out process somewhere (starting with the resume and then phone screens) so that only the top people are being shown to the hiring manager. If there isn't someone internal (or an external recruiter like me) doing this, then the hiring manager is wasting an enormous amount of time and resources just getting to the "meat". If at all possible, I like to present a maximum of 5 qualified people to a hiring manager. Best if each of them have slightly different skill sets and/or personality so the hiring manager can "nail" down what they are really looking for.

Good internal and external recruiters can help in this process.

College Student: Want a job? Get skills companies need…

This past Sunday’s NY Times job article talked about how most college grads do not have the hard skills to be able to join the work force immediately in any useful manner. Fewer companies can afford or are willing to pay to train these young kids. A generalized liberal arts curriculum is no longer a prized calling card.

Great if you’re a freshman, but what do you do if you are in your senior year and will graduate with a liberal arts degree?  The answer depends on what you and your family can afford to do. My first choice would be to send you off to grad school for something very specific—finance MBA, computer science, advanced analytics. Second choice would be an internship if you can find one, paid or not. But you’d have to be strategic in your choice of internships if you aren’t getting paid. Running around as a fashion intern might be fun, but will it afford you a job when you graduate?  Your unpaid internship has to give you skills or it’s not worth it. I’ve talked about skills that are needed in my field before: web analytics, SEO, paid search, technical content management, data mining, etc. Many companies need skills where the demand outweighs the supply. Finance, technology, engineering, marketing/advertising to name a few. 

If you’re thinking I don’t really want to sit behind a desk and crunch numbers, take it one step beyond that. Where can the number job take you? In marketing, many managers start off as analysts. They know that they’ll have to put in the grunt year of running numbers but what’s on the other side is the place they want to go. And employers love that you started in the analytic area—they know that you have a solid basis for understanding the metrics behind a business. I have to imagine it works the same in areas of finance.

So if you are in college now and deciding on a major—think smartly and strategically. Look up profiles of people whose jobs you’d like and see where they started. If you are graduating or recently graduated, find the best ways to get skills. (and if you’ve made it into a management training program with your liberal arts degree—congrats to you—but congrats won’t be for everyone).

Psychology of the recent college grad job search

I thought this blog and article by Dr. Cummins was really enlightening. She discuss research about why recent college grads are having a tough time finding jobs: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/good-thinking/201311/why-recent-college-graduates-can-t-find-jobs.

 You can read her blog for specifics but the two things highlighted are things that I've been saying for a long time:

"1. Almost half of the students surveyed believe a degree from a prestigious school is very or extremely important to employers. But only 28% of hiring managers indicated that this mattered in their hiring decisions."

I believe that the top echelon ivy league schools are in league of their own. Companies send campus recruiters to find the brightest. But just about everyone else falls into another bucket and what is really important is not the school, but what you did at the school to show mastery or cleverness. The kid who set up his own successful business plan and managed to pay most of their own college bill will get a bigger look at than the kid who did nothing but travel every summer on their parent's dime. Great internships mean a lot as well.  I think the eager grads that shows they have good communication skills (can write a coherent email), social skills (follow up appropriately), good solid references from internships--they are the ones who will get the job. Which leads us to the next part of the findings:


2. About three-quarters (77%) of surveyed college students believed professional or personal connections were important for securing a job. But only 52% of hiring managers thought so.

I don't think that personal or professional connections are important to securing a job, but I think they are important to help you break out of the crowd and be seen. If you're not good, you won't get hired. But you can't get hired unless you are interviewed. If you can use those personal and professional connections to get you in front of someone, and you're good, then you have a much better chance than the star in the pile who comes across as one of many. I think this is true to getting an internship. Those with the connections are the ones that will get the internship. And the connection could be a professor who is known in their field that recommends you or a family friends who things highly and sends your resume on to the HR group with a personal recommendation. I genuinely think most adults want to help young people start their career--but only if they are sure they are good.