January 1, 1970
How to get a promotion
Knowing where you want to go and being flexible about getting there will serve you better than blind ambition
Earning a promotion is a complex affair. Matters such as pay and benefits begin to look easy compared with manoeuvring your way up (or sideways) through the ranks. Look around you before you jump at a new opportunity – a new job title could be the least important of many considerations.
1. Put yourself out.
There’s more to a job than a 12-line description, Simon Copeman, the acquisition and alliance manager at 3M UK and Ireland, says. “I’m looking [to promote] someone who does a pretty good job… but also someone who comes up with solutions. Someone who has taken the initiative within their current role [and] has managed new experiences outside the strict job description.”
2. Own up to itchy feet.
Few people are honest about their aspirations when they speak to their manager, says Julie Bowen, the head of organisational development at Adecco, a recruitment company. “At formal appraisals, people should be honest and not say what they think their boss wants to hear. They have to have the courage to say, ‘look, I love this job but’.”
3. Ask for help.
With luck, your manager should have noticed that you are ready to take on extra responsibility, Copeman says. Take his or her advice on what role you are ready for and when you are ready for it.
4. Think twice.
It’s important to know what motivates you before you move. “Be cautious,” Bowen says. “Yes, it’s a step up but is it at the loss of everything else?” Could you find yourself better paid, but uninspired by your new colleagues or working longer hours when time at home is more important to you, for example?
5. Consider all the options.
The smart move is not always up, says Helena Clayton, the director of open programmes at Roffey Park, an executive education college. “Employability is about the range of skills that you have,” she says. “Taking a role that gives you those skills may not necessarily mean a promotion. Some of the most challenging roles might be sideways.”
6. Put yourself about a bit.
If you’re looking for a more challenging role it’s important to raise your profile, Clayton says. “Volunteer for cross-cutting projects and jobs… where you can make your mark. Put yourself in front of senior people and find yourself a senior-level mentor.”
7. Know the known knowns.
There’s no excuse for a lack of research when you’re pitching for a more senior role. Make sure you have a copy of the job description and the low-down on the skills required so that you can talk about the ways in which you shape up, Bowen says.
8. Play nicely.
“What you have achieved is important but how you achieved it is equally so. How you treat people – your management style or the quality of your interpersonal relationships – carries more weight when you go for promotion because ultimately you can achieve results only through other people,” Clayton says.
9. Be flexible.
“You might have a pretty clear idea of where you want go but that might not be possible. If you are flexible about your next move, the chances of being promoted are that much higher,” Copeman says.
10. Don’t burn your bridges.
Always leave on friendly terms – you might find yourself working for the same manager again.
January 1, 1970
How to Find a Job
How to find job listings, networking, using a headhunter, and more job advice on how and where to job search.
Build Your Professional Brand
Professional branding is important for everyone who is job searching. It’s important to create a personal brand that portrays you in a professional light and showcases your credentials.
Fast Track Your Job Search
What can you do when you have to find a job fast? It’s not easy, but there are steps you can take to expedite your job search. Spending some time to get your job search in order, keeping it organized, focused, and on the fast track will help you find a job faster than if you don’t have a plan in place.
Create a Resume
Your resume needs to be professional and polished, because if you don’t have a professional resume, your application materials probably won’t get a second glance from a hiring manager. Here’s how to write a resume.
Write Compelling Cover Letters
It’s important to write a customized cover letter for each job you apply for. Here’s what to include in your cover letter, how to write a cover letter, cover letter format, targeted cover letters, and cover letter samples and examples.
Use the Best Job Search Websites
Don’t post your resume on every job search website or try to use all of them to job search. Instead, speed up your job search by using the job search engines to search for jobs across the Internet. Select niche sites, which are job sites focused on a specific industry or career field, and local job sites that are match for the types of job you want and where you want to work.
Connect With Your Network
Your networking is a critical component of your job search. Career and job search networking can help you find employment opportunities and build your career. Here’s how to network your way to a new job or career.
Get Recommendations
References – good or bad – can be what determines if you get a job offer. Here’s what job seekers need to know about references, including information on reference and recommendation letters, sample letters of recommendation and reference lists, how to ask for a reference, and how to use references.
Ace the Interview
Successful interviewing is essential to getting a job offer. That means practicing interview questions and answers, dressing in appropriate interview attire, and, being able to present your skills and experience to a prospective employer.
Get Paid What You’re Worth
Here’s what you need to know to get paid what you’re worth, including salary information, salary surveys, negotiation strategies, salary tools, and more resources to research how much you should be paid and how to negotiate a compensation offer.
Find Out About Employee Benefits / Rights
In addition to the benefits package you may be offered when you’re hired, find out about the employment-related benefits that you may be eligible for when you resign, get fired, or get laid-off from your job. Here’s information on unemployment, giving notice, writing a resignation letter, health insurance, retirement plans, workers compensation, disability, references and more resources for people who are changing jobs.
January 1, 1970
Instant messaging (IM) services can be a good tool to use when job searching. If you have an instant message account you can use it for networking, both with the people on your buddy list and with professional contacts. You can also sign up to receive new job postings via IM.
Instant messaging allows users to be in direct contact in real time, which saves going back and forth via email or playing phone tag.
Set Up Instant Message Accounts
The top instant messaging services are AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, ICQ, and Google Talk. AIM is the most popular service, but, some users have multiple accounts and login to those accounts simultaneously. There’s also software available, like Trillian, that will let you access several accounts at once and manage your instant messaging.
Choose Your Screen Name Carefully
If you are using instant messaging for job searching, for networking, or for anything remotely related to your career, please make sure that your screen name sounds professional. Consider setting up a new IM account just to use for job searching, so you can keep your personal and your professional lives separate.
Add Your IM Screen Names to Your Profile
In order to use instant messaging when job searching at a site that supports it, you’ll need to add your IM information to your job search account. When you register with job sites and with social / business networking sites you will be able to add your screen name to your profile on some sites. Monster, for example, lets you list your AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and ICQ screen names. You can also create a screen name to use on Monster’s message boards. LinkedIn, the networking site, as another example, also lets you add your instant message screen name to your profile.
Privacy Issues
When you make your profile public, you are making it available to all members. That means that you’ll receive contacts from other members, as well as being able to outreach yourself. So, once you publish your screen name, expect to get contacted.
Be Professional
When you IM a contact who you don’t know, let them know who you are and ask them if you have time to chat. Also let the person know how you found them. If you’re not comfortable having a conversation via instant message, and not everybody is, ask if you can call.
Watch the Clock
If you are networking with a professional contact, be cognizant of the time and try to contact them during business hours, when possible. At the least, don’t start sending job-related instant messages late in the evening.
Use Your Buddy List
One of the benefits of networking is that you never know who might be able to help with your job search. When you’re talking to your buddies, it’s a good idea to mention that you’re looking for new job. Someone may be able to help.
Use Your Contacts
If you belong to social or career networks check to see if you can search for contacts at companies where you want to work. You may be able to IM a company contact for job search assistance.
Get Job Listings
You can even get job listings sent to you by IM as soon as they are listed. Indeed.com, the job search engine, will send them to you as soon as they find them.
Get Help
Many college career offices provide answers to quick questions, and sometimes distance counseling, via instant message. If you’re a college student or graduate check to see how your college can assist you long-distance. There are also career counselors who provide counseling via email and instant message.
January 1, 1970
Looking for a job? Want to keep a job? Then improve your social media persona. As it turns out, no matter how professional you may come across on your LinkedIn page, employers are getting the real dirt on you by checking out your profile on Facebook.
According to research by Harris Interactive, that was commissioned by CareerBuilder.com and surveyed 2,667 HR professionals, found that 45% of them use social networking sites to research job candidates, with an additional 11% planning to implement social media screening in the very near future.
Of those who conduct online searches/background checks of job candidates, 29% use Facebook, 26% use LinkedIn and 21% use MySpace. One in 10 (11%) search blogs, while 7% follow candidates on Twitter.
Clean Up Your Act
The study showed that “thirty-five percent of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them not to hire the candidate.” Whether it be drunkenness, nakedness, or other displays of debauchery, employers are not likely to offer you a job and in some cases may dismiss you for such behavior after the fact.
Is this really surprising? Well, the line between personal and professional is definitely blurred. Yet, social media or not, common sense is always a good gauge. Either figure out the privacy settings so no one but your trusted confidants can see your wild night in Vegas or don’t post them to begin with. After all, your mother is on Facebook now, as well as your employer.
Market Yourself
Hopefully this study won’t cause users to retreat into hibernation. The lesson learned is that there’s more to social media than flaunting your debauchery (no, really). Though 35% percent of employers may not hire you, the survey also found that, “eighteen percent of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them to hire the candidate.
Employers are finally catching on to what we already do. Before accepting a job with a company, making a purchase or deciding where to eat, we judge their website, search Google, and browse reviews on Yelp. It works both ways now and companies can’t afford not to make sure their social media selves are just as employable as you are.
December 31, 1969
The information presented here is designed to provide a benefit to anyone who must answer questions during the dreaded job interview. The main point presented here is that the key to a successful job interview is preparation.
But how can one prepare completely for a tough interview?
Make sure that you know your resume thoroughly and expect questions to come from your work history. Also, expect questions about the company you want to work for and the type of future you want in that company, and finally, expect questions about you. You should use several large lists of questions in preparation for the interview.
Remember that the person interviewing you has a job to do as well. If you can provide a good answer to most of the questions below, and to the questions you have created, you have increased the probability of obtaining the job you are seeking.
Job Interview Questions: Work History
What is the name of the company you worked for and what titles or positions did you hold?
In a nutshell, describe what you did at your previous company.
When were your employed by this company?
What were your expectations for your previous job and to what extent were they met?
What were your starting and final levels of compensation?
What were your responsibilities?
What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?
What did you like or dislike about your previous job?
Which was most and least rewarding?
What was the biggest accomplishment and failure in this position?
Why are you leaving your current job?
Why were you fired?
What was the most enjoyable aspect of your previous job?
Job Interview Questions: About Your Supervisors and Co-Workers.
What was it like working for your supervisor?
What do you expect from a supervisor?
Who was your best boss and who was the worst?
What is the ideal co-worker?
What is the ideal boss?
Job Interview Questions: About You
What is your greatest weakness?
What is your greatest strength?
In terms of your current or last position, describe a typical work week for yourself.
Do you take work home with you?
How many hours do you normally work per week including work completed at home?
How would you describe the pace at which you work?
How do you handle stress and pressure?
In terms of your career, what motivates you to move upward and attain further success?
What are your salary expectations?
What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?
Tell me about yourself.
What has been the greatest disappointment in your life?
What has been your greatest accomplishments in your life?
What are you passionate about?
What are your pet peeves?
What do people most often criticize about you?
When was the last time you were angry? What happened?
If you could relive the last 10 years of your life, what would you do differently?
If the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say?
Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
Give some examples of teamwork.
Were you responsible for any major projects at your last position, and if so, please describe in a nutshell the project you were responsible for.
What type of work environment do you prefer?
How do you evaluate success?
Have you ever given a work related presentation to a group of people greater then 10, and if so, how did that work out?
If you know your boss is 100% wrong about something how would you handle it?
Describe a difficult work situation or project and how you overcame it.
Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it.
What have you been doing since your last job?
Job Interview Questions: About the New Job and the Company
What interests you about this job?
Why do you want this job?
What applicable attributes or experience do you have?
Are you overqualified for this job?
What can you do for this company?
What do you know about this company?
Why do you want to work here?
What challenges are you looking for in a position?
What can you contribute to this company?
Are you willing to travel?
Is there anything I haven’t told you about the job or company that you would like to know?
How do you plan to move up within our company?
What is the highest level you wish to be promoted within our company?
Why should we select you for this job?
Job Interview Questions: The Future
What are you looking for in your next job?
What are your career goals for the next five years and ten years?
How do you plan to achieve those goals?
How long would you like to stay with our company and why?
What are your salary requirements – both short-term and long-term?
What will you do if you don’t get this position?
Final Question
What was the toughest question that I asked during this interview?
Once again, the key to a successful job interview is preparation. When you are completely prepared, you will tend to be less nervous. Of course, it is highly likely you will be presented with a question or two that you did not expect. This is why preparation also entails having the knowledge base that you can expect the interviewer will tap into.
Make sure that you display an enthusiastic attitude. Make sure you present to the interviewer a willingness to learn and a desire to advance in the company you are about to potentially work for. You do not want to appear as if you are lacking seriousness and definitely do not appear cavalier. Try to appear enthusiastic and positive in a mature and professional way. If you are naturally an enthusiastic and positive type of person, then half the battle is won. The point is to be your self, but try to present the best of who you are.
Remember this, many employers prefer a less educated candidate with fewer credentials who is bright and willing to learn, over one who is more prepared but lacks the proper attitude. A good example of this is the entrepreneur who wants to launch a new business. For him or her who is starting a new venture, hiring someone who is bright and has the right attitude is extremely important. More important then previous education. In this case, the entrepreneur is looking for someone who is not afraid to take risks and is very much goal oriented. Here it is very important that you display to the interviewer your ability to work as part of a team. The 9 to 5 type worker who expects to work basically the same hours 5 days a week would not fit well here. And the interviewer needs to know this.
To conclude, in the end, most interviewers are looking for the right attitude for the job they are trying to fill. If you also have the right credentials along with the right attitude, then your chances are increased tremendously. If you can answer most of the above questions, display an enthusiastic attitude, and present yourself in the best possible way, this should result in you obtaining the job you are seeking.
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