3 LinkedIn Job Search Basics For Targeting Companies

3 LinkedIn Job Search Basics For Targeting Companies 170 If you want to get in through the door, peek through the window first. This is a guest post by Yolanda Stafurik. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines. So you've set up your LinkedIn account, you've connected with key people, you've even commented on a few discussions? Great! But what should you actually be doing that can help you land a job via LinkedIn?eval Here are three tips that are killer when it comes to getting the most out of your LinkedIn profile. When it comes to ‘strategic' LinkedIn activity… this would be it. 1) Contact a contact We always hear people say how they wish they heard back from employers. Or they wish they knew who the contact person is so they could touch base about their interests in a role. Well, LinkedIn can help solve these niggling issues.eval Most jobs that are posted on LinkedIn should be linked to an actual person's account. That's right â€" a living, breathing human. So, if you find a job on LinkedIn or even a job on another job board, site, WOM, etc., search the employer's page on LinkedIn and check out if they have listed the job on LinkedIn also. If so, there should be a profile identifying who listed the post at the top, right corner of the job advert. Found it? Great! Now make contact. A word of caution however- if you do make contact, ensure you reach out with something a little more impressive than, “Hi, I wish to apply for your job…” The process to apply is usually stated in the job advert. Reach out to the contact and ask a question that shows you've thought about the role and how you want to help. For example: “Hi [name] I would like to take a moment of your time to discuss the [job title] opening. I noticed you are asking for someone with expert level WHS planning skills. I have managed X and also Y, is this the level you are seeking? OR I can bring some great initiatives as I have managed multi-level WHS systems for a commercial enterprise in mining. Just want to make sure I am on the right track before applying. Looking forward to your reply, Thanks” Keep it short and to the point. Asking questions to clarify the role/project requirements show that you have thought about your skills and what you can offer the employer. This leads us to our next tip. 2) Check out the Employer page LinkedIn provides useful insights into an employer's activities. If you want to impress and appeal to your employer during your application stage, check out their LinkedIn page to see what they have posted recently. Did they have a recent team building event? Great. Comment in your cover letter how you saw their update regarding their event and would love to work for an employer that offers these team development opportunities. It's all about standing out and showing how you have gone that one step further than any other candidate and nothing shows you are more interested in a company than taking the time to read their updates and posts. 3) Check out potential fellow employees on LinkedIn You may or may not want to turn your privacy settings to ‘private' when you search other members. Depending on your strategy, however, one way to compare your bacon to the ‘desired' candidate, is to check out what the actual employees of your chosen employer do. Such as- If you're applying for a Customer Service role, do they have other customer service reps on LinkedIn? What kinds of experience do they have? Do the employees all have a similar focus? Do they have a common theme? For example, do they refer to their Human Resources department as the ‘People Culture' team? Little nuances like this can help you run with the crowd. Reviewing current employees against your skill set may also highlight gaps in your resume and LinkedIn profile that you may need to update. LinkedIn can be a great tool. Networking is the word of the moment, however you also need to be strategic with your efforts and learn how to leverage this tool to get the most out of it. Standing out, showcasing your attributes and 'employee pitch' and making contact with the right person and key ingredients to shortening your job search process. Try these tips today and see what response you get. About the Author Yolanda is one of the founders of Winning Edge Resume Service. A qualified Human Resource Marketing professional, Yolanda brings direct HR and commercial experience, along with varied employment and industry background to the table. Previous sectors Yolanda has worked in include: recruitment, employment, mining, industrial services government. Follow her on Twitter @we_resumes. This article is part of the The $11K 8th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest. If you wantYolanda Stafurik to win, share this article with your friends. READ NEXT: How To Keep Your LinkedIn Job Search Undetected When Employed

Awesome Resume Templates - How to Get Them

Awesome Resume Templates - How to Get ThemAwesome resume templates are everywhere on the internet. You can find them in article directories, in e-books, and in many other places. I personally am not sure where the phrase originated but many people are saying that these templates are a great way to help you improve your job search.The problem is, not all of these templates are created equal. While they do offer a great way to get you started, they may not be the best ones to help you with your future job search. Most of the sites out there that claim to have templates for you to use are mostly just made up of ordinary resumes. They don't really offer you much when it comes to making a great resume.What you need to understand is that not all of the awesome resume templates are created equal. There are a lot of mediocre and even poorly made templates that will simply not do anything for you when it comes to making a great resume. In most cases, these types of templates are simply not wo rth your time or effort.However, what you need to know is that they can be easily created to be able to make your resume amazing. The only thing that you have to do to be able to create an awesome resume is to be able to really focus on the main idea of what you want to put on your resume. This is important because many of the templates available are focused on things like a career track, specific education, or even a unique work experience.As a result, you want to look for one that focuses on the major things that you want to emphasize on your resume. If you don't have the time to create this type of template, you can go online and look for resume templates that are already created by professionals. These templates are usually created to have a lot of the common resume elements, including an outline, bullet points, and headers. However, the good ones are also normally being created with the help of an expert resume writer who can craft your resume into something that will be able t o stand out from the rest.When it comes to creating an awesome resume, it is very important that you focus on a few key elements that you want to highlight on your resume. These will help you make sure that the rest of your resume really stands out. For example, if you want to emphasize on your work experience, focus on the major highlights of your work experience such as experience, education, etc. This will be the first thing that people will see on your resume and will help to ensure that you will have a lot of success in your future job search.The same goes for other things, such as you want to focus on your unique career or education and things like that. It is going to be your unique resume that will be able to stand out and give you a big edge over other candidates. However, the amazing thing about creating your own resume is that you can customize each section to the best of your ability and you will be able to make the best resume that you can for you.Not only is it going t o be the best resume, but it will also stand out as your very own unique resume. Therefore, you really want to look for one that is going to help you to be able to do this. Make sure that you focus on creating an awesome resume and the rest will fall into place.

4 Tips for Small Business Mompreneurs - Classy Career Girl

4 Tips for Small Business Mompreneurs When people write about mompreneurs, they usually just focus on the success stories. I’ve read numerous articles on the internet praising stay-at-home working moms who make millions every year. With writers insisting on focusing only on the positives, it’s easy for us to forget that, like all business women, mompreneurs have their own set of unique challenges that they seek to conquer every day. In this post, I’ve laid out the 4 most common problems I’ve seen small businesses mompreneurs struggling with and tips on how to eliminate them. 4 Small Business Tips for Mompreneurs 1. Don’t Try to be the Jack-of-all-Trades While the autonomy that comes from being a mompreneur can be exhilarating â€" you can’t handle every single aspect of your business all by yourself. Trying to do so will only harm your business and your health. The obvious solution would be hiring someone to help you, but here’s another reality: most mompreneurs can’t afford to pay hundreds in monthly salaries. As an alternative, I’ve found that online tools work the best when it comes to business assistance. There’s a software for virtually everything online; from inventory management to customer relations management. Yes, you have to pay for a lot of them, but a number of web-based tools, like AMZInsight, Fiverr, and Wave, are rather cheap and offer free trials to start. 2. Request Finance from Lenders Devoted to Mompreneurs Loans for small businesses have grown as competitive as the small business industry itself. Consequently, you may find it hard to secure finances from conventional small business lenders; even the government-backed SBA 7(a) loan doesn’t go out to everyone. Faced with frequent rejections, women often turn to personal savings and family and friends for help, but those resources are often inadequate. I  recommend going for lenders who dedicate funding to mompreneurs, or, if not that, then grants or loans focused on female entrepreneurship. Grants from organizations, like Eileen Fisher, InnovateHER, and Women Veteran Entrepreneur Corp, are all privately-owned and work to encourage female entrepreneurs in the realization of their entrepreneurial dreams. You just need to make sure you’re eligible and have a killer business plan that scores with the lenders. [RELATED:  Working Mom Must Haves For the First 3 Months] 3. Build Connections That Last Who can be better at forming long-lasting relationship than mothers? This is an area where most mompreneurs are naturally gifted â€" and that’s a good thing â€" because your success doesn’t just depend on what you do, but the people you know. Networking with other mompreneurs will create shared business value and enable you to discuss common challenges. If you don’t know where to find the nearest mompreneur, you can leverage the power of the internet, yet again. Reddit has threads discussing the many predicaments faced by working moms and entrepreneurs. Other websites, like Open Forum and the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, have sub-topics dedicated to mompreneurs. On these platforms, look for women working in the same industry as you. Start conversations by telling them how much you admire their work and share ideas about your trade. 4.  Find Time For Yourself How many times have women been told that finding an equilibrium between work and home life is a piece of cake? And yet, mompreneurs know that it isn’t as simple as it sounds. Yes, women can have it all, but business prosperity is unachievable without sacrifices. So, if you’re looking to harmonize your family and your work, let me assure you that while it is possible, you will have to miss out on minor life events. As much as you might want to see all of the football games your child is playing, you’ll have to dedicate some time to yourself. For that reason, I suggest you have a sit-down with your family every month and candidly talk about your work priorities. Ask them about the important events â€" ones they want you attending â€" and skip the rest. Do you have other suggestions for mompreneurs? Please share in the comments below!

A Response to the End of Courtship

A Response to the End of Courtship Last month, the New York Times published an article about The End of Courtship. This article has brought up some great conversations and controversy- therefore of course, I want to talk about it. I encourage you to read the brief article where Alex Williams brings up some very interesting points about our current dating culture and the end of traditional courtship. Here are a few: Current 20-somethings do not know the basic mechanics of a traditional date or courtship. We resort to text messages, email, and other passive forms of communication that dont involve courage. Highly popular dating services encourage casual dating and make the need for a first date seem irrelevant. Dates are cheaper now because 20-somethings cant afford nice first dates, especially when you are going on a lot of first dates. So what do you think? Is traditional courtship over as we know it? If so, are the points above valid or do you think other things come into play? Truthfully, I believe traditional courtship is over. And sadly so. I came to this conclusion when after going on a few dates with a guy, he told me, We need to go on a REAL date, like a dinner and a movie real date. The fact that he had to define to me what a real date was, and the fact that in my mind we were a few dates in and yet to him we hadnt been on one, was so eye-opening and so sad. That being said, while the idea of courtship might have changed for me, it hadnt changed for this guy (even though we met online), so there may be some light in the generation? Anywho- Id love to know what you all think. Do you think this is the end of traditional courtship? Or do you think the New York Times is a little old-fashioned and this is just the way things are done now?  I know this article is one of many on this topic out there so if you have any others, bring them our way! Lets talk. Happy Thursday yall!

Strong Words For Resume Writing Worksheets

Strong Words For Resume Writing WorksheetsYou might ask, 'What's a good worksheet to use for strong words for resume writing?' My answer? One that's easy to adapt and use. Because you're going to be changing the elements of your resume at least one time when you send it out, you can design a resume worksheet that can adapt to whatever changes need to be made over time.First, you'll need to find some original material to use for your resume worksheet. This can be part of an e-book or blog that will also serve as a learning resource. You'll need something that can help you brainstorm your resume and make suggestions that will allow you to assess your strengths and weaknesses.Once you've gathered some original content, you need to put together a strong words for resume writing worksheet that will provide you with a way to organize and review your resume. It doesn't need to be elaborate, but it should provide you with ways to organize and review each section. You might just want to creat e a page where you can label each section with the following keywords: Position, Skills, Education, Experience, Work History and Last Name. That way, you'll be able to sort through the material without wasting time re-reading your information.As well, you'll want to have a strong words for resume writing worksheet that will list all of the skills that you want to include in your resume. Again, you might just want to create a page where you can label each section with the following keywords: Keyword, Skills, Qualifications, Education, Experience and Company.The next thing you want to do is list the strengths that you want to include in your resume. In order to do this, you'll need to list each strength on the following page: Branding, Benefits, Commonalities, Discernment, CustomerService, Demeanor, Integrity, Negotiating, Opportunity, Learning, Processes, Readiness, Ability, Response Time, Professionalism, Vision, and Use of Technology. Again, you might just want to create a page whe re you can label each section with the following keywords: Keyword, Skills, Qualifications, Education, Experience and Company.Finally, you'll want to find a page where you can list the weakness that you want to include in your resume. You'll need to do this by listing each weakness on the following page: Briefing, Common Areas of Competition, Drive, Framing, Experience, Goal Setting, Globalization, Knowledge, History, Leadership, Leadership Styles, Knowledge Translation, Methodology, Personal Statements, Personal Traditions, Prospective, Resistance, Retrospect, Professionalism, Reliability, and Skill Sets.Finally, you can set up your strong words for resume writing worksheet so that you can actually use your information. As an example, you might create a page where you can set the following keywords: Purpose, Historical Background, Education, Job History, Job Titles, Knowledge, Keywords, Personal and Team Building, Role Models, Success Strategies, Tools, and Vocational Learning.Once you've put together your strong words for resume writing worksheet, it doesn't matter if you end up using your content for other things during your resume writing. It just needs to be there as a reference that you can go back to when you need to.

8 Tips to Improve Your Graphic Design Skills CareerMetis.com

8 Tips to Improve Your Graphic Design Skills Source â€" Pexels.comAs a graphic designer, keeping your design skills sharp is an essential part of the job.Graphic design is an ever-evolving industry; design styles and fashions constantly change, and as so, designers need to keep up.In this article, we’re going to look at 8 ways to improve your graphic design skills. Whether you’re a seasoned freelancer or a newbie intern, these pointers will help to advance your design expertise.evalI’ll share with you the tipsI use to improve my own design skills, even to this day. These learning methods have lead me to a world of professional graphic design, without a formal qualification. So if I can do it, you can too!Here are my top 8 tips for keeping your design skills up to par:1) Follow online tutorials oftenevalIn times gone by, improving your design skills could get expensive, however, nowadays, there are a plethora of free tutorials available online.Instead of wasting hours on Netflix, spend some time following a free online tut orial. Brush-up on your Photoshop skills or learn a new program altogether.Heard of the 10,000 hour rule? Author of “The Outliers”, Malcolm Gladwell, explains that reaching the 10,000-Hour Rule, which he considers the key to masteryin any field, is simply a matter of practising a specific task that can be accomplished with 20 hours of work a week for 10 years.So even if you’ve been a successful designer for many years already, don’t think you’re past learning just yet. There’s always something new to be picked-up in graphic design, so take an extra hour here and there to polish your skills.Here are some places to find free graphic design tutorials online:Adobe’s own tutorials for Photoshop, Illustrator InDesignDesign Illustration tutorials by TutsPlusAbduzeedoâ€" A range of tutorials for Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom and morePhlearnâ€" hugely popular Photoshop tutorialsDesign Stacksâ€" Photoshop tutorialsLearn Sketchâ€" a growing collection of tutorials for Sketch InVisionApp’s range of Sketch tutorials2) Download templatesSearch google for tips on improving your design skills and you’ll find very few articles â€" if any at all â€" recommending to download pre-made templates. That’s a shame, as this gem of a tip gives you direct access to professionally designed source files.evalBy downloading premade templates, you get to see exactlyhow a designer created a particular image. You get to see the exact settings she used, the way she composed the layout and what hidden tricks are buried beneath the layers.Best of all, most professional template websites offer free samples of their products, giving you plentiful files to choose from.Here are some places you can download free design templates:BrandPacksâ€" Hundreds of free templates in Photoshop PSD Illustrator VectorSpoonGraphicsâ€" A variety of free resources for graphic designersGraphicsFuelâ€" Free PSD mockups, patterns, textures and more365PSDâ€" Free PSD templates primarily for UI des ignsDesignerCandiesâ€" A small but useful collection of professional freebiesGraphBerryâ€" Dozens of free templates for web designsFreebiesBugâ€" A wide selection of free templates for different design toolsSketch App Resourcesâ€" Thousands of resources templates for Sketch App3) Re-Learn the basics: typography, contrast, colour theoryLet’s take a step back for a minute. Before we go looking at how you can improve your current designs skills, let’s ensure the basics are covered; aka, the design fundamentals.Design fundamentals have, and always will, remain the same. Here is a good articleto learn more about design fundamentals.evalIt can be very tempting â€" especially as a new designer â€" to want to learn the latest trending design style, or how to create a specific effect â€" but unless you have the fundamentals down already, you won’t effectively improve your skills.Here are some articles to help you re-cap on each of the fundamental design principles:TypographyShapesImag esColour TheoryLayout4) Join a Facebook group and ask for feedbackJust as I mentioned few articles recommend downloading other designer’s templates, you won’t find many offering up this tip either. Ask for feedback in Facebook Groups.In days gone by, amateur designers â€" myself included â€" would join forums related to Photoshop, Illustrator and graphic design. In these forums, we’d post our designs and ask the more experienced designers to give us useful feedback.Unfortunately, today, many popular graphic design forums are a thing of the past â€" but that doesn’t mean forumsare gone altogether. Nowadays we’ll find them as Facebook Groups.There are dozens of Facebook Groups now available for each and every aspect of graphic design. Many of these groups have hundreds of thousands of users â€" perfect when you want quick feedback.If you want to improve your graphic design skills, find a Facebook group related to the software you use or the style of design you create, and po st your most recent work and ask for feedback.Here are some groups which I’m a member of:Graphic Designer Tips LoungeGraphic DesignAdvanced Graphic Design5) Enter design contestsevalMany professional designers dislike design contents, and to be fair, a large part of me can see why. However, entering a design competition pits you against professionals, which is gold-dust training for an amateur.Heck, entering a design contest once in a while could be a good thing for established professionals, too!I’m not suggesting to use design contest websites as a means for fulltime income. Some designers do, very successfully, but in this case, I’m suggesting you use them for training purposes only. Though, an extra few dollars won’t hurt!Top design contest sites to consider:99DesignsCrowdSpring6) Improve your software skillsevalMulti-skilled graphic designers with other software knowledge such as animation 3D design earn almost $20,000 morethan average per year.Graphic designers, espec ially amateurs, have a tendency to learn one piece of software 7) Copy a designSimilar to following online tutorials, copying a design, especially from an artist with similar stylistic choices to your own, is a great way to learn.I’m not suggesting to do this in your client work â€" although we’ve all heard the quote “Good artists copy, great artists steal” â€" but rather, I’m suggesting you do this in your spare time as an exercise in improving skills.More often than not, online tutorials only take you so far. Eventually, you need to figure things out on your own. Spending time with another designer’s work on your canvas and meticulously trying to replicate it can lead to those “Aha!” moments we all crave when learning something new.8) Lastly, keep improvingAs I said at the beginning of this article, design trends and fashions are ever-changing. As a designer, hanging up your coat and “sticking to what you already know” is a surefire way to end up stagnant and o ut-of-demand.That’s why it is essential â€" no matter how skilled, experienced or successful you are â€" to continually improve and keep learning.

How to find the right job. Follow your passion.

How to find the right job. Follow your passion. Following your passion is a hard road. More than half the battle is finding out what the heck your passion really is! Sounds easy enough, and Ive seen it so many times before, people feel they ought to know what their passion is. But behind closed doors trust me the majority have no idea. This is great news, really! Blank slates are my favorite clients to work with. And that’s because there is humility, vulnerability and exploration involved. Theres an open curiosity about how to contribute to life. And when one discovers what direction theyd like to go, its a rewarding experience for everyone. Its also messy and uncertain. Which is why so many dont allow themselves the opportunity to imagine. It really all starts with your own conception of what work is and how it defines or doesnt define them. Do any of these sayings sound familiar? Dont quit your day job! Pull yourself up by your bootstraps Work hard, play hard Bring home the bacon Is it, live to work? or work to live? Work used to be, just a job In the previous generation (and Im talking about the 80s and 90s) work was seen as separate from your life. It was something you had to do instead of what you want to do. This idea was not sad, but, rather, honorable. The industrial revolution gave material opportunity to many. It was an opportunity to give a comfortable family life, which made life better. Work wasnt a passion; it was a means to an end. Work is now something we should love However, now we are in a different era and things are different. Now, if you are not doing what you love, this is seemingly a problem. THIS generation takes for granted (for better or worse) that comfort is accessible. That box has been checked by the many that provided this comfort for their children. So many millennial’s got a bad wrap for this. But this is exactly what our parents wanted to give us: hope and a future to live our dreams. So now, work is radically different. It includes passion, choice, information, and grit. Living our dreams is much harder work than getting a day job! You may think it sounds like fun, but living out your destiny is the hardest work we will ever face. This new generation is entering the workforce in truckloads and they dont have an easy street with the challenges presented to them. They no longer can pat themselves on the back for providing for the family (even though that pressure is still there). They also have the heavy burden of being meaningful too. Not only for financial success but also making a difference. Without this depth of career experience, many become disillusioned and fall into despair. Because what if youre mediocre? The good news? Impossible! The choice is yours Every single person has unique attributes that are a wild compilation of experiences, education and choices. Thank goodness the material resources are becoming increasingly available for young people to find meaningful work, especially with the access to education on the rise. The bottom line is mediocrity is a choice not a destination. Oh and one more thing, its NOT easy. It comes with self-reflection, believing in your strengths and putting them into action. It takes endurance more than talent. It takes vulnerability more than climbing the ladder. Talent is a natural gift. Endurance to believe in yourself and putting one foot in front of the other is of a different source. The world of work is a mirror and reflects back to us what we believe our value is. Work doesnt give you value, rather work is a reflection of your belief system. The choice is yours. Once you decide on a career change, expect to work harder than you ever expected or were told was necessary. I prefer this conception of work: Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. ConfuciusLets get started today! Think.inspire.change.grow By Dawn Shaw|2017-04-21T18:08:54+00:00June 22nd, 2016|Career Change, Motivation|0 Comments

Tips for recent graduates in career transition - Hallie Crawford

Tips for recent graduates in career transition I wanted to share this really helpful article for recent grads about their job search,  A Career Letter to the Class of 2012. Two things I want to point out or re-iterate: Pick up the phone. This is so accurate. In this day and age of texting, emailing etc., making a phone call makes a big impression. It shows you are confident, assertive and remember that people hire people, not paper. So it allows you to establish a better networking connection with the person you’re reaching out to. Dont be afraid to ask for help from your networking contacts. They can’t help you unless they know what you need help with. So be specific, don’t be shy and ask for what you need. As long as you’re professional about it and not pushy, you’ll be fine! If you’re a recent grad and you’d like more help and advice on your career transition, please contact us today to set up a complimentary consultation. Career Transition Coach P.S.  Get one of the most information-rich career newsletters on the web delivered straight to your email inbox! Check our our  Free Newsletter  to help you along your  career journey  today!