How to Create Utilize a Job Search Support Group Building Your Future Now

How to Create Utilize a Job Search Support Group Building Your Future Now Finding support during your job search can be tough. Sometimes you feel its you against the world but it doesnt have to be! You definitely have support around youfriends and family. However, how about creating your own specialized job search support group? There are several such groups online that offer support and encouragement. But it is recommended you create your own. Its easy! Try connecting with other job searchers in your area via Facebook. Reach out and share your stories. Even if its a handful of people. Create a private Facebook Group and start inviting others in the same job search mode youre in. Again even if its only a few peoplemake sure they are committed to helping each other and contributing to the group. A key element is setting up meet-ups where you can actually sit down, go over strategy and learn. Remember, the whole point of this type of group is to offer support and help each other find jobs. It isnt to give pity or feel sorry for each other! If you can get a special mentor to head the group (ie. Career Councillor or Job Search Consultant) that is a huge boon. Image: RawPixel

Tips For Writing Resume Working Towards You

Tips For Writing Resume Working Towards YouThe best tips for writing resume working towards you are all about getting started on the right foot. You need to make sure that you know what your goals are as far as your career is concerned and you must write a resume that is going to get you noticed.When it comes to writing a resume, one of the best tips for writing resumes is to make sure that you cover as much ground as possible in an attempt to make yourself stand out from the crowd. This is the best way to determine whether or not you would be successful at a job interview. When a prospective employer has read a resume that is full of information that is scattered all over the page, he or she may wonder how you can have achieved such a feat without explaining your strengths in a clear and concise manner.When you begin to put your skills and education to the test, it is extremely important that you make sure that they are presented in the most concise and easy to understand manner pos sible. There is nothing more frustrating than reading a resume that is full of material that does not help the prospective employer in making a decision as to whether or not they should hire you. The best tips for writing resume working towards you are all about being organized and keeping things clean and straight forward.One of the best tips for writing resumes is to make sure that you get all of your information in order before you start writing. You need to make sure that you know what it is that you want the reader to know and also what it is that you would like them to do when they get to the end of your resume. Make sure that you structure your resume in such a way that it does not take too long to read through.If you are seeking a job in an industry that is very particular with their work styles, make sure that you cover those points as well as any points of interest that you may have while you were in school or while you were in a position of authority. The best tips for wr iting resume working towards you are all about making sure that you are unique and special in any way that you can. This means that you should not be trying to be someone that no one else is but rather that you should be your own person and there should be no need to pretend to be someone else.The best tips for writing resume working towards you are all about taking care of your personal life and this includes your personal likes and dislikes. You should always take care of yourself and ensure that you spend enough time taking care of your appearance. Your appearance should be considered a very important factor when applying for a job and you should make sure that you use it to your advantage in terms of your resume as well.When you are trying to get into a company that has a very strict dress code, the best tips for writing resumes are going to be about ensuring that you know exactly what it is that you are going to wear. This can help you avoid being punished for something that yo u were not even aware of until the day you were to attend a job interview.It is important to remember that you should always look good and this means dressing nicely as well as grooming yourself by using products that are designed to keep you looking your best. When you apply for a job, make sure that you take care of your appearance and make sure that your personality shows when you are meeting the prospective employer.

Online Presence Who are you

Online Presence Who are you Are you making the most of all the exciting online ways  to shout about your skills and experience? Are you managing to establish a captivating cyberspace presence despite the pressure of exams, deadlines, work, sport, volunteering, and a busy social life? No easy task, but investing time now means you will start making ripples in recruiters’ pools. You will acquire a genuine insight into all  you have to offer  and find you’re ready to talk with confidence about who you are and what you want. Make the internet your stage Online recruitment is taking off and there are opportunities to use much more than your CV to evidence your work experience, activities and achievements. Why not link to blogs, presentations, videos, articles, photographs and collections of work? Employers are using the internet to gain a more three dimensional view of candidates.  How about providing  additional evidence to strengthen your profile?  You can  demonstrate the skills, abilities, attitude and approach you’d bring to the workplace and create  a striking and lasting impression of  the kind of employee youd be. Manage your profile Adopt a ‘collect and reflect’ strategy of recording your personal achievements as and when they happen.  What is the value of your experiences?  Which skills did you use or develop? What did you learn?  Can you evaluate what went well and what didn’t?  When you learn to reflect youll be able to talk about your experience persuasively with authority and insight. Standing out isn’t about swagger or being an extrovert, it’s about knowing yourself and learning to see yourself through somebody else’s eyes. This comes through steady, regular self-analysis. Talking with  insight goes a lot further than bravado! Consider using different platforms to promote yourself. Play to your strengths and stay passionate about what interests you. Changing recruitment More and more employers and agencies are searching online for suitable applicants, if you don’t have an online presence you may be missing out on opportunities. However, it’s all about what you choose to share, and who you share with. Select which platforms to use personally and professionally and don’t mix them up! Of course you want to have fun with your friends at the weekend but don’t let a judgmental stranger poke through your profile. Either ensure all your privacy settings are in place or keep things tidy, use different names for your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. Make sure that everything on social media that can be seen by a potential employer is going to help you to get employed. You wouldn’t engage in banter, use bad language, or talk about your drunken exploits in a job interview. It’s the same for social media, think about what you’re sharing, and what it says about you. Social recruitment Recruiters are using social media as a rich resource for finding potential candidates. Social media profiles open up a wide range of possibilities, as do blogs and online communities. Vala Afshar from Enterasys  Networks who recruited and hired a Director of Marketing through Twitter explains: ”Mobile and social is not about technology, it’s about a lifestyle…and the very best talent who are hyperconnected and social are going to look for companies that intersect their interest on social networks. You go where the conversation is.” 3Sourcing describe themselves as:  â€œA search engine for people, changing the way people find talent.” HiringSolved are: “…constantly watching the social networks, blogs and forums, sniffing out clues to find both active and passive candidates wherever they are.” Laurel Lindsay founder of the New Media Group writes unique job descriptions and titles and uses social media to publicise opportunities. She found a WordPress Whisperer on Twitter, a Graphic Designer on Instagram, and an Office” Ninja” on Facebook! People Aggregators facilitate social recruitment by searching the internet for all profiles linked to a person. They present a comprehensive picture for companies to follow up and approach. Specialist  platforms Professional networking websites are becoming part of many people’s lives. You know about LinkedIn but what about global sites Viadeo/Tianji and Xing?  There are sector specific platforms like StackOverflow for programmers, GitHub for software development and Dribble for designers to showcase their work. You can create successful pages, promotions and portfolios on an array of versatile platforms including Spotify, Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Google+. Start while you are at uni,  you should find that  internal ePortfolios (like Mahara) are supported there. You can blog, save pictures, videos and links, or upload documents, create pages and collections and set up your CV and Profile. Bring it all together So, start today! Start recording, writing, filming. Compile your own unique collection of experiences and achievements and share it selectively. Understand everything you have to offer, and see all that you’ve learnt along the way. If you’re not online, you’re not in the game. The internet is telling your story â€" so make it one you’re proud of.

Ten questions with Gloria Steinem

Ten questions with Gloria Steinem I interviewed Gloria Steinem. Shes promoting her new undertaking, GreenStone Media, a radio station founded by women for women. There were nine bloggers on the call with me and we each got to ask a question. During the interview I was routinely sidetracked by: a) Gloria Steinem is the revolutionary we talk about when we talk about feminism. She is huge. I felt incredibly honored to be talking to her. b) The other nine bloggers are huge. Not huge like Gloria Steinem, but huge like smart writing and big audience and I was dying to know what they were thinking about the call. c) Emily Rice put the call together, and she identified ten top bloggers across blogging genres tricky to do. Rice will generate publicity for GreenStone Media in an area that would have been hard to reach. I think she is a publicity genius and I got sidetracked thinking about ways to become her friend. Heres what happened on the call. The women asked very interesting questions, and Gloria gave very interesting answers. But the two were not particularly related. Here are examples. (I am paraphrasing in places. If you need to hear the whole interview, here it is) : Q: (From Catherine Connors) In your keynote speech you say that women want less conflict on radio. One of the criticisms of the mommy bloggers is theres too much camaraderie. Its too rah rah and we dont disagree nearly enough. A: (From Gloria, of course) People complain about the Oprafication of media. I think, if only the media were as good as Oprah wed be in a different world. There is such a premium on agreement that we forget to tell the truth. There really cant be community if it doesnt include the freedom to say what we feel. See what I mean? Catherine brings up an interesting topic that is very this-moment. And Gloria says some inspiring stuff that would have been an equally good answer to fifty questions people asked twenty years ago. Q: (From me) In your keynote speech you say women are reading more than men and getting more college degrees than men. You say it like thats a positive. But right now girls are working much harder than boys in high school and in college and it seems to me like a trickle down from women doing more work than men everywhere else. Do you see this as a problem? A: Women need to ask themselves the revolutionary question, Is this really what I want to do?.. When mediocre women do as well as mediocre men, then Ill know were getting somewhere. Again, I bring up a topic that is very current, and Gloria gives an answer that spans decades. So this is one reason why Gloria is an amazing figure in history; the answers shes been giving to the media for the last twenty years still resonate. But I couldnt help feeling like I was in a press conference with some political figure who is sticking to talking points. So for a minute, let me move past Gloria Steinem and GreenStone Media. I want to tell you about the women on the call. I love their blogs because they are so honest and well written. I loved that each of us was so nervous and excited about talking to Gloria, and each of us was so eager to hear what the others would ask. But, when you get a group of women together, the stay-at-home moms separate from the career moms. So its no surprise that the moms divided here, too. Jenn Satterwhite, said, If you are a mommy blogger youre written off. This is true. Many women dread working in an all-women space. And I personally have lost a job giving career advice right after I wrote about being pregnant. (You should write for a working mom magazine, my editor told me.) So it did not surprise me that when Pamela Slim spoke she made sure to tell Gloria that her blog focuses on entrepreneurship, not parenting. And when I got on the phone, I said I write about work and parenting only as it relates to work. I said this because I would never, ever want to be called a mommy blogger. Id lose half my readers. But let me tell you something. While I was distancing myself from the mommy bloggers, I did something only a mom would do: built a fortress in my bedroom so that my kids wouldnt bug me on the call; I had a mattress against the door to muffle screams and a dresser against the mattress to keep the door shut. So in the end, we have a snapshot of womens media in the new millennium: There is a group of bloggers asking contentious questions from the medias edge. And there is Gloria Steinem, representing the establishment, and giving seasoned and wise but measured answers in an effort to promote her burgeoning radio empire. And while Gloria is marketing her conflict-free radio station, the bloggers are doing what they do best, celebrating conflict, even within ourselves. Heres the list of bloggers: Catherine Connors, Her Bad Mother Ingrid Wiese, Three New York Women Jenn Satterwhite, Mommy Needs Coffee K Smith, Almost Literally Kristen Chase, Motherhood Uncensored Leah Peterson, Leah Peah Liz Gumbinner, Mom 101 Pam Slim, Escape from Cubicle Nation Sarah Brown, Que Sera Sera

Guidelines For Writing a Resume - Do it Yourself or a Good Writer?

Guidelines For Writing a Resume - Do it Yourself or a Good Writer?Guidelines for writing a resume can be a challenge but they are nothing you can't handle if you have the determination to learn the process. It is important to remember that the first impression matters so you want to make sure your resume is written and formatted the right way to ensure that it gets noticed in the end.The first step in making yourself the ideal candidate is to have the right education, experience and skills to be hired. This includes understanding how to write a resume that will get you the best results. The more relevant information you provide on your resume the better chances you have of getting that job.Besides, a person who knows how to format their resume properly has more credibility when it comes to their educational background. It is important to highlight all their qualifications to get them noticed by recruiters. If they know how to apply for a job that has to be filled then you want to sho w them that you are prepared to do so.Although most people only pay attention to the education, experience and skills a candidate has, they need to give special attention to the educational background of the person applying for the job. They must know what they can expect from the education that is presented. They should also know what it will cost and what they will get out of it. This makes it easier for them to do the necessary research to make sure they get what they are looking for.It may take a little bit of time and energy to research but it will come back to you in the long run when you compare yourself to other candidates with the same degree and GPA. After you have researched and know what you need to work on, all you have to do is develop your resume. There are several websites and job boards that can help you create a professional looking resume that will get noticed by recruiters.One thing that most recruiters will be looking for is previous employment for each applican t and this information is what you need to include on your resume. A person who knows how to write a resume will include information about their previous jobs that shows how they can be used to get a job as well as some experience of their own. Some people know how to put information on their resume that will get the attention of a recruiter but they don't have any idea of how to present themselves professionally.If you can become a good writer and presentation person then this is what you need to do to become the next great candidate for a job. Many people don't know how to format their resumes so it is not difficult to learn how to format a resume effectively. You will get plenty of tips online but remember that before you begin to learn how to write a resume, you need to make sure that you understand the importance of showing them that you have the ability to get the job done.When a recruiter sees that you have done all the research they can use your education, experience and ski lls to get a job as the basis for you to apply for that job. Although a person who know how to write a resume and knows how to get the job done will be considered the best candidate for the job, there is no guarantee that a recruiter will hire them. The best you can do is show them that you have the right education, experience and skills to get the job.

Worry - but dont panic - about your work counting in second year

Worry - but dont panic - about your work counting in second year Its coming up to crunch time in first semester. Essays due, exams after Christmas, further reading up to your eyeballs. If you werent feeling the heat before, you probably are now. Especially if, like me, you got away with slacking in first year because your marks didnt count. Second years another story. Im sure you know by now, but second year can count for anywhere between 12.5% and 40% depending on which uni you go to and what course you do. Whatever the case may be, youd be forgiving for worrying about what you come out with. However, the key to success is not to panic. Second year can be quite an important time, but you absolutely can handle it. Heres why:   It only makes it more difficult Listen, just chill for a second! Its true, some of us cant help but panic in situations like the ones second year will throw up at you. But if you cant breathe, you cant study. What were trying to say is look after your mental health youve got deadlines, sure, but its important to take time for yourself too. If youre covering something you find difficult, dont beat yourself up. Take a break and come back to it. Keep your family and friends in the loop too theyre the ones that are going to hold you up if you get into trouble.   Youve got a bit more academic freedom The horror of UCAS is a hazy speck in your rear view mirror at this point. But theres gotta be a reason you chose to do the course that you did. Were assuming it wasnt because of all those thrilling good university practice modules? Didnt think so. Liking what you do makes a huge difference to how well you do it. This year, now youve had a chance to pick up things that actually interest you, you should do even better than last year. Cant argue with that right there. Thats just logic.   Some of second year exists beyond your studies No kidding, theres a life outside of lectures beyond first year. Wouldnt you like to see it? Frequent Debut readers will know that we lurrrrve extra-curricular activities, and we think you should too. We even wrote a whole piece about why second year is the best time to dive into your hobbies. Basically, the worst thing you can do at uni these days is go there and just study. Prove to your future employers youve got leadership and organisational skills and have fun while youre at it.   If all else fails, youve got final year If you have an obsessive penchant for studying, dont worry. Youll be doing plenty of that in final year. Thats why its so important to reap the benefits of societies in second year because by final year, its pretty much much too late. The workload is a huge step up and theres much more independent study that needs to be done. HOWEVER, its worth more than second in terms of degree weighting. So heres the plan use second year to find your tempo. Experiment with things and plan the way you work best, ready to smash it next year.   Theres help there for you If all that doesnt convince you, just know AT THE VERY LEAST that you dont have to do this alone. Your lecturers arent scary monsters (even the ones that never smile). If you approach them, theyll definitely help you. Be up front about your struggles before they become issues and take their advice. Theyre the experts after all. Do that, and all this second year lark will be a breeze. Images by Giphy Feature image via 20th Century Fox Download the Debut app and  get Talent-Spotted by amazing graduate employers! Connect with Debut on Facebook and Twitter

Social Recruiting Is A Good Thing...If youre visible online [INFOGRAPHIC]

Social Recruiting Is A Good Thing...If youre visible online [INFOGRAPHIC] CareerBuilder Study Finds Social Recruiting  Continues to  Increase CareerBuilder Study Finds Social Recruiting  Continues to  Increase Social Media recruiting (social recruiting)  is certainly not going away. Over 50% of hiring managers use social media to assess candidates according to the most recent CareerBuilder study of over 2,000 U.S. human resource and hiring managers  ranging across  industries and company sizes. Heres the link to the press release. FYI:  These findings are more conservative than the Jobvite study, which found that 93% of hiring managers  will review a candidate’s social profile before making a hiring decision. You can read more about that here. What The Social Recruiting Study Found As the study points out, 35% of employers said they would probably not consider interviewing a candidate without online visibility. Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder said  most recruiters, 60%, are  â€œlooking for information that supports their qualifications for the job. This is what they are looking for: 56% of recruiters want to see if the candidate has a professional online persona 37% want to see what other people are posting about the candidate 21% admit they’re looking for reasons not to hire the candidate Get inside the head of a recruiter/hiring manager/HR for just a second. They want to know as much about a candidate as possible before investing time in an interview. You do the same thing before you make a purchase, dont you  search for reviews online? The Good News 32% of hiring managers found positive social network content which helped get the candidate hired. What made a difference? Candidate’s background information supported job qualifications â€"42% Candidate’s personality came across as good fit with company culture â€" 38% Candidate’s site conveyed a professional image â€" 38% Candidate had great communication skills â€" 37% Candidate was creative â€" 36% The Bad News 48% of hiring managers said they found information that caused them not to hire a candidate. This number has decreased a bit from last years findings. What types of social networking findings turned them off? Provocative or inappropriate photographs â€" 46% Information about candidate drinking or using drugs â€" 40% Candidate bad-mouthed previous company or fellow employee â€" 34% Poor communication skills â€" 30% Discriminatory comments related to race, religion, gender, etc. â€" 29% To learn more about what NOT to do, see 6 Things You Should Never  Mention On Social Media. At A Glance Heres a summary of key points from the CareerBuilder study. (Click on image to view it larger) I regularly write and speak about using  social media to help build the right online presence because it is so critical to your career  success. Here is a link to articles about social media.

Want to Know How to Knock Your Finance Resume out of the Park

Want to Know How to Knock Your Finance Resume out of the Park In today’s increasingly digitized world, the resume is becoming more important than ever before. Your resume is one of the first ways potential employers get to know you, after all, which means it needs to be as polished as possible in order to make a good impression. However, crafting an excellent resume can be tricky, even if (or perhaps especially if) you have a lot of experience under your belt. If this is the case, let us offer you a few tips on how to achieve the best  executive  resume  format and really “wow” your potential and future employers! Research the Best Keywords You’ve likely noticed how rapidly keywords are growing in significance in the business world. It turns out keywords are just as important to personal marketing as it is to commercial marketing. But just what are the best keywords to use? Specific job titles are a great place to start. Use any and every high ranking position you’ve held in the past on your resume to help catch an employer’s eye. This is one of the easiest and best ways to display your credentials. Additionally, anything you frequently performed or used on the average work day, from PC programs to basic duties, are fair game. You’ll also want to give employers a clear image of what your previous positions entailed and what they can expect from you if you’re hired. The idea is to be very detailed since you dont know what keywords will prompt a prospective employer to look at your resume. Have a Point There are very few instances where people like rambling. Don’t lose sight of the point of your resume as you write. While this may sound obvious, it is very easy to get lost in the slew of details you’ll need to include and forget to get to the heart of the matter. The most important goal of your executive  bio is to get hired for the job you want. Showcase who you are and what you can do for the company you want to work for by listing your skills and strengths with relevance to the company’s needs. Before you even start on your resume, we recommend scoping out the industry so you can fine-tune your expectations and objectives. Be Brief You want to detail your expertise on a point-by-point basis. Being concise will automatically score you points with an employer because this shows you understand and respect that they have one minuteâ€"at the mostâ€"to review your resume. This will also help them to understand more about you as a professional in that amount of time. You can accomplish this by writing out a summarizing paragraph on your resume’s first page. If you need help properly paring down your credentials down to a short paragraph, you can turn to a cover  letter  writing  service for help.