The top companies hiring in September 2016

The top companies hiring in September 2016 by Michael Cheary Here’s a list of reasons you’ve been putting off finding a new job…1. It was your summer holiday. 2. It was half-term. 3. The Olympics were on, and you didn’t have the emotional strength left to start searching (#TeamGB #proud #hashtag).Luckily, all three of these things are now over with for another year (or four). In other words, you’ve officially run out of excuses â€" and it’s finally time to start putting your career first. Sorry, kids (and/or Mo Farah)To help you make your September more memorable, here are five of the biggest companies hiring on reed.co.uk right now:Boux Avenue Boux Avenue is one of the UK’s leading lingerie, swimwear and nightwear destinations â€" operating online, on mobile, and in over 28 stores across the country.Although they’re a relatively new addition to the high street, they’ve already set themselves apart with their range and overall in-store experience, not to mention the host of famous faces and celebrity fans who represent them.Their aim? To offer impeccably fitting, premium products at affordable prices. So whether you’re looking for everyday essentials, or something a little more luxurious, there’s something on offer for everyone.Current vacancies include Sales Advisor roles, as well as those for Visual Merchandisers, Managers, Buyers and Junior Buyers. And yes, that does mean you’ll be paid to shop.So stop making excuses. Find your perfect fit with Boux Avenue now.Locations: Throughout the UKView all jobs with Boux Avenue nowDyson Looking for a job that doesn’t suck? Oh, wait…Founded in 1991 by inventor/frustrated Hoover owner James Dyson, the company that shares his name has completely changed the game when it comes to conventional vacuum cleaners.Now employing more than 4,000 people in 70 countries worldwide, what Dyson really want is to find people who are passionate about making a difference â€" not to mention those who aren’t afraid to fail.In fact, James Dyson himself developed 5,127 prototypes before striking gold with his G-Force design. Which, at the very least, is something to bear in mind for any embarrassing interview mistakes that may be on the horizon.If you’re finally ready to shake the dust off of your career, apply for a job with Dyson today.Locations: Throughout the UKView all jobs with Dyson now  ITVIn a way, the X Factor is just like a big job interview. Only with fewer suits, and a lot more crying.But whilst we can’t promise you an interview with Simon Cowell and the rest of the judges, we can promise to help you find a job you love with ITV. And that’s almost the same thing, right?With over 60 years’ worth of experience in broadcasting excellence, ITV are the largest commercial television network in the whole of the UK, bringing happiness to millions of homes across the country with their award winning range of programming. They also have shows with Keith Lemon.They’re currently on the lookout for people to work in their finance, sales, customer service and HR team â€" as well as camera crew to work on Corrie.So whether you think you’re cut out for a career on the cobbles, or you just want to work for one of the world’s best TV channels, get in touch with ITV today.Well, if Louis Walsh can do it…Locations: London and ManchesterView all jobs with ITV nowOdeonMad about movies? Fanatical about films? Strangely attracted to alliteration? We may have found your true calling…Working for Odeon is a must for any aspiring cinephile. Not only do you get paid to be surrounded by all things film, you also get to see all the latest releases before they come out. Not to mention as much free popcorn you can eat. You know, if you like that kind of thing.They’re recruiting for Managers, Deputy Managers and Guest Experience Supervisors, all throughout September, working both in their cinemas, as well as their in-house Costa coffee franchises.And aside from the obvious interest in film, what they’ re really looking for are excellent interpersonal and customer service skills, as well as those who thrive in a fast-paced environment.A complete immunity to repeat viewings of the latest Fast and Furious release may also favourableLocations: Throughout the UKView all jobs with Odeon nowThorntonsSome careers aren’t just sweet. They’re premium…Since opening their doors for the first time over 100 years ago, Thorntons have gone on to become something of a British institution, with everything from personalised Easter Eggs to top-quality toffee and selection boxes on offer to chocolate lovers/last-minute gift-givers all year round.Something which isn’t bad for a company who had their first store managed by a 14 year old boy.They’re currently looking to grow their retail, warehouse and tech teams, with roles available in locations across the country. In return, successful applicants will receive a competitive salary, as well as subsidised lunches and even a staff shop (for thos e who prefer their chocolate heavily discounted).Oh and did we mention they need Chocolate Engineers*?Just imagine the business cards…Locations: Throughout the UKView all jobs with Thorntons now*May not actually involve engineering chocolate…Still searching for your perfect position?  View all of our current vacancies nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Features

Job hunt tip The mentor matters more than the company

Job hunt tip The mentor matters more than the company I noticed in the New York Times Book Review last week, there was a nice review of Jim Krusoes new book, Girl Factory. I was happy to see that, because Jim Krusoe was my firstand most influentialwriting teacher. Jim teaches creative writing at Santa Monica College, (and his faculty page reveals so much about him). He lets anyone join the class, but you have to read your writing out loud. This weeds out almost everyone. Because first you have to write something. And then you have to let everyone rip it to shreds. In front of you. But wait. It gets worse. Because Jim edits. He slashes most of the writing he reads. And then, if youre new to the class, you assume hes wrong, so you read out loud what he has cut and you hear it fall flat as soon as it leaves your lips. Try it. Read something you wrote out loud to a friend. If its bad, youll feel right away that boredom has overcome the room. If you have even one flat sentence, you hear it when you read it out loud. The first time Jim heard me read my writing, he said it was the best hed heard anyone read in his class in a long time. Then he slashed everything I wrote for the next six years. Sometimes Id hand in three pages of writing and hed leave only five sentences. But this is the thing about those five sentences: they were great. And heres why I became a dedicated follower: Because I felt like he understood my compulsive need to write my life. And I understood his goal, which was to have interesting sentences. So when he cut full paragraphs that I thought were important because my sentences were boring, I felt grateful that he saved me from banality. And I channel him every day that I write a post. I think to myself: Is this sentence one that Jim would cut? I am not so arrogant as to think that Jim would even bother to read any of my sentences today. But I do know that the lessons I learned from Jim are the essence of good blogging. You cant be boring on a blog. People will stop reading. So if you want to know how to write interesting paragraphs, read the authors who are famous for their ability to stun sentence by sentence. Try Jim Krusoe. Try literary types who sacrifice plot for prose: Ken Sparling, Martin Amis, Ann Beattie. (And, when you are feeling ambitious, Marcel Proust.) I tell people all the time to pick a mentor rather than picking a job. Jim Krusoe is my first experience with this. He didnt teach at a college I had ever heard of. And he didnt even write books that I understood. But he is legendary for churning out well-respected writers, year after year. Find a mentor with this reputation, and then work hard to make sure you each understand each others goals. What youll get out of this relationship is a new way to be more of your true self. And this is the best kind of job we can ask for. We dont have to find our true calling from a mentor. In fact, what I found from Jim was confidence to think that I should keep writing and see what happens. A good mentor opens doors, in our minds, and you can find that at any job, any company, anyplace your connection with someone is strong.

Age Discrimination in Hiring Facts Suggest Situation Improving - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Age Discrimination in Hiring Facts Suggest Situation Improving - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Editor’s Note: This blog is a modified excerpt from professional “headhunter” and bestselling author Skip Freeman’s next book in the “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets series of job-hunting books, Career Stalled? Publication is scheduled for late fall. Let me get this out of the way right up front: I knowâ€"and firmly believe!â€"that, when it comes to hiring practices, unfairlyâ€"and illegally!â€"discriminating against a job applicant on the basis of age is professionally (and personally) reprehensible and morally bankrupt. Nonetheless, age discrimination in hiring continues to exist and to be subtlety practiced in some sectors of the labor market today. I am pleased to report, however, that, according to a recent report by a highly respected outplacement consulting firm, Challenger, Gray Christmas, age discrimination in hiring appears to have become far less prevalent in recent years than perhaps many might suppose or fear. In a mid-year 2012 report,  Challenger et al. noted that nearly 3 millionâ€"75%!â€"of the 4.3 million jobs created since 2009 have been snagged by people over the age of 55. The unemployment rate, while still high overall, actually drops rather sharply for those over the age of 44 and remains comparatively low even for those who are a decade older. The unemployment rate for those 44 and older was about 6.5%, while for those workers 20 to 24 it was near 13% and for those 24 to 34, about 8%. To be sure, while age discrimination in employment certainly remains an important issue in today’s job marketâ€"arguably, if it affects just one person it still is unacceptableâ€"its overall negative impact seems to be abating. So, if you are currently employed and have beenâ€"or areâ€"reluctant to “test the waters” in today’s job market because of the fear of being automatically excluded on the basis of your age, you might want to seriously reconsider. Your Professional Brand Far More Important Than Your Age From my professional perspective, it is abundantly clear to me that how well and how effectively you brand yourself professionally is by far the most important criterion for landing one of the really good jobs in today’s (or any other!) job market. Your age, although still somewhat of a (hidden) consideration by some hiring professionals, usually, though admittedly not always, ends up being merely coincidental. Regardless of your ageâ€"young, “old” or anywhere in between!â€"in broad, general terms, here is what you absolutely, positively must do if you want to be seriously considered for the top jobs in today’s job market: You must effectively brand yourself as someone who . . . Has current and relevant experience and expertise in the position under consideration. Can  present documented (using  dollars and percentages) evidence  of significant professional  achievements/accomplishments. Can  make a company money, save a company money, or both. Can  â€œhit the deck running,” i.e.,  can immediately step into the job  and start performing in an exceptional manner. Is  a good cultural fit for the  company. Long gone are the days when even a reasonably qualified candidate could simply “throw his or her hat into the ring” and expect to get at least some consideration for a given position. Today, to be seriously considered for any of the top jobs, a candidate must be able to prove (or at least thoroughly convince a potential employer) that he or she is indeed worthy of serious consideration. None of what I’ve said in this blog, of course, is intended to downplay either the prevalence or severity of age discrimination in hiring. Nor am I trying to mitigate, in any way, the devastating, humiliating effects it can have on any man or woman who has experiencedâ€"or will experienceâ€"it during a job search. As is the case will all of the negative “isms,” e.g., racism, sexism, etc., only strict and diligent enforcement of applicable labor/human rights laws, as well as a drastic change in the mindset of those who still practice it, can ever hope to completely eliminate age discrimination in hiring. And with the multitude of problems and challenges already existing in the current job market, I honestlyâ€"and unfortunatelyâ€"don’t anticipate this happening any time soon; you shouldn’t either. Don’t Let Fear of Age Discrimination Keep You Out of the Job Market! The principal point I want you to take away from this blog is this: Don’t let the mere anticipation, the fear, of possibly being unfairly discriminated against because of your age keep you from aggressively pursuing your next career opportunity! As we’ve seen, age apparently is becoming far less of a factor in determining who has actually been landing the jobs over the last several yearsâ€"and who continues to land the open jobs. Contrary to what you may read, see or hear in the media, which consistently tend to focus exclusively on “new jobs created” each month, thereby overlooking the “big picture” in the job market, the fact is, real companies are right now attempting to fill real jobs in today’s job market. And let me assure you again, in the strongest possible terms, that the principal criterion for selection is NOT a candidate’s ageâ€"it’s the quality of the brand the professional brings to the table. My best advice: If you haven’t yet positioned yourself, branded yourself, as a candidate who is clearly and unmistakably among the best of the best, the crème de la crème, then you need to start doing that TODAY! How? At a minimum, you need to . . . Make sure that your résumé accurately and  comprehensively reflects (again,  using dollars and percentages) your significant  professional achievements and accomplishments. Make  sure that your LinkedIn profile  (and other online presence) is complete  and comprehensive, and that it contains  keywords and phrases that you know (or should know) “headhunters,” hiring  managers and Human Resources professionals will include in their searches when  they go looking for exceptional candidates to fill open positions. Make  sure that you can actually be contacted by a hiring professional if a suitable opportunity should  arise. (You might be both surprised and amazed at how difficult, if not downright  impossible, some candidates can make it to contact them!) Based upon the evidence and hard, irrefutable facts, if you’re not exactly a “kid” anymore (and I personally can relate to being in that category!), I strongly suggest that you don’t allow yourself to get bogged down or unduly distracted in a new job search by being overly concerned about the mere possibility of encountering age discrimination. If you do, you do. Just move on to the next career opportunity and count your blessings that you won’t ever have to work for a company that tolerates and practices such mindless prejudice. Keep your eyes on the ball, get yourself prepared to effectively compete in today’s job marketâ€"and stay prepared. If you do this, not only can you succeed in today’s job market, you can actually prevailâ€"no matter how “old” you may be! Author: Skip Freeman  is the author of “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets: The Rules of the Hiring Game Have Changed . . . Forever!  and is the President and Chief Executive Officer of  The HTW Group (Hire to Win), an Atlanta, GA, Metropolitan Area Executive Search Firm. Specializing in the placement of sales, engineering, manufacturing and RD professionals, he has developed powerful techniques that help companies hire the best and help the best get hired.

Just Answer The Question - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Just Answer The Question - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career We all know that politicians are incapable of answering the question being asked. But, you don’t need to take your queues from politicians. Even if you ARE a politician you should seek to … Just Answer The Question Consider: When was the last time you answered the question that was asked of you? Think about it for a moment. Ill wait. Of course, we dont expect politicians to answer the question that was posed to them. Which is both sad and a little bit shocking that we let them get away with that. Our world is different. We live in the real world. In the real world, away from the political games and gamesmanship  that we seem to relish and expect of politicians  the reality is that  far too often the question posed is not actually answered. It’s up to us, it’s up to you (and me) … to try and correct for that. My challenge to you: Try, really try, to answer the question that is being asked of you. Next time someone asks you something … pause for a moment … then actually answer their question. The pause is not so that you can take a second to come up with a non-answer.  The pause is so that you can consider  a well thought out and formulated beginning , middle, and end to exactly answer the question posed to you. Even if that answer is just one word … a yes or a no. Isnt this a bit harsh? Sure. Yes its harsh. Im not trying to punish you. Im trying to reward the question asker. You can help the question asker by responding to the question they ask of you. When you do you will stand out in your career. Why? Because so many others don’t answer the question being asked. When you train yourself to respond to the question … and only the question … you will save time, energy, and reduce (or even eliminate) confusion. But, what is the question doesnt make sense? You always have the option of asking for more information. But, if someone asks you a direct question and you can provide a direct response… Do it! Why do I even bring this up? Far too often I hear people respond with a bunch of extraneous stuff, but not the question being asked. If someone asks something as simple as: Are you going to get that project done on time? Have you booked our travel plans yet? Did the customer buy the product we expected? Of course, these are yes or no questions. Guess what? A lot of questions can be answered with a simple yes or no. They dont require a lot of preamble and I dont require a lot of post-amble. Caveat: Some people think a Yes or No is curt. I disagree. If the question can be answered with a simple yes or no … Do it! So, I challenge you and I beg of you… Please just answer the question! Why do this? Simple. People want their questions answered. When you can answer the question being asked you will stand out in your career.  People will realize you value their time and that you value your time. I say this so bluntly and in such a curt way because the fact is if you can answer a question with one word… Do it! Caveat 2: Try not to answer a question with a question. It’s annoying (I know … I do it all the time) Curt and to the point responses to the question being asked don’t need to be considered rude or inconsiderate. Two Examples in Retail: The Hardware Store  â€" Scenario 1 You: Where can I find the packing tape? Employee: Aisle 33 Employee Bonus Option: Would you like me to show you where? 5 minutes later You: Purchases complete, smiling, happy customer The Hardware Store  â€" Scenario 2 You: Where can I find the packing tape? Employee: What are you trying to do? You: If you really want to know … cue long story that doesn’t get to the root of the question Employee: More questions (perhaps guised in the getting to know you persona) You: More pre-amble 20 minutes later … You: Where can I find the packing tape? This is the same kind of conversation that goes on in every business every day. Skip the Preamble If the person asking the question wants to know the preamble or the post-amble they can ask  a follow  on  question. Or, you can ask a question to clarify what they want. And, if needed and desired by both sides  you can  fill in some of the blanks. But, only if needed. If you need more guidance on getting to the root of an issue … consider this post Solve for Why … The Business Secret But, the point of this post is …  Just Answer The Question When you do you show that you value the persons time asking the question and that you value your time. Try it today! Just Answer The Question being asked. Let us know how it goes. Please share your thoughts in the comments … whether you use this technique or something else.

8 Best Habit-Tracking Apps to Help You Stick to Your Goals CareerMetis.com

8 Best Habit-Tracking Apps to Help You Stick to Your Goals Habit trackers are a simple type of apps that helps the user build strong habits and break bad ones by leveraging the “don’t break the chain” strategy. For some reason when our brains see that we have done something for a long period of timeor haven’t done something for the same long period, we don’t want to break the pattern.So essentially a habit tracker lets the user check off whether or not you have done something every single day and over time you get a visual indication of your progress. The aim of such apps is to keep the user motivated towards the achievement of small or larger goals in life.evalNow since habit trackers are very simple and they are also not that difficult to make, for this reason, there are a ton of them available on Android and iOS alike.In this article, I am going to share some of the top habit-tracking appsthat deserve your attention.1) HabitifyNow, this app makes our list because it is amazingly designed, from different apps reviewedfor this blo g we personally found this app to be the most simple to get a grasp on, not only that the UI design was observed to be really crisp visually.In addition to that, the app is cross-platform with features like dark mode and lots of fancy charts and progress measuring statistics. On top of that if you are an iPhone user you can integrate this app with your Apple Watch, Widget for your iPhone hone screen and iMessage.2) HabitHubHabitHub is an Android exclusive app and is next on our list. If you are an Android person and want to boast to your friends about some app that they can use, well this app would be your pick.evalThis app works on goal mechanisms and includes goals for a user’s habit streaks, so doing things like a 30-day challenge, or doing the habit skip is possible with this app. Let’s say you have a business trip and feel sick for some reason you can mark something as skip and add a note explaining why you had to skip the habit.3) TickTickThis is isn’t really a purpose-b uilt habit tracker but in actuality is a full-fledged task manager to-do app.Additionally, this app holds a lot of similarity to the ToDoist, though with the newer versions of this app the developers have added a habit tracker. So if you are looking for a task management/habit tracker app this is the one for you.4) BeeMinderevalIf you are one of those people that want a little bit more complexity in your habit tracking this app might strike gold for you. Well, it is said that this app forces the user to keep track of their habits as it puts the user’s money on the line.Users with this app have to pay money for skipping a pledge or habit and in addition to this financial incentive part of the app, the user can find a lot of data. The user can look at all the crazy charts and graphs, data points, the user can get really nerdy while using this app. Factually speaking this app also holds the distinction to pull data from the largest amounts of data sources that we have seen so far.It can pull data from Apple Health Data, it can pull data from all kinds of other self-quantified self apps and it can even connect to the IFTTT which can let you pull data from any other service in the world.5) TodayThis app is beautiful in our opinion, in fact, it might even be a little too beautiful. The fact that this app did not make it higher on the list is because sometimes the design and the aesthetics get in the way of product functionality.That being said the app itself is a very capable habit tracker, in addition to the apps UI design it also allows the user to use features that are only available after a monthly subscription other competing habit tracker apps out there.With this app you can do all the basics, you can add habits, check them off, you can do multiple check-ins per day and you can also set specific covers for your habits so you can get a different look for each habit.Though this app can’t pull data from Apple Health like a BeeMinder can but the user can add-i n Apple Heath Data for some extra content in contrast to your habits which is a really nice touch in our opinion.6) Coach.meevalCoach.me habit tracker first was released by the name Lift, the change in the name came as a coaching component was added to the app. For this reason, this app becomes really unique. When it comes to its core this is a very capable habit tracker, the user can add-in habits, check them off and it also included nice little high-five animations.In addition to this, there is also a big community aspect attached to it, both in the form of coaching and simple community discussions. So if you add in a habit and it is let’s say a pretty common habit you can find discussions, experiences, threads, and questions from other users.If we talk about the coaching aspect of the app and for a lot less money with any other coaching venue out there, this app lets the users have regular check-ins with coaches regarding any habit that you are trying to build or any goals that you are trying to achieve.Though this app when compared to actual coaching lack a little personal touch but a lot of people don’t need actual coaches to keep them on track and hence this is the gap that this app fills perfectly.eval7) StridesStrides is an iOS exclusive software and this habit tracker is claimed to be the best on the platform. On the surface of things, Strides is pretty much similar to the app Habitify, having a really clean professional UI, the software is fast and snappy and it is overall a joy to use.But when compared to the app Habitify we found that Habitify is a little rigid when it comes to the types of goals that a user can set up and track. Strides is more flexible, as it includes some additional options for the types of habits that the user can set-up within it.Through this app you can set-up street goals which are great for things like 30-day challenges, you can also set-up goals to be either “yes” or “no”, did you do them or did you not. The ha bits are based on a certain quantity of things, so if the user wants to take 10,000 steps per day they can actually feed the number quantity into the app.The feature that is hailed the most in Strides which was not observed in any other habit tracker on the list is the ability to track average for a specific habit. So if you want to make sure that you are not playing too many hours of games each week or you just want to track the number of times you go to the gym and don’t have a specific goal for it, this makes the feature really great to use.8) HabiticaIn our humble opinion, Habitica goes beyond all habit trackers out there because instead of just letting the user track their habits it lets the user’s life become a glorious video game. From the looks of it the app looks like it was built by a mobile game development company.This app is basically an RPG with habit tracking habits built-in. So when the user is working on self-improvement the user is actually building up a charac ter from a game. This character can go on quests, party up with people and get mounts and all kinds of gear.Now I have to admit that we all are nerds here but everybody is not a nerd, so basically Habitica is not for everyone as there is a lot going on in that game. The user can find all kinds of stats and buffs while experiencing this app. In our experience with the app, all the gamification elements that are built-in to Habitica are amazingly motivating.One the game of Habitica starts the user really does not want to fail a single habit because the user would be trying to earn some gold to buy gear or trying to level up the Habitica game character.Another genius part about the app is that the user can party up with other people and go on quests and fight level bosses together. Please note that when the user is fighting a boss, at the end of each day the boss attacks the user and the only way a boss can cause you damage is when someone from the party fails to do their habits. So if people don’t end doing what they are supposed to be doing everyone in the group suffers for it. This gives a great accountability element to the app and gets the user motivated.

DECISION TIME! The shoe dropped, you are now in JOB SEARCH mode - CareerAlley

DECISION TIME! The shoe dropped, you are now in JOB SEARCH mode - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson Author Byline: Ron Cottick, CPC, CHRM Author Website: http://jobsearchinfoexchange.com Regardless of the reason, when the shoe drops and you lose your job, its Job Search time. Whether this just happened or you have been in the job search mode for awhile, you need to be thinking ahead. Maybe the shoe has not dropped and you have more control or are taking more control over your career. You should still stay ahead in your job search and be thinking ahead. There are generally three mind sets that people in the search mode have; People who wait for things to happen, People who make things happen and People who wonder what happened. You can chose anyone of the three you wish to be, however, get yourself out in front of your search by getting out there and make things happen. With the calamity, the trauma and stress of losing your job, or, the job search in general, you may be wondering where to start. That is a reasonable reaction and many times people are not sure where to start their campaign. Although you can do things in any sequence you want, you will be much better off if you have a PLANNED campaign you can effectively manage. Anyone who gets involved in projects or does project management knows that the most successful outcome to any project starts with a plan. And, did you know that Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance? It does, so, lets talk about putting together a PLAN! First, what do you want to do? I know this may sound like an unnecessary question but now is the time for you to have an answer for that question. At this point you are very early in your planning but you do need to identify what you want to do. Call this your OBJECTIVE. You can put it down as an objective on your resume but I am talking more about you knowing what you want to do! You may be a Project Manager that wants to stay a Project Manager or you may be a Project Manager wanting an opportunity to grow into an Account Manager position. Maybe you want to hire into an Account Manager position. Whatever it is you do or want to do, without having the answer to that question, you are limiting the success you will have with your job search. You need to be focused and decisive. Avoid being too generic. Being generic does not give an answer to the question that Hiring Managers are asking, What are you looking to do in your career? So, decide what you want to do and make that your OBJECTIVE. Define it, all its tangible parts, make the decision and plan around it. This will be your reference or anchor point, a place for you to rally around in your job search. Second, now that you know what you want to do, who do you know want to do it with? If you enjoy what you do in the industry you are doing it in, this would be your starting point for research. You know who you worked for; do you know who the competitors are? That is what research will do for you. You will need to identify your targets and research those targets. Direct competitors would be companies that do what your company does. Lets use automobile manufacturers for example. Not all parts used in an automobile are manufactured by automobile manufacturers. Thats where indirect companies come in. Many times they are called OEMs, original equipment manufacturers. They manufacture various parts in support of the direct manufacturers of the core product but they do not manufacture the core product themselves. Develop targets in the OEMs for more possibilities. You can use this analogy with any industry and can even call the structure tier I, tier 2 or tier 3 companies. The concept is the same. The point is that you could fit a position in a direct competitor of your current or previous company or an indirect company that supports the industry your company services. And, do not forget the growth industries you would like to work in and be a fit for. There could be opportunities in those growth industries you could be a fit for. To find targets in the growth industries, use the same concept. Pick your first choice company you would like to work for and find its competitors. These would be the direct competitors. Then look at the OEM support companies and develop your indirect targets. Recognizing the need to do some research, where do you start doing your research? To find your direct competitors and companies doing a like business or manufacturing the same products, go to Thomas Registry, Hoovers (a Dunn Bradstreet company) and Reference USA. These are three of the best sources for company information out there. Many times you will find contacts you can target within the companies. A great place to do the research where you will likely have greater access to the information contained in the databases is your local library. Many libraries subscribe to one or more of these databases and usually provide more comprehensive information because of being subscribed. If your library is too small to subscribe to a business database go to the nearest larger library that does. You may have to get a library card to have access to the database but the cost of a library card is very inexpensive compared to the value of the information you will find. Once you have all this information, visit the target company web sites to find out what is going on with them, exactly what they do, are they hiring and do not forget about news releases which can provide some valuable information. This kind of information will help you be more knowledgeable about the companies and help you when you contact the companies. Third, what marketing material should your job search campaign have and what should it look like? Your marketing material should be your cover letter, career summary (profile) and your resume. Make sure your resume is accurate and up to date. It should match your cover letter and profile in content and chronology. Each time you go to send out your resume you should be thinking about sending out your marketing package; the cover letter, profile and resume, positioned in that order. I suggest you have your material written with KIS (keep it simple) in mind and always be targeted to the job description and your audience. Try to have in mind what the targeted person would want to see and have in mind. You want to make that great first impression and as they say, you only have one chance to make a great first impression. Think marketing when you are presenting (sending out information) yourself to prospective employers. You are doing yourself a disservice if you do not. How should these three documents look to provide the greatest impact? COVER LETTER; your cover letter should always be personalized to the position and company you are sending it to. You do not want to have a generic cover letter to address a specific position or company. You should keep it to about to pages long and address how your experience fits the position you are addressing with it. You also want to add some accomplishments that are relative to the position and how your experience and skills will fit what the company is looking for. The cover letter objective is to interest the reader and draw them into looking at the other material. PROFILE; another term for profile is career summary. Your summary can/should address the job description as the cover letter. It will be more specific than the cover letter though. The profile should address the key components of what the company is looking for. Be sure your profile has relevant experience (to the job description), your strengths (functional relative to the hard skills such as a particular technology, not something like team player) and your accomplishments (what the issue was, what your role was, how you accomplished the task and what the benefit was). You may want to provide responses to the following question: What would your previous manager(s) say are your greatest attributes? You can do that by saying something like my managers would tell you my best attributes are. This is not a reference, just a brief testimonial of what others who know you professionally would say. RESUME; your resume should be accurate, up to date and appeal to your experience relative to what you are looking for. It needs to be conclusive. When you illustrate the responsibilities for your position(s) be sure to state what you did as much as the scope of responsibility you have/had. The more important issue is what you did in the position. Do not forget accomplishments that illustrate the success you had with what you were doing. List the benefits of the accomplishment such as increased revenue, increased market share, reduced time getting product to the market, reducing warranty issues, etc. An accomplishment in your career is always worthy of presenting in your resume. As for the look of your resume, use a bullet format. Bullet formats are an easier read and the reader can more easily see what they are looking for. Paragraph formats are not as reader friendly. This is particularly true if there is a large amount of content. The reader of a resume written in a paragraph forma t has a harder time finding what they are looking for in a paragraph format. The analogy in getting attention on the resume is similar to a speaking engagement. If you can not get the attention of the reader in the first 15 to 20 seconds of the read, you will likely lose the readers interest and they will move on to the next resume. You want to get their attention, keep them interested and get them to read the entire resume. A well written resume will do that for you. And, if you need two pages for a resume, have two pages. The argument over resume length is just that, an argument. If you have a solid and extensive background that needs to be told, do it. You do not want to explain how to build a watch when you are only telling someone the time but you do need to introduce yourself completely. Two pages of well written, concise and informative content that keeps the readers attention is OK. With three, you are probably starting to tell your reader how to build a watch. Now that you have decided what you want to do, who you want to do it with (your targets), researched the targets and put together your marketing material, where do you start in your marketing strategy? Start by posting your resume to the resume databases. The better known sites are Monster, CareerBuilder and Hot Jobs. A good technically oriented site is Dice. Look at Niche resume database sites as well. There are many of them. You also want to be sure to maintain your resumes where they are posted as well. Typically, the most recently posted resumes show up at the top of the results when a recruiter is doing a resume search. If you leave your resume unattended after posting it, it will gradually fall to the bottom of any results a recruiter will see. The bottom is not the best position to be in. You should update your resume weekly. Something very slight will repost the resume with a new date taking it to the top. The change can be something as simple as how your phone number is disp layed, whether you use your full name with middle initial or without or whether you spell out your state of residence or abbreviate. Whatever you do to your resume to constitute a change or revision, do it to keep you at or near the top of returned results. After you put yourself out there on the various resume databases you should do searches on the job sites. Again, you can look on Monster, CareerBuilder, Hot Jobs, Dice and niche sites. Look at the aggregate job sites as well. Aggregate job sites are sites that draw their information on jobs from many sources on the internet. Those can be company web sites, job sites and newspapers. They are a good source of information. And, on each of these sites you should set up a search wizard that will work for you to alert you on jobs that come open that fit the parameters you set up in your search wizard. When you are setting up the key words for your search look at the tips offered up on Boolean search methods. The tips you learn will help you when you are actively searching and work well with your search wizards. Do not be afraid to change them up from time to time either. Online social networking is becoming more prevalent as well as important. You can make some good connections and get some good information through social networking. The most widely used site is Linkedin. Linkedin will become more valuable when referring to your researched company information. Consider the research capability to find key contacts on Linkedin as well. You could easily find the right contacts in your companies of choice as they are likely using Linkedin. Finding them and having a means to connect with them could be invaluable. Facebook is becoming more popular as social networking site as well. Get yourself out there through social networking. It does not require a lot of time to set up or manage but can provide some great rewards if you use it. In your research you may have found the names of department managers who you can send your resume too. The best thing to do is attempt to reach out to them. Call the company and ask for the person. If you can not reach the person ask for the department Administrative Assistant. They can be a valuable resource and very informative. What you want to do is find out who you can send your presentation to that will get it into the department and into the department managers hands. If you can not get it through to the Manager or Administrative Assistant, ask the operator who is the best person you can send it to and can you talk to them. You want to try and get an email address of someone you can send you information to. People generally check email multiple times a day but snail mail can stack up and collect dust. Out of sight becomes out of mind. You have done all the planning for your campaign and are now in implementation mode. The last thing you want to happen is lose track of where you are at, who you talked to or who you sent your resume too. The last part of your campaign is to track your campaigns activity. When sending out many presentations and talking to many people, it is easy to lose track of your activity. If someone calls you from XYZ company, you want to be able to know what you sent them, when and what it was for. You will sound much more prepared and more together if you are not caught off guard. This will support your ability to know what you are doing. An Excel spreadsheet works great to track your progress. You can set it up any way that works best for you but the minimum should be Company, Contact, Phone Number, Date, Reason for Contact and Notes. In the Notes you could put what you did and the time for your next action. Searching for a new job is a full time job itself. It is not something people look forward to. It takes time, patience, tenacity and faith. If someone tells you no, it does not mean they do not like you. Do not take anything personally, get disillusioned or give up. Remember the steps: Determining what you want to do Who you want to do it with Searching your targets Putting together your cover letter, profile and resume Posting your resume Conducting searches and creating your search wizard Initiate your social networking Reach out to your targets Track your efforts They are intended to get you started. Taking and following these steps gives you a roadmap. Discipline yourself to get started and have the momentum to keep you going. And, one last thing: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE IMPOSSIBLE AND THE POSSIBLE LIES IN NOT GIVING UP! Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities. Good luck in your search.Visit me on FacebookVisit me on LinkedIn

Get Overwhelmed When Writing a Functional Resume

Get Overwhelmed When Writing a Functional ResumeYou may be starting to feel overwhelmed with all the steps you need to take to make sure you get overwhelmed when writing a functional resume. All those pages of resume writing can seem like a very long, tedious task to you. But you have to start somewhere.To get overwhelmed when writing a functional resume you have to look at your resume as it were a piece of art. In other words, that you have to think about and re-think the most important parts of your resume. When you're trying to get overwhelmed you need to look at your resume in relation to the qualities you would want in a job recruiter.First you need to assess your talents and skills - are they transferable? What skills do you possess that will give them the opportunity to hire you? What skills do you bring to the table that makes you an ideal candidate for the job? These are important questions you need to ask yourself as you begin your creative process.Next you need to think ab out your talents and skills - is this transferable? Do you have unique abilities that no one else has? What are some of your talents that people may not be aware of that can help them recruit you? Ask yourself what unique skills can you bring to the table that will help you land that perfect job.Now, how about your skills? Is this transferable? Do you have unique skills that no one else has? The most common mistake you will make is to copy someone else's skill, you've done it your whole life, why change when it is easy? However, it is necessary to hone your skills and learn how to apply them to a new situation in order to get overwhelmed when writing a functional resume.What about your skills? Are these transferable? You may find that your talents are applicable to the role you're applying for, but in order to get overwhelmed when writing a functional resume you must realize that your skills are different than another candidate's skills. Differentiate yourself by working on your abi lities, talents and skills.This is the most important thing you must do if you want to get overwhelmed when writing a functional resume. After you've done this, look at your resume, does it reflect all of these? If it doesn't, re-write it in that way. Keep going until you've gotten it to where it should be. Make it personal, if you want to, don't be afraid to make changes to it as the situation calls for it.One thing you will quickly find out if you don't get overwhelmed when writing a functional resume is that there is too much of a task for you to do. You can't spend half the day on your resume and expect it to make you successful. However, it is possible to write a good resume and get overwhelmed when writing a functional resume.