Networking Made Easy or Easier

Networking Made Easy or Easier You know you should be networking. Youve heard most people land jobs this way, and yet, you dread it, avoid it or give up when you don’t get the results you are looking for. If these are your feelings toward networking, you aren’t alone. Most people dislike networking, however, your career success is dependent on the relationships you have with others. Remember, people hire and do business with people they like, know and trust. This post is dedicated to the networking adverse! It will help you identify the people you should be networking with, lay out a strategy for your networking and meetings and provide tips for what to say during networking events so you feel more confident. Who to reach out to Let’s keep it simple. You already have a list of people you know. These are your friends, family, neighbors and the people you know well. This is your current network. These people care about you and your well-being. Have you ever asked any of them for the name of a good electrician, or their favorite restaurant? Why? Because the idea of pulling a name out of directory is risky. You want something reliable and you trust the recommendations of people you know. These are the same people you should begin the networking process with because you trust them and they want to help you. Your extended professional network is composed of people you may have only interacted with professionally. They could be vendors, suppliers, customers or even competitors. They could be people you have served on committees with. And don’t forget service providers, such as doctors, hairdressers, and accountants. You already have a relationship with these people. If you called any of them on the phone they would recognize your name. After you’ve gotten some networking experience under your belt by tapping into friends and family, begin reaching out to this set of people next. Who else do you need in your network? Create a list of people you would like to meet. They could be movers and shakers in your industry, people who work within companies you would like to work for or it may be a person who’s name comes up frequently in conversation. As you write down the names of people you would like to meet, also write down why  you want to meet them! Questions for an informational meeting: Before you reach out for an informational meeting, you need to know something about the person. Research their background and how you think they can help you. Create a list of questions you would like their opinions, advice or insights on. These may help get you started: By: ezrav Ask career path questions Tell me about your career path. How did you get to where you are today? Why did this type of work interest you? What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were entering this field, but didn’t? What publications, professional associations, or events should I check out for additional information on this field? Who else do you think I should speak with? Ask questions about their company What trends do you see in the future that will affect your organization and industry? What is the greatest demand for your services or product? How do you differ from your competition? If this company was known for three things as a workplace, what do you think those would be? How do you think most of the employees would describe this workplace? Remember, informational meetings are not about asking for a job. These meetings are about asking for information. As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. To ensure this doesn’t happen to you, find a unique way to follow-up with the person. A timely thank you goes a long way, but what about giving them a shout out on your favorite social network, or a handwritten thank you with a gift card? How to start a  conversation Networking can be stressful but it doesnt have to be if you know how to begin a conversation. Build your repertoire of questions and openers by testing out some of these: Any group event By: Executives International What brought you here today? How’s your week going? What do you have planned for the weekend? At an event with speakers What did you think of the speaker? What prompted you to come here today? Have you been to one of these before? What’s been the best session for you? What session are you most looking forward to? Instead of opening a conversation with a safe and rather boring question like what do you do, take it to a personal level and ask, something like how do you spend your free time? What keeps you up at night? or What are you working on? These less-often used conversation starters often result in faster rapport building and most importantly, set you apart. Additional tips for surviving networking events Pretend you are the host of the event by seeking out someone standing alone or just arriving. You will make them feel more comfortable by introducing yourself. Or, volunteer for an upcoming event. Every organization needs volunteers. Ask to be part of the events committee or offer to manage sign-ins at the registration table. This is a great way to force yourself to meet people. Be the connector. Offer to introduce your new connection or even old connection to someone you think they should meet in your network. One way to take the focus off you is by introducing people. Ditch the old pitch. The secret formula is short and snappy and immediately turns the conversation over to the other person. Here’s a framework: I help [who benefits from your work] by [problem you solve]. And what do you do? For example, this is how a human resources professional may respond: I help managers at XYZ company hire and keep the best talent by fleshing out the real job requirements and teaching them how to interview for those skills. And what do you do? Always have a professional business card on hand. Minimally, it should include name, job title, phone number, email and the URL for your LinkedIn account. You could take this a step further by adding key skills, industry expertise and maybe even a short pitch. And remember to include that same information in your personal email signature. How to close a  conversation When networking at a group event, you may need to step out of a conversation in order to meet other people. But leaving a conversation shouldnt feel like the end. By all means, ask if you can connect with people you meet on LinkedIn. But rather than send the invite right then and there from your smart phone, personalize your invite with a very short note from your home computer (smart phone apps do not let you customize your invitations). Your invitation could mention something from your conversation with them. This serves to purposes, first, it prevents your invite from getting overlooks, and second, you make a memorable impression. Close with the give. Instead of focusing on your agenda, needs, wants and requests, listen for the opportunity to give. The give could be a recommendation, tangible gift or just sharing relevant information or resources. Networking isnt really about you or your needs and wants. Think about the memorable people youve met. What was it that made you remember them? They most likely put the focus on you. The best way to network is by making the other person feel special or important. Try it!

College and University Students Resumes Need Resume Writing Services

College and University Students' Resumes Need Resume Writing ServicesIs your college or university or other school resume writing service relying on professionals from the English-speaking countries to write their American and Canadian applicants' resumes? More than likely, it is. It has become more difficult for companies of all sizes to find good English speakers and writers for hiring.No longer can English be the only language taught in most schools. This is why it has become necessary for most college and university applicants to submit a curriculum vitae. A curriculum vitae is just like any other resume: it should be organized, detailed, professional looking, and grammatically correct. A college or university resume writer must not only have the English skills to write an English-language resume but must also possess the proper qualifications and experience to write a comprehensive curriculum vitae.The cost of hiring a college or university resume writing service usually comes a t the cost of quality and experience. Your resume writing service will have to pay the graduate a lot of money to ensure that the job will be done well. They will also have to cover the costs of new, perhaps fancy, desks and tools to teach the writing and editing process. What they will not need, however, is your written materials, which they will need to create and file in order to compile and sell your resume in the current global economy.Resumes do not hold the same value for American students and writers as they do for people from abroad. In fact, the majority of applicants still do not use the resume writing process. A current trend among college and university graduates is to submit the same generic, cookie-cutter resumes to as many companies as possible. When you apply to college or university jobs, you still must convince the employer that you are capable of doing the job.Resumes must not only contain your personal information but must demonstrate your potential for success. In the past, resume writing services and companies relied upon applicants who were first-generation college or university graduates and lacked the experience needed to write a curriculum vitae. Students without a specialized education usually spent countless hours studying the American university system to prepare for the application process. These students often prepared poorly and got hired anyway because their poor research did not show that they were capable of handling the work required of them. Today, colleges and universities, along with other organizations and businesses, are having to hire experienced writers and writing services to write their American students' resumes.Because the vast majority of college students and recent graduates are self-driven learners, they do not possess the experience needed to be properly educated about how to write a curriculum vitae. Today's college and university students are encouraged to get their degrees after the start of the school yea r, and have more time to study. The vast majority of them did not pursue a major in English because their English majors did not require them to. But, today, the American college and university students must take courses in English in order to graduate and have the appropriate credentials to secure a job in their chosen career field.Resume writing services that rely on professionals from the English-speaking countries must hire qualified American resume writers with expertise in English. A typical curriculum vitae is two pages long. A work sample or portfolio of previous projects is usually included in the curriculum vitae, however, and students must not only fill in the appropriate fields but also provide a portfolio of work samples to prove their ability to fulfill a project assignment. Resume writing services must still provide excellent customer service to ensure that students and graduates from all parts of the world are able to find employment in the current economic climate.W ithout skilled, experienced English writing services, graduates would be forced to write their own curriculum vitae because they do not possess the skills or the training required. Not only does the U.S. need educated, English-speaking graduates but it needs all students to be English-speakers. Without resumes that will impress potential employers, English language courses in the United States will continue to be a joke, but at least graduates will be making history.

Career Profile Recruiter - VocationVillage

Career Profile Recruiter - VocationVillage Recruiting is a terrific career for people who want to help organizations connect with the talent they seek.This career profile interview is with recruiter  extraordinaire, Kristen Fife. Hello, Kristen!  Please give us a brief summary of your recruiting experience. I have been a recruiter in the Seattle area for over a decade. My experience has included technical recruiting (software engineers and related roles), legal, and healthcare. As a corporate recruiter, I also hire into roles across companies such as accounting/finance, HR, marketing/sales, etc.How did you get started in this career? I started as an administrative assistant supporting a group of recruiters at Microsoft, then as a recruiting assistant, an HR coordinator, a content manager (databases), and  a Researcher (a form of Sourcer). From there I stepped into the agency world (which is a preferred career step in tech and healthcare), then into corporate recruiting at several employers. I currently straddle that world as part of an agency providing full onsite RPO services to a small, privately held software company. This means I’m employed by the agency but function as a corporate recruiter for the client.For someone wanting to start a recruiting career today, how do you recommend getting experience? There are a few avenues. I’d say go for Recruiting Coordinator positions. It is a very fast career track to recruiting. If you have a B2B or B2C sales background (business development or account management, not retail) it is often a good transition to agency recruiting. If you have been a hiring manager in your industry for a significant amount of time (roughly 5+ years), you may be able to transition to a recruiting role as well. An analyst role doing in-depth research and analysis for a specific industry can also be a good step into a Sourcing/Researcher role.What is the difference between agency recruiting and corporate recruiting? If someone works at an agency, how would they land a corporate recruiting role? Agency recruiters work with a variety of clients, or sometimes one major client. They can focus on contract placements or full time placements (or both). It is very fast paced, highly transactional, and compensation generally has some sort of base plus commission, which can be quite lucrative. Depending on the company, they may also be responsible for developing new accounts via cold calling and networking. Often there is not a lot of contact with the hiring manager. Corporate recruiters are more involved in the business overall. They form close relationships with hiring managers, work directly with Human Resources, and are often involved in projects such as employment branding and marketing. Often agency recruiters end up working for one of their clients; keeping in contact with the general potential client pool is also a great way to keep your avenues open. Networking with other recruiters is key.What are some professional groups or websites that you recommend recruiters join to st ay current? The Electronic Recruiting Exchange, Recruiter.com, and Sourcecon.com are probably the best industry websites. There are a ton of LinkedIn groups (depending on what you are looking for). I highly recommend joining the recruiter groups on Yahoo by state: look up your state such as WArecruit  or TXrecruit. Also,  The Recruiter Exchange  can be a good resource. It’s very important to network in your local recruiting community to keep up on trends and news as well as share candidates (i.e. trailing spouses/partners, referrals, RIF employees).What personality traits and skills are important for recruiters to have to be successful? While you don’t need to be a bona fide extrovert, you *must* be comfortable talking to people. This includes spending many hours on the phone talking to candidates and networking in both ad hoc and formal situations (I spend an average of 10-20 hours a week in phone screens). It is also important to recognize that being a recruiter means you should expect to always be asked questions about resumes, jobs, “Can I send you my resume?” or “I have a friend that is an X, can you help them?” It’s like being a lawyer or physician. Time management is also huge for recruiters, as each requisition (job opening/order) is a mini-project that you are managing and you are in various points along the way with each one. Recruiting is not necessarily an 8-5 job; you need to be comfortable understanding that you may have a candidate that can only talk in the early morning, or in the evening, or over lunch and be flexible to accommodate those needs. You need to be comfortable being accessible most of the time for your candidates and hiring manager. Much of what we do involves databases and research so familiarity with them is huge (although this can be learned.) Learning to source (find candidates) effectively is a huge skill that many recruiters never develop, while others devote their careers to it. Understanding your strengths is key to success. Recruiting has a plethora of legal guidelines that must be learned and  to which you must adhere. Integrity and honesty are HUGE in the recruiting world. You are an extension of your employer, and you are in a very public role. Being a self-starter and having a strong sense of follow-through is critical, both with managers and candidates. You must be willing to follow and sustain repeatable processes. It is VERY IMPORTANT to understand that recruiting is cyclical based on the health of the industry. When job growth slows or declines, recruiters are often the ones that are the first line of cuts.How much does a recruiter have to know about a particular industry to be successful and how does someone gain that knowledge if they dont have a particular background? Industry knowledge can be very helpful, but most good recruiters and recruiting managers understand that an industry can be learned if you have the basic recruiting skill set. It usually takes 3-6 months to learn a new industry, but a solid recruiter can be productive in 1-2 months with mentoring.How do recruiters themselves find jobs? Mostly by networking with our peers. One of the biggest mistakes I see is corporate recruiters that let their own professional networks lapse. Know the movers and shakers in your town/area and connect with them. Send other recruiters occasional emails/messages, share candidates with your community, periodically attend in-person events. Stay informed. Volunteer your time at local universities/colleges for career development  activities (i.e. mock interviews), your local unemployment office (panel discussions), and be open to answering questions. Participate in LinkedIn group discussions. Be comfortable and active using social media.What is the compensation range for this career? The range is going to vary widely by geographic area, industry, seniority, and type of position (agency vs. corporate). Tech recruiters tend to be at the higher end, healthcare is in the midrange, and temporary labor (office temps, manual labor) is at the low end of the scale. The one great thing about recruiting is that generally you can exponentially increase your compensation fairly quickly. I started in the mid-40-50’s and within less than 5 years had almost doubled my total compensation (in the last decade). That is in the Seattle area, in the tech industry as both an agency and corporate recruiter. I spent a significant portion of my own career as an onsite contract recruiter, which also tends to pay a bit higher. I suggest checking sites like Payscale.com or Salary.com for going rates. You also don’t need a college degree to be a recruiter, although many corporate positions might require it. If that is the case, definitely start at the agency end.Any other advice? Recruiting is not an easy career choice; many people have simplistic views of what it entails and don’t understand the nuances of legal/compliance issues and regulations and the fact that recruiters are responsible first and foremost to their clients â€" the hiring managers. Reputation is EVERYTHING in recruiting. You can get a reputation with candidates and other recruiters at either end of the spectrum, the main thing that contributes to a positive brand is follow through and honesty all around. It isn’t something that anyone can do, although it can be learned by a fairly wide range of people.About Kristen Fife: Kristen  Fife is a Seattle technical recruiter and an industry leader for industry and job seekers. She has worked with organizations such as Microsoft, Xbox, the University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center, Volt, RealNetworks GameHouse, bSQUARE and Varolii. Fife  is a subject matter expert in resume writing, LinkedIn branding, professional brand development and social media use, career management, staffing issues,  and trends. She has been quoted in ABCNews, the Seattle Times, AOL, and The Wall Street Journal. She is regularly asked to speak on employer panels in Seattle. She is a regular contributor to NWJobs.com (Seattle Times) and SourceCon; she is also on the advisory board for Sourcing7 in Seattle. She regularly blogs and about recruiting and her blog about job search  gets several thousand hits a week and contains advice on everything from resumes, interviewing, and compensation negotiation to internships and networking for college students.

Help Desk Job Description Sample - Algrim.co

Help Desk Job Description Sample - Algrim.co Help Desk Job Description Template Download our job description template in Word or PDF format. Instant download. No email required. Download Template Using Your Template Follow these instructions to use your new job description template Step one: Fill out all details in your job description template using the provided sample on this page. Step two: Customize your requirements or duties to anything special to your workplace. Be sure to speak with team members and managers to gauge what's required of the position. Step three: When the census of the team has agreed on the description of the work, add in a Equal Employment Opportunity statement to the bottom of your job description. Step four: Check with your legal department, management team, and other team members to ensure the job description looks correct before creating a job advertisement. Choose a job board that's specific to your needs. Related Hiring Resources 12+ Best Help Desk Interview Questions Answers

Keys to Modern Resume Writing

Keys to Modern Resume WritingLet's face it, writing a resume is no picnic. There are so many topics to cover that it can be overwhelming and frustrating.After writing it, you usually have to wait for at least a week before your job interview, or maybe even longer. You know that if you have a boss who wants to speak with you, they will take a look at the document, but how do you make your resume stand out?An easy way to do this is to use a few tips to write your resume in a great way. Using these tips will show your employer that you put more than just a resume together. They will want to know more about you and your future career options.First, you should consider the purpose of your resume. Is it something you did that you wanted to get back to your previous position, or is it for a different job? Make sure you know what your purpose is before you start writing.Second, before you start on your resume, sit down and take a look at your life. Do you know what you would do if you weren' t working? How do you see yourself when you're not working? This will help you come up with your goals, and how you'll achieve them.Next, decide on what you want to work on after you have finished your career options. Are you looking for a part time position, full time position, or something else? When you decide what you want to do, find a professional resume writer that will create a well-written resume that will help you. But be sure that they are proficient at getting their point across, and giving your employer information about yourself that will make them want to call you for an interview.Finally, you must be organized when it comes to creating your resume. If you don't have time to write a section in one sitting, don't just write it all in one day. Break up your projects into smaller pieces and use one-sheets to make your resume. If you don't have a specific number of pages for each section, find someone that can explain it to you, and start with the most important sections first. Then you can add the next ones as you go.Hopefully these keys to modern resume writing can help you become more organized and get things done in a timely manner. Good luck!

5 Musts Before Starting Your Job Search

5 Musts Before Starting Your Job Search 5 Musts Before Starting Your Job Search Like most things, a key element of job search success is planning. Unfortunately, many job seekers just jump right in. They begin looking at job ads and internal opportunities. Bad idea. Most people wouldn’t just put their home on the market without some planning. They would consider different neighborhoods, maybe research realtors, and evaluate mortgage rates. They would appraise their home and find out what they should repair or replace to get top dollar. Yet every day, people decide that today they’re going to start looking for a new job. Once they find a few exciting opportunities they dust off their old resume and realize it needs an overhaul. They quickly find that jumping into a job search without planning doesn’t lead to success. Here are 5 things you need to do before you begin your job search. #1 Update Your Resume Get your resume in order before you start looking. While everyone has heard It’s essential to always have a resume ready to go, many do not follow through. They end up sending out an old, revamped resume and find they are not getting any response. Unfortunately, writing a strong resume isn’t a speedy process even if you decide to hire a professional. Most qualified resume writers are booked in advance.   When they agree to a quick turnaround, and many do not, there is generally a hefty rush fee. Job seekers who have found jobs they want to apply for are left scrambling. #2 Update Your LinkedIn Profile Your LinkedIn profile is an important part of your job search toolbox. Recruiters are on LinkedIn searching for candidates to fill open positions every day. If you have a “skeleton” profile, it’s unlikely your profile will rank high in a recruiter’s search. Even if you are the perfect candidate. Also, employers who are interested after reviewing your resume will likely visit your LinkedIn profile hoping to learn more about you. They won’t be impressed with a profile that includes a headline and job titles, but no picture. So spend some time completing your profile before you start looking. Finish that Summary you’ve been meaning to write for six months to a year. Fill out those job descriptions and be sure to use some keywords. #3 Clean Up Social Media Social media readiness is two-fold. Review your online presence to make sure there will be no surprises when an employer starts reaching. Clean up your profiles and/or set them to private. Review your social media profiles. Remove things that employers might find objectionable. Make sure your profile photos are employer ready on LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. Begin using your social media in favorable ways. Join LinkedIn groups and start participating. Use social media posts to demonstrate your industry knowledge. #4 Prepare For Salary Questions Recruiters are going to ask you salary requirements so be ready. All jobs have a salary range and recruiters need to know if you fall in that range. If the high end is $125K and you’re looking for $175K it’s highly unlikely that you would even be considered. No matter how awesome you are. Conduct research to learn the appropriate market rate for your target positions. There are many sites including Salary.com where you can look up salaries. Talk to people who work in the field. Decide on a salary that you can live with. But, keep in mind only “perfect” candidates will be offered salaries at the top of the range. #5 Establish Criteria Decide what’s most important to you in your next position. Salary is only one piece of the compensation puzzle. Make sure you factor benefits into the equation. When putting together your list of criteria think about things like flexible schedules, tuition reimbursement, professional development, opportunity for growth, commuting time, and the chance to telecommute, even if it’s only one day a week. Make a list of 5 or 6 things that are high on your list this will make it easier for you to evaluate jobs, and eventually offers, during your job search process. An offer than includes a $10K salary increase may sound great. But if the company’s medical benefits will cost $5K more a year and you won’t be reimbursed for education it might not be such a great deal. It depends on what’s important to you.

One Communication Trait That Reveals Something Very Unflattering and Hurtful About You - Kathy Caprino

One Communication Trait That Reveals Something Very Unflattering and Hurtful About You Part of Kathys new series Healing Your Heart There’s one communication behavior that I’ve seen over and over in my own life and relationships, and now I’m hearing about it often from my clients, friends and from members of my courses and programs. I learn of it frequently too from adult children of narcissists or folks who’ve grown up with emotional manipulation and pain in their families. It’s a rampant communication behavior, yet most people don’t talk about it openly, or even know whats happened when it hits them. Theyre stunned, saddened, and hurt, but cant sort out why its occurred. But I can tell you from experience that if you display this communication trait, you’re hurting people, making life-long enemies, damaging others’ self-esteem, and burning bridges. And you’re revealing a great deal about you that’s unflattering, negative and hurtful, that you’ll most likely want to revise. I call this trait “knife-in-the-wound reactivity.” Here’s an example: Carol is sitting with her friend Emily who’s struggling deeply in parenting her daughter whose behavior is out of control. Carol listens for a long time, hours even, trying to be helpful and empathic, and be a good friend. Finally, in an effort to show empathy for Emily and validate that she isn’t alone in her parenting struggles, Carol reveals something vulnerable about her own life and parenting, saying, “I really know what you mean. When my son was that age, he was so difficult to discipline â€" he’d react terribly when I tried to set important rules, and hed fight back hard.” Instead of being comforted, Emily reacts harshly by stabbing a knife through Carol’s vulnerability, rubbing salt in the old wound. Emily lets rip a hurtful comment, something like this: “Yeah, I remember that when your son was a complete horror. I thought ‘Wow, he’s out really of control.’ Carol feels devastated. First, shes stunned because, in response to her efforts to comfort and console Emily, she’s slammed down by her friend. Then, she learns something hurtful that she never knew her friend felt about her in the first place. Thirdly, she’s left wondering why this happened why, in an effort to be kind, she is attacked. What’s going on here? As a therapist, I’ve see this pattern often in couples who are struggling and enraged with each other. As a career coach, I’ve seen this too among friends, parents and children, and siblings, colleagues and bosses as well. The trait that I’m referring to here is present in individuals who are suffering from faltering self-esteem, and internal rage and resentment at how their life and relationships have unfolded.   They’re seething with jealousy of others, and they’re secretly angry at everyone. They feel like their life is a disaster compared to their friends and family members who seem to have it “better” and “easier.” They feel Facebook, for instance, is so very hard because everyone’s life looks better, happier and easier than theirs. Here’s what I know about individuals who engage chronically in “knife-in-the-wound reactivity:” They want to lash back at others and the world, and can’t help themselves from hurting others the way they feel hurt. They’re highly anxious, and haven’t yet gained the capability and skill to manage and regulate their anxiety or emotions. Their self-esteem is fragile and even broken. and they’re working so hard not to let that show, but it bleeds out. They feel that efforts from others to be helpful only puts salt in their own wounds, because they feel “less than” once again when someone is trying to help. Finally, they never really feel “good enough,” ever. It’s probable that each of us on the planet has reacted in this way at one point or another in our lives. But if we’re healthy, in touch with our feelings, and our self-esteem is intact, we recognize when we’ve hurt others, and we feel badly about it.   And then we do something concrete to address the problem, and make amends. But if this describes the way you habitually behave, it’s time to do something about it. Most humans are aware of when they’re hurting others, but narcissists and other emotional manipulators aren’t as aware. They’re so fragile themselves that they can’t help (or don’t even care) that they’re leaving body parts in their wake. If you’ve displayed this behavior frequently â€" either in the far past or recently â€" it’s time to take some bold action to repair it. Brave up and be stronger, and take control. Apologize from the heart and soul. Get in touch with why you feel you need to lash back at people who are trying to help. And look at why you feel so angry and resentful of others, and the world. Then own up to it. Get some help to shift and heal your pain, and start on the critical process of healing and recovery. You can do it, and youll see a difference in your life and relationships immediately when you do. For more information on healing hurtful behavior, visit my Facebook group Thriving After Narcissism. To heal hurts in your career, work with me and listen to my weekly podcast Best Work/Best Life.