Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Posted: 27 Jul 2011 07:32 AM PDT

Here are the keys to successful networking for your job-search. Follow these simple rules and you should achieve success in this important strategic tool of job-hunting.

Do realize why networking is so important. Only 5 to 25 percent of jobs are advertised, so you can find out about all the unadvertised openings only through talking to as many people as possible and telling them you are looking for a job.
Do read our article, Networking Your Way to a New Job.
Do think creatively about where to find network contacts. You can find people to add to your network almost anywhere.
Don’t go anywhere without copies of your resume and business cards or networking cards. You can keep your resume in your car or briefcase, but be sure you can access it easily if you meet someone who could pass your resume along to a hiring manager.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Most people are flattered to be asked for assistance and advice with your job search. It makes them feel important.
Do join a professional organization related to your field. In a survey conducted for A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way Into the Hidden Job Market, professional organizations were cited as the top venue for networking. See our General Professional Organizations and Associations.
Do volunteer. Volunteer work was cited in the survey as the No. 2 way to make network contacts.
Do find a mentor. A mentor — that one person who can guide you, help you, take you under his or her wing and nurture your career quest — can be the most valuable kind of network contact.
Do come up with a system for organizing your network contacts, whether a spreadsheet on your computer, a file box of index cards, a three-ring binder, or whatever works for you.
Do consider conducting informational interviews, the ultimate networking technique. See our Informational Interviewing Tutorial
Don’t forget to thank everyone in your network who has been helpful to you, preferably with a nice thank-you note. It’s just common courtesy to show your appreciation for peoples’ time and assistance, and your contacts will remember your good manners.
Do keep networking even after you’ve found a job. You never know when you might need your network contacts again.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker’s Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

Katharine Hansen, PhD, QuintCareers.com Creative Director

Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate publisher of Quintessential Careers, is an educator, author, and blogger who provides content for Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and blogs about storytelling in the job search at A Storied Career. Katharine, who earned her PhD in organizational behavior from Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, OH, is author of Dynamic Cover Letters for New Graduates and A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market (both published by Ten Speed Press), as well as Top Notch Executive Resumes (Career Press); and with Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters, Write Your Way to a Higher GPA (Ten Speed), and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Study Skills (Alpha). Visit her personal Website or reach her by e-mail at kathy(at)quintcareers.com.

The Work Buzz's Latest News: Companies hiring this week

Companies hiring this week

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 01:19 PM PDT

The last Tuesday in July already? Where does the time go? Back-to-school sales are already popping up and your local big box retailers have school supplies on sale. Yet we’re still two months away from the return of our favorite primetime shows.
To fill that void and help ease the pain of school zones returning to our streets, why not take a gander at the following list of 10 companies hiring this very week and see if anything suits you? You’re already here, there’s no “Real House Wives of” anywhere on tonight, and it’s hot outside. Take a look, click and apply1
AlliedBarton Security Services
Industry: Security
Sample job titles: Security officer, area manager
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems
Industry: Commercial vechicles
Sample job titles: Learning and technology specialist, financial/import and export manager
Crowe Horwath
Industry: Public accounting and consulting
Sample job titles: Credit risk specialist, federal tax senior staff
Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare
Industry: Health care
Sample job titles: Pharmacist, exercise physiologist
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market
Industry: Grocery
Sample job titles: Finance manager, team leader
Scholastic
Industry: Publishing and media
Sample job titles: Part-time seasonal warehouse order selector, outside sales representative
Scotts
Industry: Lawn and garden
Sample job titles: Sales representative, region human resource lead
SeniorBridge
Industry: Health care
Sample job titles: Care manager, director of professional relations
State Street Bank
Industry: Banking
Sample job titles: Senior project manager, junior institutional salesperson
Tyson Foods Incorporated
Industry: Food products
Sample job titles: Senior pricing manager, operations associate

Laid-off? Request Outplacement!

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 11:45 PM PDT

You should request your employer provide you with outplacement services if you've been affected by a layoff, or you get laid-off in near future.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

Bad Career Advice: Never Give Up

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 11:00 PM PDT

I believe the career advice to "never give up" ignores the blatant reality of life and instills the idea quitting for any reason is an act of defeat.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

Keep Your Career Success Goals with You at All Times

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 10:30 PM PDT

Keep your career success goals with you – in your wallet, or on your screen saver. They will be a constant reminder of what you'll achieve.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

How to Get an Employer’s Attention in 20 Seconds

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 10:00 PM PDT

Try these five alternatives to stand out as an interesting candidate and get an employer's attention during a competitive job search.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

It’s Quality, Not Just Quantity that Gets You Hired

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 09:30 PM PDT

Job searching is time consuming for everyone. It's the quality of your job applications—not the quantity—that will ultimately get you hired.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.