4 tools to make job-hunting easier
We certainly hope you’re not feeling forced to job hunt. But if you are, these social-networking tools can help:
Category: Career
Back to school: Is it worth it?
The current job climate is driving many people to go back to school, with the number of 50- to 64-year-old students climbing fast. Even people with jobs are taking classes. Should you? Some great advice from SmartMoney magazine:
Caring for your network in 5 steps
True or false: Networking is a task, like building your house. Accumulate the materials, do the necessary hammering, and bingo, you’ve got your house. “False,” say authors Bob Allard and Richard Banfield, who assert that networking greatness comes from giving, not accumulating.
Put more meaning into workplace awards
Imagine you’re up for an award at work … for Best New Mistake. That might not sound too appealing, but at SurePayroll, the award is coveted. Why do they do it? To encourage employees to try new things—even if it means sometimes failing or making a mistake.
1-Minute Strategies: Sept. ’11
Set aside a few minutes each week to answer questions in the Q&A section of LinkedIn … Tack on your own comment at the top of any forwarded email messages to help the recipient understand why it’s landing in her inbox … Keep things from falling through the cracks with Boomerang for Gmail …
Do what is right
“One of the dumbest excuses for screwing up is ‘everyone else does it, it is industry standard,'” says Robert Sutton in his book Good Boss, Bad Boss. “Don’t mindlessly compare yourself to others … the people you imitate might be complete dolts,” he says.
Craft a better résumé for 2011
Lose your job, and it will take about nine months to get another one, reports The New York Times. You might just shave some time from the process by updating your résumé now. A few tips: Embrace technology; avoid overused words that make you blend in; differentiate yourself by replacing the summary.
Think twice about quitting in a huff
In the world of baseball recently, the manager of the Washington Nationals suddenly resigned. The Nationals had just beaten the Seattle Mariners when Jim Riggleman quit. If you’re considering quitting your job, Riggleman’s case offers at least three things to consider:
Take 5 minutes a day to work smarter
Peter Bregman consults and writes about achieving your priorities by finding your focus. “I believe that most of us get smarter as we get older,” Bregman says. “But somehow, despite that, we often make the same mistakes.” Here’s a five-minute strategy for getting smarter every day:
Staying in the moment
You may be thinking about stepping into a supervisory role or onto a more exciting team, but the best way to grab that shiny prize is not to focus on it during day-to-day work and conversations: