6 Things to Do Before You Embark on a Job Search

6 Things to Do Before You Embark on a Job Search6 Things to Do Before You Embark on a Job SearchWhile you might be in a hurry to get the ball rolling on finding a new job, dont let excitement deter you from constructing a quality job search. Effort before applying can make the process smoother and increase the odds of landing a role youll find truly satisfying.Here are six worthwhile things to do before delving into a job search1. Establish priorities.When you arent clear about what you want, anything can sound good. Unfortunately, the end result often is an unfulfilling lokalitt that leads you back on the market way too soon.Gain clarity by thinking about what tasks you really want to do on a daily basis. Also, consider factors such as acceptable salary, workplace culture, and work flexibility. Your answers will help you sort through the possibilities out there to pinpoint the best opportunities.2. Examine credentials.Knowing what you bring to the table enables effective presentatio n. Look at your work history, and make notes about accomplishments. If youre changing industries, examine what transferable skills would impress prospective employers. Consider, too, whether additional education or training might be necessary before starting the search.3. Create a killer resume.While youll tweak to align with job postings, constructing a solid document serves as a good foundation. Virtually every hiring manager wants to know your past employers, titles, and dates of service. Add industry keywords (as naturally as you can) to get past automated resume scanners, use interesting verbs, and quantify achievements whenever possible. Put the resume through spell-check, proofread, and perhaps run it past another set of eyes for feedback.4. Think about references.Who best knows your work and is a good communicator? Knowledgeable, passionate references make hiring managers perk up. When youve narrowed down choices, get in touch with each one to ask for permission to list and to double-check contact information. Dismiss anybody who seems hesitant- you need someone to sing your praises.5. Check your online image.What is an employer who Googles your name or checks out your Facebook pagegoing to see? Now is the time to clean up your online image and get rid of anything questionable.While youre at it, scrutinize your LinkedIn profile. Make sure data matches your resume. If your headshot is missing or lacking, add a good-quality one. Fill out all sections as completely as possible to provide prospective employers with plenty to learn about you.6. Set up a record-keeping system.Lastly, since an active search usually involves multiple applications, figure out how youre going to keep track of information. When all those requests for interviews start pouring in, youll appreciate having taken the time to organize quick, convenient ways to access the original posting and other pertinent werkstoffReady to Start Your Job Search? Sign Up for Today

What Employers Mean by Equivalent Experience

What Employers Mean by Equivalent ExperienceWhat Employers Mean by Equivalent ExperienceWhen an employer mentions equivalent experience in a job posting, it can either mean experience in place of some educational requirements or non-paid experience. It can include work as an intern or volunteer, in place of paid work experience. If you have the required equivalent experience, you will be considered for employment without the requiredbachelors or other college degree or certification. For example, a job announcement may state a required certification or a college degree or some defined experience in the field. Examples of Job Listings With Experience in Place of a Degree In many cases, while a degree is preferred, some combination of coursework and experience, or else extensive related professional experience, is acceptable for consideration for a position. It particularly applies to military candidates, whose training and professional experience in the Armed Forces are often tran slatable and desired as equivalent experience Six (6) months of experience as a unit secretary, ward clerk, medical office assistant, or nursing assistant will be accepted in place of the required coursework.BA is required, MA preferred, or in place of a degree, 10 years of relevant experience.BA/BS degree is preferred?, though long tenure as an executive assistant at a top firm can offset this. In Place of Work Experience Also, experience other than on-the-job experience may suffice for work requirements. For example, an employer may state that they will consider a degree in a related field, coursework, leadership experience in clubs, volunteer work, internships, or community service in place of formal work experience. A nadir of 6 months work experience in sales, marketing, customer service or management, or equivalent experience.Two years secretarial and office administration, or equivalent experience with Microsoft Office, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook, and QuickBooks.Bac helors degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business Management, or the equivalent coursework in a related specialized field and two years of related experience, or a Masters degree.Two to four years successful professional or volunteer experience in fundraising, grant writing, and volunteer coordination for a non-profit organization, with demonstrated ability to generate at least $.75 million in annual donations. How to Mention Equivalent Experience When You Apply When you apply for jobs, its important to clearly state in your applications, cover letters, and interviews exactly what constitutes your equivalent experience. Emphasize the components of your experience that are most related to the job and that prove that you have the core competencies to excel in the position. In your resume, be sure to put the experience most closely matched to the posted requirements at the beginning of the document, if possible. This pride of place positioning will help seize the hiring managers i nterest and encourage him or her to read through the rest of your resume. You might consider using aresume summary statementto highlight the pertinent skills. Your cover letter is also an excellent place to elaborate on how your experience matches the requirements of the job. Of course, if you land an interview, you will then have the opportunity to make your case in person. Thus, you should make sure that you are prepared to talk about all of thehard and soft skillsyou have that make you a fantastic candidate for the job. Hard skills include teachable proficiencies such as computer knowledge, foreign language proficiency, word processing, or a degree or certification in a specific career field (for example, accounting, management, or geschftliches miteinander administration). Soft skills, also known as people skills, include capabilities like leadership, motivation, oral and written communication, problem-solving, flexibility, teamwork, mediation, time management, and work ethic. I f you are interested in the job, always give yourself the benefit of the doubt as you assess whether or not you possess the equivalent experience. Dontscreen yourself out- leave that decision to the employer after you have made the very best case for your candidacy you can. Just make sure that you can present a plausible argument for how your equivalent experience applies. You dont want to waste your time applying for jobs that are clearly out of your reach and not a good match for your skills.

What Happened When I Stopped Trying to Out-Man The Men At Work

What Happened When I Stopped Trying to Out-Man The Men At WorkWhat Happened When I Stopped Trying to Out-Man The Men At Work Weve all seen the sad and discouraging statistics on the state of women in technology leadership positions Only seven percent of investor money goes to women-led startups just five percent of leadership positions in the technology industry are held by women women are more likely than men to leave tech positions (41 percent vs. 17 percent) . Yet for a long time, I didnt think about being a woman in a male-dominated field. I just focused on being the best.I grew up in Alaska playing basketball and ice hockey. In the classroom, I set the curve. I am competitive on every level, but mostly with myself. When I entered the very male-dominated worlds of financial services and technology , I didnt give a thought to gender or that I was often the only woman in the room. I knew how to compete. I studied how my peers succeeded and modeled their behavior. I started dressing like a man (blue suit with that God-awful silk bow tie), swearing like a man, dominating conversations like a man. And it worked. Until it didnt.I hit the wall when I took a role as a senior technology leader at a large westindischer lorbeer Area company. I was the first and only female leader on the team. I approached the job with the playbook that had served me so well - shoulders back and chin up, ready to tackle anything. I was driven, ambitious and wanted to make an impact.Quickly, I was labeled too aggressive and constantly posturing for the bosss job - actual quotes from a very negative performance review . The feedback didnt sit well with me. My truth was nothing like what I was hearing. The more I fought like a man, the worse my situation became.It was a turning point for me. I realized then that I cant out-man the men on my teams, and I shouldnt have to. It took me more than 20 years to grasp I will never be seen as a man, treated like a man or have the same rules as a man - so I need to embrace my feminine, authentic self. I need to celebrate the innate and unique gifts I bring to every workplace and every problem. When I made this shift, it didnt change the environment I was working in, but it made it easier for me.I stopped fighting so hard. I listened to Deborah Gruenfeld , a professor at the Stanford School of Business, talk about power and influence and how our bodies speak louder than our words. I realized that I could try to soften my words, or change my language and it wouldnt matter. So, I stopped physically posturing as a man, and I finally gave myself permission to relax my body. Suddenly conversations could be conversations versus confrontations.I tapped into all the emotions that lived within me - joy, fear, love, anger, surprise, disgust, sadness, courage and shame - and learned they all had a place, and that I could bring them to work. And I did. My peers responded, my staff responded, my boss responded. Best of all, I finally felt like myself. In honoring my femininity, I was able to be a better leader, and influence to greater impact.Fortunately, my own revelations came as the world started to wake up to the depth and breadth of unconscious bias in tech. The environment is changing, albeit slowly.The boss that gave me the harsh feedback went through unconscious-bias training. After class he came to me and apologized, realizing the feedback directed at me had been rooted in the fact that I was the only woman on the team rather than in my specific behavior.Bias shows up everywhere in the workplace. Its in the way job descriptions are written (the more specific and technical, the fewer female candidates apply) the makeup of the interview panel (if diverse candidates dont see anyone like them on the panel, theyll be less likely to accept the job) and in salary negotiation (women, who historically have earned less than men, start negotiating from a lower position, perpetuating the delta) .And all of this bias happens before a woman even joins a company. Bias continues into the job, as managers use language to describe men as leaders and risk takers, and more communal language to describe women as relationship-oriented and empathetic, which leads to promotion at faster rates for men.Changing how you show up as a female tech leader in the office will not break through all of this inherent bias. Clearly, we leise have significant work to do to change the statistics. As women, we have a responsibility around how we are showing up - and how we are asking men to show up for us. When we truly live into our power, we will be best positioned to make it happen.I have just taken a new role as Chief Technology and Operations Officer at DocuSign and this unapologetic woman is going to use every ounce of her power to make a difference for women here and everywhere.This article was originally published on Refinery29 . It is reprinted with permission.

A Secret Weapon for Good Resume Format

A Secret Weapon for Good Resume Format A Secret Weapon for Good Resume Format Besides the forementioned details, it's important to realise that it's good to create the look and feel of your resume attractive, it shouldn't be overdone in order to defeat its goal. Always remember that a resume can come a ways particularly if you incorporate it with honesty. The very last thing you would like to do is receive a job which you can't do. Picking the incorrect type for your industry could cause losing your fantasy job prospect. You must know how to generate the best kinkos resume writing that you're able to send to the organization and offer good first impact about yourself, understand it here. Possessing a very clear and professional resume is vital in the health care field. What you place on the top is what you would like to get seen first. Adhere to the standard education and experience format, but be sure your resume can lead prospective employers to your on-line presence, Co llamer states. The Foolproof Good Resume Format Strategy You're telling the employer what you would like from them. Don't utilize buzzwords which people use for different kinds of job postings or for careers you don't have a thing to do. There are various sorts of CV possible based on the objective of its use and the expectation of the targeted audiences. A good resume may still be quite dry not precisely what you'd call sexy but we still will need to have something our potential employers will discover interesting. A well-written cover letter addressed to each prospective employer that you contact is not just courteous, but you can use it in order to outline why you'd be a fantastic match for the job that you are applying for. A Resume Template is a very important document that is employed in the case when a man or woman or an applicant is applying for employment, a volunteership, an internship, an educational course or some other thing. The work description might also earn a difference. Together with mentioning the work type, if you are going to give a tiny description of your work in the cv then it is going to be best too. When you have written and organized your information according to the sort of resume you've chosen, make sure to format it according to typical professional standards. You may observe that Indeed's formatting is extremely generic and plain. If you're interested in an infographic format, here are a few infographic samples to check out. To assist you choose what's app ropriate for you, let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of each resume format. Thus one can take advantage of a resume format. As previously mentioned, you need to opt for a resume format that's suited to your personal profile. When you format your resume you wish to ensure your leave enough margin space to permit for printing. Then think about a few basic questions to enable you to clarify which format would be ideal for you. Hearsay, Deception and Good Resume Format The effective use of layout permits the applicant to showcase an extensive info about themselves. In a resume the choice of a layout is critical. Within the next step you decide on a layout. How well you layout your resume is crucial to increasing your odds of getting hired. Good Resume Format Features If it comes to CV, it needs to be professional. For instance, CV for applying in an IT firm would differ from a CV to submit an application for an advertising company. If you're attempting to obtain work in accounting or finance you require averystrong resume. Resumes for 29 unique majors resume wizord Accounting to Zoology are offered to you at no cost! Accounting and finance managers might want to see your technical understanding. Choosing Good Good Resume Format Otherwise, you have to change your resume styling. Unless you're a graphic designer looking for employment, there's no need to over think the plan of your one-pager. Others are provided by graphic design sites. Writing a resume isn't a simple endeavour, and as stated by the feedback from our present community, it's really valuable to check professional resume examples before starting to compose your own. With some research it's possible to learn to appropriately utilize them. Part of creating an effective resume is deciding on the most suitable format to inform your private story.

Systems Engineer Job and Salary

Systems Engineer Job and Salary Systems Engineer Job and Salary Do you want to be part of software development but also have a desire to work with hardware? If so, a job as a systems engineer may be the ideal hybrid job for you. A systems engineer helps design and implement software. But what separates this IT professional from a software engineer is that a systems engineer also plays a large role in the infrastructure side of the solution. Here’s a rundown of what these engineers do, what they earn and what qualifications are needed to be hired for this job. Job duties and responsibilities A systems engineer designs, implements and maintains the infrastructure necessary to run traditional client/server platforms, mainframes and web applications. This role includes installing and supporting software, debugging multiple systems and supporting an enterprise’s users. This specialist also performs high-level root cause analysis for service interruption recovery and implements preventive measures. On any given day, the system engineer’s duties may overlap with those of a software engineer, systems administrator or network engineer. Use our Salary Calculator to discover starting salaries for systems engineers in your area. Job skills and expertise The best systems engineers are flexible employees who thrive in complex and rapidly changing work environments and have a solid mix of technical and nontechnical skills. On the technical side, an engineer must be able to perform analysis, troubleshooting and systems design. Some employers seek candidates with experience in software development, including specification, documentation and quality assurance. Most hiring managers require at least three years of direct experience in the software or hardware the company uses. Experience in a specific industry is also beneficial. As for education requirements, a bachelor's degree in systems engineering or a related field is generally preferred. On the nontechnical front, systems engineers spend much of their time working with others to determine requirements and solve problems, so solid soft skills are an absolute must. They need top-notch abilities in communication, customer service, time management and teamwork. Project management skills can be valuable in an engineering job as well, given the central role the systems engineer has in large projects that involve many different aspects of the enterprise. Getting an engineering job To start an engineering career, you need software development experience and the ability to design, implement, and maintain hardware and network infrastructure. If you’re currently a software engineer, systems administrator or network engineer, you already have many of the qualifications for a career as a systems engineer. To enhance your credentials - and possibly increase your starting salary - consider adding one or more of these certifications to your resume: Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) Oracle Java certifications Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Red Hat certifications A legacy certification from Citrix Salary trends Systems engineers are in high demand. If you have the skills and interpersonal attributes needed to succeed in this fast-paced and multidisciplinary role, becoming one could be a good career move in any industry - especially considering current engineer salary trends. According to the 2019 Robert Half Technology Salary Guide, the salary midpoint for a systems engineer is $103,000, depending on location, experience and other factors. This salary increase reflects the strong demand this year for technology professionals in general, and the need for software development expertise in particular. If you have additional skills in basic administration, Cisco networking, Linux/Unix, virtualization and Windows, you could be offered an even higher starting salary. This post has been updated to reflect the most current information.

Ten Tips to Hire the Right Candidate

Ten Tips to Hire the Right Candidate Ten Tips to Hire the Right Candidate Ten Tips to Hire the Right Candidate Olson Is the candidate sitting in front of you right for this job? How do you know when market conditions are so volatile, its hard to predict all the qualifications and attributes youre going to need six months or one year down the road? As the world of work is changing constantly reorganizing, fragmenting, and requiring market reconceptualization youve got to ask the right interview questionsas well as internal questions to see if the candidatehas the attributes you need to grow your business and adapt to constant change. Old command and control work environments didnt demand the kind of flexibility, adaptability, and broad business knowledge that new dynamic work environments do. Desirable candidates, even ones who have the right qualifications must be flexible, rapid and eager learners. Here are some questions you need to ask. 1. Is the candidate highly adaptive? You want someone who is fleet on their feet in adapting to changes in the work environment, since right now change is the only constant in most organizational systems. Can the candidate offer you examples of how they were able to grow, shift, and evolve to workplace change in their last position? Adaptability, the capacity to take on new roles and embrace new ways of thinking, are critical when the winds of the economy swirl. 2. Do they ask great questions? Everyone knows you need to come to a job interview having researched the position. But once theyre in the interview, what do they hear about the business or your work? Are they able to listen, synthesize and ask thoughtful questions about the heart of your business? Great interview questions from the candidate can tell you a lot about how a candidate thinks and whether they will be able to diagnose a market problem as it is occurring, and respond to it. 3. Are they voraciously curious? What else do they want to know?Are they lit up with questions?In a new book about curiosity, Todd Kashdan notes that curiosity is about appreciating and seeking out the new. Instead of desperately seeking certainty, it is about embracing uncertainty. Because a great employee now needs to be a great learner, being voraciously curious is key to high productivity and breakthrough thinking. 4. Can they see patterns in disparate information? Mountains of data and an overabundance of information now overwhelm every work environment. Does the candidate demonstrate they can see patterns and sense important trends in information, workflows and organizational crises? Old-style work environments required employees who could effectively respond, but new market conditions demand the ability to proactively see whats happening in the market synthetically, and to be able to communicate it to others. This ability to see patterns in swaths of information and data needs to be something you hire for, from the front desk receptionist, to the regional sales manager, to IT security. 5.Are they team players? Over at Netflix, where the corporate culture is all about freedom and responsibility to lead the market in innovation, they emphasize hiring and retention of stunning colleagues who are superb collaborators. While some businesses tolerate brilliant jerks, todays competitive business environment demands individuals who are deeply cooperative and have skills to help groups thrive and be productive.You dont want to hire a swan, someone who is so self-directed and creative they have difficulty collaborating, or an eagle that thinks only about themselves and their own competitive gains, notes Kathryn Alexander of Ethical Impact. This means searching for the candidate who understands their thinking is improved by collaboration and diversity, and also has the interpersonal skills to add to the team. 6.Are they good resource managers? Knowing how to do best with less is a critical new skill as the world downsizes and gets focused on using, owning, and consuming less stuff. Can the candidate use both sides of their post-its? Are they morally committed to the project of more for less, because its good for everyone? 7.Are they enthusiastic about people and relationships? Spirited workplaces, are filled with individuals who are creative communicators who are affirming of others and attentive to how their interactions with other make people feel, says business consultant Barbara Glanz. Enthusiastic people tend to generate positive feelings and productive energy for their projects and initiatives, because they are creative in connection and savvy about their impact on others. You need this energy in your company. Do you feel it when you are talking to this candidate? 8.Can they admit to mistakes? Many of us learned in school that making mistakes was an indicator of lack of ability. New research describes how adaptive learning requires mistake making you cant go forward without experimenting. Really able learners make lots of mistakes and are able to glean important lessons from them. Look for the candidate who can easily describe three failures, and what they learned from them. Take it as a warning sign if they cant readily describe their screw-ups. 9.Do they see learning as pleasure? Steve Leveen, CEO and founder of Levenger, a tools-for-reading company, says when he hires he looks for people who are collectors. It doesnt actually matter what they collect, he says.Just that they are really interested in something, that they have passions. Because great candidates are eager and rapid learners, they will also havelearnings they pursue on their own. What are they? Do you get excited when the candidate describes them? 10.Is this the kind of learner you want on your team?You are hiring them, not their skills. No candidate has exactly the right skills for the job or is perfectly qualified. Who is the person sitting in front of you, and are they someone you want on your teamafter arestructuring, business crisis, or redesign of the firm? Do they have values and habits you respect? Can you trust them to do the right thing? Every employee is going to have to learn into any job they are hired for now. Your gut will help, but asking the right questions is also critical. Author Bio: Kirsten Olson is principal of Old Sow Consultingand author of Wounded By School: Recapturing the Joy in Learning and Standing Up To Old School Culture. Your next hire is ready Finding the right person to join your team is no easy task, and the job interview is your best chance at determining whether or not they make the cutbut only if you have an interview strategy in place. Could you use some help with that?Sign up for exclusive https://www.youtube.com/ adviceand well send you the latest recruiting tips, hiring trends, management strategies, and even some awesome deals. Let the experts at put you on the fast track to making your next great hire.

Successfully Engage Others on LinkedIn with These 5 Tips

Successfully Engage Others on LinkedIn with These 5 Tips Successfully Engage Others on LinkedIn with These 5 Tips 5 Without putting in some consistent work to attract attention from those who can assist you in your job search, your LinkedIn profile may be going to waste. As Fred Coon and Susan Barens write in their new book Leveraging LinkedIn for Job Search Success 2015, “With more than 300+ million registered users- and adding two new members every second- the rate at which your network expands on LinkedIn can be truly amazing. A hundred strategic contacts could mean access to millions of people in a short amount of time. You’d have to attend dozens- or hundreds- of in-person networking events to equal the reach you can get on LinkedIn.” Here are five ways to successfully engage others- including recruiters- on LinkedIn: 1. Use keywords. According to a recent survey by Jobvite, 93 percent of recruiters use or plan to use social media in their recruiting efforts. But in order for recruiters to identify you in the sea of profiles, they need to know what you do. Using keywords in your profile can help bring your profile to recruiters’ attention for the specific professional skills that you have to offer. 2. Write strategic recommendations. Coon and Barens suggest using the “give to get” method when it comes to gathering professional recommendations for your own profile. In other words, reach out to selected contacts in your network with whom you’ve worked closely, and write recommendations for them- without requesting that they do the same for you. “You will be surprised at how many people will reciprocate,” write Coon and Barens. The authors add that this is a much better approach than sending out the generic and presumptuous “Will you endorse me?” emails through the site. 3. Activate status updates. When you want others in your professional network to know that you are looking for a new job or opportunity, you can draw their attention to your profile by activating the “status updates” feature in LinkedIn. This feature sends an alert to your network when you update your profile, letting them know you’ve made changes to it. 4. Participate in group discussions. No matter what industry you specialize in, you’ll likely be able to find others talking about it on LinkedIn. Rather than lurking quietly and reading the thoughts of your peers without offering feedback, contribute something meaningful to the discussion. This will put your name out there as an expert in your field and will help others start to recognize you. 5. Share articles. If there’s a specific influencer with whom you’d like to engage in relation to your job search, consider sending that person a relevant article via LinkedIn. Be sure to understand what types of information your contact is interested in receiving before sending a link. You might also consider sharing relevant articles with your entire network to showcase your interests and expertise in certain areas. By being proactive, you can maximize the value of your LinkedIn profile by getting others engaged and looking at your profile during a job search. Readers, are you looking to successfully engage others on LinkedIn and other social media platforms? What tips do you have to offer our readers? Share with us below!