Remember the days of being in school wishing you could be anywhere else? The visions you had of being an adult when you wouldn’t have to do homework anymore and could just go to your job and then home, just like your parents? Did it actually turn out like that for you now, as a professional? I would guess the answer to that is "no."
As we progressed through elementary school, junior high, and high school we only made it worse by going to college where pulling all nighters, juggling group projects, and stressing over finals week were commonplace. Finally, the day would come where you would graduate with your bachelor’s degree, go off to a job, and never have to worry about homework and pointless exercises ever again. Or would you?
I’m going to make a big assumption here and assume when you started your first job, you realized college did not prepare you for the real world skills that were required of you. Sure, in an entry-level position all you really need to know is how to use things like Microsoft Office, calendar software, and that’s about it. But your first few weeks were probably pretty stressful because you had to quickly learn how to communicate professionally in e-mails and important documents, organize meetings, and manage a thousand tasks at once. Each of these responsibilities are very important to a team, and while you don’t get a grade for the activities, if you didn’t do them well, you could just simply be fired.
If you’ve been out of college for awhile, and have received promotions, did you receive them simply because it was your time? No. You received them because you’ve worked hard, networked, and developed important relationships with specific people within your company. You learned to navigate the system, as well as how to improve your skills, and your knowledge about your subject area. But is that enough? As we climb up the corporate ladder skills must be continuously sharpened, and new ones must be added.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics in Sept 2010 stated in a report people aged 18-44 changed careers on average 11 times. If a person is switching jobs that often, they must have skills that are easily transferable or be taking a lot of classes outside of work before each switch in order to remain attractive to future employers.
How does one keep learning and growing as we go throughout life always looking to improve, get raises, and better jobs? It’s simple - through a system of constant education.
Read books in your field or even to stay on top of trends, but read books outside of your job function to know what else is currently happening.
Surround yourself with stimulating conversation by the smartest people around
Keep a list of things you want to learn. Can be professional of personal – both will be valuable to future you.
Go back to school. Want a MBA degree? A teaching degree? There are plenty of incredible top tier schools now entering the world of online learning that’ll make it convenient.
Teach classes. You’d be surprised how much you learn while you’re the teacher. You've mastered skills others haven’t, but your students will ask you questions that make you think.
Keep the idea that educating yourself is a priority. You’ll see the benefits almost immediately.
This article was written by Community Manager Jenn Pedde, on behalf of CAREEREALISM-Approved Partner, 2tor — an education technology company that partners with institutions of higher education such as University of Southern California to deliver their online MSW degree. She is also the co-founder of TheCommunityManager.com, and loves to travel.Education written on blackboard image from Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
Bigstock
Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
Bigstock
Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
Bigstock
Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
Need more help with your job search?
Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
Remember the days of being in school wishing you could be anywhere else? The visions you had of being an adult when you wouldn’t have to do homework anymore and could just go to your job and then home, just like your parents? Did it actually turn out like that for you now, as a professional? I would guess the answer to that is "no."
As we progressed through elementary school, junior high, and high school we only made it worse by going to college where pulling all nighters, juggling group projects, and stressing over finals week were commonplace. Finally, the day would come where you would graduate with your bachelor’s degree, go off to a job, and never have to worry about homework and pointless exercises ever again. Or would you?
I’m going to make a big assumption here and assume when you started your first job, you realized college did not prepare you for the real world skills that were required of you. Sure, in an entry-level position all you really need to know is how to use things like Microsoft Office, calendar software, and that’s about it. But your first few weeks were probably pretty stressful because you had to quickly learn how to communicate professionally in e-mails and important documents, organize meetings, and manage a thousand tasks at once. Each of these responsibilities are very important to a team, and while you don’t get a grade for the activities, if you didn’t do them well, you could just simply be fired.
If you’ve been out of college for awhile, and have received promotions, did you receive them simply because it was your time? No. You received them because you’ve worked hard, networked, and developed important relationships with specific people within your company. You learned to navigate the system, as well as how to improve your skills, and your knowledge about your subject area. But is that enough? As we climb up the corporate ladder skills must be continuously sharpened, and new ones must be added.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics in Sept 2010 stated in a report people aged 18-44 changed careers on average 11 times. If a person is switching jobs that often, they must have skills that are easily transferable or be taking a lot of classes outside of work before each switch in order to remain attractive to future employers.
How does one keep learning and growing as we go throughout life always looking to improve, get raises, and better jobs? It’s simple - through a system of constant education.
Bigstock
Bigstock
Bigstock
