days in the office or you could set aside some time and get a better job. Here are ten great tips to help you put together a great application, ace the interview, and ultimately work for a company you'll love rather than hate. Note: This week's top 10 list is more in the order of the process of getting a new job than a ranking of the best tips.
10. Put Together a Resume That's Actually Compelling
10. Put Together a Resume That's Actually Compelling
While I'm no fan of the resume—as they're often documents skimmed rather than read—they're still requested by the majority of jobs you'll come across. You don't want to reinvent the wheel, but a little creativity can set you apart and help you stand out from the pool. Online tools can be of great help when it comes to creating something a little less ordinary. Visualize.me can create an attractive infographic. Sites like Re.vu and Zerply help you create professional landing pages that can serve as digital resumes. About.me and Flavors.me can be tailored to do the same. Use the tool that suits you best and make sure your page or resume stands out. Often times it is just as simple as choosing the right font and color. It doesn't take much to make a resume look nice, so put in that little additional effort to keep yours from
10. Put Together a Resume That's Actually Compelling
While I'm no fan of the resume—as they're often documents skimmed rather than read—they're still requested by the majority of jobs you'll come across. You don't want to reinvent the wheel, but a little creativity can set you apart and help you stand out from the pool. Online tools can be of great help when it comes to creating something a little less ordinary. Visualize.me can create an attractive infographic. Sites like Re.vu and Zerply help you create professional landing pages that can serve as digital resumes. About.me and Flavors.me can be tailored to do the same. Use the tool that suits you best and make sure your page or resume stands out. Often times it is just as simple as choosing the right font and color. It doesn't take much to make a resume look nice, so put in that little additional effort to keep yours from ending up in the generic pileEnsure Your Resume Isn't Filled with Common Words and Redundant Phrasing
8. Search Unconventional and Career-Specific Job Sites
If you don't know where you want to work you're obviously going to have to search for some options., but you'll be looking for a needle in a haystack if you go to popular sites like Monster.com and Craigslist. That isn't to say they won't have a great job here and there, but you'll find yourself wading through a lot of undesirable positions just to find the ones you want. Instead of going the traditional route, try an unconventional job site like OneDayOneJob.com, which sends opportunities to your email inbox every day. SimplyHired is a seemingly standard job search, but it aggregates listings directly from company web sites and other locations so you're not just pulling directly from one big pool. TweetMyJobs will handle the searching for you. Just tell it what kind of job you want and it'll text, tweet, and email options to you as they're discovered. Even if you're several years out of college, you may also want to look at any job listings provided to alumni. Even if overqualified for the jobs being offered, you'll learn about companies that are friendly to graduates of your school. You can look on the company's site for more suitable positions and apply for those.
Alternatively, you can focus on sites that target the specific kind of job you want. For example, Dice.com is a good option for tech-related jobs and Authentic Jobs is a great option for designers and developers. Conduct a web search for the type of job you're looking for and the term "job search site" and you may find a tool that's more focused on your specific needs.
7. Find a Better Job by Searching for a Great Company Rather Than a Positi
Getting a great job isn't just about doing something you enjoy, but also about working in a good environment. That means you want to seek out companies who have a reputation for treating their employees well. You don't have to apply to Google or Zappos—companies well-known for their great benefits—but just seek out companies that interest you and do a little research. All you have to do is call them up and talk to pretty much anybody. Just tell them this: "I'm thinking about applying for a job at your company but I wanted to know what it's like to work there. Would you mind telling me how you like it?" Most people will be happy to share their opinion, and if they're busy you can always schedule a call later. If the company sounds good, you've likely just made a friend who you can call back when you're ready to apply and get some additional help. It's a double win. In the event this doesn't work as planned, however, Glassdoor is an online resource that can help you learn about a specific company from people who definitely want to share.
6. Learn to Make Even Your Irrelevant Experience Seem Relevant
I've never gotten a job because my previous work experience was particularly relevant, but rather because I learned how to spin my past experience to make it seem relevant. This doesn't mean I lied, but instead concentrated on tasks in previous positions that were applicable to the job I wanted to get. If your current job is much different from the one you want, think about anything and everything you've done at your current job that's out of the ordinary. Often times you'll find examples of things that relate to the job you want because you were always excited to do that kind of work if it presented itself where you are now. If not, you can always start creating relevant experience now so you can use it when you're on your interview. For example, if you work in a non-creative field but want to become a designer you would have plenty of opportunities. If you make lots of graphs and flow charts, finds ways to make them more attractive. If your company is having an outing, ask to design the flyer. When I worked in customer support, I used to create posters about inside jokes in the office or images based on funny things customers said. Sometimes I'd show these at interviews if I needed to demonstrate my Photoshop skills. As silly as that sounds, it not only demonstrated my capabilities but also showed how close I was with my team. When you put yourself into you work, you'll find that your seemingly irrelevant experience can easily be tailored to most of the jobs you'll apply for. You may have to start lower than you'd like, but if you work hard you'll work your way up pretty quicklyDear Lifehacker, I have no relevant experience in the field in which I want to work and am having a … Read more
5. Dress Well for the Intervieressing for the interview doesn't necessarily mean putting on crisply-ironed formalwear. Depending on the company, they may prefer you came in your everyday attire or just wore something that shows you can look nice without overdoing it. If you're not sure what you should wear to an interview, just call the company and ask to speak with the human resources department. Let them know you're coming in for an interview and that you want to know the expected dress code. In most cases, they'll be happy to help you out. If you have to go in uninformed, however, business casual is generally a good bet. While nobody really knows what business casual actually is, you'll generally be safe in a nice pair of pants and a button down shirt or sweater. Your goal is really to show that you're capable of grooming yourself and looking presentable. If your clothing fits, is well-ironed, and isn't something you'd wear around the house you're probably in good shape. For some extra assistance, the Dress Code Guide can help you figure out the proper attire.
4. Learn to Read Body Language for a More Successful Interviel
learning to read body language is helpful in a lot of situations, but understanding the cues you send out and reading cues from others can be immensely helpful in a job interview. It's especially important that you come of as pleasant and charming right off the bat because many decisions are made on the basis of a first impression. The most important thing is to avoid negative body language. For the most part you just want to avoid nervous ticks like touching your face and letting your leg become restless. You also don't want to slouch or sit to rigidly. Basically, your goal is to appear comfortable but professional. If you can do that, you'll be in good shape
3. Know How to Give Great Answers to Common Job Interview Questions
What's your greatest weakness? It's an obnoxious question but you'll hear it on the majority of job interviews in your life, and there are many others where it came from. (There's plenty of debate on how to answer this question. I've always found the best strategy is to pick a skill you are actually bad at that sounds relevant to the job but really isn't. Then you come across as honest but your weakness won't hurt you.) You have to answer the questions if you want to get the job, so there are two things you want to do: understand the motivation behind the questions and prepare your answers in advance. Understanding the motivation is generally as simple as putting yourself in the company's shoes. Why would they want to know your greatest weakness? Probably more to know how you respond to a question that asks you to be vulnerable than to actually find out where you can improve. They may also ask because they want to know if you can realistically gauge your abilities accurately. Once you consider the motivation behind these common questions it'll be easier to tailor the answers you want to give. You don't want to script them out and memorize them in advance, of course, but developing a list of sound bites can help you go in prepared while still being able to provide natural responses.
2. Ask for a Signing Bonus
Congratulations, you got the job! But you might be throwing away an extra month's salary if you don't ask for a signing bonus before accepting the position. If apply for a competitive job, chances are the company will really want to hire you if you're chosen and they may be willing to pay you a little bit extra to get you on board. All you have to do is ask if they offer a bonus. You're not demanding one, but simply asking the question. Whether you're considering other options or not, asking this question will make it seem that way and they'll be more inclined to offer you that bonus if they really want you. If they can't, they'll tell you no and there's likely no harm done. It's one of those low-risk questions that can often yield a high reward.
1. Leave Your Current Job Without Burning Any Bridges
If you hate your current job, it can be tempting to let everyone know it when you leave. As cathartic as that may seem, it'll cause you trouble down the line. You want to leave your current company on good terms. You never know when you may encounter a coworker again or need to call that company for information or a favor. Burning bridges simply isn't in your best interest. If you hate your job so much that you're afraid of saying the wrong thing, however, you can reference these sample resignation letters and read tips on how to resign gracefully. Before you quit for real, run your plan by a friend or two to gauge their reaction. It always helps to have a few outside opinions to help ensure you don't make a mistake you'll regret. Photos by iQoncept (Shutterstock), vgstudio (Shutterstock) and Bruce McTague.
Determined to increase your salary? Follow these tips from Reesa Staten, vice president of communications and director of research at recruiting firm Robert Half International and Anna Ivey, a Boston-based career and admissions counselor, to increase your salary this year.
Determined to increase your salary? Follow these tips from Reesa Staten, vice president of communications and director of research at recruiting firm Robert Half International and Anna Ivey, a Boston-based career and admissions counselor, to increase your salary this year.
1. Get comfortable negotiating salary raises. “Women fall behind here, because they generally aren’t as aggressive and fall farther and farther behind with their salaries. You can’t be shy about asking to be paid what you’re worth,” Ivey said. Along these lines, she said, it’s important to keep detailed documentation of your achievements.
2. Research and compare your salary. Staten urges workers to make sure they know how much their skills are worth before they pursue a different position or a promotion. Compare your salary.
3. Become an indispensable expert. Continue to learn about your line of work, so that you stay current with trends and developments. Your strategy might include going to industry conferences, reading industry publications or setting up regular lunch meetings with others in your field to exchange information and ideas. This is a key to increasing your salary.
4. Make yourself visible. Network and mingle, making sure you are continually visible to others in your industry and your workplace. At work, take on difficult challenges and make sure that management is aware of your contributions.
5. Update your skills. Consider training or certifications that could lead to a promotion. “In some companies, if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree, you can’t advance to the next level. Some jobs require an MBA; get as much education as possible,” Staten said. Search for online learning that could help increase your salary.
6. If you return to school, make sure that it will pay off. Ivey said it’s important to investigate degree programs before launching into one that might not increase your salary — and could end up costing you more in the long-run. Also, find out what continuing education benefits are offered by your employer. You may be able to “earn more” by getting your employer to cover tuition costs. Research the best college degrees for higher earnings.
7. Absorb and adapt to new methods. “Things are changing quickly; what is state of the art now will be obsolete 10 years from now,” Staten said. When things change at work instead of getting grumpy, be the first to jump on board. Your enthusiasm for change and adaptability to new systems and ideas are to how your employer values you and could lead to a salary increase.
8. Be receptive to criticism. Constructive criticism can help you improve your performance, Ivey said. Not only is it important to be able to gracefully accept criticism from your coworkers and boss, but integrating that feedback into your work can win you points and opportunities for promotion.
9. Sharpen your communication skills. “I don’t care what role you’re in. If you can read and speak well, you are way ahead of the pack,” Ivey said.
10. Get comfortable with math. “A lot of people coast through college without number knowledge — just basic knowledge, like how to read a financial statement. We live in a Sarbanes-Oxley [SOX] now. If you work in a publicly traded company, you will be affected by SOX. Accounting is a great skill to have in your tool set,” Ivey said, referring to the federal law that tightened corporate governance standards.
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Minimum-wage increases are happening, whether you like it or not. In cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, bills have been passed to gradually increase minimum wage to $15 an hour. New York City has a proposed bill that could raise the minimum to $15 and there’s a bill before congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020. But why wait until a law is passed to begin paying your hourly employees more? It’s not just workers who are calling for pay increases. A 2015 Careerbuilder survey found that 64 percent of employers believe in raising minimum wage. It’s time to put our money where our mouths are. We need to stop looking at wage increase as a bad thing that will only raise costs we’ll have to pass on to the consumer.
Giving your employees a raise now, before you legally have to, can be a good thing for your company. Here are three reasons you should increase employee pay to help your company:
1. It will help recruit and retain talent.
The 2015 Jobvite Job Seeker Nation survey revealed that 61 percent of job seekers choose to take a new job because of the amount it pays. If you’re having trouble finding the right employees for the job, take a hard look at the pay you’re offering for the position. Money talks, and while vacation days and excellent health insurance are nice, it’s not going to attract and keep top talent. Consider benefits the sprinkles on top of the salary cake. Unless the money you’re offering is sweet and satisfying, potential employees aren’t going to care about what else you throw on top.
Since it’s only a matter of time before minimum-wage laws change, increasing what you pay now will help you stand out to job seekers. Draw in top talent before it’s too late and they’re working for somebody else.
2. It improves employee satisfaction.
If you want your employees to perform well, you need to take their happiness and health into consideration. Helping employees manage stress goes a long way in improving their satisfaction and performance at work.
Employers have done a lot to ensure workers are maintaining a work-life balance by offering things such as flexible hours. But that’s not what’s really stressing out employees. In a 2015 report from the American Psychological Association, 72 percent of respondents reported feeling stressed about money and 22 percent said they experienced extreme stress over finances.
Increasing the amount you pay your employees will not only alleviate their present stress, but also help them feel more secure about their futures. The aforementioned CareerBuilder survey found that 36 percent of workers surveyed do not participate in a retirement plan and 28 percent were unable to set aside money for savings last year. The best way to help your employees manage their financial stress is to help them make ends meet. It will improve their productivity and satisfaction because they’ll no longer be distracted by financial problems.
3. It improves your company brand.
A lot of companies worry that raising the minimum wage will mean they have to raise prices, and that will push customers away. Depending on how you decide to facilitate higher pay, your costs and your prices may go up. But that doesn’t mean customers will be scared away from your brand.
A 2015 report from the Hart Resource Association found that 75 percent of Americans support increasing the minimum wage to at least $12.50. Taking the lead and increasing your employees' pay before it’s federally mandated will do wonders for your PR. You could attract even more customers by proactively changing wages because it’s the right thing, rather than because you have to.
Also, think about the types of employees you pay hourly, such as customer-service representatives and receptionists. These are the types of employees that have significant interaction with your customers and clients. They are the face of your company brand. It’s important that they believe in your company, so they can do a great job in making your customers happy. After all, a happy customer is a repeat customer.
