Friday, June 28, 2013

One in Three Million

http://blog.linkedin.com/2013/06/27/3-million-linkedin-company-pages-infographic/

No, that number does not represent the odds you have of finding a job. 

Rather, it's LinkedIn's boast that there are now 3,000,000 organizations which have a company profile on their social media website. I've been nudging you to pay attention to LinkedIn--not only setting up and cultivating your own profile as you look for a job, but following and data-mining the profiles of people and organizations for which you might like to work.

So all you really need is a single company's profile information: the company that will be your next employer. It's your job to search through and figure out which company. 

Remember this principle of 21st century job-hunting strategies: don't search for "a job." Rather, search for "a company," and wait for your job to come available. If it's a large enough company (say, more than 10 people), odds are that with promotions and turnover for various reasons, there is someone currently holding Your Job who will be moving on soon. Be there, front and center, when Your Job becomes available.

Monday, June 24, 2013

20/20 Hindsight

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-successful-people-did-in-their-20s-2013-3

What were the Big Names in your field or aspirational job doing when they were your age? Perhaps their lives can provide you with some ideas or reassurance.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Just for English Majors

http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2013/06/19/are-english-majors-doomed/

You are not doomed. You are not unemployable. 

As you know, you cannot simply graduate and hang out a shingle on your parents' basement door "English major for hire." 

There's a link at the bottom of the page to a series of Wall Street Journal blog posts on how and when an English major is a viable launchpad for a solid career.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The Perfect Resume

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/getting-results-in-the-jobs-market-the-modern-resume/

"There’s really no secret tip for providing the perfect resume. So many people will tell you, 'If such-and-such is on there, then the employer will trash it!' and then another person will say, 'If same-such-and-such isn’t on there, then the employer will trash it!'"

What goes into a resume that leads to a job? Well--as the above quote from the MakeUseOf blog suggests, there is no guaranteed formula. There are, however, some common-sense basics about what to include, and what not to include. 

One thing the above-linked article doesn't mention: customization. Tweak your resume for each job you apply to. Highlight the stuff that fits the job. It's not a prospective employer's job to sift through irrelevant details to figure out why you're a perfect match for his or her needs.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Reach the 97%

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/work/what-recruiters-look-for-linkedin.html

"97 percent of all HR and staffing professionals use LinkedIn for their recruiting efforts." That's according to the blog Lifehack. 

There's a good link at the bottom of the page, too; "Make your LinkedIn profile kick ass."

Monday, June 17, 2013

Where to Find Jobs with Heart

These might be of special interest to Niagara University students who have an interest in combining a career with their desire to do good in the world:

http://www.idealist.org/
http://www.opportunityknocks.org/

I mentioned IdeaList as a source for jobs a little over a year ago: http://nuenglishgettingalife.blogspot.com/2012/03/here-are-jobs-internships.html

Another website with similar focus is OpportunityKnocks:
www.opportunityknocks.org

Both links (as well as others worth a look-see) appear on the job-links page of NASPAA (National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration), "the global standard in public service education.... the membership organization of graduate education programs in public policy, public affairs, public administration, and public & nonprofit management." See 
http://www.naspaa.org/students/careers/joblinks.asp

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Brutally honest advice

http://www.slideshare.net/markrotoole/congratulations-graduate-eleven-reasons-why-i-will-never-hire-you

Wow. Here's somebody who spent some time assembling spiffy graphics explaining "why I will never hire you." You're not "that person" are you?