Question of the Week: Help me Make Sense of Working with Recruiters This week’s question isn’t so much a particular one as it is a collection of questions I’ve been getting around one central theme: recruiters. How do I work with them? When should I work with them? Why aren’t they calling me back? Are they a waste of time? In today’s Q&A column I’m not only going to tackle many of these topics, but I’ve created a video for you that will help you figure out when its most beneficial for you to work with a recruiter and how to get the most out of the relationship. Between this article and the video, we are going to cover a lot of ground when it comes to recruiters and arming you with the information to get the most out of your relationships with them. So, here are a few tips… All Recruiters Aren’t the Same – There are corporate, contract, contingent, retained, permanent and temp/consulting recruiters. Unemployed? Litmus Tests – Do you have any? Can’t Get Them to Call You Back? Is it a Real Job or Not? What did you think about the video?
Twitter Alerts - TweetBeep.com Why your PDF resume might be killing you My allergies are absolutely killing me. The battle of my body versus my environment has now reached an annoying three weeks. What’s worse is that this is the first year I’ve ever experienced an allergic catastrophe like I’m dealing with now. Seriously, it just came out of no where. For several years, I’ve been thinking of writing about the horror that a PDF resume can bring to job seekers. I was recently quoted in FINS in a Cover Letter story, and while there, I noticed their very strong PDF v. Important Point #1 If you weren’t aware already, most companies these days use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to receive, organize, review, and search the resume that you (and everyone) send in for the job. Important Point #2 There are roughly 55 different ATS vendors on the market. Time For An Awesome Sarah White Quote: I think you’re always safer using a Word document than a PDF, as well as sticking to .doc instead of .docx extensions. Important Point #3 Final Thoughts
Should You Consider Hiring a Virtual Assistant? I know what it’s like. You have more to do than you can get done. You’re pulled in a thousand different directions. You can’t ever seem to catch up. And the paperwork is killing you. Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/esolla As the CEO of Thomas Nelson, I had a great assistant. This allowed me to focus on what I did best: vision-casting, communication, networking, strategy, etc. But when I left the CEO role, I moved my office home and was without an assistant for the first time in over fifteen years. Just booking travel for one trip would take me a couple of hours. Long story short, I hired a virtual executive assistant two months ago. Could this work for you? You want to get out from under the administrative pile.You want to focus more of your time on what you do best.You want to be more productive.You want more margin in your life. There are numerous companies that offer outsourced administrative services. Here are a few details about my assistant that you might find interesting:
How to optimize your LinkedIn profile Tweet Image by smi23le on Flickr. Guest post by Anthony PiwarunSEOmoz Like most in the SEO (search engine optimization) community, I’m always looking for ways to improve content for my clients. For two months, I altered various fields of my profile and logged the effect on the number of searches that it appeared in according to LinkedIn analytics. Before diving into the results of my study, I’d like to point out a few areas that I believe are key to achieving an optimized LinkedIn profile and also give a brief “how-to” on optimization techniques. How to handle the profile headline The first and most important field to optimize on your LinkedIn profile is the headline. For my headline, I opted to go with three keywords and my contact information. Profile summary A LinkedIn summary is a chance to describe who you are, what you want to accomplish, and what you aspire to be. Job title and description Group memberships & connections Hidden gem: DoFollow link love! Pulling it all together Conclusion
4 Simple Tools For Creating An Infographic Resume Are you a freelancer or job seeker? These apps will transform your dull resume into a beautiful infographic work of art. October 07, 2011 As a freelancer or job seeker, it is important to have a resume that stands out among the rest—one of the more visually pleasing options on the market today is the infographic resume. An infographic resume enables a job seeker to better visualize his or her career history, education and skills. Unfortunately, not everyone is a graphic designer, and whipping up a professional-looking infographic resume can be a difficult task for the technically unskilled job seeker. Luckily, a number of companies are picking up on this growing trend and building apps to enable the average job seeker to create a beautiful resume. To spruce up your resume, check out these four tools for creating an infographic CV. 1. Vizualize.me is a new app that turns a user's LinkedIn profile information into a beautiful, Web-based infographic. 2. 3. 4. Your thoughts
JibberJobber - Career Management Group News Most of us have a charity or group where we volunteer our time and efforts. In the midst of a job search, particularly a stressful one, it would seem natural to dial back your involvement. But, this is one place where you shouldn’t retreat. The relationships you have established – even if new or underdeveloped – in the places you volunteer can be extremely powerful in your job search. Increasing your involvement can very well lead to a job offer in a place you never expected to find one. Winning Hearts and Minds The closer you work with fellow volunteers, the better they will get to know you. Words and Deeds The interview process is a two-way street. Do What You Know When volunteering, most people think in terms of what the Not for Profit does as a function: soup kitchens need help in the kitchen, Big Brothers/Big Sisters need adults to sponsor kids, etc.. It Doesn’t Always Have to Be a NFP The key here is to get you out using and contributing your skill set. Powered By PopUp Domination
How to Use Task Lists and Calendars in Your Job Search A job search can, at times, become overwhelming with all the things that need to get done! That point had become very real to me the last couple of weeks as my schedule has become crazy with my business, in addition to outside and family obligations. Unfortunately things fall behind and fall through the cracks… like writing my weekly posts! The same is true when you’re searching for a job. So how do you manage them? Everyone has to find what works best for them, however, for me… it’s a matter of becoming more disciplined with my Task Lists and Calendars! There are countless tools available online, on your desktop computer, for your wall, or on paper. One at a time! Prioritize! Set aside the time! Evaluate, Execute, Repeat! All the tasks that come at you during a job search can certainly become overwhelming. Author: