Friday, May 29, 2020

Favorite Friday The Hidden Job Market (where is it)

Favorite Friday The Hidden Job Market (where is it) Heres a favorite post I wrote October 2010:  The Hidden Job Market. … is not hidden. It is next door to you, at your neighbor’s house. It is at the church you go to. It is sitting across the table from you when you are chatting with your friends. It is at Starbucks, on a cell phone. It is on a Yahoo Group. It is in your LinkedIn connections. What is this elusive “hidden job market?” It is simply a non-published, little-known collection of openings and opportunities that only company insiders know about. They key is, how do you get to know about any of them? Or maybe they key is this: how do you get the insiders to know about YOU, and what you want, and how you are the right person for the job? The hidden job market is right in front of you, but you don’t know it, and because of poor personal branding and poor networking, it doesn’t find you. You can try as hard as you want to find the job seeker silver bullet, but it all comes back to your brand and your network. Favorite Friday The Hidden Job Market (where is it) Heres a favorite post I wrote October 2010:  The Hidden Job Market. … is not hidden. It is next door to you, at your neighbor’s house. It is at the church you go to. It is sitting across the table from you when you are chatting with your friends. It is at Starbucks, on a cell phone. It is on a Yahoo Group. It is in your LinkedIn connections. What is this elusive “hidden job market?” It is simply a non-published, little-known collection of openings and opportunities that only company insiders know about. They key is, how do you get to know about any of them? Or maybe they key is this: how do you get the insiders to know about YOU, and what you want, and how you are the right person for the job? The hidden job market is right in front of you, but you don’t know it, and because of poor personal branding and poor networking, it doesn’t find you. You can try as hard as you want to find the job seeker silver bullet, but it all comes back to your brand and your network. Favorite Friday The Hidden Job Market (where is it) Heres a favorite post I wrote October 2010:  The Hidden Job Market. … is not hidden. It is next door to you, at your neighbor’s house. It is at the church you go to. It is sitting across the table from you when you are chatting with your friends. It is at Starbucks, on a cell phone. It is on a Yahoo Group. It is in your LinkedIn connections. What is this elusive “hidden job market?” It is simply a non-published, little-known collection of openings and opportunities that only company insiders know about. They key is, how do you get to know about any of them? Or maybe they key is this: how do you get the insiders to know about YOU, and what you want, and how you are the right person for the job? The hidden job market is right in front of you, but you don’t know it, and because of poor personal branding and poor networking, it doesn’t find you. You can try as hard as you want to find the job seeker silver bullet, but it all comes back to your brand and your network.

Monday, May 25, 2020

8 tips for the perfect Linkedin profile University of Manchester Careers Blog

8 tips for the perfect Linkedin profile University of Manchester Careers Blog With more and more jobs being advertised online (94% of all recruiters used social media when advertising jobs last year*), it is important that you stay up to date with current trends to ensure that you know where to find jobs and other opportunities. LinkedIn is the platform of choice for most employers who want to recruit and discover new talent, so it is no surprise that students and new graduates are the fastest growing demographic on the site(40 million and counting!). But LinkedIn isn’t just a way to find jobs and be found by potential employers. It provides a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded people around the world, who can surely help contribute to your personal and professional development. Here are some tips to make the most of your Linkedin account: #1 Update your profile The most important things on your LinkedIn profile are the three things that appear at the very top: your name, your photo and the headline. If you’re struggling to think of things to put in the ‘Experience’ section, how about that part-time job you had before uni, the volunteering you’ve done and projects you have worked on? All of these things show you have relevant experience and are likely to make you more employable. #2 Be searchable Include key words throughout your profile to make it easier to find and make it rank more highly when searched for. If someone is using the ‘search’ tool, you want to make sure that your profile is seen first. Edit your headline to make sure it reflects what you offer? What do you study? What research are you doing? What areas are you interested in? What career do you want to go into? If you neglect this, people won’t know anything about you. List all of your skills to show what you can do and how you would be an asset to someone’s company. You can even gain endorsements for these skills which show that you really do have them. #3 Be searchable Include key words throughout your profile to make it easier to find and make it rank more highly when searched for. If a recruiter is searching for graduates, you want to make sure that your profile is seen first. Edit your headline to make sure it reflects what you offer? What do you study? What career do you want to go into? If it simply says ‘student’, people won’t know anything about you. List all of your skills to show people what you can do and how you would be a valuable member of their team. You can even gain endorsements for these skills which show that you really do have them. Top tip: If you are using the mobile app, you’re not currently able to personalise this message, so wait until you are on your PC to do this. #4 Show off This might sound a bit big headed, but you need to prove you can back up you skills and experience. Link to content you’ve produced, whether that is a YouTube video, PowerPoint presentation, your thesis or something else you are proud of that would be relevant to the types of job you are interested in. #5 Join groups If you list your education, you will automatically be following The University of Manchester’s page. But by joining other groups, you will boost your network, allowing you to make connections within them. It is also a good way to introduce yourself when sending invitations. Just search for a few key words, narrow the field by selecting ‘groups’, and see what comes up. #6 Be active Once you are a member of various groups, make sure you fully engage with it and encourage and add to conversations and forums. By answering questions and giving your opinion, you’ll show your passion and that you know what you are talking about. #7 Follow companies If you want to work in a certain sector or for a specific company, follow their pages. This will mean you stay in the loop with what they are doing and may see jobs advertised before anyone else. It also shows that you are genuinely interested if someone looks up you profile after receiving your job application. #8 Grow your profile As your network grows, your profile should too. Update your account to make sure it is up to date and features your latest achievements. Include projects in your profile to show what work you’ve done and add your team members to it to increase the reach. Top tip: Every amendment you make to your profile will show up in the newsfeed of all of your connections (and potentially their connections. While this can be good, like when you get a new job, it can be annoying to see lots and lots of profile changes. When revamping your profile, turn off these announcements to avoid annoying your connections.     All Undergraduate Undergraduate-highlighted jobs LinkedIn networking social media

Friday, May 22, 2020

How to Write a Follow-Up Email After Interview

How to Write a Follow-Up Email After Interview How to Write a Follow-Up Email After Interview Phew! All of your panic and anxiety is over. You have just finished your job interview and you can let out a big sigh of relief!You go home to reflect on your interview and conclude that it went really well, you put in a good performance, answered all of your interview questions competently, asked plenty of questions of your own, and you are pretty confident that you stand a good chance of landing your dream job. A few days go past and now you are starting to wonder why you havent heard anything back from the employer about your interview and whether or not you have been successful. If it has been a while since you have had no response, then it is time to get pro-active with a well-written follow-up email.Be careful about your timingWhile sending a follow-up email is a fantastic idea to help keep your job application and interview at the forefront of the employers mind, dont push your luck by sending your follow-up email too soon.Remember that it takes time for the company to work through their interview list and then consult with each other about their final hiring decisions. Firing off a follow-up email the day after your interview may come across as being a little pushy.While there is no harm in sending a quick one-line thank you email as a polite note to the employer immediately following your interview, there is a big difference between a polite thank you and a strong follow-up email. We will look at both here.Sample thank you email after interviewA simple thank you email following your job interview is a powerful tool. Sending a thank you for your time and the chance of an interview shows that you really are appreciative of their time and that you valued the opportunity given to you.Your thank you email can also help to keep your interview fresh in the minds of the employer. It can act as a memory jolt after what could have been a long few days of back to back interviews.We would suggest you to send your “thank you” email to the person at the compa ny that you have been talking to and helped to arrange your interview. If you made a note of the name of your interviewer on the day, you could look them up on the company website and find their contact email. Include both contact email addresses.So, what to write in your thank you email? Firstly, your email subject line is very important here. This is what will decide whether your email is opened or not by your recipient.Your subject line could look something like this:“Re: Interview on Thursday 12th at 10 AM”Or:“Thank you for my interview on 12th September”The main body of the email should be short and sweet. You simply need to say something like:“I would personally like to thank you for inviting me for an interview on 12th September for the position of (insert the job title here). I appreciated your time and found the interview to be valuable and very interesting. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information from me that can help with your decision making”Sending a straight-forward thank you message such as this and finishing off your email with an open offer for them to contact you for more information will show the employer that following your interview you are still interested in the job. It also keeps the lines of communication open between you and the employer.Second follow up email after interviewWhether you decide to send a simple thank you email immediately after your job interview, it will be wise to send a more comprehensive follow-up email shortly after that which will serve to reinforce and support your job application.Your second follow up email can be a useful tool to help resolve any issues that may have arisen during your interview. For example, if you felt that your nerves had got the better of you during your interview and you were asked one or two questions that you felt you didnt answer as completely or as confidently as you could have, then now is your opportunity to clarify and address your co ncerns.Explain in the email that you didnt feel that you offered a full response to their question and would like to take this chance to answer more fully.Repeat the question asked of you during your interview and then provide a more detailed response. This will help to reassure the employer that you fully understood the question asked but that your interview nerves got the better of you.Tips for writing a strong follow-up emailMake sure you set a positive tone with your email. Try to reinforce the reasons why you believe you are a good fit for the role on offer.Include any valuable information that you didnt get the time to pass on to your interviewer. You may have run out of time and failed to mention an example of where you demonstrated your skills as a team leader or how you devised a new workplace procedure that helped to improve productivity levels by 20%.Clarify and answer any interview questions that you felt you didnt answer very well. Interviewers know that job candidates get nervous during their interviews, so will understand if you occasionally stumble over an answer.Dont forget to edit your follow up emailWhile you may have performed perfectly during your interview and created a fantastic first impression, you dont want to let yourself down by firing off a careless and hastily put together follow up email.We spend so much time perfecting our resume and polishing our interview techniques that we often overlook other key areas of our job application the follow-up email.Revise and edit your follow up email over and over again. Make sure you read through your email very carefully and look for spelling errors. Remember that the employer will still be judging you by your actions so you will want to make a positive and strong impression with every form of communication you have with them.Even if you handled your interview very smoothly, sending a follow-up email that is full of typos is going to cast a shadow over your application and harm your chances. For grammar and spelling, you can use a free tool such as   Grammarly .Sample of Follow up email after interviewThe whole purpose of sending a follow-up email after your job interview is to emphasize your value to the employer. You will be surprised at how many people dont bother to use this valuable tool to help boost their job chances, but many candidates do so you still need to do this right!For your follow up email, it can help to send it as a reply to an already established email thread that you have with the employer. This means that you stand a better chance of getting your email opened quickly as it looks like a continuation of an established conversation rather than a brand new one.Lets look at a sample email that you can take and amend to suit your needs. This is a straight-forward template that you can use where you felt everything went OK during your interview.However, should you need to include any extra information, you can tailor this sample and insert a short sectio n to include your extra information that you feel is crucial to your recruitment chances.“Dear insert name (greet the interviewer by their first name if possible)“I am following up with regard to my job interview on (date and time) for the position of (job title).I would like to confirm that I am still interested in the position on offer and was excited to learn more about your company from my interview. I am keen to learn about the next steps I can take to help with your decision making. Please could you update me with your progress and let me know if there is any more information that you would like me to supply in support of my application. I am looking forward to hearing back from you.Once again â€" thank you for your time and consideration of me for this position with your company.Signed (sign off with your first and last name)”Keep your follow up email short and to the point. You should also keep your email well spaced out to make it easy to read.Spell check and proofrea d it over again to make sure it is completely free of errors. You simply cannot afford to make a costly mistake here that can make your preparation look sloppy.The above sample email is a great tool to use after you have already sent an initial thank you email the day following your job interview. previous article Smart Portfolio Complete Resume Pack next article The Green Experience Resume Template for Free you might also likeThe Best Way to Explain Your Sabbatical To a New Employer

Monday, May 18, 2020

The Magic of Working from Home

The Magic of Working from Home Youve heard about working from home.  You even know some people who do it. Wouldn’t it be great if you could rock the professional world, have real impact, enjoy your work and never have to leave the house?  If you could work from home and still achieve your goals? Well if you are an introvert like me â€" this is a dream come true. The Reality of Working From Home When someone tells you they have a remote job, what’s the first thing you think of? Answering customer service calls in a funny accent for some company on the other side of the world?  Entering data on a million miles of spreadsheets for a health conglomerate? Or maybe it’s just for those tech wizards that can rule the world through their laptops… Well, all of the above are true, except this is completely possible and doable for you as well. Clocking in at your kitchen counter doesn’t have to mean sacrificing job security, benefits, or high pay. In fact, remote jobs can offer all that and more. When you aren’t confined to an office schedule, you can tweak your situation to suit your needs. Remote jobs can be just like your standard, established office jobs, except they are fluid, dynamic â€" flexible. And that means that you have to be flexible too. Getting a remote job isn’t just a matter of picking up all your current job skills and dropping them into a remote position. What Skills Do I Need? A remote job actually requires different, and probably more skills than the local version. But that’s only because we’re used to working in a static office, where your supervisor is right down the hall, your team is next door, and lunch is at high noon. But when you’re connected to your coworkers via Skype and you all live in different time zones, you have to learn to communicate in a new way. If a traditional job requires timeliness, attention to detail, and organization, a remote one also needs: cultural adaptability, discipline, high organizational skills, being a self-starter, accountability, flexibility, strong time management skills and mostly being good at organizing yourself and your tasks. Think you have all the above? Great. Until recently, remote jobs were relatively hard to find, but now the issue seems to be the opposite â€" there are heaps of new sites publishing remote jobs, and figuring out which site suits your needs best can be challenging. So, let’s get started with some resources: We Work Remotely: the site has positions in jobs ranging from design to business execution, however â€" the biggest chunk of open spots is in programming. Skip The Drive : they pre-filters for a wide array of telecommuting, work-from-home and remote jobs. me is a job board for remote positions in technology. One of the categories is jobs for moms, which is a different but very much welcome approach. Nomand List: is a all in one resource for remote jobs for people who want to travel the world and have location free job. Remote Ok: The biggest collection of remote  Jobs  for digital nomads. Jobspresso: is  an online platform dedicated to connecting talented  people who seek remote careers  with companies that  offer these positions. Work From Home or Remote Work Spells Freedom Well there you have it. The modern fast-paced world has changed every aspect of our personal lives,  and our career should be no exception. The technology and infrastructure allow us to create the lifestyle you truly want. So get out there Ms. Career Girl (or get back in there in fact), and thrive on a well paid position you can do where ever you want.  And, if youre so inclined, without ever changing out of your pajamas. Images: Home Office Sean MacEntee Remote working Anne Worner

Friday, May 15, 2020

8 Important Things To Consider Before Choosing a Career In Data Science

8 Important Things To Consider Before Choosing a Career In Data Science Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comToday’s Enterprises are leaning more towards data collection and interpretation. Economy shows a huge demand for people who are efficient in mining and interpreting data.They are, in short termed as, Data Scientists. It is predicted that this career will have one of the highest demands in the years to come.If you are the one planning to make a career in Data Science, this article will lay out certain essential things you must observe before opting and moving forward in your career.1. Role of a Data ScientistevalThe major role of a Data Scientist is to convert and interpret huge volumes of data and carry out analysis on the same. It further evaluates the trends and obtains deeper insights. The insights regulated by the Data Scientists are leveraged into actions by the enterprises.2. The Market StrategyData Science market, in general, is divided into two distinct segments: Production Development.Production â€" This is the most mature segment of Data Scienc e. The primary activities like predictive Analytics are used in integrating data-driven enterprises.Huge businesses have authority within this group, mainly, financial services, manufacturing, retail, e-commerce, etc. These firms are usually distributed across the world.Development â€" This is the new world of Data Science. Data Science and code are the core products of it. Many MNCs, as well as startups, are designing new analytic platforms with emphasis on embedded analytics.The other latest innovations in Data Science include Deep Learning, Speech Recognition, IoT and AI.3. Four Career Responsibilities of Data ScienceData Scientists are differentiated into four types. Data Business People â€" They are primarily focused on the enterprise data projects. It includes junior duties of blending, cleansing data, and designing predictive models.Data Creatives â€" It tackles the complete analytics process, from, extracting data, combining data, performing analysis, building models, and cr eating visualizations. It innovates recent predictive analytics use cases, products, and services. Data Creatives exist heavily in the Development process.Data Developer â€" It manages, gets, stores and learns data. Data Structure infrastructure side is particularly good for current analyst and IT staff.Data Researcher â€" These are the members who invent Data Science starting from its fundamental level.4. Data Science EdgesevalA minimum self-analysis is essential before getting into Data Science. Data Science has many edges, but the worth noting are: ‘Big Data Analytics’ teams explore predictive analytics patterns in data.5. Skills RequiredThere are certain hard skills you need to excel for attempting the Data Science Market. Data Scientists can access themselves in these critical skills.Data Science SkillSetStatistical Theory â€" Probability and statistical theory, analysis include sampling, hypothesis, and statistical distribution.evalProgramming Skills â€" Knowledge of scrip ting is a must, for a good data scientist. But choosing the right one is the matter of discussion.SQL â€" This data science language reflects the extraction of data from relational databases. At the same time, SQL is available as a Hadoop query language.Database â€" Database interprets how to extract the data and transform it into the required format.Python â€" R versus Python is the biggest discussion of time. Python is the production language with liberal data science library. It works more efficiently than R does.SAS â€" SAS comes first in its adoption. It is the ultimate data science scripting language. SAS is ubiquitous in the production process. This skill inevitably brings a unique advantage.Machine Learning â€" It brings out the learning techniques via Machine Learning.Supervised â€" Decision trees, Logistic Regression, SVM and Neural Networks.Unsupervised â€" Clustering, Component Analysis, and factor analysis.Big Data â€" Apart from fundamental algorithms, Data Scientists must also learn their adoption for large datasets. Therefore, essential tools like Hadoop, Spark, and analytics platform constitute the dedicated module.Business Analytics â€" The combination of advanced math and heavy technology.Main skill set that any data scientist must possess is the art of questioning and analyzing the information.Models that have been already built are used in assisting the IT enterprise decisions.Critical Thinking, Persuasive Communications, are a few of the other skills one must continue to excel in the role.6. Specialization Specialization adds value. Production world has more opportunities open only when you specialize. Two areas of specialization that find a way in the production world are:Supply Chain Forecasting â€" Demand-driven supply chain forecasting enables a unique entry into the world of logistics.IoT enabling Manufacturing â€" This uses predictive modeling of streaming data into SCADA. It predicts the quality output within a production run. With in the production world, however, predictive modeling obeys a complete toolset. Very soon specialty fields will emerge.Deep Learning, Image Processing, AI are the additional specializations.7. Some Major Lessons To RememberEfficiency in Domain : Any aspiring Data Scientist must ensure to be well-versed in the domain. Analytics engagement will be a flop-work without consistent domain expertise. A good predictive model can be built with the right set of variables.Right Expectations : Data Scientists must generate insights by reaching out the expectations of the customer. This clarifies the doubts of the users, thereby enhancing the business.Analyzing Data : Data Analysis must be carried out from various perspectives. With the structured data analysis methods, the pattern of the data follows accordingly.Demonstrating the Solution : Any Data Scientist is going to be remembered for the way he showcases his talent in presenting the solution. Context of presentation is also important to re member.8. As the Career ProgressesData Science is a field of tools, and other businesses, that play a vital role. A sophisticated toolbox extract, transforms, engineers, and models value from raw data.evalSimplification and Automation of toolbox require innovation. A consultant must have domain knowledge, process knowledge, and methodology. These three principles are the measuring data science skills.All these skill-sets make you industry ready and well prepared in advance.Final Words…Data Science is the industry that is emerging with plenty of lucrative opportunities. Data Scientist has become the hottest job of the decade.Many big companies are constantly coming out with job postings for the Data Scientists. So, with the right qualifications, you are going to enjoy a bright career outlook as a Data Scientist.

Monday, May 11, 2020

Happy Thanksgiving From an Appreciator

Happy Thanksgiving From an Appreciator Too often in our work (and sometimes in our lives) we focus on whats going wrong.   Since we get more of what we focus on, this approach can make us feel like we are in an unfriendly universe.   Everything (and everyone) feels like a struggle that we must fight against just to survive.   But what if there was another way?What if instead of seeing all the wrong, we focused on what was going right, no matter how small it might seem.   What if we became appreciators?   What if even in the seemingly dark moments, we kept the faith that it was all happening for a valid reason?Case in point, I know someone who was recently let go from her job because the type of work she was doing was no longer an area of focus for her firm.   This person had worked tirelessly in building her client base and was frankly shocked when the firm no longer wanted to support her.   She was also an integral breadwinner to her family of four.   Ill admit that upon hearing the news, even my initial reaction was ang er at the injustice.   I thought, How could they do this to such a hard working employee?But not this person.   She is an appreciator.   After the initial shock, she requested a meeting with the head of the firm.   In that meeting, she thanked him for the mentoring he had given her along the way and asked to take the clients she developed with her as she was taking this crisis as an opportunity to start her own firm.   Amazing!Was he supportive?   Of course.   He was so impressed by her positive approach that he apologized for the decision and told her how much he regretted having to let her go.   It was one of the toughest business decisions hed ever made.   Just hearing this, gave my client the good ending she needed to move on to a good beginning.   Upon sharing the news of her new firm with an initial few of her clients, projects began pouring in.Is this a fluke?   Is she just one of a lucky few?Yes, but the lucky few she is a part of is the universe of appreciators.   People wh o see good in every situation and challenge.   You can be part of this group too.   Join by focusing more and more on the good in your work (even if its just a paycheck at the moment).   From there, I can help you (and those on your gift list) with Soul Search, Research and Job Search and get you all doing work you really love.Happy Thanksgiving and always follow your dreams!Appreciation is a wonderful thing.   It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. Voltaire

Friday, May 8, 2020

Resume Templates For Word Documents

Resume Templates For Word DocumentsResume templates for Word documents are easily available on the Internet and in various books. Before hiring a professional to create a resume for you, it is best to do some research on the Internet. This will give you an idea of the kind of templates that are commonly used by other professionals. Not only will this make it easier for you to understand what a professional has created, but it also makes it easy for you to find similar samples on the Internet.Although, Word templates are widely available on the Internet, they are not necessarily the best suited for Word documents. There are a lot of people who think that Word templates are nothing but a copy of the original document. However, this is not true. It is always better to customize your resume using a Word template, as it allows you to personalize it as much as you want.Resume templates for Word documents can also be customized with the help of pictures of attractive women. You should avoid using the ordinary pictures of men for your resume. This is because many employers may not look at your resume using their eyes, but with their ears. Hence, the pictures should be colorful and pleasant.A resume should be written clearly and concisely. You should be able to tell the reader exactly what your qualifications are. It is not possible for you to explain yourself in words.To make sure that your resume is clear and concise, you should write it in the same format as the job description. You can ask for help from your future employer. Also, try to use the same formatting as the one used by your prospective employer. A resume should be formatted properly so that it will look professional when it is posted for consideration.Word templates for Word documents are not limited to the application you are applying for. It can also be used for resumes for other jobs. For example, if you are a graphic designer, your resume can be created using a Word template. This is because, this tem plate will allow you to highlight certain parts of your resume.A Word template will also let you customize your resume according to your own needs. If you feel that you have reached a plateau in your career, you can change your resume. All you need to do is fill in the blanks with your skills, experience and any other information that you feel is relevant.Word templates for Word documents can be useful in many ways. You can customize your resume using them to make it look as appealing as possible. All you need to do is choose a template that is appropriate for your career. You can even customize it so that it looks like a professional resume.