Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Review: Getting from College to Career by Lindsey Pollak: Career Advice that Transcends Generations!

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To top off my “getting organized for your job hunt” blogs, I thought this would be a perfect time to review and recommend Lindsey Pollak’s book, Getting from College to Career.

Lindsey is an author, speaker and consultant specializing in career development for college students and young professionals. In Getting from College to Career, she warmly and generously shares personal experiences and stories from all types of professionals covering topics such as: figuring out what you want to do, how to market yourself, where to look for opportunities (including entrepreneurship) and how to prepare for interviews.

While the book targets college students and recent grads, the advice transcends generations! Lindsey acknowledges her “obsession with taking action, trying new things, meeting new people and having a wide variety of experiences” to enhance a job hunt. She notes (and I agree) that you can’t plan your career by sitting around and “thinking really hard.”

Her first tip – “Start Wherever You Are” – is a perfect opening for the job seeker who thinks he or she needs more – more information, more advice, more research, before REALLY starting a successful search. My first boss on Wall Street always said, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” In other words, if you wait for all of the stars to align before starting something, you’ll never get off the ground. If you want to drive your own career bus, you first need to put the key in the ignition and turn it – no matter where you are parked!

Lindsey reminds her readers that “Action always yields rewards” and emphasizes the importance of taking action on behalf of your career every day. Make a call, write a note, send a follow-up email, attend a networking event…You can’t underestimate the value of every action you take to move your search forward.

How does Lindsey suggest you get organized for a job search?

  • Buy a notebook (with a cool cover) to record ideas and information.
  • Develop a filing system to keep all of the key paperwork that will pass through your hands.
  • Keep a calendar with ALL of your appointments to avoid double-booking.
  • Start a log or spreadsheet for all of your interactions with employers and networking contacts.
  • Create a database system to track everyone you meet along the way!

One of my favorite tips? #27 Relax. A Job Is Not a Soul Mate. The fact is, with workers expected to have 9 careers in a lifetime and an average of 3 jobs in each one (with 50% of those careers not even discovered yet), don’t think of a job as a marriage. If you make a mistake, you can take your transferable skills and move to another opportunity.

Getting from College to Career is a terrific resource, full of tips to guide job seekers along a successful path. I highly recommend it to anyone getting ready for a job hunt!

Ready to take the plunge and look for a job? Still need a great resume? Some help to write the perfect cover letter? I’m here to help!

If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you!

Intimidated by Your Job Hunt? Enter the Career Search Organizer

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Do you ever feel that even resources that should be the most useful for your job hunt may actually make the job of looking for a job seem overwhelming? For example, the vast amount of information available online is both amazing and intimidating. If you are lucky enough to be faced with an array of jobs to consider, it can be a blessing (Wow – so many great jobs!) and a curse (Do I really need to target a resume for each of these jobs?)

Sometimes, you just need a great checklist and a method to organize the myriad of information and paperwork that you’ll need to plow through for a successful search.

Enter Lauren Hasson, who calls herself The Resume Girl. Lauren specializes in working with college students and recent graduates, but her new product, The Career Search Organizer is full of useful information for any job seeker hoping to help keep track of everything needed for a successful search. With checklists, tips and a place to keep track of resources, contacts, follow-up, research and more, the Career Search Organizer is a great tool for any job hunter.

I particularly love the level of detail offered right from the start. The “Getting Started” checklist goes so far as to suggest that job seekers identify a same-day dry cleaner (in the case of a fashion accident as you are preparing for an interview) and notes that it is a good idea to locate the nearest overnight mail service in case you need to send something urgent at the last minute.

When I coach job seekers, one of the first things we discuss is how important it is to manage the process and not to let it manage you! The Organizer is one-stop shopping for anyone looking for a method to track what can become job hunting madness. With each job requiring targeted materials and research, job seekers can easily lose direction. Think of the Career Search Organizer as job search GPS for anyone who plans to drive his or her own career bus!

So, after reading all of my blog posts about goal setting and getting organized, you have a clean desk, all the right tools and you’re ready to go? Still need a great resume? Some help to write the perfect cover letter? I’m here to help! Write to me.

If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you!

More On Organizing for Your Job Search – Your Desk is Prime Real Estate!

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Did you know that you own prime real estate? If you’re in a job hunt, it could be more valuable than beach front property in, say Maui! Didn’t know you were such a high roller? Your desk is your prime real estate. Being organized and productive are key goals for anyone involved in a job hunt. How it is organized may mean the difference between getting a job and not even remembering to follow up with an employer!
I know from personal experience how important an organized work space can be. Even the little things make a big difference in your day. I always seem to be looking for the same desk reference. Every time I look for it, it is somewhere else. Inevitably, I get annoyed that 1) I can’t find it and 2) I’m wasting my valuable time looking for it. Especially when it is a really busy day, I’ll start getting stressed and annoyed with myself that I can’t keep my reference handy!
I finally decided to ALWAYS keep it in the same spot – close by, but not in my way. It’s not rocket science, but I’ve already saved myself time (and sanity) by being able to just reach for it at a moment’s notice – no stress!

Yesterday’s post reminded us that a clean desk is NOT the sign of a deranged mind! If you are in the midst of a search or want to appear productive and valuable at your current place of employment, you’ll want to get your desk together. Here are some tips from Atlanta based professional organizer, Lauren Davidson, owner of Around Tuit Organizing & Productivity:

Sure-fire Ways to Organize Your Office for Job Hunting:

Be a real estate magnate: Surfaces and storage within arm’s reach are prime real estate! Frequently used items “live” there: very active files, phone/PDA, a note pad, favorite pen. Floaters get lost, while items with a home are predictably found (think: always know where my___ is). Make the home convenient, and you have a winner.

Keep your thoughts in one place: A job seeker’s best friend is a notebook that stays on the desk, to jot down anything from brainstorming to your daily to-do list. Not a pad, definitely not sticky notes. Just a plain, spiral notebook – you choose the color.

Keep priorities in plain sight: In a standing file on the desktop, each job for which you are interviewing has a separate, labeled file. Applications awaiting a response are together in their own file. No-go’s in another file (those can go in a drawer if the visual bothers you).

Take paper by the horns: Paper clutter is distracting and can be a source of anxiety. As a professional organizer, much of the paper clutter I see is caused by over-printing. Print out items you need to take with you, or that will no longer be readily available. Print out essential information you would not otherwise remember. Less printing leaves more room on your desk, in your file drawer and, dare I say, in your head.

Lauren says, “Getting rid of clutter makes room for life!” I agree!

Don’t underestimate the fact that being organized can impact your thought process and bring more calm to your hectic job searching existence! Spend some time getting yourself together. If the thought of making your workspace productive is overwhelming, hire someone to do it! You will not regret the effort.

Stay tuned for more ideas and products to help you stay organized for your job hunt!

Photo by taminsea

Need a Roadmap to Drive Your Career Bus?

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Since this week’s posts have been about managing your time and focusing on your job hunting goals, it is a good time to share information about a resource developed by my new cyber-friend, Jason Alba: Jibber Jobber.

Jibber Jobber is an online tool with both free and paid features. Need help keeping up with where you’re applying for jobs? Need to track when to follow-up with employers or networking contacts? Jibber Jobber is for you! This is how Jason describes some of Jibber Jobber’s features:

Jibber Jobber allows you to keep track of all of the information that you collect during a job search. Track the companies that you apply to. Track each job that you apply for, and log the status of each job (date first interview, thank you letter sent, etc.). Want to know where you sent your different resumes? Jibber Jobber can track all this and more!

But then you need to go a step further – work on those relationships. Jibber Jobber allows you to track the relationship with each person, log important information about your contacts, and manage the relationship as it is enhanced. Keeping track of these relationships, and proactively working on your network may be the most important thing you do to help you land your next job.

For an explanation of the differences between the free and premium services, click here.

In addition to creating Jibber Jobber, Jason is an expert in social networking and the author of the books, I’m On Linkedin, Now What? and I’m On Facebook – Now What? After following Jason on Twitter and keeping up with his blog, I recently had an opportunity to speak to him about his business and how he hopes to help people who need help organizing their job hunts and managing their contacts.

His goal is to “Help people who want to manage their career.”  In addition, having experienced a job loss that served as the impetus for starting this business several years ago, Jason hopes to help people understand what it means to manage their own careers. He uses his blog to help educate readers about career management and provides ideas, resources and inspiration to everyone who has a job and/or a career!

I’m sure anyone involved in a job hunt can benefit from investigating Jibber Jobber and by taking advantage of its great tools! Take a look at Jibber Jobber and let me know what you think!

If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you!

Need more help with your job hunt? Keppie Careers will assist you every step of the way! From a great resume to step-by-step job hunting assistance – Keppie Careers is here for you! www.keppiecareers.com.

Photo by ChinCillaVilla

The Secret to Goal Setting and Driving Your Own Career Bus

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I admit that I was a bit skeptical when I first read the hype surrounding the book and movie The Secret. However, upon reflection, I believe the ideas in The Secret can be useful and empowering to job seekers.

For those not familiar, The Secret involves the belief that the universe will send you what you ask of it. In other words, believe it and it will come. Entrepreneur, public speaker and business coach, Jane Pollak suggests actually writing down your goals and carrying them with you on a daily basis. She notes in her blog, Leading, “That act alone has made enormous differences for me personally as I continue to meet my goals.”

So, as we move deeper into the dog days of summer…Consider listing some goals and carrying them with you in your wallet. Take a look at them when you’re waiting in line or stuck in traffic. You never know – this type of focus could be the difference between achieving your goals and staying stuck! Drive your own career bus!

Keppie Careers will help get you unstuck! A job hunt is hard work, but we are here to support you every step of the way. Let us know how we can help you…Need a resume? Don’t know where to begin? www.keppiecareers.com.

Photo by Steve Took It