Nov 7, 2017 | Career Coaching
How are you supposed to get a job if you don’t ever see the job openings?
As it turns out, only half of all available jobs are ever posted publicly.
So how do you break in? You have to be proactive.
Take a look at these six tips that will help you break through the hidden job market.
1. Start Networking To Find The Hidden Job Market
Networking isn’t just having a conversation with someone. It’s establishing a genuine relationship with a person who may become a good friend as you advance in your career.
You should never approach networking thinking about what you hope to get out of it. Put your personal job hunting goals aside and focus instead on making connections.
Make it about them. Be real.
Listen to others with interest and try to figure out a way you can help them. In fact, if you aren’t sure how your skill set will benefit them, ask them directly if there is anything you can do to help them.
People are likely to remember your generosity, and that will make them want to return the favor.
2. Find a Job Support Group
Networking should become a habit. You should network before you need a job, while you’re looking for a job, and after you get hired.
A job support group will keep you networking easily, not just at every-once-in-a-while events.
The people in these groups understand what you’re going through and are often willing to help you in any way they can. A job support group is also a great way to learn which employers are hiring.
3. Get Active On Social Media
A lot of companies have social media accounts, and you should find and connect with these sites.
LinkedIn is one of your greatest tools when trying to battle the hidden job market.
4. Attend A Conference
Conferences, conventions, or trade shows are great places to meet professionals and grow your network.
It’s also a place you’re likely to find someone looking to hire, and that person can talk to you about the interview process in person and set you up with other helpful resources.
Attending conferences can also help develop your professional skills.
5. Sign Up For News Alerts
News alerts will keep you up to date on prospective employers.
You’ll find out right away if the company has made a move that might lead them to hire more employees.
These alerts will also provide you with valuable information about the company. If you do get an interview with them, you will know what business they have been doing and be able to bring it up.
6. Contact Hiring Managers Directly
Before you can do this, you must figure out how your skills and background can make a positive difference for the company, but once you have a good plan, be proactive.
Contact the hiring manager, introduce yourself, and let them know how you can benefit their company.
Even if the company isn’t hiring when you call, you’ll be at the top of their list when you start.
Break Through the Hidden Job Market
Hidden jobs are a lot easier to find when you know where to look, but getting an interview requires you to be professional, compassionate, and assertive.
Are you out looking for that hard-to-find job? Contact us for help!
Aug 30, 2017 | Career Coaching
Perhaps you’re far ahead in your career field or just starting out. Maybe you’re looking for a total change in careers. Maybe you’re completely unsure of what you want to do professionally.
A great career coach can help. A career coach can help catapult an already successful career into astronomical advancement. Career coaching services can help those climbing the ranks achieve success at a faster rate.
Coaching can be beneficial for everyone. Having someone walk you through big career decisions and helping you sort through goals can have an invaluable effect on your journey. Simply having an outsider’s eyes and ears on your behalf can have a positive effect on you as a professional.
Choosing which career coach is best for you can be difficult. Here’s the ultimate guide to finding a great career coach:
1. Make It a Match
When browsing through potential coaches, find those with expertise in your desired area. Some coaches can focus on a variety of areas, but finding one with a specialty in your area of interest can make your time with them more valuable.
Make sure you find a coach with in-depth knowledge of your chosen field, and perhaps a vast network of resources. This can have many advantages, so be sure to ask your potential coaches what their specialty is.
Not only is their knowledge important, the chemistry with them is important as well. If it doesn’t seem like a fit, find someone who you would enjoy spending time with while making plans and goals for your career.
2. Identify the Ideal Career Coaching Service
Not all career coaching services are the same. With rapid changes in technology and the business world, coaches need to consistently update their credentials and practice.
It’s important to find a coach that is keeping up with changes. When interviewing coaches, ask them about their recent renewals or training.
3. Pick Up the Phone
Find coaches who offer free telephone consultations so you can get to know each other before you’re charged a full session fee. This works for both you and your coach, giving you both the opportunity to find out if the relationship is a fit.
Be completely honest in your telephone consultation by explaining what you want to accomplish through your coach and in your career.
Narrow down your selection and set up telephone consultations with a few select coaches. Talking with more than a few will complicate the process and make it more confusing.
4. Manage Yourself
While coaches are there to help steer you in the right direction, remember that it is ultimately up to you to make it happen. Coaching services can help you create goals, sift through job services, create a stellar resume and help you stay on track.
But remember, only you can offer the ambition and drive to make it happen. A coach can’t instill that in you.
Create a Winning Partnership!
By bringing your own drive and charisma to any career coaching service, you can create an unstoppable team. Consider their knowledge, specialties, credentials, and chemistry when choosing the ultimate coach to guide you.
If you’re ready to take your resume and your career to the next level, contact us!
Aug 15, 2017 | Career Coaching
If you want to grow your career in this day and age, it’s no longer viable to simply write a beautiful resume and call it done.
You need to find ways to get your name out on social media and other digital avenues. You have to find other professionals and like-minded people.
LinkedIn is the perfect place to do this. It’s a great way to brand yourself to potential clients and employers alike. You can grow a portfolio of achievements and demonstrate your skills while staying connected with people who share similar passions.
However, make sure that you create a profile that entices others to look through it. You don’t want to send people away from your profile before they give you a chance. There are certain things you should avoid when developing your LinkedIn profile, and we’re here to help you learn about them.
Continue reading to find out more about it!
1. Bad Photos
Your photo is one of the very first things others will see when they view your profile. Fair or not, chances are they’ll pass judgment when they look at the photo. So make sure the photo they look at is a good one.
Don’t post selfies or a picture in poor quality. Don’t use other brands (or even other people). After all, people want to put a face with a name.
Use a photo that’s a high-quality headshot, and make sure you’re dressed professionally.
There’s a certain size requirement for profile photos, so make the most of it.
2. Poor Summary
Your LinkedIn profile is the best way to sell yourself to potential employers or clients. When they visit your page, they want to learn about you and the value you could offer. Don’t sell yourself short by leaving your personal summary blank or only half-filled.
Use this space to explain who you are and what you can do. Tell your viewers exactly why they should want to connect with you and start a conversation.
Be sure to use proper formatting and punctuation in order to present yourself as a person to be taken seriously.
3. Keyword Stuffing
It might seem like a good idea to gather up a bunch of popular keywords and use them in your LinkedIn profile. More is better, right?
Not really. You shouldn’t use any keywords on your profile that doesn’t represent you. If someone visits your profile for the wrong reason, they’ll ignore you. They also might let other people know to ignore you. Furthermore, it could be a downward spiral for your presence on LinkedIn.
If you do choose to use good keywords that pertain to your career and skills, try to use them sparingly.
4. Not Keeping Active
If you don’t update your profile to include things like your personal achievements or new skills, chances are your profile will be ignored. Or, it won’t display properly, causing others to pass you by because they think you’re no longer using LinkedIn.
Spend a little time each week updating your LinkedIn page.
5. Treating it Like Facebook
While it can appear similar to Facebook due to its social networking appeal, LinkedIn is meant to be a professional site used by professionals with business and career goals in mind. Keep this in mind when you’re posting or responding to a post.
It’s not a good idea to post selfies or small status updates. Also, there’s no point in having thousands of strangers in your network that you never talk to. Remember, LinkedIn is about building a network of like-minded professionals where you all can help each other grow and expand your business and/or careers.
So use it as such!
You’re on Your Way to the Perfect LinkedIn Profile!
LinkedIn is a powerful tool and because of that, there are more tips you could use to make the most of it. However, don’t make the mistakes we’ve outlined above! Avoid them and you’ll find that your LinkedIn profile will get more views and connections.
Have any questions or comments? Contact us!
Jul 7, 2017 | Career Coaching
Are you interested in making a career switch? Or, do you want to learn more about how you can succeed in your current position?
Either way, a career coach can help you get there.
Studies show that when you’re happy at work, that tends to translate into other areas of your life, contributing to an overall feeling of satisfaction.
As such, who wouldn’t want a little coaching to help them reach the maximum level of contentment with their job?
If you’ve ever wondered, “What does a career coach do?” we’d love to explain.
Today, we’re taking a look at a few top responsibilities associated with the title, so you can see for yourself the benefits a career coach offers.
Ready to learn more? Let’s get started!
1. What Does a Career Coach Do? The First Step
To begin, a career coach will assess your current work situation.
Are you happy in general with only a few things you’d like to change? Or, are you ready to move in an entirely different direction?
This conversation will typically take place in a one-on-one setting and will be kept confidential. It could occur in person, over the phone, or on the internet.
Regardless of the method of communication, you should feel encouraged to share openly about where you are and where you’d like to be.
2. A Career Coach Helps You Visualize Outcomes
Once your career coach has a grasp of your present situation, he or she will then want to know where you envision yourself in the future.
Are you currently working a 9-to-5 desk job but dream of one that lets you travel more? Are you seeking a more flexible work-life schedule? Do you want a career that’s more closely aligned to your degree and skill set?
Your career coach will ask questions like these to draw from you what your ultimate career goals are.
Often, you can visualize the career you want for yourself, but you can’t put your finger on exactly which type of job will get you there.
This is one of the benefits of career coaching.
Your coach will assess your strengths and weaknesses and help you find the job path that’s best aligned with them.
Then, he or she will define a list of outcomes that you’re ready to work toward. Having these concrete goals in place will make taking the first steps that much easier.
3. You’ll Work Together on Each Step
After you collaborate to define your expected outcomes, your career coach will create an executable action plan to help you get there.
Depending on your specific situation, this could consist of smaller-scale weekly steps or more significant changes you should make every month or so.
Once your timeline is set, your career coach will schedule to meet with you accordingly.
During these meetings, he or she will check your progress, help you work through any issues, and encourage and motivate you to complete the next part of your journey.
Securing the Future You Want: Your Professional Resource
Are you still asking the question, “What does a career coach do?”
If so, you’ve come to the right place.
Our professional services, including career coaching and resume writing, can help you identify and secure the job of your dreams.
Feel free to contact us for more information, and let’s re-write your future!
Jun 6, 2017 | Career Coaching
Are you taking advantage of everything LinkedIn has to offer? If not, you’re missing out on one of the most valuable career-building tools out there.
There are currently around 133 million users from the US on LinkedIn, and not being one of them means you’re losing a lot of valuable connections.
To help you get the most out of your time on LinkedIn, here are four business networking tips to help you make the most of your profile:
1. Keep your profile updated
The first step to achieving success on LinkedIn is getting your profile noticed. The most important thing is to keep your profile as up to date as possible.
A potential connection or recruiter might not reach out if they see your profile hasn’t been updated in years.
Make sure your headline and recent positions are all up to date, so people can easily get an idea of jobs you might be interested in pursuing.
There are other important elements of your profile like including a recent, professional photo. In fact, profiles with pictures get 21 times more profile views.
2. Make new connections
Whether you’re new to LinkedIn or not, there’s always a way to add new connections to your network.
The “people you may know” section on LinkedIn can help you connect with old colleagues, professors, or fellow students.
It’ll also show you second-degree connections (or connections of your connections) that could be valuable to you.
Reach out to these connections with a well-written message, introducing yourself and why you want to connect. Personalizing your messages will lead to more high-quality connections to advance your career.
3. Participate in LinkedIn groups
LinkedIn groups are a great way to meet members outside of your connections and even learn a new thing or two. Groups exist in a variety of different industries, schools, and other topics.
Join the ones that are most relevant to you, but don’t join too many groups or you won’t get the maximum benefits.
For most, this means about 2-5 groups, depending on how many interests you have.
To get the most of your groups, make sure you stay actively engaged in the topics and add value to the conversation when you can.
Don’t be afraid to comment on others’ posts or even ask a question of your own. You can also share a relevant article, ask a question or share anything else you think your group might find interesting. You can also ask other members for business networking tips to enhance your LinkedIn experience even more.
Just make sure what you’re posting is relevant to the group. No spam allowed!
4. Create relevant and engaging content
To really get attention on LinkedIn, try your hand at writing a post on their publishing platform.
This platform is great because it allows anyone to share their voice, establish credibility, and get published online.
Publishing content on LinkedIn shows your connections that you’re an expert in your field. It also shows hiring managers and recruiters that you’ve gone the extra mile to share your expertise in your industry. This is a double-win.
However, if you’re going to dive into writing, make sure your piece is well-written and researched before you publish.
Elite Resume Writing Services offers different packages to help you land your dream job, including LinkedIn profile development. Visit our services page for more information on the packages available for purchase.
What are your business networking tips for LinkedIn? Share them in the comments below.
Apr 25, 2017 | Career Coaching
Finding a mentor is one of the most powerful strategies for making faster progress with your career or business. No matter what your goals are, someone accomplished and knowledgeable in that area is extremely valuable for guiding and inspiring you. How do you find such a person? Let’s explore some of the most effective strategies to find and keep a mentor.
Benefits of a Mentor
A mentor is someone who teaches, guides, advises, and inspires others to improve or excel. There are all types, such as people who mentor children, academic mentors, and business mentors. It’s really the latter we’re concerned with here, but the basic principles are the same in every case.
Above all, they are a role model. If you want to achieve a certain outcome in your life, nothing is more helpful than the support of someone who has already accomplished this. It’s one thing to read about such a person but something else to develop a personal relationship with him or her. They are not the same as a coach, although there are similarities. You pay coaches to help you. You have a less formal and usually unpaid relationship with a mentor. They are more like a trusted friend or family member with the experience and expertise to guide you.
Mentors are helpful at all stages of your career or business. They help you start out with new ventures, set goals, and develop strategies for achieving your goals. Just as important as any practical advice they provide is the psychological support. When you’re feeling confused, discouraged, or overwhelmed they help to ground you and let you know that overcoming obstacles is part of the journey to success.
How to Find a Mentor
The precise way you find a mentor varies according to your personality and circumstances. There are, however, a few general rules to follow.
- Identify someone you want. Focus on someone whose accomplishments are a good match for your goals. For example, if you’re pursuing a career as a compliance officer, look within your own company or perhaps a successful author or lecturer in this field. This is someone most likely to help you find compliance jobs and provide guidance for advancing in this career.
- Make contact. Don’t wait for a mentor to approach you. If it’s someone at your place of work, approach him or her in person. If it’s someone you follow on Twitter or LinkedIn, you’ll have to make contact on one of those platforms. There are benefits to choosing someone in your area, as it’s easier to meet up in person. However, communicating via phone, Skype, or online messaging is certainly viable nowadays.
- Don’t immediately ask someone to mentor you. Start by introducing yourself and asking some questions. It’s always good to explain why you admire this person and reference some of his or her work.
- Let the relationship evolve. Not every potential mentor works out. Don’t try to force it. Over time, you’ll discover if you have a good rapport with the person.
- Examine the results. Assess the relationship. Are you getting tangible benefits from your association with your mentor?
How to Keep a Mentor
A true mentor is extremely valuable and worth keeping. While some people will give you a few helpful nuggets of advice and disappear from your life, a true mentor is someone who sticks around for a while. If you’re lucky, it’s a long-term or even lifetime bond. Here are a few tips to help you keep a mentor.
- Find ways to help your mentor. Don’t think of mentorship as a one-way relationship where you receive all the benefits. Do what you can to help the person, such as by promoting his or her work when you can.
- Take responsibility. Don’t expect them to give you all the answers. They point you in the right direction, but it’s still up to you to do the work.
- Understand that your mentor is busy. They are usually professionals with busy schedules. It’s okay to make requests but don’t make demands or feel entitled to their time.
- Show that you’re listening. Mentors like to see evidence that you’re listening to them and using the tools they provide. This doesn’t mean you’ll always succeed, only that you take their advice seriously and try your best.
For help with resume writing, interviews and other essential career skills, contact us.
