Your Career and You

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How  Prepared  Are  You?       Very   Somewhat   Not     Prepared   Prepared   Prepared    Describe  your  ideal  job?                  Highlight  your  career  goals?                  Present  a  targeted  and  high  impact  resume?                  Provide  several  complimentary  references                (360°  view)?    Complete  and  pass  a  background  check?                (Employment  and  Education  Verification,  Felony  &  Misdemeanor,  Driving,  Credit)    Give  a  brief  yet  comprehensive  overview                of  your  career  (positions,  industries,  budgets  and  people  managed,  number  of  years  of  experience  and  key  accomplishments)    Confidently  describe  all  job  transitions?                  Articulate  your  specific  talents  and  skills?                  Describe  your  strengths  and  talents,  and                positively  list  growth  opportunities  (“weaknesses”)    Negotiate  your  compensation  package?                (Know  your  worth  in  the  market  and  what  are  competitive  salaries/fees  and  benefits)    Be  effective  at  phone  and  in-­‐person  interviews?                  Manage  your  career?                

 

λ  “Luck  is  a  matter  of  preparation  meeting  opportunity.”  

-­‐Oprah  Winfrey

Your Career and You

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Resumes.  What  They  Want  to  Know    When  writing  your  resume,  remember  perspective.  It  needs  to  be  about  what  the  hiring  manager  /  HR  is  seeking.  Plus,  be  crisp  and  descriptive.  Make  each  word  count.  � Name  and  Contact  Information  � Professional  Summary…performance  and  numbers  � Professional  Experience  (chronological  please)  

§ Company,  Dates,  Location,  URL  with  brief  description  of  what                the  company  does  § Title,  Responsibilities,  Key  Accomplishments  § Reason  for  Leaving  (if  frequent),  e.g.,  maternity  leave  § Include  military  experience  § Note  any  employment  gaps  and  why  

� Computer  and  Technical  Skills  � Education  

§ Degree,  University,  Dates  and  GPA  § Certifications,  Location/Institution  and  Grades  § Professional  Licenses  § Relevant  Course  work  

 Nice  to  Haves…Can  be  an  addendum  

§ Awards  § Volunteer  Experience  § Patents  § Published  Articles  § Presentations  

 Objective.  Only  include  if  you  are  seeking  a  specific  position.    Don’t  Forget  

§ When  writing  it,  keep  in  mind  the  perspective  of  the  reader  and  how  it  will  be  used  § Try  to  keep  it  to  2  pages  § Organize  by  most  important  information  first  § Be  specific  and  give  numbers  where  possible  § Build  it  for  a  targeted  profession  § No  mistakes,  please  

 Action:  Draft  a  Career/Skill  Summary  Think:    Positions/Roles,  Industries  and  Verticals,  Geographies,  Systems/Hardware,  Budgets  and  People/Functions,  Certifications,  Target  Accounts,  Revenues,  Average  Sale  Size,  Duration,  Key  Skills  &  Accomplishments  (e.g.,  launched,  successful  turnaround,  grew),  etc.        

   

   

   

   

Keep in Mind Searches start electronically, using key words. Be sure you put key words in your resume. Look at job descriptions and see how they describe the skills and experience being sought.

Submit: Your resume to be included in our confidential candidate database. Logon to www.i2iworkforce.com

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Job  Search  Tactics  and  Tips    A  Few  Key  Thoughts  

• Looking  for  a  job  is  a  job.  Treat  it  like  one.  • Your  resume  is  a  living  document.  Be  sure  to  keep  it  current  and  fresh.  

o Cover  letter:  Intro/summary/ask  for  interview  o Consider  if  you  need  a  2nd  resume…sales  vs.  marketing  o Look  for  key  words  

• The  more  contacts,  the  faster  you  will  create  opportunities.      Searching  for  a  Job  You’ve  got  your  resume,  cover  letter  and  references,  and  are  ready  to  network  and  interview,  here’s  next  steps:  

1) Get  in  LinkedIn  (www.linkedin.com)  2) Post  to  relevant  job  boards.  When  selecting  job  boards,  consider  industry,  locations,  and  type  of  jobs.  

Here’s  the  top  10  Boards:  a. Career  Builder  (www.careerbuilder.com)  b. Monster  (www.monster.com)  c. TheLadders  (www.theladders.com)  d. Yahoo!  Hotjobs  (www.hotjobs.yahoo.com)  e. JobCentral  (www.jobcentral.com)  f. Job.com  (www.job.com)  g. Career.com  (www.career.com)  h. TrueCareers.com  (www.truecareers.com)  i. Indeed  (www.indeed.com)  j. Net-­‐temps.com  (www.net-­‐temps.com)  k. Seeking  more  sites:  http://www.quintcareers.com/top_50_sites.html  l. And  look  on  Craig’s  List  (www.craigslist.org)  m. Lee  Hecht  Harrison  n. Resume  Spider  

3) Get  connected  with  Recruiters  4) If  senior  level  experience,  consider  establishing  relationships  with  consulting  firms  and  interim  executive  

firms  5) Consider  Temp  Agencies  and  apply  6) Apply  directly  to  companies  

a. Apply  to  specific  job  if  possible  b. Seek  a  connection  with  someone  who  works  at  the  company  –  ideal  is  hiring  manager  

7) Network,  Network,  Network  a. Phone,  In-­‐person,  Email,  Blogs  and  more  b. Order  free  business  cards  from  Vista  Print  (www.vistaprint.com)  that  have  your  contact  info  and  

area(s)  of  expertise  –  make  it  a  mini-­‐resume    c. Engage  in  relevant  associations  d. Tell  friends  and  family  e. Work  your  professional  network  f. Go  to  job  fairs  

8) Establish  a  daily  routine  with  goals    Interviewing  Tips  

• Be  prepared.  o Do  your  homework  on  the  company,  people  and  position  in  advance.  o Consider  how  your  experience  (work,  school,  activities)  relate  to  the  job.  o Practice…with  an  associate,  friend,  career  coach.  o Be  sure  you  know  your  market  value  (www.salary.com,  www.salaryexpert.com)  

Your Career and You

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• Be  on  time…10  minutes  early.  • For  in-­‐person  interviews  

o Suit-­‐up,  no  gum/candy  o Bring  copies  of  resume  and  references  o Maintain  eye  contact  

• For  all  interviews  o Be  professional,  keep  the  conversation  to  business  o Be  courteous  and  thank  the  interviewer  for  their  time  and  the  opportunity  to  be  considered  for  the  job.  

o Ask  about  when  they  will  be  making  their  decision  and  when  you  can  expect  to  hear  something.  o Ask  everyone  who  interviews  you  for  their  contact  information.  o Immediately  send  thank  you  note  stating  you  want  the  job.  Email  works  great.  

 Wishing  you  auspicious  new  beginnings!    

BELIEVE  while  others  are  doubting.  PLAN  while  others  are  playing.  STUDY  while  others  are  sleeping.  DECIDE  while  others  are  delaying.  PREPARE  while  others  are  daydreaming.  BEGIN  while  others  are  procrastinating.  WORK  while  others  are  wishing.  SAVE  while  others  are  wasting.  LISTEN  while  others  are  talking.  SMILE  while  others  are  frowning.  COMMEND  while  others  are  criticizing.  PERSIST  while  others  are  quitting.  -­‐-­‐  William  Arthur  Ward