Looking for a New Job? Get in Touch with These People

You’ve decided to take the plunge and seek out a new job.  How do you start and where should you begin your search?

It can be somewhat scary or anxiety-provoking to look for new work and your search should start with those closest to you.

Here are the people you’ll want to get in touch with as you move forward with your job search.

Your contacts on social media. If you’re on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter feel free to post something about your job search, though be as specific as possible about what you’re looking for. Otherwise, you might just get bombarded with tips that have nothing to do with your field of interest.

Mentors. Seek out those who have been your mentors through the years, formally or informally as previous supervisors or confidantes. They likely have a good sense of your interests and strengths and might know of opportunities coming available.

Recruiters on LinkedIn. Be sure to update your profile on LinkedIn and change your settings to indicate you are open to being contacted by recruiters. You never know when you’ll be the perfect candidate for a job out there.

Your book club. That book club you’ve been meeting with monthly? They know and work with people who are looking to hire someone. That someone could be you! Not in a book club? What about the people in your church group, bowling league or softball team? If you’re involved in a social group check in with the members you’re closest to and trust and let them know what you’re looking for.

Your family and friends. Of course, this is the group of people you want to start with. Your family and friends care about you and know what your skills are and will be invested in helping you find the right opportunity for you and your future. Spend some time reaching out to your family and friends to discuss your career plans and ambitions with them.

By seeking out the right people early in your job search you can get off to a quick and helpful start.

When to Say No to a Job Offer

Let’s be honest. It’s not easy to decline a job offer. Often when we are hunting for a job it is out of necessity: we’ve recently graduated, we are unemployed, or we’ve learned we’ll be part of an upcoming layoff at work. Under these conditions it can feel irresponsible or even impossible to turn down a job offer. We can feel like we need to accept any job that comes along.

But if you’re not feeling desperate, and you have an opportunity to make a fair evaluation of a prospective employer, there are times when it makes sense to turn down an offer of employment.

Those times might include:

Reputation of the employer. Sometimes an employer, company, or a boss is just bad news and has rightfully earned a reputation for being a bad place to work. It’s important to do your research (on Glassdoor and elsewhere) in order to gauge the reputation of a prospective workplace. You might not want to accept a job at a place you’ll (sooner rather than) later hate.

Bad fit. Is the position you’ve been offered a good fit for your experience-level, skills, and interests? If not, you can be left feeling frustrated and struggle in the job, particularly if the training or supervision you receive is insufficient (or nonexistent).

Pay is not right. When you consider the pay a job offers you also need to pay attention to other factors you might not have considered, including company benefits such as insurance and 401k plan, the distance you’ll have to travel to get to work, time spent commuting to the job, and opportunities for career advancement and salary increases. If the pay is low, the commute is long, and there are few chances to advance you might need to make a pass.

Unethical or shady practices. Some businesses and companies like to operate on the lines and attempt to get away with as much as possible, even occasionally practicing in ways that might appear unethical, illegal, or shady. It’s best to avoid these companies and work at a place that proudly touts its commitment to authentically ethical work.

Does not match your values. Other companies operate legally but work in a field that does not match your values. If you’re a vegan concerned with the ethical treatment of animals, you might find it difficult to work at some restaurants or fast-food providers. If you’re concerned about climate change, you might decide not to work for a company in the fossil-fuel industry.

Choosing to pursue and accept a job at a specific company or in a particular field is a personal matter and it’s important to make decisions that are best for you at the time and for your future.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Incredibly Successful and Happy People Consistently Do These 6 Things

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Incredibly Successful and Happy People Consistently Do These 6 Things: "Most people are scared to attach their identity to their performance. High performers are willing to put themselves out there and place their identities on the line."

• 6 Mistakes Job Hunters Make While Employed: "Tell your friends about your job hunt one-on-one or over the phone, and emphasize the confidential nature of your search."

• 5 Tips for Building an Online Presence that Employers Love: "It also helps to build a website with your name in the domain. This way, when they search your name, they will find your optimized website where you can include your current resume and a portfolio of your work."

• Go to the Gym and Become a Better Boss: "It may sound obvious that effective managers need to cultivate that one-on-one mind-set, but it’s easy to lose sight of as your team grows and your responsibilities threaten to divide your attention. A little bit of individualized focus goes a long way."
• 9 Phrases Smart People Never Use In Conversation: "there are some phrases that emotionally intelligent people are careful to avoid in casual conversation. The following phrases are nine of the worst offenders. Avoid them at all costs."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 6 Habits of Ambitious People

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• Stop Trying to Find a 'Real' Job: "Times have changed and will change even more. So why not use this time to re-invent yourself, do the work that matters and create a career that actually makes you stand out and be the remarkable you that you can be?"


• 6 Habits of Ambitious People: "Find role models. Befriend and learn from mentors. Make friends with people smarter than you and more successful in fields you are interested in."


• 6 Ways to Be More Productive at Work: "If your office allows you to take breaks during the day, take advantage of it, even if you only take five minutes instead of 15. Get up, walk around, go outside and get some fresh air."


• How to Answer the Interview Question 'Tell Me About Yourself': "These days we’re all consultants. A job interview is a great place to sell your consulting services, even if you’re going after a salaried job!"


• Overcoming Mental Barriers to Success: "To be a standout success you must be radical enough to make up your own rules, be willing to rise above the status quo, and have the willingness to take great risk to secure your unique place in the business world."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Controlling Bad Habits for a Successful Career

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• Controlling Bad Habits for a Successful Career: "Create small wins. The most efficient way to make a permanent change is to focus on daily, incremental improvements."


• The Right Way to Say Thanks After an Interview: "Instead of simply expressing gratitude, a successful note builds on the interview by illustrating what the candidate can offer in addition to what was discussed."


• 3 Ways to Engage Your People in Your Company Brand: "Create a brand event or brand day and invite employees from around the company to participate. Solicit their feedback on the brand. Implement regular brand contests that support branding objectives."


• Building Confidence as a First-Time Job Hunter: "The first step is to believe you have the skills to get the job. This will boost your confidence, and it will definitely show in the interview--which is where you really have to nail it."


• Social Media Snafus to Avoid: "63 percent of recruiters have negatively reconsidered candidates based on finding profanity in their profiles. Illegal drug references top the list of content to avoid, with 83 percent of recruiters reconsidering candidates because of them."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 5 Things to Do When Starting a New Job

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 5 Things to Do When Starting a New Job: "If there's a project or task no one wants to tackle, volunteer to do it and give it all you've got.... Early in your job and career, there are very few jobs that are below you. Remember: Everyone has to start somewhere."


• 5 Realistic Tips to Be More Positive: "Over time, accentuating the positive becomes a habit, not just an overly sunny expression. You will be able to easily identify when you feel the strongest and most effective."


• How to Job Hunt While You're Working: "A stealth job search takes time and energy. What’s the point of that time and energy investment unless you’re going to a better place?"


• How to Become the Smartest Person in the Room: "Take in what’s around you, and listen to what people have to say. That’s going to give you both the information and insight necessary to put it in context."


• 7 Ways to Increase Your Charisma: "Confidence is a huge component of charisma. People will admire you for your confidence, usually because most people struggle with being confident themselves."

Strategies for Keeping You Sane While Job-Hunting

Searching for a job may be one of the most stressful experiences we face. In “How to Keep Your Sanity While Job-Hunting,” career and job search author, Alison Green, presents several ways to help keep your stress level down.

Don’t obsess:
Stop agonizing over one particular job. Obsessing over one job won’t allow you to effectively move on in your search. After your interview, continue looking for other positions. If the employer you interviewed with calls you, then you can bring your focus back around to that job. If the employer doesn’t call, you’ve already moved on.

Don’t try to read between the lines:
Many times an interviewee may take what an interviewer does or doesn’t say as a signal for how the interview went. For example, if the interviewer doesn’t say “I’ll be in touch,” don’t assume you aren’t getting the job. In most cases these signals are meaningless.

Don’t kick yourself about your answers after the interview:
Most interviewers don’t expect perfection, so don’t beat yourself up because you didn’t deliver perfect answers. Interviewers know you’re human, and no one delivers perfect interviews, including other candidates.

Don’t agonize if you’re not hired:
So you didn’t get the job Chances are you won’t ever know exactly why. A better candidate may have been hired, or perhaps the position was eliminated. The point is, don’t get stuck on the “whys” of not getting a specific job—just move on.

Do other things:
Don’t become consumed by your job search. Take a break to participate in activities that help take your mind off the search.

Remember, finding a job takes time:
Plan for your job search to take a while; a lengthy search is not unusual, so don’t expect to find a job right away.

Source: Green, Alison. “How to Keep Your Sanity While Job-Hunting.” Money: On Careers. U.S. News and World Report. March 11, 2013. money.usnews.com.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Job-Hunting, Gen-Y, and Success

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

1. 8 Commandments for Every Job Hunter
"Here are eight of my favorite rules to organize your (job) search while maintaining your sanity."

2. Solving Gen-Y's Passion Problem 
"This simple phrase, 'follow your passion,' turns out to be surprisingly pernicious. It's hard to argue, of course, against the general idea that you should aim for a fulfilling working life."

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos 

3. Don't Stop With Just One Contact at Your Target Companies!
"Even at small companies, it’s generally a good idea to build relationships with multiple people to ensure you’re someone that comes to mind when an appropriate opportunity arises."

4. 3 Qualities to Drive Your Success
"Possessing the deep down desire to achieve a particular goal or set of goals will provide the motivation to do what it takes to succeed."

5. 5 Tips to Return to a Company Where You'd Previously Quit  
"Well, just remember, a burnt bridge does not preclude building a new bridge to get back across to the other side."

High Five Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

1. Why Your Career is a Work in Progress
"'Finished' ought to be an F-word for all of us. Because when it comes to our career, we are all works in progress. Each day presents an opportunity to learn more, do more, be more, grow more, often in unexpected or unpredictable ways."

2. Five Tips from a Veteran Who Got a Job
"Many transitioning vets suffer from a 'grass is greener' perspective and focus on that one job they think they’d love. Get settled and take time to learn--you might love something you don’t even know about yet."

3. 6 Secrets for 'Six-Pack' Abs and Successful Job-Hunting
"In many ways, like fashion models, job seekers who areprofessionally “slim and trim,” and in obviously excellent “shape,” have a distinct advantage over those who are not."

4.  3 Tips for Recharging a Stalled Career  
"Don't let what seems like a dead end lead to your career's demise."

5. 5 Secrets to Quickly Land the Job
"The early bird really does get the worm. Half the jobs went to people who had applied in the first week."

New Years Resolutions For Post Grad Job Hunters

It is finally 2012. A new year and a fresh start is wonderful, especially for post grads who are looking for work. Take this time to reflect on past mistakes, make new goals or resolutions for the year ahead and keep learning what you need to land yourself an amazing job in 2012.

Here are some possible resolutions to get you started:

1. I will go to companies in person and inquire about their needs, hiring process and look professional doing so.

2. I will meet one new person a week to network with. This could be through other networking contacts, a club, a class, etc.

3. I will consider meeting with a recruiter or job hunting expert if I have been having trouble finding a job for some time now.

4. I will volunteer with organizations related to my desired job field.

5. I will make job searching my top priority and consider it a full-time job until I find myself a real full-time job.

6. I will buy myself a planner if I do not already own one to schedule my activities and keep track of contacts, company information and much more.

7. I will set a goal of applying to x companies per week and stick to it.

8. I will have my resume and cover letter read by at least three people and consider taking it to an expert.

9. I will not apply to jobs that I am definitely not qualified for.

10. I will never blow off an interview. Even if it may not be the job I want, interviews are great experience.

Let us know your goals, resolutions, or job hunting tips for the New Year by commenting on this post!

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!


1. A Must-Listen Interview for Job Hunters


2. New Ways to Make the Most out of a Career Fair


3. How Blogging Can Help Your Career


4. 22 Game-Changing Job-Search Tips from a Recruiter


5. How Twitter Hashtags Can Help You Find a Position

Holiday Job Hunter Tips

The holidays can be a tricky time if you're newly graduated. You may be tempted to slide right into party or relax mode and forget all about job hunting, internships and networking. Please don't give up hope for the holidays! Here are some tips to use the holidays to your advantage to score a great job:

1. If you haven't been able to find a job in your field yet, do take a seasonal job. Working at a retail store may seem like the last thing you want to do right now, but it could lead to some great contacts. If you can find a seasonal job in a field that you may be interested in, take it! You never know where it may lead you.

2. Use holiday parties to network. Suck it up and join your parents or relatives to their holiday parties if they can bring guests. Bring business cards or your contact information and try to talk to everyone. Again, you never know who you may meet or you may find someone who knows someone who can help get you a job. Remember to be pleasant, polite and dress well.

3. Join professional groups that are related to your field. They may be holding holiday parties that will allow you to meet with other professionals in your desired field. Find any opportunities to party and network!

4. The holidays are a great time to remind the people in your network that you're still searching for a job. Sending nice e-cards or emails to wish someone a happy holiday is a nice way to get back in touch with someone if you aren't sure how to reconnect.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!


1. The 9 Attitudes of Leadership


2. How Writing Guest Blog Posts Can Boost Your Career


3. How to Job Hunt with a Strike Against You


4. The 10 College Majors with the Lowest Unemployment Rates


5. Career Management: Top 10 Career Limiting Moves

The "Mes" Have It: Why You Fail In Your Job Search

That's just not me

My leadership coaching class was in the midst of practicing a technique called "calling forth," which-for the uninitiated-means to confront a client's issue with authenticity, connection, aliveness, and fierce courageousness. Basically, we were to get in the client's face for the sake of the client...even if it meant being fired in the process.

For emotive types, this is difficult. We're "touchy-feely;" we don't want to hurt anyone. We want to coddle and take care of and support. But our instructors called us forth to let go of our notion that the client is someone who needs to be taken care of and couldn't take our fierce love. They pushed us into the realm of hyperbole; we were yelling at our clients, making them stand on their heads, forcing them to lay down, and engaging in many other "abnormal" behaviors to get them to confront their issue.

But some of us struggled because getting in someone's face "just isn't 'me'." We struggled because of this idea of what "me" is.

Job searchers do the same thing. They use methods that feel comfortable for them; not ones that give them results. "It's just not me to network with strangers." "It's just not me to make a follow-up phone call." "It's just not me to ask a former colleague to help me make networking connections."

Where you are afraid to go is exactly where you need to. And don't bother asking where that is...you know where.

The Daily Leap has a wealth of job search tips and techniques that quickly put the days of unemployment behind you. Click this link, find three that are the most uncomfortable for you, and do them. These, the ones that are most in conflict with your idea of "me" will be the ones that you lead to success. You will feel bolstered by your boldness and alive by confronting your discomfort.

Don't let your insecure "me" get in the way of your goals and dreams. Go where the discomfort is.

Using Twitter to Find a Job

Over at Media Bistro's All Twitter blog Anne McGraw suggests "Five Ways to Use Twitter to Find a Job."

Among the suggestions:

4. Follow industry leaders

5. Engage in topics and conversations in your field.

To read more and see the first three tips check out the full post here.