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!

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• Improve Your Networking Skills  -- Right Now: "Try to listen more than you talk, be thoughtful in your interactions and generous with your time when you can."


• How to Have a Year that Matters: "Rugged individualism is nice in theory, but the truth is: if you're going to make a difference, you're probably not going to make it happen all by your lonesome. So who are your mentors and allies, friends and peers? Who's at your back, manning your sails, crewing your boat?"


• How to Be a Career Prepper: "Begin seeking opportunities to meet people who work outside your company and build mutually beneficial long-term relationships. Also begin creating a personal reputation of excellence, on- and off-line."


• 4 Ways to Figure Out Your Future: "For one week, invest an hour every day to research. Check out top job lists, browse career exploration sites, or just read your favorite section of the newspaper. Your goal? Write down any career that catches your attention. This exercise can stretch your vision of what opportunities actually exist."


• Why You're Not a Leader: "True leadership isn’t found seeking the spotlight, but seeking to shine the spotlight on others. The best leaders only use 'I' when accepting responsibility for failures. Likewise, they are quick to use 'we' when referring to successes." 

Does Your Online Reputation Really Matter in the Job Search?

At a recent conference for career services professionals, there was a presentation by Joshua Waldman, an author and social media expert. In his presentation, he stated that 95% of hiring managers use LinkedIn to find candidates and 80% of employers admit to looking up candidates on LinkedIn before calling them for an interview. Additionally, they say that 50% of candidates are rejected because of something negative the hiring managers find online. It seems from the evidence that the answer to the title question is a resounding YES!

Your online reputation has become critical to your job search in today's market. Having a LinkedIn profile is no longer an option - it is a requirement and an expectation. However, your online reputation goes much deeper than just creating a bare bones LinkedIn profile. Here are some additional areas for you to consider.

• Conduct a Google search on your name and see what comes up, you might be unpleasantly surprised. If you share a name with a controversial character or a popular celebrity, your presence may be harder to find. Be sure to include your LinkedIn link on your resume so HR can find you.

• Clean up your Facebook presence - both on your page and on your friends' pages. Evaluate pictures of yourself to ensure there is nothing inappropriate. If you would not want your Grandma to see it, chances are your potential employer won't like it either!

• Evaluate your Twitter and Facebook accounts for posts on controversial topics such as religion and politics. Don't get screened out of the job because you and the hiring manager don't agree on which political party to support. You would not discuss your religion in the work place, you probably should not talk about it online either. 

• Ensure your LinkedIn profile is 100% complete. Not having your LinkedIn profile 100% complete, with a professional photograph, is like putting on your best interview suit with old ratty tennis shoes. Put your best foot forward in your online reputation by optimizing the tools LinkedIn offers to you.