How to Deal When Work and Holiday Stress Combine

The holidays are stressful enough without jobs or job hunting. When you were younger and even in college, you had breaks around the holidays. Exams are finished and you can focus on holiday gifting, celebrations, your holiday to-do list, and simply relaxing and having fun! But as a post grad, when you're searching for a job or managed to land one, things can be very different. Here are some tips on getting through the holidays with ease whether you're still searching for your dream job or landed one.

How to be stress free if you're job hunting:

1. It can be tempting to take the holidays off. You figure, who is hiring right before Christmas anyway? You just want to have this final time to relax, recharge, and get all of your holiday shopping done without distractions. Don't give up just because it is the holidays. Keep plugging along and you may find a great job that will be the perfect gift.

2. Deal with all the family questioning with ease. It may be tough if you haven't landed a job in your field or at all yet and your family is bogging you down with questions or even accusations. To stop from getting aggravated, just tell them that you're currently doing your best and looking for a job and you will update them when you have an interview or job. If they keep bugging you, politely say you don't wish to talk about it anymore and change the subject to one of their hobbies or something they're doing.

How to juggle job tasks and holiday obligations:

1. Now that you've gotten a job, you don't have as much time off as you would if you were still a student. You have responsibilities and your own stress at work. Throw in all the holiday obligations and it may make your head spin! So make the most of your weekends. It is tempting to sleep in and do nothing all day, but if you cross off a little of your holiday to-do list on Saturdays and Sundays it will make things easier.

2. If you're busy at home and at work, use your lunch hour to get some holiday tasks done. This may not be an ideal time to get things done but it can definitely help you feel accomplished and less stressed at home.

3. Be honest with yourself. If you are becoming too overwhelmed and getting sick from too much stress, take a day off. Sometimes all you need is a day at home to get things done and then rest and not have to worry about work for one day. Also, determine which holiday parties or tasks you can say 'no' to this year that will help you stress less.

Have a happy and stress free holiday!

To Post or Not to Post. Should you Post your Resume Online?

There are definitely two opposite opinions on the subject on whether or not you should post your resume on online job boards. Instead of offering you an opinion, I would like to present you with the pros and cons and let you make your own decision based on the facts.

No matter what you decide about posting your resume online, make sure that it is only one way that you go about looking for a job. This type of passive, wait and see approach to job hunting will only prolong the process. Make sure you are networking, searching for active open jobs, and researching companies in your industry as well as waiting for recruiters to find your posted resume.

Pros of Online Posting
• Some recruiters are of the mindset that instead of posting their jobs and receiving hundreds of resumes that they have to sift through, they would rather conduct a targeted search on a resume database. Recruiters do a key word search on resume databases to find potential candidates.

• Posting your resume online makes it easier for you to apply to jobs when you find one in which you are interested on the job board where your resume is posted. This can save you time in applying to open jobs and will also enable you to respond quicker to job postings.

• Industry-specific boards such as www.dice.com for IT jobs and www.hcareers.com for hospitality jobs are the best bet for posting your resume online. You lessen your chance of spammers and scammers on these types of sites.

Cons of Online Posting
• As soon as you post your resume online, you will get a ton of spam. I helped a gentleman who specialized in accounting and was not very tech savvy post his resume online last year. Within minutes he had 6 emails offering him interviews. Unfortunately, they were either to open his own insurance agency or participate in multi-level marketing companies. If you post your resume online your email account will get spammed.

• It used to be that in order to access resumes on a job board you had to have an employer account with that board. That is no longer always the case. Today, all it takes is a credit card to access resume databases. Beware that you are opening yourself up to identity theft when you post your resume online. Never post your social security number, date of birth, or driver’s license number. You may also consider using a P.O. box or just listing your city and state in the address section of the resume.

• I often say there is no such thing as a generic effective resume. In order to do its job right, a resume must be targeted to a specific, industry, job, and company. How can you hope to achieve this when you are posting your generic resume online?

Rambling Can Spoil Your Job Interview Success

Are you easily unnerved in job interviews? As a result, do you find yourself rambling when responding to interview questions?

Be careful. Rambling may leave the impression that you are unorganized, unprepared, and long-winded—none of which are perceived as desirable traits in a business environment. It doesn’t matter that you have the right qualifications and experience. If a case of nerves leaves you rambling, you may not be invited back for a second interview, not to mention the job offer.

Take constructive measures to ensure that you are perceived as professional and articulate in the interview. For example, be concise, stay on topic, and provide practical and relevant responses when answering interview questions. Before answering, consider the position you are applying for. Your goal is to connect the lines between the job’s requirements and your experience, accomplishments, and skills.

After you’ve answered a question, stop talking. Otherwise, you may find yourself adding information that actually distracts and diminishes your stronger, key points. Here’s a rule of thumb: If the information is fluff, eliminate it.

Be sure to listen to the entire question so you can answer appropriately. It is common to start formulating your answer early, which can cause you to miss an important part of the question. Being attentive and thoughtful demonstrates valuable listening skills. Additionally, pay attention to the interviewer’s body language; if the person seems no longer engaged in the conversation it may be you’ve lost his/her attention.

Lastly, practice. Before interviewing, identify your strengths, practice responding to common interview questions, and articulate three or four examples of appropriate work accomplishments. Sometimes it helps to write down your responses and then go back through and edit your answers to be even more concise and relevant.

Remember, constructive preparation will resonate in your interviews and likely help move you closer to landing a job you desire.

How to NOT Throw Out Work Relationships Like Thanksgiving's Leftovers

One of the most impactful books I have read is Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. Written in 1936, it's a classic in interpersonal relations and has helped millions of people develop stronger relationships at home and at work. Work is of particular interest here not simply because this is a career blog: the power of our relationships plays a significant role in our ability to perform well, professional reputation, and success. If you feel that your work relationships need, well, work, follow some of the principles that Mr. Carnegie espouses to freshen them up:

Don't criticize, condemn, or complain: Three big ones, right off the bat. It's human nature to do all of these things...but do we truly think about the damage we do to others or to ourselves when we do them? When we approach others with a modicum of kindness and let that kindness permeate itself through our behaviors we will find that our ability to deliver feedback-even the negative kind-is met with respect and thanks.

Give honest and sincere appreciation: When was the last time that you directed sincere appreciation toward someone at work, the kind that doesn't seem obligatory or an afterthought? Set a goal for yourself to give sincere appreciation ten times for every one time that you criticize. And when you give that appreciation, follow this formula: 1.) sincerely thank them for what they did; 2.) tell them specifically what you are thanking them for; and 3.) tell them how what they did positively impacted business results.

Get curious: This isn't directly a Carnegie principle, but one I think that he would appreciate. When we put ourselves in a place of curiosity around others-being in wonder instead of being at odds with them-we are able to better control our mood and our actions. Stay curious and interested in others and your behavior-and other's attitude about you-will change.

Thanksgiving leftovers can sit in your refrigerator and get stinky or they can be used to create some wonderful post-holiday dishes. Keep your work relationships from going bad by following these suggestions from a place of integrity and sincerity. Your work will be a feast of opportunities and success.

What do Job Seekers Have to be Thankful for?

It is official; the holiday season is upon us. I know from personal family experience that it is tough to be thankful and positive when you are unemployed, especially when you are unemployed during the holiday season. In honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to talk to about the positive aspects of the job search process and what you can be thankful for today as you sit down to your Thanksgiving meal.

Networking
The job search process has changed so much. Networking has become more important than ever. I looked at multiple surveys of how people found their jobs and the percentages of people who found their job through networking vary from 64% to 83%. No matter the number, you can see the majority of people are using networking to their advantage.

Be thankful that you have this opportunity to get out from in front of the computer, interact with live human beings instead of the internet, and make connections that expedite the hiring process. Don’t make networking harder than it needs to be. Simply talk to people about your skills and the benefits you can offer a company and clearly communicate how they can help you.

Social Media
I have to admit, I resisted the social media movement. Who has time to update statuses, create profiles, and manage their connections? As a job seeker, you need to find the time. Be thankful that you have these online networks where you can post your profile, showcase your personality, highlight your communication style, and make connections with people you may never have met before social media played such a large role in the job search process.

Think of social media as one more tool in your toolbox that you can use to land the job. However, just like all tools, you must use them properly to get the best possible results from them.

A Great Resume
As a professional resume writer, I may be biased. However, no matter how often people state the resume is “dead,” most every job search situation still calls for a resume. Standing alone, a resume can’t get you a job. However, a bad resume can prevent you from landing a job faster than most anything else.

Be thankful that there are so many resources available to you to help you assess your skills, define the benefits you can offer an employer, and effectively market the brand of YOU in your resume. Take the time to refine your resume until it clearly states the benefits you can bring an employer.

Should You Give Your Boss a Present This Holiday?

As a post grad, you are entering your first job after graduation and may not always know the do’s and don'ts of the office. With the holidays quickly approaching, the question begs: do you buy your boss a present? Consider these options this year.

1. Does your office or workplace do a group gift for the boss? Ask around and find out what the etiquette normally is each year. Does everyone chip in cash and someone buys something from everyone? Is everyone on their own to buy gifts? Or does the boss tell everyone not to get them anything? Finding out what has happened in the past will be your biggest clue on what to do.

2. If everyone is on their own to buy a gift, be discreet. Some people may not buy a gift, but I would when you're a newbie. Leave the gift on the boss's desk and don't make a big deal out of it because that may rub your co-workers the wrong way.

3. So now, what to get? Don't just give cash. Know your boss has a certain hobby? For example, if they love golf... buy some nice golf balls. Keep the gifts simple and kind and relatively inexpensive. Food gifts are always appropriate, too. Just make sure you know of any foods your boss dislikes or food allergies s/he may have.

4. Finally, if you have no idea what to get and the office isn't doing a group gift, consider starting the tradition. Ask around and see if anyone would like to join you in a gift and brainstorm together to pick out the perfect one.

Holiday Job Hunting – Should You Take the Season Off?

If you are currently out of work or looking for a new job, you may be feeling apprehensive about the coming holidays because you are worried that the job market is about to shut down. Many job seekers take the holiday season off due to the commonly held belief that the holidays are a bad time to obtain a job. Don’t fall prey to this myth, be one of those job hunters that capitalize on all the benefits that this time of year offer.

The holiday season puts people in a generous and giving mood. People are generally in good spirits, and may be more willing than ever to help you in your quest for the perfect job. Due to vacations and special events, many managers have had their schedules cleared up and are more available to meet with you. The key is to keep your schedule open and flexible to work around their available times.

The best opportunities that arise during the holiday season are the extra opportunities for socializing. These holiday parties offer you an opportunity to meet new people and get back in touch with old contacts. Use these holiday social gatherings as opportunities to network. Remember, although you may have job-hunting on your mind, everyone else is there to relax and unwind. Be casual, be willing to ask for help, and don’t be afraid to tell people about your employment situation. .

Always carry pre-printed business cards with your contact information and a brief description of your key skills or area of specialty. Use inexpensive methods of obtaining business cards such as www.vistaprint.com or create your own using templates available from any office supply store.

You may find that the number of advertised positions is lower than other times of the year, but this may still be to your benefit. Many job-seekers stop their job hunt this time of year; therefore your competition for the position will be much lower. This also means that the positions that are listed are an even higher priority to those companies. The bottom line is that companies hire because they have a need, not because of the time of year.

Historically, January is the highest hiring month. Often times, a company’s fiscal calendar corresponds to the calendar year. New budgets mean new money to spend. Many additional positions have been approved for the coming year and that means the company or their recruiters will be working hard to set up interviews during the last month of the year in preparation for January.

Last, but definitely not least - stay positive and avoid the holiday blues. Don’t focus on the reasons that you are in the situation that you are facing today, focus on the positive opportunities that await you. Don’t focus on the fact that you don’t have money to buy presents, look at the great opportunity to make your gifts or just give a card with some of your heartfelt feelings inside. Take time to enjoy yourself, to enjoy your loved ones, and don’t miss out on the special fun of the holiday season.