5 Ways to Keep Networking During the Summer Months – Careers.com Career Advice

Summer is synonymous with vacation. Many people want to take advantage of their accrued time off. Plus, who wants to start a job during prime vacation time when the prospect of any time off for several months is almost non-existent.

But just because your job search is on hold, it doesn’t mean you can take a break entirely. With the non-stop social gatherings like weddings, graduation parties and barbeques, why not take advantage of your networking opportunities?

Parties are a great way to expand your network if you know how to take advantage of the opportunity. Most likely, you’ll know at least one person at the party. You’ll have to break away from your comfort zone of acquaintances to get started. Here are five ways you can network at parties from “Make Your Contacts Count” (Amacom), by Lynne Waymon and Anne Baber.

Shelve your shyness
If you think of yourself as shy, you’re not alone. Many confident, poised and easygoing people were once shy and uncomfortable. In fact, one study claims that 50 percent of people think of themselves as shy. You can learn to get over your shyness, however. Recognize that others feel the same way. Practice your body language. Find a role model and make something that person does, like a confident handshake, part of your technique.

Join groups comfortably
At any gathering, people will be talking in groups. To join a group, use body language – touch someone’s arm gently but firmly, and usually the circle will naturally break for you to enter. Make eye contact with the person talking or smile at the listeners. Take a moment to tune into the conversation and participate when you’re ready. Introduce yourself when there’s a lull in the conversation.

Engage your partner
You can use body language to reward and encourage your partner. Establish eye contact. Nod your head for nonverbal encouragement. Be genial – show your partner you’re enjoying the conversation. Smile and use gestures. Aim your attention at your partner and ease your posture.

Be seriously curious
Networking isn’t just about talking, it’s also about listening. Don’t monopolize the conversation; encourage dialogue. Everyone has a story, use interview techniques to avoid dead-end questions. Ask people where they came from and how they got where they are. Make other people talk.

Be careful of turn-offs
Just as easily as you can enter a group, you can also have people scrambling to make a run for it. Don’t do monologues or tell all the details, they’re boring and will lose people’s attention. At the same time, don’t interrupt others. Persistence is a virtue but know when to stop probing. Be careful of flirting, becoming intoxicated or using offensive language. This type of behavior can make you an unattractive conversation partner at this and future events.

5 Ways to Keep Networking During the Summer Months – Careers.com Career Advice.

How to Ace The Phone Interview

More and more companies are using phone interviews to weed out job candidates. The key to acing the interview is to be prepared! The following tips  will help you get that face to face interview.

While you’re actively job searching, it’s important to always be prepared for a phone interview. You never know when a recruiter or a networking contact might call and ask if you have a few minutes to talk.

Be Prepared to Interview

Prepare for a phone interview just as you would for a regular interview. Compile a list of your strengths and weaknesses, as well as a list of answers to typical phone interview questions. Be prepared to discuss your background and skills.

• Keep your resume in clear view, on the top of your desk, or tape it to the wall near the phone, so it’s at your fingertips when you need to answer questions.
• Have a short list of your accomplishments available to review.
• Have a pen and paper handy for note taking.
• Have a list of your accomplishments which relate to the job you are discussing.
• Have research you have done on the company.
• Have a short list of questions about the job.
• Have your calendar.
• Turn call-waiting off so your call isn’t interrupted.
• If the time isn’t convenient, ask if you could talk at another time and suggest some alternatives.
• Clear the room – evict the kids and the pets. Turn off the stereo and the TV. Close the door.
• Unless you’re sure your cell phone service is going to be perfect, consider using a landline rather than your cell phone to avoid a dropped call or static on the line.

Practice Interviewing

Talking on the phone isn’t as easy as it seems.. Have a friend or family member conduct a mock interview and tape record it so you can see how you sound over the phone. Any cassette recorder will work. You’ll be able to hear your “ums” and “uhs” and “okays” and you can practice reducing them when you talk. Rehearse answers to those typical questions you’ll be asked.

During the Phone Interview

• Don’t smoke, chew gum, eat, or drink.
• Do keep a glass of water handy, in case you need to wet your mouth.
• Smile. Smiling will project a positive image to the listener and will change the tone of your voice.
• Speak slowly and enunciate clearly.
• Use the person’s title (Mr. or Ms. and their last name.) Only use a first name if they ask you to.
• Pace the call. Don’t interrupt the interviewer. Let them do most of the talking,
• Take your time – it’s perfectly acceptable to take a moment or two to collect your thoughts. If you need time to think, say so – as in radio, silence during a telephone conversation is dead air time.
• Do use the technique of repeating or re-phrasing questions. It tells the caller that you  listened carefully, and gives you time to think about your answer.
• Give short answers. But avoid the simple yes or no; add selling points at every opportunity Be aware that the caller can’t see you – can’t see your hand gestures, can’t see you taking notes.
• Remember your goal is to set-up a face-to-face interview. After you thank the interviewer ask if it would be possible to meet in person. Confirm the caller’s name and company. Get the caller’s telephone number.
• Compensation issues come at the end of the interviewing cycle, never at the telephone stage. You can truthfully say you don’t know enough about the job to state a salary figure. And, of course, you would need a personal interview to really talk with the company. This can be a good way to get the personal interview. Restate (keep it brief 1 sentence) your qualifications, express your interest in the job and the company. Say you would appreciate the opportunity to talk about the job further – in person.

After the Interview:

• Take notes about what you were asked and how you answered.
• Remember to say “thank you.” Follow with a thank you note which reiterates your interest in the job.

 

How to Write a Kick Ass Resume

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• white earth friendly thick white paper
• blue or black ink pen
• a color printer
• a computer
• a black paper clip

Before you start!

1.      WRITTEN REFERENCES – Collect them! Don’t underestimate the importance of a written resume. Ask your former employer if they can write you a reference letter and include your strongest assets as an employee. Make sure they know to include their contact information at the top of their letter. Collect one or two of the most STELLAR ones, ones that only bring out the good points to include with your resume. In today’s society convenience is a trend and if an employer has information set in front of them without having to do phone call and time consuming leg work, they are more apt to hire. They might hire on the spot!

*If you have been previously unemployed for some reason or have a bad work history get involved in a charity a couple of months before you go job seeking and after a few weeks ask the charity for a reference letter, and make sure you back up that reference letter by somehow staying involved with the charity of choice.

2.      COVER LETTERS: (Optional) Presumably you are applying for a job you REALLY want, and you REALLY want to get hired at. If this is the case, make them feel important, make them feel special, make them a cover letter. The cover letter  writing should be centered about 1/4 of the way down the page. ATT: should be in BLACK. Followed by the name of the company or business you are applying to in RED, as red is a color that draws immediate attention to the page, and symbolizes passion and excitement. Follow this by a statement about why you are applying to their company (make sure you USE the name of the company or business!), and what assets you think you can bring to the company or business. Ending with a simple statement like, Thank you for your consideration, I am looking forward to hearing from you! (ASSUMING you will hear from them again, makes the employer look forward to meeting you!) In the beginning of the paragraph it is often good to include your excitement in applying for a job with them, or your enthusiasm about applying with them. Don’t be afraid to use exclamation marks, but don’t use excessively. End it with Sincerely, leave two spaces down, followed by your typed name. Sign your name where the two spaces are open in BLACK pen.

3.      THE BODY OF YOUR RESUME: Should not be more than 2 pages long. It should be exactly two pages long if at all possible. Should open up to a large bold text of your FULL NAME centered in BLUE writing at the top of a page. Blue is a color that instantly indicates loyalty, trustworthiness, and peace. It’s a neutral color, and a safe color for a business owner. Underneath in significantly smaller black writing your address, city, province, zip, phone number with area code, cell phone number with area code, and e-mail address should be placed. Start the entire body aligned on the left side of the page:

4.      EDUCATION: If you have only had high school education, just include that. If you have had more, give a brief rundown of your secondary education. Including if you majored in anything. KEEP THIS SIMPLE AND SHORT.

5.      WORK EXPERIENCE: Start with years not degree of job. For example run down a list of your best jobs by year. Underneath the year, the name of your position followed by the name of the company or business.Underneath the address, followed by a list of your duties, ones that demonstrate what you are capable of in a workplace. Always work down to your most present job, even it is in the present.

EXAMPLE BELOW:

1999-2001
Manager/Supervisor: Subway Sandwiches & Restaurants
21st Street Location, Saskatoon
-Inventory, labor/food costs, orders, deliveries, & bank deposits
-Hiring, training & managing of employees

2001- June 2002
Marketing Consultant/Manager: Wavemaker Subs Ltd (Subway Sandwiches & Restaurants)
All locations, Saskatoon
-Innovative surveys & marketing , cross promotions and presentations
-Ad design layout & graphic design work
-Assessing stores & compliance reports
-Hiring and training of store managers

June 2002- July 2003 (Part-time through 2003)
Assistant Photographer: Mikron Photos Ltd (Dog Show Photography)
Canada & United States-Dog Show Photographer
-Digital camera photography experience
-Proficient with the lastest version of Adobe Photoshop

December 2002-February 2005
Bartender/Waitress/Cook: Matchroom Billiards
15 Worobetz Place, Saskatoon
-Bartending & Waitressing
-Stocking, food prep, inventory, cleaning & experience with Billiards 2000

END OF EXAMPLE

1.      AWARDS & CERTIFICATES: Such an important section to include if you have any! It could be listing certificates for a language course, food safety course, or an award you received in high school for something particularly good. Make sure to include first the name of the award or certificate, followed by the name of the school or institute that issued it to you.

2.      VOLUNTEER & OTHER EXPERIENCE: If there is any way possible to list volunteer experience, this is such an excellent tool. It gives you a hard working, loyal and passionate vibe instantly, regardless of the charity you are working. An employer thinks this is an employee who would if given the chance go the extra mile. Being a volunteer is an excellent self esteem booster and an excellent tool to have in your resume.

Other experience would include anything else you feel you have proficient experience in, like for example if you are applying for a computer job or an office job including that you are proficient in Microsoft Word blah blah blah Windows XP, yada yada you get my drift.

THE ENDING:.Always close with the same color of writing that you opened with, which would be blue, and centered at the bottom of the page:
More references available upon request
Thank you so much for considering me for your business,
I look forward to hearing from you!

PUTTING IT TOGETHER: The cover letter, then the body, followed by the written references. Bind together with a solid black paper clip and you are good to go. MAKE SURE you apply in person to the person in charge whether it be the manager or owner. I try to avoid handing a resume to an employee as you are not guaranteed the owner is going to see it! Firm hand shake, eye contact, smile and hand the resume to them with a short blurb about I’m here to apply for your job, I want to give you my resume. Good luck!!!!!!
Read more: How to Write a Kick Ass Resume | eHow.com

Job seekers, What’s Your 15-Second Pitch?

The  “15 Second Pitch”or “Elevator Pitch”is at the top of the list when networking. Think of it this way,you only have as much time as the average elevator ride (30 to 60 seconds) to market yourself.

The best job seekers, entrepreneurs, salesmen, lobbyists, even celebrities, practice pared-down versions of their pitch so that no word is wasted. If you can’t close the deal in the “elevator ride,” you loss  attention and risk losing the deal.

Laura Allen, a former marketing and advertising executive turned career coach advises that you should prepare to cut your elevator pitch in half or more. Americans’ ever-shrinking attention span has cut the time you have to make your pitch down to about 15 seconds she claims. That means you have about 100 or so words. Make them count.

The elevator pitch might work in an interview, but it is too long for networking events and won’t leave a memorable impression.

Allen’s company, 15SecondPitch.com, coaches job seekers and entrepreneurs on networking and pitching yourself and/or your product. Visitors to the site can also use the free PitchWizard to build their own 15-second pitch and order business cards with the pitch that let you literally hand-deliver your pitch to the audience.

The 15-second pitch:

• My name is:
• I am a(n):
• specializing in:
• What you do:
• Why you’re the best:
• Your call to action:

By cutting your message down to 15 seconds that could fit on a business card you can accomplish the following:

1. A consistent message you can deliver by phone, e-mail, in-person, on a card or (think 140 -character limit) a Twitter or facebook post.
2. Focused thinking about your career.

If you can say it in 15 seconds, you might hear something you didn’t know was there.

Dosomething.Org And Staples Launch Cause-Focused Design Competition For Teens

 

 

3 Winners Will Receive a $1,000 Scholarship and May Have Designs
Featured On Future Staples/Do Something Back-to-School Supplies

DoSomething.org believes in the power of young people to make a difference in the world today, often encouraging teens to use their own creativity and innovation to incite change. The organization is putting that creativity to the test today, calling for young artists, ages 13-25, to submit their cause-focused designs for a chance to be featured on next years’ line of DoSomething.org and Staples back-to-school products.

Young designers are asked to depict one of four inspiration topics: Education, Environment, Peace and Volunteerism, and Healthy Lifestyle. Each person may submit as many designs as they would like relating to as many inspirational categories as they wish. 

Three winning designs will be selected by a panel of judges, including lead designers at Jordan brand, Aeropostale, Staples, and DoSomething.org. The three winners will get a chance to see their designs in Staples stores nationwide next year and will receive a $1000 scholarship to use toward furthering their education.

The contest runs from Wednesday, July 7th through Friday, July 22nd. All guidelines and rules can be found at DoSomething.org/products/contest. Designs can be submitted to designs@dosomething.org before midnight on July 22nd.

Designers are encouraged to feature the DoSomething.org logo and include one of the inspiration topics in the design aesthetic. Submissions should be no larger than 8MB in size and should not contain any copyrighted material.

DoSomething.org and Staples have worked together since 2008 in support of Do Something 101, a national back-to-school program to provide much-needed supplies to low-income youth. This program ensures that students return to school prepared to learn and succeed.

Contact:

Lauren Singer Katz

24-32 Union Square East, 4th Floor

New York City , NY 10003

Phone:  212-254-2390

Email Address: lsingerkatz@dosomething.org

Application Deadline: Friday, July 22, 2011

Number Of Awards: 3

Maximum Amount: $1,000

Website Address: http://dosomething.org/products/contest