Archive for Category: Networking
5 Career “Super Foods”
Posted in Career Advice Job Hunting Networking on July 9, 2010 at 11:37 am
As you can probably tell from reading my blog, I love lists. Top 10 These. Absolute 5 Thats. Well, I recently came across a fantastic list of 10 Everyday Super Foods, described by WebMD as “multitaskers,” such as nuts, blueberries and salmon, that are packed with multiple nutrients to help you stay healthy, promote wellness and weight control and taste good, too.
This got me thinking: What are the “Everyday Super Foods” for career success? What people, practices, tools and habits give you the biggest bang for your buck? Here is my list, and I hope you’ll share more “Career Super Foods” in the Comments.
1. Daily Goals. We often talk about annual goals or life goals, but successful people set — and achieve — small goals all the time (we sometimes call them priorities or to-do lists). Especially when you have a big goal — such as getting a new job, writing a book or launching a business — set small, daily goals that will keep you moving forward. Big goals are important, but small goals get the job done.
2. News. One of the most popular tips in my book, Getting from College to Career, is to read a newspaper every single day. Whether you read the headlines on your laptop, your phone, in an e-newsletter or a printed copy of the paper, it’s crucial that you keep up with world news, national news and the news of the particular industry you want to join. We live in the Information Age, so the most informed people are the ones who are most likely to succeed.
Read the rest of this post on my “College to Career” blog at MyPath.com…
Tags: Career Advice, Job Hunting, job search, Networking
Secrets of Summer Career Success
Posted in Career Advice First Job Out of College Generation Y Job Hunting Networking on July 1, 2010 at 10:48 am
For many people, the July 4th weekend marks the beginning of Slacker Season at work: the time to enjoy long lunches outside and cut out early on Fridays. I love the mellowness of summer and encourage you to enjoy the season to its fullest. I also know that you need to keep your job search or career development on track, even when it’s 100 degrees in the shade. Here are some suggestions:
Revisit Your New Year’s Resolutions.
Remember that sense of optimism and new beginnings you felt as you turned your calendar to January? Pretend you’re a company with a July 1st start to your fiscal year and reboot your resolutions right now. If you never set any goals for this year, lie on a beach towel staring at the sky and daydream about what you want to accomplish by the end of 2010. Then, commit to taking some small steps this summer (such as registering for an online course to improve your negotiation skills, going outlet shopping to perk up your professional wardrobe, revising your job description with your boss to prepare for a promotion) to move yourself forward.
Redefine “Beach Reading.”
Instead of reading the latest romance novel, gossip magazine or legal thriller by the pool, pack your tote bag with a book that will advance your career knowledge. Check out the biography of a successful business owner, a productivity guide or a job hunting manual. If you’d rather keep your eyes shut and avoid weird sunglasses tan lines, load some books onto your iPod and listen instead. Consider these 10 great career books for young professionals.
Read the rest of this post on my “College to Career” blog at MyPath.com…
Tags: Career Advice, summer career tips
The Secret to Successful Networking in the 21st Century
Posted in Career Advice Networking Social Media on June 7, 2010 at 10:15 am
Last week I attended the annual conference of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the largest organization for university career services professionals and entry-level recruiters. As someone who frequently talks about the powers of social media for connecting, this conference was a reminder that LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are only half the networking story.
At the NACE conference, I had the pleasure of meeting people in person whom I had previously only communicated with online or by phone. While I had good relationships with many of the people I knew virtually, something changes when you connect in person, waiting in an interminable Starbucks line together or sitting side-by-side on a bus to an offsite conference event. More trust is shared, relationships become a little deeper and stronger bonds are forged.
The secret to successful networking in the 21st Century is what my friend Diane Danielson, with whom I co-wrote The Savvy Gal’s Guide to Online Networking, calls a “clicks and mix” approach: equal parts online and in-person networking.
Read the rest of this post on my “College to Career” blog at MyPath.com…
Tags: career, NACE, Networking, Social networking, work
Professional association membership has rewards (like finding a job!)
Posted in Career Advice First Job Out of College Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources on May 11, 2009 at 9:54 am
In a bad economy, college students and recent grads need to try everything they can to land a job or internship. One often-overlooked resource is the world of professional associations.
These organizations exist to support, educate and provide resources for professionals in a particular industry or profession. Some are really small and others are as huge as corporations. Some are full of young members and others could use some fresh faces. Some are super active and some only meet occasionally. This means you have to do your research (check out the American Society of Association Executives, the professional association for associations) and ask your professors which associations they think are worthwhile. Note that professional association memberships can be expensive, so always ask for student or young professional rates when you join.
What can a professional association do for you? Here are some suggestions:
Read the rest of this post at ABC News on Campus…
Image: ABC News Photo Illustration/AP Photo
Recommended Event in NYC: Personal Branding & Networking Panel
Posted in Networking Personal Branding Recommended Events Women on April 9, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Due to all of the great feedback from my Personal Branding and Your Job Search post earlier this week, I wanted to share information about an upcoming personal branding event in New York City. I will be attending and hope you’ll join me:
Event: Personal Branding & Networking Panel, organized by Step Up Women’s Network
Time & Date: Tuesday, April 14th. Networking reception begins at 6pm. Panel runs from 7 – 9pm.
Location: NYU Stern School of Business, Henry Kaufman Management Center, 44 West 4th St (corner of Greene)
Event Description: Now more than ever, personal branding and networking is critical to an individual’s career success. Join us for a dynamic panel discussion with female industry leaders who will share their insights on how actively build a powerful personal brand and network.
Speakers:
- Beth Schoenfeldt, Co-Founder of Collective-E (moderator)
- Christine Beauchamp, President of Ann Taylor Stores
- Carla Harris, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley
- Hope Hughes, Director of Deloitte Consulting
- Juliette Powell, author of 33 Million People in the Room
Topics to be discussed include:
• How to build and manage your personal brand
• How to follow up with people after a networking event, and ways to turn acquaintances into meaningful professional contacts.
• How to network and build mentoring relationships with senior level women
• Using technology to network — the do’s and the don’ts
Registration: Tickets are $35 for non-members and and must be purchased online by Monday, April 13th. Click here to register!
Recommended Resource & Special Discount Offer: SuccessHawk.com
Posted in Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources on March 30, 2009 at 1:02 pm
For the past several months, I’ve been advising a new online start-up that will officially launch in April. The company, Career Management LLC, has developed a website called SuccessHawk.com. The site features a complete job search system that will help you organize and manage the day-to-day activities of your job search.
I particularly like their online tools, because they parallel the process that I emphasize in my book: the importance of taking daily action, getting organized, developing a filing system for job search information, having an action calendar, using a spreadsheet to log and keep track of your activities, and creating a contact database system. SuccessHawk.com is an online system that can do all of these things for any job seeker.
On SuccessHawk.com, you’ll find resources to explore careers, write resumes, prepare for interviews, and, most important, help with planning and conducting your professional networking.
*Special Offer*
If you or anyone you know would find SuccessHawk.com helpful, Career Management LLC is offering a 60% pre-launch discount and use of their tools for $19.98 (regular price: $49.95) for the rest of 2009 for one full year.
Simply go to www.SuccessHawk.com and register. Take a look and feel free to share this discount with friends you think might be interested.The sign up period for the discount is March 30th through April 14th.
WHO: Members of Lindsey Pollak’s blog and friends community
WHAT: Discounted use SuccessHawk.com – the “Intelligent” Job Search Assistant
WHEN: March 30th through April 14th sign-up period
WHERE: www.successhawk.com
WHY: Networking is the best way to land a good job, but most job seekers need help getting organized and mastering the process. (more…)
Tags: SuccessHawk
How to get a job in the recession: New videos, Q&As and downloadable worksheets
Posted in Career Advice Economic Crisis First Job Out of College Generation Y Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources Uncategorized on March 8, 2009 at 8:30 pm
The February jobs report came out on Friday and it was bad — even worse than expected. If you’re graduating this spring, or have recently graduated, you’re probably pretty frightened.
I absolutely understand we are in deep economic trouble, but I also know that there are opportunities available for young professionals who are smart, hardworking and willing to go the extra mile. PricewaterhouseCoopers has the same attitude. I’m currently working with PwC on a national project to help students and recent grads to “recession-proof your job search.” A few weeks ago I provided ten tips and a video on PwC’s website, and now we’re expanding the resources available to make sure you can find all the help you need to get a job.
Visit PwC.tv for:
Job search Q&As
Career advice vidoes
Downloadable worksheets on such topics as getting started, networking and personal branding
A blog to post your own questions for response by me and PwC’s career experts
Don’t miss out on all of these free resources — visit PwC.tv today and learn how to forget your fear and recession-proof your job search.
My interview on the Personal Branding Blog
Posted in Career Advice Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources Social Media on February 25, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Many thanks to Dan Schawbel for interviewing me on his Personal Branding Blog.
Here is an excerpt:
Dan: When you go to speak to students across the country, how have you accessed their proficiency in job searching and resume building through online means? Most students I talk to don’t know what LinkedIn is. What are your experiences?
Lindsey: A year or so ago, very few students I met had even heard of LinkedIn. Today, I’d say about 1/4 of students at my workshops are aware of the site, but most don’t really know how to make the most of it. I believe that an active presence on LinkedIn is no longer optional for a career-minded person of any age, so I talk about it in every speech and workshop I give.
1. First, I advise students (and everyone else!) to set up a complete profile including keywords a recruiter or business owner might use to find someone with your skills and interests.
2. Then I recommend joining groups on LinkedIn (such as the Personal Branding group, of course) to build connections and become part of conversations about industry news.
3. Third, I recommend customizing those little “I’d like to add you as a connection” messages – that’s a great way to stand out and show that you are someone who takes the time to personalize your communications.
Another important tip, particularly for those who are just starting out in the workforce, is to scour other people’s LinkedIn profiles to look for companies you may want to apply to, job titles or professions you didn’t know about, professional organizations where you might network and people with similar interests who might be willing to offer some job search advice. If you’re trying to build your own personal brand, LinkedIn is incredibly valuable as a massive database of other people’s personal brands and career paths to research.
Tips for staying afloat in a grim job market
Posted in Career Advice Economic Crisis Generation Y Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources on February 10, 2009 at 8:17 am
If you walked around midtown Manhattan during the summer, you might have seen the financial executive, in his late 40s, who paraded around in a sandwich board declaring “Experienced MIT Grad for Hire” and handing out copies of his resume.
A few months later, you might have come across a group of job-hunting, 20-something recent graduates promoting their skills though sidebar advertisements on Facebook and links to their online resumes.
What intrigues me about these methods is not just the guts these job seekers displayed. It’s the different generational approaches to self-promotion. The baby boomer gravitated to in-person, face-to-face networking; the Millennial went right to the Web.
If you are looking for a job in the current recession, my best advice is to borrow from the playbook of both of these self-promoters: combine “old-fashioned” methods with new technologies. Diane K. Danielson, my colleague and co-author on the book The Savvy Gal’s Guide to Online Networking, calls this a “clicks and mix” strategy, and it’s an important marketing strategy if you’re looking for a new position.
Here’s why: Young adults are competing in the job market with much more qualified people who have been laid off and need to find any job they can. At the same time, older professionals are competing with younger workers who are willing to be hired for less money and security. And, in this economy, every job seeker has to try every job-hunting method available.
Here are some self-marketing tips for job seekers of all generations: click here to read the rest of this article on ABC News on Campus…
On CareerTV: “Feed Your Future” Recession-proof your job search”
Posted in Career Advice Economic Crisis First Job Out of College Generation Y Internships Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources on February 8, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Many thanks to CareerTV for interviewing me for a new segment, “Feed Your Future,” sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers. If you’re a student at UT-Austin, please come to the LIVE event on Monday, February 9th at McCombs School of Business. Click here for more information on this FREE event.
To watch the video, click here.
