Archive for Category: Networking
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.
How to get free career advice from 50 top career advisers
Posted in Career Advice Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources Social Media on February 4, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Could that headline possibly be overselling the content of this blog post?
Nope.
There is an easy, free — and fun — way to get free career advice (and much more) from some of the best career advisers in the country. It’s all happening on Twitter.
Willy Franzen, of One Day, One Job and Found Your Career, has put together an excellent list of “50 Twitter Users to Follow for Your Job Search.” I’m honored to be on the list and happy to see many of my favorite career bloggers, authors and speakers on the list as well. (If you’d like to follow me — and please do! — I’m @lindseypollak.)
All of the people on this list use their Twitter feeds to share career advice articles, job search tips, real job and internship opportunities, event announcements and much more. If you’re not on Twitter, you’re missing out on a tremendous amount of free and valuable information. (Yes, you’re also missing out on silly photos, descriptions of what people are eating for lunch and a fair amount of procrastination, but it’s easy to find the valuable content on Twitter. The rest makes it really fun.)
I’d also like to add a few additional Twitterers that I recommend, although I’m sure I’m forgetting a bunch — will add in the comments when I remember.
Alexandra Levit (@alevit) – blogger and author of How’d You Score that Gig and The Don’t Teach Corporate in College
Chandlee Bryan (@chandlee) – career coach, resume writer and blogger
Diane K. Danielson (@DowntownWoman) – CEO of the Downtown Women’s Club and blogger at The Women’s Dish
Guy Kawasaki (@guykawasaki) – one of the most popular Tweeters, who often posts links to articles on making the best use of Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media
Please share your favorite career-related tweeters in the Comments section below, and be sure to check out Willy Franzen’s list — you won’t regret it!
Tags: Career Advice, employment, jobs, Twitter
Video on PwC.tv: How to recession-proof your job search
Posted in Career Advice Economic Crisis First Job Out of College Generation Y Internships Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources Volunteering on January 14, 2009 at 9:07 am
The bad news: 2008 was the worst year for jobs since 1945.
The good news: It’s a new year, and with that new year comes new advice, new tips and new resources for job hunters.
Recently, PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the best places for young professionals to launch a career, invited me to provide tips to help students and recent graduates find jobs and internships right now.
Click here to watch the 5-minute video and to download a list of 10 ways to recession-proof your job search.
If you have additional questions, feel free to submit them here.
On ABC News on Campus: 10 ways to job hunt during winter break
Posted in Career Advice First Job Out of College Generation Y Internships Job Hunting Networking Recommended Resources Volunteering on December 15, 2008 at 7:59 pm
I’m excited to announce that I’ve just been named the Career Contributor to ABC News on Campus, the national college network of ABC News. I’ll be writing weekly career advice columns, answering reader questions (submit your question here) and providing video advice segments. I hope you’ll visit and bookmark ABC News on Campus, which features news, opinions and advice from campuses across the country.
My first article is “10 ways to job hunt during winter break,” a guide to using your holiday vacation to help your job hunt. Here is an excerpt:
Welcome to late December. ‘Tis the season for celebrating the end of finals, catching up with hometown friends and family, exchanging gifts and good cheer and — gulp — dreading the question: “So, have you found a job yet?”
Whether you’re looking for an internship or a full-time first job, the holiday break marks the unofficial start of job hunting season. (Or, if you’re graduating in December, it’s absolutely official.)
Of course, the bad news this season is that you’re facing the toughest job market in recent history. The good news is that there are always opportunities, especially for entry-level positions. But you have to act fast, and you have to act smart. Here are some tips for what to do over the next few crucial weeks to land a great job or internship.
Click here to read the rest of this article on ABC News on Campus…
