Ignore This Common and Awful Career Advice

Ignore This Common and Awful Career AdviceIgnore This Common and Awful Career AdviceNot all career advice is created equal. In fact, some can actually hurt a job search or career. Here are seven pieces of terrible career advice that you should ignore1. Going to grad school will make you more marketable. Grad school will make you more marketable if youre in a field that requires or rewards graduate degrees, but if youre in one of the many fields that doesnt, employers may find the degree irrelevant.Whats worse is that grad school can even make it harder for you to get hired in many cases, since if youre applying to jobs that dont require the degree, employers may think that their work isnt what you really want to do.2. Treat your job search like a full-time job if you want to be successful. The amount of time a job search takes varies dramatically from field to field and from person to person. If youre junior in your career and applying to a wide range of positions, its possible t hat writing cover letters, tailoring your rsum and networking could take up a significant portion of your time (although it still might leid reach 40 hours a week, and thats fine).However, if youre more senior or simply in a field without a lot of openings, youre probably not going to need to spend (or be able to spend) 40 hours a week on your search. And besides, for fruchtwein people, when it comes to applying to jobs, quality matters far more than quantity.3. It no longer matters how long yourrsumis. Its true that the old one-pagersumrule has relaxed for everyone but very recent graduates, butrsumlength still matters.Rsums that are three pagesorlongerend up diluting the impact of their contents and will make you come across as someone who cant edit and doesnt understand what information matters most.Plus, the strongest candidates limit theirrsums to two pages, so when an experienced hiring manager sees a longrsum, theyre instantly primed to expect a weaker candidate.4. Offer to w ork for a week for free to prove yourself to an employer. In most cases, this is illegal, because it violates minimum wage laws. With a few limited exceptions (like some nonprofits and government agencies), employers are required to pay people who work for them. But even if it werent illegal, most employers wouldnt sign on for this anyway, because it takes an enormous amount of time to train new hires. The first week is nearly always a loss for the employer.5. If an interviewer asks about your weaknesses, answer with something positive. If youve picked up any guide to job searching in the past decade, youve probably seen the advice to claim that your biggest weakness is that you work too hard or youre a perfectionist. But so have most interviewers, and at this point, those answers sound clich and disingenuous. Whats more, they make you sound like you either dont have much self-awareness or youre unwilling to have an honest discussion about your fit for the role youre applying for.Go od interviewers dont want to talk about weaknesses so they can play gotcha, but because they want to make sure they wont put in a job where youll struggle.6. Following up with an employer after you apply for a job shows persistence and enthusiasm. This advice is still a staple of many career centers, but these days, persistent follow-up mostly shows you dont respect hiring managers time and that youre not clear on how the hiring process works. After all, the employer knows that youre interested your application demonstrated that. Now the ball is in their court to decide whether theyre interested in speaking further with you or not. Most employers arent interested in fielding follow-up calls at this stage.7. Track down the hiring managers name so that you can address your cover letter to the right person. This is unnecessary, and most hiring managers dont even notice whether you did or not and far fewer care. If the hiring managers name is easily available, of course its fine to go ahead and use it. But you dont need to call to track it down or do other detective work to find it. Hiring managers care about the content of your application, not whether you spent 20 minutes trying to find out their names.Alison Greenwrites the popularAsk a Manager blog, where she dispenses advice on career, job search and management issues. Shes the author of How to Get a Job Secrets of a Hiring Manager, co-author of Managing to Change the World The Nonprofit Managers Guide to Getting Results and the former chief of staff of a successful nonprofit organization, where she oversaw day-to-day staff management.

Should You Hire a Career Coach

Should You Hire a Career CoachShould You Hire a Career CoachInvest in a career coach to propel your career forward. In the cutthroat job market, its important that prof essionals find their competitive edge. Sometimes an outside opinion can guide you in times of uncertainty or moments for motivation.A career coach can work directly with a job seeker, handling everything from resume consulting to job interview training. If you choose the right coach, not only will you land a great job, but youll ensure its the right fit, giving you the long-term success you need. Here are some things a career coach can do for you.Expert Career AdviceBefore you launch your next job search, you should make sure youre going in the right direction. A career coach first acts as an advisor, determining your skillset and long-term goals. Once these components have been established, a career coach will help you come up with a strategy to help achieve your goals.A career coach can also recommend courses of act ion you never even thought of. An experts advice could lead you to pursue a position that may match your long-term goals in a better angle.Resume ReviewAlthough career coaches wont write your resume for you, theyll review your existing one and provide technical tips on how to improve it. They can also review your LinkedIn profile and check to see if you are hitting the right notes.These professionals are equipped with a multitude of far-reaching connections and will introduce you to the right ones. These newly formed alliances will thus help improve your chances of achieving your dream career.Networking TipsOne of the best ways to gain an edge over the competition is to directly connect with hiring managers and business leaders. Candidates who are seeking these connections will often search through social networks with limited success.On the other hand, a career coach can introduce you to a variety of networking opportunities that can help you get ahead, such as local events and mee tings. Youll also learn invaluable ways to use existing connections to get an introduction to the people who can help you in your job search. Your coach may even know recruiters and professionals who are looking for someone with your very skill-set.Job Interview TrainingPreparing for a job interview can be a stressful experience, especially if you do not know how to answer difficult questions like, What are your salary expectations ?.A career coach can roleplay with you and help formulate responses to match your personal branding. Youll also have a very clear outline of your career path, so you will naturally be able to formulate better answers to questions such as, Tell me a little bit about yourself ?Advancement OpportunitiesCareer advice isnt limited to the job search process, either. Even after youve landed a great job, you can benefit from advice on everything from dealing with office politics to asking for a raise.If you find the right coach, consider keeping that person on speed dial. You may find that the advice you receive from your advisor as versatile and well-rounded.***The job market is competitive, but professionals can mucksmuschenstill find the perfect job. By working with a career coach, job seekers can set themselves in the right direction, landing a job that will do far more rewarding than just pay the bills.

The Future of Work Has Arrived Heres How to Beat the Competition

The Future of Work Has Arrived Heres How to Beat the CompetitionThe Future of Work Has Arrived - Heres How to Beat the Competition Between artificial intelligence , big data, machine learning, the Internet of Things and more, many of todays most cutting-edge technological advances are iterating at a dizzying pace. Add to that fears of automation and an upcoming recession, and employees are facing serious pressure to stay relevant in an ever-changing work environment. But what exactly is on the horizon, and how can you prepare for it now?To find out, we turned to the winners of Glassdoors Best Places to Work in 2019 , some of the most innovative organizations out there today. Heres what they said employees need to know - master these skills now, and youre guaranteed to stand out above the rest.At this point, data has become a ubiquitous buzzword in the business world - but for good reason. Technological advances over the past couple of decades have provided com panies with an unprecedented level of information, and even the most traditional companies are embracing it in order to make more strategic decisions.Im seeing a few key trends continue and emerge as we look ahead to the new year, including the importance of being data-led. As a team, were leveraging ur data to field new ideas and innovation and inform decisions, said Rick Jensen, Senior Vice President, People & Places at Intuit .Developing digital skills is more important than ever, agreed Kevin Peesker, Microsoft Canada President. I am not speaking about coders or programmers - the shift is every role being impacted by digital, and possessing an awareness of technical and data-infused possibility will be fundamental to making an impact.Data proficiency means more than just glancing at numbers and drawing a conclusion, though. Matin Movassate, CEO of data analytics firm Heap , points out that todays employees need to be able to determine whether or not their data is reliable.T his grand, AI-driven future cant happen without a complete, trustworthy dataset, Movassate said. So if prospective data engineers, data analysts, data scientists and business intelligence leaders can maintain a maniacal focus on the completeness and quality of their data, theyll be well-prepared for anything the future has in store.Data interpretation/analysis is certainly one skill that will be essential to the future, but with how rapidly technology is evolving, todays workers need to stay abreast of as many cutting-edge areas as possible. After all, any one of them could completely rewrite the rules of work.If you think about certain roles today - cognitive data scientist, machine learning engineer - many of those roles didnt exist 10 years ago and not only did they not exist, we hadnt even imagined what they could be. We believe it will be the same in 10 years from now, Peesker said.A few trends to stay on top of in particular include SaaS, wolke computing, mobile, user experi ence, AI and machine learning, shared Aron Ain, CEO of HR technology company Kronos Incorporated .New ways of working will include more design thinking and working in an agile environment. The rapid development and creative application of new technologies will be applied across the business spectrum, from blockchain to supply chain, added Manny Maceda, Worldwide Managing Partner at Bain & Company . Job seekers can prepare by committing to ongoing, self-directed learning.Not sure where to start? Subscribing to publications that delve into these topics is always a good idea - a quick Google search should yield plenty of results - as is exploring relevant curses on online platforms like Coursera , edX and Udacity .With all of the rapid innovation occurring today, its critical that workers are able to keep up the pace when the inevitable changes occur.Technology is changing at a breathtaking pace, both with the products we develop and offer, as well as the products we use to ru n our business.We remain deeply focused on embracing new technology, innovating in all areas, breaking what is not broken to make it better, learning from our competitors as a means to improve and on and on, Ain said. Were not only going to be part of the future of work - were focused on helping to shape it.This breakneck speed isnt just limited to technology companies, though. Other industries, like aviation, have adopted a nimble mindset as well.To be successful in the aviation industry, one must be agile and able to manage large volumes of change, explained Greg Muccio, Director of People at Southwest Airlines . There are many variables that are outside of our control that impact our operations, so there is more pressure to adapt. Change is constant in the airline industry.It might seem counterintuitive, but as technology continues to revolutionize the way we work, a human-centered approach becomes increasingly important. Thats why Intuit puts such an emphasis on what they call customer obsession.Intuit was customer-obsessed before it was popular, but were continuing to hire for, and teach, capabilities that fall in love with the customer problem - not the solution. We want and need all of our employees to really fall in love with the problem in order to best solve it, Jensen shared. Diversity of thought, background and craft will help us move the needle on solving problems for our customers quickly.Human connection is especially crucial in industries like healthcare, where positive patient-provider relationships are key to favorable outcomes.At the end of the day, healthcare candidates must be able to stay connected to the human side of research and patient care. Approaching patients with care and compassion are traits that technology can never replace, said Dana Bottenfield, VP of Human Resources at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital .A people-centric approach isnt just for those outside of your organization, however.Successful job seekers need to h ave a balance of strong subject matter expertise with a focus on getting results through teamwork, Bottenfield explained.Job seekers need to be comfortable working collaboratively with a broader range of people - data scientists, software developers and design thinkers - to deliver results, Maceda elaborated. The new norm is being able to work in new ways and with a more diverse set of talent.And as companies grow larger and more complex, maintaining this connection - no matter your location - is imperative.As companies continue to move to platforms with more interdependencies across the entire organization, top talent needs the ability to work seamlessly across the organization, Jensen added.The key to doing that? Trust, Ain said.Technologies like our own are empowering employees to work their way, from anytime, anywhere. Trust is a two-way street, one thats earned through transparency, reliability, communication and performance. This world of flexibility can be wonderful - and trust is key to making it work.