Career Marketplace Blog

In this article from U.S. News and World Reports On Careers, Lindsay Olson explains, Finding a Job Through Networking Groups.

Read an excerpt of Olson’s article below. Read Full Article

Everyone keeps telling you to network to help with finding a job, but you’re apprehensive about doing so. You’re not sure where to start, or what to do once you get to an event.

Relax: you’re in the same boat as a lot of other nervous job seekers. With a few tips, you’ll be ready to start swapping business cards and building relationships to help you find your next position.

But first, a word about networking. Many job seekers think that going to one event will score them an interview at a great company. That’s not how it works. Networking is about building relationships, and it takes a while. So start before you’re really ready to quit, if possible, so that you have time enough to develop relationships with the people you meet, then move on to getting invited for a job interview.

Rather than thinking “how can this person help me” when you meet someone new, consider how you can help that person. It might be as simple as referring her to a salon you like. And while this little favor might seem insignificant, your new contact will remember you helping her, and want to do the same for you down the road.

Read On

In this article from Simply Hired’s Simply Blog, Grace Williamson lists, 4 Tips to Go From Job Seeker to Employed Professional.

Read an excerpt of Williamson’s article below. Read Full Article

As you prepare your new job search or transition to another career field, here are four essential strategies that will help you stand apart and land the job.

Read more on the Simply Hired Blog

In this article from The Daily Muse, Jenny Foss writes, Unemployed? The Right (and Wrong) Way to Brand Yourself.

Read an excerpt of Foss’ article below. Read Full Article

I recently came in contact with a former technology executive turned job seeker. He was navigating a lengthy, frustrating job hunt, and not surprisingly, he was mad, depressed, and growing somewhat panicked.

I knew this about him before we’d even talked, because he’d been all over a couple of the LinkedIn Groups I follow, lambasting the world for not realizing how amazing he is.

But interestingly, when I actually talked to him—for as loud as he was coming across via social media—he didn’t seem at all confident in what he had to offer. He wasn’t clear on his target market. And he certainly wasn’t going out of his way to earn favor with the influential technology players in his city.

Instead, the unemployed job seeker was branding himself, all over the Internet, as a difficult, indignant guy who hated recruiters and hiring managers.

That’d be a prime example of how not to brand yourself when you’re unemployed.

So what does the other end of the spectrum look like? As terrifying as it may be when you’re out of work, this is no time to run for the hills or come undone. Instead, consider these key strategies to help you brand yourself well.

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In this article from The Daily Muse, Anne Niederkorn describes, Getting Back Together: Interviewing at a Company You Used to Work For.

Read an excerpt of Niederkorn’s article below. Read Full Article

Over time, your career path can take some pretty unexpected twists and turns. Like—when you suddenly find yourself trying to rejoin a company or team you once left behind.

If you’re lucky, you were approached by your old boss or co-workers—and they really want you back. But maybe you realized that you made a mistake by leaving in the first place; or, after spending time elsewhere for a few years, you see a great new opportunity available. No matter what the reason, though, that first step back to reconnecting with your former company is one that needs to be handled carefully.

So, how do you make the initial connection and interview a little less awkward and a lot more productive? In order to get some useful tips, I talked to a few professionals who were once in your very same shoes. And while their “return stories” were all a little different, their suggestions hit on some similar themes.

Read On

In this video from Adam Smith College, Gordon Ramsay tells his career story and gives helpful advice on how to become a successful chef.

Career Advice: Gordon Ramsay

Stark County Job Board, StarkJobs.com will host over 60 employers at the Fall Job Fair October 17 from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. The free event will be at the University Center at Kent State Stark, 6000 Frank Avenue NW, North Canton.

The Fall Job Fair is open to job seekers seeking employment in Stark County. The event will feature local employers with full-time and part-time job opportunities including

• Administrative
• Accounting
• CNC Operators
• CAD Drafters
• Communications Administrator
• Drivers
• Early Education
• Engineering
• General Labor
• Machinists
• Programmers
• Maintenance Technicians
• and More

Employers encourage job seekers to dress for an interview and arrive with several copies of their resume. For more information about the Fall Job Fair, visit www.StarkJobs.com.

StarkJobs.com Fall Job Fair
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
The University Center at Kent State Stark

Find out who’s hiring

Update your resumes! It’s time the StarkJobs.com Fall Job Fair. Held at the University Center at Kent State Stark from 11:00am – 3:00pm , StarkJobs.com will connect employers and job seekers on October 17. Find out who’s hiring now.

Connect with local employers

Job fairs allow local job seekers to meet face-to-face with employers. Events like the fall job fair are a chance to make a personal connection with employers.

Job seekers will have a chance to meet with over 40 local employers.

Tips for Success

Job fairs can be an overwhelming experience. Plan ahead to stand out from the crowd.

• Dress Professionally – Avoid denim, workout wear, or casual fashions
• Bring several copies of your resume
• Check attendee list to note which employers you want to talk to.

5 Tips For Finding A Job In Your Later Years 

Guest post by Kat Krull

Today’s job search is very different from a job search 10 or 20 years ago. The majority of opportunities will require you to fill out an application and submit your resume completely online. If you suddenly find yourself looking for a new position, but are unfamiliar with modern job search tactics, here are some tips to keep in mind:

Leverage your extensive network. Because of your years of experience, you likely know a lot of people in your industry and community who can help you land a new job. Use these connections to your advantage–after all, it’s often who you know that can help you receive an interview offer (or just a second look).

Today, keeping in touch with your network is even easier because of social and professional networks websites and communities. Join LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter and start finding people you know, including family members, friends and past supervisors and co-workers — anyone who might be beneficial to keep in touch with during your job search and career.

Join professional networking groups and communities. See if there are events or conferences you can attend to not only meet new people, but also help you brush up on your education and skills. It doesn’t have to cost a lot, either — in fact, many of these events and communities exist online now. Check out Twitter chats, LinkedIn groups, Facebook pages, industry webinars, and other niche networking sites to connect with others and learn something new.

Don’t point out your age. It can certainly be valuable to have many years of experience under your belt, but you don’t want to turn off hiring managers with a five-page resume. Unfortunately, a lot of employers might see dollar signs when they see extensive experience, and if they can’t afford you, they won’t give you a second look. Along the same lines, don’t include your college graduation date if it was several decades ago, although it is necessary to be truthful if asked during the hiring process.

Tailor your experience and accomplishments to each opportunity. Your resume shouldn’t detail every job you’ve ever had. It should show the employer why you’re the best candidate based on past experience, accomplishments, skills and education. When you’re applying for new opportunities, make sure that your resume is formatted correctly in order to get through an employer’s applicant tracking system. You should also tailor your resume to the job description
by comparing them to one another and eliminating irrelevant information. (Our online resume builder, Resunate, can help you do this.)

Show you’re tech-savvy. Technology is important in most jobs nowadays. Employers need to know that you’re comfortable using new technologies and willing to learn new ways of doing things. Play up any experience you have with new technology by including it as a skill or accomplishment on your resume. You can also build an online portfolio and include a link on your job search documents.

What other tips would you give older job seekers?

Kat Krull is the Marketing Manager of Resunate, the world’s only automatic resume tailoring tool. You can find Kat and Resunate on Facebook and Twitter.

In his article for Psychology Today, Ray Williams explains, Why Networking is the Essential Professional Skill.

Read an excerpt of Williams’ article. Read full article

Networking is increasingly being promoted as both a business and personal social skill. There’s no doubt that both the social media form of networking and personal face-to-face networking has become a fundamental part of the modern landscape.

Brian Uzzi and Shannon Dunlap, in their article entitled “How To Build Your Network,” in the Harvard Business Review, contend “Networks determine which ideas become breakthroughs, which new drugs are prescribed, which farmers cultivate pest-resistant crops and which R& D engineers make the most high-impact discoveries”. They cite the work of Randall Collins of the University of Pennsylvania who showed that breakthroughs from icons such as Freud, Picasso, Watson, Crick, and Pythagoras were the consequence of a particular type of personal network that promoted exceptional individual creativity.

“Networks deliver three unique advantages: private information, access to diverse skill sets, and power. Executives see these advantages at work every day, but might not pause to consider how their networks regulate them,” Uzzi and Dunlap argue. They show in their research how developing diverse, rather than “self-similar” network contacts through shared high-stakes activities builds a more powerful network.

Read On

By Kat Krull

“Whenever it is possible, a boy should choose some occupation which he should do even if he did not need the money.” This commencement quote from William Lyon Phelps is food for thought for those beginning their careers. Maybe the message to all those college graduates out there looking for work is…consider pursuing employment in a small business.

What’s the correlation, you might ask? A survey by the Trade Union Congress found that employees in small businesses are the most satisfied at work. They were found to be the most committed and loyal to their organizations. They also felt most engaged by their employer and had the most freedom to choose their working patterns. There were lower stress levels and far fewer complaints about long working hours.

Here are some other positives to consider:

You can make a difference: Employees in a small company wear many hats – treat that as a benefit and you’ll succeed. “Employees of startups tend to have more varied duties, which can mean a chance to develop a host of valuable new skills,” writes Aaron, a community manager at ResumeBucket. “One day you may be designing a product, the next day closing a sales deal. It’s up to you to seize the many challenges and opportunities that come your way in such a fluid environment.”

Networking: Small business employees have more networking opportunities than large corporation employees. They tend to meet clients face-to-face much more frequently.

Experience: Small companies are the ones that have a total workforce of 500 or less. These companies are generally fast-paced and it is easier to excel. At a large corporation, you may work on one or two projects a year. At a smaller company, you’ll have more variety, earlier responsibility, and more opportunities to work on your own initiative and to have your work noticed.

In small businesses, a new employee often has a higher profile and is more appreciated than in a large company. You are also more likely to have opportunities to collaborate with senior management.

Flexibility: Roles are often less rigidly defined and the working environment may be more informal and less bureaucratic than in larger organizations. Many small employers provide alluring trade-offs such as shorter workweeks, less travel, and work-life balance incentives, including telecommuting arrangements and flexible schedules.

Pete Czech, owner and editor of www.peteczech.com and a self descruibed Web guru, developer, CTO, theorist, idea generator, social media enthusiast, and entrepreneur says, “A small business will be more lenient and more willing to negotiate (simple pleasures like work from home, unusual schedules, etc. as long as you can prove there is a value-add to it.”

So, as you move your tassel and toss the mortarboard, remember Phelps’ thoughts, “Do some occupation which he should do even if he didn’t need the money.” In other words, find a job you love…which may mean giving small business a chance.

Kat Krull is the Marketing Manager of Resunate, the world’s only automatic resume tailoring tool. You can find Kat and Resunate on Facebook and Twitter.