Career Marketplace Blog

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.

In this article from U.S. News & World Report, Miriam Salpeter shows you How to Look and Feel Your Best for Holiday Networking.

Read an excerpt from Salpeter’s article. Read Full Article

Some people believe this time of the year is not the ideal time to be in job search mode. Conventional wisdom suggests everyone is too busy delving into the holiday season to focus on identifying and securing new candidates. Whether or not you subscribe to the “holidays are slow for hiring” theory, there’s no doubt it is an opportune time to take advantage of networking. Parties and informal gatherings offer numerous chances to meet new people, and you may benefit from people feeling upbeat and generous at this time of the year.

It’s a good idea to prepare in advance so you will look and feel your best during this busy time of the year. Have you considered giving yourself the gift of an image update? Diana Jennings, president of California-based Brand You Image and a leader within the image profession works with professionals to teach them how to increase their visual influence. “By giving your image and the visual representation of your brand a boost, you’ll bring positive attention to yourself, while potentially making valuable contacts,” she says. Jennings reminds professionals not to lose sight of the fact that a networking event can actually be an informal interview.

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In her article for U.S. News & World Report, Lindsay Olson describes 8 Reasons to Continue Your Holiday Job Search.

Tips from this article include:

• Your competitor job seekers may not be looking
• Holiday networking opportunities are abound
• End-of-year budgets may provide hiring opportunities now rather than in January

In her article, What to Do When Networking Isn’t Working,  About.com Guide Alison Doyle explains how you can overcome a slow job search.

Read an excerpt from Doyle’s article below. Read Full Article

In her blog for U.S. News and World Report, Miriam Salpeter reveals 7 Steps to Help You Land a Non-Profit Job.

Steps in Salpeter’s article include:

• Volunteer in organizations where you have a strong interest and your can create a real impact
• Meet People
• Get Involved in your target sector.

Read Full Article

LiveCareer article, Students Need to be Prepared in Order to Land a Job Post-Graduation, college students are advised to start their job search preparation before graduation and get a jump on the job market.

Tips from this article include:

• Visit your college career center
• Build solid interviewing skills
• Network with alumni

WSJ article, Working the Recruiters, Dennis Nishi shows readers how a personal approach will help you stand out with recruiters.

Read an excerpt from Nishi’s article. Read full article

Laurie Ruettimann does not want to be sent flowers. Ever.

The human-resources professional from Raleigh, N.C., remembers getting an expensive bouquet while working as an in-house corporate recruiter years ago. The arrangement had been sent to her by a hopeful job hunter but the overture actually made her angry.

“Gift giving means that you’re somehow indebted, and when you force that on somebody it’s inappropriate, even offensive,” says Ms. Ruettimann. “I responded like I would with any other candidate. When we didn’t move forward with his résumé, I just sent him a note, automated through the system.”

n the current tight job market, cold calls and gimmicky gestures are the worst ways to approach recruiters—especially if your skills don’t exactly match the job. Instead, experts recommend old-fashioned networking as the best way to get onto a recruiter’s job-candidate list, but the effort requires more than just a LinkedIn invitation.

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In her blog for U.S. News & World Report, Lindsay Olson counts down 6 Networking Tips for Your Job Search.

Read an excerpt from Olson’s article. Read Full Article

Networking with other professionals in your industry can be beneficial when you’re looking for work. You might meet the hiring manager for a company and hear about an unadvertised position, find a new consulting opportunity, or get some insight into the best way to apply for a position.

The biggest mistake people make in networking is focusing on what they want, rather than on connecting and listening to others. If you want your networking to be truly effective, the goal should be focused on helping others and making memorable connections.

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In this article for Blogging4Jobs, Jessica Miller-Merrell writes, Job Searching on Social Networks – Yay or Nay?

Read an excerpt from Miller-Merrell’s article below. Read Full Article

With the explosion of social media it seems that individuals and companies alike are using social networks to make personal and business connections. From tweeting customer complaints to maintaining photo albums on Facebook, it has become the norm to take everyday tasks to a social medium.

 But what about job searching? Countless employers and recruiters are present on Twitter, Facebook and now maybe even Google+. With the job market still floundering, social media is a natural fit for many job seekers, especially recent college graduates who tend to be tech-savvy and accustomed to social networking already. To determine how to successfully navigate the job search process in today’s digital landscape, let’s examine the benefits and potential pitfalls of using social media for professional purposes.

Why Social May Not Be the Solution.

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Wall Street Journal article No Market for Lazy Job Seekers, Ruth Mantell warns job seekers of common mistakes that can derail their job search.

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

Summer is a season to relax, unless you’re a job seeker.

Given the steep competition for jobs, people who are energized and organized — and those who avoid lazy mistakes — are the likeliest to land a spot.

“It’s not all down to the economy — it’s often about how productive people are during their job search,” says Richard Jordan, a staffing management panel member at the Society for Human Resource Management. “The Internet has made it really easy for people to get a sense of false security about how productive they are.”

That means avoiding the “post-and-pray” technique in which job seekers apply to positions online, and then wait for the offers to roll in.

“Just applying through an online job search doesn’t do anything other than throw your résumé into a pile with [those of] hundreds, if not thousands, of other job seekers,” says Dan Ryan, an executive search consultant based in Nashville.

Another red flag: submitting résumés and cover letters with errors, says Holly Paul, U.S. recruiting leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a New York-based accounting and consulting firm.

“I see spelling mistakes, I see punctuation mistakes, I hit delete in two seconds. I don’t even bother to continue reading,” Ms. Paul says.

Here are five more mistakes to avoid:

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