Back to the Basics: A Career Links Roundup

By Mindy on April 30, 2010

Happy Friday ThinkTalkers! I know you all have nothing better to do this weekend than read career advice, so I thought I'd give you a few to get started with. Enjoy the weekend!

Secrets of the Job Hunt Looks at Growing Job Market:Things are getting better. Indeed.com released their Job Market Competition report, and the news is good. Want to move to DC or San Jose? Then you are in luck; there is only one unemployed person per job in both cities.

The Recruiters Lounge has 8 Killer Interview Questions: Are you dreading the inevitable "What questions do you have for us?" portion of your next interview? There are some good ideas here. I particularly liked the question, "If I were the person to take this role, how would you like me to perform in the role as compared to the previous person?"

One Day One Job Profiles Careers at Converse: Not gonna lie, I just included this one because, quite frankly, who wouldn't want to work at Converse? There are close to 40 positions open and a chunk of them look appropriate for new grads.

The Glass Hammer Find The Best Accounting Firm for Women: Earning an accounting degree and wondering where you should take it? The Glass Hammer takes a look at the 2010 MOVE study, created by the American Society of Women Accountants, and the ten companies around the country and why they stand out.

Having a Portfolio Website vs. Stubbornness

By Tsekwi on April 29, 2010

Graphic Design is an ever-growing craft that has many fields of which can overlap each other and seem very confusing. I'm a designer myself and sometimes I find it hard to keep up with all the different but intricate fields. Just so you know, these fields include: Print, Editorial, Animation, Interaction, Web, Information, and Typography. So, it's not hard to see why the everyday individual will assume that every designer has a portfolio website. The truth is that even in this internet driven world that we live in, you can still get by as a designer without having to ever type a single line of HTML code. So, the question is: Are portfolio websites essential to a graphic designer's being?

The answer is yes. If you want to get your resume known, you have to keep up with what the majority is doing. And if employers are using the web to hire new talent, then you the designer has to take advantage of that in any way, shape, or form.

Benefits of having an online portfolio:

First and foremost, it's very easy to send out. Whether it's in your cover letter's contact info or it is placed along with your resume qualification information. At the end of the day, it's just a few characters of text.

Secondly, it gives a potential client an interactive look into your personality. This is a chance for you to be creative and really show of your web design muscle even if you belong to another field. Actually, pulling of a really nice portfolio site while coming from another area of design and can only score points with a future employer.

Also, employers will get a chance to know you. Anybody can put together a nicely written resume, but in a visually motivated business, you need to be able to show what you're capable of doing. It's kind of similar to a math equation that you would get wrong even if the answer was right due to the fact that you didn't show your work. Through your site, employers will get a sense of your style of design, page layout abilities i.e. organization skills, and the level of professionalism that you're trying to convey.

Disadvantages of having an online portfolio:

There aren't any. An online portfolio only adds and doesn't take away. At this point I'm reaching, but the only scenario that I can imagine is if a potential client isn't computer friendly. In that case, what you have online isn't hurting your chances because this individual has no clue what he/she is missing.

Consider This:

When building you portfolio site, see it through the eyes of the client. Nobody knows your work as well as you do, so it's easy to neglect key points of information that fully explains what the employer is viewing. As a web designer, you should not only explain the works of art but the section of which they reside. Keep things simple. Let the work speak of itself because you want each part of your site to be as accessible as possible. This means you might have to sacrifice all the smoke and mirrors, even though they look cool, to get straight to the point (just like you would do on a resume).

Finally, I believe every up-coming designer should have a portfolio site because it can only benefit your artistic well-being. Not only that but having a personally crafted professional site for any job outside design tends to help your cause out a lot more than it would for any design profession. And it's slowly becoming a new world order with the rise of online social networking. The bottom line is if you have no problem having an account with something like monster jobs where you would be constantly checking and updating your status, then you should have no problem with having a portfolio site.

"Lý và Lap(top)" courtesy pmquan via Flickr Creative Commons

Hump Day Movie Day: Christopher Buckley

By Mindy on April 28, 2010

Welcome back to ThinkTalk's Hump Day Movie Day. Every Wednesday we're going to pull a favorite interview from the archives. This week, our feature showing is a Blank Page interview with Christopher Buckley, the author whose novels include Supreme Courtship and Thank You For Smoking. He sat down in the ThinkTalk studios to answer questions about his career and the challenges of fiction and satirical writing.

Christopher Buckley, American social and political satirist and novelist, graduated with honors from Yale University. Shortly after college he became managing editor of Esquire Magazine and by the age of 29 he published his first best-seller, Steaming to Bamboola: The World of a Tramp Freighter, and became chief speechwriter to President George Bush. In 1989 Malcolm Forbes hired Buckley to create a new magazine, Forbes FYI. He has also written pieces for most national newspapers and magazines. Buckley has written a total of thirteen novels including Thank You For Smoking, God Is My Broker, and Little Green Men.

Sleepy Heads Rejoice! Naps are Good for You and Your Work!

By Eve on April 27, 2010

Happy Tuesday ThinkTalkers,

Today I want to deviate from the normal pattern of giving career advice and talk about a practice that has been shown to make people happier, more creative and more productive. This topic is also one that is very close to my heart; naps.

If you are like me, there is no better feeling than stretching out in your warm bed, blankets wrapped around you, head in the perfect spot on the pillow... and there is no worse feeling than being forced to sit upright at a desk, table, etc while yawning away at work, school, or on the battlement of a castle.

During college you could get away with napping during the day (enjoy it while you can), but that's not necessarily the case in the "real world" even though there is research supporting the fact that naps make people more productive and sharp. Bob Sutton's Work Matters blog discussed the effect of naps on some students:

Research shows that sleep deprivation makes people unhappy, nasty to others, and undermines their creativity and performance; a related body of research suggests that even a short nap can help combat the damage caused by sleep deprivation.

Along these lines, a new study of naps summarized at the [British Psychological Society] compared the performance of students (measured by their ability to identify out-of-pitch tones) who had no nap after lunch, who had a 20-minute nap leaning forward and resting their head on a desk, or had a 20-minute nap lying down. The researchers found that people who had either kind of nap performed better then those who did not nap, but those who napped lying down had the best performance of all.

So not only do naps improve our performance, but they are best when taken lying down (in your comfy bed). So the next time someone criticizes you for being lazy or lacking motivation, hold your head high my fellow nappers and proudly tell them that you are simply working towards better brain performance! And who knows, if more research like this keeps piling up, it could change the norm in some workplaces. A nap room sounds like a good addition to the office, doesn't it?

"Sleeping" courtesy of kaibara87 via Flickr Creative Commons

Survey says...

By Morgan on April 26, 2010

Hey there! This is Morgan Noonan, junior at the University of Maryland pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art. Yes, I get asked "So what are you going to do with that?" quite a bit. I plan on becoming a medical illustrator. Booyah!

I love free things.

This includes: t-shirts, tote bags, ice cream sandwiches, caricatures, hugs, and career advice.

So today I wandered over to Careerpath.com and started taking their career quizzes out of curiosity. In my past experiences, these little creations never seem to offer much insight -- although I do trust the internet to tell me that SubZero is my Mortal Kombat counterpart and Belle is the Disney Princess that I am most like.

The "Job discovery wizard" asks that you evaluate your own strengths and skills and to rank your knowledge bases accordingly.

My closest match was a tie between Family / General practitioner and Obstetrician / Gynecologist, with my intended future as an Illustrator very far down indeed on the potential career list.

Now I do not by any means recommend taking these quiz results too seriously, but what these online services offer should not be wholly dismissed, either.

A useful component generated by my results was the comparative skill set chart. It showed a bar graph indicating my skills in comparison with those required by any field I chose from the drop down menu. It didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know. However, it was a bit of a wake up call to see just how lacking I am in economics and accounting for someone who wants to work in the fine arts.

Next, I spotted the "Career planner quiz", which was the most involved and thus most accurate test. My interests were characterized as "Blue" my strengths as "Yellow".

People with Blue interests like activities that allow them to be creative; The creativity is often expressed in thinking of new ideas or strategies that can have a broad range of applications. Blue interests often like thinking about the future and planning for long term benefits; Career choices often are: Editor, Journalist, Teacher, Strategic Planner, Consultant, Performing Arts, Marketing, Communications, Research and Development.

People with Yellow strengths are good at managing details and creating sophisticated processes that allow them to get complex work done. Once a game plan has been put in place, it is implemented. Their decisions are based on facts and carefully reasoned. When working with other people, they are fair and democratic and always can be counted on to deliver what they commit to.

This all seemed to check out. However, any confidence in the validity of these tests that I was feeling was severely compromised by the "Color career indicator". You are presented with little squares of different hues and are asked to rank them based upon which you most enjoy looking at. I found myself torn between magenta and green, realized it was silly, and picked magenta. Because clearly this is an exact science!

Deciding whether you would rather be a Regional sales manager or a Landscape architect or are better at "active listening" than you are at "active learning" does seem arbitrary. However, being able to analyze your own performance and pinpoint what works and what doesn't is an essential skill.

At most, these online quizzes give you a sense of what direction you should be heading in, and, at the very least, they get you to evaluate yourself as an employee, which provides you with an answer to the age-old question of "what are your strengths and weaknesses?"

So, if you're looking for a great procrastination opportunity, then take some career quizzes. Think critically about what you do best and what you need to improve upon -- and get some free insight in the process.

Image copyright Disney. Hosting via weheartit.com

Feeling a bit Lost? Let a Mentor Guide the Way...

By Erika on April 26, 2010

Hello again! Welcome, have a seat, get comfortable and let's talk. Last week I told you that over the next few weeks I would be blogging about our new program Start-Up Town and the wonderful world of entrepreneurship; specifically the challenges faced by young entrepreneurs. I've already discussed the way that young entrepreneurs can psyche themselves out by viewing their age as a hindrance and today I want to talk about one way to combat this mental roadblock: mentor-ship.

Most apprehensions that come with being a "young" entrepreneur have little to do with the "young" part and more to do with a perceived (or real) lack of experience in the business world or in the specific industry that the young entrepreneur is breaking into. My advice? Latch onto someone who is already doing it right! I don't know about you, but if I were learning how to swim, I'd want to be standing (or floating) next to the person that already knows how to keep their head above the water. Actually when it comes to finding a great mentor, it's not solely my advice, there are plenty of articles out there that provide tips and advice for young entrepreneurs.

Even the greatest of great historical figures, in fields ranging from the arts to the sciences, worked as apprentices and/or had mentors to guide them in the right direction. Here are a few examples of how having a mentor can benefit you. (You can read a full description of the benefits here.)

A good mentor will:

Provide Encouragement:

"A good mentor will motivate you with a simple statement that affirms you are on the right track even when things do not seem to be going well. They have the ability to reassure you that everything is going as it should be because they have been there before"; just like Mama used to do! Let's face it, things are not ALWAYS going to go as you thought they would, so it's nice to have someone there to acknowledge that and to keep you moving forward. (P.S You've chosen a REALLY great mentor if they also console you with a homemade PB&J and a glass of milk like Mama used to do.)

Reduce mistakes:

"Failure is only possible if you decide to figure out everything on your own." You will save yourself a lot of time and worry by having someone who can answer the questions you have about your business. They may not be able to answer every question, but sometimes just having someone to be a sounding board will help. So stop venting to your Carebears or that poster of Captain Planet on the back of your door (yeah, we know about that) and start working through the issues with someone who can prevent them before they arise.

Eliminate weaknesses:

"If you have a good mentor, understand that you are not always going to like them. Their primary role is to be your mentor and their secondary role is to be your friend. Your best friends see you as you are, your mentor sees you for who you can be." It's business, it's not personal, so heed the advice and know that what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger . . .and that if your mentor tells you something that REALLY gets to your feelings, you can always hug those Carebears.

Bring out your strengths:

"Talent cannot be taught which is why coaches are more valuable than players. Without good coaches, talent would be useless. A good mentor will help bring out the best in you when you don't necessarily see the qualities you possess." While you may be aware of your skill set, you might also be undermining it. Having an outside perspective of your talents and weaknesses will bring to light some attributes that you may not have even known about yourself. Always thought your were really quirky or strange (for liking Captain Planet)? Perhaps you just have untapped creative potential (and an undeniable love of the environment).

Honesty:

"A mentor will tell you the truth because their primary objective is to make sure you are successful." All great relationships start with honesty; in life and in business.

So how do you find this great mentor? Well there are a number of ways to do it, but I recommend finding someone who is attainable; someone with which you can communicate on a regular basis either in person, by phone, or by email. Your mentor should know who YOU are just as much as you know who they are. So try meeting someone at a networking event or within a business social circle. Your mentor does not have to look like you, sound like you, dress like you, or even love Captain Planet as much as you, but they should possess the professional and personal standards that you admire.

When you find a person, or multiple people, who you would like to mentor you, I suggest scheduling a time to speak with them in person and discuss what it is you want out of the relationship and how often you expect to communicate. If your person of choice does not have the time or does not want to make the obligation, ask them if they can suggest someone else to you. Great minds usually spend time with other great minds and you will be able to move on to another person who is qualified and who may be a better match for you.

Keep searching, the right mentor is out there!

"Student and teacher" courtesy Wonderlane via Flickr Creative Commons

Express Yourself! ...just not too much.

By Morgan on April 23, 2010

Hey there! This is Morgan Noonan, junior at the University of Maryland pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art. Yes, I get asked "So what are you going to do with that?" quite a bit. I plan on becoming a medical illustrator. Booyah!

Competition in the job market can be fierce.

And in an arena of important first impressions, you need to put your best foot forward -- preferably pedicured.

Sadly, appearances have a significant impact in the world of having the right handshake and making just enough eye contact. It may not be out-rightly used against you, but a less than stellar smile or some bad bed head could subconsciously influence an interviewer's decision.

It is a known fact that many companies have policies concerning their employees' appearances. Men cannot have hair that touches the collar of their shirt. No visible tattoos or facial piercings allowed. Understandably, the youth of today is often frustrated by this seemingly unjust bias and consequently acts out in defiance. This, however, only reinforces the negative stereotypes about deviant behavior and body art.

Being aware that the way you present yourself sets up how you will be judged is essential to successfully wading through turbulent waters in the sea of interviews awaiting you. It may seem unfair to discriminate against someone because they have a purple mohawk and a lipring, but companies do it all the time and it is fully within their rights.

Businesses are accountable for everyone that they employ and if one of their workers does not represent a respectable set of values, then it reflects poorly on them. Of course, assuming that people who dress in all black aren't upstanding citizens is not fair. I'm sorry kids, but life is not fair. (Gasp!)

I'm not suggesting that everyone should turn into preppy cookie cutter clones. Where would the world be without its angsty tight jeans wearers? Or the sleeve tattooed sporters of weird facial hair? You don't want to lose your personality. In fact, standing out from other applicants could make you a more desirable candidate. You will come across as someone who is creative and not afraid to challenge the status quo. However, you need to dial it down and enter professional mode when you enter an office building. You have to market yourself correctly and find a good balance between expressing yourself and being able to fit in. Sounds like 'high school all over again', huh?

Well, it basically is. And if you are one of my regular blog readers (Hi Mom), then you know that I am against compromising what you believe in to make a buck.

It is up to you to decide what you feel comfortable with. If you ace an interview, get a job offer, but are then asked to dye your hair back to a "more natural color", is that going to be a deal breaker for you? If your supervisor doesn't want customers seeing the dove that you've got inked onto your forearm, then are you willing to buy concealing makeup to hide it? Maybe that isn't a big deal, but having to take out piercings can be tedious and even painful.

When you are interviewing for a position, pay careful attention to what the people are like and how well you could potentially fit in there. You want to know whether showing up one day with your pet hamster is more likely to get you fired or to cause a chorus of Awwws.

Working your personal style into your work persona can be simple and easy. You go-getter gals can maybe lighten up on the eye shadow and you go-getter guys could just shave more often and presto change-o -- people will take you seriously!

(Sure, some ladies luff the scruff, but be sure that you don't take the five o'clock shadow to the extreme. There is nothing sexy about looking homeless.)

Added bonus -- looking good makes you feel good. And when you have a positive attitude about yourself, you begin to exude confidence and -- shazam -- you land your dream job! Looking well put together makes you come across as competent and reliable. (On the other hand, looking like a slob sends the message that you are lazy and disorganized.)

So try your best to use the shallowness of today's culture to your advantage. Being self-righteous and refusing to comply might make you seem cool for a little while, but there is nothing cool about missing a great opportunity. If your career is important to you (and I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume it is) then you owe it to yourself to give 110%. Leave nothing to chance and give those future bosses out there every reason to think that you would be perfect for the job!

(Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons)

News Flash: Business Cards are not Limited to Use by Professionals

By Monica on April 23, 2010

As a public relations student, my networking switch is turned on 24/7 and the ability to stay in contact with an individual I have met is very important. There are no breaks, pauses or "off" moments for me. Whether I am at a coffee shop, in class, at an event, or even a parade (true story I found a mentor in the public relations field in the middle of a parade), the need to initiate future contact with an individual I have found valuable and helpful is very important. If you are a bit more human than I am and are not necessarily concerned with networking 24/7 (well you're probably not in the public relations field) then you may not think to network outside of your university's sponsored networking events- which I definitely recommend that you do. You never know whom you will meet wherever you are and you won't always have that resume on you to give to them.

Networking events are still great and amazing opportunities for soon-to-be professionals and college students to meet with experts in any given field to speak with students and provide guidance for the rest of their college careers and into the real world. Events like these usually require or sometimes expect students to come ready with their resumes in hand to pass out to prospective employers. But in crowded rooms and unsuspecting places you may meet someone and pulling out your resume left and right may be difficult, and well, a bit awkward. The solution to avoiding rustling through a folder for one last resume only to swing your arm back too hard and elbow the person standing directly behind you is: business cards.

As college students, carrying a business card can come in handy and is a great way for a professional to have your contact information all in one little card. You may not think it is necessary as a college student to have a business card and may even think it is a bit pretentious, but in all actuality it shows you are professional. You don't have to own a business or even have an official title to be placed on your business card. It's as simple as putting your name, e-mail address, university name, major and phone number and that's it!

For more information on the art of the college student's business card check out an article written by Chris Lesinski, writer for Hack College, where he talks bluntly on his views on business cards and why YOU should get one. And if you're unsure where you can design, order and purchase business cards at a low rate, check out Vistaprint. (These are were I actually got mine.)

"jofalltrades.com Business Cards" courtesy jnyemb via Flickr Creative Commons

So You Want To Be Successful?

By Jane Lovas on April 22, 2010

Guest Blogger Jane Lovas' weekly series called "What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Life and Career" runs each Thursday

You're getting ready to graduate and like most of us you're probably thinking about having a successful life and career. I'm going to share a secret with you: Pursue happiness and success will follow.

How does this work? You tend to be more successful when you do things which you love doing, thus encouraging yourself to feel more confident in your ability to do other things.

When you are having fun and feeling confident in yourself, it's easier to work and collaborate with other, again allowing you to feel more successful. When you like what you're doing and interested in it, you are more likely to spend the time to increase your knowledge about it and related areas, again making you feel more successful.

On the other hand, when you focus on success, it often gets defined as more money, a bigger house, a higher position or a new bigger car. The problem is that these things can begin to define you, and as you look around and there is always someone else with a bigger, better, newer something which leads you to be dissatisfied with what you have.

Instead, if you are having fun doing what you love, you'll find that you have the things in your life that really mean something to you and you can enjoy them because they don't own you.

Think about this; did Bill Gates get to be so successful because he said "I want to make a billion dollars," or did he say "I have this really cool idea and I'm going to build it and sell it?" Whether you end up making a bazillion dollars or not, remember what Henry Ford's quote, "Quality is Job 1."  I think we should change that to "Happiness is job 1."

Have fun and be successful!

Jane Lovas is a career specialist who is the creator of the life changing 12 week tele-seminar "Creating the Life of Your Dreams". She is also our guest blogger, whose column will run every Thursday. If you would like to contact Jane, you can reach her here, here or here.

"Smiley detail" courtesy renaissancechambara via Flickr Creative Commons

Social Media 101: Video Resumes

By Monica on April 21, 2010

YouTube is the place to go when searching for entertaining videos, from the surprise kitty to the hundreds of music video spoofs and pranks. But did you know if you search "video resume," YouTube yields more than 14,000 results?

If you have seen Legally Blond then you know that video resumes can carry quite a bit of weight and influence for candidates. I'm not saying, film a video of yourself in a pool and send it to Harvard Law School, but I am advocating the idea behind it. Video resumes give you a chance to showcase your personality to hiring managers and can be great complements to traditional paper resumes- if done well that is.

Video resumes should last no more than three minutes, so it is important to highlight your strongest qualities and most valuable assets that you can bring to a company or organization. These resumes take it a step further than traditional paper resumes because they allow visual presentation; which means your demeanor, communication and character are all in the spotlight and WILL be judged.

According to Mashable:

If you aren't a person with an outgoing and lively personality, then don't bother creating one [video resume]. Since you're filming yourself, don't rush because you can always try it a hundred times before you upload the final version.

Just like when going to an interview it is necessary that your attire appears professional and your speech is clear when getting your message across. You are essentially marketing yourself through a video; if you think you are not dressed up enough for an actual interview, you probably are not for the video either. In other words dress to impress and speak like you mean it.

Mike Nale, author of 10 Things That Make Up a Good Video Resume, says that Video Quality is the top factor in contributing to a well-done video resume. Video quality includes:

Clear pictures

Excellent sound quality

Overall professional look

If you decide to film a video resume, check out online career Web sites that provide space for these types of resume. Jobster, Vault and ResumeVideo are just a few sites other than YouTube that you can take advantage of!

For more tips and information on video resumes, check out About.com: Job Searching

"Resume t-shirt" courtesy SOCIALisBETTER via Flickr Creative Commons