careerstrategyzone

, ,

Boost Your Career A-Game: Five Resources

In Professional Development on September 28, 2011 at 11:17 am

A common challenge among many career professionals is staying current in their field, as well as with the world at large. So how does one remain one step in front of the curve during times of rapid change and when there is so much information available? I believe that it comes down to carving out time each day strictly for professional development.

For me, I allot a one-hour minimum each day to read a book to keep me abreast of what’s happening in the career coaching realm. Right now, I’m reading Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 3.0, which has insightful information on emerging trends for job seekers. And for a broader perspective, thought-leader Dan Burris’s book Flash Foresight has been a gem for me for identifying new developments on the horizon.

The Internet is also a great place to source relevant information that will help you stay current. Here are a few of my favorite sites:

This popular social media tool offers a constant stream of information through short sound bites for quick readability. “My approach to staying up to date is using Twitter,” says Stephanie Tran of PhoneZoo. And Twitter handles such as @mashable or @techcrunch fill my feeds with up-to-the-second news about what’s going on in the tech field. It’s amazing how 140 characters can seemingly be so little but convey such a powerful message.”

This crowd-sourcing site is growing in popularity and for good reason. It’s a great place to post questions on just about anything and get a response from citizen experts around the globe.

This site is jam-packed with videos from top business and world leaders on just about any topic imaginable. The brightest of the bright hangout and share here.

FC has long been my favorite print and online source for transformative ideas and trends. Every transitioning professional should read it from cover to cover every month.

Lots of fresh perspectives are shared daily on this high-octane, business networking site. You can even set up your own forum here and moderate a discussion.

Staying current is no easy task, but one that is vitally important for breaking into or sustaining your momentum in your career field. So grab a book or get online and start investing in your future today.

Michael Scott, Career Velocity LLC

Comment »

, ,

Make a Career of Reclaiming Happiness. How? By Choosing Change

In Uncategorized on September 21, 2011 at 11:14 am

“Because of our discomfort with change, we often passively accept stagnation, even when a situation is dissatisfying. By blithely going along with the circumstances as they are, and ignoring the evidence that we’re in a deafened job or partnership, we set ourselves up for a shock when other people in the situation decide to end it and move on.”

From Ronald Alexander’s book, Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss and Change.


In a world full of options it has always intrigued me how so many of us fall prey to the status quo. Moreover, why is it that we are so willing to accept painful and dissatisfying situations when we have the choice to move on?

I recall taking a position in Chicago back in the mid-nineties that, despite having promise, rapidly evolved into a miserable situation. The work environment there was toxic, terse and confrontational and had me on edge the whole time I was there. It was one of the places you walked into each morning and said to yourself, “Something is not quite right here.” One morning after witnessing an ugly argument between a manager and a staffer, I decided it was time to reconsider whether I wanted to continue working there.

The next morning I decided to make my break. My biggest worry in resigning after only a month was in having to confront the big boss who was a tyrant. So I walked into the lobby that morning, dropped off all of the company belongings with the receptionist at the front desk and walked out.

I have to say that owning my power in this way was so freeing. But even more remarkable were the number of other miserable staffers who called me that evening to tell me they admired my guts for bolting. I told them that the situation was simply not working for me and that I had a choice as to whether to stay or go. And with that, several others resigned the next day.

The idea here is not to choose change just for change’s sake, but to take a clear-eyed look at your life in terms of happiness. Muster up your courage and take a risk to eliminate those activities, people, beliefs that no longer serve you on the path to happiness. Shed dead skin. Use change as the method to living a more fulfilling life. Begin slowly and build momentum. But do begin.

Michael Scott

Comment »

, ,

Social Media and the Job Hunt

In Job Search, Social Media Job Search on June 6, 2011 at 2:10 pm

I had a chance to talk to Denver-based social media expert Ray Alvarez about the use of LinkedIn as a job search tool. Here are a couple of his thoughts about the value of this online community.

Ray Alvarez

Q: What is the most underused feature on LinkedIn for finding job opportunities?

A: The most underutilized feature is group postings. Job seekers should sign up for a group that interests them and check that group often for job postings. Recruiters and others routinely post jobs in the groups comments section. This is the frugal person’s human resources approach.

Q: So who can sign up?

A: Many of the groups have opened up membership to anyone on LinkedIn who wants to join, but others require membership in an actual organization that is restricted to those professionals. If you’re a member of one of these more exclusive groups, you should be using this great resource.

Q: What does one need to do to get set up?

A: Signing up for a group is simple enough. In LinkedIn account settings, the group joiner should indicate that they want to receive a digest of activities “daily.” Next, put a check in the boxes for “Allow the group manager to send me an email” and “Allow members of this group to send me messages via LinkedIn.”

Q: What words make a social media profile more effective for job searches?

A: A LinkedIn profile should contain key words to help employers find you. Begin thinking of yourself and your profile as a brand. Join multiple social media organizations and contribute responses. Make sure you have a profile on Twellow and Google and link these profiles to your LinkedIn profile. Set up profiles on Digg and Delicious and occasionally contribute. It’s a good way to monitor what is going on, too.

Q: Are there any other steps a job seeker should perform for greater exposure to potential employers?

1. First, scout out publications that have articles on subjects in your professional area of interest. You need to comment on news and trade articles, especially articles in popular publications that allow the contributor to include their web address. A blog is also sufficient.

2. Second, promote your response on Twitter and Facebook. Many publications include an option to tweet or share the article. If you regularly search Twitter’s hash lists under particular hash words like #socialmedia, you might include the hash when you tweet or share links (with your comment).

Bonus Note from Ray

By the way, I hear that employers are comparing the resume you send against the profile that appears in LinkedIn. The more key words you include in both can help your cause. If those words also appear in common hash-marked search words, you’re well on your way to boosting your search engine promotion.

Comment »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.