Job Search

{Click here to read the original article on Monster.com.}

We often hear that it’s good to follow up a week or so after sending a resume and/or applying for a job, especially if you don’t hear back from the company. What are some practical guidelines you would suggest for when and how to follow up — without being pesky?

Detail the Value You’d Add

Start by identifying the best person to speak with by checking with your network contacts or the firm’s front-desk staff, and determine what you want to say. When communicating with the hiring manager, express your enthusiasm for the opportunity and highlight why you would be the right fit for the role. For example, if you’re applying for a finance opening, mention the processes you implemented in a previous position to help the company significantly reduce costs and that you could assist the prospective employer in a similar fashion. As you conclude the discussion, ask about the next steps in the hiring process.

The key when following up with hiring managers is to avoid simply asking if they received your resume. Instead take the opportunity to demonstrate your initiative, show your enthusiasm and detail the value you can contribute to the firm.

DeLynn Senna, executive director of North American permanent placement services, Robert Half International

Use Your Network

One week is a good time frame for a follow-up. Follow up once. Unfortunately, many companies and recruiters just don’t have the bandwidth to personally respond to every job inquiry at the disappointment of many candidates. If you don’t have a contact name, search LinkedIn for the contact of the hiring manager or recruiting manager. Usually someone’s LinkedIn account is tied to their personal or work email address, and you can ask for an introduction through your network.

Lindsay Olson, partner, Paradigm Staffing

Keep It Short

Find a contact in the company/division of interest through professional networks. No matter what method of follow-up you choose (phone, email, professional network), express your interest in the position, highlight your top qualities that match the job, and keep your message short and to the point.

Describe how you would benefit the company with attaining its goals and list something relevant to their organization. Let them know you would be available to meet in person or over the phone to discuss your background further.

If you don’t hear back within a week, ask yourself: Is this a company/job you are really interested in? If so, reach out again.

Judy Ottaviano, recruiting manager, and Marybeth Lambert, executive recruiter, Wells Fargo

Check Your Spam Folder

Many organizations are receiving record-high numbers of applications these days, and often there isn’t time or staff to provide direct updates to every applicant. Check to see if the organization has an online application status tool. Many Web-based systems will provide real-time updates on application status, but sometimes you have to dig to find them. Also, check your email spam folder. Many systems will produce an automated note that confirms receipt of an application, or gives information about general timelines, but you won’t see it if it gets caught by your spam blocker.

If the automated tools can’t help, then give a call to the organization’s staff employment or personnel department.

Noah Apodaca, lead recruiter for staff at the University of California, Irvine

{Click here to read the original article on Glassdoor.}

When on the hunt for a job, it’s not uncommon to be applying for multiple opportunities at once. This is especially true for those of us just starting out in our careers. But multiple applications mean different resume versions, various cover letters and many, many different deadlines to keep track of. With so many moving parts at once, it’s easy to become disorganized. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on The Muse.}

Early on in my senior year of college, I took a look around me. 90% of the smart, talented people I knew were clamoring for consulting jobs. Being a consultant meant advising the nation’s top companies on business strategy and receiving a generous salary, a bonus, and a future filled with glamorous cocktail parties and networking events.

I, being an English major, had never given much thought to consulting, but I figured, “If everyone wants this job, it has to be great, right?” The fact that I had never independently been interested in business was unimportant. I became filled with a frantic desire to land one of those coveted, prestigious jobs. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on Glassdoor.}

Finding your first full-time job is a heck of a lot of work — after all of the research you do, applications you fill out, and interviews you prep for, it can be tempting to rush through an acceptance once you’ve been offered a position. But signing the dotted line on an offer letter without hesitation is a decision that can haunt you for years down the road. Not only do you miss out on a lower base pay now — subsequent pay raises are often based on a percentage of your annual salary, so the cash you’re missing out on only compounds. Similarly, settling on a lower initial salary might discourage you from asking for more later down the road or at your next position.

So even (and perhaps especially) if you’re fresh out of college, you should put the work in now to ensure that you earn what you deserve. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on The Muse.}

Fantastic resume submitted.

Check.

Now, get ready for the phone to ring! Acing the first contact from a recruiter or hiring manager is just as important as the in-person interview. Here are five easy steps to make sure you shine. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on Glassdoor.}

These days, job candidates are bringing their A-game to interviews. They’re prepared, well-researched, confident and sure that this is the job for them. However, we’ve all been in interviews where the recruiter or hiring manager was too busy to give you the interview you deserve. You know the type: rushed, disinterested, and simply “dialing it in.”

Before you walk away from another interview wondering, “Was I really that bad?” consider the alternative. You may not have recognized the red flags during the interview. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on Jostle.}

Culture cannot be ignored, hoped for, or passively addressed. It must be proactively managed, encouraged and supported. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on Glassdoor.}

What’s the adage? Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life? Not if you don’t fit in with the company culture.

With two-thirds of HR managers in OfficeTeam’s March 2015 survey citing cultural fit as a reason for losing employees, the adage should read something like: “Find a company you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”

Clearly, how you fit into a company’s culture and work environment is an important part of being happy and engaged at work, but how do you find a company you love? Where can you find out about a company’s culture before you take the job? Read more

{Click here to read the original article on The Muse.}

Did you know that looking a person directly in the eye is intimidating? Or that if you are introverted you could be sending the wrong message to your boss about your confidence and capabilities? According to body language expert Dr. Lillian Glass, how you carry yourself can drastically impact a first impression at work.

“Introvert and extroverts need to be mindful of their body language to make a good impression,” says Dr. Glass. “You have to convey that you’re confident, that you’re an open person and that you’re the type of person that someone wants to work with or do business with.”

Facial expressions, body language, and linguistics can be bigger indicators of your abilities as an employee than your work product. In other words, no matter how great your results or final project may be, the cues you are giving through your body language and disposition can undermine your success, and influence your chances for promotion, a raise, and even career growth. Read more

{Click here to read the original article on The Muse.}

You’ve done the work, you’ve put in your time, you know your stuff — but before you open your mouth to give the presentation you’ve prepared so intently, you’ve been judged.

It’s human nature: Our brains are wired to take in all available information and draw instant conclusions. Which means that everything you do — how you walk into a room, carry yourself, and use gestures — makes an impression that has nothing to do with what you actually know. Read more