The Monster Blog

Party Hardly?

It was the mid-1990s, and I had one of my first "real jobs," at a large publishing company--I'd been at the company only a couple of months before the annual holiday party rolled around. I was anxious to make a good impression and was drinking only cranberry juice mixed with sparkling water (a "mocktail"--very helpful for professional social events where drinks are served and you don't want to stand out as the only person having water).

Nonetheless, about an hour into the evening, just as the party was getting into full swing, I tripped on some bunched-up carpet at the edge of the dance floor and fell flat on my face--sending my drink (and my glasses) flying--in full view of everyone.

For the rest of my time at that company, whenever there was a workplace social event, my coworkers would josh me--"Watch out! Steady on your feet! How many have you had tonight?!"

Workplace holiday parties have made me a little bit nervous ever since.

And I'm not alone. For last week's Monster+HotJobs poll, we asked, "How do you feel about workplace holiday parties?"--and 11 percent of the more than 3,500 respondents replied, "Bah, Humbug!"

Here are the complete results:

    • I love them: Break out the eggnog! 22%
    • I like them: They're usually enjoyable. 35%
    • I tolerate them: I go only to network. 12%
    • I dislike them: I attend only if forced. 19%
    • I hate them: Bah humbug! 11%

Of course, a lot probably depends on where you work--some companies are more fun than others! But I think some good advice about workplace holiday parties is that, in many respects, you're still "on the clock." You'll usually want to maintain a more professional demeanor than you would at a purely social event.

Another tip: Take advantage of holiday parties to network (don't hang out by the buffet table with your usual cohorts). Come prepared with some conversational topics you can use with top brass or coworkers you don't know very well.

And watch your step!

For more tips, check out "Office Holiday Party Etiquette." And share your workplace-holiday-party tips (and horror stories) in the comments section.

The Monster 5 for Friday--Careers Edition--November 19

The four most-populous U.S. states--California, Texas, New York, and Florida--all added jobs last month for the first time since May, as the (painfully) slow economic recovery began to increase demand for labor. And that's good news. So if you think that it's time to slow down or pause your job search just because the holiday season is here, you should think again. In fact, many experts think that the holiday season is an excellent time to look for a job.

We wish you a happy Thanksgiving and a fruitful job search. Here are five of the best new career-advice articles we saw this week:

5. The end of the year is a great time to take stock of your career goals--and yourself. Learn how to identify your unique talents and attributes: read "Assessing Your Skills."

4. It's a time of year when we are all thinking about saying thanks to the important people our lives. But are we forgetting to express gratitude on the job? Read "The Power of Saying Thank-You at Work."

3. Having trouble landing an interview? Here's some help figuring out why, from Careerealism: "Help! I Can't Land an Interview!"

2. Despite our best intentions, sometimes workplace tensions can get ... rather high. Learn how to handle them, in "The 5 Trickiest Workplace Situations."

1. Does your job wear you out? By 3:00 pm, are you in desperate need of an afternoon siesta? Well, here's an article you should show your boss: "Why Power Naps Are Catching On."

What job-seeker topics would you like to see covered in a Monster article? Let me know in the comments section below, or find me on Twitter and send me a message.

Developing a Personal Brand, Part Two

Last week in the Monster.com blog, Chris Perry, of CareerRocketeer, explained some personal-branding basics, in "What Is a Personal Brand, and How Do I Get One?"

This week, he answered more questions for Monster.com and from a Monster.com reader.

Monster Blog: How does someone maintain a personal brand--what are "personal brand 2.0" practices?

Chris Perry: First of all, consistency is critical--the more consistent all of your marketing efforts are, both online and offline, the more powerful and memorable your personal brand impression will be on all current and prospective stakeholders in your career. Therefore, it's key that everything you do and present to others professionally and socially is consistent and supports your personal brand.

Second, just because you have a job doesn't mean that you don't need to actively share your personal brand with others. Continue to network and conduct informational interviews with new contacts.  Find ways to contribute value to others--ways that support your brand.  You never know what opportunities will come to you despite not actively seeking them.

Lastly, don't just settle for maintaining your brand. Continue to build your personal brand and work to become a thought leader in your industry or area of expertise. You can do this by starting your own blog with a unique POV on your industry, getting quoted in the media by joining HARO (HelpaReporter.com), and contributing advice, experiences, and insights to writers and journalists seeking expert sources or finding ways to bring fellow industry thought leaders together on a project or at an event.

Monster Blog (submitted by reader Kumar): How about maintaining personal brand on social media--personal stuff versus professional stuff? Facebook versus LinkedIn? Should we isolate both or blend them?

Chris Perry: It would be challenging to completely separate yourself into two separate identities or brands, one for your professional life and one for your personal life. Your personality and social identity will naturally enter your professional career, helping make you the unique individual you are in an organization, and your more professional skills and strengths will naturally shape and support some of your personal, more social activities and efforts. 

Therefore, I suggest blending them by finding a middle ground where both parts of your personal brand can co-exist without compromising the other when you're using social media to promote yourself online. LinkedIn is more of a professional tool--but definitely inject some of your personality into it to make yourself stand out as more human. Facebook is more of a social-networking tool for friends and family; however, promote your education and experience and make sure your activities, contributions, and photos support your personal brand in the eyes of an employer, as they are watching and using your social-media activities as indicators of your value to an organization. 

Blogs and Twitter could go either way--but, again, ensure that everything you do supports your personal brand, regardless of whether it is directly related to your career or industry.

Chris Perry, MBA, is a Gen-Y brand and marketing generator, an ambitious entrepreneur, and a career-search and personal-branding expert. Perry is the founder of Career Rocketeer; its partner efforts, including Launchpad; and other online career services and communities, such as MBA Highway.

Tips for Business Travel

Last week's Monster+HotJobs poll asked visitors, "What's the maximum amount of business travel that's acceptable to you in a job?"

And the willingness to travel was a bit higher than expected: only 17 percent of respondents said they wouldn't travel at all for work--but 29 percent said they'd travel up to four days a month, and an additional 20 percent said they'd travel up to nine days per month.

That's a lot of frequent-flier miles.

Here are the complete results:

   • Jet-setter: 20 or more days a month. 16%
    • Globe-trotter: 15-19 days a month. 8%
    • Road warrior: 10-14 days a month. 11%
    • Frequent flier: 5-9 days a month. 20%
    • Day-tripper: 1-4 days a month. 29%
    • Homebody: 0 days a month. 17%

In my current job, I travel only a few days a month--in past positions, though, I've done a bit more traveling than that. Here are a few business-travel tips I can share from my own experience--and I hope you'll add yours in the comments section:

1. Keep packed clothes wrinkle-free: Empty space in your suitcase can cause wrinkles--so fill air pockets with underwear or socks (and an extra pair often comes in handy anyway). I try to fold clothes only along seams, and I pack wrinkle-prone items in dry-cleaning or shopping bags (and I never pack linen clothes). I unpack as soon as I arrive at the hotel. If possible, I hang things in the bathroom (the steam from the shower will release some wrinkles).

2. Be smart about personal-grooming products: I stay stocked up on travel-size versions of the products I use, and I never turn down free samples (of cologne, lotion, and so on). I keep all these items (as well as unused travel-size hotel toiletries) in a bag inside my suitcase so they're always handy. (Also, if one item is going to push my carry-on over the maximum allowed amount of liquids--and therefore require that I check a bag--I find out whether there's a drugstore near my destination hotel. Often it's easier and less expensive to buy something like deodorant than to check luggage.)

3. Save time at security: I wear only slip-on shoes when I travel, and (if possible) I wear pants that don't need a belt--so there's less to take off before going through metal detectors. Also, before I get to the airport, I pack my keys in my carry-on and divest myself of pocket change. (When leaving a hotel, I add it on top of the tip I leave for the housekeeper.)

4. Get upgraded: Before I leave on a trip, I make sure I'm a member of whatever frequent-traveler programs (airline, hotel, and so on) I can take advantage of. Even if I don't earn anywhere near enough points for a free trip or elite status, enough smaller perks and upgrades are awarded to members to make enrolling worthwhile: things like minor upgrades or a fruit basket from hotel management. I keep all my frequent-flier program info in a small address book in a pocket of my carry-on.

Visit Monster.com's "Business Travel Guide" for more tips.

What are your travel tips? Please share them in the comments section!

The Monster 5 for Friday--Careers Edition--November 12

We honored our country's veterans this week, on Thursday, Veterans Day. At the same time, there was far too much in the news about the difficulty that returning veterans are having in their job searches: in October, the unemployment rate for veterans who have served since September 2001 was 10.6 percent--a full percentage point above the national average.

If you are (or if someone you love is) a veteran who's hunting for a job, take a look at Military.com--a great one-stop resource for veterans and active-duty military personnel. Also check out VeteranEmployment.com, Monster.com's Military Transition Center, and G.I. Jobs' new list of the top 100 military-friendly employers.

Thank you, veterans. We are all in your debt.

And here are five of our favorite career-advice articles (for veterans and civilians alike) from the past week:

5. One of this week's big stories in the world of employment was reported by the Huffington Post (among other publications): "White House Fielding Questions from the Unemployed on Facebook." Join the conversation now on Monster.com's Facebook page.

4. Many people overlook a simple job-interview step that influences 88 percent of hiring managers surveyed. Read more in "Say Thank-You for Your Interview."

3. It's a nightmare predicament: You quit your job for a new one. Then the new one doesn't work out. And you have to go crawling back to your old boss to ask for your old position back. We hope it never happens to you, but CBSMoneywatch.com has some tips in "The 'Oh $#*!' Moment: How to Beg for Your Old Job."

2. Ageism (real and subconscious) can be a real problem for job seekers on the mature side of 40. But there are simple (and non-surgical) ways to give your resume a face-lift--read "Rejuvenate Your Resume."

1. Don't blow your job interview by using language that puts hiring managers to sleep (or, worse, ticks them off). Read "10 Overused Phrases Interviewers Can't Stand."

What kind of job-seeker-focused content would you like to see? Let me know in the comments section, or find me on Twitter and send me a message.

What Is a Personal Brand, and How Do I Get One?

If you're up on job-search and career-development advice, you've likely been hearing the term "personal brand" used more and more. By all accounts, developing and maintaining a consistent, effective personal brand is as important to the modern worker (in just about industry) as having a great resume and an engaged network of peers.

But the term is sometimes used in a vague way--what is a personal brand, and how does a job seeker begin crafting one? I asked personal-branding expert Chris Perry, of CareerRocketeer, to explain some basics. 

Monster Blog: Why is having a personal brand important--and is it important for all job seekers?

Chris Perry: Everyone has a unique personal brand. You communicate your own brand in everything you do--whether you know it or not. It's important to remember that personal branding is so much more than what you put on your social networks or what you write on a blog. It's who you are inside and out, online and offline. Your personal brand is your reputation.

Effective personal branding is essential for all job seekers, as it not only makes you stand out from the crowd to employers and recruiters, but also can increase your job security during your career--by communicating your value as a leader and team player to your organization.

Monster Blog: How can a person decide what his or her personal brand is?

Chris Perry: Your personal brand is the unique and differentiating value that you can bring to an organization, a team, and/or a project, [communicated] in a professionally memorable and consistent manner in all of your actions and outputs, both online and offline, to all current and prospective stakeholders in your career.

Here are a several steps to help you create your personal brand:

    1. Write down your differentiating strengths (those you feel make you stand out from the rest).

    2. Ask your friends, family, colleagues, and managers to do the same.

    3. Identify the top three to five strengths that you feel will support the career direction you want to pursue.

    4. Create or find a word or phrase that can become your personal brand and that represents these strengths. (Note that you should ensure that your word or phrase is versatile and can change with your career direction.)

    5. Develop a short pitch [what some experts call an "elevator speech"] that builds on your brand, describing your strengths in more detail.

Monster Blog: Then how does someone use that brand in a job search?

Chris Perry: Here are a few of the ways that you can build and communicate your personal brand both online and in-person:

•     Create a LinkedIn profile and follow the suggested steps to complete your profile, making sure you include your personal brand and pitch in your subtitle and summary sections.
•     Consider creating a personal website or blog where you can house all of your information, including your brand, experience, education, skills, honors, entrepreneurial efforts, and more.
•     Include your personal brand on your resume, cover letter, business cards, email signature, and voicemail message, as well as across your other social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook.
•     Conduct informational interviews with target network contacts (whether or not you're seeking a job) and share your personal brand with them in your introductions.
•     Join associations or networking groups within your industry and try attending their events to meet new contacts and build your target network.  Be sure to share your personal brand with those new contacts you meet.

 

-- Check back next week for more tips from Chris Perry, on how to maintain your personal brand over time. If you have more questions on creating a personal brand, let us know in the comments section, and we will try to include answers in next week's blog post.

Chris Perry, MBA, is a Gen-Y brand and marketing generator, an ambitious entrepreneur, and a career-search and personal-branding expert. Perry is the founder of Career Rocketeer; its partner efforts, including Launchpad; and other online career services and communities, such as MBA Highway.

 

 

 

The Monster 5 for Friday--Careers Edition--November 5

We got some good news from the Labor Department today! Well, it may not have been clearly "good," but it was better than expected and gave reason for job seekers to feel happy and hopeful: The Labor Department reports that private-sector employers added 159,000 jobs in October, meaning that payrolls rose by 151,000 jobs. And September's number was revised to show that payrolls fell by only 41,000--less than the original estimate, 95,000.

Many jobs were gained in mining and several service industries. Health care also continued to add jobs, and the temporary-services industry added 35,000 jobs (another good sign that the economy is continuing to recover, albeit slowly). And Monster.com reports that online job postings are up.

The unemployment rate is still stuck at 9.6 percent--in part because employers are still not adding enough jobs to keep up with population growth. So a lot of Americans still need job-seeking advice. Here's some of the best advice we saw this week:

5. Job boards like HotJobs and Monster.com are essential tools--but they're not the only tools you should be using in your search. Read "4 Ways to Tap Into the Hidden Job Market."

4. Do you know what not to do when managing your career and your job search? Read "11 Ways to Hurt Your Career."

3. Think you know all there is to know about job interviews? You may want to think again. Read "3 Job-Interview Myths: Learn the Truth Before Your Next Interview."

2. Tired of reading? Check out this very informative video-blog post on the pros and cons of different resume formats: "Formatting Your Resume to Be Read."

1. Finally, here's advice on getting past a hiring manager's possible bias (conscious or subconscious) against more-mature job seekers: "Eliminate Ageism on Your Resume with Six Quick Tips."

What kind of job-seeker-focused content would you like to see? Let me know in the comments section, or find me on Twitter and send me a message.

Share Your Success--and Win Prizes

Monster.com is looking for successful job seekers to tell the world how they used Monster.com--or other resources--to find a new job. Our Success Stories campaign is an effort to encourage hope and optimism through the sharing of both successful job-search stories and practical advice. 

And as if that weren't reason enough, we're also offering six prize packages, including a new laptop and a $5K gift card for a new work wardrobe.

Thanks to CAREEREALISM founder J.T. O'Donnell for helping to spread the news about our Share Your Success Sweepstakes in this video post.

 

 

 

Don't Overlook Seasonal Work

If you’re an out-of-work professional, you may think that taking seasonal work--for instance, in a retail environment or in package delivery--is counterproductive. But most experts say that's not necessarily so.

Career expert Jean Baur, the author of "Eliminated! Now What?: Finding Your Way from Job-Loss Crisis to Career Resilience," says, "In general I think it's a great idea to take an interim job." She gives an example of a senior-level finance manager who took a job driving a limo during the holidays. "This not only made him money," Baur says, "but also gave him a chance to meet high-level people--his customers. And he just happened to mention that he was in transition during the ride to the airport, had a stack of resumes on the front passenger seat, and even got an interview out of it."

(Get job-interview tips and advice.) 

It's Not Just Retail
And not all seasonal jobs are in stores or delivery trucks. Think of other places that get busier during the holidays: for instance, restaurants, catering companies, nurseries, babysitting services, beauty salons, and more. Also consider signing up with a temporary-staffing agency in your industry or for general office workers. Many offices have end-of-year "crunch" periods, and people often take vacations during the holidays. Even a short-term "answering the phones and making copies" job can be a foot in the door at a new company.

(Get more tips on finding seasonal work and real-world advice on surviving a holiday-season retail job.)

Look to Your Resume for Transferable Skills
If you decide to look for seasonal work, make sure to update your resume so that it's relevant to the job you're applying for. In any retail or customer-service position, "one of the most marketable skills is your communication abilities," says Baur. "If you haven't sold cosmetics or helped a do-it-yourselfer find the right tool, but you have managed a team or given presentations or solved complex problems, sell those skills--as well as your ability to learn a new role quickly."

(Get more advice on crafting an effective resume.)

And when the holiday season is over, you may wonder about listing a temporary job on your resume. Baur suggests, "Don't list them unless they're relevant to the job you're looking for. What I would always list, however, is new skills, classes, anything that shows that you're motivated and learning."

Career expert Lauren Milligan, of www.ResuMAYDAY.com, says, "The important thing to remember is that if the job doesn't add value to your overall career plan, it's best to minimize."

But you don't need to hide the fact that you took a gift-wrapping or package-delivery job during the holidays. All jobs offer learning experiences and opportunities to gain skills and knowledge. When the job ends, identify what you've learned, so you can figure out whether that can be incorporated into your career "story."

Milligan says, "Overall, I do think it's in the candidate's best interest to break up an employment gap--so adding it in is always my first choice. For extra sparkle, get a complimentary quote from your seasonal employer."

What do you think about taking a seasonal job during the holidays? Let me know in the comments section, or find me on Twitter and send a message.

 

How to Ask Good Questions at an Interview

Recently, we've been discussing good questions to ask at interviews--preparing thoughtful, intelligent questions to ask about the employer's business and about the position are key to making a good impression in an interview.

The trouble is, good questions must be specific--and show that you've done your research. So here are five types of questions. Before your next interview, make sure you have one of each:

1. Ask about the company's future (of course, make the question relevant to the research you've done). For instance, "What are some of the major initiatives or projects on the company's horizon in the next five years?"

2. Ask how you can help the team. For instance, "What are some skill gaps or development areas of the current team?"

3. Ask for granular details about the position (but don’t ask anything that could be found out by reading the job description or by researching the company). For instance, "What are the primary things you expect me to accomplish in my first 60 days here?" or "Can you describe a typical week in this position?" or "How is success measured in this position?"

4. Toward the end of your interview, ask for a chance to assuage any doubts the interviewer has. For instance, "Now that we’ve talked about my qualifications and the job, do you have any concerns about my being successful in this position?"

5. Ask for next steps. For instance, "This sounds like a great fit for me. What are next steps--when can I expect to hear more from you?" And then, after the hiring manager says something like "We hope to know in a couple of weeks," you can say something like "Great! I will talk to you then." That way, if he or she gets too busy to call, you won’t feel strange or nervous about picking up the phone yourself.