Why You Should Do An Online Internship

Why You Should Do An Online Internship

Whether you are already enrolled in a distance learning program or you plan to be soon, thinking about your future career is probably on the forefront of your mind. Since most people getting an online degree are doing so for their future career, it’s no surprise students want to know what types of career services are offered. Why You Should Do An Online Internship Some schools will provide you with job placement services, but certain types of degrees will require more effort to get a job. Many industries are looking for people with experience and new graduates don’t always fit the bill. However, if you can find an online internship with a company in the same industry, you can get experience to land a full time, permanent position. Finding An Online Internship Since you’re in distance learning, you’ll probably be using the Internet for finding the internship as well. Depending on the type of degree you’re going for, the internship might be local or online. Typically, internships completely online are for jobs like writing, graphic design, or other virtual careers. If you already know of companies in your area that accept interns, that’s the place to start. Other than that, a simple Internet search should get you some resources. Also, check different social media networks; many companies will post internship opportunities there. Benefits Of An Online Internship Although you’re focusing on your coursework and will soon have a degree, it can be hard finding a job in the beginning. The biggest benefit to online internships is that they help you gain valid work experience to put on your resume. Not only that, but the employer can provide you with an excellent reference and recommendation. If you’re looking for a career that’s home-based, you will need to find an online internship. This shows future employers that you’re capable of working on your own with very minimal supervision and meeting the deadlines set for you. Getting Employment After you’re finished with your online internship, contact the person you were working for to ask for a reference. If you did your due diligence before accepting the internship, you should already know they are willing to give you a reference. You will now have experience in your field of expertise and something to put on your resume. When looking for a full-time, permanent position, be sure to let them know what experience you have, who the internship was for, and the type of work that you did.

Young And Unemployed? 3 Reasons Why You’re Not Getting Hired

If you’re a college graduate and you’re unemployed, you might have an idea of what I’m about to talk about. You’ve spent four years of your life hitting the books, getting good grades, participating in relevant extra-curricular activities, and maybe even juggling a part-time job in between. You’ve worked really hard for your degree and you’ve been told time and time again that a degree is essential to finding employment in today’s competitive job market. So, why are you not getting hired?

First of all, you’re not alone. According to this survey by the U.S. Department of Labor, men and women from ages 20-24 are about 70.9% of the total population, but only 13.3% are part of the labor force. Though the unemployment rate has slowly declinedfor Bachelor degree owners, it’s still lagging. For that reason, the competition is fiercer than ever. This means you really have to re-evaluate your job search strategy.

3 Reasons Why You’re Not Getting Hired

Here are some reasons why you might not be part of the employed percentage just yet:

1. Your Resume Isn’t Job Specific

While it’s good to have a strong resume with all of your professional skill sets, your resume can become generic when all you do is send the same resume to every open position you find. Take the time to rewrite your resume on multiple occasions and use specific keywords that are in the job description.

According to an article on the Job Center of Wisconsin website, gathering information specific to the job you are applying for and matching it with your experience on your resume is what makes a good resume. You have to “Think like an employer,” the article states, “do not give unrelated or negative information.”

2. You’re Not Applying To Jobs That Are Specific To Your Skills

You have every reason to apply to every job in sight. Our economy, though steadily improving, is still lagging in jobs for recent graduates. Still, it doesn’t do you any favors when you apply to every single job you see and send the same resume to each one.

Apply to the jobs you want and are qualified for. After all, it’s what you studied for. Try to make a list of potential places you’d like to work for and target those companies any way you can. Use social media sites to find people you can network with, and keep an eye out for any open positions. You have a better chance at getting hired at a job where your skills are relevant than at a job you’re 100% unqualified for.

3. You Don’t Take Your Social Media Profiles Seriously

According to an article on the Undercover Recruiter, a survey of 300 professionals by Reppler found that “hirers are using social networks to screen job applicants.” This means you should clean up your Facebook and Twitter profiles to present a more positive, but more importantly, a professional image of yourself.

It might be in your best interest not to post that picture of you doing a keg stand as your default, or Tweet about how you hate looking for jobs because you’d rather be partying with your friends.

Quick Fixes For 3 Problems With Your Online Presence

Living in the modern world, one’s online presence is a key part of their identity – especially in the entertainment business. When someone’s name is mentioned in conversation, people turn to the Internet to find out more about that person. Who are they? What have they done? They are looking for answers and usually those answers are attainable by making a few clicks on the keyboard.

So, what’s your online identity? Here are a few problems you could be having and some solutions you can implement TODAY!

1. No Online Presence

I type in your name, hit the search button and… Nothin’! Nada! Zilch! Congratulations, you don’t exist. Rarer and rarer, I’ll admit. Even your privacy settings won’t allow that kind of anonymity. But a locked Facebook profile and a couple of random mentions are as good as nothing.

Quick-Step Action Plan:Start with creating a LinkedIn profile for yourself and then start linking in with your friends, co-workers, former fellow interns, etc. This is a professional networking site so make sure your profile contains all of your relevant professional experience and a compelling summary at the top.

Extra Credit Assignment: Join groups on LinkedIn related to your profession or otherwise appropriate (most likely, there’s an alumni group for your college, maybe even one specific to your major) and start commenting on discussions to which you have something to offer. Also, visit blogs relevant to your profession and start commenting on the posts. If you are a good writer and have a good idea for an article, offer to guest blog.

2. Incomplete Or Incorrect Online Presence

Your IMDB page says you guest starred on “Castle” last season, but you are a composer. Your LinkedIn profile is missing the job you currently have, your most impressive job to date, by far.

Quick-Step Action Plan: Time for a little housecleaning. Check your LinkedIn profile, your IMDB page. Ditto MySpace, for those in the music biz. (Yes, MySpace is still a relevant professional social networking tool for musicians, music managers and producers, etc.) Anywhere you maintain a presence. Make an effort to clean up your act. An incomplete or incorrect online identity can be more damaging than having no online identity at all.

Extra Credit Assignment: Google yourself and see what comes up. Was a blog post written about you that describes you using an outdated title? It’s probably no big deal. Most people know though the internet is forever, people change jobs and even professions.

But if it is misleading, or you can easily get the blogger to install the word “former” before your job title, then go for it. Especially if you are still getting a pesky number of inquiries from strangers thinking you still have that job.

3. Inappropriate Online Presence

This can apply to your career in two ways. The first: Oh, college… oh, your early 20s… Oh, dear. Potential employers (and internship supervisors and clients) Google you, sometimes before they even interview you. That picture of your with a beer in your hand holding up your shirt to display your new bellybutton piercing is going to cost you that opportunity.

Yes, we’re in entertainment but we want employees/interns/service providers who have good judgment. Having that picture online says you don’t.

The second way an online presence can be inappropriate is if you are shifting gears in your career. If every mention of you online depicts you as a camera assistant and you have just gotten your second cinematographer job and want to continue on that path, it’s time for a little online image makeover.

Quick-Step Action Plan: In the case of the bellybutton photo or any other image or comment that makes you look like a less-than-stellar job candidate, take it down or get yourself untagged if the photo belongs to a friend. In the case of a job transition, rewrite your online profiles to describe yourself in the way you currently want to be seen. You are a cinematographer with a background in camera assisting.

Extra Credit Assignment: Start commenting in relevant LinkedIn groups and on blogs which allow you to establish yourself as a professional in the way you want to be seen. Especially if you can’t get the offending (or outdated) content removed from the web. You are not an exhibitionist drunkard. You are not a camera assistant. Now go tell someone on the web. Eventually the outdated content will get pushed so far down your Google search, the potential employer will never see it.

Congratulations, you now have the right online presence to help you get where you want to go. Now make a note to check it every few months in case it needs updating or in case your college days somehow end up making an appearance.

3 Tips To Avoid Missing Out On New Job Opportunities

3 Tips To Avoid Missing Out On New Job Opportunities

Did you know that you can actually be hiding from employers and not even know it? It’s true – You could be missing out on new job opportunities. Statistics show that 90% of employers search online for candidates; and although social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and job boards are great places to start—and be discovered, if your actual resume isn’t online—you’re missing out. We have 40+ sample resumes on our web site; and almost every day, we’re contacted by recruiters looking for candidates who match the qualifications of positions they are trying to fill. They found the resumes on our samples page by completing a keyword search on Google or some other search engine. Many times, recruiters aren’t going to job boards to look for qualified candidates; they are simply typing the skills, areas of expertise, and specific qualifications into a search engine and then contacting the candidates who pop up.  So how can you be the candidate who gets discovered by recruiters and hiring managers conducting search engine searches? Here are three great ways to start: 1. A Web Resume Your resume as it’s very own Web site.  Your resume Web site has its own URL—which you can add to your LinkedIn profile, printed resume, networking/business cards, and pretty much anywhere else you can imagine.  When a recruiter completes a keyword search the search engine will pull up your resume for those matching keywords. 2. A Professional Blog Create your own professional blog and talk about your experience and skills, passion for your industry, or provide advice to readers. Consider adding a page to your blog that includes your resume and contact information as well so that recruiters can easily contact you when they pull up your blog. 3. A Professional Web Site Or Portfolio Considering going the extra mile and creating an entire professional Web site or portfolio that highlights your career experience, includes a bio, samples of your work, a copy of your resume, professional headshot (if appropriate), and a contact page with links to all the sites you are currently networking on such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and so on. If you opt for this route—which I think is a great idea—be sure to include the links to all the sites you’re on, a copy of your resume, your e-mail address so they can contact you about relevant opportunities, and a compelling (but not too long) career biography that highlights some of your greatest professional accomplishments. You can always direct employers back to this site to learn more about you as a candidate—and find other ways to connect with you as well. Take note to practice due diligence and safety when posting your information online. You don’t have to give your street address; and frankly, I would never include it online. You can provide your e-mail address in order to allow a potential employer to contact you; or you could include your LinkedIn profile address. If you have a P.O. box and are comfortable providing that on your Web resume, you could do that as well; or just simply provide your city, state, and zip. Providing a phone number is really up to you and how you feel about putting that information out on the Internet. You can make yourself available online but not vulnerable. And that is what’s important. Be smart about which information you post, but be diligent in getting yourself out there to be discovered for new job opportunities.

Find A Hobby To Balance Out Your Career

Find A Hobby To Balance Out Your Career

Do you have a hobby or two? What are they? How much time you spend doing them? I know your reaction to this line of questions, “Lisa, why are you talking about hobbies. You’re a career management coach. You help people find jobs and manage their careers. What does a hobby have to do with a career?” I submit to you that it means a great deal. Our expression of ourselves in the activities we do, especially the ones we thrive at and get invigorated by tells us about ourselves. It tells us what we enjoy, our interests, sometimes our passions. It may even help us to find our next great career. Who knows by exploring an area of interest that you already enjoy what could be the possibilities to be involved in that industry. I know. I know. You are going to say, “But Lisa, if I did my hobby as full-time work I would hate it.” Perhaps. But it comes down to balance, doesn’t it? Investing so much of our life and ourselves into constant work, drains us. It doesn’t refresh us. Who said you have to work “a million” hours a week to succeed in your career? Here’s my pitch to you… What if you actually worked a balanced schedule and refreshed yourself in the other parts of your life such as fun and recreation (hobby)? I believe you will be more productive, more creative, more relaxed, and even amicable in your work. What is your hobby? Biking, skiing, car racing, running, music, art, history, politics, kayaking, surfing, sailing, scuba diving, hiking, cooking, sewing, knitting, painting, writing, photography, aviation, jumping from airplanes and the list goes on. I am sure I missed a whole crowd of them. Hobbies are meant to relax us. They are meant to be enjoyed. Putting our energies into something totally different than our careers or businesses can help our bodies and our minds. We gain new perspective on our jobs. I promise you, you will feel better and be more creative. You may come up with an idea to fix a problem you never would have before had you not “walked away” to engage in a new passion, even if for a few hours at a time. 

How To Edit Your Resume When You’re Overqualified

How To Edit Your Resume When You’re Overqualified

With the job market saturated with highly qualified candidates who have been laid off from jobs they’ve held for years, it’s no secret many are now interested in applying for jobs that may fall below their level of expertise. If you are a candidate who may be overqualified for a job you’re considering, think about making adjustments to your resume to help you get the job.

Subtract “Too-Impressive” Job History And Education

Believe it or not, it’s perfectly acceptable to leave information off of your resume that might be considered too impressive. For instance, if you have worked as a marketing executive but now want to apply for a job as a human resources manager, you can leave the executive information off, especially since the new and old positions aren’t in the same field.

Same goes for education. If you have a doctorate, you don’t have to add it to your resume. You can postpone any discussion about this qualification for your interview where you can take the time to explain why you’re looking for a job that doesn’t require as much of a challenge.

Add Extra Details About History That Help You Qualify

On the other hand, it’s a great idea to elaborate on various aspects of your career that can help you better qualify for a position. Take time to think about what made you a great manager at a previous point in your career. What caused you to excel and advance to the level you reached prior to leaving your last job?

As a manager, you’re sure to have had great accomplishments to list on your resume. Be sure to go into detail about what made you great then—and what will make you exceptional in the position you’re applying for now.

The goal of writing your resume is to make sure you get called for an interview. Unfortunately, this can be difficult to do if you get tossed into the denial pile because an employer is worried you’ll become bored with your job and flee as soon as you can. By adjusting your resume accordingly to get the interview, you have given yourself the opportunity to sort out the remaining details face-to-face.

The One Question That Ruins An Interview

Most HR representatives and headhunters agree on one thing: that few candidates arrive at the interview prepared to answer the one question that is almost always asked, “What is your greatest weakness?”

Although the question is seldom phrased like that anymore, it doesn’t matter how they word it because the response has to be the same. The interviewer wants you to tell them your weakness, where you need to improve, where you’re not as strong in technical skills or management experience, or something.

Candidates get flustered with this question more than any other, and for no good reason.

I’ll Let You In On A Secret…

Most of the time, the person asking that question doesn’t even want to know the answer. They ask the question because they want to see how you answer it.

After listening to responses from thousands of candidates, and discussing the issue with dozens of clients, I’m convinced there is only one way to answer the question, and that is by being…

Honest

Honesty is a much abused virtue. Really, the only time you see or hear of someone being honest is when they’re apologizing for already being caught. A politician with his pants down or his hands in the till. A comment that “slipped” out and offended any number of ethnic groups or religions. Or, a more general act of civil disobedience. The one thing in common is that the “honesty” part only surfaces after the guilty party is exposed. People are forgiving souls though, and if the apology is well-written and presented sincerely, all ends well.

This Is Not So In An Interview

You don’t get that second chance in an interview. You don’t get to rally the troops, have someone write a speech, and then proffer an apology. In an interview, you’re stuck with what slipped out of your mouth, so you better be prepared.

This is not difficult. You should know what your weakness is. People have probably been telling you all of your life—parents, spouse, co-workers—and by now it should have sunk in. If you don’t know it, think hard about the term “self-awareness.”

In any case, it doesn’t matter because that weakness you’re about to blurt out is nothing the interviewers haven’t heard before. In fact, if you didn’t know this, here’s another secret for you—everyone has a weakness. Even Superman can be hurt by kryptonite.

The reason you’re being interviewed is because the company thinks you might be able to help them solve their problems. They brought you in because of your strengths and accomplishments—accomplishments that you achieved even with your weaknesses. If you show them you can solve their problems, you’ll stand a good chance of getting the offer. Being honest with this response will go a long way toward getting the offer because they’ll know that, if you can be honest about your weaknesses, they can probably trust your other responses.

Don’t Try To Be Clever

The worst possible response would be to try and pass off a weakness as a strength. I’ve seen people recommend doing this, and it’s garbage advice. If the best answer you can come up with is that you are a perfectionist or that you work too hard, you have far bigger problems than you realize.

So, how do I answer the question? I’m not going to tell you how to answer the question. No one but you can do that. But I’ll show you an example of a normal response that’s a good one:

Let’s assume you’re a design engineer.

“I have a tendency to rush things. In the past that resulted in a few quality problems with the finished product. The second boss I had worked with me on that, and I’ve had to resort to desperate measures to slow myself down. If you walk into my office, you’ll see sticky notes all over my computer and desk, with notes that read, ‘SLOW DOWN’ or ‘Double check everything!’

“I also set alarms on my phone that pop up twice a day reminding me of the same things. When I see these reminders, it hits home. The good thing is, the process works. The last two products we put out have been finished on time, on budget, and, so far, with no field problems or quality issues. It’s actually made me a much better engineer, but, I still need those reminders.”

This kind of weakness people can relate to because it really is a weakness. The difference is you’ve shown that you learned how to deal with it.

Preparation

You should practice your response so you’re comfortable discussing it, but don’t make it sound like a rehearsed speech. Also, be prepared for the interviewer to probe deeper. Some interviewers like to dig a little to see if there’s any fluctuation in your answer or if you try to back off when pressed.

Bottom Line

Always be honest, even if you think it might hurt your chance for an offer, although it probably won’t. To summarize, here’s what to do when you’re asked the question.

• State your weakness.
• Let the interviewer know you’re aware of it.
• Show them you’ve figured out how to deal with it.
• Show them that solution worked.