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	<title>The Work Buzz &#187; Career Advice</title>
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		<title>How to prove you&#8217;re needed</title>
		<link>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/how-to-prove-youre-needed/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/how-to-prove-youre-needed/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:31:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>anthony balderrama</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Career Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Office Etiquette]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[outsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[proofreading]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theworkbuzz.com/?p=3590</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;ve read our posts before, you know we encourage workers to make tactful departures. We also encourage workers to be direct with their bosses and be confident in their abilities. Now, what happens when these two situations converge? You get a memo dripping in red ink.
As regional blog Torontoist explains, publishers at newspaper Toronto [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/boss-problems/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: When your boss forgets to be the boss'>When your boss forgets to be the boss</a> <small>I fully admit that I&#8217;m not the reality TV junkie...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/fun-job/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Some fun jobs'>Some fun jobs</a> <small>This morning when news started to leak that President Obama...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/news/works-not-as-perky-as-it-used-to-be/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Work&#8217;s not as perky as it used to be'>Work&#8217;s not as perky as it used to be</a> <small>Pardon the titular pun, but I couldn&#8217;t resist. A couple...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/Proofreading.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-3591" src="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/Proofreading-150x150.jpg" alt="Proofreading" width="150" height="150" /></a>If you&#8217;ve read our posts before, you know we encourage workers to make <a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/palin-resignation/">tactful departures</a>. We also encourage workers to <a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/work/connect-with-the-boss/">be direct with their bosses</a> and be confident in their abilities. Now, what happens when these two situations converge? You get a<a href="http://torontoist.com/2009/11/disgruntled_star_editor_takes_revenge.php"> memo dripping in red ink</a>.<span id="more-3590"></span></p>
<p>As regional blog <a href="http://torontoist.com">Torontoist</a> explains, publishers at newspaper <em>Toronto Star </em>recently announced editing positions&#8211;possibly as many as 100&#8211;would be outsourced. This news naturally upset the editors. As a result, one editor decided to take his or her red pen to the memo announcing the outsourcing and make a point. The editor marked up the outsourcing announcement to show why editors are necessary in-house members of the paper&#8217;s team. [I should point out that the pen-wielding editor sent this memo directly to Torontoist anonymously--or at least they're not printing his or her name. So we don't know who did this.]</p>
<p>The <a href="http://torontoist.com/2009/11/disgruntled_star_editor_takes_revenge.php">bleeding memo is here</a>.</p>
<p>We can all learn a few lessons here, I think. Though I&#8217;m sure you can add even more (and please feel free to do so in the comments). The lessons aren&#8217;t just about leaving a job gracefully, either&#8211;they&#8217;re about dealing with workplace conflicts and conversations with your boss.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Keep discussions in-house</strong><br />
I&#8217;m not taking sides in this debate, but making your case to a third party and in public can backfire on you. This person&#8217;s goal might be to pressure the boss into rethinking his decision, but few people give in to public embarrassment.</li>
<li><strong>Quantify your contributions</strong><br />
Public airing of grievances aside, this editor did successfully make the case that he or she and presumably the rest of the editors know their trade. When you tell the boss you deserve a raise or a promotion, don&#8217;t just say, &#8220;I deserve it.&#8221; Have proof.</li>
<li><strong>Keep the focus on the job, not on the boss</strong><br />
If you&#8217;re frustrated with your boss because you&#8217;re not earning as much as you think you deserve, you haven&#8217;t received a promotion in a couple of years or you&#8217;re experiencing some other disagreement, don&#8217;t take it out <em>on </em>him or her. While this memo&#8217;s intent is about preserving editing jobs, the decision to choose the publisher&#8217;s letter to mark up makes it more about attacking his writing skills than about the outsourcing. As stated on the Torontoist, the union leader described the benefit of on-site collaboration between editors, writers and other staff members. That point gets lost in this example.</li>
<li><strong>Don&#8217;t ruin your reputation</strong><br />
Again, without taking sides, I can say that the eager proofreader was smart enough to remain anonymous (or at least remains anonymous thus far). When we feel jilted, we all say some pretty crude things. Haven&#8217;t most colleagues complained about their bosses during happy hour? But we also know that when we&#8217;re interviewing for a job, we don&#8217;t badmouth our previous employer. Had this editor proudly signed his or her work, you can assume few employers would&#8217;ve ever wanted to hire someone willing to publicly bash the company.</li>
<li><strong>Don&#8217;t be afraid to make your case<br />
</strong>As explained in the above post about connecting with your boss, you shouldn&#8217;t be afraid to talk about what you want at work. If you&#8217;re confused or concerned about a decision that affects you, have a discussion with the boss. If you approach the conversation with a respectful attitude, your boss won&#8217;t view your concerns in a negative way. You might even be seen as someone who is proactive in his or her career, and that could benefit you in the long run. If you always keep your concerns to yourself, you could end up regretting your silence for the rest of your career.</li>
</ol>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/boss-problems/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: When your boss forgets to be the boss'>When your boss forgets to be the boss</a> <small>I fully admit that I&#8217;m not the reality TV junkie...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/fun-job/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Some fun jobs'>Some fun jobs</a> <small>This morning when news started to leak that President Obama...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/news/works-not-as-perky-as-it-used-to-be/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Work&#8217;s not as perky as it used to be'>Work&#8217;s not as perky as it used to be</a> <small>Pardon the titular pun, but I couldn&#8217;t resist. A couple...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Missing open enrollment can cost you</title>
		<link>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/missing-open-enrollment-can-cost-you/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/missing-open-enrollment-can-cost-you/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:18:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>anthony balderrama</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Career Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[benefits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[open enrollment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theworkbuzz.com/?p=3450</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;re fortunate enough to have a job that offers benefits, you should make sure you&#8217;re taking full advantage of everything at your disposal. I&#8217;m the first to admit that I get inundated with so much junk mail at home and so many e-mails at work that I often find myself only reading the items [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/employment-trends/employers-plan-to-cut-back-on-perks/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Employers plan to cut back on perks'>Employers plan to cut back on perks</a> <small>As U.S. companies navigate through serious economic challenges and await...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/featured/paycheck-to-paycheck/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Do You Live Paycheck to Paycheck? You&#8217;re Not Alone.'>Do You Live Paycheck to Paycheck? You&#8217;re Not Alone.</a> <small>Scenario: It’s a couple of days before payday. You’ve checked...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/companies-receive-more-than-75-resumes-on-average-for-open-positions/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Companies Receive More than 75 Resumes on Average for Open Positions'>Companies Receive More than 75 Resumes on Average for Open Positions</a> <small>Today&#8217;s economy is fueling record activity in job search. In...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/Benefits.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-3451" src="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/Benefits-150x150.jpg" alt="Benefits" width="150" height="150" /></a>If you&#8217;re fortunate enough to have a job that offers benefits, you should make sure you&#8217;re taking full advantage of everything at your disposal. I&#8217;m the first to admit that I get inundated with so much junk mail at home and so many e-mails at work that I often find myself only reading the items that look urgent. For anyone else who does the same, make sure you don&#8217;t toss out a message from your HR department letting you know that open enrollment season has arrived. Open enrollment is the period when you can adjust your benefits or enroll in new ones for the following year. You only have a few days (often about a week) to do so, and then once the window closes, it&#8217;s done for the year.</p>
<p>This might not mean much to you, but if you need to add a new benefit (such as vision) or adjust how much you&#8217;re setting aside for your flex spending, you&#8217;ve only got this one shot. And a lot of you are doing just that. A new CareerBuilder survey finds that 25 percent of workers reported that they don’t pay attention to benefit changes, figuring the same benefits would roll over from the previous year or feeling that the whole process is too confusing. And 15 percent of hiring managers estimate more than 10 percent of their employees miss annual open enrollment deadlines each year on average. Eek!<span id="more-3450"></span></p>
<p>Why is this such a big deal? Take it from the words of hiring managers: Missing open enrollment costs you cash. Lots of cash. I don&#8217;t think anyone in today&#8217;s economy has the luxury of saying, &#8220;Eh, save money? Who needs to do that?&#8221; According to 34 percent of HR managers, missing open enrollment costs employees, on average, at least $500 in out-of-pocket expenses. Twenty percent report that it costs employees more than $1,000, while 10 percent report it costs employees more than $2,500. And some companies have strict policies on when you can make adjustments for major events, such as births or weddings. If you miss the deadline to add your newborn son or daughter to your policy, you might end up paying for his or her first year of bills out of your own pocket.</p>
<p>One of the ways employees are missing out is by not realizing they have a wealth of options available to them. Many available benefits options go unnoticed by too many employees who could use them. HR managers were asked which benefit programs were the most commonly unnoticed by workers, they gave the following list:</p>
<ul>
<li>Flexible <a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/Benefits.jpg"></a>health-care spending –- 43 percent</li>
<li>Wellness benefits – 45 percent</li>
<li>Tuition reimbursement – 38 percent</li>
<li>Banking programs – 25 percent</li>
<li>Discounts on personal entertainment – 24 percent</li>
<li>Discounts on technology for personal use – 22 percent</li>
<li>Discounts on travel for personal use (rental cars, airplane tickets) – 20 percent</li>
<li>Transit programs – 10 percent</li>
<li>Help with childcare – 10 percent</li>
</ul>
<p>If any of those sound appealing to you, double check with your HR representative to see if they&#8217;re available to you. (Or check any HR and benefits documents you have first, &#8217;cause I&#8217;m sure  your HR rep is being inundanted with questions right now. If you don&#8217;t find the answer, contact him or her. They&#8217;ll be glad to help you.)</p>
<p>You can <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr532&amp;sd=10%2f14%2f2009&amp;ed=12%2f31%2f2009&amp;siteid=cbpr&amp;sc_cmp1=cb_pr532_">read more from the survey here</a>. After you&#8217;re done reading, go mark open enrollment on your calendar and make sure you&#8217;ve got all the info you need. You can&#8217;t afford to miss out!</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/employment-trends/employers-plan-to-cut-back-on-perks/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Employers plan to cut back on perks'>Employers plan to cut back on perks</a> <small>As U.S. companies navigate through serious economic challenges and await...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/featured/paycheck-to-paycheck/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Do You Live Paycheck to Paycheck? You&#8217;re Not Alone.'>Do You Live Paycheck to Paycheck? You&#8217;re Not Alone.</a> <small>Scenario: It’s a couple of days before payday. You’ve checked...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/companies-receive-more-than-75-resumes-on-average-for-open-positions/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Companies Receive More than 75 Resumes on Average for Open Positions'>Companies Receive More than 75 Resumes on Average for Open Positions</a> <small>Today&#8217;s economy is fueling record activity in job search. In...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>When you feel like giving up</title>
		<link>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/when-you-feel-like-giving-up/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/when-you-feel-like-giving-up/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:23:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate Lorenz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Career Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Job Search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mature Workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Duncan Mathison]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unlock the Hidden Job Market]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theworkbuzz.com/?p=3407</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Apparently my brain is taking a Columbus Day holiday even though I must physically be in my cube at work today. Despite surfing the Web and Twitter for inspiration and inhaling about 50 caramel candy corn (that works doesn’t it?), a bad case of writer’s block has been plaguing me all day.
This got me thinking [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/10-things-youre-doing-wrong/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 10 things you&#8217;re doing wrong in your job search'>10 things you&#8217;re doing wrong in your job search</a> <small>You&#8217;ve got the flawless résumé, impeccable credentials and the perfect...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-surveys/new-job-trends/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 7 trends job seekers and workers should know about'>7 trends job seekers and workers should know about</a> <small>Where&#8217;s that crystal ball when you need one? While consumer...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/job-seekers-bod/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Why would an employer hire you?'>Why would an employer hire you?</a> <small>Today we have a guest blog post from Joe Turner,...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/help21.JPG"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3408" title="help2" src="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/help21.JPG" alt="help2" width="170" height="254" /></a>Apparently my brain is taking a Columbus Day holiday even though I must physically be in my cube at work today. Despite surfing the Web and Twitter for inspiration and inhaling about 50 caramel candy corn (that works doesn’t it?), a bad case of writer’s block has been plaguing me all day.</p>
<p>This got me thinking about when job seekers hit mental blocks, and their drive and motivation is shattered. With <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jgpEvoEeUOCK4Qd9Z-H0YVvP1jgwD9B7OGSG1">6.3 job seekers competing</a> for every available job and about <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125383516043639305.html">5 million people classified as long-term unemployed</a> it’s not surprising that a lot of discouraged and even giving up.</p>
<p>Career consultant Duncan Mathison, co-author of <a href="http://unlockthehiddenjobmarket.com/" target="_blank">“Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times are Tough,”</a> tells discouraged job seekers to “Never give up; never give in.” He are his five tips for staying motivated during a long job search:</p>
<p><span id="more-3407"></span></p>
<p><strong>1.       Prepare for an extended search.</strong> When the job market shrinks, it takes longer to land a job.  Adjust your finances and your expectations now to extend your staying power. Stopping the search until the economy improves is like the farmer who will go hungry at harvest because they didn’t plant seeds in the spring.  Do not give up. Keep planting those seeds.</p>
<p><strong>2.      Don’t waste your time on long-shots.</strong> If you are only applying to posted jobs and those seem far and few between, your tendency is to cast a wider net by applying outside your geographic area or outside of your expertise (“I could do that job!”). This is a dead-end strategy and you will only face more painful rejection and depressing stories of 500 applicants to 1 job. When it comes to job postings: focus, focus, focus.</p>
<p><strong>3.      The right job for you is out there – it just won’t be advertised.</strong> Employers cut recruiting budgets when times are tight.  Instead hiring managers use less expensive and informal word of mouth strategies. As a result a higher percentage of available positions are in the “hidden job market”.  Job seekers must significantly expand the quality and quantity of their networking efforts to find unpublished jobs.</p>
<p><strong>4.      Leave the resume at home.</strong> The secret to good networking is to help your network help you. Instead of a resume, give people in your network (everyone you know) a list of 50-75 employers who you think would hire people with your type of skills.  Do not ask if the companies are hiring.  Instead ask if anyone knows people who work there – particularly managers who might hire and manage people with your skills.</p>
<p><strong>5.      Contact managers directly.</strong> Get their name, get an introduction and introduce yourself to them.  Your introduction can be a simple, “I understand you have people with my kind of background and skills working for you.  I don’t assume to know if you have job openings but I would like to meet you and learn more about the type of people you like to have on your team and share with you a bit about my background.” They may say “sure”, they may say “send a resume” or they may say “no”, but now they know about you. Remember the ONLY thing managers can do to assure their success is to meet and hire great people.  And that’s you!</p>
<p>While these are great words of advice, many long-term job seekers will likely say “Easier said than done” or “I’m doing all these already.” We’ll continue to look for other ways to fight your despair.</p>
<p>If you are a job seeker or someone who was recently hired and has found a way to keep your sanity during your search, share your tips here.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/10-things-youre-doing-wrong/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 10 things you&#8217;re doing wrong in your job search'>10 things you&#8217;re doing wrong in your job search</a> <small>You&#8217;ve got the flawless résumé, impeccable credentials and the perfect...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-surveys/new-job-trends/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 7 trends job seekers and workers should know about'>7 trends job seekers and workers should know about</a> <small>Where&#8217;s that crystal ball when you need one? While consumer...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/job-seekers-bod/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Why would an employer hire you?'>Why would an employer hire you?</a> <small>Today we have a guest blog post from Joe Turner,...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why would an employer hire you?</title>
		<link>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/job-seekers-bod/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/job-seekers-bod/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:14:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate Lorenz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Career Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Job Search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mature Workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Turner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social networking]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theworkbuzz.com/?p=3373</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today we have a guest blog post from Joe Turner, the Job Search Guy, who is the author of  &#8220;Job Search Secrets Unlocked&#8221; and &#8220;Paycheck 911.&#8221;  You&#8217;ll find Turner&#8217;s free tips and advice on landing a job in this tough economy at www.jobchangesecrets.com. Here are some tips on answering the question, &#8220;Why would an employer [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-surveys/social-network/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Employers are digging up your digital dirt'>Employers are digging up your digital dirt</a> <small>Remember that &#8220;classic&#8221; picture of you from last year&#8217;s St....</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/fun-stuff/tweets-are-the-new-homework/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Tweets are the new homework'>Tweets are the new homework</a> <small>Here on The Work Buzz we&#8217;ve trumpeted the usefulness of...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/employment/laid-off-workers/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Half of Workers Laid Off in the Last Three Months Have Found Jobs'>Half of Workers Laid Off in the Last Three Months Have Found Jobs</a> <small>We get it: The economy sucks. But, new research suggests...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/HireMe.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3374" title="Hire Me computer key" src="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/HireMe.jpg" alt="Hire Me computer key" width="222" height="158" /></a>Today we have a guest blog post from Joe Turner, the Job Search Guy, who is the author of  <a href="http://www.jobchangesecrets.com/Job_Change_Products_&amp;_Services.html" target="_blank">&#8220;Job Search Secrets Unlocked&#8221; and &#8220;Paycheck 911.&#8221;</a><strong>  </strong>You&#8217;ll find Turner&#8217;s free tips and advice on landing a job in this tough economy at </em><a href="http://www.jobchangesecrets.com/"><em>www.jobchangesecrets.com</em></a><em>. Here are some tips on answering the question, &#8220;Why would an employer hire me?&#8221; and using social media in your job search.</em></p>
<p>Using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn has been front and center on many job hunters&#8217; &#8220;To Do&#8221; lists these days.  Most likely, you&#8217;ve made some forays into these areas already.  While some are reporting success by incorporating these sites into their job search strategy, if you have little experience using these sites, you might not know where to begin.</p>
<p><span id="more-3373"></span>Before you jump into the social media fray, first decide your overall purpose.  In a recent interview, Shama Hyder, social media expert and CEO of the Internet marketing firm <a href="http://clicktoclient.com/" target="_blank">Click-to-Client</a> advises job hunters to first start with a focus.  The biggest mistake she notices is that most people post profiles to <a href="http://www.brightfuse.com" target="_blank">social media sites</a> without having a future employer in mind.  So start with a purposeful profile and think from the perspective of what overall first impression that employer will have of you.  Hyder suggests only listing interests that support or underscore your purpose.</p>
<p>When we talk about purpose or focus, most job hunters think of themselves as a list of skills, job duties and responsibilities developed over the years.  Unfortunately, this is not going to make you stand out in the world of social media.  Two major issues today grip employers: too little time and unfilled job problems.  They don&#8217;t have the time to leisurely read through hundreds, if not thousands, of candidate profiles on Facebook or LinkedIn.  Furthermore, their mind is focused on their immediate job opening and the problems this is causing them.  So, how do you break through these social media barriers?</p>
<p>Consider your BOD.</p>
<p>Before you jump into the social media world, make sure you have a clear understanding of why an employer would hire you. One good way to do that, according to Hyder, is to develop what she calls a &#8220;BOD.&#8221;  This stands for Brand, Outcome and Differentiator and is a good way to answer the question, &#8220;Why would an employer hire me?&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Brand<br />
</strong>You can find a lot of personal brand information on the Web.  Actually, a brand is a concise sentence or phrase that can quickly describe you to an employer.  In the marketing world this is called the Unique Selling Proposition.  What is it that sets you apart from other candidates looking for a similar job or opportunity?  Since time is of the essence, Hyder goes even further by asking if your brand can be summed up with one word.  While most of us may not be able to distill our brand into one word, we should at least have it down to a sentence or phrase.</p>
<p><strong>Outcome<br />
</strong>This is what I see missing from so many resumes and profiles.  <em>&#8220;</em>What is the one clear benefit of hiring you?&#8221; Remember, employers have no interest in pawing through lists of skill sets or past duties.  They want to know whether you can solve their problem.  Right now.  So imagine that if an employer were to hire you, what is the single biggest benefit that YOU bring?  This is the <em>outcome</em> of hiring you. </p>
<p><strong>Differentiator<br />
</strong>Employers today may look through thousands of potential candidates before settling on just a handful that they&#8217;ll interview.  So ask yourself, what makes you stand out from the pack? What do you bring that other candidates with similar skills and experience don&#8217;t?  This is your differentiator.  Examples of good differentiators might be your expertise as a cold caller, your bilingual expertise or your combined technical and management abilities as a project manager.</p>
<p>Look for factors that employers would highly value when searching for your differentiator.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-surveys/social-network/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Employers are digging up your digital dirt'>Employers are digging up your digital dirt</a> <small>Remember that &#8220;classic&#8221; picture of you from last year&#8217;s St....</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/fun-stuff/tweets-are-the-new-homework/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Tweets are the new homework'>Tweets are the new homework</a> <small>Here on The Work Buzz we&#8217;ve trumpeted the usefulness of...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/employment/laid-off-workers/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Half of Workers Laid Off in the Last Three Months Have Found Jobs'>Half of Workers Laid Off in the Last Three Months Have Found Jobs</a> <small>We get it: The economy sucks. But, new research suggests...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>When your boss forgets to be the boss</title>
		<link>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/boss-problems/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/boss-problems/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:31:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>anthony balderrama</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Career Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fun stuff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Office Etiquette]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pop culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bananas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[i die]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rachel zoe project]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shutting it down]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theworkbuzz.com/?p=3326</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I fully admit that I&#8217;m not the reality TV junkie that many of my friends and co-workers are. In fact, I can only think of two non-scripted shows I watch. (Well, &#8220;non-scripted&#8221; is used loosely here.) Regardless, one of those shows I&#8217;ve found myself drawn to is The Rachel Zoe Project. Go ahead, judge me. [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/fun-stuff/bosses-day-wishes/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to wish your boss, &#8220;Happy Boss&#8217;s Day&#8221;'>How to wish your boss, &#8220;Happy Boss&#8217;s Day&#8221;</a> <small>I think &#8220;The Office&#8217;s&#8221; Michael Scott best described the role...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/work/a-good-boss-is/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A good boss is &#8230;'>A good boss is &#8230;</a> <small>Our friends over at The Hiring Site recently asked recruiters...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/pop-culture/reality-tv-show-about-layoffs-going-too-far/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Reality TV Show about Layoffs: Going too Far?'>Reality TV Show about Layoffs: Going too Far?</a> <small>This morning my trusty TweetDeck alterted me to a tweet...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/rachelzoeproject.JPG"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-3328" src="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/rachelzoeproject-150x150.jpg" alt="bananas" width="150" height="150" /></a>I fully admit that I&#8217;m not the reality TV junkie that many of my friends and co-workers are. In fact, I can only think of two non-scripted shows I watch. (Well, &#8220;non-scripted&#8221; is used loosely here.) Regardless, one of those shows I&#8217;ve found myself drawn to is <em>The Rachel Zoe Project</em>. Go ahead, judge me. I&#8217;ll wait.</p>
<p><span id="more-3326"></span><br />
OK, the reason I bring this up is because last night&#8217;s episode had a good lesson for workers (and employers, too). Let me summarize what&#8217;s going on in this show:</p>
<p>Rachel Zoe is a fashion stylist and she has two assistants. Taylor&#8217;s been there since the beginning and Brad has only been with her for a year. Taylor and Brad don&#8217;t always get along&#8211;naturally, because if they did, the show would be boring. Well, Rachel tells Brad and Taylor that their schedule is open and all three of them will be going to Paris Fashion Week, which is basically the Super Bowl of couture. Then some clients need Rachel&#8217;s services during that scheduled trip and she has to leave one of the assistants behind. Who will go to Paris? (Insert dramatic stares and camera cuts here.)</p>
<p>Rachel first sends an e-mail to Taylor and Brad telling them what&#8217;s going on and that the two of them should figure it out themselves. She secretly wants Brad to say, &#8220;Taylor has seniority. I&#8217;ll stay; she can go.&#8221; Taylor knows this, too. Brad doesn&#8217;t do that. <a href="http://www.bravotv.com/the-rachel-zoe-project/videos/brad-is-upset">Taylor tells Brad what&#8217;s going on. He gets mad at Rachel.</a> She sends an e-mail to Taylor saying that she should decide who goes and who stays because she has seniority. Brad&#8217;s reaction is what most viewers were probably thinking: Rachel has the most seniority&#8211;<em>she&#8217;s the boss</em>. Throughout this entire ordeal all three players mention the fact that Rachel has issues with confrontation. She even says that her least favorite part of being the boss is doing the things that a boss has to do.</p>
<p>Ultimately, Taylor decides Brad should go and that she wants to deal directly with Rachel to discuss the issue. Rachel knows it&#8217;s all coming. Everyone agrees that Rachel royally messed up and should&#8217;ve made the decision and been unafraid of angering her employees. That&#8217;s what happens when you&#8217;re the boss.</p>
<p>Now, for me and you, the regular people who don&#8217;t have our own shows and who don&#8217;t have the luxury of worrying about who gets to go to Paris and who has to stay home and deal with celebrities, there are still some valuable work lessons here. Here are some things to do when your boss relegates a little too much responsibility to you:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Be nice to your co-workers</strong><br />
If your boss wants you and your co-worker to tackle a problem, try to do it. Bickering back and forth and getting passive aggressive won&#8217;t advance the situation. It&#8217;ll just escalate tension and eventually you&#8217;ll end up running to the boss sounding like a whiny baby because the other person was mean to you.</li>
<li><strong>Think about office politics (sometimes)</strong><br />
I&#8217;m not saying you should get involved in the gritty side of workplace politics, but recognize that seniority, tenure and titles play a role in how (many) companies operate. In some cases, deferring to the senior member of the team shows that you respect their time at the company and that you&#8217;re cooperative.</li>
<li><strong>If you are senior, act senior</strong><br />
Pulling rank can often be annoying and unnecessary, but sometimes the boss looks to the second-in-command to step up and show leadership. Take the opportunity and run with it. Acknowledge that your role might be strange for everyone because you&#8217;re not the boss. It will diffuse some of the tension while telling everyone that you are embracing the role and will be the decision-maker.</li>
<li><strong>Politely confront your boss about the issue</strong><br />
If a boss handled a situation in a way that affected daily operations and relationships, you need to address it. Be respectful and remember that he or she is the boss&#8211;so preparing a fiery 20-minute speech isn&#8217;t the way to go. But feel free to ask to discuss the situation and then explain that the group needed a little more guidance. Use it as an opportunity to step up by saying, &#8220;I felt that I should take control because of my seniority, but I didn&#8217;t want to appear as though I was undermining your authority.&#8221; Or, if you aren&#8217;t one of the highest ranking people on the team, tell the boss that there was some confusion and that, &#8220;We wanted to be certain that we were staying on track with your goals, but we didn&#8217;t know if plans had changed and we were supposed to listen to [so-and-so] instead.&#8221; Word it however you want, but while showing respect and not whining, voice your concern. Sometimes bosses are so busy they don&#8217;t even realize there was any misunderstanding in their directions.</li>
</ul>
<p>The whole situation was kind of bananas, to be honest. But it doesn&#8217;t have to be if you act like an adult and talk things out.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/fun-stuff/bosses-day-wishes/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: How to wish your boss, &#8220;Happy Boss&#8217;s Day&#8221;'>How to wish your boss, &#8220;Happy Boss&#8217;s Day&#8221;</a> <small>I think &#8220;The Office&#8217;s&#8221; Michael Scott best described the role...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/work/a-good-boss-is/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A good boss is &#8230;'>A good boss is &#8230;</a> <small>Our friends over at The Hiring Site recently asked recruiters...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/pop-culture/reality-tv-show-about-layoffs-going-too-far/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Reality TV Show about Layoffs: Going too Far?'>Reality TV Show about Layoffs: Going too Far?</a> <small>This morning my trusty TweetDeck alterted me to a tweet...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>70</slash:comments>
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		<title>Ask The Work Buzz! More on age</title>
		<link>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/ask-age/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/ask-age/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:29:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>anthony balderrama</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ask The Work Buzz!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Career Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Job Search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mature Workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[age]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theworkbuzz.com/?p=3321</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here&#8217;s a question from Peter: I am starting a job search and resume preparation. I am close to 60 and would like to know if age should be avoided in the resume and ultimately lie about it?
Peter, if we&#8217;re cutting to the chase, the answer to your questions are yes (kind of) and no, respectively. [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/ask-the-work-buzz-when-past-companies-go-out-of-business/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! When past companies go out of business'>Ask The Work Buzz! When past companies go out of business</a> <small>Recently I told you that faithful reader Mark had a...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/ask-resume-length/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz How long should a résumé be?'>Ask The Work Buzz How long should a résumé be?</a> <small>Mark submitted a two-pronged question. We&#8217;ll answer the first part...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/interviews/ask-the-work-buzz-handling-age-and-an-employment-gap/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! Handling Age <i>and</i> an Employment Gap'>Ask The Work Buzz! Handling Age <i>and</i> an Employment Gap</a> <small>Steve Shoemaker comes to us with a double dilemma: I...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/Questions.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-3323" src="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/Questions-150x150.jpg" alt="Questions" width="150" height="150" /></a>Here&#8217;s a question from <strong>Peter</strong>: I am starting a job search and resume preparation. I am close to 60 and would like to know if age should be avoided in the resume and ultimately lie about it?</p>
<p>Peter, if we&#8217;re cutting to the chase, the answer to your questions are yes (kind of) and no, respectively. Here&#8217;s why&#8230;</p>
<p><span id="more-3321"></span>I know we&#8217;ve discussed age at length <a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/interviews/ask-the-work-buzz-handling-age-and-an-employment-gap/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/interviews/ask-the-work-buzz-the-age-debate/">here</a>. But this question touches on something we&#8217;ve yet to discuss: How specific should you be on your application when it comes to giving away your age? Well, you don&#8217;t need to put your birthdate on your resume or cover letter, whether you&#8217;re 16 or 60. So don&#8217;t worry about that. And if you&#8217;re afraid employers will automatically dismiss you (even though they shouldn&#8217;t) because of the dates of your graduation, then leave those dates off. What matters is that you graduated with a degree, not when. There&#8217;s absolutely nothing dishonest or deceitful about that.</p>
<p>Still, we don&#8217;t advocate lying, and we&#8217;re not for burying information either. See, you still should put dates by your employment history, especially the most recent ones (aka ones that you had over the last 10 years, possibly longer depending on your field). Leaving those dates off will seem very suspicious. Employers will assume you&#8217;re hiding something. So an employer can always do some quick math if they really want to figure out your age.  Plus, if you get an interview, they&#8217;re going to see you face-to-face and, well, unless you&#8217;re really good with makeup, they&#8217;re going to know you&#8217;re not 19. So there&#8217;s no point in lying or going through extensive means to hide your age. And do you really want to work for a place that fears mature workers and experience?</p>
<p>Perhaps most importantly, you shouldn&#8217;t be ashamed of your age. If an employer is going to assume you can&#8217;t perform the tasks or doesn&#8217;t want someone with a little grey hair in the office, that&#8217;s not going to be a good place for you to work. (Forget how illegal it would be for them to openly dismiss you on those grounds.) Avoiding a few specific dates where possible might not be a bad idea if you&#8217;re afraid a college graduation date of 1973 will intimidate someone before they even look at your qualifications. But don&#8217;t lie and don&#8217;t forget that you probably have gained experience that a newcomer hasn&#8217;t. Be yourself and be proud of what you&#8217;ve done with your career.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/ask-the-work-buzz-when-past-companies-go-out-of-business/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! When past companies go out of business'>Ask The Work Buzz! When past companies go out of business</a> <small>Recently I told you that faithful reader Mark had a...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/ask-resume-length/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz How long should a résumé be?'>Ask The Work Buzz How long should a résumé be?</a> <small>Mark submitted a two-pronged question. We&#8217;ll answer the first part...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/interviews/ask-the-work-buzz-handling-age-and-an-employment-gap/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! Handling Age <i>and</i> an Employment Gap'>Ask The Work Buzz! Handling Age <i>and</i> an Employment Gap</a> <small>Steve Shoemaker comes to us with a double dilemma: I...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
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		<title>Video: Matching your skills to available jobs</title>
		<link>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/match-skills-to-jobs/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/match-skills-to-jobs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:38:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate Lorenz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Career Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Job Search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mature Workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Television]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meredit Vieira]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new career]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rosemary Haefner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Today Show]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transferrable skills]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theworkbuzz.com/?p=3310</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the things more job seekers are having to do these days is look to new industries and careers to find employment. Once thriving sectors like finance and construction are ailing and displaced workers find their once sought-after skills are not as valuable.
The key is identifying which skills you have and to which jobs [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/books/4-ways-to-recession-proof-your-job/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 4 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Job'>4 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Job</a> <small>It&#8217;s no secret that the unstable economy is making most...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/education-career-switch/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job'>Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job</a> <small>Courtney writes to us with a concern I&#8217;m sure many...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/employment/great-jobs-in-the-president%e2%80%99s-stimulus-plan/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan'>Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan</a> <small>On Friday, we told you about President Barack Obama&#8217;s economic...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/RosemaryToday2.JPG"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3314" title="RosemaryToday2" src="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/RosemaryToday2.JPG" alt="RosemaryToday2" width="200" height="158" /></a>One of the things more job seekers are having to do these days is <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com" target="_blank">look to new industries and careers</a> to find employment. Once thriving sectors like <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/finance/" target="_blank">finance</a> and <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/construction/" target="_blank">construction</a> are ailing and displaced workers find their once sought-after skills are not as valuable.</p>
<p>The key is identifying which skills you have and to which jobs they can be applied. Try using online tools, like <a href="http://www.careerpath.com" target="_blank">CareerPath.com</a>. You may learn that you can easily transfer into a new occupation with the expertise you have or short-term training and/or certification.</p>
<p>This morning, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/profile_leadership.aspx" target="_blank">CareerBuilder&#8217;s V.P. of Human Resources Rosemary Haefner</a> discussed this very topic on the <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/" target="_blank">Today Show</a>. Watch this segment to learn about one woman who is making the move to nursing and how you can make a change, too.</p>
<div><iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/33018080#33018080|4796" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/books/4-ways-to-recession-proof-your-job/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 4 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Job'>4 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Job</a> <small>It&#8217;s no secret that the unstable economy is making most...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/education-career-switch/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job'>Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job</a> <small>Courtney writes to us with a concern I&#8217;m sure many...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/employment/great-jobs-in-the-president%e2%80%99s-stimulus-plan/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan'>Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan</a> <small>On Friday, we told you about President Barack Obama&#8217;s economic...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Ask The Work Buzz! Breaking into an industry with the &#8216;wrong&#8217; background</title>
		<link>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/ask-the-work-buzz-breaking-into-an-industry-with-the-wrong-background/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/ask-the-work-buzz-breaking-into-an-industry-with-the-wrong-background/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:59:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>anthony balderrama</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ask The Work Buzz!]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Interviews]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theworkbuzz.com/?p=3270</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here&#8217;s what Zaina&#8217;s asking us: I am a hospitality senior college student about to graduate and would like to work in marketing, for which I developed a strong interest during my education. I have joined my college’s marketing club as director of advertising and I am seeking an internship to gain a first experience. How [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/unemployment-gaps/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! Handling Employment Gaps'>Ask The Work Buzz! Handling Employment Gaps</a> <small>From Jill- After position was eliminated in August last year,...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/featured/full-time-mom-returning-to-work/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! Full-time mom returning to work'>Ask The Work Buzz! Full-time mom returning to work</a> <small>Judi writes: &#8220;I am 54, recently divorced and desperately looking...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/education-career-switch/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job'>Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job</a> <small>Courtney writes to us with a concern I&#8217;m sure many...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/help2.JPG"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-3178" src="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/help2-150x150.jpg" alt="help" width="150" height="150" /></a>Here&#8217;s what <strong>Zaina</strong>&#8217;s asking us: I am a hospitality senior college student about to graduate and would like to work in marketing, for which I developed a strong interest during my education. I have joined my college’s marketing club as director of advertising and I am seeking an internship to gain a first experience. How should I approach companies since I have not yet worked in this field, nor it is my major?</p>
<p>Well&#8230;<span id="more-3270"></span>Everybody has to start somewhere. Remember that, because you can easily feel defeated or frustrated when you&#8217;re trying to enter a new industry. There will be some bumps, but pretty much everyone in that industry was a novice at one point.</p>
<p>However, you&#8217;re about to graduate with a hospitality degree, which tells employers that you have an education and can commit to a task. (That <em>is</em> important, by the way. So many people are working in jobs unrelated to their degrees and you wonder how they did it. Because many employers are less concerned with what you studied and are more concerned with the fact that you decided to get a degree and completed it.) You probably learned quite a bit of customer service and interpersonal communication skills during your studies. You  might not have learned specific marketing terms and industry jargon, but you know how to relate to people, and those are skills you need to play up. That goes for people with degrees in education, English, and communications.</p>
<p>Plus, you&#8217;ve already done something right: You joined a college club. That&#8217;s a smart way to make contacts, get insight on what&#8217;s happening in the field and show that you&#8217;re serious about branching out. It&#8217;s easy to say you want to go into marketing with no experience to prove it. A college group shows that you&#8217;re willing to sacrifice your personal time for this switch. Plus, you have a role in the group, which shows initiative and leadership skills. That&#8217;s a smart move for someone wanting to go into marketing.</p>
<p>As to specifically approaching a company, you should act as confidently as if you did have 4 years of marketing behind you. Apply for internships just like everyone else is&#8211;you don&#8217;t have to take a special route or feel like you&#8217;re an outsider. Don&#8217;t be cocky, and acknowledge your different background, but don&#8217;t be intimidated. If your cover letter or interview consists of you apologize for your lack of a marketing degree, you&#8217;re basically giving the employer a list of reasons <em>not </em>to hire you.</p>
<ul>
<li>In your cover letter and in your interview, refer to your background. In the cover letter, you can say that you studied hospitality and certain skills or experiences there made you realize you would be a good fit for marketing. Mention what you learned in the marketing group. Then move on to your skills and assets. Acknowledge, but don&#8217;t dwell.</li>
<li>In an interview, follow the same pattern. Though, it&#8217;s possible that the interviewer will bring the subject up before you do. It&#8217;s a perfect chance to say, &#8220;I know I&#8217;m a different kind of candidate, but I&#8217;ve got the skills.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
<p>Plus, remember that you&#8217;re asking for an internship, not a senior-level position. They realize you&#8217;re trying to get your foot in the door and you&#8217;re probably not going to cost them much money (if anything at all, depending if it&#8217;s paid), so they understand there&#8217;s a relatively low risk in working with you. After all, how many college interns started out with a completely different major? How many interns don&#8217;t end up working in that field? At this stage in your career, employers know that you&#8217;re not signing on to stay with the company until retirement. They want someone who can fulfill the job duties (or go beyond them) and be an asset to the team. If there&#8217;s a chance for you to stay on, great for both of you.</p>
<p>You&#8217;ve taken all the right steps so far. A strong, qualified intern is a benefit for any employer, and that&#8217;s what they&#8217;ll be looking for.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/unemployment-gaps/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! Handling Employment Gaps'>Ask The Work Buzz! Handling Employment Gaps</a> <small>From Jill- After position was eliminated in August last year,...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/featured/full-time-mom-returning-to-work/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! Full-time mom returning to work'>Ask The Work Buzz! Full-time mom returning to work</a> <small>Judi writes: &#8220;I am 54, recently divorced and desperately looking...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/education-career-switch/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job'>Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job</a> <small>Courtney writes to us with a concern I&#8217;m sure many...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job</title>
		<link>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/education-career-switch/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/education-career-switch/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:56:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>anthony balderrama</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ask The Work Buzz!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Career Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Careers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Job Search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transferrable skills]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theworkbuzz.com/?p=3230</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Courtney writes to us with a concern I&#8217;m sure many of you can relate to: I graduated college three years ago with a degree in elementary education. There are not very many teaching positions out there, so I’m looking to other avenues. I’d like something that would pay more than minimum wage but I am [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/ask-the-work-buzz-breaking-into-an-industry-with-the-wrong-background/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! Breaking into an industry with the &#8216;wrong&#8217; background'>Ask The Work Buzz! Breaking into an industry with the &#8216;wrong&#8217; background</a> <small>Here&#8217;s what Zaina&#8217;s asking us: I am a hospitality senior...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/employment/great-jobs-in-the-president%e2%80%99s-stimulus-plan/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan'>Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan</a> <small>On Friday, we told you about President Barack Obama&#8217;s economic...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/job-seeker-tools/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Taking your awesomeness to the next level'>Taking your awesomeness to the next level</a> <small>Unless you’re Barney Stinson from TV’s “How I Met Your...</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/help1.JPG"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-3126" src="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/help1-150x150.jpg" alt="help" width="150" height="150" /></a>Courtney writes to us with a concern I&#8217;m sure many of you can relate to: I graduated college three years ago with a degree in elementary education. There are not very many teaching positions out there, so I’m looking to other avenues. I’d like something that would pay more than minimum wage but I am unsure of what I can do with a degree that doesn’t specialize in anything but education.</p>
<p>Well, there are other options!<br />
<span id="more-3230"></span>When you&#8217;re looking to switch industries, you need to look beyond just the title of your degree or current profession. Switching industries can include switching from your educational background or from your work experience.  In most cases, employers will overlook those differences if you prove you&#8217;re a right match for the responsibilities of the new job. The best way to do that is to break down what experience and strengths you have. And if you don&#8217;t yet have a job on the horizon, it&#8217;s also a good way to discover what jobs you could be suited for.</p>
<p>Ask yourself these questions.</p>
<ul>
<li>What are my strengths in communication&#8211;verbal or written?</li>
<li>Am I a leader?</li>
<li>What&#8217;s my customer service experience? (Do I normally deal with them one-on-one or am I behind the scenes?)</li>
<li>What about my last job/training did I like?</li>
<li>What career goals did I initially have and can I achieve them in another field?</li>
<li>On my resume, if I covered up my industry&#8217;s name (in this case &#8220;education&#8221;), what sort of jobs do I look prepared for?</li>
</ul>
<p>Some of those questions might sound obvious or even silly, but they&#8217;ll get your mind thinking about your future beyond simply what you were trained for.</p>
<p>In the case of education, specifically elementary education, you probably have the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Excellent verbal communication skills</li>
<li>Strong leadership skills</li>
<li>Experience thinking on your feet</li>
<li>Creativity (seeing as you&#8217;re constantly thinking of new ways to engage the students)</li>
<li>Conflict resolution skills (education courses often involve various classroom re-creations)</li>
</ul>
<p>Some jobs that encompass these qualities and are often good for educators:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Instructor for a business</strong><br />
Businesses often hold in-house training sessions on a topic related to that industry or on continuing education. An education background makes you an ideal candidate for these positions.</li>
<li><strong>Textbook editors and advisers</strong><br />
Seeing as you are an educator, your brain is ripe for the picking when it comes to creating course texts. You know what works, what doesn&#8217;t work, what&#8217;s lacking, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Admissions directors</strong><br />
Your education experience also makes you a prime candidate for working with incoming students and aligning the admissions department with the school&#8217;s goals. (This could be at a variety of schools, including post-secondary.)</li>
<li><strong>Sales in education-related jobs</strong><br />
Working in any school, you&#8217;re aware that businesses are constantly approaching educators and institution about new products, tools and resources.  Many educators are able to tap into their experience and realize what teachers need and how they want to be communicated with in order to sell these products.</li>
</ul>
<p>Depending on the specific organization, you might need more training for these jobs, or maybe just an additional certification. Or maybe not. Workers constantly switch industries and employers know that expertise doesn&#8217;t just come from a certification or degree title. You can&#8217;t count yourself out of any job because you think you&#8217;re only trained to teach elementary school and nothing else. Look at your qualifications and then look at the qualifications in job postings and you&#8217;ll be surprised.</p>
<p>Have you been in Courtney&#8217;s situation and made an industry switch? We&#8217;d love to hear how you did it.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/ask-the-work-buzz-breaking-into-an-industry-with-the-wrong-background/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! Breaking into an industry with the &#8216;wrong&#8217; background'>Ask The Work Buzz! Breaking into an industry with the &#8216;wrong&#8217; background</a> <small>Here&#8217;s what Zaina&#8217;s asking us: I am a hospitality senior...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/employment/great-jobs-in-the-president%e2%80%99s-stimulus-plan/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan'>Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan</a> <small>On Friday, we told you about President Barack Obama&#8217;s economic...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/job-seeker-tools/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Taking your awesomeness to the next level'>Taking your awesomeness to the next level</a> <small>Unless you’re Barney Stinson from TV’s “How I Met Your...</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Taking your awesomeness to the next level</title>
		<link>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/job-seeker-tools/</link>
		<comments>http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/job-seeker-tools/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:17:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate Lorenz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Career Advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Job Search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[barney stinson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CareerPath]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CBsalary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how I met your mother]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[transferrable skills]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theworkbuzz.com/?p=3182</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Unless you’re Barney Stinson from TV’s “How I Met Your Mother,” you need a lot more than awesomeness to find a job these days.
One of the things we’re constantly coaching job seekers on is identifying transferrable (and awesome) skills. These days, it’s especially important as more people need to find out how to match their [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/jobs/high-entry-level-salaries/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: High Entry-Level Salaries'>High Entry-Level Salaries</a> <small>Last month, I wrote a post about 50 jobs that...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/education-career-switch/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job'>Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job</a> <small>Courtney writes to us with a concern I&#8217;m sure many...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/ask-the-work-buzz-salary-history/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! Salary history'>Ask The Work Buzz! Salary history</a> <small>From Kathy: Hey, Work Buzz! Boring question, but necessary answer....</small></li></ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/barney_awesome.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3184" title="barney_awesome" src="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/barney_awesome.jpg" alt="barney_awesome" width="256" height="205" /></a>Unless you’re <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barney-Stinson/10569236108" target="_blank">Barney Stinson</a> from TV’s <a href="http://www.cbs.com/primetime/how_i_met_your_mother/" target="_blank">“How I Met Your Mother,”</a> you need a lot more than awesomeness to find a job these days.</p>
<p>One of the things we’re constantly coaching job seekers on is identifying transferrable (and awesome) skills. These days, it’s especially important as more people need to find out how to match their abilities to the fewer jobs that are available. True story. In fact, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com" target="_blank">CareerBuilder</a> research found that 71 percent of workers who were laid off from full-time jobs and have not found new positions are looking beyond their areas of expertise and considering new areas of employment.</p>
<p>CareerBuilder just launched two tools to make this process easier for job seekers. Both tools work to identify jobs outside of a candidate’s current field: <a href="http://www.cbsalary.com/" target="_blank">Jobs by Salary</a> and <a href="http://www.careerpath.com/" target="_blank">Job Discovery Wizard</a>. Here’s how they work:</p>
<p><strong><span id="more-3182"></span>Jobs by Salary<br />
</strong>Job seekers use <a href="http://www.cbsalary.com" target="_blank">Jobs by Salary on CBsalary.com</a> by entering in their preferred annual salary range and location. The free tool then generates a list of positions in a wide variety of industries that fall within those parameters. To help job seekers determine how they could transfer their skill into these positions, Jobs by Salary also provides the required training and education, full job description and long-term growth outlook through 2016.</p>
<p>For example, a job seeker who enters in a salary range of $65,000 to $69,999 in <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/new york/new york/" target="_blank">New York City, N.Y.</a> can select <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/new york/new york/keyword/marketing communications manager/" target="_blank">“marketing communications manager”</a> from the hundreds of different positions that are generated. The tool then offers the full job description for the position, that a bachelor’s degree is required and that the profession is forecasted to grow 14 percent by 2016.  It also provides links to area colleges and universities if the job seeker is interested in further education.</p>
<p><strong>Job Discovery Wizard<br />
</strong><a href="http://www.careerpath.com/" target="_blank">The Job Discovery Wizard on CareerPath.com</a> allows job seekers to explore new areas of employment based on the strength of their current skills and education. Job seekers start by selecting their current strengths from two wide ranging lists; one on skills categories that includes selections such as writing or critical thinking, and one on knowledge categories, with entries such as <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/chemistry/" target="_blank">chemistry</a> and <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/psychology/" target="_blank">psychology</a>.</p>
<p>From there, job seekers rate their proficiencies on each skill and knowledge selection. With the push of a button, a detailed list of jobs that match those criteria is generated. Each position includes a detailed visual chart of the skills and knowledge a job seeker currently has, and more importantly, a list of what skills and certifications they still need. A basic job description, training requirements and employment outlook are also featured.</p>
<p>Check these out and start showing off your newfound awesomeness!</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/jobs/high-entry-level-salaries/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: High Entry-Level Salaries'>High Entry-Level Salaries</a> <small>Last month, I wrote a post about 50 jobs that...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/career-advice/education-career-switch/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job'>Ask The Work Buzz! I&#8217;ve got a degree in education, but no job</a> <small>Courtney writes to us with a concern I&#8217;m sure many...</small></li><li><a href='http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/ask-the-work-buzz-salary-history/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Ask The Work Buzz! Salary history'>Ask The Work Buzz! Salary history</a> <small>From Kathy: Hey, Work Buzz! Boring question, but necessary answer....</small></li></ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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