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Your #Career : #CareerAdvice #ResumeWriting – 6 Ways to Hack Your #Resume and Get a #BetterJob — Without an Advanced Degree….Before jumping Back into School, Check if There are other Ways to Build your Credentials and Hack your Career — without Getting into Debt. Here are Some Alternatives.

One path to build your desired credentials? Returning to college to earn an additional degree.  While an advanced degree can open the door to more career opportunities, it comes at a steep cost. The average Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate, for example, owes $42,000 in combined undergrad and grad school debt. A Master of Arts graduate averages more than $58,000 in student loans.

Before jumping back into school, check if there are other ways to build your credentials and hack your career — without getting into debt. Here are some alternatives to beef up your resume more quickly, easily and cheaply.

1. Think Outside the Degree

If you’re thinking of returning to college to earn an additional degree, determine what you hope to gain from that experience.

Some careers are accessible only by earning certain credentials, as is the case for lawyers and doctors. But if you’re eyeing an MBA to start your own business or a master’s degree in creative writing to write a book, consider how you could accomplish these goals without a degree.

If you’re excited about learning from experts in your field of interest, for instance, finding a mentor could be effective — and much cheaper than the cost of college.

Build connections with such professionals through networking events, mutual contacts or social media. If you establish a good acquaintanceship with them, see if they’re willing to provide guidance or share their expertise.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. Earn an Accreditation or Certification

Whether you want to change career paths or take your qualifications to the next level, look into certifications that can help you get there.

“You can take certificate programs, learn, and build your resume for the path you’re pursuing to show you’re on your way,” said Vicki Salemi, a career expert for job search website Monster.

Perhaps you’re considering a second bachelor’s degree in computer science to switch to a programming career. You might be able to make that leap with a smaller investment of time and money through a coding boot camp instead.

Some certifications in certain fields can be completed in hours. Others might require months of study or a big exam to get certified. Explore different programs to see what could be an option for you.

3. Develop New Knowledge and Skills

You don’t have to earn college credits to continue your education and improve your professional skills.

Your education can take many forms, from noncredit community classes to online courses. You can take online courses through companies such as Udemy or General Assembly, for example.

Some online courses offer a certification of completion that can boost your resume.

4. Volunteer to Do the Kind of Work You’re Eyeing

Maybe you aren’t yet qualified for the job you want — at least, not enough to get a paid gig. But if you’re willing to work for free or take on extra tasks at your current job, you could accumulate hands-on experience in a new field or develop a new skill.

For example, you can “volunteer in your community and in your company on projects outside of your department,” Salemi suggested. Or you could do freelance work at a steep discount to build your portfolio.

5. Become Involved in Your Professional Community

Networking is a smart move to build your career, but it also can help enhance your resume. Seek out ways to become involved with professional conferences and groups in your current or desired career field.

In the process, you could gain some accolades to add to your resume or cite in job interviews. Here are some ways to do so, according to Salemi:

  • Submit your work in professional competitions or apply for awards.

  • Volunteer to work on the boards of local clubs, chapters or organizations for your profession.

  • Organize a workshop or make a presentation on a subject at a seminar.

  • Submit proposals to participate in a panel at a professional conference or convention.

  • Start blogging and posting on social media about topics related to your career.

  • Engage other experts online and in person to build credibility in your field.

6. Reframe Your Existing Qualifications and Skills

Sometimes you don’t need more skills or experience; instead, you can demonstrate the connection between the work you’ve done and the job requirements of an employer.

Start with your cover letter and resume. “On [your] resume, even if you don’t have a specific skill set an employer is looking for, highlight experiences and your abilities to show that you’ve done something similar,” Salemi suggested.

If you get an interview, make sure you’re prepared to make your case. “When you speak about your skill set during a job interview, clearly articulate how you would be able to still do the job,” Salemi said.

Before you start planning a return to college, consider if you might already be more qualified than you think. Building the credentials you need and filling any gaps in your qualifications often can happen faster and be done more cheaply than earning an advanced degree.

GlassDoor.com | June 11, 2018 | Posted by 

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Your #Career : #CareerAdvice – These 5 Time-Wasters are Killing your #JobSearch …Job Seekers Tend to Spin their Wheels in Similar Ways. Here’s How to Get your Search Back on Track.

Job searches always take time but don’t have to waste time.

As a time management coach, I’ve worked with many job seekers who stick to whatever feels safe and comfortable instead of doing what’s effective, only to find their job searches stretching on for an eternity. But in my experience, making your job search more efficient starts with recognizing these five signs that you’re wasting time.

1. RELYING ON A SINGLE STRATEGY

If you only try to find a job one way–particularly through online job postings–you’re likely wasting time. Most people find new jobs through various forms of networking. It often feels safer to keep your job search between you and your computer, but you’re missing out if you don’t diversify your strategy.

So definitely invest some time filling out digital applications, including trying out different job sites and going to individual companies’ career pages. But branch out from there. Talk to people you know, reach out to folks from your alma mater, and go to events where you’re likely to meet new people. Considering connecting with recruiters and even temp firms, as well; even if you aren’t interested in the openings they might have available right now, you’ll get some useful insight into the current state of the market in your field.


Related: Five things to do when you’ve exhausted all the job boards


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2. SEARCHING WITHOUT TAKING ACTION

Some people treat their “job search” like obsessive online shopping: They’ll spend hours and hours looking at postings but never follow through on applying to anything. You can’t (and shouldn’t) apply to every job you come across. But if you never apply, something’s wrong; you might be paralyzed by anxiety or indecision or simple fatigue. Try setting a goal that requires you to apply to a set number of openings each week–perhaps two to five. This ensures that you’re not just wasting time searching without any follow-through.


Related: 7 simple tips for beating job-search burnout


3. APPLYING TO JOBS YOU DON’T ACTUALLY WANT

It can feel super vulnerable applying to a job that you’re really excited about and know you’re qualified for. But only applying to jobs where you’re vastly over- or underqualified is wasting your time. If it’s a mistake to be too selective and only apply to openings that look like perfect fits, then the reverse is also true: Applying indiscriminately to too many opportunities in the hope that something might work out is a poor strategy, too. If you don’t feel any butterflies in your stomach at all after sending out an application, it might be a sign that this job isn’t for you–and was a waste of time applying to.


Related: How to sell yourself for a job when you’re overqualified


4. NEVER FOLLOWING UP

It takes time to talk to people, whether it’s having a phone chat with a recruiter, catching up with an acquaintance, attending a job fair, or going to a networking event. When someone says they have an idea for someone you should speak with, always follow up to get that introduction. If you find yourself with a stack of business cards or a bunch of verbal promises but nothing to show for it, it’s a sign you’re doing a lot of networking but aren’t receiving the payoff. Don’t hesitate to take the initiative and check in with someone who offered you a referral. Since this is your job search, it’s on you to take action, not on the other person.


Related: A recruiter shares the best way to follow up on a job application


5. STAYING IN YOUR BUBBLE

When you’re networking, the best use of your time is typically by starting with your existing network–the people who already know you, like you, and want to support you. But if that’s not leading to the results you want, it’s time to widen your focus. Yes, you’ll want to avoid generic networking events that don’t attract people who work in the fields you’re excited about, but sticking to the same old gatherings can be a waste of time, too.

Challenge yourself to go to new places and talk to new people. Personally, I’ve found MeetUp a handy tool for diversifying professional networks, and there are loads of similar apps and platforms like it. You can find everything from hiking groups to business-building groups and everything in between. Putting yourself out there can feel awkward and even pointless. But opening yourself up to new possibilities can allow career magic to happen; you never know when you’ll meet somebody who knows somebody else who’s got just the job lead you’ve been looking for.


Related: How to turn your crappy network into a better one


Searching for a job, especially if you’ve been searching for a long time, can leave you feeling helpless. But recognizing these five time-wasters and committing to shaking up your approach can speed things up considerably, helping you land the right job in significantly less time.

 

FastCompany.com | June 8, 2018 | BY ELIZABETH GRACE SAUNDERS 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : How You’ll Look For A Job In 2018…Here are Three(3) Things to Pay Careful Attention to If you’re Among those Who Plan to Look for Work in 2018.

Plenty of New Year’s resolutions include searching for a new job. And people don’t just add it to their lists because they hate their current job. Overall, ZipRecruiter found that nearly half (49%) of Americans who are actively looking for a new job said they love, or at least like, their current job. But 68% of employed job seekers believe that the types of jobs available today are better than what was available before.

For those looking at greener pastures, there’s good news. The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey found that 21% of the over 11,000 employers across all industries in the U.S. they surveyed are planning to hire in the coming quarter. And no need to fear that AI or automation is eliminating jobs. Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends report of more than 10,000 HR and business leaders found that 77% said they will either retrain people to use new technology, or will redesign jobs to better take advantage of human skills.

So if you’re actively looking for a new position or planning to hunt in 2018, here are some things to keep in mind that will impact the way you search and land that new job.

TOP SKILLS AND HOW TO SHOWCASE THEM

Dan Shapero, vice president of careers, talent solutions, and learning at LinkedIn says, “The skills employers are looking for are changing rapidly, so it’s important for professionals to constantly learn the emerging skills in their field as well as new skills that open up entirely new career options.” LinkedIn recently added a feature that notifies members what skills are trending among people with the same job title. But Shapero suggests, “By switching their thinking from “what is my title” to “what are my skills,” professionals can broaden their job options.”

Joachim Horn, CEO of SAM Labs, says current job seekers can better position themselves for 2018 career opportunities by making it a personal goal to become more proficient in STEM. “Whether it’s taking on a specific subject like computer programming or psychology, learning how to analyze data more effectively, instructing others to use technology,” he says, “signing up for a course like statistics or basic fundamentals of coding, watching an online tutorial on argumentation, or even working on an independent project at home like a DIY kit, are all great examples of ways to build STEM abilities.”

SurveyMonkey CEO Zander Lurie contends that the soft skill that will get more play in the coming year is curiosity, especially as AI gets smarter. But it’s still flying under most people’s radar, given that only 5% of more than 13,000 workers polled by SurveyMonkey and INSEAD say curiosity “should be in the top two most rewarded employee characteristics to help your company change and adapt for the future.” Communication (36%), self-motivation (29%), commitment (28%), and professionalism (27%) were the top three soft skills listed by workers. Yet, as Lurie points out, “You know who’s really good at commitment and professionalism? Freakin’ robots.”

 

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WORKING WITH AI

Get really prepared to work through artificially intelligent means of searching for jobs. The 2018 Entelo Recruiting Trends Report that surveyed 1,143 talent acquisition professionals found that 62% of companies plan to spend on AI-powered recruiting software. Of those, 86% plan to spend on intelligent sourcing software.

That starts with Google. Susan Vitale, the CMO of iCIMS, notes that earlier this year, Google announced Google for Jobs. As part of that program, recruitment software providers such as iCIMS have partnered with Google to improve the job search experience through machine learning capabilities. “What this means for job seekers is that it will be much easier to quickly search and apply for a job with a simple Google search,” she says. Google’s partnership with Paysa means that it’s also easier to search for a salary range for those open positions.

But it also means there are a plethora of platforms designed to match you with jobs that you might never have considered otherwise. For example, with Leap.ai, you have to do a self-assessment that focuses on sussing out your strengths (i.e., collaboration, leadership), skills (UX design, sales, marketing), and personal values, as well as job preferences (working in teams, independent, remote). TalentWorks also uses AI to optimize your resume and application and also provides human coaching (for a fee), while Talify’s college student users take personality assessments, and SquarePeg’s users take psychometric testsdesigned to make better matches to jobs where you’d actually perform your best.

ADAPTING TO DIFFERENT KINDS OF INTERVIEWS

Elaine Varelas, managing partner of Keystone Partners, insists that video interview expertise will be a must. “Every level of candidate will participate in AI video-screening interviews,” she states. “And they will need to be skilled at answering questions with no visual cues, feedback, or encouragement.”

Lindsay Grenawalt, head of People for Cockroach Labs, says that exercise-based interviews are becoming more common for non-technical workers. “Rather than guess if a candidate can do the job based on their answers to behavioral questions,” she says, “exercise-based interviews ask for candidates to show [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][what they can do].”

That means job-based simulations in the form of case studies, individual exercises, and presentations. “Since each interview focuses on different areas, collectively, says Grenawalt, the interviews are mini snapshots of the candidate’s capabilities.

“Candidates get a clear understanding of what it would be like to work at the company and in that role on a day-to-day basis,” she says. Fear not, she says. Because they require a high degree of engagement, they are more collaborative and a better experience overall than traditional interviews in which candidates have to sweat through a series of stress-inducing questions. Grenawalt recommends taking advantage of all of the information companies are making available on their hiring and interview process to shine in this kind of interview.

Matt Glotzbach, CEO of Quizlet, says it will be important for candidates to be able to articulate and emphasize skills that allow them to work side by side with new technologies. “Showing to future employers not only that you understand the technologies of today, but also that you’re actively learning new skills, topics, and subjects will be key,” says Glotzbach. Be prepared to discuss microcredentials, boot camps, self-driven learning projects, or side hustles, he says. “Learning doesn’t stop when you receive a diploma.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lydia Dishman is a reporter writing about the intersection of tech, leadership, and innovation. She is a regular contributor to Fast Company and has written for CBS Moneywatch, Fortune, The Guardian, Popular Science, and the New York Times, among others.

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FastCompany.com | January 1, 2018

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