Monday, November 26, 2012

8 Things Millennial Job Seekers Do That We All Need to Try

By 


No matter your age, you've probably thought about how your gray hair or your baby face affects your job search. Experienced job seekers worry about age discrimination because they believe hiring managers think they're too old. Younger job seekers complain that their accomplishments don't get the attention and respect they deserve and that people don't value their skills due to their relatively few years of experience.
Can we learn anything from members of different generations when it comes to job search? Consider the following things Millennials, also known as Gen-Y (born between the late 1970s and early 2000s), do that all job seekers should:
1. They use social networking to connect and extend their network. While some criticize Gen-Y for sacrificing in-person conversations and preferring to communicate via text and Facebook, everyone could learn something from this generation's ability to extend their networks via online and technical tools. Don't underestimate the importance of your digital footprint—what people can find out about you online.Jobvite's research indicates 92 percent of companies in the United States use social networks and media to find talent this year. That's up from 78 percent five years ago. When you're technologically savvy, it is easier to tap into this network.
2. They collaborate. Gen-Y is known for their interest in interaction, collaboration, and connectivity. Other generations can benefit by embracing the interconnectedness that extends networking beyond lip service to actual engagement.
3. They demonstrate flexibility and multi-task effectively. Most people would agree that Millennials are some of the most agile workers. They're known to be able to manage several projects simultaneously and to easily shift from one thing to the next with ease. While you may not want to work on four projects at once, you can try to be less set in your ways. Hiring managers value flexibility, and if you can demonstrate this skill, you'll be more competitive for positions.
4. They're creative and innovative. In a recent Forbes article, writer Jenna Goudreau quoted Amy Lynch, co-author ofThe M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation is Rocking the Workplace, as saying, "Millennials are not locked into limited, linear patterns of thinking about industry issues or challenges." And Goudreau notes: "Young employees construct solutions the way the web works, using creative networks and associations. In today's knowledge economy, the ability to innovate will have hiring managers salivating."
Many employers appreciate Gen Y's can-do attitude and their ability to find ways to get the work done, even when the task appeared impossible.
5. They seek more than just a paycheck. Goudreau's article also quotes Paul Alofs, author of Passion Capital, when he said, "An employee's passion is the company's best resource. When people's jobs are aligned with what they care about, they put in the extra effort, and it flows straight to the bottom line." Many authors have pointed out that Millennials have a tendency to choose meaning and personal passions over money when it comes to their career choices. It may be more difficult for older workers with more external responsibilities to make choices this way, but consider how this mind set may help you make the best career decisions possible.
6. They get experience where they can. Gen-Yers actively participate in internships, volunteer work, and online learning, plus they embrace leadership opportunities large and small. If you're having a hard time landing a job, think about what you might be able to do to add the experiences and skills you need to your career materials.
7. They move on. Dan Schawbel, managing partner of Millennial Branding, notes that his company's studies show Millennials leave their corporations at the two-year mark. He says, "In comparison, Gen-X stays about five years and Baby Boomers stay about seven years at a company before leaving." While pundits pin this tendency to a lack of loyalty on the part of Gen-Y workers, there's another angle to this often-cited statistic. How many experienced workers stay in their jobs beyond the time when they're learning, growing, and enjoying the jobs?
Consider how moving to another opportunity may inspire you to maintain and leverage your network, keep your skills sharp, and maintain your interest in what you're doing at work.
8. They consider owning a business. Millennial Branding's and Beyond.com's Multigenerational Job Search survey found that the number of people between ages 18 and 29 who are in the process of setting up their own companies has increased by 50 percent in the last year alone. In the future, more professionals will need to market themselves as independent contractors or business owners. Gen-X and Baby Boomers should begin to think about how they can succeed as entrepreneurs in the new economy.


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

13 New Ways to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Irresistible


By Julie Bort

If you haven't touched your LinkedIn profile in months or years, it's time to take action.
Think of it like a makeover for your professional image.
The site has steadily transformed its profile pages from simple resumes to a smorgasbord of n interactive tools for job seeking and networking.
It's no longer enough to just list your past jobs and schooling.
But you have to log onto the site and use these tools.
Ready?

Update your photo
Nothing says fresh like a new photo. This isn't Facebookhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png, but that's no reason to stick with a stiff, boring head shot. Pick a photo that shows you off well, in a professional light.
Think: not blurry, not a group shot, not a pic with your girlfriend/boyfriend, or you wearing something you can't wear to work ... you get the idea.

Freshen up your summary
What's the biggest accomplishment you had in 2012? The Summary section is the place to tell folks about it.
If you haven't filled out a summary yet, write one. If you wrote one last year, update it.

Kill the 2012 and 2011 buzzwords
Is your profile filled with old buzzwords? They make you sound old, out of touch.
So kill them, kill them dead.
According to LinkedIn they are: creative, organizational, effective, extensive experience, track record, motivated, innovative, problem solving, communication skills, dynamic.
Other buzzwords to avoid include: results oriented, team player, self-starter, multitasking.
Most of them are adjectives trying to describe you. Instead use action words—preferably verbs—that show your accomplishments. Here's a good list of them from Moneyhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png Zine.

Showcase your latest volunteering experience
What you do out of the office says as much about you as anything else. Employers or work connections can get a sense of you as a person by reading how you spend your time.
Think over your year and update your volunteer info with the new stuff you did. Find this section by clicking on "edit profile" and then "volunteering and causes" in the right-hand bar.
And if you didn't volunteer at all in 2012, consider giving it a try over the holiday season or in 2013. Start by looking through VolunteerMatch.org.

Beef up your skills list
The Skills section is one of the ways recruiters find you. "Skills" are trendy words that change all the time. Is it better to use "blogger" or "blogging"? Is it better to say "mobile applications" or "mobile phone apps"?
LinkedIn Skill search will tell you. Type the skill into the Skills search box and it will compare that term to a list of other similar terms and show you how popular each is. Edit your profile to use the most popular terms.
Don't forget about the skills you've used volunteering too. Maybe you cook, write, organize, manage people or projects as a volunteer.  That counts. Just make sure you've filled out the volunteer section to explain that skill.

Try an endorsement
To go along with Skills, LinkedIn has added a new feature called Endorsements. You can give a thumbs-up to the exceptional people in your network.
Scroll down to the bottom of your page. See any faces by your list of skills? Those are the people who endorsed you. When you see those faces it feels, good doesn't it?

Follow some new "thought leaders"
In October, LinkedIn added a new feature that lets you follow other executive "thought leaders" including Businesshttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png Insider's Henry Blodget.
Their posts will show up on your home screen. It's a good way to keep up with big topics in the year to come.
Follow them and their posts will show up on your LinkedIn homepage.

Snag a new recommendation
Most people only beef up their recommendations when they go job hunting. But a bunch of new recommendations, especially from friends, are easy for recruiters to spot and ignore.
Lists of recommendations that span months or even years are more impressive. A good word from execs in your industry or at your company are the best, recruiters say.

Clean out your old groups and add new ones
You may have joined a few groups early on, based on invitations or other outdated reasons. Don't feel limited to joining employee or alumni groups.  Clear out the groups that you don't love and try some new ones.
Groups can be one of the best ways to expand your network. Having a group in common gives you a good way to break the ice with helpful professional contacts.

Follow your dream employers
Even if you love your job, it can't hurt to look, particularly if your dream job is still out there.
Where could you see yourself working? When you follow a company on LinkedIn, you can learn about job openings and make yourself seen by commenting on news in the company's activity stream.

Add some new apps and features
There are all kinds of add-ons apps to LinkedIn, from apps that let you find professional events in your town, hear about trendy business books, or see where your LinkedIn contacts are traveling.
Try a new one or two.

Ask a question, answer a question
People have actually been offered jobs just because they did a great job answering questions on LinkedIn Answers.
Vow to step up your participation next year. You might enjoy sharing your expertise and you could find the answers you've been looking for.

Create or update your custom LinkedIn signature
You can use a fancy LinkedIn signature with your regular email that shows off your LinkedIn network.
It links to your LinkedIn Profile and shows the person you are emailing your mutual LinkedIn friends.
If you already have this, try changing it up.





Friday, November 16, 2012

The Top 10 Programming Languages (For Techies only)

The knowledge of a handful of programming languages could come to be a lifesaver to many a programmer, especially since most languages that were popular 10 years ago are not as viable as they are now.

But there are many developers who have earned their worth simply by knowing the right programming language at the right time, simply because they had solid skills that were profitable while the language was popular.

Here are some languages though, which stayed popular through the years, and prove to give young developers a jump start to their careers, and always are a bonus to add to any developer’s resume, as compiled by TIOBE software, a coding standards company.

1. Java What is it?
An object-oriented programming language developed in the late 1990s by James Gosling and colleagues at Sun Microsystems.

Why is it important?
This “beautiful” programming language is central for any non-Microsoft developer, i.e. any developer who focuses on the non-.NET experience. It is mostly derived from C and C++ but has a more basic object model. It ranked first on TIOBE’s list of most popular programming languages.

2. C What is it?
C, a general purpose programming language built by Dennis Ritchie when he was a part of Bell Telephone labs, is the bass of C++ and other programming languages. It was built to work with the Unix operating system.

Why is it important?
C is one of the most widely used programming languages of all time, and ranked second on the list. “Learning C is crucial. Once you learn C, making the jump to Java or C# is fairly easy, because a lot of the syntax is common. Also, a lot of C syntax is used in scripting languages,” Wayne Duqaine, director of Software Development at Grandview Systems, of Sebastopol, Calif., told eWEEK.

3. C# What is it?
This general-purpose programming language developed by Microsoft evolved from C and C++ as a part of the software company’s .NET initiative.

Why is it important?
This language is an essential part of the .NET framework, so developers who use Microsoft heavily will find it critical, according to Duqaine.

4. C++ What is it?
C++ is a general purpose multi-paradigm spanning compiled language that has both high-level and low-level languages’ features. It was started as an enhancement to the C programming language, Bjarne Stroustrup in 1979.

Why is it important?
It is one of the most popular programming languages, winning fourth place on the list, with application domains including systems software, application software, server and client applications, and entertainment software such as video games. The language has also greatly influenced many other popular programming languages, such as C# and Java.

5. Objective-C What is it?
This object-oriented programming language created first by Brad Cox and Tom Love at their company Stepstone in the early 1980s, adds Smalltalk-like messaging to the C programming language.

Why is it important?
This language is most used on the Apple iOS and Mac OS X. Objective-C is the principal language used for Apple's Cocoa API as well.

6. PHP What is it?
This language is especially suited for Web development because of it easy embedding into HTML pages. It is an open-source, server-side, cross-platform, interpretive HTML scripting language

Why is it important?
It is a popular language, ranking sixth on TIOBE’s list. "High-speed scripting with caching, augmented with compiled code plug-ins (such as can be done with Perl and PHP) is where the future is. Building Web apps from scratch using C or COBOL is going the way of the dinosaur," said Duquaine, according to eWEEK’s report.

7. (Visual) Basic What is it?
This is an event-driven programming language which is implemented on Microsoft’s .Net framework.

Why is it important?
This language ranked as the seventh most popular language on TIOBE’s list, probably because it was designed by Microsoft to be easy to learn and use. According to Tim Huckaby, CEO of San Diego-based software engineering company CEO Interknowlogy.com, “It is currently dominating in adoption and that is where all the work is,” as in eWEEK’s report.

8. Python What is it?
This is an event-driven programming language which is extensively used by Google because of its simplicity. It is managed by the Python Software Foundation.

Why is it important?
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to combine"remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive.

It is releases on 4 September 2011, 6 months ago.It is developed by Python Software Foundation.

9. Perl What is it?
Being a high-level programming language, its emphasis lies in code readability and clear syntax. It combines Object-oriented and functional programming styles, and is often used as a scripting language. Perl is an open-source language used widely to process text through CGI programs.

Why is it important?
Perl’s efficiency in processing of piles of text has ranked it ninth in terms of programming language popularity. It is used extensively to write Web server programs for a variety of tasks. “Learning some form of scripting language, such as Perl or PHP is critical if you are doing Web apps," told Wayne Duqaine, director of Software Development at Grandview Systems, of Sebastopol, Calif., in a talk with eWEEK.

10. JavaScript What is it?
JavaScript is an object-oriented scripting language that is smaller than Java. Being a client-side language, it runs in the web browser on the client-side with a simplified set of commands, easier code and no need for compilation.

Why is it important?
JavaScript is simple to learn and is the tenth most widely used programming language. It is used in millions of web pages to authenticate forms, detect browsers and improve design, and it is easier to run these functions as it is embedded into HTML.

Below are the Top 20 programming languages by popularity.
1. JavaScript
2. Java
3. PHP
4. Python
5. Ruby
6. C#
7. C++
8. C
9. Objective-C
10. Shell
11. Perl
12. Scala
13. Haskell
14. ASP
15. Assembly
16. ActionScript
17. R
18. Visual Basic
19. CoffeeScript
20. Groovy 

But while there may be a few surprises on this list – the continued traction of Java, as an example, is unexpected for some – by and large this list seems like nothing more or less than a reasonable representation of programming languages in use today. It is an inclusive list, from compiled to interpreted and everything in between, and thus more evidence of the runtime fragmentation that has been rampant for several years [coverage]. 


What is interesting, on the other hand, is observing how these rankings have changed over time. From December of 2010 to September of 2011, for example, the popularity of Actionscript, Emacs Lisp, Haskell, JavaScript, Objective-C, Ruby, Scala and Shell script remained unchanged. ASP and Groovy, however, jumped one spot in the rankings, Java 2 and Assembly and C# 5. C, C++, PHP, and Python on the other hand dropped 1 spot, R and Lua 2, while Clojure and Perl dropped 3 spots. 


Comparing this September to last, the big winners were CoffeeScript (9 spots), Visual Basic (5), and ASP, Assembly, C++, Haskell and Scala, which all moved up one place. C#, Java, JavaScript, Objective-C, Perl, PHP, Python, R, Ruby and Shell were unchanged. This year’s losers, meanwhile, include Groovy (dropped 1 spot), C (1), Clojure (3), ActionScript (4), and Emacs Lisp (6). 


But what if we compare this September 2012 to Drew’s original analysis in December of 2010, just shy of three years ago? What has changed with these languages overall in three years? 


1. Clojure -6 (Dropped out of the Top 20)
2. Emacs Lisp -6 (Dropped out of the Top 20)
3. ActionScript -4
4. Lua -3 (Dropped out of the Top 20)
5. Perl -3
6. C -2
7. R -2
8. PHP -1
9. Python -1
10. C++ 0
11. Groovy 0
12. JavaScript 0
13. Objective-C 0
14. Ruby 0
15. Shell 0
16. Haskell 1
17. Scala 1
18. ASP 2
19. Java 2
20. C# 5
21. Visual Basic 5 (Added to the Top 20)
22. Assembly 6 (Added to the Top 20)
23. CoffeeScript 18 (Added to the Top 20) 


The more popular languages on this list – JavaScript, Ruby and the like are notable for their lack of movement. What is very interesting is that the two biggest jumps come from languages that could not be more unlike one another; CoffeeScript is a simplied version of JavaScript that infuriates technologists with its technical compromises, while Assembly is as close to the bare metal as most developers today are likely to get. That this study in contrasts should comprise the biggest gains over a three year period is interesting.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

5 Questions Great Job Candidates Ask

Many of the questions potential new hires ask are throwaways. But not these.
-Jeff Haden


Be honest. Raise your hand if you feel the part of the job interview where you ask the candidate, "Do you have any questions for me?" is almost always a waste of time.

Thought so.

The problem is most candidates don't actually care about your answers; they just hope to make themselves look good by asking "smart" questions. To them, what they ask is more important than how you answer.

Great candidates ask questions they want answered because they're evaluating you, your company--and whether they really want to work for you.

Here are five questions great candidates ask:
What do you expect me to accomplish in the first 60 to 90 days?
Great candidates want to hit the ground running. They don't want to spend weeks or months "getting to know the organization."

They want to make a difference--right away.

What are the common attributes of your top performers?
Great candidates also want to be great long-term employees. Every organization is different, and so are the key qualities of top performers in those organizations.

Maybe your top performers work longer hours. Maybe creativity is more important than methodology. Maybe constantly landing new customers in new markets is more important than building long-term customer relationships. Maybe it's a willingness to spend the same amount of time educating an entry-level customer as helping an enthusiast who wants high-end equipment.

Great candidates want to know, because 1) they want to know if they fit, and 2) if they do fit, they want to be a top performer.

What are a few things that really drive results for the company?
Employees are investments, and every employee should generate a positive return on his or her salary. (Otherwise why are they on the payroll?)

In every job some activities make a bigger difference than others. You need your HR folks to fill job openings... but what you really want is for HR to find the rightcandidates because that results in higher retention rates, lower training costs, and better overall productivity.

You need your service techs to perform effective repairs... but what you really want is for those techs to identify ways to solve problems and provide other benefits--in short, to generate additional sales.

Great candidates want to know what truly makes a difference. They know helping the company succeed means they succeed as well.

What do employees do in their spare time?
Happy employees 1) like what they do and 2) like the people they work with.

Granted this is a tough question to answer. Unless the company is really small, all any interviewer can do is speak in generalities.

What's important is that the candidate wants to make sure they have a reasonable chance of fitting in--because great job candidates usually have options.

How do you plan to deal with...?
Every business faces a major challenge: technological changes, competitors entering the market, shifting economic trends... there's rarely a Warren Buffett moat protecting a small business.

So while a candidate may see your company as a stepping-stone, they still hope for growth and advancement... and if they do eventually leave, they want it to be on their terms and not because you were forced out of business.

Say I'm interviewing for a position at your bike shop. Another shop is opening less than a mile away: How do you plan to deal with the new competitor? Or you run a poultry farm (a huge industry in my area): What will you do to deal with rising feed costs?

A great candidate doesn't just want to know what you think; they want to know what you plan to do--and how they will fit into those plans.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Find the Courage to Leap to a Great New Career


- Deborah Brown-Volkman

It takes courage to pursue a career you're passionate about when you're already immersed in one you dislike.

When I started my first marketing job in Manhattan in the early 1980s, I loved the pace, big-city excitement and the high salary I was earning. I excelled at my job. Wall Street was booming. As my career progressed, I ran sales and marketing programs for large and small companies. But gradually I began to feel as though I was turning into a corporate emblem.

I'd chosen a career in sales and marketing because I was a "people person," fascinated by how people behave and what motivates them. Yet I found myself in a system where making decisions took so long that an eternity looked short. Day after day I took my assigned place, to work according to rules created by others for endless hours that belonged to others, to achieve the goals of others. I was slowly becoming invisible.

As a symptom of my discontent, I began job hopping. Friends and colleagues would ask, "What's wrong with you?" I asked myself: "Why can't you be happy?" and "Why can't you stay in one job for an extended period of time?" I'd start each job with good intentions, telling myself, "This is it. I'm staying here forever." But a month or two later, I would feel unhappy again. I longed for a better career but had no goal and therefore no plan to implement a change.

When I finally decided I'd had enough, I signed up for a class to learn a new profession, and I switched careers. Suddenly my next professional move seemed clear to me, and I made it happen. Now I love what I do and can't imagine doing anything else.

You can have a career with purpose and passion, too. If you already have the know-how and skills, you may need only the encouragement to follow through on your dreams. Here are three ways to push yourself toward securing a more meaningful career:

Dream again.
Remember when you were young and knew what you wanted to be when you grew up? Are you doing this now as an adult? If not, why? Why didn't you go after what you wanted? What got in the way?

Many professionals who are unhappy in their careers say they can't envision their dream jobs. But when they're pushed to write their dreams on paper, they remember their childhood fantasies.

Be creative.
A businesswoman I know with a schedule that moves at the speed of light speaks regularly with clients who have built multimillion-dollar empires. She loves what she does, but she says if she doesn't find time to be creative, the day has gone to waste. Being creative makes us happy and fuels our soul. Creativity allows us to express our talents and skills to their fullest capability. It takes us away from our problems and makes room for new ideas and perspectives.

To unleash your own creativity, begin paying attention to the inner voice that urges you to paint, write, fix your car or engage in another activity that gives you pleasure. These are clues to where you belong in your career.

Keep moving no matter what.
Countless professionals on the brink of success fail only because they stopped trying too soon. Life can be difficult. We sometimes forget this when the going gets tough.

For example, many executives use the sour economy as an excuse for not moving forward. They've decided that their career goals are too hard to reach, and so they wait for the marketplace to improve on its own. This is the worst decision a professional can make.

Those who are successful in their careers don't give up. They're no different from you or me. The distinction is that they keep moving no matter what. They have good and bad days, but they don't stop trying.

Move forward even if you don't feel like it. Do one thing every day regardless of whether you think it will make a difference. Waiting kills your momentum and spirit. Progress will make your career goals a reality.



Tuesday, November 6, 2012

10 Keys to Nailing a Job Interview

By Jim Clifton

Thousands of people, particularly college students, have asked me exactly how to position themselves in job interviews.
Here are my 10 best recommendations:
  1. Show confidence. The single most critical state of mind in any job interview is self-assuredness, so confirm that your personal pitch is based 100% on your innate talents and strengths. I’d recommend that you take Gallup’s Clifton StrengthsFinder® assessment, which tells you your top five strengths out of 34. Write down your top five strengths and keep them in the forefront of your mind during the interview. If you lead with your strengths, you’ll exude self-efficacy and genuine, unstoppable confidence. 
  2. Detail how your strengths will help the company grow. Businesses have exhausted all cost-cutting measures. They’ve applied Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, and lean thinking to make their companies more efficient and muscular. Now they want to play offense and grow their businesses, so position yourself as having growth-oriented skills. Show how you can help them grow teams, sales, and customers. 
  3. Emphasize how you can help companies achieve big profits. In some quarters, particularly on college campuses, “profit” is a dirty word. Check that idea at the door. A company will hire you if you can show that you’ll make it more profitable, so specify how you’ll do that. Maybe your strengths lie in sales, efficient work, or effective management. Whatever -- you’re there to boost the bottom line. If you’re just not comfortable with profits, you can pursue honorable work in government or the nonprofit world.
  4. Give extremely specific evidence that you understand customers. The biggest problem most companies have right now is getting more business from existing customers. If you can offer compelling evidence that you’ve turned a customer around -- or deepened a customer relationship -- you will score big points.
  5. Know more about the organization where you’re applying than the interviewer does. This makes you look exceptionally smart.
  6. Get as physically fit as you possibly can. There’s no easy way to say this, but obesity and smoking can be barriers to getting hired. They instill a fear of higher healthcare costs, while also unfairly projecting an image of less discipline and drive. I don’t endorse this prejudice -- I’m just being frank that it exists.
  7. First impressions matter. Look your best. Walk with confidence, give a firm handshake, look interviewers in the eye, smile a lot (but sincerely), and take an interest in the interviewer.
  8. If you’re asked to give a presentation, make it a 10. An 8 or 9 won’t cut it -- you have to hit it out of the park. Don’t get talked into trying out new material. Do what good politicians do: No matter what the question, bring it around to your areas of strength. And stress customers and profits.
  9. Casually let the interviewer know you’re exploring other opportunities -- only if it’s true. This always works, but it must be genuine.
  10. Never talk about pay until after you’ve been offered the job. Going right to compensation and benefits is a real turnoff. Emphasize your deep interest in the mission and purpose of the company, especially when talking to the top people.