job & interview

No Degree? No Problem! Here's How to Land an Excellent Job Anyway

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No Degree? No Problem! Here's How to Land an Excellent Job Anyway</h1>
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There will be more than 50.6 million jobs this decade. Only 27.1 percent will require a college degree.</h2>
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Some research suggests that not everyone needs a college degree to find a quality job.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">There are many factors affecting how difficult it may be to land a new job. Prime among them is how well you negotiate the job-search terrain. Do you</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"> </span><a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-abcs-of-resumes" style="color: #005ea6; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-abcs-of-resumes">target your résumé</a><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"> specifically for each position, keeping in mind keywords that appeal to the employer? Are you following directions completely and correctly for each application? Have you selected positions appropriate to your skills, or are you applying for jobs you're over- or underqualified to do?</span></div>
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Another factor in landing a job is your education. According to Pew Research Center, millennial college graduates who are between ages 25 and 32 and working full time earn about $17,500 more annually than those who possess a high school diploma only. Also, 89 percent of college graduates work full time compared to 82 percent of those with just their high school diploma. Only 3.8 percent of college-educated millennials are unemployed, compared with 12.2 percent of young adults with a high school diploma.<a href="http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/02/11/the-rising-cost-of-not-going-to-college/" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/02/11/the-rising-cost-of-not-going-to-college/"></a></div>
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However, the cost of college and interest level in pursuing higher education may prevent <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs">potential job seekers</a> from pursuing postsecondary degrees. Some research suggests that not everyone should pursue a college degree. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts there will be 50.6 million job openings by 2022 but only 27.1 percent of those positions will require college degrees.</div>
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Even though he does not have a college degree, Lionel Rabb is the CEO of a number of Chicago-based companies, including Catalyst Group Global, Total Support Solutions and Omicron Technologies. He is also founder and trustee of The Rabb Family Foundation. These are his tips for pursuing a successful career without a college education:</div>
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<b>Focus on your network.</b> You’ve probably heard that who you know is just as important as what you know. It couldn’t be more true than when it’s time to land a job. Many non-college grads don’t realize they're likely to be weeded out from opportunities requiring a degree when applying online. However, it is possible, in some cases, to land an interview if you’re otherwise well-qualified and have a contact refer you to the hiring manager. Rabb reminds job seekers: “Relationships matter; how you interact with people and build those relationships matter. Meet different people and have divergent dialogues across fields and be sure to stay in touch – especially with those people that seem genuine.”</div>
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<b>Accept failure, be flexible.</b> Whether or not you have a college degree, <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/12/12/dilbert-creator-scott-adams-how-to-fail-your-way-to-success" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/12/12/dilbert-creator-scott-adams-how-to-fail-your-way-to-success">failure is a natural part</a> of your career; there will be ups and downs. According to Rabb, the key to becoming a successful businessperson is to accept failures, but never let them stop you – don’t give up and remain flexible. “Both flexibility and determination are keys to becoming a success at what you do,” he says.</div>
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<b>Think quickly, act slowly. </b>You always want to be thinking, but how fast you act upon those thoughts could hamper the desired results or outcome. It’s therefore critical to be strategic – research possible alternatives, options and outcomes. Rabb suggests you incorporate a little strategy and research into your plans to help ensure your quick thinking will bear more fruit. At the same time, “never become complacent, as time and complacency are the enemies to any person's <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/11/14/g-richard-shell-success-includes-trial-and-error" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">business success</a>,” he says.</div>
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<b>Treat business deals like long-term relationships.</b> Don’t think that you need to accomplish everything at once when approaching an opportunity or deal. If you do, “there likely won't be any deal No. 2 or 3," Rabb notes. "Knowing, responding and respecting your business audience’s needs and concerns, and working on building long-term relationships, which are based on trust, will drive more revenue in the end.”</div>
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<b>Beat the odds.</b> With or without a college degree, there are no guarantees to being a successful businessperson. It is, therefore, always better to assume the odds are against you; get used to it and work harder than everyone else.</div>
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<b>Gain experience and skills.</b> Even if you don’t have a college degree, it’s up to you to acquire the necessary skills and training where you seek to be an expert. Refine your skills in any way you can. Don’t think you always have to be paid to do something – <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/07/14/what-to-do-if-you-cant-find-a-job" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/07/14/what-to-do-if-you-cant-find-a-job">putting skin in the game</a> is a great way to gain new experience and skills and build trust and relationships.</div>
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<b>Give no matter what. </b>Don't wait until you think you’ve made it before you help people in need. Giving throughout your life is important – when you are starting up and only have a little, to when you have made it and have a lot.</div>
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<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/07/16/no-degree-no-problem-heres-how-to-land-an-excellent-job-anyway" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

No Degree? No Problem! Here's How to Land an Excellent Job Anyway

No Degree? No Problem! Here's How to Land an Excellent Job Anyway There will be more than 50.6 million jobs this decade. Only 27.1 percent will require a college degree. Some research suggests that n…

26 Oct 2014

Want a Killer Résumé? Think Like a Salesperson

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Want a Killer Résumé? Think Like a Salesperson</h1>
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How to build a résumé that sells your strengths.</h2>
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Before editing your current résumé or drafting a new one, take time to think about your best qualities.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">We’ve all heard it: Your résumé is your sales document. You are the product. Therefore, your résumé should sell you to the employer so that he or she wants to meet you in person and ask you to interview. You might ask how that’s possible when you are not a salesperson. The key is to</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"> </span><a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-abcs-of-resumes" style="color: #005ea6; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-abcs-of-resumes">write your résumé</a><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">in a sales style.</span></div>
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Think of it like a marketing flier. In a flier, you’d include the most attractive information first, and the same goes for your résumé. Before starting to draft or make changes to your current résumé, really take time to think about <i>you</i>. How often do you have time to do that anyway? Take this opportunity to think about your strongest qualities, both according to you and those for which your colleagues and peers recognize you.</div>
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Now, consider events that have led to these impressions. Take each of your strengths into account separately. What specific project were you working on? What was your role?</div>
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<b>Descriptive title.</b> This title should go under your name and contact information. “Descriptive” doesn’t mean to use five words to describe what you do. You should aim for a title that makes clear where you want to go with your career. In other words, what’s the <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/tips-for-surviving-a-career-transition" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">next step</a> or level for you? Try not to limit yourself by your current or most recent job title unless you feel it accurately explains where you want to head as a next step in your career.</div>
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<b>Accomplishments. </b>Think for a minute about what about you stands out. You can use prose or bullet format just below the descriptive title to lay the groundwork for the rest of your sales pitch:</div>
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<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">What are the most notable things you’ve done in your professional career, as a student or as a community leader?</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">Have you received accolades?</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;"> Have you worked at a well-known company?</li>
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All of these elements will generally be recognizable to a <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/hr-specialist" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/hr-specialist">human resources manager</a> or recruiter and should be featured prominently. </div>
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<b>Areas of expertise.</b> You can call this section any one of a number of things, such as “expertise,” “key skills” or “core competencies.” Use commonly accepted terms from your industry or for the industry to which you’re seeking to transition.</div>
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<b>Work history. </b>Next comes the traditional list of jobs, titles, locations and dates. However, make the bullets specific. As you compose this section, keep in mind the following:</div>
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<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">If your company or organization is not widely known outside your industry, include a few words to describe what it is. This can be in parentheses directly after the name of the firm or underneath your employer’s name and your job title, if there is no space on the employer line. Is it a nonprofit or private company? If it has significant revenue, include that. You can also write how many people work there. All of this gives the reader a better idea of where you’ve worked and what you are used to.</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">Employers want to see specific examples. They don’t want to see a list of your duties. If you managed several events, describe one or two of the biggest ones.</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">Employers want to see results that make sense to them. That’s why you should use metrics if you have some good ones. When you managed a specific event, how many people attended or what did people say about it afterward? If you overhauled a process, by how much or what percentage did you reduce cost or the time it takes to complete? Estimates are OK here. <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/10/03/the-top-10-lies-people-put-on-their-resumes" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">Lying is not</a>.</li>
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<b>Education, community leadership and other skills. </b>Don’t leave out these important sections as far as they apply to you. For most people, these pieces should be kept short and sweet.</div>
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<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">If you’ve graduated recently or held a number of board memberships or executive leadership positions in organizations, these merit more detail.</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">Most people today use a variety of Microsoft Office tools, so general skills such as those do not need to be included. Knowledge of programs and software outside of these can be incorporated as long as they apply to the jobs you’re targeting.</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">The same goes for languages and <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/08/05/7-reasons-job-seekers-should-volunteer" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">volunteer work</a>: They should relate in some way to the job you’re applying to. If you’re trying to fill a one-page résumé as an entry-level employee, that’s one thing. But no matter where you are at in you career, every piece of information should relate in some way to the job you’re applying to.</li>
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Many people say a sales résumé is distinct from other types of résumés, but that isn’t how it should be. Non-sales professionals should aim to write their résumé in the same way a salesperson does: with clearly placed recognition, specific details and results. After all, your résumé is a sales document of sorts. Its goal should be to sell <i>you</i>.</div>
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<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/09/25/want-a-killer-resume-think-like-a-salesperson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

Want a Killer Résumé? Think Like a Salesperson

Want a Killer Résumé? Think Like a Salesperson How to build a résumé that sells your strengths. Before editing your current résumé or drafting a new one, take time to think about your best qualities.…

26 Oct 2014

Forget These 5 Networking Myths

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Forget These 5 Networking Myths</h1>
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Don't let these common misconceptions hold you back.</h2>
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Think the best connections are offline? That's a myth. Online recruiting events, Twitter and Facebook groups are fantastic places to meet new people.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">Do you cringe when you hear about networking? It has a bad rap, but networking is simply about</span><a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/09/24/10-ways-to-nurture-your-network" style="color: #005ea6; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; text-decoration: none;">building relationships</a><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">, which is the cornerstone of both life and every success. Forget these five networking myths that hold you back, and start using networking to your advantage.</span></div>
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<b>MYTH: It's about strong relationships</b>. You don’t have to wait until you’ve had coffee with someone six times and asked them to be your mentor to bring your networking relationship to the next level. Research shows it's your weak ties that make you successful. So don’t be afraid to reach out to that person you met at a friend’s dinner party once. That person is more likely to be able to help you than the friend you hang out with on a regular basis. Besides, there can only be so many people you're close to. The sheer diversity of weak ties and acquaintances puts you in an enviable position of being able to reach out to anyone and find a new job or client.</div>
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<b>MYTH: You have to go to networking events</b>. While the dreaded networking event is just as good a place as any to meet someone and strike up a conversation, many people feel uncomfortable under the spotlight. Lucky for you, a <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/06/10/networking-101-for-new-grads" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/06/10/networking-101-for-new-grads">networking event</a> is not the only place to practice networking. You can meet people with similar interests and connections during your everyday life. Think: couples game nights, baseball games, art gallery openings, alumni get-togethers, cookouts, kids play dates or just meeting some friends for drinks. Whether you're going grocery shopping or to an awards show, any time you’re with other people is an opportunity to build those weak ties.</div>
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<b>MYTH: </b><b>The best connections are offline</b>. There’s no need to limit your efforts to real-life networking. Online recruiting events, Twitter and Facebook groups are fantastic places to meet new people – especially those in new fields of interest. Participate in online communities to exponentially grow your weak ties. Not sure where to start? Search for a Facebook group that might interest you, like social media. Request to join the group, and when you’re approved, comment on another member’s status update or question. That’s it! No big secret, and no, it’s not that different from what you already do online all day.</div>
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<b>MYTH: </b><b>You have to wait for an offer to help</b>. While many of us wouldn’t admit to holding this belief, we don’t reach out to our network or follow up. Instead, we consistently wish and hope for something good to happen. But you cannot think your way into success! The only way to get what you want is to ask, because no one can read your mind. It’s scary to put yourself out there, but people want to help you – it makes them feel good. Be specific and concise in your request, and don’t worry about crafting the perfect note. No one needs to know your life story or why you hate your boss (the past) – just what you need to take the next step (the future).</div>
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Here are two simple, proven and effective scripts you can use right now with both your strong and weak ties to find a new job or a side gig:</div>
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<i>The “I’m <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-25-best-jobs-of-2014" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: null">Looking for a New Job</a>” script:</i></div>
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"Hi [Name],</div>
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I am looking to leave my full-time job, and I was wondering if you knew of any [social media/marketing] jobs or any awesome people I should talk to. I'd love to explore opportunities in the [agency] or [startup] world.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Wanted to put my feelers out...</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Thanks in advance!<br />- [Your Name]"</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<i>The “I’m Looking for Freelance Opportunities” script:</i></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
"Hi [Name],</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
I am taking on extra work in the [marketing/social media] world, and I was wondering if you knew of any consulting or <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/07/03/5-tips-for-uncovering-better-freelance-work" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">freelance gigs</a> that might be good. Or any great people I should talk to? I already do work for [agency] and would love to add another client to my roster.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Wanted to put my feelers out...</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Thanks in advance!<br />- [Your Name]"</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
You can edit these scripts to match your situation, so no excuses! If you aren’t currently employed, take that part out. If you’re not comfortable sharing information about your current clients, share the type of work you are looking for instead. The important part is to reach out to folks today. Try emailing five people to start.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>MYTH: It’s awkward to keep in touch.</b> What do you say to these weak ties you barely know? Do you take them to coffee and ask about their kids? Should you email them every four weeks with monthly updates? While you certainly can do those things, and they are great actions to take, you don’t need to worry about <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/09/11/5-networking-tips-for-new-grads" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">networking the “right” way</a>. If it feels unnatural to you, don’t do it.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Instead, when it occurs to you that so-and-so would love the article you just came across, shoot them an email. When you have a backyard cookout, and your friend’s friend would probably enjoy meeting the rest of your clan, invite him or her. If you never think about that person you met at that business conference again, rest easy. You didn’t mess up or miss out. More likely, it just wasn’t the right time to stay in touch with that person.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Networking doesn’t have to be a complicated undertaking. Rise above the usual networking myths, and build and use relationships in your everyday life. When you reach out to those around you, the world will conspire in your favor. </div>
</div>
<br />
<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/10/01/forget-these-5-networking-myths" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

Forget These 5 Networking Myths

Forget These 5 Networking Myths Don't let these common misconceptions hold you back. Think the best connections are offline? That's a myth. Online recruiting events, Twitter and Facebook groups are f…

26 Oct 2014

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