Types of Career Networking Events to Attend

Types of Career Networking Events to AttendTypes of Career Networking Events to AttendNetworking is essential for career success, and its always valuable to start building your network or expanding your professional connections by attending a networking event. There are several types of in-person career networking events, both formal and informal, which will help you to expand the number of contacts which you generate through networking. Although all networking events share the same goal of getting people together with other people who can help them career-wise, there are some differences in where and how these events are held. Heres a list of some of the different types of events and programs that are available for job seekers and career changers. Types of Career Networking Events Career FairsEmployers, recruiters, and schools often gather at career fairsto provide an opportunity for job seekers to meet in one location. Employers may be recruiting for specific job openings or ma y wish to connect with participants to provide information on the company and future employment opportunities. Career fairs are busy, and things move fast so be sure to practice your elevator pitch before going (and arrive early). Chamber of Commerce EventsChamber of Commerce groups hold regional events like mixers, workshops, fundraisers for local charities, andgeschftsleben cardexchanges. unterstellung events provide an excellent opportunity to meet prospective local employers, business partners, clients, and suppliers. Make sure you have a business card to hand out which is eye-catching and links to other sources of information about your work or business like your LinkedIn URL or a company website. Church GroupsChurch groups provide a forum for casual networking with people holding common spiritual beliefs through participation in socials, coffee after services or church charities. College Alumni ProgramsColleges sponsor non-career events which afford the opportunity for alumni to meet around a common interest. Gallery and museum tours, sporting events, lectures and cocktail hours at local bars are frequent offerings. Programs like these allow alumni to connect in an informal way which can lead to productiveinformational interviewsat a later date. Be ready to share your own career status as it fits in with the conversation. College Career Networking EventsColleges will often sponsorcareer networking eventsfor alumni and/or students. These programs may take place on campus or in various cities with a significant alumni population or by industry groups. Check with the career services or alumni affairs office at your alma mater for a schedule of events. These events can be structured in many different ways with a common denominator being the opportunity to introduce yourself and hear the introductions of other alumni and/or students. So, having anelevator speechprepared which summarizes your work history and aspirations in 30 - 60 seconds will be essential.S peed networkinghas become a popular event structure for alumni and other professional groups. Community Service GroupsCommunity service groups like the Rotary Club provide the opportunity for volunteers to staff fundraisers and other events whereby they will interact with donors and other volunteers. Your shared charitable tendencies can often serve as a bridge and cast you in a favorable light. Joining a service group is a great way to aid your fellow community members and build up your network. Obviously, you shouldnt join just to build your network. Its important that youre sincere about your service. Diversity GroupsWomens groups and other groups based on gender, race or ethnicity (like the National Society of Black Engineers) have long recognized the value of networking and typically integrate this component into their lectures and events. Job Club MeetingsAjob clubis a formal or informal group of job seekers who provide each other with job search advice and support. Club membe rs, even if they are unemployed, can assist fellow members with job referrals, job leads, and introductions. Its an effective way to network with fellow job seekers. Look for job clubs via your local chamber of commerce, public library, community college, or take out an ad in the local paper and start your own job club. Professional ConferencesMeetings, workshops, and conferences for professional and trade associations often include formal networking events. They also offer ample opportunities to make contacts during meetings and workshops. By volunteering to help organize a conference you can gain visibility and showcase your work style. Presenting workshops provides another vehicle for exhibiting your knowledge and skills. Or you can attend these workshops and build up your own skills list.

How to Be Successful as a New Manager- The Muse

How to Be Successful as a New Manager- The MuseHow to Be Successful as a New Manager- The MuseThat entry-level job you started 13 months ago has become second nature to you. In fact, youve got it so wired that your boss has to come-up with creative, new ways to keep you challenged and interested. She asks you to do things like training new employees as they get hired, or representing your group on a cross-functional team that is working on a high-visibility initiative. Whatever the circumstance, you sense its time to make the leap and take on a mid-level position that will help you grow professionally, personally, and financially. However, getting promoted may be easier than managing your new responsibilities. According to the Diane Egbers and Karen Schenck, 40% of newly promoted leaders fail in new roles within 18 months. Why? Lots of reasons from over-estimating your readiness to not clicking with your new boss. Here are three ways to think differently and be successful in your fir st mid-level job 1. Look Up (Not Just Down)Your first position involved managing details and tactics, problem solving, and completing tasks that were mostly short-term. These are looking down tasks. More advanced positions involve detailed tasks and tactics too, but these positions also involve being able to look up so you can see how all the tasks connect to one another to form a whole plan. The most important tasks managers face take mora time, input, and consideration to solve. For example, being a contract administrator or project accountant are jobs that take super look down skills, involving managing details and sweating the small stuff. But when people in those roles get promoted to being an assistant project or contract manager, they may become accountable for all of the budgets and expenses on the job- not just the ones associated with one element of the project. Knowing how to manage groups of functions falls into that category. Before jumping to solutions like you might h ave done before, make sure youre seeing the whole picture and how each piece connects to the others.2. Learn to Embrace And-Both Thinking (Instead of Either-Or)With your new responsibilities, do you focus on short-term issues like reviewing expenses on a routine basis or long-term needs like re-vamping important policies? If you had to make a choice between doing what is best for the shareholders (like taking a new contract with a high-paying customer, who complains about everything and is demoralizing to work with) and what is best for the employees (like, saying no to this kind of new business) how would you decide? Every option and every answer to a problem usually come with a downside that is a trade off to its upside. Be curious and investigate all the angles of important decisions. Youre not just the person charged with executing the task Youre charged with developing the best plan. Youll need to see the validity of all points of view, even if theyre contradictory. Start by no ticing your tendency to want to oversimplify things or to become uncomfortable in complex situations. Some of the best answers you will land on will take into account the grey areas of a situation and find new and creative ways to accommodate multiple interests. So, in the situation above, youd want to consider both your shareholders and employees by agreeing on clearly defined quality standards that your team can live with as a condition of taking on the clients new business. 3. Make the Shift From Me to WeOK, so it sounds sappy, but its true. Entry-level employees have to take care of business and become successful as individual contributors. When you move up the ladder, you have to be a team player who isnt as concerned about getting high fived because you did a good job. Your focus should be on supporting everyones contributions.Since your new job is more closely hooked to the work of others, work on really developing the skills that go into being a great team member. These incl ude listening with empathy, defining accountability and authority clearly, having difficult conversations, and knowing yourself better.Mid-level employees are the heartbeat that drives execution in organizations. They are the critical link in the chain between the doers on the front line and strategizers at senior levels. Of all the leaps youll make, the most profound one is the leap of mindset from being satisfied with your own individual contributions to broader sources of satisfaction in the collective accomplishments of groups and teams. Photo of team meeting courtesy of Shutterstock.

How Can I Optimize My Resume Without Exaggerating My Experience

How Can I Optimize My Resume Without Exaggerating My Experience How Can I Optimize My Resume Without Exaggerating My Experience Keywords Count and Keeping it Real, Resume Optimization Without DishonestyAccording to the Wall Street Journal, most recruiters say that over half of job seekers are under qualified for the positions they are interested in. Even if youre one of the qualified applicants, its still easy to get lost in the shuffle of ATS programs. You really have to be strategic to give your resume its best shot at landing in the hands of an actual human being, otherwise youll never even get an interview. But keep in mind, once you optimize your resume youll still have to talk about your experience. Once youve made it past the first round of eliminations, youll need to be able to back up all the great things you said about yourself on the resume, so be wary of exaggeration. Here are some tips for effectively showcasing your skills without tripping up the sorting software.Speak The Companys LanguageDo some research on the company culture. Visit their website, read their blog, follow them on Twitter, and check out their LinkedIn network. What are their core values? How do they speak to potential clients, to each other? This kind of research helps you to keep your resume focused on the skills that a particular employer values most, and it can give you a clue about what theyre looking for personality-wise. This way, if you do score an interview youll have some insight into whether theyre more likely to appreciate a touch of braggadocio or whether its a safer bet to stay humble.Using synonyms and similar language from the job description is a big part of optimizing your resume, so its okay to change words that mean the same thing to match those within the job description. While a hiring manager or recruiter will recognize the synonyms, an ATS likely wont. Its not a lie to say that you analyzed and interpreted data, when your resume previously stated tracked an d reported on data. Company language and optimizing your resume for the keywords will certainly help you get your foot in the door.Go Ahead and Brag, Just Be HonestTake a few classes at a top university? Go ahead and name-drop the school on your resume. Some employers sort resumes by school, so it could help you get through the vetting process. However, dont embellish anything. If you took a few classes, say so, but dont claim you got your degree there or that you were on the deans list if you werent. Those things are pretty easy follow up on and if youre caught in a lie like that, your chances of getting hired are pretty much zero. The same goes for just about any other aspect of your resume. And dont forget to give credit where its due. A good way to steer clear of sounding arrogant when talking about your accomplishments is to acknowledge the team who supported your efforts.Keep It ConciseUse bulleted keywords to describe your qualifications instead of a paragraph-style summary. The simpler formatting is more likely to make the cut when your resume is being shuffled through ATS systems. This also means that you dont need to elaborate much about your skills and accomplishments. Stick with facts, and use relevantresumekeywords to state them. Also, avoid using adjectives like best. Claims like this are entirely subjective and often come across as insincere to a recruiter. So unless you were actually awarded the title of Best Something Related to the Job, skip the superlatives.Its important to take the time to find the right resume keywords to highlight your skills and optimize your resume so you can stand out without putting recruiters off.