Two Words: Google Yourself!

You may think you know who you are and how you come across to others. You’ve built a great reputation in the industry and have many unsolicited Linked In endorsements to your credit. You are often asked to speak at industry events, offered great assignments at work and let’s just say you are considered a “fan favorite “when it comes to being offered new career opportunities without so much as lifting a resume. That may all be well and good and congratulations for coming so far in your career. However, do you really have a handle on how the world out there views you?

There is one very over looked area of your career that can make the mightiest of you tumble without so much as a warning. When it comes to really making sure you put your best professional foot forward one question comes to mind, “Do you Google yourself?” It’s not like you are so self-obsessed you are wondering what the rest of the world may think of you and every given minute. As much as you may think you don’t have to worry abut being confused by the other person sharing your same name and professional groups, it might not be a bad idea to make sure you at least know who you are being compared to when it comes to being checked out before you even interview for the job.

Not long ago I tried this myself and was surprised to see what came up. To my surprise “Lisa Kaye” was also a 23- year old Clique model brandishing a little more than a string bikini in most photos. Not that I would mind others confusing me for that Lisa Kaye, but when you are trying to build a professional reputation, looks count. Being prepared by knowing how your web profile appears is not a bad thing when it comes to the invisible world of the Internet and the things you think you have no control over but you do. If you find that you have googled yourself and you don’t appear anywhere that is another piece of information to help you better brand, market and highlight who you are in your profession lest you be completely forgotten. As much as you may be concerned about whom you are compared with, not being compared to anyone or not showing up at all is just as big a problem for your professional career as being compared to the wrong person.

It’s good to know you are liked and respected by those in the profession who know you. But for those who do not, making sure you button up the other parts of your professional life by ensuring that your Google profile ranks you in the way you want to be represented is an important factor. If you think that no one will check you out before they meet you for an interview or meeting, guess again. Just as important as making sure your Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter profiles represent you well, you need to be mindful that we live in an age where anyone could know everything about someone they have not even met in the tap of a key stroke!

Making sure your online presence maps to your resume is something to keep in mind and not take for granted. It’s a good rule of thumb to check your profile and search your name and industry to see what comes up to make sure you are not only in the best of company but that the information in the world wide web is accurate and concise. Finding a job and making sure your reputation remains in tact may not have been something they taught you when you were first applying for jobs, but it’s the new age common sense when it comes to making sure you are who you say you are and not someone else.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50


Copyright © 2024 Lisa Kaye - HR & Business Consulting - The Career Rebel

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5 Things To Ask BEFORE You Accept The Job…..

We all want to make the best decision when it comes to our career choice that sometimes we are willing to overlook the obvious. In our excitement and sheer delight, we accept any and all conditions of employment as part of the job offer without hesitation. This is not a one-sided negotiation. When it comes to accepting a job offer, here are a few things you should think about and ask BEFORE you sign on the dotted line:

  1. How does Compensation work? You may be so caught up in the fact that you are earning more with the new job, that you do little to inquire about how the company’s future compensation system works. How often do you receive raises? What are the merits or parameters for additional increases? What does the bonus opportunity look like? Is there equity? How do you move from one pay grade to another?   Some people shy away from discussing compensation even after they have received an offer because they think it’s bad form. It’s naïve of you if you DO NOT ask about compensation after you have expressed interest in the job and before you accept a formal job offer. If there is room to negotiate, it’s before you start your job not once you are in it.
  2. Upward Mobility: What are your chances for advancement? What happened to the other person in the job assuming you replaced someone and this is not a new position? How are promotions and advancement in the company treated? Your ability to not only accept your current job but also think towards the future is important if you want to get ahead. Knowing how the company treats employees once they are hired vs. being in the job for many years is a sign on how well you will be treated. The last thing you want is to go into a dead-end job or wind up in a worse situation than the one you may be leaving. Think ahead.
  3. Company Culture: Equally as important as the duties of your job are the conditions which define the company’s corporate culture. Do they have a formal or informal dress code? Does the company provide meals to employees? How are the benefits valued? Do they allow dogs to work? What is the communication style and how well do they communicate to staff? Are there formal work systems in place or is it open and non-structured? Knowing how the company operates before you say, “Yes” will help you manage and navigate the company better than hoping and praying you will just fit in.
  4. Communication: Whether formal or informal, knowing how well the company communicates internal and external businesses is crucial to your ability to succeed in your position no matter what level you are in. Does the company have an open communication plan, regular Town Hall meetings, posting updates on Wiki’s or just having an “open door” policy on being able to express concerns or ideas, are all important to know ahead of time before you accept a job offer. Healthy communication of the lack of it can really dampen an otherwise great work experience. Get your company’s report card before you accept the job offer.
  5. Organizational Structure: Understanding and knowing who reports to whom and how the company is set up not only in your department but in the rest of the company is helpful to you on many levels. Understanding the lay of the land will help you to know how workflow is managed, who has approval authority and how the lines of expertise and communication are drawn. Understanding not only the make-up of your department but the names and positions of your co-workers, helps you to not only assimilate quicker, but gives you a better understanding of how the company manages its lines of businesses and where you fit into that equation.

Being prepared when you start your job will not only help you have a stronger foot hold in your new job, but will help you manage and grow your career in a more insightful way.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50


Copyright © 2024 Lisa Kaye - HR & Business Consulting - The Career Rebel

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This Is Where I Quit….

You may have days where you think the job you are in is the right job, right now and you can walk at any time with little or no provocation. You may love your job some days and you may be waiting for the phone to ring hoping your next best offer is just around the desk waiting for you to take a leap of faith. When the job you love no longer loves you do you have what it takes to just quit? No one likes to feel like jumping ship is the best option. But, when you’ve tried all you can and you know this is not where you want to be, do you ask yourself, “Is this where I quit?”

Finding work life balance may be one issue that is making you second-guess your career choices. Being passed over time and again for a promotion or raise when your co-workers fly up the corporate ladder of success may be yet another. You may have thought it would be a lot easier for you by now to get what you wanted from your job or your career only to find that the road was much harder than you imagined. If you had to do it again, would you choose your current career path or would you go another way? Finding and keeping the right job is not as easy as it use to be especially as personal and professional pressures continue to mount.

You may have a family to support, kids in college or aging parents who depend on you for financial assistance. Pressures will always be there pulling you in one direction or another, but when the job just becomes a means to pay the bills you know you have to start thinking about other options. You may feel you have no options and that all you need to do is keep the pipeline moving with cash and the world will be a better place. Getting stuck in a rut when it comes to paying bills and staying in a job you hate can be overwhelming and well at times paralyzing.

Creating options for yourself can be as simple as going to lunch once a week with a different colleague and exploring what other companies are doing and how you might fit into their plans. Keeping up on all that’s happening in your world outside your company may ensure some hope when you think you have nothing more than what is in front of you today. You may decide to take side consulting jobs while keeping your full time job in an effort to break out of a pattern of misery and offer you a way to earn extra money doing something you love.

Walking away from a job is never easy but making a conscious decision that the job you are in no longer works for you is important step to ensure your long-term happiness and success. It might not always be a bed of roses at the office, but knowing when it’s time to quit something that quit you a long time ago takes courage and guts and makes you see that the working world can be more than a means to an end-it can be the beginning of a world of professional success.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50

 


Copyright © 2024 Lisa Kaye - HR & Business Consulting - The Career Rebel

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The Number One Thing You Can Do To Get a Job….

In the land of what to do when it comes to your career you have many choices. You can be aggressive about sending out your resume to anyone and everyone who would have a look. You could network your butt off with anyone and everyone who will speak with you. You can attend every networking event, industry mixer or meet-up group until everyone knows you by your first name. But there is one thing and really only one thing you can do that will hands down guarantee your success no matter what the job, what your job level and how many interviews you are lucky to snare.

The only thing you need to be not just good at but GREAT at is your ability to – wait for it- “FOLLOW UP!” Yes, you heard it hear first. You can do just about anything well, your resume could be a work of art, your network can be the envy of your friends but guarantee if you do not know how to follow up on a job lead, an interview and even a thank-you, your chances for success drop down significantly in your search for the perfect job.

Following up is often an underestimated skill not everyone has the ability to master. Whether it’s you ability to follow up on work tasks, or personal chores in a way that ensures you can check them off your list once and for all, the need to be great at following up when it comes to your career is no less important and may be what makes or breaks you when it comes to landing your next job offer. You are good at so many things but those who don’t or choose not to follow up are setting themselves up for great disappointment when it comes to making sure you are in line for a great job opportunity.

It’s okay if you are not qualified for a job you interview for. But do you know what else is out there if you don’t send a note, follow up on a job lead or even “ask” someone with a follow up question what else they may know of? Having an arsenal of follow up questions, comments and tactics ensures that you know how to master not only the job interview but what comes after as that is sometimes more important than making the initial connection. Sending someone a thank you note after an interview, following up a few weeks after you met with someone, making sure the people you meet or have recently been introduced to you remember you weeks or months later, are all good steps to ensure you are appropriately following up. Even if you meet someone and there isn’t a right opportunity for you at that moment in time, following up with them does not mean you are being a pest or annoying, it means that you are keeping them front of mind and that you have the sense to know there maybe something there if you are just a little patient.

Following up is really having a good dose of common sense. There is no other way to put it. Following up shows a level of professional etiquette that you either have or you lack but can make the difference if someone remembers you or not. Following up with someone about your career is not a boring or bothersome chore, it is practical business keeping if you are to succeed in business or in finding your next job no matter how many interviews you have been on.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50

 


Copyright © 2024 Lisa Kaye - HR & Business Consulting - The Career Rebel

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“My Career’s Not Dead, It’s Just Resting…”

It’s the end of the summer and as the kids are heading back to school, the traffic grinds to a slow crawl and the stores are packing it in with Halloween candy. You are reminded that the end of the summer does not mean the end of your job search. The war continues to wage on as you may have taken the summer off to enjoy some much needed R&R with friends and family, but it does not mean you are dead if you have not landed your next job. Consider this summer your career resting post – it’s okay to take a rest for awhile.

The summer is a time to relax-no really it is. No matter whether you live in the forever summer state of California or somewhere in the North East, summer denotes a time of relaxation, reflection and oh yes bug spray. If you are feeling guilty about not putting the pedal to the metal with your job search over the summer months- stop beating yourself up! September is a perfect time to regroup, rethink and re-engage your job search before the first snowflakes suddenly appear.

  1. Make a Plan: Even if you have no clue what to do or where to begin, enlist the help of a trusted friend or hire a professional. Mapping out your career direction may not land you the perfect job, but it will give you hope that there are opportunities out there that you may not have thought of before.  Making a plan may seem like a waste of time, but while you wipe that sun tan lotion off from your last soak of  summer, remember, thinking about your next job move no matter how far out there is NOT a waste of time. You have to start somewhere.
  2. Reach Out and Touch Someone: You may think you were raised with great manners and a sense of professionalism that sets you apart from the rest of the hopelessly unemployed. Making sure you not only “thank” anyone and everyone who may have made an introduction, sent an email on your behalf or even accepted your LinkedIn request, means you are able to share some acknowledgement to those who matter. Having common professional courtesy does not mean you have to bribe your way to the top with gifts of tickets to the US Open. Being professionally courteous and being grateful and thankful to those who have or will help you along the way  with your job search, ensures that you will remain front of mind when a friend or colleague hears about the next, best opportunity that’s right for you.
  3. Ask and You Shall Receive: Nothing is easier than to help someone who knows exactly what they want, whether it’s an introduction to a company, or to an individual or to participate in a networking event. Being clear on your objective, even if you are not sure on what the job is, will help others help you in a way that is positive and meaningful to both of you. You will never know about the job, event, or individual who may be the next step to your future job if you don’t figure out a way to ask for help from those who are in a position to offer it to you. No one is suggesting you “beg” for your next job, but inquiring about new leads, contacts, events or even volunteering opportunities that will connect you to the right people is not a waste of time, it makes for smart business.

So long as you keep moving towards your career goal no matter how insignificant the steps may seem means you are far from dead in the career water-it means you are wading and resting through your options towards your next big, career win.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50

 


Copyright © 2024 Lisa Kaye - HR & Business Consulting - The Career Rebel

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