A Mentor is a Must for Career Success Building Your Future Now

A Mentor is a Must for Career Success Building Your Future Now One of the most important people in any facet of our lives is a mentor. A mentor is a person with experience, knowledge and in-sight in a particular industry or in life in general. They can help guide a younger person in the right direction either at school, work or in life. In regards to a career, a mentor is vital to helping shape his or her protégés path to a successful career.   Mentors are so valuable because they are bringing years of experience to the table. They can give you insight that one wouldnt have when it comes to choosing the correct option in your career path. Also, having a person that one can rely and trust is fundamental to building a strong foundation in your career.   So in saying thatwhere can you find a mentor in your life?   Mentors are people we trust. They can be a professor, a manager, a leader in the community, a professionalanyone, essentially that you see yourself learning from; that you trust; and a person who cares about you and your life.   A career mentor is no different. If, for example, you are in sales and hunger for increased sales potential it may be a good idea to seek out someone on your team that is a sales person that you can learn from. If you zero on one such person, be sure to find out if they are approachable. Learn more about them and their life.   Think about ways they can help you. Obviously, how they can help you increase your sales. But think about how they can help in other ways in your life. When you have a good relationship ask them if they are willing to spend time with you when you have a question or need to talk to someone.   Ultimately, you want someoneand this cant be stressed enoughthat is concerned about you, your well being and your future. A mentor is committed to helping you succeed by passing along invaluable experience they have gleaned to you. Does a mentor expect anything in return?   Sometimes mentors seek someone they can take under their wing. They want to find someone who is hungry and eager to learn. They simply want to share their knowledge with someone that appreciates it and in turn applies it and succeeds. In most cases, the success of the mentors protégé is thanks enough!   Image: Jamesoladajoye

How Do You Know if an Interview Went Well (Top 7 Signs) - Career Sidekick

How Do You Know if an Interview Went Well (Top 7 Signs) - Career Sidekick How Do You Know if an Interview Went Well? (Top 7 Signs) After Your Interview / https://www.edenscott.com/blog How do you know if an interview went well or not?While you can never be sure how it went until you hear their final decision, there are a few signs that indicate the interview went pretty well. So Im going to reveal the top 7 ways you can know if an interview went well while you wait to hear feedback.Important note: If you dont see these signs, its not necessarily a  sign the interview went poorly, it just means you need to wait to find out. The bottom line is youre never 100% sure until you hear the news.7 Signs Your Job Interview Went Well:1. They Ask How Soon Youd Be Available to StartThis is a very strong sign that the interview went well, especially if they ask toward the end of the interview.In fact, any questions about your availability and timing are a very positive sign. For example, they might also ask, how long of a notice period would you need to give your current employer? (If youre interviewing when you have a job).Questions like this in your interview show that the employer is thinking about offering you the job, and thinking about what happens next and when you could start.2. They Say They Want to Speak With You AgainThis is the most obvious way to know your interview went very well. Sometimes, the interviewer will actually say, we want you to come back in to meet with a few more people or, are you available next week at all? Id like to have you come back and meet with our CEO.Or if its a first phone call, they might say, Wed like to have you come in and meet with our team face-to-face. Thats an obvious way to know a phone interview went well.Now, if they do tell you something like this and then you dont hear anything for a few days, Id follow up to get a response. Sometimes HR people (or whoever is handling the scheduling) just forgets or moves very slowly, and a polite follow-up cant hurt.3. They Say You Seem Like a Good Fit (This is Mostly a Way to Know if a Phone Interview Went Well)Sometimes an HR person or r ecruiter on a phone interview will say it sounds like a great fit and theyre excited about your qualifications.They might say theyre forwarding your details to the hiring manager or recommending that the next person in the process speak with you.This doesnt guarantee that itll happen, but its a sign your phone interview went well and you did everything you could to impress them.Now, it just depends on what the hiring manager thinks. (The recruiter will bring some notes to the hiring manager usually and tell them how the conversation went, and what they recommend).In face-to-face interviews with hiring managers, youre less likely to hear something like this (even if the interview is going great).Why? Employers keep their opinions a bit more hidden at this point, and its more difficult to know if the interview went well.But there are still some ways to know, so lets keep going4. The Interviewer Smiled a Lot and Seemed ExcitedThis isnt always a sign the interview went well. They might just be somebody who smiles a ton, and they might just be having a great day when they walk into the interview room.However, its still a good indication that youre doing pretty well in the interview if the hiring manager seems happy and in a good mood.If theyre laughing, joking, or talking about personal topics like your hobbies and interests outside of work, those are great signs too.But dont worry if none of this happened. Some interviewers are just very work-focused and wont do this, even if they like you a lot.You really cannot judge based on one signal by itself, so dont freak out if you had an interview and they kept it 100% serious.5. Your Interview Went Longer Than ExpectedOne way to know your interview went well is if it went longer than scheduled.If the interviewer loses track of time and/or just chooses to keep talking to you for longer than planned, it means they like your interview answers and are enjoying the conversation.So, those are all good things. There really isn t a scenario where having the interview go longer than planned is bad. Its a great sign and a pretty reliable way of knowing that you did well.6. They Ask if You Have Other Job Offers or Other OpportunitiesNow, this isnt the best way to know if your phone interview went well, especially if they asked very early.Some recruiters and hiring managers ask this to everybody, just to get a sense of your overall job search, and to know if you have job offers coming in (so they can move quickly, or not waste their time if they decide they cannot move fast enough, etc.)However, if you get questions about your job search, what other companies youre  interviewing with, etc and its not just one of the first few  phone interview questions  they asked you, its definitely a good way to know that your interview went well.Theyre trying to figure out how fast they need to make you a job offer to get you on-board.And theyre measuring the competition. They are trying to figure out who else youre conside ring, and how to persuade you to come work for them.So its a good reason to get excited if you hear questions like this after a few rounds of interviews. You might hear this question in the interview, or in a follow-up call with a recruiter or HR person.7. They Ask What Salary Youre Looking ForJust like #6 above, this isnt a very meaningful hint that the interview went well if it happens in a first phone call, or very early in an interview.It could just mean they ask everyone this question.But if they ask about your salary expectations toward the end of a face-to-face interview, then its a good sign.By the way if you want help answering this question, its one of the questions I go into more detail on in this list of top interview questions and answers. (Its question #6 on that list).However, Theres Only One Truly Reliable Way to Know if Your Interview Went Well And thats when the employer calls you or emails you to share feedback.So what you should be doing after you get home from an interview is:Deciding if you are interested in the position so can respond appropriately when they give feedbackTracking the dates of your past interviews so you know when to follow-up if youve heard no responseApplying for more jobs! Never count on one single opportunity to work out, and keep applying for positions until youve accepted a job offerYou could do everything right in the interview and still not get the job. Theres a lot of luck involved in job searching. So counting on one single job offer is dangerous and could set you back weeks if it turns out you get rejected after the interview.So even though its tempting to wait and hope for good news, keep applying for positions and setting up interviews.If you follow these steps, youll find a new job faster while feeling much less anxious in your job search.

My birthday post

My birthday post Its my birthday. Im going to give a gift to myself today. Im going to post five posts that make me happy. I hope you will like reading them. I hope you havent read all of them already. Also, maybe in the comments section, you will post your favorite post back to me. And tell me why it makes you happy. That would be a good gift. Top Ten Jobs to Have, April 2006 I like this one because it is one of the first posts I did. It reminds me that each time Ive tried something new I have been tentative, and largely terrible at it. This is not really a post as much as a start of a post. But I like the last line. My financial history, and stop whining about your job, March 2007 My personal finances have been sort of a wreck since about 2001. Its very scary to have a messy financial life. Its even scarier to be a career advisor in a financial mess. I was so scared, all the time, that people would find out and then hate me. So it was a huge relief to write this post and come clean about who I am, and how I got here. And there were absolutely no negative ramifications from writing this post. It taught me so much about the value of being who I am, and trusting that it will be okay to be me. Gen X updates outdated work and family goals, September 2007 I dont write a lot about gen X. Because I have a company that is an anthem to generation Y, but also because everyone who is not gen X hates hearing about gen X. Were a generation that has nothing to lose, so we take huge risks all the time. In history, it is the marginal, overlooked, overshadowed generations that are revolutionary. Thats how I know that history will mark gen -X as the real revolutionaries of this era. And this post collects the data I have running through my head to support this conclusion. Try to be funny, even if youre not, March 2008 It took me so long to realize that I have Asperger Syndrome. It was a result of lots of tiny little pieces of information piling up. One of them was after this post. I lamented the fact that I was funny but men dont like funny, they like hot. And my friend told me, Youre not funny. I mean, you are, but you dont know when you are. At first I thought this was informative because now I could just focus on being hot. But really, it was informative because its true that I am never really sure when somethings funny. Tips for coping when your startup is out of cash, May 2009 I remember this day so clearly. I thought I was going to die from the pressure I was under, and I felt so totally isolated in a room full of parents with overachiever violin students. I wondered if they could tell I was falling apart. I wondered if my son thought I looked like other parents. The only way to keep myself sane that day was to write the post as the post was happening. It makes me happy that I have a place to publish something like this. People ask me all the time how they can get more readers to their blog. The answer is that you have to be learning on your blog. If youre not learning, no one else is learning. You cant fake it. Its safe to talk about what you know, but its not that interesting; no one likes a know-it-all. My favorite posts are the ones when I was doing something scary, but doing it with grace. In fact, I actually think those are my favorite times of life.

Taking the High Road

Taking the High Road Hi All, My name is Kovie and I guarantee that 87% of you reading this probably just pronounced my name wrong. But that’s okay, I’m not writing about how to pronounce my name. Today, I’m writing about the proverbial High Road. A little bit about me first.  In a nutshell, I am Nicole Crimaldi’s right-hand girl here at MsCareerGirl.com and at her company  MCG Media Inc.   I moved to Chicago last June after graduating from Drake with the intention of going to law school, but as it turns out “life” really is what happens while you’re making other plans (In other words, I am not in law school). So, I find myself in this wonderful city, taking many a high roads â€" looking for a full-time experience in the broad area of Marketing and Event Planning that I will learn from and enjoy, and can tell a good story about later in life. (I am still crashing my brother’s apartment so this needs to happen sooner rather than later). As an international, I’m also looking for companies that will sponsor my work stay here  when my “free work stay” runs out. If you have any international friends ask them about this wearisome process Last but not least, I’m working on growing MCG Media, Inc. the social marketing company that Nicole founded along with coordinating Ms. Career Girl Connect networking events and co-hosting our #MCGConnect chat.   So, yes, in my post-grad journey, I think I am entitled to say I am indeed taking the high road. This road comes at a price â€" mentally, financially, socially, etc. There are many people who have given me all sorts of advice and criticism over the last eight months. Some of it I asked for and some of it I didn’t. A lot of it made sense and a lot of it  didnt.  I’ll give you an easy example of something as simple as my resume.  I don’t claim to have a resume resembling Einstein’s, but for a recent grad, I’d say it’s pretty good. Still, I don’t have a full-time experience that I would go for, so clearly I’m missing something. I have had several professionals including HR personnel and recruiters look at it and sure enough everybody had something (different) to say. It seems, however, that true to form, the experts disagreed about everything from the aesthetics to the language used. Has this ever happened to you? Eventually I realized that it’s not everyone’s advice that I should take, and for that matter, it’s not everyone’s advice that I should ask for. The other part of my High Road is that for most of my life, I have known exactly what to do and that is something I struggle with right now. Some days, I feel like the world is at my feet and other days, I feel like I am in a narrow cave with only a few options.  I don’t want to go on a long sappy story about how “I am trying to find myself and my purpose” but while I am in a position where I truly have some time to think about what I want and don’t want, I’m going to use that time. It is true that what we do as a career is separate from who we are. BUT, one cannot deny that what we do is indeed a huge part of who we are. I am also of the personal opinion, that everyone has a vocation, or a calling. The struggle, of course is not settling for what is available, but with determination and discernment, trying to figure out what that purpose is. Sometimes this means being willing to take the financial, mental and social sacrifices that one makes on this high road. Something tells me that in the long-run, it is worth it. The high road is not for everyone. I don’t mean for it to sound like those of us who take it are special. Sometimes, and certainly in my case, one doesn’t always have control over all the decisions and situations that lead to this less than travelled road. Alas, control and choice is not the same thing. I don’t have control over being a non-citizen who is literally under a time crunch to get sponsored in order to stay here. I don’t have control over a company’s decision to consequently hire me or not. I do, however, have a choice about how hard I work to make this happen. I have a choice about how much effort I put into growing MCG Media Inc. Above all, I have a choice about my attitude. When I look at my very short life story thus far, giving simple examples like my decision to go to Drake University or to meet with Nicole and work with her, I realized something profound: there are people who don’t know what they want, and their high road is trying to figure that out.  Then there are people who know exactly what they want and their high road is trying to get it. Then there are people like me, who are not sure what they want…until they find it. Whats your high road like? I hope you’ll join me here every other Thursday as I share my stories on my not-so-certain high road. Cheers, Kovie To find out more about my post-grad journey, check out my personal blog at  eventmarketingrookie.wordpress.com.

Manor Racings engineering careers advice for graduates - Debut

Manor Racings engineering careers advice for graduates - Debut Debut had the exclusive opportunity to grill British Formula One racing team Manor Racing for their top tips on getting a career in motorsport engineering. Read on for some seriously great engineering careers advice: Formula 1 is a competitive space, both for sport and careers, how can students stand out and make a difference when applying and working for motorsport or other engineering careers? Securing a graduate role within Formula One  is highly competitive and as such, excellent academic qualifications are a prerequisite. Beyond this, anything students can do to gain experience of applying their academic knowledge in a relevant practical environment helps their CV stand out from the crowed ad helps them to perform well in interviews. Motorsport is at the forefront of design and engineering. How can students ensure they are aware of and experienced in the most current methods and skills? This is always difficult due to the competitive and secretive nature of motorsport teams. However, anything students can do to gain experience of their chosen field within a motorsport environment will be extremely valuable. Student placements with Formula One  teams do exist, and offer a great insight into the industry, but also consider trying to secure a placement with the many other motorsport formulae or design consultancies. What are the top misconceptions about a career in Formula One? It’s not all glamorous weekends away with champagne on a Sunday afternoon! It’s a hugely rewarding career, but it is a high pressure environment and requires a lot of dedication and hard work. What are your thoughts on increasing diversity of talent in the motorsport industry? It would be great to see more women and ethnic minorities become engineers, after all. Definitely, and at Manor Racing we are proactive in our recruitment of new employees from all backgrounds. For example over 25% of our staff are from overseas,  and the number of women attracted to our engineering roles is increasing. Engineering is sometimes perceived to be extremely technical and ‘brainy’. What are the soft skills young people need in order to get a career as a Formula 1 engineer? We recruit tenacious, team players who are great communicators, committed to our cause, ready for change, have a flexible mind-set and an excellent work ethic. Connect with Debut on Facebook and Twitter  today for more careers advice

One more brave quitter - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

One more brave quitter - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Heres another fantastic comment from Karen who quit a horrible job: I spent nearly a decade working as a technical and customer support specialist in an inbound contact centre. I was the person who answered the phone from customers angry over their bill or because their internet, tv or cell phone was not working. People tend to forget their manners when talking to a person over phone who works in a subservient position to them. The company was all about squeezing every last cent out of their workers, and most of management seemed to almost gleefully accept their role as pseudo-slavers. It was probably the most soul-killing job I ever did. After 5 years of it, both my doctor and I hated it. I told myself many of these excuses, and finally owned up to the fact that without a better resume, I wasn?t confident I could do much better for pay, and when the pay is already just above minimum wage, that?s a really hard one to swallow. I also had enough friends in other contact centres to know I was just jumping fires to switch companies, and at least I liked a group of the people I worked with ? some friendships I still maintain today. I made a concious decision that I was actively choosing to stay there until I found a better career, instead of meekly and passively thinking I was doomed to remain there. And so I started working on myself. What else I would want to do, what I was looking for. I decided money was not the leading factor, though all the other items had to be superb for me to accept a lesser wage. Working with a friend, I slowly started to identify transferrable skills, and piece together a resume, and applying to positions with other companies. While it is likely a process that would have taken most people only a few months, my confidence was in the early stages of being built up, and so it took longer for me. As well, where I finally decided I wanted to be was notorious to take a year or more to go through the entire selection process. I also had to factor in that due to varying shifts that kept me from having any consisent time off, I would need to use my meagre amount of vacation or sick leave for any interviews I wanted to attend, as management was not exactly open to my career growth. 2 months prior to my 9 year anniversary with that company, I happily bounced into work with a spring in my step that was highly unusual, and caused some confused looks from others. I was so happy, I actually went in, on my vacation day ? on my birthday in fact ? to tender my very polite and professional resignation, which gave no room for them to try to convince me to stay in their specially-reserved section of hell. Multiple supervisors actually approached me after to ask how I got my job with my new employer, as perhaps it was a time for them to change as well. Oh, that was a happy day that nearly three years later, still brings a smile to my face. After some special handling by awesome managers who recognized the near PTSD-like condition that my old employer had left me in, I?ve found new confidence in myself, and I now thrive in a career that challenges me, welcomes my input, and supports both my personal and professional growth, wherever that may take me. The best I could offer to others is this: Identify the exuses or reasons of why you are staying where you are. Dream of better, and then figure out how to get there, because it is possible. May be a rocky road, but the smooth ones really do lose their appeal. Decide that your departure from this company is a definite fact, not a far off wish. If for whatever reason, you can?t immediately just quit right now, then decide what your departure entails, and own that decision. Accept it. Make the conscious decision that you are actively choosing to stay where you are for the short term. Draw lines about what you will accept in your continued employment, and give yourself the all-clear that ?if x happens, I quit?, and hold that life line firm. Find out what the rules the employer, not necessarily your boss, has about conflict resolution, and follow it. At that point, what is the worst that can happen? You lose a job you have decided you will be leaving. And in that good-bye process, however long it takes, milk it for all it?s worth; every last transferrable skill, training, knowledge and experience. There?s a certain satisfaction to knowing they are just making you that much more valuable to your next employer. Kudos! Its great to see Karens courage and practical approach to finding better work, rather than accepting jobs that suck! Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

What You Need to Know About Executive Unemployed and Out of Work Resume Writing Reviews

What You Need to Know About Executive Unemployed and Out of Work Resume Writing ReviewsExecutive Unemployed and Out of Work Resume Writing Reviews can be one of the most valuable resources that a candidate will find online. Most companies prefer to hire a candidate with a well-written resume over another with no writing skill whatsoever. These reviews will let you know which resume writing company will provide you with a thorough evaluation of your skills and resume writing skills.The main reason why you need to use Executive Unemployed and Out of Work Resume Writing Reviews is because the internet has now become a large company. This has opened up new opportunities for you to find the best job that you want. There are now a plethora of companies that have sprung up to meet this need, and the review sites are the first way to search for the perfect company.The easiest way to find reviews is to use the internet. It may seem daunting at first but it's really not. It's easy and there ar e many resources available to help you find the best resume writing company for you. You just need to make sure that you take your time, look around a bit and decide what suits you best.When you are looking for Executive Unemployed and Out of Work Resume Writing Reviews, you will probably be amazed by all the sites that have sprung up over the last few years. The selection on these sites is huge, so your task is very simple. Just take the time to look at a few and choose the one that you think will best suit your needs.If you're looking for relevant resume writing help, you can search through them and read some of the best writers review their works. All of these are free, but if you want to see who is in charge of what website, you can pay for access to a directory. Doing this will allow you to see what other writers have to say about their own work and also what writers are using the directory to write reviews.Remember, this is a paid resource, so take advantage of it. It's import ant to remember that once you have access to these reviews, you will also be able to find a wider selection of companies that offer resume writing help. Remember that you want to make sure that you choose a resume writing company that is compatible with your skills and the skills that the company is hoping to get from you.And don't forget to use Executive Unemployed and Out of Work Resume Writing Reviews to search for these resume writing companies. They are the first place that you will start looking. So start your search now and get an idea of which companies will provide you with resume writing help.