Posts tagged with “CareerAdvice”

Posting inappropriate photos on your social media site and forgetting that your profile is public is a common mistake. Remember, often times you and your friends aren't the only ones who can see your information.

Ray Lam, a former NDP candidate for Vancouver-False Creek was forced to resign from his job when photographs were discovered on Facebook. One picture showed him palming a woman's breast and another with his pants down and two people pulling at his underwear. I was going to post the photo here, but it's too inappropriate for this blog. There are other examples of this happening, such as a teacher being fired for her MySpace picture and a nursing home assistant taking pictures with her patients. I have knows for you: you don't own your profiles on social networks. That's right, Facebook owns your profile and companies can pay Facebook for that information. Always think of your profile as public!

Previous: Social Media Mistakes Part Six: Respect Your Elders >>

When you're between jobs the obvious thing is to keep your resume fresh and updated, but what about your skills? That resume is pretty useless if you let yourself get rusty and can't back it up when the time comes. Keep yourself as sharp as ever with these strategies:

• Stay connected to the industry by not only holding onto any group or club memberships in your field (or joining new ones) but by being as active as possible in them.
• Attend conferences -- you've got all kinds of free time so why not use some of it to brush up your old skills, learn some new ones, and compile some trend-setting ideas for when you get hired again?
• Pursue additional degrees, certifications, and other educational opportunities that apply in your field.
• Connect with others in your industry online by starting a blog, joining social networking sites, and staying up to date on the latest news and trends.

What would you suggest?

Sadly, being grateful to have a job doesn't make the daily grind in a position you hate much easier to bear. If you're miserable and stuck because of a lack of options in this economy then first figure out why exactly you're so unhappy. Is it your boss? Do you feel overworked and under-appreciated? Or maybe you're just plain bored by what you do?

Once you've got the problem narrowed down you can take steps to make the most of a less-than-perfect situation.

If it's your boss:
Poor communication can be an issue so see if you can set up regular meetings to go over your progress and help you maintain an understanding of what your boss wants from you. If there's a personality clash between the two of you remember that managers often bear more stress than you know and so if they seem standoffish or rude it's probably nothing personal!

If it's the work:
Set goals for yourself or work to find solutions to challenges the company as a whole is facing (can you figure out way to save them money somehow?).

If you're constantly worried you'll the be next to go:
Resist the urge to let despair to take over and stay positive. Make yourself as valuable as possible by going the extra mile whenever you can, and by making sure all your work is top-notch. And of course it never hurts to build yourself a safety net by nurturing your network and updating your resume.

And if all else fails just grin and bear it -- the job market will get better!

Searching for a job is time consuming. Finding a job that you will enjoy and stay with will likely take even longer. However, if you aren't currently working it is probably best if you approach your job search like you would your typical job, full time. A few hours a week won't get you very far in the job market so if you are serious about your job search plan on putting some quality time into your efforts.

If you do decide to put in 40 hours a week here is a suggestion on how you should break your schedule down to accomplish your goals.

Getting a job (or a promotion) is about so much more than just your resume and interview answers, your appearance and attitude play an enormous role also. As a matter of human nature people size each other up in a matter of seconds, forming opinions about you that might be difficult to change later (you never get a second chance to make a first impression!).

So be sure that whether you're going in for an interview at a new company or hoping to land a promotion at your current job you look and act the part that you want, as well as the part you already have.