All the employees from TheLadders would like to wish everyone a Happy 2012. Please remember to visit us here at blog.theladders.com to discover the great stories from inside our company. And remember to visit recruitblog.theladders.com for unique content specifically geared for recruiters and HR professionals. We’re prepared to make our 2012 a big year for TheLadders, and we’re ready to help you make 2012 the year of your next great career move.
“John, my Career Advisor, was available to me in lining up opportunities, advising through the negotiation process, even coaching me through my transition. His coaching along the way was critical.”~ TheLadders Signature member ~ Ed S.
“Yanina was instrumental in my job search and walked me through every step of the way. She gave me the resources and support I needed.”...“I wouldn’t be here, working my dream job, if I had done it alone.”TheLadders Signature member ~ Trish A.
“Ashley and I had an immediate rapport. She had high energy, stayed positive and was excellent at follow through, which made me feel my success was just as important to her as it was to me.”Signature Member Caroline K.
Let’s just put in out there, the job search isn’t an easy one.
The questions one has during the search are endless. Should my resume be multiple pages long? How soon after applying should I follow up? How do I follow up? How do I go about finding job postings at a particular company? I’m fearful I may price myself right out of the running – how much should I ask for?
So while many of us have personal trainers or financial advisors, we really don’t have a place to turn for expert advice around the job search. That is, until now. TheLadders Signature program is a proven 6-month program that gives you one-to-one advice from one of our certified professional career coaches (CPCC).
I turned to one of the best Career Advisors here at TheLadders, John Scottaline. What qualifies John? Well, in addition to being a certified career professional, John has placed 5 $100K+ job seekers into new roles in the past 5 months (as this is a 6 month program, I would say John is doing extremely well). Here are some of John’s best tips:
Don’t be shy – network.
Networking is one of the BEST ways to find out about jobs. Whether it is through industry and professional events, alumni organizations or your local PTA, there are many contacts to be made. By going to events and meeting people, this gives you the ability to learn about a position not yet posted or ones you may have overlooked. It can also help you get your foot in the door and help you land an interview. So get out there and start filling up your contact list!
Your resume is your first round of interviewing.
John says that there are many common resume mistakes, like including an objective statement rather than an executive summary – not having a title, providing too much information or in some cases not enough. Having a professionally written resume is definitely an avenue to consider.
Some best practices include having a brief description of the each company you’ve worked for with size and scope of the business. Each title should have a few sentences of responsibilities and, after the brief description, it’s best to select the right achievements to add in bullet points.
Salary negotiations – know what your worth!
Many job seekers are afraid their previous or current salary will hurt their current negotiation. John’s advice: “Know what your worth!” Doing a little research on salaries of people with your skillset and experience is the way to start and there are many tools out there to use. Don’t just factor in salary. This should be inclusive of bonus, vacation time, 401K, medical benefits, etc. Then take that knowledge with your compensation goal and do a check to see if they are in line with one another. Finally, you must ask yourself what you are willing to compromise, such as less vacation for a larger base salary.
If you want to learn more about how TheLadders can help you advance your career, visit our Signature site.
Janelle Taylor is Marketing Manager, Consumer Services at TheLadders.com. Her great love for marketing knows no bounds—similar to her love for books and March Madness.
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