LinkedIn: A Professional Social Network

Amongst all of the social networks out there, LinkedIn is said to be one of the most professional. It began in May of 2003 and its usage has been rising ever since. Its purpose is based around the idea of business networking. The site allows you to connect to others, build your career, and get answers to common and innovative questions. You can either create a page dedicated to individual use or for a company/business.

LinkedIn’s About Us page reports “LinkedIn has over 41 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world.” This stat was recorded as of 2009.

Through LinkedIn you are able to upload a mock resume, list interests and upload a photo. You are able to search for people you know, meet new people, and find interest groups, as well as companies and jobs. People can write recommendations for others to see about you as well, similar to references. LinkedIn is free, but upgrading your profile costs.

The network includes a feature that allows people to introduce two people. This connection can build professional relationships and can cause beneficial help for companies.

LinkedIn is not only helpful by forming connections, but it also finding jobs. When looking at potential jobs, you are also able to see the companies account and learn a little more about them. Then from that account you are able to see accounts of others that are connected to it, such as employees.

The video below is provided by OneMinuteInterviewTips.com on YouTube. It gives a better description of LinkedIn while giving helpful tips for finding potential jobs.

Tough Interviewing Questions

Interviews are a time for the company to get to know you and for you to get to know the company. Most people try to prepare themselves before the initial interviewing by reading up on the company, such as what its purpose is, the job of the person interviewing you, and different objectives of the potential job. It is also important to prepare yourself for potential questions.

CollegeGrad.com gives create tips on how to better market yourself to potential job markets. One helpful link teaches readers how to answer ten of the toughest interviewing questions.

These ten questions are:
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why should I hire you?
3. What is your long-range objective?
4. How has your education prepared you for your career?
5. Are you a team player?
6. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How was it resolved?
7. What is your greatest weakness?
8. If I were to ask your professors to describe you, what would they say?
9. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?
10. If you had to live your life over again, what one thing would you change?

“ ‘My education has focused on not only the learning the fundamentals, but also on the practical application of the information learned within those classes. For example, I played a lead role in a class project where we gathered and analyzed best practice data from this industry. Let me tell you more about the results . . .’ ” is a sample, answer example for number four.

CollegeGrad.com is an also great resource for other information pertaining college students.

*Photo: Collegegrad.com

Top Ten Cities for Recent Grads

Over the years the top ten cities for college graduates to move to has hardly changed. Since 2007 the some of the same sites have remained on the chart. These cities are ranked by recent grads on Gradspot.com listed upon the top ten places in the US for grads to get jobs. The map below shows where these cities are located. Top Ten US Cities for Young Professionals 1. Chicago 2. New York City 3. San Francisco 4. Washington D.C. 5. Seattle 6. Boston 7. Houston 8. Denver 9. Los Angeles 10. Atlanta




View Top Ten Cities for Recent Grads in a larger map

Ohio's Reputation Causes a Stir

Ohio University students have to overcome the label of attending a party school and turn their reputations into a professional base. Most companies are aware of the reputation Ohio has and usually incorporates it into an interview question. It seems students love the label but when it comes to getting a job it creates an obstacle.

Jane Sojka, a marketing professor at Ohio, brought this idea up in her fall marketing 358 class, Professional Selling Techniques. She talked about the idea that University of Wisconsin, the number one party school, is also number one for having the most alumni with jobs as CEOs. Professor Sojka discussed the idea of party school and how to reverse the negative effect of the label and use it positively. In her thoughts, a party school can also be considered a social school. Ohio University is a very social community.

On the other hand, some students have not seen this problem. Steve Allen, a 2008 graduate from Ohio University, did not come across problems with Ohio’s reputation while being interviewed for his current job. “The company I work for is all OU graduates; of the 30 people I work with like 18 r from OU.” Allen is currently working for Progressive located in Cleveland.

Mary Quinn, a junior at Ohio, studying public relations and English, has come across the party school reputation. “I was recently asked in a phone interview why I chose OU over Ohio State. It was because I wanted a new atmosphere and when I stepped onto the campus I just knew I belonged here.” Quinn also decided to attend Ohio because of its Journalism school, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.

Overcoming the drinking reputation is on the minds of Ohio students constantly. Students fear that they may be dismissed from a potential job opportunity because of the schools reputation. People are starting to build their professional life to overcome this hindrance.

Allen and Quinn are going about their normal days but using what they have to better prepare themselves for future interviews.

Allen transferred his sophomore year from Miami University Middletown to Ohio. It was not a difficult transition for him. He did a good job of balancing his time between school work and being with friends. Although companies were not as big on researching potential employees through social media, Allen was still cautious. “I made my profile private,” he said.

Quinn found it a little more difficult to build her professional reputation as times have changed. There are more social networks available that she needs to be aware. “It’s a way for me to get my name out there and to get to know people in my job area."

*Photo: http://www.collegefootballsidelines.com/2009/02/ohio-university-cheerleaders/

Best-Job-Interview.com Teaches Success

Everyone knows that you are bound to get the question “Tell me about yourself,” but who knows the best way to answer it?

Best-Job-Interview.com is a great source to visit before any career interview. This site has many different important areas that one should read before entering any interview. According to Best-Job-Interview.com, most people are unprepared before job interviews.

As mentioned before, one needs to stand out from the crowd to have any chance at the job. Great interviewing skills are one way. The purpose of this site is to guide job-seekers to the job they want. Experienced professionals have come together for this site to give their input to determine essential information for people.

This site contains a large amount of information (which many would not want to read) but the information is so helpful that people will want to stay. There are categories and sub-categories listed on the site as to help readers find exactly what they are looking for.

The site not only offers tips but also examples of thank you letters. Many people forget about thank you letters, but it is a very important part of the interviewing process.

Best-Job-Interview.com gives tips for different interviews, from the type (panel, phone, group, etc.) to the field (nurse, sales, teacher, etc.). As it may not contain all jobs and types of interviews it is informative to read the other tips just to get an idea.

The site has a second informative part, a blog. Followers of the blog are able to receive updates when Best-Job-Interview.com is updated with new tips.

It only takes a few minutes to learn what is proper to become professional in order to obtain that desired job. Best-Job-Interview.com is just one great source.

*Photo: Creative Commons http://search.creativecommons.org/

Building Your Brand

Companies are about building a brand. A brand is emotion or feeling attached to a product. Today, not only are companies using the act of branding, but now job seekers are branding themselves.

According to a news article from ABC News, recent graduates and current students need to do whatever it takes to stand out from their competition in the work force. Today the job market is becoming more and more competitive due to the falling of the economy and other personal reasons for the companies.

A personal brand is a great way to stand out from peers, reports ABC’s Lindsey Pollak. Author and publisher Dan Schawbel, has a blog dedicated to this exact topic. He states that personal branding is the process in which we market ourselves to others. Make sure your brand represents who you are and who you want to be.

Going into the job searching process we want to find certain aspects about ourselves that make us more appealing to companies compared to the next person. It may be hard to find something but it can be anything from something on the resume to something you wear. On a resume you should include information that pertains specifically to the company in which you are applying to. The parts can range form extra curricular activities, education or hobbies. Base it on your passion.

There are many options for building a personal brand such as:

Ø LinkedIn

Ø Jobfox

Ø VisualCV

Ø Blog

Ø Web Site

Get your name out there. There are many ways to get yourself known, just make sure it is the way you want it to be known.

Professional Dress Options

The slideshow below represents good examples of outfits to wear to possible job interviews. As these pictures are listed under certain job titles, they can be used for other interviews. The examples shown are for journalism, psychology, marketing, interior design and architecture.


(Click on photos to see their captions)

Professional Dress for Interviews

What you wear defines who you are. Professional dress is different for every interview you are going to go into. You should never under dress or overdress, find out the dress code ahead of time. Different jobs under one company require different dress. A radio emcee will most likely not dress the same as the manager of the station. It is always safer to dress up more rather than less to show that you are serious about the interview. Appearance is the first thing an interviewer sees, so make it memorable and appropriate.

In the world of advertising there seems to be more leeway in which one can dress. It depends on the job title and the size of the company, if it is a small company, large company, old company and/or new company.

There are many ways to find out what is proper dress for an interview. You can check the company’s website, visit the company before the interview or ask other people in the field for their opinion. Many times information can be found online. You want to make sure you dress the part but not to overdress the future boss.

Business dress for men:

Ø Suit (solid or very subtle weave pattern or plaid)

Ø Long sleeve shirt (white or light blue)

Ø Belt (matches shoes)

Ø Tie

Ø Dark socks, conservative leather shoes

Ø Jewelry (conservative watch)

Ø Neat, professional haircut

Ø Portfolio or briefcase

Business dress for women:

Ø Suit (navy, black or dark grey)

Ø Skirt (appropriate length is long enough to cover thighs when sitting)

Ø Coordinated blouse

Ø Conservative shoes (closed toe and no high or chunky heels)

Ø Professional hairstyle

Ø Light perfume and makeup

Ø Portfolio or briefcase (some believe to use a portfolio or briefcase instead of a purse)

If your job calls for a suit for work in the advertising business you should probably consider the size of the business. If it is a smaller business a suit is not always required, unless it is for a big meeting. You can usually get away with wearing jeans. Bigger and newer companies that call for suits usually mean you should dress as if you work for a bank.

Proper dress includes business, business casual and casual. Dress ranges anywhere from business suits to casual jeans. For a big company as well as a small, creative dress does not change. As a creative you can wear jeans everyday, even with sneakers and nice shirts. You still have to look nice because you want to build credit for yourself as to have good reputation.

*Photos: Creative Commons http://search.creativecommons.org/

Featured Blog: Resume-Resource

If you are looking for a reliable blog for resume tips, the Resume-Resource blog is the perfect spot. It is part of Resume-Resource.com, the Internets provider of helpful information pertaining to act of applying for jobs. It was composed by professional resume writers or career-related professionals.

The Resume-Resource blog has great tips for future workers but could present the information in a better way. The information becomes overwhelming at times because it is presented in long (and I mean long) posts. It would be an easier read if the information was broken up into shorter posts or even bullets of helpful tips.

A post called “Developing your Career From the Ground Up,” is very helpful for anyone just beginning his or her adventures in the work world. It gives helpful tips on how to start your career life and becomes a great motivator. It shows that you are capable of doing anything and that means doing something you enjoy.

Recent posts include: “Making Electronic Resumes Work for You,” “Tips for Getting Past the First Interview,” and “Four Ways to Make Finding a Great Job a Little Easier.” If you aren’t looking for a job at the time, it’s also just an interesting read. Who knows it may come in handy in the future with the way our economy is today.

Although many of us have already started to apply for jobs, this site is helpful with updating your techniques. The blog gives you the option to even get your resume critiqued. It never hurt anyone to have your resume looked over a few times.

*Photo: Resume-Resource.com

Beware of Potential Friends

Not only are companies and organizations searching and reviewing possible candidates through social medias, but also so are colleges and families. I have heard through the grapevine that an advisor at Ohio University looks up her advisees on Facebook to learn more about them. I never thought that teachers and advisors would use Facebook to look at us but now I wonder what they saw and what they really think about me.

Have you heard about the advisor from The Ohio State University who was caught running a brothel? Well he was my friend’s advisor and they were friends. His brothel was run through Craigslist. It just makes me wonder why did he want to be her friend? I know he probably did it because it was easy to get a hold of her but so is e-mail. I just find it unnecessary and a threat to you to be friends with people you do not know well and cannot trust. Hopefully my friend deleted him right away. It is just not someone she should associate herself with.

Not long ago my roommate got a request from a young man asking to be friends on Facebook. After several requests and denials, she decided to message him asking if she knew him. He replied that he was working with a music group who was thinking about coming to Athens, Ohio (Ohio University) to shoot their music video. The group was a big name so she became suspicious. After several e-mails and “stalking” of the man the conversations stopped. My roommate wanted some form of authenticity and he had nothing. All his friends were females. This is just another reason why you should be careful of whom you talk to online.

It is a good idea to deny people you do not have a good relationship with. Lately I have been getting requests from people that I have no connection with… some are from out of this country. Why do they want to be my friend? I am sure its not to boost their number of friends. I continuously deny requests. I am afraid that these people are working with a company that I have applied to for a job. Even though I do not have any embarrassing and/or inappropriate pictures (that I believe) on the web, I still do not want any affiliation with them. My advice: check your settings and limit your friends. Be careful. You never know what is going to happen.

*Photo: Creative Commons http://search.creativecommons.org/

Accepting Friend Requests

Facebook is becoming the biggest problem area for future employments. Facebook is a way for people to keep in contact and share their lives with people over the internet. If you are at the age where you are beginning to apply for jobs you need to think about the consequences. Companies are starting to use Facebook as a way to look at future employers.

This video gives different opinions from people about the use of Facebook. If you are working for a company do you believe it is proper to add employees as friends or is it wrong to ignore their request. It is not right to have inappropriate things on Facebook if you are in some way connected to present or future employers. Just ask yourself questions. Is this ok for others to see? Will people judge me?

The problem with social media arises when you look at your profile for more than just your family and friends. College students are becoming more aware of the consequences and are starting to take action. More and more people are deleting their profiles because of the idea that companies are searching for you on Facebook to see what type of person you really are. People are making sure their privacy settings are set so no one can find them because they do not want to lose a job over a stupid photo. If people really believe a photo is going to jeopardize a future employer, should it really be on the net?

A Beginners Step

You and Your Proessional Reputation is an informative blog about building that desirable candiate for future jobs. Future posts are going to be different techniques and rules one should learn when beginning to build their professional side. As a college student it is important to learn what is appropriate for the job, internship or co-op you are looking for.

Social media is becoming a big topic today in the professional world. It is such a large topic on how to build your professional career. There are many types of social media but many see LinkedIn as the most professional.

We all know how to post, tag, message, poke, tweet, and follow, but do we really know what social media is all about? Do we know all the forms out there that can be considered social media? Which ones are good to have and which ones are not? Who uses social media and how do we know we are using it correctly?

When asked about a social media example, most would reply Facebook. Why is Facebook all the hype today? Is it good to have one and is it really that important for us to check ours fifty times a day?

Appearance and technique are very important to making yourself professional. Appearance, from clothing to tattoos and piercings, are also under the category to be examined when building your professional reputation.

Are companies becoming more laid back about tattoos and piercings? What companies accept them and which do not?

Read on to learn more about professional life and how to better yourself for the work field.

*Photo: Creative Commons http://search.creativecommons.org/