Atlanta Career Transition Blog
Archive for the ‘General’ Category
« Older Entries |Should You use me as a career counselor?
Sunday, May 6th, 2012
If you are willing to accept career guidance and act on this guidance we may be a good fit. If you are polite and willing to communicate thoughtfully and frequently during the process we definitely will be a good fit. In 2011 I worked with 20 clients including key executives and recent college graduates. My success ratio was 18 employed in new careers or revitalized in their current careers.
Results speak the truth.
I hope to hear from you soon!
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Promoting Yourself Online and in Print in Your Job Search or Business Venture
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
There are so many effective ways to promote yourself. Here are a few:
1) Through your own website and linked in. When I first created my website, www.atlantacareertransition.com I was getting little action despite having embedded keywords. My webmaster assured me that this would improve over time. He was right and it blossomed. Jeff Cohan at www.nsiteful.com convinced me to blog and I did. Blogging is effective. Now, if you look up my name, Gail Geary, or my business, Atlanta Career Transition, in Google you will find that my entries are legion. Consider developing your own website and learning how to blog.
In last Sunday’s Atlanta Journal my clients and I were featured in a half page article, “Getting help with your career transition”. This is worth a read at www.ajc.com/business/getting-help-with-your-1153427.html.
Consider how having a website, a wonderful linked in presence, and a blog can contribute to your status as an expert, making you easy to find and to interview.
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Should your resume bypass human resources?
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011
One of my current clients asked if he should bypass posting his resume on line. He had heard that resumes died a slow death in the human resources department. In the meantime he had communicated with the the hiring manager contact.
I advised him to post the resume online and to send it to the hiring manager also. Originally, human resources did the bulk of interview screening, and now they often assist in the hiring process. In my experience many companies such as Home Depot insist that the resumes come into the HR Department first.
Having said this, you are ahead of the game if you also locate the hiring manager and send her/him a separate copy and set up an interview appointment.
What luck have you had using the dual approach? What other suggestions do you have for getting your resume in front of the hiring manager?
What techniques have you used to locate the name of the hiring manager?
Tags: Working with Human Resources
Posted in General | 7 Comments »
How to Answer Tough Interview Questions
Monday, June 13th, 2011
Always answer interview questions from the employers perspective which means in a way that shows you as a positive individual.
For example, in answer to “Tell me your reason for leaving” you may be inclined to say that you were fired because you put people before paperwork.” This answer is dead honest and will kill the interview. However, if you say, ” I found that after 14 years with my company, I needed to re-energize my career, go back to school and seek new opportunities in the healthcare field.” you will receive a positive response from the interviewer.
Tags: Interview Questions
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Leading Edge Job Search Strategies
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
On Friday May the 13th, 2011, I spoke at the Ravinia Club in Atlanta on” Leading Edge Job Search Strategies”. The #1 Job Search Strategy is to be aware of industry employment trends. National employment trends in April as reported on CNN and Indeed reported over 34% plus increases from April of last year in Transporation, Manufacturing, Media, IT, Healthcare, Construction and Accounting. Deeper research revealed that state by state employment trends do not always track with national employment trends. So how do you find the industries in your state that are hiring?
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Using Linked In to Land a Job
Monday, August 2nd, 2010
One of the best ways to land the job you want in tough economic times is by putting your professional profile on www.linkedin.com. Recruiters and prospective employers use www.linked in for their primary search application. You definitely need your profile to be complete with a complimentary and current photograph and all of your recommendations in place.
I review all of my clients’ profiles for completeness and ” positve written presence”. Also, I recommend that my clients attend a free linkedin seminar in person or online through the website to learn how to locate and leverage their contacts for referrals. And, You can included your linkedin url in your e-mail address.
I am interested in hearing how you have networked using linked in to get into the company of your choice.
Tags: Using Linkedin in Your Job Search
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Is Entrepreneurship In Your DNA?
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
According to Scott Shane, economics professor at Case Western University, entepreneurial characteristics such as higher than average extroversion, openess to experience and even the capacity to be disagreeable(useful in negotiation) are inherited.
In 2010 I have seen half of my clients embrace the entrpreneurial route, after discovering their passion and being disgusted with the current employment marketplace.
From the standpoint of my own family, my brother and I became successful entrepreneurs despite having very conservative, cautious parents. In our case we were rebelling against traditional ways. Maybe there is such a thing as DNA rebellion.
Do you think that entrepreneurs are born or developed? What characteristics have you seen in those successfully self-employed?
GG
Tags: Entrepreneurship
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The Birkman Career Assessment
Monday, June 7th, 2010
In my experience the Birkman Career Assessment is the most thorough and revealing career assessment for adults. Not only does it ultimately point you to multiple career possibilities, but also provides you with Internet links which provide almost everything you need to know about your career possibilities.
Even if you are not changing careers you will learn your strengths, needs,leadership style, and how to deal with your stress behavior.
When my clients have taken the Birkman Assessment I debrief it for them and rely on its contents to enhance the entire career transition process.
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How to Apply for Jobs Where You Appear Overqualified
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
Although you may have created an outstanding executive resume, this resume may not be suitable for a job requiring less experience and less education. So what can you do?
My recommendation is that you create a second resume which is not so overwhelming in terms of titles, accomplishments, and education and is a close match for the job you are applying for. I can see it being one page instead of two. One of my clients and I brainstormed solutions to this problem today and we came up with additional solutions. you may want to try an unconventional type of profile called a CV. It a narrative version of your professional history and is used most often in education and artistic fields. Check this our at www.visualcv.com
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How to Comment on Blog Entries
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
Your comments are valuable to me! This article tells you how to register with my blog and contribute comments.
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