Favorite Friday Are you in a job search, or are you managing your career

Favorite Friday Are you in a job search, or are you managing your career One is short-term, one is long-term. For one you need a band-aid, because it is temporary problem, and for the other you need smart diet and exercise, for long-term strength and results. I wrote about this first in March of 2007, when JibberJobber wasnt even a year old.  Then I shared it again in 2009.  Its time to share it again. Job Search vs. Career Management What are you doing?  Are you acting like a job seeker, or are you investing in your long-term career? I know it can get tricky to do long-term stuff when you really just need to get your paycheck back, but I challenge you to think of everything you do in todays job search as a part of your long-term career management strategy. Dont make the rookie mistake of throwing everything away once you land your job.  Youll need it all contacts, strategies, etc. in all future job searches. Favorite Friday Are you in a job search, or are you managing your career One is short-term, one is long-term. For one you need a band-aid, because it is temporary problem, and for the other you need smart diet and exercise, for long-term strength and results. I wrote about this first in March of 2007, when JibberJobber wasnt even a year old.  Then I shared it again in 2009.  Its time to share it again. Job Search vs. Career Management What are you doing?  Are you acting like a job seeker, or are you investing in your long-term career? I know it can get tricky to do long-term stuff when you really just need to get your paycheck back, but I challenge you to think of everything you do in todays job search as a part of your long-term career management strategy. Dont make the rookie mistake of throwing everything away once you land your job.  Youll need it all contacts, strategies, etc. in all future job searches.

Best Font For Resume

Best Font For ResumeWhile all types of companies use resumes, the best font for resume is only going to be found in that of the individual. This means that it is up to you to make sure that you choose the most appropriate one for your needs. While this may seem like a daunting task, it is actually not. The fact of the matter is that your company may not even be hiring yet, or you may be one of those people who simply do not have the time to determine which type of font works best for your resume.What are the benefits of using the best font for resume? To start off with, the best font for resume is going to help create a very professional image about you as an employee. This could save a lot of headache in the future. For example, if you are making a presentation for a different company, they may decide to use the same type of font to highlight your skills instead of your personality.Another important part about the font is that it is going to help with the readability of your resume. Many people are concerned with this because they may not have the time to go back and check the quality of their resume. However, for the most part, when choosing the best font for resume, you need to ensure that the font you use will give your resume the best results. Most companies that use the best font for resume have a layout that makes the reading of the resume much easier. This makes it possible for the reader to easily read the information on the paper.The best font for resume is going to allow you to focus on what is on the front of the paper. Therefore, it is important that you select a font that is easy to read, and not something that is hard to read. This means that if the fonts are too small or too busy, it is going to be difficult to read your resume.The best font for resume may also be used on the backside of the paper. This is where the information is going to be put in for the reader to look at it. The best font for resume is going to be in a type that is going to stand out from the background. Therefore, when they look at the font, they will instantly know that this is important information for them to read.When it comes to the purpose of the fonts, they can also provide good things for the readers of the information. Therefore, when you are trying to get a job at your company, the best font for resume will help to enhance your resume. As such, the fonts used on your resume will be able to reflect your personality, and may even bring out your best side.The other important thing to keep in mind is that the fonts you choose are going to be the colors of your resume. It is going to be very easy for your reader to identify your resume because it is going to be different from the rest of the many resumes on the display. Therefore, it is important that you keep the colors the same as well as the fonts. This way, the reader will be able to tell that you are someone who is not likely to cheat on their work.The best font for resume is going to come f rom the perspective of the writer. It is the writer's intent that makes a difference between a good resume and a great resume. If the writer has written it well, the readers will be able to relate to the content of the font. Therefore, this is a great way to get the most out of your resume.

Looking for summer work experience the bigger picture University of Manchester Careers Blog

Looking for summer work experience the bigger picture University of Manchester Careers Blog The availability of summer internship schemes with corporate companies may be soon coming to a close, but there are still summer opportunities for work experience and internships available and other opportunities to develop your skills and experience to consider. Finding work experience with smaller/medium size organisations Smaller and medium sized companies will be advertising their positions. How can you find out about these companies and make contact about their opportunities? Check out information about internships on our website as well as our guide on Internships Work Experience. Look out on Careerslink for internships and work experience advertised in the coming weeks and months and up until the summer vacation Research employers in the industry that interests you so that you can approach them. How do you do this? Who are the key companies and contacts? Who is based in your local or regional geographical area? Look through relevant industry journals to find possible recruitment agencies and professional organisations including journals in the Careers Library in The Atrium for possible contacts and companies Check through if there are any useful links to sources in the Which Career? Section Check out relevant job profiles on the Prospects website as there are usually some helpful links to key professional bodies for the industry area Are you aware of some key professional organisations from your studies on your course? Do you know anyone who is working in the industry that interests you? There may also be people you know that know of people in that industry, if so,  could  any be helpful with contacts or work experience? Look through our Getting Connected guide for ideas on making contacts with employers and also join LinkedIn and search on relevant industry and interest groups Create a speculative cover letter to send with a CV and tailor both for the work experience you would like to gain with the company. Use our Covering letter guide, which has some advice and tips on making speculative applications. Get advice on checking your cover letter, CV and applications through Applications Advice appointments. Information on booking appointments and what to bring on the Careers Service website. What other opportunities are there to develop your skills and experience while at university? Here are some ideas Organise some work shadowing for a day or some short term voluntary opportunities in the area that interests you. This can help you develop your skills and experience, give you useful examples for your CV and help confirm that this is the right role or industry for you. If you doing any unpaid experience check out if you can apply for our Work Experience bursaries towards your travel or accommodation costs. Join some student societies that interest you and take on a role with some responsibility, leadership or organise an event or project for the society. Apply to the Peer mentoring scheme and develop your skills helping other students  in your school It is also important to understand what skills you have, as well  as to check the skills needed for the role you want and identify where you need to develop skills and experience. Then you  can focus on finding work experience that fill these skill gaps. You can talk to the Careers Service to get more help and  support  with this. Check out our Employability Skills section on our website to explore skills and how to develop them further. Could you get any work experience in a related role in the same industry sector or in a related industry, which still builds up your skills, experience and your CV?   For example, if you are interested in investment banking, then also try other finance/ business experience, if you are interested in the media, then also try journalism, publishing, PR and marketing etc. All work experience gives you opportunities to gain skills and experience in industry, develop core skills which are transferable to most roles and which employers look for. Skills such as your communication, interpersonal skills, organisation, leadership, meeting customer needs, prioritising your workload and the list goes on, see our website for a list of  examples of core transferable skills. Part Time jobs whether in the summer or during term time develop your skills. They may not always be at graduate level, or in your area of interest, however they do give you ways to develop examples of your core skills like communication, teamwork, meeting customer needs etc. Therefore, if you don’t manage to find work experience in your ideal role or area of interest, which of course you still can prioritise, then all is not lost and there are still opportunities to apply to in order to gain work experience and develop your core skills elsewhere even in something you would not normally think of. But where you can develop your skills! Check out my previous blog on the ‘Shopping Basket’ approach that discuss these ideas more and the value of different work experience. For more ideas on developing your skills and experience see our Get Experience section of our website. All Internships Undergraduate skills SME summer internships work experience

New year, new perspective

New year, new perspective The holiday season is coming to a close, and with it that transient state of denial when we defer our worries, spend what we want, eat even more and exist in a virtual bubble of seasonal goodwill. And then New Year comes knocking, forcing many of us into a period of uneasy contemplation, thinking about what weve achieved and what still lies ahead. For some, this is a time to translate thought into action, defining goals for the year ahead in a series of resolutions. Ive never managed to make any resolutions, much less commit to them but I can see the value in taking stock. Im just not convinced it needs to be date stamped. By seeing the New Year as a before and after, youre in danger of setting yourself up to fail. Should is a word laden with high expectations and offers nothing but a one way guilt trip. “I should get a job by the time I graduate” is an oft-heard refrain. Well great if you do, but what if this doesn’t quite materialise? By all means keep this aim in mind, but i f you truly want 2013 to be a year of career success, you may need to see it as part of a longer journey, not just a final destination. Be realistic If youre a final year student and havent really thought much about your career until now, you may struggle to combine the pressures of academic work and job search. Concentrate on the former without a good degree, youll find it hard to compete for any graduate level job, much less the highly prized graduate schemes. This doesnt mean you should neglect your career development far from it but you need to be honest about what you can achieve over the next few months. Finding a job is pretty time consuming, and you dont want to cut corners and apply for something that isnt right for you. There are small practical steps you can take now that will give you a firm anchor until youre ready (and have the time) to commit to your job search. Talk to a  careers consultant. They can help you make sense of where you are now, and offer reassurance that youre not alone. It might feel like everyone else is sorted theyre not! Get your  CV  and  LinkedIn  profile up to scratch. This is something tangible you can do now, and its also a good way to see how job ready you are. Ignorance is far from bliss. Pretending you dont have gaps in your skills or experience wont make them go away. Better to know and be able to take action (whether now or when you graduate) than leave it and hope for the best. If you havent got any work experience, start making plans to find some. Unless you’re a seriously good multi-tasker, you may find it hard to fit a work placement around your revision during the Easter vacation, so it might be wise to concentrate on summer opportunities. If youre looking for help and guidance with the process, then come along to our  work experience advice drop-in. Take advantage of the  career development workshops  available throughout the spring and summer terms. In summer 2012 we launched the Career Success Toolkit to help finalists work through their careers angst; well be doing the same this year, so keep an eye out for news, info and workshop dates. By all means, set yourself some deadlines to keep you on track but make them realistic. If you set the bar too high, youll simply lose confidence and motivation when you fail to clear the height. Be resilient If you  have  been on the job search treadmill and simply feel like you’re standing still, or even going backwards, now is the time to dig deep. We’re all at the mercy of external factors and influences (the economy, just for starters) and despite your best intentions â€" and efforts you may have to deviate off course, or adjust your time frame. If you’re not prepared for this it can be disheartening. Last year I wrote an  article for the Guardian  trying to help students and graduates find a way to maintain a positive, resilient attitude. It’s not easy, but small changes in behaviour and outlook can yield surprising results. I dont think much has changed in a year since I wrote that piece and I would probably echo the same sentiments, but with one or two further suggestions: Try to avoid repeating the same mistakes. If you’ve fired off 200 applications and not received a positive response, ask yourself: is my strategy working? And then seek out help. It may be that a few minor tweaks to your CV will do the trick, but what if youre heading down the wrong career path? Its easier to change direction now, than plough more time and energy into a long and fruitless job search. Ask for feedback. What do your friends, peers, family, employers think of you? Self-perception may not be the most reliable barometer of your worth’. Take the good with the bad. Successful people know their limits and play to their strengths. If you haven’t already, join the relevant  professional body  or association for your sector or industry. A great source of information, news and potential vacancies and a whole network of new contacts to help motivate, inspire and support you. In a world that’s become seduced by instant gratification, we often lose sight of the long game. Career spans a lifetime, not just a few years theres plenty of time to get it right.

Writing a Resume For First Job

Writing a Resume For First JobA great way to find a job is to write a resume for the first job. There are several factors to consider when writing a resume for the first job. Since this is the first time that you have taken on this type of responsibility, your employer may not be as concerned with your qualifications. The fact that you have no experience will cause some companies to miss the point and might hire someone who has been through the job search successfully.You will need to be prepared to answer any questions that the hiring manager may have. This may include what you can do for them, how long you have been in this position, and even your education. If you have done your homework and found out about the company, you will know what the requirements for the job are. Make sure that you fill out your resume as accurately as possible.When looking for a job, many times you don't think much about your qualifications or what you may need to do to get the job. To avoid this, you wi ll need to prepare a resume for the first job in advance. You should be able to identify what you have done for your previous employer and what you can do for this new one. You can also make sure that you include references. You should contact your former employer to find out what they think of your work.Always write your resume in black and white. You should list your name, address, phone number, and email address. You may want to attach any other required documents. Before you send it off, make sure that you have all the information listed and this will also eliminate the possibility of sending out the wrong one.You will need to be careful about what type of cover letter you send. The cover letter will be the only thing that is opened to the hiring manager. If they see that you are a failed candidate, they may be turned off by the cover letter. When writing a resume for the first job, you should be able to get rid of the extra 'bonus material' as well.Make sure that your resume is completely factual and includes any references that you have made to your past employer. Also be sure that you include dates that are correct. If you are in college, do not include that on your resume. It may not seem important to many of the employers, but you will want to be certain that the dates are correct.You should always remember that your job search is a process and it takes time. Sooner or later, you will make mistakes. You should take the time to edit and proofread your resume.Sometimes errors are overlooked and sometimes they are so obvious that you may want to start from the beginning to get yourself in the right direction. There are many different forms of resume writing and this can be a challenge for the beginner. Good luck and have fun.

Why You Should Consider Hiring Specialized Translators CareerMetis.com

Why You Should Consider Hiring Specialized Translators Original Image Source â€" Depositphotos.comSo you’ve made the decision to hire an expert translator. That’s fantastic!Translation is just like any other craft and requires years of actual hands-on experience in order for the translator’s skills to be at a high enough level.Chances are, in your own profession, you wouldn’t have the time to master this skill on your own â€" sure, you may know a foreign language, but that’s not really enough to create a translation of a document that doesn’t actually sound like an obvious translation.evalWith business deals that involve a lot of money, a sub-par translation could actually sink you.Once you find a translator that you’re happy with, you might be tempted to just have them handle all of your translation projects in the future.For the most part, that would be the wisest course of action, as you know what you’re looking for the best. There’s only one issue with that â€" if your next translation project is from a wildly diffe rent field, you might end up shooting yourself in the foot with this approach.If you really want your documents to be translated in the most competent manner, what you need is the help of a specialized translator.We’re here to tell you all about specialized translation â€" what it’s all about, why you should pick a specialized translator, as well as what the most common translation specializationsare.What is a Specialized Translator?Before going into what a specialized translator is, it is important to define what a translator is in the first place.You might think it’s nothing more complicated than just someone who knows two languages. After all, that’s all you really need to do to be able to translate properly, right?evalBy that logic, any kid that’s had Spanish in the 10th grade could translate a document â€" but that sounds absurd.Translators need to know a second language at an incredibly high level.For this reason, a lot of bilinguals, who have an innate knowledge of two languages at an early age, decide to become translators at some point in their life. But just the fact that they have that leg up in language knowledge doesn’t make them better translators by default.In fact, translation itself is a separate skill on its own. It engages the brain in a different manner than just speaking or reading in a foreign language.evalSince languages rarely follow the same rules or have a similar vocabulary, translators need to perform a lot of code-switching on the fly so as to avoid something that’s called a calque â€" that’s when a sentence technically uses the words from the target language, but the grammar is all from the source language.It takes a lot of work and dedication to get so good at a translation that the resulting document doesn’t look like it was ever written in a different language.Specialized translators take this one step further.While good translators, in general,have to possess an intrinsic intuition and feel for the languages they work with, the amount of vocabulary in any language is staggering, and one person can only know so much.Specialized translators exist for the purpose of being familiar with texts from one particular field â€" as well as just having an interest in the field in themselves â€" in order to provide the best quality translation for documents within that field in the most efficient way possible.While someone unfamiliar with the topic might spend a lot of time on research and still get some nuances wrong, a specialist will know exactly what they’re talking about.1) A master of the craftevalIn order to become a specialized translator, it’s not really enough to be a translator with an interest in a particular field. Likeall worthwhile things in life, it takes time and dedication to really get there.All translators begin as generalists and later shift into their specialization either by chance or by calling. It may be that a company-hired translator simply had to grow into their speci alization because they’ve been handed specific types of documents for a longer period of time.For freelancers, they often have more choice in the matter, but it’s more the issue of finding the field you’re comfortable with and honing your skills in that regard.evalConsidering the above, it’s quite obvious that, the more important and specialized your project is, the more experienced a translator you should look for.With more texts of a similar nature in their portfolio, they’ll simply perform the task faster, more efficiently, and more accurately. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give more generalist translators a chance â€" they do need the experience, and they will do for tasks that don’t require extensive knowledge of the field.They’ll also come cheaper, so it really all depends on the needs of your company.If you’re just starting out, you can hire a translator that will grow with you, but if you’re already dealing with high stakes and need absolute accuracy â€" you should definitely go all out and get a specialist that’s a master of their craft to do the job.2) Boosted efficiencyThe benefits of a specialized translator are basically two-fold. The first one is obvious â€" quality.evalSomeone who knows more about a specific field and has experience translating within it will give you a much more accurate translation.This alone boosts your company’s prestige, as everyone around will be able to see just how many lengths you were willing to go to to make sure that the end results are nothing short of impeccable.But while increased prestige will get you positive attention, it won’t make the process more efficient or cost-effective. That’s where the second benefit comes in â€" speed.Someone who is specialized in a specific field has it as their second skin, so to speak. These translators are not only really good at what they do, knowing all the ins and outs of their field of knowledge, but they’re also incredibly comfortable with th ese types of documents as they’ve already translated hundreds like them.Since you’re not dealing with a generalist, who might feel more or less intimidated with a given topic, you are ensuring maximum speed and efficiency. Your projects get done sooner and you lose less money on delays and reviews by other specialists who aren’t translators.All this makes the entire process more stable and reliable, giving you the peace of mind that only comes with making sound business decisions.3) Choosing the right oneOf course, just saying you need a specialist translator is one thing. Once you’ve reached that place, you need to decide what kind of specialization you’re really looking for. There is, of course, a whole host of specializations and sub-specializations and if you look hard enough, you can find a translator to fill any niche.We’ve compiled a list of four of the most common fields of translation that you’re bound to find a great selection of translators for.a) The medica l fieldMedicine, in general,is a very specialized field. With so many terms related to drugs, diseases, and specialized equipment, there’s a whole breadth of knowledge there that might simply be unnavigable to a generalist translator.Of course, the best kind of medical translators have doctor friends at hand whohave active experience in the field, but even without them, they can do a lot using their own know-how.Aside from the obvious hospitals and pharmacies, medical translation specialists are particularly useful to insurance companies and governmental institutions, for whenever any medical documentation needs to be translated.b) Legal mattersEven disregarding foreign languages, legalese is one of the most convoluted aspects of all legal matters.This makes legal translators particularly instrumental, as they need to have a thorough knowledge of the jargon in both of the languages they work in if they want to make sure all legal documents are accurate representations.This special ization also requires the translator to be aware of all the differences between the legal systems of the countries in question, so that the documents aren’t just literal equivalents, but make sense within the context of the target legal system.While this type of specialist translator is among the rarest, it is also probably the most valuable.Most companies face the risk of encountering legal issues at one point or another, and this becomes particularly problematic for multinational companies thathave to consider the law of various countries and adhere to it. Legal translators become instrumental should things ever go south for them.c) Technical translationsTechnical translations are quite a broad term and can generally be summed up as the translation of any documentation that has anything at all to do with technology.This includes things as mundane as instruction manuals, as well as blueprints for some new, cutting edge tech that is only about to enter mass production. Needless to say, these are fields in which an inaccurate translation can cause a lot of damage.Additionally, technical terminology can be incredibly precise, with every minute element most likely being crucial to the functioning of a given device. With differences between these elements often being very subtle, it takes an experienced eye to really know what the translation actually demands from the translator.d) AcademiaFinally, there’s the field of academic translations. With English being the de facto lingua franca of the world right now, most internationally available academic papers are being written in that language.However, not every publication that is using them as a source has to be in English, and neither does the writer have to speak it. In those cases, in order to ease the flow of academic data, academic translators are brought on board.This greatly reduces the risk of inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, as well as just ensuring that everyone can truly get the point that is being made in the papers.ConclusionTranslators come in all flavors.While a general translator will serve their purpose in most instances, the more advanced the documents you’re dealing with, the more experienced a translator you’ll need in order to maintain accuracy.Their services may cost more, but they’ll do their job better and quicker, saving you resources and showing your clients and partners that you really care.

Conducting Business in France - CareerAlley

Conducting Business in France - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. If your business takes you to France, count yourself lucky to be among a people who love good food, good wine and all things of beauty. But while the culture is dotted withjoie de vivre, its all business in the boardroom. So when youre dealing withle Franais, take care to observe cultural nuances that may increase your likelihood of success in your business venture. Saying Bonjour The term informal dress usually still means a jacket and tie for men; a business-casual but stylish ensemble for women Punctuality is important, but being up to 15 minutes late is usually allowable; business hours generally run from 9 a.m. to around 7 p.m While the handshake usually prevails, the cheek kiss is a common practice (if your colleague is female, let her initiate it) Expect some close-talking Make use of Monsieur and Madame coupled with the last name unless youre invited to use a first name Learn Frenchphrases, and if the conversation goes over your head, theyll likely switch to English Maintain moderate eye contact Your business card Keep it single-sided You can have it printed in English, as most French professionals read English Never include it if you offer your hosts a gift Doing lunch Expect a business lunch to last about two hours Refrain from eating until your hose says, Bon apptit The host will always pick up the check; make sure you return the gesture Add salt or sauces to your plate sparingly, as it implies the meal is bland Getting down to business Its considered impolite to outright inquire about someones political leanings Expect digressions and shifts in conversation French business is conducted according to logic, and you may learn that your French associates are somewhat reluctant to take risks or diverge from their cultural norms Be direct, but courteous at all times, avoiding overtly friendly gestures or exaggerations Understand that French executives value long-term business relationships Dont be surprised if personal ideologies come into play during the discussion; do prior research if possible This post was written by Purna Virji, an award winning former journalist. Purna is a keen traveler and a voracious reader. Her new years resolution has been to cook new recipes and to learn to speak French. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook

Using LinkedIn to Enhance Your Job Search

Using LinkedIn to Enhance Your Job Search While LinkedIn has become extremely popular with businesses and companies, it still seems to be lagging a bit when it comes to those seeking jobs. Thats a shame because its one of the easiest and most effective  job search  tools available today. Many company hiring managers check LinkedIn before looking anywhere else for new employees. The main reason that LinkedIn isnt being used as much as it should be by job seekers is because its considered a form of social media and that term alone makes people think of it as a leisure activity. Nothing could be further from the truth where LinkedIn is concerned. There are, of course, a variety of ways to use the service and some are naturally better than others. To start, you want to make sure that your profile is 100% complete. If you arent sure how to go about doing this, consider hiring a professional to translate your resume into your LinkedIn profile. Having a completed profile that stands out is a great way to give potential employers a good look at you before the interview process. Its also important to note that many companies are asking for your LinkedIn profile when you submit a resume. It has actually become so common that many people just include their LinkedIn URL on their resume to begin with. LinkedIn can also be used overtly for an active job search. Because thousands of companies have company profiles and use the site for headhunting, many of their job openings are published  on the site  before, or even instead of, any place else. Once you have a completed profile, you can simply click a button and apply for a multitude of jobs. Consider updating, or even beginning to use, LinkedIn as a job search tool. Its a great way to be seen by thousands of companies fast.