How to Improve Your Career in 2011

With the dawn of a new year, now is the perfect time to evaluate how you can make improvements to your current career situation. Read on to learn about how some simple practices can work wonders for your career in 2011.


Update your resume - Whether or not you are actively looking for a job, it is always a great idea to keep your cover letter and resume up-to-date – just in case – the job of your dreams suddenly becomes available. Plus, it is always a good idea to think about both your accomplishments and goals at this time of year. Also, if you do not have an online presence, now is the perfect time to create an online resume and/or a LinkedIn Profile.


Learn a new career-related skill - Depending on your career, you can take a course at your local college, learn a new computer language, keep abreast of the news surrounding your industry, or take a personal development course. Any type of learning will surely make you a more interesting candidate for promotions and just make you a more interesting and well-rounded person in general.


Take care of yourself first – before you can be a helpful employee, you must first be in excellent health – both mentally and physically – yourself. In other words then, you should ensure that you are getting adequate exercise, proper nutrition, and proper rest. It is also important that you do not overwork yourself – as this activity will only result in burn out in the long run. Further, a good work-life balance can work wonders for your career as you will find that you will be more relaxed, focused and efficient during work hours.


Find a mentor and/or become a mentor – depending on the stage of your career, you should consider finding a role model to learn from or becoming one yourself. If you are thinking of trying to find a mentor, do not hesitate to do so as a mentor can offer you excellent guidance and advice. Remember also that a mentor does not have to be someone within your company – although it could as well. On the other hand, if you are at a comfortable stage in your career, you may consider becoming a mentor yourself. After all, becoming a mentor to another person as helping another individual achieve personal and professional success can be extremely rewarding for you.


To conclude, if you resolve to make just a few small positive career changes in 2011, you can achieve amazing results.



Ready to supercharge your job search? Visit PhillyJobs.com.




Larisa Redins is a full time writer and editor with degrees in both Arts and Biological Science. She writes about career issues and other topics for a variety of international websites and magazines.

Tips For Getting Back Into The Job Market

Many people who are finding themselves back in the job hunt, are people who have been working for the same company for a decade or longer. Re-entering the job market can be really, really hard. And the tried and true ways of finding a job no longer apply. So much has changed in the last 5-10 years, that it can feel like finding your way in a whole new world.

So, here is a helpful guide to the ways the job search process has changed over the past 5-10 years.

• Don't count on a resume to get a job- It used to be customary for a job seeker to print out many copies of their resume along with a cover letter to any company they thought would be a good fit. Then, the hiring manager for that company would look over the resume and give the applicant a call to schedule an interview. This doesn't work anymore. Blindly mailing out copies of your resume hardly ever gets you a job. It is a waste of time and energy.
  
  
• A resume is no longer a summary of your work experience and education history- Employers are not interested in reading through a detailed list of every job you have ever held. They want to know who you are, what you know and what you can do for their company today. Where you worked 10 years ago really isn't very important. Resumes now should be an advertisement including your relevant work experience and education. Emphasis your recent accomplishments and training.
  
  
• Don't expect to hear back from the company- Unless they are planning to ask you to come in for an interview. Occasionally, you may receive a form email saying that the position is filled, but don't count on it. Expect to apply for jobs and never hear anything back.
  
  
• Resumes have to be digital- 99% of jobs applications are going to be online. Because of this, your resume needs to be in a digital format. Having a typewritten, paper copy is not going to do the job. The best bet is to just start over using a computer word processing program. Make sure that you add keywords to your resume to make it stand out to employers. A digital, scanner friendly resume is invaluable to your job search.
  
  
• Computer literacy is a must- If you aren't comfortable with using a computer, find a friend or relative to give you a crash course. Almost any employer is looking for employees that are familiar with using a computer to at least access the internet and email.
  
  
• Your experience matters less than you think- It used to be that employers were looking for the most experienced, most highly trained employees they can afford. Not any longer. Employers are looking for dynamic people who can make a difference for their company today. They aren't very interested in what you did back in the day. To impress them, show them what you bring to the table and how you can help their company rather than trying to impress them with your years of experience.

• Develop a social network- If you don't have one already, sign up for an account on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. Play around with them and figure out how to use them. Ask your friends or family member to help you out. Developing a strong online presence is very important. You can use your social network to find out about job openings and get recommendations from friends.
  
  
• Many interviewer and hiring managers may be younger than you- Often, recruiters and hiring managers are people who are fresh out of college, or have only been working in a professional capacity for a few years. You are going to have to get used to it. If you don't want to be judged by your age, don't do it to them. It is easy to talk down to people younger than you without even realizing it, so be careful.

Getting back into the job market is hard, but it can be very rewarding to. Don't get discouraged. Changing is just a part of growing, it is uncomfortable and can hurt a little, but it's worth it.

Are you looking for a job in the Philadelphia area? Take a look at PhillyJobs.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.