Five Productive Ways to Take a Holiday Break

The holidays are a good excuse to take a break after job searching for three, six or ___ (fill in the blanks) months of job searching. While people do get hired in December, most companies spend the month treading water. It’s a good time for employees to take accrued leave that will expire on December 31, making key people unavailable for interviews. Even employees who are looking for another job stay put during December for the year-end bonuses or holiday gifts. Since things are on hold, it’s a good time to take a break and enjoy some of the season’s events and activities. Here are five Philly events that can be both fun and productive.

December 7 Komen Phila. P.I.N. Stripes Presents: An Exclusive Evening On the Trading Floor at NASDAQ. We mere mortals don’t often get access to the trading floor. Just being where it all happens is exciting enough, but this comes with the opportunity to rub elbows with NASDAQ exchange staff, experts and traders and maybe pick up a few tips on making money in the market next year. If you are looking for a job in banking, finance or the markets, this is a great place to network over cocktails and appetizers. Engage in some mock trading and get a personal tour of the exchange as well.

December 8 - Young Friends: Mugshots Coffee House and Cafe - Sustainability and Your Local Coffee Shop. What’s more fun than sipping coffee and saving the earth at the same time? Coffee is the new wine, and you’ll learn how to distinguish the subtleties of the different brews and learn how this small chain has successfully stayed true to sourcing sustainable ingredients. For members and non-members alike, ages 21-45. You’ll become a dazzling conversationalist on an intriguing subject that’s perfect for your next networking small-talk opportunity.

December 3 to 18 – Visit Santa Claus At Franklin Square - Bring your Christmas wish list (with a job at the top) and bend Santa’s ear with tales of how good you’ve been this year. On one of Philadelphia’s original squares, have some fun, food, and immerse yourself in the decorations and music of the season.

December 9 - Art After 5 - Holiday Klezmer – Philadelphia Museum of Art. Celebrate the Festival of Lights surrounded by art, enjoying jazz and latin Klezmer music along with Yiddish songs and dances from Israel. Leave your troubles behind and get lost in the beauty, culture and these timeless traditions.

December 10 - 2011 Running of the Santas Festival and Pub Crawl in Philly – I don’t know if there are any running bulls involved in this, but the Santas will be running again from Finnigan’s Wake to Festival Pier. Get your Santa on, enjoy two hours of free beer, make the three block run and enjoy the indoor/outdoor festivities with heated tents, live bands and drink specials. The VIP ticket is your best bet—access to all the events.

What holiday events do you find most relaxing, festive and networking opportunities? Share them in the Comments section below.

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for phillyjobs.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients reinvent their careers for today’s job market. You can read more of her blogs at phillyjobs.com and view additional job postings on Beyond.com.

Four Ways to Aim for the $100k Stars

With so many people looking for a job—any job—I wondered if somehow the unemployed population has lost faith altogether. Boomers who feel they are too old or out of step, college grads caught between too much education and little work experience, and industrial or construction workers caught in the collapse of their main source of jobs. What happened to aiming for the stars, going for the gold, reaching for the brass ring?

Those phrases are a bit trite, but if you look at job postings, like those on phillyjobs.com, you’ll find there are all types of jobs listed. People who are already employed leave jobs for various reasons, creating opportunities for others. Companies create a number of new jobs each month. Some of these jobs come with a six-figure salary.

An article in the May, 2011 issue of Forbes Magazine, “The Best and Worst Paying Sales Jobs,” listed Securities, Commodities and Financial Services Agent as the highest paying sales job, at about $100k per year. I have to confess I’d never heard of that position, but I wondered if there were any jobs in that field in Philadelphia. If you’re going to reach for a star, why not target one in your geographic region of the solar system?

I found a list of financial jobs in Philadelphia, and one job, Audit Manager of Financial Services, paid a whopping $100k to $150k a year! This is not an entry-level job, but worth a look if you are a CPA, familiar with public accounting and external audit procedures, and have knowledge of a whole bunch of acronyms—GAAP, FASB, IFRS, ERP and SAP. If you are one of the many highly educated, experienced and credentialed job seekers with a sales and financial background, why not spruce up your résumé and throw your hat in the ring. My favorite quote is, “They can only say no.” You haven’t lost anything by trying, and you may be pleasantly surprised when you get a call because something on your résumé stood out.

It doesn’t cost any more to apply for a $100k per year job than it does for one paying $30k per year. It’s even easier online. The problem is we tend to lower the expectation bar the longer we’re out of work. If your goal is to someday qualify for a job at that level, researching job openings for qualifications can help get you on track:

1. If you’re out of a job and never got around to taking the CPA exam, you can use the time to study and sit for the exam.

2. If you’re already working and keep getting passed over for promotion, watch for opportunities to gain experience in those areas required for that next level position. The job description will give you specific things to look for.

3. Leverage your current job to gain the knowledge and experience you need for your next job. Take advantage of tuition reimbursement, or use your vacation leave to attend some classes or seminars on subjects or technology needed for the next level.

4. Attend a conference in your field, attend educational sessions and network with as many people as possible. Introduce yourself to the conference speakers and ask for their views on the future of the profession and industry.

You can settle for a job below your current salary and experience level or you can fill in the gaps, raise the bar and keep competing. You just might win the prize.

What strategies are you using to get to the next level? Share your tips in the Comments section below.

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for phillyjobs.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients reinvent their careers for today’s job market. You can read more of her blogs at phillyjobs.com and view additional job postings on Beyond.com.

What To Help You Friend Get a Job? Some Things You Should Consider Before Referring Them to Your Employer

Should you refer your friend for a job at your company? Here are some things to consider.

If you go through your social network of friends, odds are good that at least a few of them are actively looking for a job. Odds are also good that, at one time or another, they have asked you if you know of any job openings, and while you want to help your friend out, you are also taking some personal and professional risks. Before you recommend your friend, there are a two things you should consider first.

1. If your friend is hired, based on your recommendation, and it doesn't work out, it will make you look bad – When you tell your employer about your friend and personally vouch for them, you are putting your reputation on the line. While this is not a problem, if you are fairly certain about your friend's ability to do the job, if they end up being a bad employee, your boss may place the blame on you. This can become a problem when you refer a friend that you know, and think highly of, socially, but whom you have never seen in a professional setting. Sometimes, friends that seem to be competent and dependable can be a completely different person in an office setting. In order to avoid this, make sure that you know the person well.
   
   
2. Working with a friend can hurt your friendship – Even people who are best friends can have a hard time working together. We all show a different side of ourselves at work than we do at home, and after seeing your friend as a co-worker, you may find that you don't like them as much anymore. If one of your closest friends started working in your office, you run the risk of talking about work all the time when you spend time together outside of the office. Even if you are able to work well with your friend, what if you or they get promoted? Would you be able to deal with having this person as your boss or potentially becoming their boss?

Keep in mind that these aren't reasons not to refer a friend to a job opening at your company. They are just things that you should consider and plan for ahead of time. Working with a friends you respect can be be fun and rewarding as long as you are prepared for the possible bumps.

On a side note, if you refer a friend to your employer and they get the job, accept their thanks and let it go. Sometimes, when one friend helps the other friend land a job, they will hold it over the friend's head forever. So, don't have the attitude that you gave them the job. All you did was help open the door to the opportunity. They had to prove themselves and do the job. The only thing they owe you is a thank you, not undying gratitude.

Have you ever worked with a friend? How did it go? Let me know in the comments.

If you are looking for a job in the Philadelphia area, visit PhillyJobs for the best Philadelphia area job listings.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog, 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.