9 Steps to Take During Your Job Search

9 Steps to Take During Your Job SearchNo matter why youre looking for a job, you can get started on any of these nine steps immediately and feel more proactive and prepared. Blitz through them fast and youll be well on your way. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) 1. Update your resumeYou know you need to. Set aside an hour and update that thing. Make koranvers the formatting is clean, professional and uniform, then get ready to send it out.2. Reach outEven if youre not sure what you want to do next, or how to go about it, engage your network. Ask for advice and suggestions. Chances are someone has a great idea or opportunity for you. All you need to do is ask.3. Take a quizIt never hurts to reevaluate, especially if you think it might be time to try a new career. Take an online career quiz like this one to make sure youre going in the right direction for your skills and tastes.4. Ask up the ladderDont be shy to reach out to someone above yo ur station, so to speak, whom you admire. People love to be asked for advice. The worst-case scenario? Theyll say no. The best? They might not have realized they had the perfect opportunity just waiting for someone like you to come along.5. Get organizedWhen you get heavy into your search, youll have resumes going out and correspondence coming in like mad. Take a breather to set up an organizational ordnungsprinzip to serve you smoothly throughout the process. Youll be glad you did.6. Give yourself a digital makeoverGo ahead and Google yourself. Make sure your social media accounts reflect the best and most professional, hirable version of the special snowflake that you are. Take down those drunken pictures from the Christmas party, or set your Facebook privacy settings to Friends Only. Shore up your online presence before the right person searches for you and gets the wrong impression.7. Tailor your titelbild letterDont just send out the same soulless form letter. Do your homework. Learn about the company and the job first, then tailor each cover letter to match.8. Bone upStudy up on interview strategies and techniques so as not to feel the waves of panic when you get one9. Hit the job boardsReady, get set, get a job

Fairygodboss of the Week Shannon Sneed

Fairygodboss of the Week Shannon Sneed When born and bred Marylander Shannon Sneed was faced with the choice of staying in the communications field or running for public office, she chose...both. Now, as a Baltimore councilwoman, shes a testament to how takingchances can pay off in the long run and how doing work you love doesnt feel like work at all.Fairygodboss of the Week Shannon SneedCouncilwoman of Baltimore CityBaltimore, MDTell us a little about your career. How did you get to where you are now?I am currently a Councilwoman in Baltimore City. I represent the 13th District in East Baltimore. My background is in broadcast, but in 2011, when I decided to run for office, the general manager said that I had to choose one or the other. I made the decision to leave the broadcast after 12 years, but I stayed in the communications field. I worked for a utility organization (BGs sekretariat of Employment Development. In my spare time, I would volunteer in the community and that lead me to run for political office. I am a product of Marylands higher education system, with a Masters degree from Morgan State University and Bachelors degree from University of Maryland Eastern Shore. What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?I have a lot to be proud of, but most recently I introduced the Disdistributions-mixd Workers Protection Act bill that passed in Baltimore City. Now, thousands of employees are protected if a companys contract changes between different owners.What is a challenge that youve faced and overcome?Since I decided to take my daughter to work with me, I feared that I would not be able to juggle both duties at the same time and that people would not take me seriously when I showed up to meetings with a baby. I overcame those challenges by showing up to meetings a few minutes early, so I could get my daughter settled. And the extra time allows me time to get comfortable before I have to speak.Who is YOUR Fairygodboss? and Why?My mother is my Fairygodbo ss. My mother was a single parent that worked full-time and never made a lot of money, but she always managed to get my sister and me whatever we needed.What do you do when youre not working?When I am not working, I travel to go spend time with my nieces and nephews.If you could have dinner with one famous persondead or alivewho would it be?I would want to have dinner with Shirley Chisholm, because she was the first black woman to run for president of the United States.What is your karaoke song?Im Every Woman by Whitney HoustonWhat is your favorite movie?This Christmas, written by Preston A. Whitmore IIWhat book would you bring with you to a desert island?Singing in the Comeback Choir by Bebe Moore CampbellWhat is your shopping vice? What would you buy if you won the lottery?Shoes would be my shopping vice, but if I hit the lottery, I would buy a bigger home to adopt a child to grow my family.What is the 1 career tip youd like to share with other women who want to have successful ca reers like you? To be successful sometimes we have to take chances, and sometimes that means moving to another state or walking away from a comfortable job. We should all have careers we love and that way it will never feel like work.Why do you love where you work?I love where I work because of the people I am working for. I working to make my community a better place and I am changing policy that will help families for years to come.Fairygodboss is all about women helping other womenso each week, we celebrate a woman who made a difference in another womans career. Is there a woman who has made a difference in your career? Celebrate her and thank her by nominating her here.