5 Secrets to Career Success in 2015

5 Secrets to Career Success in 20155 Secrets to Career Success in 2015In a recent surveyof millennials and hiring managerscommissioned byElance-oDeskand Millennial Branding,Jaleh Bisharat, Elance-oDesk senior vice president of marketing, and Dan Schawbel, Millennial Branding managing partner, showcase how professionals can thrive as millennials tip the scales as the largest workforce generation next year. Bisharat and Schawbel offered the following analysis and suggestions for succeeding in the workforce1. Focus on hard skills.A majority of hiring managers (55 percent) revealed they prioritize hard skills over personality (21%) when hiring,Bisharat bedrngnises.With the rapidly changing tech landscape and a persisting skills gap, it is more important than ever for businesses to find people with the specific skills they need to deliver results. Employers will appreciate your efforts. Whether youre a millennial or a more seasoned professional, theres no excuse not to keep up to date o n skills relevant in your field,Schawbel adds.With free and low-cost online learning platforms like Coursera and Lynda boasting courses ranging from Photoshop for beginners to the ins and outs of Bitcoin, a worlds worth of hard skills are at your fingertips.2. Be the change you want to see.Millennials are known for innovation. The survey notes that hiring managers believe millennials are open to change (72 percent), creative (66 percent) and adaptable (65 percent)far outranking their Gen X counterparts for these desirable traits.Many companies still run up against the digital divide and shrink from pushing past the old way of doing things. Thats why, if youre a millennial, you should play up your unique digital native talents (real and perceived) to spur innovation on your kollektivs,Schawbel says.Companies are hungry for new ideas, and while millennials are champions of change, all professionals should strive for adaptability.3. Prove youre a team player.While they appreciate seein g specific hard skills onrsums, more and more employers are considering the work culture they wish to develop and seekingteam players to create it. Although millennials are seen as providing critical advantages thanks to their fresh thinking and entrepreneurialism, findings of our study showed that, when asked which generation was more likely to be team players, only 27 percent of hiring managers chose millennials rather than Gen X,Bisharat explains. This perception, whether reality or not, is a demerit that can slow career growth. If youre a member of this youngest generation of professionals, make sure to develop teamwork skills to prove this impression wrong. If youre a more established professional, be open to working closely with and mentoring millennials.4. Stand out as a loyalist.No doubt, employer loyalty is waningwith good reason. All employees are realizing that they cannot count on a corporate entity to return the favor. Despite this, its helpful to be able to tap into yo ur passion and interest for an organization. Simply showing you are dedicated can help you build trust with your team and organization,Schawbel says.With 58 percentof millennials reporting they expect to be in their job fewer than three years, displays of loyalty will certainly nudge employers to invest in your professional future.5. Consider alternative paths.While its great to be able to articulate and demonstrate your interest in a particular company, facts are facts. The majority of employees will not be able to expect to stay in one job for many years, and being agile and flexible enough to shift even to an entrepreneurial path will be key to success for many workers. Even if you venture out on your own, you will never be successful without involving others.Bisharat explains.Sara Horowitz, founder of Freelancers Union, believes freelancing is all about networking. She says, Freelancing successfully means building a network to line up new gigs, passing assignments to others w hen things are busy and getting referrals from friends when theyre not. You never know when these connections will turn into opportunities down the road.Miriam Salpeter,owner ofKeppie Careers, isoften quoted in major media outlets for herjob searchand social media expertise. Author of three books and a sought-after speaker and coach, she leverages her extensive background and successes to teach job seekers and entrepreneurs how to easily usesocial media marketingto accomplish their career and business goals. Salpeter also provides strategic advice and support regarding interviewing, rsum writing and personal branding.

8 Questions to Ask During Any Reference-Checking Phone Call

8 Questions to Ask During Any Reference-Checking Phone Call 8 Questions to Ask During Any Reference-Checking Phone Call Article by Sorosh TavakoliIt is extremely hard to get an idea of what a person will be like at work through classic interviews alone.The best way I know around this problem is by making reference calls. Done well, they are gold mine.Im not trying to capture everything involved in checkingreferences, but zu siche are some things to consider- Always try tofind some backdoor references.Dont just rely on the applicants provided references.- Anyone taking a reference call will usually have a desire to be helpful to the applicant. Your job is to get through that initial kindness and go deeper.- Dontfocus on validating your own assumptions. Instead, ask open-ended questions and listen. Be quiet and let the reference speak.- One good way to get the reference to open up is to frame the conversation as help me best manage my future recruit. Itll be easier to get information about weaknesses and how to manage them if you do this.The 8 Questions You Should Always Ask When Checking ReferencesHeres the reference-checking script Ive used for the past seven yearsWhat was your relation tothe applicant and for how long?What were the applicants major accomplishments?Key strengths? If I hire her, what are the things this person should totally be doing,the areas where she kills it?Weaknesses or areas for improvement? What things should I not have her do? Where will I get the least out of her?(Explain the role you are hiring for, then ask)Do you think she would be a good fit for this role? Why?Do you have any advice for us if we hire this person? How do I best manage her? What motivates her?Would you hire this person again? (It is important to listen to the references tone here.)Compared to all the people youve worked with, how would you grade this personon a scaleof 1-10?Master the art of checking referencesand remember its one of the best ways to spend your tim e. Bad hires areprobably the most expensive mistakes wemake and many of us make these mistakes often.A version of this article originally appeared on 42Hire.com.Sorosh Tavakoliis the founder of Videoplaza and entrepreneur in residence at Founders Pledge.Master the art of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career.

How to Know When Its Time to Quit Your Job

How to Know When Its Time to Quit Your JobHow to Know When Its Time to Quit Your JobIts Complicated When Do You Pull the Plug?Is it time for you to end things ... with your job?No one takes a job assuming it will end in disappointment much like no one abflugs a new relationship with the expectation that it wont work out. When you arrive at the realization that your job has become a source of anxiety, things may look grim, indeed. If your relationship status with your job is complicated, thats just another way of saying that its not working. How do you know when to end it?Many professionals have a strong resistance to leaving a job thats not working out. Quitting is hard because it carries an implication that you gave up, did not try hard enough, or were not good enough to make it work. The reality, as Seth Godin so aptly puts it, is that motivational quotes along the lines of quitters never win and winners never quit are wrong. Winners quit all the time they just quit the right stuf f at the right time. So when is it time to quit your job?That can be surprisingly difficult to figure out. How do you not fall into the trap of valuing time and effort invested more than your future? On the other hand, how do you make koranvers you quit for the right reasons? How do you find a new job while employed? Here are five steps to help you think through your complicated relationship with your job and make the best decision about when to quit.Step 1 Face whats actually there.Before you plan your next career move, your first step should be to honestly look at the current situation and figure out whats happening. Sometimes, the issue has little to do with the job and everything to do with your personal life. Dissatisfaction or missing pieces in one part of your life can certainly spill elsewhere, so check your basics before you give up on a career. Health, nutrition, exercise, human connection figure out where exactly the problem is before you make any dramatic changes at wor k.Step 2 Ask yourself if your discomfort is temporary or permanent.Professional growth does not come pain-free. If the discomfort you are experiencing is a temporary side effect from learning new things or stretching into new challenges, quitting will rob you of an opportunity to grow and advance professionally. On the other hand, if the discomfort is permanent or damaging, staying in that situation will cost you time and not contribute much to your career development. In that case, the answer to the question of when to quit your job may be now.Step 3 Reflect on your personal point of no return.Everyone has a personal platzdeckchen of requirements or decision factors that are firm non-starters. What are yours? An abusive boss, a job that has offered no opportunities for growth and career development in three years, or a commute to the new office that consumes two hours in one direction you decide what would spell an absolute no for you. Those examples may be signs that you should q uit your job.Step 4 Ask yourself what needs to change for you to feel great about staying.This is the reverse of step three Instead of thinking about what would make the decision to quit a no-brainer, you are considering what it would take to stay. Most situations can be salvaged, even if just in theory. Perhaps it might take reporting to a different person, finding a trusted mentor, or a good career development opportunity on an interesting side project.Step 5 Ask yourself whether youve exhausted your options for making it better.This may be the most challenging of the five steps. Instead of asking yourself if its the right time to quit your job and daydreaming about new opportunities, make a genuine effort to improve the situation. This step forces you to face the fact that you played a role in creating the complicated and painful situation you are in. Be brutally honest and ask yourself, Have I done everything I can to make this better? Own your part in the mess so that you can b egin to dig your way out.5 things to avoid doing when work turns sour.What if you have answered the five questions above and concluded that your work situation has moved beyond its complicated into the its awful and I need to be single category? The best strategy is to start actively looking for other options and applying for jobs while still employed. This step is best done as quietly as possible, no matter how tempted you might be to make a scene. Here are five common mistakes that professionals in this situation make to the detriment of their long-term careers.Related 10 Tips to Conducting a Confidential Job Search While EmployedMistake 1 Gossiping and complaining to coworkers.Sure, it may help you blow off some steam and festverzinsliches wertpapier over the shared misery. However, complaining and gossiping adds no constructive value beyond making you feel momentarily better. The relief will pass quickly, but the consequences may last longer than this job. Feeling frustrated and upset is completely normal in your situation. Try to channel those feelings into constructive next steps brush the dust off of that LinkedIn profile, get a professional to review your resume, or re-connect with professionals who can help you find a new opportunity.Mistake 2 Using the possibility of quitting as leverage.Here is the big secret Successful professionals either stay in a job and make the most of it or leave without making a fuss. They dont talk about quitting in hypothetical terms or use it as a threat when negotiating.When you feel underappreciated or under-compensated, its tempting to believe that the threat of leaving will make your boss realize how amazing you are and finally give you what you want. In your imagination, the company will pay you more, grant you the things you have been asking for, reassign you to a different job, and give you more flexibility just to make you stay. Unfortunately, real life does not work that way. Instead of delivering on your reques ts, your boss is much more likely to begin searching for your replacement Your outburst along the lines of, I guess Ill just start looking for other opportunities will lock you out of interesting new projects and make you look unprofessional and childish. Dont do it.Mistake 3 Checking out.Checking out physically or mentally spells the death of good opportunities for professionals. I know that its difficult to remain engaged when your heart isnt in it and youre actively looking for a new job. Im not suggesting you act like the companys biggest cheerleader, but you might think twice before you stop doing your work. Stay focused. References matter, and todays business world is more connected than ever before. Do your best to leave with your performance reviews and professional integrity intact.Mistake 4 Making emotional decisions.Slamming a door in your bosss face will give you a few seconds of satisfaction. So will stomping out of a meeting or screaming at a difficult coworker. In the long andrang, all of those actions are more likely to sabotage your next career move than set you up for success. In some cases, it may take the decision of when to leave a job out of your hands completely, as you could get let go. Keep your eye on the ball, take a deep breath, and do whats best for your career in the long run which, in most cases, involves taking charge of your emotional state.Mistake 5 Quitting with no contingency plan.Walking out of a job has its perks a completely open day tomorrow, for instance. However, it also takes away one of your options without automatically creating others. Looking for a job while unemployed is definitely not an impossible task plenty of professionals do it to great effect. However, searching for a new opportunity from the safety of a stable paycheck gives you the luxury of time. It lowers the pressure to find a position in two weeks or risk missing your rent or mortgage payment. That, in turn, improves the odds of finding a position that is a great fit not just something to tide you over.When things get complicated at work, keep a cool head Just as in romantic relationships, sudden, poorly-considered moves in a complex situation wont serve you well. Even if your situation at work leaves much to be desired, more options are always better. By keeping a cool head, continuing to show up, and taking an honest look at your circumstances, you gain the perspective and the time to make a plan to help you decide right next career move. After all, you deserve nothing lessBefore you call it quits with your job, make sure your resume is up to snuff. Request a free resume review todayRecommended ReadingThis Is the Best Time of Year to Look for a New Job5 Things to Consider Before You Quit Your JobHow to Write a Professional Resignation Letter