Category: Managing Your Job search

Transition from Being a Big Company Employee to Working at a Startup (Part 2 of 2)

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a talk by Bryan Starbuck (on Twitter @BryanStarbuck), a serial tech startup entrepreneur and a former Microsoft Engineering Manager, about how to transition from a big company (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, etc.) employee to a career at startups.  Bryan provided great insights and practical advice for people interested in this process.  I’d like to share with you a summary of this talk and the main takeaways. Read More

Tips for Navigating a Career Transition

Today our guest blogger is Amy Nicole. Amy is a freelance writer for Incepture, a Florida based staffing agency serving Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and Miami.  You can follow Incepture on Twitter @incepture.

In February 2009, I received my pink slip.

I had just started my job five months prior, uprooting my life in Florida to move to the unknown land of Washington, DC. Read More

Transition from Being a Big Company Employee to Working at a Startup (Part 1 of 2)

Last week I attended a talk by Bryan Starbuck (on Twitter @BryanStarbuck), a serial tech startup entrepreneur and a former Microsoft Engineering Manager, about how to transition from a big company (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, etc.) employee to a career at startups.  Bryan provided great insights and practical advice for people interested in this process.  I’d like to share with you a summary of this talk and the main takeaways. Read More

Top 10 “Rookie Job Hunter” Realizations

Today our guest blogger is Matt Youngquist. Matt is the President of Career Horizons, serving Northwest individuals and organizations dealing with the unique challenges of job hunting and employment transition.  Matt is a recognized expert in the field of career coaching, job hunting, and professional employment counseling.  You can follow him on Twitter @mattyoungquist.

Having been in the career coaching field now for almost 20 years, I’ve ridden shotgun THOUSANDS of times on the job hunting process, helping people fire up their employment search and master the latest and greatest methods for tracking down new opportunities.

One paradox that I’ve consistently witnessed, over all these years?  Highly successful people usually make the crummiest job hunters.  At least initially, when they’re just starting their search out, since it’s usually been an inordinately long time since they last had to hustle for a new assignment.  What many folks don’t always realize, at first, is that 1) they’re older and more experienced (i.e. higher up the food chain where jobs are scarcer) and 2) that the whole market has changed around them, while they were safely ensconced in their last assignment. Read More

Got a case of “False Sense of Productivity”?

The lives of job seekers can get quite busy.  Job seekers’ days are easily filled with many activities, such as modifying resumes and cover letters, researching companies, scouting for job leads, doing coffee meetings, submitting job applications, networking online, attending events, participating in webinars and taking classes.  Things get hectic very quickly. Read More

New Grads: Survive and Thrive in 2012 Job Market

The job marketing is looking better for college graduates this year than in 2011. According to a recent report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, employers responding to the 2012 Job Outlook Spring Update say they expect to hire 10.2 percent more new college graduates from the college Class of 2012 than they did from the Class of 2011. Read More

Danger of Unstructured Job Search

Job search is a complex process and – unfortunately in today’s market, most likely – a longer-than-you-thought process, too.  A typical job search process has many phases.  Roughly speaking, they include assessing, planning, preparing, marketing, interviewing, and negotiating.

Job search process is complex because these phases are more iterative than linear.  You will be pursing multiple job leads simultaneously.  Read More

How to Use Your Stress in Job Search

Are you stressed about your job search?  Do you  feel you don’t have enough time to tackle your to-dos?   Does the challenge of finding a job seem overwhelming?

Many people assume that being stressed impede with their capability to function effectively, not to mention performing at a higher level than usual.  Well, think again.  It turns out being stressed might actually be helpful to you.  According to an article in Harvard Business Review, there are ways to actually make your stress work FOR you. Read More