Turning part time work into full time.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I have finally found work. Currently it is part time work, but hopefully someday soon I will find full time work. This blog post from AOL Jobs gives 5 Surefire Ways to Turn A Part-Time Gig Into a Full-Tie Job. Their five tips are:

1. Dress like you're on a job interview.
2. Get to know everyone.
3. Be gracious.
4. Go out of your way to be helpful.
5. Focus on excellence, not speed.

The explanations are good, and the list makes sense. My perspective after a week is that these tips may not make the jump to full time possible, but this is due more to the nature of my position. I have been informed that all the previous holders of the position I am in have gone on to full time work in my field, so that is great. For anyone out there currently in a part time position I recommend following these principles to help you make the jump to full time if that is your desire.

Good luck!
-George

Do you need a Facebook profile to get a job?

My short answer is NO. But as this article from AOL Jobs points out you should not be completely invisible online if you are actively job searching. The article cites a survey that matches closely with a study I talked about in a previous post. These both suggest that the #1 social media site checked by HR is LinkedIn. The AOL article also points out another useful tip:

It's okay to protect your Facebook updates with privacy settings, but allow your Work and Education, About You, and Contact Information sections to be public.

As a librarian interested in both educating the public on the importance of information security and how to effectively use technology in the job search, I like this advice. Use the security/privacy features provided to you by the sites where you are a member... but don't lock it down so tight that the HR manager can't find you online.

Comments or questions? Let me know. Cheers!
-George

Apologies for my absence.

For any readers out there who read this blog regularly, I apologize for me recent absence. I do, however, have a good reason... I have found a part time job. The initial flurry of getting settled in this position have left less time for blogging. But now that I am getting my feet under me, I hope to re-establish a regular publication schedule.

For those of you who are still awaiting posts involving resources for small businesses and entrepreneurial efforts, those are still in the works and should be ready soon.

Cheers!
-George

Reasons you may not hear back after applying.

Do you ever get frustrated after applying for a job then waiting and waiting... well Meghan Brio of Glassdoor.com has written a piece for Business Insider with 5 reasons why you may never hear back.

Her reasons include:

• You really aren't qualified.
• You haven't key-word optimized your resume or application.
• Your resume isn't formatted properly.
• Your resume is substantially different from your online profile.
• The company received 500 resumes and yours was #499.

notice a pattern? These are all resume/application centered. Her suggestions?

• research interesting companies on social media.
• start a blog in your area of interest and/or expertise.
• get professional resume help.
• if at all possible don't wait until you are out of work to find your next job.
• network.

I commend her for having research the company as suggestion #1. I have many posts that may help with research tips and networking. As a job seeker who is blogging about an area I have experience with, I can say that this second tip is good advice... but I can't say yet if it has made a positive impact on my job search. I would like to think that it has.

What do others think? Is this type of general/generic advice helpful? Have you read a piece such as this, made a change or improvement based on that piece and seen tangible positive results?