Guest Post: Popular Software that Companies Look for in a Resume In today’s job market, it would be easy to assume that you don’t need to list computer skills on your resume. Doesn’t everyone know how to use Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint? The surprising answer is ‘no’. Many job applicants don’t … Continue reading →   Don’t Forget To JOIN Associations One of the reasons the association industry remains a “secret” sector is because people only think of joining them – not working for them. Do association employees do the same thing in reverse? Do they forget the impact that membership … Continue reading →   Career Lessons Learned Edited article as posted on Chuck’s Blog. Click HERE for the original. Regardless of if you are a seasoned C-level executive, a first time job seeker, or an entrepreneur, there are plenty of lessons to be learned throughout your career … Continue reading →   Are You “Penny Wise and Pound Foolish” When it Comes to Your Career? This maxim really applied to me a few months ago. To save a dollar or two, I bought the cheapest toothbrush in the store – and ended up paying hundreds of dollars after the rough bristles damaged my dental work. … Continue reading →   Set SUPER SHORT Term Goals I’m a big proponent of short term goals. I cover how they specifically relate to getting a promotion in “I Want a Job in an Association – Now What???,” but they can apply to just about anything. Based on what … Continue reading →   May I Have Your Hand In Employment? You wouldn’t marry someone you just met. So why do so many of us join associations/companies we barely know? Of course, jobs aren’t in the same league as marriage, but there is a certain level of commitment when you accept … Continue reading →   A Line On LinkedIn Goes A LOOOOOONG Way! An introduction line that is. Do you ever get invitations from people with whom you have no apparent connection? Of course, meeting new people is one of the best parts of any social networking site. However, too many LinkedIn requests … Continue reading →   Do You Ever Really Quit An Association? Maybe it’s the shared “fighting for a cause” environment, but employees that move on from associations tend to feel like alumni. This isn’t unique to the association world, but I have noticed it seems to be more common than in … Continue reading →   Job Search Networking Tips For 2012 Edited article originally written by Laura Raines http://www.ajc.com/business/12-job-search-tips-1291030.html As we ring in the new year, executive job seekers will find new opportunities in the 2012′s job market as well. According to the December Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, employers anticipate a … Continue reading →   Should you send the boss a holiday card? “Thinking about sending the boss a holiday card?” asks Allison & Taylor, a reference checking firm in Rochester, Michigan in their article Deciding Whether to Send the Boss a Holiday Card. You probably have a good idea: a 2008 survey … Continue reading →   “The CEO” Provides Daily Job Search Advice Edited article as posted on Employment Crossing. Click HERE for the original. Looking for a job isn’t always easy, however, with the right job search methods; it does not have to be that difficult.   According to A. Harrison Barnes, “The … Continue reading →   Time Off: Vital To Your Career! Recently, I went on my first vacation since 2003. Though I’ve been fortunate to have travelled quite a bit since then, it had been a full eight years since my last vacation. You might be confused – aren’t travel and … Continue reading →   Twitter – a Must for Association Professionals! If you’re in the association industry and you’re not on Twitter, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. Association professionals seem to be among the most active posters in the Twitterverse, and much of the content I’ve seen is highly … Continue reading →   Tips for Landing a 6-Figure Job in an Employer’s Market It’s no secret that finding that a job in today’s economy is tough, even for seasoned executives. While there are still great opportunities available, the competition can be brutal. These strategies can go a long way toward helping you stand … Continue reading →   Could Working in an Association be Good for your Health? Recently, a study came out that said volunteering could increase longevity – if you were doing it to truly benefit others and not for self-serving reasons. This made me wonder about two things. First of all, is it even possible … Continue reading →   Nothing Takes the Place of an In-Person Conference! This past week, I attended The National Resume Writers’ Association’s conference, this year held in Portland, Maine. Though it’s nice to be able to interact with members virtually, I get more in the 3.5 days each year than I do … Continue reading →   I Didn’t Get a Call Back. What Did I Do Wrong? Even in the best of times, job hunting can feel like tossing your resume into the open sea. Now, with record numbers of applicants, you may not receive a response at all. Career experts agree that if resounding silence is … Continue reading →   I Want to Work in an Association – Now What??? Published! I’m happy to announce that my book I Want to Work in an Association – Now What??? A Guide to Getting a Job in a Professional Association, Membership Organization, or Society is available!    In the works for nearly a year, … Continue reading →   DON’T LET AN EMPLOYMENT BULLY COST YOU A JOB Bullying: at one time or another, most of us have felt the victim of someone’s unreasonably antagonistic behavior. It’s often viewed as a dynamic between young people, and conventional wisdom says that this type of conduct is left behind in … Continue reading →   Quality vs. Quantity – Are You Spending Too MUCH Time On Your Job Search? Most of us have heard that you should spend 40 hours searching for a job if you’re unemployed and 10-15 if you’re currently working. It’s a good idea to spend as much time on your search as possible, but what’s … Continue reading →   8 Tips to find the Best Executive Jobs While exploring the web for some job search tips to share with my readers, I ran across an article written by Meg Guiseppi based on a query by About.com’s job search expert Alison Doyle. Alison put together eight bits of … Continue reading →   Maximizing LinkedIn by Using Groups In my opinion, the groups feature is the best part of LinkedIn. While having a strong profile and connecting with past colleagues and classmates is important, interacting in groups is where you’ll really take targeted networking to the next level. … Continue reading →   Should You Get a CAE or a Master’s Degree? Not long ago, I attended a seminar at the Association Forum of Chicagoland about getting the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation. For anyone interested in a long-term career in the association industry, eventually aiming for it is a given – … Continue reading →   UNtargeted Networking As part of your ongoing career management, targeted networking should be a part of your life. Whether you attend regular industry meetings, volunteer on internal committees, or join discussion groups on LinkedIn, building relationships with people in your field is … Continue reading →   Why Use a Recruiter Distribution Service? You may have heard of these services – you upload your resume to a site which blasts it out to everyone and anyone who does recruiting. Not a bad deal, right?  Right – kind of. As with everything else, there … Continue reading →   Get Your (Job Search) Act Together! If you’re like a lot of people, there probably isn’t a method to your madness as far as your job search is concerned. You apply for positions when they interest you, send your resume on to recruiters that request it, … Continue reading →   Propose a Position and Create a Career When it seems jobs are scarce, identifying an organization’s need and demonstrating how you can fill it seem like logical steps. If there are no jobs to be had, why not create your own? Considering that places are ALWAYS open … Continue reading →   Overwhelmed by Opportunities? According to CEO Update’s March 4th issue, new association job listings are up an eye-popping 45 percent in the first two months of 2011. At the same time, the article also says, some hiring managers are receiving fewer resumes. After … Continue reading →   The Salary Question Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of interviewees like hearing “what are your salary requirements?” If they could respond with what they were actually thinking, it would probably sound something like this: Anything!! (If needing a job ASAP.) The most … Continue reading →   Networking Internally (But Not the Seinfeld Way!) I vaguely remember a Seinfeld episode where one of the characters (I think it was Elaine) took up smoking at work so she could hang out with the smokers during breaks. They kept getting promoted, and she wanted to build … Continue reading →   Leads Galore! At least it sure feels that way this week! I occasionally post association job leads to my Twitter account and on Monday, decided to do it every day. The result? I couldn’t keep up! Between job boards on ASAE and … Continue reading →   New Job Search Methods Versus “That’s How I’ve Always Done It” Not long ago, I wrote a blog post (for another site) about getting past “that’s how it’s always been done” when it came to the job search. It was retweeted more than anything I’d ever written. Clearly, this was a … Continue reading →   Get the Passion Back in Your Job! Do you ever have days where you can’t get motivated and feel like you have more “to-dos” than you could possibly ever finish? I completely relate, and I absolutely love my work! I used to think that the only people … Continue reading →   Don’t Abandon Your Job Search This Week! Yes, it’s the week between two major holidays, and a good majority of associations are quiet (some may even be closed!). Plus, chances are very small that you’d even be called in for an interview this week. However, there are … Continue reading →   Some of My Favorite Association Resources Here’s a quick list off the top of my head. Can you add any? 1) ASAE and the Center: The leading organization for association executives in trade associations, individual membership societies, and voluntary organizations. There are also individual chapters by … Continue reading →   Interviewing Via Webcam Until Tuesday, I never gave this topic much thought. However, while at the Association Forum’s Holiday Showcase, I attended a seminar called “Trends in Hybrid and Virtual Events.” The presenter, Mike Westcott, talked about the importance of training speakers to … Continue reading →   Volunteering Your Way Into an Association Job I always knew that volunteering was good for the job search – it’s a great way to learn new skills, network, and explore other career options. Still, when interviewing association employees for the book, “I Want a Job in an … Continue reading →   How Your Job Search is like Marketing an Association Recently, I attended a seminar at the Association Forum of Chicagoland, “60 Marketing Ideas in 60 Minutes.” The idea was to learn new methods (often free or low cost) to market an association, but I was struck by how many … Continue reading →   Associations DO Find Employees through Social Media While interviewing association leaders for the book, “I Want a Job in an Association – Now What??:  A Guide to Getting a Job in a Professional Association, Membership Organization, or Society, ” I always ask how they source for talent. … Continue reading →   Out in 2011: “I Want a Job in an Association — Now What??” Currently, I’m working on the book, “I Want a Job in an Association – Now What??:  A Guide to Getting a Job in a Professional Association, Membership Organization, or Society.” A good number of my individual coaching and resume clients … Continue reading →