“Job-Search Lessons From American Idol” plus 1 more |
| Job-Search Lessons From American Idol Posted: 09 Mar 2011 06:19 AM PST  Miriam Salpeter If you ever take a break from your job hunt to watch American Idol, it's time to connect the dots. No doubt a show that's about winning the ultimate career break for a singer—a recording contract—holds some important lessons for job seekers. So after you vote for your favorite singer this week, consider these essential lessons gleaned from one of America's favorite television shows: [See 10 Ways to Use Social Media in Your Job Search.] Self-awareness is key. Have you watched the audition shows? Granted, some people try out just to get on television; they know that the worse their audition, the more likely they are to grab 15 minutes of fame—even if it is at the expense of their credibility. However, it seems some of the contestants who have really terrible voices and no chance to win a ticket to "Hollywood" are delusional about their abilities and don't realize their skills won't cut it. It's easy to laugh or joke about people who are trying out for something they will never win, but be sure that isn't you. Are you "auditioning" for jobs you don't really have the skills or experience to do? Reaching for a job you do have the skills to accomplish is worthwhile, but chasing after opportunities you're not qualified to earn wastes your time. If you have been unsuccessful, but haven't already asked for an outside opinion about your job hunt, reach out to some professionals in your targeted field and ask them if they honestly believe you have what it takes to get hired. [See How to Get a Job When You Lack Experience.] Rehearse. How many of these American Idol contestants forget the lyrics when it's their turn to impress? Certainly, nerves play a role, but you don't want that to be your problem when you get your big interview break. Practice answering the question, "Why should we hire you?" in many different ways; it's the question at the root of all interview inquiries. No, you don't need to memorize answers to interview questions, but practicing your replies always helps. Consider preparing several stories to describe when you succeeded, a time you worked in a team, and examples of obstacles you've overcome at work, including working with difficult people. Be able to explain the situation, task, action, and result involved with your interviewer. A little preparation goes a long way. Learn from past mistakes and be yourself. It's easy to wonder why these new contestants haven't learned a lot from watching past shows. Many seem to make the same mistakes as prior contestants. An oft-repeated judges' comment to Idol contestants? "Who are you? What are you trying to be?" Last week's episode featured judges reminding singers, "Karaoke isn't going to cut it. Don't be a poor imitation of someone else." Viewers may remember this refrain from previous seasons; why aren't new contestants learning from past mistakes? Trying to imitate a song someone else made famous probably won't help these aspiring Idols excel and achieve their dreams. Judges admonish them to "make it their own—do something different with it." [For more career advice, visit U.S. News Careers, or find us on Facebook or Twitter.] Similarly, when looking for a job, you can't expect to succeed by copying another job seeker's work—a sample resume, for example, or a friend's materials. Effective job search requires candidates figure out what they offer in terms of what their target employers want; trying to imitate or be someone else will not help you land opportunities. Just as an amateur Idol singing a Michael Jackson song sounds like a poor imitation of the original, a job seeker who hasn't invested the time and effort to make sure his or her materials are authentic and resonate with targeted employers will fall similarly short. Lucky for job seekers, unlike on American Idol, there's more than one winner in the job-hunt game. Learn from these lessons, and you'll be well on your way to a job where a boss is singing your praises. Miriam Salpeter is a job search and social media consultant, career coach, author, speaker, resume writer and owner of Keppie Careers. She teaches job seekers and entrepreneurs how to incorporate social media tools along with traditional strategies to empower their success. Connect with her via Twitter @Keppie_Careers. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Leading Career Site Names Favorite Career Masterminds Posted: 14 Mar 2011 03:05 AM PDT Leading career site Quintessential Careers recognizes 15 career and job-search experts and visionaries as Quintessential Careers Career Masterminds. Kettle Falls, WA, March 14, 2011 --(PR.com)-- In a tough job market, job-seekers often need professional advice on the best methods for advancing their careers and finding a new job, said Quintessential Careers (http://www.quintcareers.com/) Founder and Publisher Dr. Randall S. Hansen. "The world is full of people willing to offer advice on job-hunting – some of which is right on target and some of which can be detrimental," Hansen said. "What we wanted to do is identify 15 career experts that together have an amazing breadth and depth of career and job-hunting know-how – and a passion for sharing that knowledge with job-seekers, career-changers, and the entire career community." "As part of the 15th anniversary of the founding of Quintessential Careers, we are honoring and celebrating some of our favorite career visionaries, gurus, and experts -- people who truly want to help job-seekers understand and succeed in the job-search," Hansen said. These 15 career gurus collectively have expertise in job-hunting, resume-writing, career branding, social networking, salary negotiation, interviewing practices, and more, according to Hansen. Some of these experts specialize in working with younger job-seekers, some with mid-career workers, others with executives and top management. Here are the 15 career experts honored with the title Quintessential Careers Career Mastermind: • Donald Asher: nationally-known speaker and writer, known as "America's Job Search Guru;" specializes in careers and higher education. • Dick Bolles: the quintessential career expert, known the world over as author of the perennial best-selling job-hunting book, What Color is Your Parachute: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters & Career-Changers. • Jack Chapman: nationally-known salary guru and author of top-selling book, Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute; founder of Lucrative Careers, Inc. • Deb Dib: known as the CEO Coach and a branded career communications expert; a career and job-search innovator and founder of Executive Power Brand. • Louise Fletcher: founder of career industry's leading group blog, Career Hub; author, expert, and resume guru; co-founder of Blue Sky Resumes. • Maureen Crawford Hentz: nationally recognized expert on social networking and new media recruiting; manages recruiting operations for large global company. • Tory Johnson: author and inspirational speaker; founder of Women for Hire, a site devoted to helping working women with their careers. • J.T. O'Donnell: career strategist and workplace consultant who assists workers of all ages find great satisfaction; founder of CAREEREALISM. • Lindsey Pollak: career consultant, and internationally recognized expert on next-generation and Generation Y career trends; best-selling author of Getting from College to Career. • Teena Rose: a personal-branding guru, LinkedIn expert, and executive resume-writer with Resume to Referral. • Steven Rothberg: Internet career and job board pioneer, founder and President of CollegeRecruiter.com, and college student/recent grad job-seeker career guru. • Miriam Salpeter: author and social media guru who advises career activists on improving their careers; owner of Keppie Careers and Social Resume Spot. • Eric Shannon: Internet job board pioneer, founder and CEO of LatPro, Inc., the top Hispanic job board; runs DiversityJobs.com and JustJobs.com. • Wendy Terwelp: nationally-known networking guru, speaker, author, and president of Opportunity Knocks has helped thousands of entrepreneurs and executives in transition. • Susan Whitcomb: award-winning author and career professional's career guru, founder and CEO of The Academies, which trains and certifies career specialists and coaches. The full bios of these experts can be found here: http://www.quintcareers.com/Career_Masterminds.html About Quintessential Careers: For almost 15 years, this comprehensive career development site has been empowering job-seekers of all ages find their ideal careers and jobs. With more than 4,500 pages of content -- from articles, quizzes, and tutorials -- Quintessential Careers offers visitors no-cost content that can improve their lives. About Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.: Randall Hansen is the founder and publisher of Quintessential Careers. He has been involved in the career industry for more than 20 years. ### This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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