Special Feature: Don't Hold Your Breath for That Year-End Bonus
Bonus Feature: Holiday Office Party Do's and Don'ts
A Quintet of Quick Questions: QuintZine's Q&A with
a Career Expert: Andrea C. Eastman, assistant director
of Career Services at Brown University, Providence, RI.
Quintessential Reading: QuintZine's Review of Career Books.
Two Books on Job-Search Basics: Kick Off Your Career and Your Job Search Partner
Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue
The Career Doctor: Answering Your Questions
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search
Notes from the Editor: About this Issue...
Let's get down to basics....
That's what this issue is all about,
and the time is right. The holiday season
is great for job-hunting, and there's
no better way to prepare for the new year than by
learning new job-search skills or refreshing
existing ones.
We also offer two holiday-themed articles in this
issue, as well as our Quintet of Quick Questions
feature and reviews of two books on job-search basics.
Let's begin that countdown to starting the new year
with a new job....
When job-seekers search for new jobs, one of the
most important elements of a successful search is
the development of job leads. How can you find a
consistent source for open jobs in your career field?
The answer, of course, is that you cannot. There is
no one consistent source. There are, however, 10 methods
that all job-seekers should consider
using in uncovering the largest number of job leads.
While most job-seekers should use as many sources for
job leads as possible, this list of sources is organized
into a hierarchy of most effective and efficient to least.
As time and resources permit, use as many of these sources
as possible to generate the largest and highest quality
job leads possible.
Once upon a time, a fairly large group of employers
shared the company good fortunes through holiday gifts,
parties, and the now infamous year-end bonus. Because of
the impact of the economy and a focus on efficiency and
productivity, many workers may need to be satisfied this
year-end with simply still having a job with the company.
For the third year in a row, more than two-thirds of the
employers surveyed by Hewitt Associates in their annual
"Holiday Bonus and Gift Study," state that they will not
offer any type of holiday bonus (including cash, food, or gifts).
Specifically, Hewitt's 2002 study found that more than half of
the companies reported never having a holiday bonus program,
while almost a fifth reported that their program had been
discontinued. These numbers aren't surprising since many
employers ended year-end bonus programs in the 1990s.
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Bonus Feature: Holiday Office Parties
Holiday Office Party Do's and Don'ts
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Going to the company office holiday party this year?
You can take advantage of the office party to have some
fun and advance your career or misbehave and cripple your
career. Our article offers are some basic rules to survive
and thrive at any company-sponsored party.
Instantly email your resume to 1000s of recruiters,
headhunters, and direct hiring companies! With the most
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you will be happy that we guarantee our service!
Andrea C. Eastman is assistant director of
Career Services at Brown University, Providence, RI.
"It's okay to take on an internship or a temporary job
after graduation," notes Andrea C. Eastman in the Q&A we
did with her. "For many, doing so will result in direct,
hands-on experience that serves as a great resume enhancement.
Frequently, internships and temp jobs lead to more permanent
positions because candidates have already proven
themselves to employers and are
a 'known quantity.' Do what it takes to get your foot in the door!"
Read more of Eastman's observations on the
crucial importance of follow-up in the job search,
how to follow up after applying to jobs posted on the
Internet, and the time commitment it takes to land a new job,
in our complete Q&A with Andrea C. Eastman .
Check out lots of creative, career-related
gift ideas in our Quintessential Careers
Holiday Gift Ideas section: We have some great gift ideas for your favorite
job-seeker or student -- including books, job-search packages, and online courses. Go to:
Quintessential Careers Holiday Gift Ideas.
Quintessential Reading: Two Job-Search Books
Reviews of Two Books on Job-Search Basics
by Katharine Hansen
Kick Off Your Career, by Kate Wendleton, $13.99, Paperback, 227 pages, 2002, Career Press; ISBN: 156414643X.
These two books are both good primers for the inexperienced
job-seeker. We're always a little wary about books that try to cover
the entire gamut of job-seeking; sometimes it's better to study each
job-seeking topic in depth, obtaining individual books on resumes,
cover letters, interviewing, salary negotiation, and all the other
aspects of the job-search. But for the beginning job-seeker, or
someone who has been away from the job market for awhile, these books
provide useful guidelines for getting your feet wet.
Read all of our Quintessential Reading book reviews.
QuintCareers Forges Partnerships with JVIS.com!
QuintCareers, in partnership with JVIS.COM, brings you the
Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS), the career and
education planning tool that has already helped over half a
million people like you.
Based on years of research, the JVIS accurately measures
your interests, showing how they relate to the worlds of study
and work, and mapping out your route to an interesting career.
Chosen as one of the top 500 career sites by CareerXroads,
Fran Quittel's CareerBabe is bursting with helpful content
that fits right in with our theme of Job-Search Basics.
The site offers tips on how to maximize your job search
with the best on-line activities, resume-writing tutorials,
interview and salary-negotiating tips, career-transition
information, and advice on how to handle career emergencies.
The centerpiece of the site is the "Dear CareerBabe," filled
with wise counsel. Other sections include "Show Me the Money,"
"Expand Your Options," "Help! I'm Losing My Job," and "How to Generate
Leads."
It's not exactly the world's prettiest site, but it sure does have a lot of great content!
Also, as a reader of QuintZine, you're probably also a fan
of this newsletter's parent site, Quintessential Careers.
Help celebrate Quint Careers' 6th anniversary by casting
a write-in vote for "Most "Job Seeker Friendly" General
Purpose Site" or "General Purpose Site with the Best
Information for Job Seekers" in the WEDDLE's User's Choice Awards.
The 2002 WEDDLE's User's Choice Awards are open for voting until December 31, 2002.
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Latest Additions: New Sites Added to QuintCareers
DegreeHunter --
a job site with an interesting premise -- designed to help graduate degree candidates and
other degreed and certified professionals find employment and career opportunities. Job-seekers
can search for jobs in six professions (engineering, health care, legal, MBA, nursing, and
physician), as well as post your resume(s). Free to job-seekers.
EnergyJobSearch.com -- where
candidates in the energy and power sector can review several thousand jobs in more than
50 countries. Job-seekers can search for jobs (by keyword, company, location, job type,
job level, education, and salary) as well as post your resume. Free to job-seekers.
nixers.com
-- an Irish job site specializing in all types of jobs for 18-30 year-olds. Job-seekers can
search for jobs (by location and type), post your CV, and register for an email
job matching service. A nixer is Irish slang for a little job. Free to job-seekers.
teens4hire.org
-- a job site for teens (aged 14+) looking for a full-time, part-time, summer,
or vocational jobs. The site accepts all types of job openings; full-time, part-time,
seasonal, vocational, apprentice, internship, co-op, volunteer, military, etc.
Registration is required to use any of the resources on the site. Free to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest Additions section.
JT writes: "I've sent my cover letter and resume to many
potential companies and have gotten several responses that
say, 'Thank you for sending us your information. We're reviewing
your qualifications and we'll call you if you meet any of them.'
Is this just saying, thanks but we don't need/want you, or would
it be acceptable to call them in a few days and ask if they've
reviewed it?"
Pat writes: "The holidays are approaching, and my company
recently announced that we will be having an office party
in a few weeks. This will be my first-ever corporate holiday
party, and I really don't know what do. Are you allowed to have
fun at these things? How much? Or do you need to stick to
business and be professional?"
Anonymous writes: "Since 1992, I have worked for several
different companies. About three years ago, I switched employers
and stayed there about a year before joining a start-up company.
I had been employed by the start-up for about eight months before
it was acquired by my original employer.
I've been asked to take a substantial pay cut.
So, I'm somewhat torn between staying with this company and looking for new
employment locally. I suspect that even at my reduced salary
I might be faring better than the local wage scale. Then there's
also the problem of my resume. I'm concerned about how bad my
resume looks with all the moves in such a short period of time.
A co-worker said that since I was gone for only about a year
and am now back that I should just list the current
company as '1992 to present.'"
Bridget writes: "I need HELP! I'm currently and have been
for the past four years working as a recruiter/human resources.
I've recently gotten promoted to an HR generalist. At any rate,
I'm SO BORED with this job I just want to cry sometimes. I am
very grateful that I have a job and my co-workers/manager really
like my work, but I just think that I spend too much time at work
to be unhappy. I just can't stand it. I went to college and got
my degree in marketing with an emphasis in promotions and
special-event planning but I accidentally got in HR and have
been here ever since. I'm dying. HELP!"
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Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Have you been looking in big companies and big cities
to find jobs? Surprisingly, most new jobs are created
in the suburbs, notes Kate Wendleton in her new book,
Kick Off Your Career (reviewed in this issue). Most job
growth is also in smaller companies, while larger companies
are the ones that do most of the downsizing. Of 193,000
companies in New York City, for example, only 270 of them employ
1,000 people or more. Wendleton tells the story of a new
college grad who sent out cold-contact e-mails to 200 firms.
Although 75 percent of the grad's e-mails went to firms in major
metropolitan areas, she received almost no response from them.
"Firms in the suburban area were more responsive because there
were few colleges in those areas, and fewer students contacting
those firms," Wendleton writes.
For those who have succeeded in obtaining interviews
but not job offers, we've often advised writing a letter
to an interviewer with whom you perhaps had especially good rapport
and asking what you could improve about your interview performance.
In her new book, Your Job Search Partner (reviewed in this issue),
Cheryl Cage expands on that idea. She suggests sending a post-rejection-letter
thank you to employers, asking to be considered for future positions and
adding this wording: "...to improve my job search and interviewing skills,
I would appreciate your feedback on my interview and experience. I realize
your comments may be general in nature. However, any feedback would be
helpful." Cage further suggests enclosing a self-addressed stamped envelope
for the employer's reply. Now, be forewarned that you probably won't get
many responses to such queries. But if you get even one that provides
constructive criticism that improves your skills, it will have been well
worth the effort. You'll also be showing the employer your continued
interest.
Revise your resume by forming a focus group, advises Terence C. Reilly
in an article on CareerJournal.com. "Ask professional coaches at the
outplacement center, headhunters, friends, and fellow job searchers
for input about your resume. Most importantly, ask employers you contact
for interviews what they like and find interesting about your resume,"
suggests Reilly in his article,
Seven Steps That Can Shorten Your Search.
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We'd Love You to Link to Quintessential Careers!
If your school, organization, business or other
entity has a Web site, we welcome you to link to Quintessential Careers.
If you already have a link from your site, we want you to know we
appreciate it. If you don't have a link to us, please
send a request to your site's Webmaster to establish a
link to Quintessential Careers. Thanks so much!
For more details (including sample HTML copy), see our
Link to Us page.
QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Crafting a successful e-mail resume
* The interview as sales call
* Getting the raise you deserve
* 10 things I wish I'd known before starting college
* 10 things I wish I'd known before starting my first job
* Letters of recommendation
* Why, how, when to use a career coach -- and whom to choose
* Employer research: step by step
* Learn about careers through job-shadowing
* Balancing career and family
* 10 job-search reality checks
* Is job flexibility right for you?
* First days on the job: Strategies to get ahead
* Dealing with a bad boss
* Making your case for telecommuting
* A day in the life of a recruiter
* Don't wait by the phone: Following up on all job leads
* Dining etiquette
* The relationship between personality and career choice
* What employers are really looking for
* How to resign from your job gracefully
* New series: 10 mistakes to avoid in: resumes, cover letters, interviews, salary
negotiation, career change, networking, job-search
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more!
Don't ever want to miss another issue of QuintZine? Get a free subscription to
the email version of QuintZine by completing our
subscription form.
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Quintessential Careers also offers writing services
for those who have been asked to give a speech and
need assistance in researching and writing their
remarks.
Need a speaker for your career-oriented conference or
event at your college or organization? The Quintessential
Careers Speakers Bureau can help! Our quintessential experts
can provide presentations/workshops on a variety of
career-related topics.
