Special Feature: The Networking Buddy System for Job-Search Success
Bonus Feature: Seven Smart Networking Moves Guaranteed To Make You More Memorable
Q&A with a Career Expert: Kathy Condon
Quintessential Listening: QuintZine's Review of a Career Audio Presentation
Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue
What's New on Quintessential Careers
The Career Doctor: Answering Your Questions
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search
Notes from the Editor: About this Issue...
It's a good time of year to gear up for networking. The holiday season is a surprisingly
effective time to network, so the networking suggestions in this issue will help you prepare.
A mentor is a special kind of network contact, and we explore the value of a mentor
in this issue. Contributor Clay Barrett discusses the "buddy system" of networking in his helpful
article. And popular career expert Susan Britton Whitcomb offers seven great networking tips in her
piece.
Networking guru Kathy Condon is both the subject of our Q&A feature and the voice and brains behind
an audio presentation on networking reviewed in this issue.
So, pick up that phone, get out to events, make contact online, and let's get networking folks!
--Katharine Hansen, Credentialed Career Master, Certified Electronic Career Coach,
and editor at
kathy@quintcareers.com
Feature Article: The Value of a Mentor
by Katharine Hansen
Looking for a boost in your job search or working life? Find yourself a mentor -- or let one find you.
A mentor is that one person who can guide you, help you, take you under his or her wing, and nurture your
career quest. A Yoda to your Luke Skywalker. A Glinda the Good Witch to your Dorothy Gale. What separates
a mentor from the average network contact is long-term commitment and a deep-seated investment
in your future.
Where a typical network contact might be associated with quick
introductions, exchanges of business cards,
and phone calls, your relationship with a mentor likely involves long lunches and time spent in the
mentor's office. A mentor is often in a position you'd like to be in and has the clout and connections to
guide you to a similar position. He or she is someone you probably have unusually good chemistry with who
will share stories with you of his or her own climb to success. An effective mentor isn't afraid to
criticize constructively.
To maximize your job opportunities, you'll need to cover a lot of ground. One way to do that is to post your resume
on all the best job boards, large and small. It may take some time, but it's well worth the effort. If you want
to save 60 hours of research and data entry, consider using professional resume-posting service like
ResumeRabbit.com.
After filling in one simple online form, they'll instantly post your resume on up to 85 of the top career sites at once.
Within minutes you'll be seen on Monster, HotJobs, FlipDog, Dice, CareerBuilder and more, where 1.5 million employers
and recruiters search for candidates daily.
The Networking Buddy System for Job-Search Success
by Clay Barrett
What do deep sea diving, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and a job search have in common? Success
and sometimes even survival depend on using the buddy system.
Most extreme sports enthusiasts agree that having a buddy for support is the key to success; but in
a job search, having a fellow job-searcher to network with and for accountability can propel
your success.
EssayEdge.com offers all users free access to over 300 admissions essays accepted by the United
States' top undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. The site's Harvard-Educated editors provide
expert admissions essay editing and consulting. EssayEdge.com also boasts the Net's most extensive free
Admission Essay Help course created by its Harvard-Educated editors.
And through the end of the year, Quintessential Careers visitors can save an extra $7.50 on all EssayEdge services!
Use coupon code: 98895665.
Hailed by The New York Times and The Washington Post as the "best application essay editing service" on the
Internet, EssayEdge will edit your application essays to perfection, giving you an edge over hundreds of applicants
with comparable grades and test scores.
Seven Smart Networking Moves Guaranteed To Make You More Memorable
by Susan Britton Whitcomb
It's a fact: employers prefer to hire people they know over "mystery" candidates. That's why
networking accounts for how 64 percent of people find jobs, while only 11 percent find work through
advertisements (New York Times survey, 2002). Conferences, trade shows, meetings, and small-group
gatherings are excellent venues for being visible, getting connected, and becoming known to the people
who have the power to hire.
Instantly email your resume to 1000s of recruiters,
headhunters, and direct hiring companies! With the most
comprehensive and targeted network of recruiters on the
net, you can rest assured you have taken the steps
necessary to jump start your search. We are so sure
you will be happy that we guarantee our service!
Kathy Condon is a career facilitator, columnist, international speaker, and trainer.
Condon notes in the Q&A interview we did with her that there are two things you can co when networking
that will help people make an impression of you within the first five seconds. "One is the way you are
groomed," Condon says. "Like it or not, you will be judged by the way you are groomed. We are still living
in an era where appropriate dress for the occasion remains of great importance if you want to be viewed in a positive way.
The other way to make a positive impression is by extending your hand to everyone you meet.
We are living in a time when
people are feeling the strong (often underlying) need to be recognized as an individual. When you extend your hand and
give them a firm handshake, look them in the eye and smile, you are communicating. Don't believe me? Try it for a day
-- you'll be pleased with the results."
Read more of Condon's advice, including how to use "contact cards," how to uncover job leads, and her take on the
the worst trend in job-hunting today, in our complete
Q&A with her.
ItsNotWhatYouKnow is a networking site that offers users the ability to create, build, and manage personal networks
of social, business, and career contacts and provides numerous tools for networking. Basic membership is free,
and upgrades are available for a nominal charge.
On the subject of career networking, the INWYK says its objective is "to help you move into the
hidden, un-advertised job market, using every available resource that contact with other people will provide you.
INWYK is based on the same fundamentals as social networking; reaching out to an acquaintance or a
friend of a friend for help. Contacting people through INWYK can become an integral part of job
searching, as it allows you to connect to the appropriate people in an effort to gain experience
and find career direction."
One advantage of INWYK is that it enables job-seekers to manage contacts through an easy interface.
The site provides avenues that enable the job-seeker to:
Establish key relationships to build a solid career path with solid experience.
Use networking to promote education through internships, job opportunities and certifications.
Get help and advice from alumni or contacts in similar industries.
Develop the skills needed to reach career goals by interacting with mentors.
Based on years of research, the Jackson Vocational Interest
Survey (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.
It's nice to have good "how-to" information in audio form so you can
listen to it and gain knowledge while engaged in an activity, such as
driving, where it's impossible to read. That's what career
facilitator Kathy Condon of Vancouver, WA, has provided with her
audio program, "Connect with People: It's the Little Things," which
covers many of the basics of networking and is available in audiotape
or CD format.
Condon asserts that no difference exists between networking socially and networking for career or
business reasons. Her audio presentation, she explains, evolved from a community-college class in which she
faced a new challenge each semester in convincing her students that networking is for everyone and works
in virtually all situations. Networking is, after all, about building relationships, she says, and everyone
can do that.
Read the full review.
Read all of our Quintessential Reading book reviews.
Latest Additions: New Sites Added to QuintCareers
CareerPlanner.com --
provides online career testing, as well as free career and job-search information, to help
job-seekers discover your true purpose in life and their ideal career. A good source for
high school students to career changers. Uses RIASEC method of matching your interests and
skills with potential careers.Some elements free; others fee-based.
JobLineCanada.com -- where
job-seekers searching for jobs in Canada can search listings by type (senior level, intermediate level,
entry level, and student/summer). You can also search by job category, location, and keyword,
as well as post your resume. Free to job-seekers.
LightBoard.net -- where job-seekers searching for jobs
within the lighting industry can search job listings (by keywords, requirements, location, type) as well
as post your resume. Also includes employer database and industry news and events. Free to job-seekers.
MyNurseJobs -- a job site for all types of nurses,
including RNs, LPNs,pediatric, staff, traveling, and nursing supervisors and management. Job-seekers
can search for jobs by state and job category as well as find career advice and nursing links and resources.
Free to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest Additions section.
Ad: New Professional Certificate Programs Online
Advance your career in just 8 weeks with Villanova
University's Online Professional Certificates. Earn
valuable credentials in high-demand areas such as
Six Sigma (Green & Black Belts), Project Management,
Human Resources and Essentials of Finance & Accounting.
100% online from the school ranked #1 in the North by
US News and World Report. Villanova is a member of the University Alliance.
Anonymous writes: "Network. Network. Network. I followed all the networking and other advice you and every other
career guru offers. I've been out of work for over two years now. Nobody in my network will return my phone calls
or emails anymore because, of course, they all have jobs, so they can't understand why I don't. They're tired of
hearing about me not having a job. They've asked me not to give their names as references anymore because they're
tired of all the phone calls from people who end up not hiring me anyway. Without references, I don't have a
chance of finding work. I have no job, and I'm so demoralized that I don't even have it in me anymore
to bother to look for one. I have no friends left. I spend every moment of every day by myself. I have
nobody to talk to. And oh yeah, I have a truckload of skills, training, and experience going to waste."
Another Anonymous writes: "I am bashful, but present a calm exterior to the world that is frequently misinterpreted
as arrogance. I swear, if someone asks me one more time why I'm so quiet, I will hurt somebody. Anyway, because I tend
toward reticence and am not 'perky' (but by no means rude or unfriendly), I am consistently turned down for jobs.
I cannot become a perky, outgoing person overnight, nor am I an actress, but I certainly need to eat. What can
I do to increase the likelihood of getting a job?"
Still Another Anonymous writes: "Five years ago I went back to work (permanent part-time) after sporadic
work as an advertising media buyer while raising young children. That job lasted five years -- great hours and
great pay, but the bad economy forced me out. Now I'm finding that trying to find another similar job is very
difficult. I'm wondering if it may be because my resume dates back 23 years, and some people that I am applying
to were barely in grade school then. I think that they may not want to have someone my age work for them.
How can I impress them with my experience but not intimidate them with my age? I really am not looking
for advancement; I just want to do a good job and go back to my life. Is this a deficit?"
Don writes: "I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. and was wondering how I would identify that on my curriculum vitae
under education. I will not finish my course work until March 2004 and will have my comprehensive exams completed
in the fall of 2004, followed by the dissertation. Could you offer any advice on the format?"
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
More women are tapping into the expertise and advice of mentors, male and female, to help them
achieve their career goals according to a recent CareerWomen.com QuickPoll. "Importance of
Mentoring in the Workplace" reveals that the majority of women (62 percent) have a formal or informal mentor
-- someone who has influenced their personal and professional development and contributed to their
career success. The survey asked women if their most important mentors have been male or female. "We wanted
to see if men or women were providing more opportunities for women and how mentors have helped these women in the
workplace," said Jill Xan Donnelly of CareerWomen.com. "The results show distinct differences in mentoring
benefits and further highlight the need to take advantage of several mentors throughout your career, both male and
female, who can help provide guidance, support, and advice at every stage of your professional development." According
to the poll results, 64 percent of women reported that their most important mentors have been male, while
36 percent reported that women mentors have been the most influential in their careers.
Read full details of the survey.
Whether it's your first day on severance or you've decided to make a job change, getting your resume out
to people who can assist you with your job search is one of the most important facets of your job search, says
JobSeekerNews.com. Simply put, networking your resume is getting your resume to people who can either hire you or
refer you to someone who can. Your goal is to gain as much exposure as possible in the job market as quickly as possible.
The Internet has made self-promotion easier and much more efficient. You want as many headhunters and employers
to see your resume as possible. Additional places to network your resume:
Call your industry association or visit its Website
Identify your professional network -- former co-workers, vendors, customers, etc.
Maximize contact with industry recruiters -- recruiters DO know "where the jobs are"
In a slow economy, not even loyalty to a single employer will help protect one from downsizing,
according to a study of unemployment numbers and those cast aside by employers by job outplacement
specialist Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
Job loss among managers and executives who worked for just one company during their careers nearly doubled
over the last three quarters to its highest level since 2000, the company says. The third-quarter survey of 3,000
discharged managers and executives with a median age of 44 found that 18 percent worked at just one company during
their careers. That represents an 86 percent jump from the fourth quarter of 2002, when 9.7 percent of managers
were discharged from their first and only employer.
The 18 percent figure recorded in the July to September quarter was the highest since the second quarter of 2000
when 18.2 percent of discharged managers had just one employer on their resume.
"Unfortunately, our latest numbers show that increased loyalty on the part of employees toward their employer
is not always reciprocated. It is not that these one-company employees are more vulnerable to job-cutting; it is simply
that there are more of them in the workplace, so they are more likely to be affected by no-fault downsizing," says
John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger Gray & Christmas.
College students and new grads should check out this e-book,
The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need:
How to Find -- and Get -- The Job or Internship of Your Dreams!
The book contains must-read contributions from 149 of North America's top employment experts
and is available risk-free for 90 days.
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:
* Dealing with a bad boss
* Don't wait by the phone: Following up on all job leads
* Dining etiquette
* What employers are really looking for
* 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.
Quintessential Careers Announces Career Coaching
We now offer two types of career-coaching services!
Are you...
feeling stuck in an unsatisfying job?
facing a major change in career or job status?
searching for your ideal career or job?
seeking help in developing a job-search plan?
looking for a solution to job-search obstacles?
desiring to bounce ideas off of a career expert?
trying to discover the keys to career success?
Let Dr. Randall S. Hansen, The Career Doctor, help you work through all your college, career, and job-search concerns,
issues, and problems. He has helped hundreds of teens, college students, and experienced job-seekers identify obstacles, develop
action plans, and achieve success -- and he can help you!
And for an economical online-only career-coaching alternative,
visit The Career Clinic.
Quintessential Careers Advertisements
Quintessential CVs is Your North American Headquarters for CVs
We produce professional quality career marketing correspondence -- Curriculum Vitae (CVs), cover letters,
resumes, and more -- for job-seekers in all industries at all levels from all over the world. Quintessential CVs
is your premier North American source for:
Curriculum Vita (CVs) for Academic jobs: College/university teaching and administrative positions.
CVs for Scientific jobs: Research and all types of science-oriented jobs.
CVs for Medical jobs: Physicians, nurses, and more.
CVs for International jobs: Whether you seek a position in your own country or any other country around the world,
we can prepare an English-language CV for you that conforms to the CV traditions of your target country or countries.
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.
