Simply Hired Blog

New Grads: How to Succeed in Your New Job

You’ve graduated from school (congratulations!), and now it’s time to start your first real job. Beginning a new position can strike terror into the heart of even the strongest person. As one of my career coaches commented, “It’s like the adult version of your first day of school. In most cases, you don’t know anyone, you’re not sure if the other ‘kids’ will play nice or be mean, you don’t know the layout of the new workplace or even where to find the bathroom, and you’re not sure if you’ll fit in.”

The easiest way to ensure success in a new job is to avoid common pitfalls that stem from a lack of a plan, a poor understanding of the manager’s work style, and lack of knowledge about the company. Prevent these typical new employee mistakes by:

1. Creating a 30/60/90 day game plan. Create a document that is broken into 30-day time increments and captures what you plan to accomplish. Your 30/60/90 game plan should include the key tasks, projects, and initiatives you need to complete, and key people you need to meet, prioritized over your first 90 days on the job. Meet with your manager to ensure he/she shares the same performance expectations and relevant timelines/deadlines.

2. Asking your boss, “How can we best work together?” Establish a positive working relationship by learning your manager’s leadership style and preferred method of working and communicating - then adjust yourself to work with his/her style.

3. Asking for key information about the company. Sit down with your manager and have him/her explain the company and department’s strategic plans along with goals and objectives. Also ask for the department’s organization chart, including the roles and responsibilities of each person, and a breakdown of the most important projects.

It’s important to realize not all companies have a formalized onboarding or training process. If you’re left to fend for yourself as a new employee, you must take the necessary actions to set yourself up for success. For more on succeeding in a new position, including how to set up your 30/60/90 day game plan, earning respect at work and dressing the part, check out my e-book Starting a New Job: What You Need to Know to Succeed. 

Lisa Quast is a frequently sought after woman’s career expert and founder of Career Woman, Inc., a consulting agency that helps women reach their professional goals. She’s also the author of the award-winning book Your Career, Your Way and a regular contributor to Forbes.com.

The Top 10 Cities With Green Job Openings

Forbes recently published an article regarding the best cities to find Green jobs in the U.S. Based on Simply Hired's hiring data, the article discusses a fast-growing and dynamic Green industry.

Today, there are 83,000 Green jobs on Simply Hired, compared to 45,000 a year ago. The continuous growth of Green jobs suggests this is definitely a new career path worth pursuing.

With that in mind, here are today's top cities hiring for Green jobs. Click on the cities below to search jobs available now. Also, search for Green jobs in your area with Simply Hired's Green Job Search Filter. 

1. San Francisco, CA

2. Houston, TX

3. New York, New York

4. Washington D.C.

5. Los Angeles, CA

6. Chicago, Il

7. Boston, MA 

8. Philadelphia, PA

9. Denver, CO

10. Dallas, TX

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Why a Job Search is Harder than a Google Search

In the last two decades the job search experience has changed drastically. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you navigate the digital landscape in search of employment. 

1. A Job Search is Complex, But The Internet Helps

The Google search experience has spoiled us. Today, when we go online we expect instant answers. We expect to find what we’re looking in the first three results, and if it doesn't, we change our search. This approach normally works when looking for websites, information on specific topic, or items to buy. 

A job search is quite different. In a job search, you may not know exactly what you are looking for. Unless your career is very specialized, such as radiology technician or auto mechanic, you probably have an idea of the right job, but there are a number of titles that could fit. There isn't a definitive "answer" for you to discover. You'll have to look through a number of listings before you find something that sounds good. It’s unlikely that ideal job is going to appear on the first search result page. And once you find that ideal job listing, you have to go through the steps of applying, and hopefully interviewing and getting the job. It’s more likely that you will have to find multiple “ideal” job listings before you find the right job 

Searching for jobs online may be an onerous process, but it’s better than it was before the digtial age. Everyone used to rely on newspaper classifieds, and job seekers would travel from office to office with resume in hand. With today's handy job search engines, we can do most all of our job search from home. We just have to be willing to look through more than one page of job listings, and put in the extra time.

2. Repeat Your Search Often 

Since employers post jobs every day of the week, looking once is not enough; you have to check back frequently. The sooner you find out about a job and apply, the better chance you’ll have of getting an interview.

Most job search sites have features to assist with this. Simply Hired features a "Date Posted" filter. Specifically, if you use the "Since Last Visit" filter you'll ensure you never miss a new job listing.

3. Set Up Email Alert

But you might not have time to check back every day, especially if you already have a job. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about good job postings slipping through the cracks--you can set up an email alert.

Most job search site, including Simply Hired, allow you to set up searches based on your keywords and location. Once set up, you’ll receive an email each day with all jobs posted since your last alert.  

4. Get Social by Networking

Because the Internet makes it easier to find jobs, more qualified candidates can discover and apply to the same job. This high level of competition means you have to set yourself apart from other job seekers. The most essential technique is networking. 

One way that you can network is by getting in touch with the recruiters and hiring managers at the companies where you hope to work. It might mean meeting them for an informational interview, but it could also means connecting with them via Twitter, LinkedIn, etc, and letting them know you’re applying to an open position. A personal connection will distinguish you from other applicants. On Simply Hired, you can use Who Do I Know feature, which allows you to sign in to Facebook and LinkedIn. After that, every time you search for a job you will see the people you are connected to who work for that employer. Try it and you might be suprised how much your existing network can help you. 

5. Apply with Purpose

When you find a job that you are interested in, make sure your resume and cover letter convey your skills in a way that matches the job. Do the extra work of customizing your resume and cover letter for each job. If you’re not willing to put in the extra time, it means you probably don’t really want the job.

Be realistic about how many jobs you can apply for. Personalized cover letters and resumes take time to put together. Delivering a customized job application to one or two employers per day will be worth more than blindly sending out 100 resumes.

6. The Hard Work is Worth It

Technology is supposed to be making our lives easier, but job search is ultimately about what it has always been: meeting the right people--that particular match of skills and personality and timing and location that makes it all worthwhile. The Internet makes job search convenient, but that doesn't mean that the job of your dreams is going to fall into your lap. Your resumes and cover letters must be error-free, in your interviews you must be poised and well-prepared, and you must be ready to start your new job when the employer wants you. It may not be as simple as clicking on the first Google result and finding exactly what you want, but if you put in consistent effort use the web intelligently, you’ll land that next great job before you know it.

Check out the graphic below for more info on Simply Hired's search features. 

 

What Employers Want in Remote Employees

For a manager, hiring remote employees comes with a specific set of challenges.  Anyone who has been in a position of responsibility can tell you that managing employees twenty feet away is complex. Keeping atop of someone 1,000 miles away adds another level of stress.

Because different priorities create different concerns for managers of remote employees, there are specific traits hiring managers look for when interviewing remote candidates.

• Autonomy - If you’re not in the office, can the manager be confident that you can and will do the work without them overseeing every detail? 

• Experience Working Remotely - A transition from an office environment to a home-based office can be a shock to some employees.  If they've never worked from home before, it means there’s a chance they won’t like it and end up leaving the company. While nobody can be sure an employee is going to stay at a firm, the risk of an experienced home office worker leaving the job prematurely is significantly less than someone who is working from home for the first time.

• Reliability and Responsibility - While there are employee work tracking software systems that exist, utilizing them too heavily can indicate to the employee that their manager doesn't trust them, thus souring the relationship. An honor system, in which employees are given goals to achieve by a specific deadline, is often utilized, and the hiring manager needs to trust that the employee will get the job done.

You can tackle these issues by describing yourself as "reliable" and "responsive” during the interview, and highlighting your experience working independently, without supervision.

• Communicative - Managers want employees who will communicate with them on a regular basis rather than chasing employee down every time they need a piece of information.  

The most successful at-home employees are the ones who make sure that their manager is kept abreast of their progress and is always available when needed.

The moment effective communication flow stops, a manager begins to question the employee’s reliability and responsibility. If this happens, the relationship can go downhill very quickly. 

During the interview process, ask the hiring manager how often they would prefer that you contact and update them. It's a simple question and puts to rest a complex concern on the part of your future boss.

Phone and Skype vs In-Person Interviewing for Home Office Jobs 

Phone interviews might be important as in-person interviews, and potentially a final in-person interview could be replaced with a Skype meeting. While most applicants are accustomed to interviewing on the phone, many make a common mistake when interviewing via web cam and look at the computer screen during the conversation rather than at the camera. This makes it appear almost as if they are looking at themselves in a mirror and not engaged with other person or overall conversation. It’s not a deal breaker, but something to watch out for if you’re doing a video interview.

Negotiating Salary and Company Expenses

When you go to negotiate salary, negotiate in the same manner you would if you were an in-office employee.  If your job requires travel to client sites, make sure that the employer reimburses for gas mileage.  Also, since you will need a basic office setup, determine how the company pays for things like Internet, phone, and office supplies.

If you're given a corporate credit card, use it responsibly. When tax time comes, use an accountant if you plan to write off part of your rent.

Final Thoughts

When working from home, stay active and make sure you get exercise. It's very easy to gain weight and slack off.  Ensure that you have periodic changes in your environment, even if going out and sitting on a park bench. Otherwise, your productivity will decline.  Physical and mental health are even more highly correlated when working from a remote position.

Ken Sundheim is the CEO of KAS Placement Recruiters a sales and marketing executive search firm based out of New York City.  

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Try Using the “Reverse Graffiti” Approach to Resumes

Have you heard of reverse graffiti? It’s an approach to street art in which the artist removes the grime on city buildings or sidewalks to create images instead of using spray paint.

So what does this have to do with your resume? Take a look at your resume and see how hard you have to look for the hidden masterpieces of achievement. Do they stand out are are they buried? 

Most people approach the onerous task of resume revision by adding more recent information such as job experience or training to the same old document. Is that your approach too? Unfortunately, the additive approach to revising your resume is very similar to the accumulation of years of grime on those cityscapes that street artists take as their canvas. Borrowing the technique of removing layers of grime to showcase your talents is a much more successful approach to revising your resume.

In order to “find” your strengths, start cutting the content of your resume. But getting rid of the grime can feel impossible because it becomes an emotional task. See if these statements sound familiar:

“But I was the youngest project manager across 3 states.”

“I won Rookie of the Year at my first job.”

Of course these are important accomplishments to you because they are part of your personal job history. These early accomplishments probably gave you the confidence to succeed at the next level. However, as you advance in your career, your resume no longer needs to include your professional “baby pictures.”

To avoid the temptation to include all of your work history in your resume, archive one version that is comprehensive. Maintain this comprehensive resume with all of the details that are important to you personally – and then set that version aside. Next, start fresh. To create an effective resume, cut, cut, cut the content until it includes only the last ten to fifteen years of your career. 

This advice may seem surprising, but consider this: including too many successes from early in your career may make the hiring manager wonder if your best years are behind you. You can’t risk that impression because you are feeling nostalgic about your early career! Get rid of the grime by deleting early career highlights.

Just as an artist approaches a painting with an outline sketch, you need to take a deliberate approach to your resume. What is the impression or picture that you want the hiring manager to have of you after reading your resume? A good outline for your resume will help you create a compelling story by painting a picture of your experiences. 

Use descriptions of each company to provide the background for your accomplishments. Then include an interesting narrative of your job duties. Daily tasks of your job are the midpoint of the “painting” that is your resume. Finally describe the important details of your achievements in the foreground where they will receive the greatest attention from the reader. The background, midpoint, and foreground approach to your outline paints a cohesive picture of your skills and qualifications by removing unnecessary grime.

Remember to follow your outline in describing all three levels to maintain the focus on the qualifications that matter to the potential employer. Including too many details will obscure your achievements. Create a pleasant picture with your resume and the hiring manager is likely to spend more time reviewing your documents. 

When making your outline, you may also need to consult references for the details, just as an artist might look for additional information about architecture or nature to complete their masterpiece. Review job descriptions to gain a sense of key qualifications for the opening and to make certain your resume demonstrates those skills. You may also be able to highlight industry key words by reviewing job descriptions. Strategic placement of those terms in your documents will get the right attention from hiring managers and search engines. 

A reverse graffiti approach can give you a new perspective and help you discover what strengths are hidden behind years of old work experience and accomplishments listed in your resume. Chances are that your resume includes information that no longer reflects your current level of skill. Clear away the grime from your resume and show the hiring manager the masterpiece of unique accomplishments you have to offer!

GetInterviews.com is the country’s leading resume writing firm. They provide professionals with customized, branded resumes and career marketing documents. The staff’s credentials include being cited by JIST Publications as one of the "best resume writers in North America," quoted as a career expert in The Wall Street Journal, and published in a whopping 50+ career books. Established in 1994, the firm has aided more than 175,000 job seekers to date. All resume writers are Certified Professional Resume Writers.