Simply Hired Blog

Preparing for your Career in College: Creating a Portfolio

While in college it is best to approach each endeavor as if it is a potential addition to your portfolio or a job interview talking point.  Thinking about chronicling the work you’ve done while in college will enable you to better showcase your accomplishments, growth, and level of professionalism.  Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Compile: Save and compile copies of all the significant pieces you produce in college, whether it’s something you created, a project you proposed, etc.

• Reviews: It’s important to make sure your portfolio is the best it can be, so when instructors and peers evaluate your work, whether it’s performance critiques, essay comments, etc., see if you can use their insight to improve your craft.   

• Consult Professionals’ Opinions: Since most professors, instructors, and teachers have worked as professionals in their field (a photography teacher has probably worked as a photographer) their insight into how to building a portfolio and prepare for your career can be invaluable.  If you are working towards a degree that does not require a portfolio, it is still a good idea to consult your instructors to see if they have any recommendations for preparing for your career—including possible internships to look for, books to read, blogs to follow, events to attend, and so forth.  Building a rapport with professors and instructors is also important as they can help you build your network and can write you letters of recommendation when you enter the job market.  

• Create an Online Portfolio: Whether you’re a writer, a designer, a software engineer, etc. you should create an online home for your portfolio.  An online portfolio helps building connections as it gives you a way to share your work with people you meet.  You can be as creative as you want when designing your online portfolio, if you keep in mind that you are trying to present your portfolio to professionals.  As for content, be sure to include your work and a description giving each entry some context, and keep it tasteful and professional. 

How Not to Ask for a Raise

By Mika Brzezinski

Many of us need to rethink the way we ask for promotions and raises, because when we do ask, often it ain't pretty. Just listen to the answers I hear when I ask, "Are there differences in the way men and women ask you for raises and promotions?"

"'I know you're busy, I know you don't have time . . . '" -- Valerie Jarrett

Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett has been the boss in a variety of workplaces. When I ask whether she sees a difference in approach between men and women when asking for raises and promotions, she says, "Amazingly, men are almost detached from it emotionally. They're really comfortable . . . Women are much more timid and appreciative and polite. Men are very matter of fact, businesslike, unemotional. It isn't really personal."

"Women are emotional?" I ask.

"Emotional in the sense of apologetic . . . I remember one woman in particular who started with, "I know you're busy, I know you don't have time . . . "

"Basically saying, 'Don't give me the raise'?"

"She backed into it badly, is the way I would say it." Valerie tells me.

"Apologetic" and "tentative" are two adjectives I heard over and over. The editor-in-chief of Newsweek and The Daily Beast, Tina Brown says women often start to apologize with their body language before they even open their mouth. Then they'll begin by saying, "Well, you know, I've been here for a while and I've been thinking a lot about this . . . Men come in and they just say, 'Hey, I'm not doing this anymore unless I get X.' And you think, 'Of course, of course, of course,' you know, you must take care of Joe, Fred, whomever. But women don't do that. They just come in and they look sad . . . And we can't do that!"

"'I didn't really want to come to you with this . . .'" -- Carol Bartz

I ask Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, "Have you ever had a woman ask for a raise and apologize for imposing?"

"Oh, absolutely," she says. Bartz trots out a few she's heard: "'I didn't really want to come to you with this, but, gosh, do you think my bonus percentage could be higher?' And, 'Gee could you just think about it?' When they say, 'I don't know if you'll consider,' right away they are giving you an out. Of course I wouldn't consider, you just told me not to consider . . . when somebody gives you the reason you can say no, it just makes your job easier."

And men?

Men will say '"I believe I'm undervalued here,'" Bartz tells me. "And that's always code for 'I'm going someplace where they value me, and it's for these reasons.'"

"When men ask for raises there's always some cost," ad exec Donny Deutsch says. "It's always 'because I did this' and 'if I don't get the raise . . . ' There's always [an imaginary] gun to the head, some gamesmanship. First of all, women don't ask as much. And when they do ask, it's not 'Give it to me or else.'"

When you combine my experience with what I heard from the bosses above, I have to say we women stink at this. Just look at our best opening lines:

• "I'm sorry."
• "I know you're busy."
• "I don't know if you have the time."
• "I don't know if you'll consider . . . "
• "I don't know if this is possible . . . "
• "I hate to do this."
• "I don't know if there's room for this in the budget."
• "I'm sorry if the timing is bad."

I think I've managed to use everyone of those phrases in my attempts to get a raise. Of course, I used an additional strategy, too -- what More editor Lesley Jane Seymour calls "playing the victim card." Seymour says women "present their personal challenges, saying things like, 'Well, I have this situation' or 'I have that burden' or 'My mother is ill and I have to support her' or whatever. Women present their cause, and you have to realize it's not a manager's job to support your causes, whatever they might be . . . The companies can't say, 'Oh, I feel sorry for you.'''

The above is an excerpt from the book Knowing Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You're Worth by Mika Brzezinski. 

Mika Brzezinski, author of Knowing Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You're Worth, is a co-host of Morning Joe, an MSNBC anchor and author of All Things at Once. She is also co-host of The Joe Scarborough Show on Citadel Media. She is the mother of two daughters, Emilie and Carlie, and has been married for fifteen years to an investigative journalist at ABC.

For more information please visit Amazon.

The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

Copyright © 2012 Mika Brzezinski, author of Knowing Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You're Worth

Preparing for Your Career in College: A Qualified Resume

As a new, or soon to be, new graduate, employers understand that you have limited work experience.  So what can you do?  You can always work an internship or two while you're earning your degree.  But how else can you prepare for your career?  Putting together a well-rounded resume is a great way to start!  Here are a few ways you can build your resume, while still in college, to set yourself up for job hunt success.

• Student Organizations: An active membership in an organization is great to include as an activity.  By taking it a step further and holding an officer position, you will be able to potentially list it is as a job on your resume, demonstrating your initiative and leadership skills.

• Volunteer Work and Work Study: You can volunteer at tutoring centers, libraries, and departmental offices to develop valuable career-related skills including: business/office etiquette, computer and phone skills, time management, and more.  While you can acquire these skills at your first job, having them already on your resume when you graduate will set you apart from other job candidates.  Anywhere on campus that offers work study hours will give you the opportunity to develop these skills. 

• Scholarships and Awards: Awards are an excellent way to distinguish yourself as a student and set you apart from your peers, showing employers you are driven to success.  You can find awards by searching online for grants and scholarships related to your major.  Most grants will require some additional work, but this will pay off in money in your pocket while you are still in school and when you graduate and are applying to jobs.  Also remember you can include in your resume any other awards of distinction like admittance to honor societies, Dean’s lists, and so forth.

Online Reputation for Job Search: Pinterest

This is part four of a four post series on building your online reputation. Jay's other posts are available on maintaining your online reputation through proper name conventions, LinkedIn and Twitter. 

By Jay Buerck

You’ve learned that owning yourname.com is one of the wisest investments you can make in your fight to protect or repair your online reputation. You’ve seen how you can leverage Facebook to also help the cause as well as your LinkedIn profile. Now it’s time to cover the new kid on the block, Pinterest.

Right now, Pinterest is all the rage across many demographics and companies are hopping on board. Now would be a great time to start an account for not only your reputation management needs but as a showcase of your talents to the world.

You might think that Pinterest is simply a place for pinning the picture of cats dressed as humans, craft projects, and pretty sceneries but it has vast potential for marketing businesses as well as yourself.

There are many elements in the Pinterest profile which can help with your online reputation including the ability to place your name as the title, do follow links to your other existing profiles and websites, as well as being able to name the categories you pin to which can include something like “Jay Buerck’s Favorites” or something like that.

Page Title

After receiving your invitation from Pinterest you can set up your profile. When setting up your profile be sure you name use your name in the title of your page and your username. This will make your Pinterest profile URL pinterest.com/yourname.

Do Follow Links in your Profile

Currently Pinterest allows for do follow links in your profile. What does this mean for you? You can link to your social media profiles such as Facebook, Twitter, and also a website of your choice. This interlinking will give your profiles and webpage some much needed links for searches involving your name.

About Section

This would be another great place in the profile to talk about you much like your LinkedIn summary. Don’t go overboard, this isn’t a place for resumes, but you could give a description and start pinning things that interest you.

Board Tagging

When you pin something, it is placed on a board and these boards can be called whatever you want them to be called. You can use your name for a board, pin companies or an industry you’re interested in, and just share with the community.

There is an outrageous amount of social media sites you can use to protect or repair your reputation. You don’t just have to use the most popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or even Pinterest in order for these profiles to show up.

You can even see profiles from commenting on articles or blog posts such as Forbes. Also, signing up for accounts with squidoo, quora, and Google+ can give you even more real estate. All these free accounts give you a chance to get started today and build up your online reputation. If you get stuck or some pesky negative piece won’t go away you can always call on the experts to help you out.

After taking these steps, you can start worrying more about your interview skills rather than will the hiring manager find that embarrassing story online.  

Jay Buerck is the COO of an Online Reputation Management company and has worked as an online marketing specialist for over 8 years including stints with 3 Inc. 500 Award Companies. You can find more great tips and strategies by following him on Twitter (@jaybuerck).

How to Use a Personal Business Card

By Bill Post

Another Tool for Job Seekers: The Personal Business Card

In Victorian times, proper ladies and gentlemen used calling cards to announce their arrival to a home as well as leave a reminder that they had paid a visit. In more modern times, people have used business cards to provide, in addition to their name and company position, relevant information on how to be contacted at their place of employment.

Business cards continue to be an important tool in nearly every form of business today. But what's really interesting to note is that with today's challenging economic environment, the contemporary job-seeker is getting more creative in making a good lasting impression, and one of the ways that is gaining in popularity is the use of a personal business card.

What Goes On A Personal Business Card?

A personal business card is similar to a company-issued business card in that it lists a person's contact information. But in addition – and this is where the savvy job seeker can work a bit of magic – it can add a touch reminiscent of Victorian calling cards: a personalized message to the recipient that stays around long after the meeting has ended. Consider it the ultimate tweet. Real estate space on a 3-by-2 inch card is very precious – the message has to be short and sweet. It isn't necessary to list your street address on the card as it's (usually) already on your resume. Your name, phone number and email address are sufficient pieces of contact data.

And unlike the black and white, standardized font found on Twitter, a personalized business card allows you to use colors and fonts to create a verbal word picture about yourself and what you offer. Here are some messaging examples:

1. For a writer: Experienced Copywriter – Colorful prose, sparkling invitations and writings with wit.
   
   
2. For a designer: Design, demystified – expert guidance to help you get the rooms you want at a price you can afford.
   
   
3. For a salesperson: Ten years of quota-topping achievements. Compassionate about the customer, passionate about the sale.

There are no hard and fast rules here. You don't have to include a message if this idea isn't appealing or doesn't fit the type of job for which you're searching. Here are some other ideas for what you can put on a personal business card:

1. Include a small picture. Whereas pictures on a resume are still pretty much a no-no (unless you're an actor), a small headshot picture is perfectly acceptable. Some of you might reject this idea because you don't want to be judged on appearances. If you've ever interviewed a series of candidates for a position, you know that despite your best intentions, they can start to run together after a few meetings. A picture is a great way to help people remember you. If you're using LinkedIn and already have a picture associated with your profile, then be consistent and use the same picture on your card. In both cases, the picture should be clear and professional in appearance.
   
   
2. List your website or blog address if you have one, provided that you keep it fairly up to date. Some say that if it's a hobby blog it could hurt you. It depends, but if you write fairly well, then it's worth it to show your potential employers that you are a multi-faceted individual. If you're a sales executive that enjoys hiking, volunteers at a local youth center and writes about your adventures, this is positive information about you as a person. It's highly likely that they will review your Facebook profile any way. A blog is your way to talk to them after an interview, with as much detail as you desire.
   
   
3. Lastly, there are a lot of personal business cards out there that contain no pictures or messages, but instead rely on eye-catching graphics, colors, raised or imprinted lettering or other visual tricks to stand out. These are also very effective.

The obvious way for you as a job applicant to use a personal card is to staple it to your resume. However, it's quite common for interviewers to already have a copy of your resume in hand when they meet you. If that is the case, give the interviewer your card as you collect theirs. If they are out of cards, give them one of yours anyway.

But personal cards are not just for interviews. Be smart and carry some with you at all times. Despite the many technological advancements we have seen, the most powerful form of advertising continues to be word of mouth. Smart job seekers know the value of networking and in talking to the various people they meet about what they do. A personal card sums everything up nicely, and you don't have to rummage around in your pockets for a pen and a scrap of paper, or whip out a phone and start typing away. It's quick and discreet – you hand someone a card and they put in it their pocket. Done.

And even after you get that new job, it's a good idea to keep a stash of your personal cards on hand. You never know who you might meet who could benefit from your talent and expertise!

Bill Post, Small Business Research Analyst, has been providing research on issues of concern to small businesses for 123Print.com Business Cards for three years. Prior to his involvement with 123Print, Bill was a small business owner himself, providing marketing and branding services to other small businesses in the Washington, DC metro area. Before working with 123Print on Business Card Templates, Bill spent several years after receiving his degree in the fast-paced corporate world. It was there that Bill not only honed the skills he uses to help small businesses get ahead, but it is also where he realized that he'd rather help the little guy prosper than make huge corporations money.