Find Your Dream Job: Insider Tips for Finding Work, Advancing your Career, and Loving Your Job

Do you have what it takes to turn your entrepreneurial spirit into a small business? If you can answer yes to just one of three questions you are probably ready to go out on your own. It doesn’t matter if you come from a family of entrepreneurs or if you have been a full-time employee for your entire career. If you know how to run successful projects and want to make every day meaningful and leave the office with a deep level of satisfaction. You may be ready to branch out and start your own business. Mac Prichard of Prichard Communications and Mac’s List shares his personal story and the resources he used to develop and grow two successful businesses. He had never thought of himself as a small business owner before launching Prichard communications but he was confident about his skill set and the work sounded exciting. Learn how Mac landed his dream job and more with the latest book from Mac's List, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere, available February 1, 2017.  Sign up for our email list to be the first to know about the book release and get a copy of the first chapter right away. Find Your Dream Job is sponsored by Land Your Dream Job Anywhere. The book is launching February 1, 2017, sign up and get the first chapter now! If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people leave a job interview and are no closer to knowing if they will be offered the position than when they sent in their resume. Even if they feel the interview went well they realize they forgot to ask about the company or the next steps in the job process. Waiting for the company to call with feedback can be agonizing. Mac’s List listeners can avoid uncertainty by following the steps provided in this episode. So, what do you say when a hiring manager asks if you have any questions? Guest expert, J.T. O’Donnell says to ask open-ended questions and to use the job interview to find out as much about the company as possible. If you don’t, you are missing out on an important opportunity to get to know the company better. This can help you to know you are making the right choice if a job offer appears. The employer is expecting you to ask questions about how you can serve them and how you can earn the money they would be paying you. If your first questions are about you, it can come across selfish and self-absorbed. They want you to focus on them first. Prove that you have done your homework and demonstrate you want to learn more about the company in order to build trust and respect. J.T. O’Donnell guides us through her 4C Strategy, which ultimately benefits both the job candidate and the employer. The 4 C’s and helpful open-ended question a job seeker should ask are: Connect “How did you come to work here?” “What do you like most about working here?” Corporate Culture “Who is the most successful person hired in the last year?” “Who has been the least successful person and what went wrong?” Challenges “What is the company’s biggest challenge this year?” “How can my skills help you to overcome the challenge?” Close “Is there anything about my candidacy you would change to make me a better fit for this job?” “What are the next steps in the hiring process?” Pro Tip — Hiring Managers hire based on personality, aptitude, and experience. J.T. O’Donnell Bio J.T. O’Donnell is a career strategist and workplace consultant who helps American workers of all ages find greater professional satisfaction through courses on her website, Work it Daily. She is the author of Careerrealism: The Smart Approach to a Satisfying Career. And with Dale Dauten, she writes the career advice column "JT & Dale Talk Jobs", a nationally syndicated career advice column, that appears in more than 130 newspapers. Ben’s Job Search Resource: Ben’s resource this week is the blog post, "What Colors to Wear to a Job Interview". It includes wardrobe basics and an in-depth look at the psychology of different colors. The article states that a black suit may come across too strong, but dark blue or dark gray will leave the right impression. Check it out. Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Today’s questions come from Allison Rhinechisel who asks, “When transitioning from being a college student to an employee, what investment options, insurance options, and financial benefits should be considered?” If you would like the team to answer a job-related question, email it to jenna@macslist.org, or call her at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere (to be published February 1, 2017) or a Mac’s List Coffee Mug, your choice. Or, if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about, send it to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. Ben and Jenna’s segments are sponsored by Land Your Dream Job Anywhere (to be published February 1, 2017). The book offers practical, actionable, and proven tools to help you get clear about your career goals, find hidden jobs, ace your next interview and more. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you a person who is thinking about the question you are going to ask more than you are thinking about the person who will be answering the question? Have you considered how your question or problem sounds to the other person? Guest expert Julie Broad says “People often think about themselves when they are communicating, when they should be carefully considering what matters to the other person.” Considering what perspective the question should be framed in so it matters to the other person, can make it a very different conversation AND increase your credibility. Job seekers should know that their vocal pace, vocal tone and body language, can erode their credibility when communicating. Julie encourages job seekers to not worry so much about what they say and to focus on how they are saying it. Making a confident statement can elevate your message. If you are not sure how you are communicating, try recording your side of a business conversation, or ask a trusted colleague to critique you during a networking event. Your Cadence Matters: Talking too fast may make it difficult for people to understand you. Talking too slow may be perceived as lower intelligence. Too many filter words (ah, umm, like) may derail your credibility. The most important things about your communications are that your message comes through clearly, and you demonstrate you know what you are talking about. Listen to the podcast to find out how the company you keep, and your appearance may also affect your credibility. Pro Tip - Dress in a way that makes you feel confident! Julie Broad Bio Julie Broad is a successful entrepreneur, speaker, and workshop trainer.  Her company, Have More Influence, helps people build personal brands that get results, and move forward in their careers and businesses. She is the author of the Amazon best-seller,The New Brand You: Your New Image Makes the Sale for You, which helps people get comfortable with communicating and attract the business they want to attract. Ben’s Job Search Resource: In today’s job market, employers are not only looking at your resume but your entire online presence. Ben’s resource this week is a Mac’s List original. The completely free, 3-session online course How to Wow and Woo Employers Online details easy tips and tested tactics for making your personal brand, and getting the most out of your online and social media presence. With 87% of employers checking into you online, it is best to be prepared by using this efficient Mac’s List tool. You can also visit the Mac’s List Facebook page to see a video of our listener LinkedIn upgrades. Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Today’s question comes from Susan Parson. Susan asks, “What is the current wisdom about the elevator pitch, and if you want to be authentic, is the elevator pitch still feasible?” If you would like the team to answer a job-related question, email it to jenna@macslist.org, or call her at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere (to be published February 2017). Or, if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about, send it to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. Ben and Jenna’s segments are sponsored by Hack the Hidden Job Market Course. The course is now live, so register today but hurry because the course closes on December 1, 2016. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With engagement season fast approaching, the Mac's List team (Publisher, Mac Prichard; Managing Director, Ben Forstag; and Community Manager, Jenna Forstrom) sat down to talk about Bruce Hurwitz's LinkedIn post, "When interviewing for a job, lose the ring!"   This article was published on August 12, 2016, and caused a bit of media frenzy with over 1,403 comments and 1,020 shares.  Hurwitz specifically calls out women who wear large engagement rings as being "high maintenance" and thus hiring managers aren't willing to give them a job offer.  Mac Prichard makes a good point that it's illegal to make hiring decisions based on marital status.  While it's hard to prove that this is happening, chances are, if you are interviewing for a job that has some questionable hiring practices, you wouldn't want to work there anyways.  Ben chimes in that some hiring managers might see a wedding ring on a young woman's hand and assume that they are going to leave the job to raise a family or need time off for maternity leave.  Jenna adds that there are some places, like in food service, where no jewelry is allowed, in that case, it's not worth wearing a ring.  Mac continues the conversation by pointing out that visibly pregnant women also struggle finding employment for similar reasons.   Discrimination is real when it comes to job hunting, but the data points to it being more of a gender issue versus an engagement issue. What has your experience been?  Have you ever felt like wearing an engagement ring has hindered your chances of getting a job?  Leave a comment below. Find Your Dream Job is sponsored by Hack the Hidden Job Market Course. The course is now live, until November 30, 2016 so sign up today! If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know there are jobs shared on Twitter every day? If you know how to look for the jobs you want, Twitter provides you with an opportunity to connect with the person behind the posting. Twitter should be looked at as a real time job search engine and communication channel, says guest expert Chris Russell. The best way to search Twitter for jobs is by using keywords and hashtags (#). In the Twitter search bar, simply enter # plus your career field (e.g. #marketing) and then your location to see all the latest Tweets about jobs in your area. Hashtags help filter your results so you only get the tweets that pertain to your query. Also, if you click on a hashtag, you will see all the other Tweets from those who have used your same keyword. Recruiters are actively posting jobs on Twitter. A job seeker can even find job boards and save past searches to access search results at a later time. Popular hashtags with job seekers and recruiters are: #Job #Jobs #Hiring #Career #JobAlert Twitter gives you the ability to have a one-to-one, personal conversation with a recruiter representing the company you want to work for. You can use it to rise above your job search competition, to promote yourself as an expert in your industry or to establish your personal brand. If you would like to build a relationship with a recruiter on Twitter try: Retweeting their posts Making them a favorite Asking them the best way to apply for a job Being nice Pro Tip — Don’t ask for a job right away. Start a simple dialogue first! Chris Russell Bio Chris Russell is the Founder of CareerCloud.com. Widely considered to be the 'mad scientist of online recruiting, Chris has been connecting job seekers to employers since 1999. When he's not running Career Cloud, you can find Chris on his kayak or biking his local rail trail. Chris has provided a list of career tools at tools.careercloud.com, which includes a job board list for every state. Ben’s Job Search Resource: Ben’s resource this week is Jobvite’s Recruiter Nation 2016 Annual Social Recruiting Survey. The data and infographics included cover general hiring trends, tips for job seekers and how employers find job candidates. The report was compiled from 1600 different recruiters. Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Today’s question comes from Sierra Winegarner who attended our Career Pathways and Doing Good Event. She asks, “Is it OK to have a multiple page resume?” *The difference between a resume and a CV is: A resume is roughly one to two pages and a CV includes everything in your professional career. If you would like the team to answer a job-related question, email it to jenna@macslist.org, or call her at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere (to be published February 1, 2017). Or, if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about, send it to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. Ben and Jenna’s segments are sponsored by Hack the Hidden Job Market Course. The course is now live, so register today! If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can your resume engage a human resource manager and make them want to read more? Or, does it just blend in with all other task-oriented resumes they receive? This week’s guest expert Andrea Gerson has seen thousands of resumes, and shares her best practices to help you get the attention of your intended employer. She says, “It can be challenging for people to quantify what they have done, and to brag about their contributions.” Most people are encouraged to be humble and not to boast about their accomplishments, but a job seeker can miss out on a great career opportunity, if they don’t properly quantify their competencies and qualify their contributions on their resume. Use these resume tips to help you get an interview: Use the primary real estate (top third) of your resume to engage your reader. Add quantitative information about your high-level accomplishments that pertain to the job for which you are applying. Include your goals and intentions, and how they may benefit the prospective company. Add pertinent information in bite-sized pieces, and in concise bullet points. Use the S.T.A.R. Framework, and be consistent when formatting your resume. You have one chance to make an impact to get the job you want. Make the most of it! Andrea Gerson Bio Andrea Gerson helps professionals find clarity, confidence, and a renewed sense of energy in their work. Andrea is the founder of Resume Scripter. She has created and edited resumes and cover letters for more than 3,000 people. And, her client’s organizations have included Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Bloomberg, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Chase, the United Nations, and The Red Cross. Ben’s Job Search Resource: Ben’s resource this week is from Epic CV’s resume section and is titled "10 Pros, 4 Cons and 5 Risks of Graphic Resumes". 9 out of 10 people do not benefit from a non-traditional resume, but if your job description includes graphic design or creative director, a graphic resume may give you an advantage. If you are applying for a job and you know your resume will go through an automated keyword based system, do not, don’t, never ever and refrain from submitting a graphic resume. Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Ben, Jenna and Mac respond to Heath Padgett’s question, “How do you support members of your family while they look for a job?” If you would like the team to answer a job-related question, email it to jenna@macslist.org, or call her at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere (to be published February 1, 2017). Or, if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about, send it to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. Ben and Jenna’s segments are sponsored by the 2016 edition of Hack the Hidden Job Market Course. The course is now live, so register today! If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. presidential election wrapped up last week, but politics remains a charged and potentially divisive issue. This brings up an interesting question for job seekers: how much of your own political beliefs should you share online and with prospective employers? How much politics is too much politics? This is part of a larger conversation about balancing your values against how those values impact your job search. It's important to be yourself so that you can find the right organizational culture fit. At the same time, you need to know that nearly any political posture may limit your job search options. Tips from the Mac's List Team: Remove any inflammatory political statements from social media. Know your Facebook privacy settings.  (Need some help with this? Check out our free course, How to Wow and Woo Employers Online.) Practice restraint. "Don't be the crazy uncle at Thanksgiving Dinner." Don't write anything that you wouldn't want to be seen as a headline on a major newspaper. If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the past, hiring managers using a telephone to solicit feedback from job references yielded a low, 50% return rate. Today, online reference tools and surveys boast a reference return rate of 85-90%! For job seekers, this makes furnishing quality referrals to potential employers a necessity. “Feedback is accumulated by various ways,” says guest expert, Ray Bixler. Metrics evaluated by employers include the number of references a job seeker offers, how long it takes an applicant to enter the reference names and what feedback the references supply. Job seekers can improve their results by being prepared with complete information about their references and entering the information as soon as the prospective employer sends the email. Tips for Job Seekers: Meet with your references to ask their permission to use their name and to let them know what is expected of them. Have your references ready in advance, as the reference process is moving ahead in the hiring process; sometimes references are requested before the first interview is granted. Give five references, with at least two being former managers. Fill out an employer’s reference request completely, and as soon as possible after receiving it. Remember, a prepared reference has time to think about all the great things you have done! Ray Bixler Bio Ray Bixler is CEO of SkillSurvey, an online reference checking technology firm that helps organizations recruit, hire, and retain talent. Ray has more than 20 years of human resource and career development experience. Ray’s organization has just launched the new solution, Source. Source gives references an opportunity to become applicants with the employer requesting their input. Ben’s Job Search Resources: Ben’s resource this week is a blog post from Main St entitled "5 Job Reference Myths That Can Destroy Your Chances and Reputation." The content includes common occurrences job seekers frequently overlook. Be sure to listen to Mac’s List bonus episode about ”How to Deal with a Bad Reference,” with Vicki Lind. Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Ben, Jenna and Mac respond to Paul Frazier’s question, “How to negotiate salary, benefits and time off when you fear an employer may rescind the job offer.” If you would like the team to answer a job-related question, email it to jenna@macslist.org, or call her at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere (to be published February 1, 2017). Or, if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about, send it to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. Ben and Jenna’s segments are sponsored by the 2016 edition of Hack the Hidden Job Market Course. The course is now live, so register today! If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The “glass ceiling” is a concept that a woman who tries to progress in her career may only reach a mid-level position, says guest expert Elisa Doucette. The phrase, “glass ceiling,” denotes that a woman is able to see men, through a pane of glass, in positions above her own, but she is not able to break the glass, to reach a higher level in the organization.  Elisa says corporations have adopted a set of values towards women (or men) who are not willing to put aside their career or personal values and sell their souls, to make money. And although the concept has evolved since the 1970’s, the glass ceiling still exists -- just in a modified form. Elisa says corporations have adopted a set of values towards women (or men) who are not willing to put aside their career or personal values and sell their souls, to make money. And although the concept has evolved since the 1970’s, the glass ceiling still exists -- just in a modified form. Women need to understand the paradigm and know that corporations aren’t out to get them just because they are a woman. A woman needs to understand what motivates her employer and use actions -- not just words -- to show her value. If a woman can show how she will impact the company’s bottom line, she can start owning her own trajectory within the organization. Three tips women can use to show their employer how amazing they are: Quantify your accomplishments with hard numbers, to show the value you bring to an organization. Make sure your voice is heard, and be willing to defend your opinions. Understand your priorities, both business and personal. Move past “What can I do about it?” and start developing your iron will and thick skin! Elisa Doucette Bio Elisa Doucette is a freelance writer and editor.  Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Yahoo! Small Business, The Huffington Post, and Brazen Careerist. She runs the online editorial agency, Craft Your Content, and hosts the weekly podcast, Writers’ Rough Drafts. Elisa is also responsible for the syndicated column, Shattering Glass, on Forbes.com. She can be found on Twitter, @elisadoucette, and on Instagram, @elisa_doucette. Ben’s Job Search Resources: Ben’s resource this week is a list of 250 Flexible Jobs for 2016, which can be  found at FlexJobs 250: Companies with the Most Flexible Jobs. A flexible work schedule can benefit any employee, but traditionally women tend to take more responsibility in caring for older relatives and children. Flexjobs can include telecommuting, part-time work, and freelance opportunities. Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: Ben, Jenna and Mac respond to Dan Reifenberger’s question, “How do I attract a company I want to work for if it isn’t currently hiring?” If you would like the team to answer a job-related question, email it to jenna@macslist.org, or call her at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere (to be published February 1, 2017). Or, if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about, send it to ben@macslist.org, and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. Ben and Jenna’s segments are sponsored by the 2016 edition of Hack the Hidden Job Market Course. The course in now live, so sign up today! If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, the Mac's List team, Mac Prichard, Ben Forstag, and Jenna Forstrom talk about the single biggest mistake most job seekers make. They spend too much time and energy on job boards! Job boards can be a great resource. But did you know, 8 out of 10 jobs never make it on a job board?  That's employers prefer to hire candidates they already know and trust.  If you are looking for a job only on job boards, chances are you are missing out on 80% of the job opportunities you might be interested in.  As a business owner - even one who owns a job board site - Mac uses the hidden job market to hire his employees. If you are looking for a job only on job boards, chances are you are missing out on 80% of all job opportunities! Want to learn more about this hidden job market?  Today, we launched the Hack the Hidden Job Market online course.  It's a 12-part video course, where Mac walks you through the entire job hunting process. It's full of practical tips for job hunting, strategies for networking, and is completely inspired our community's questions that we've been hearing at Mac's List for years. In Hack the Hidden Job Market, we remove the curtain of confusion when it comes to job seeking.  Help you get focused on your career goals, which allows you to job hunt effectively.  Plus, we've got tons of additional bonus materials, podcasts, PDFs, website resources and a private Facebook group with monthly mastermind meetings with the entire Mac's List team. Interested in learning more?  Sign up for Hack the Hidden Job Market is available now at www.macslist.org/course.  Find your dream job faster and with less frustration! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices