Tech-Job Search Advice That Doesn’t Go Out of Style

June 12, 2022 startworknow

Tech-Job Search Advice That Doesn’t Go Out of Style

In many ways, the job search has changed. People no longer check the want ads in the Sunday paper or have an objective on their resume. These days, people post their work history on LinkedIn or a personal website and upload their qualifications to multiple employers in a snap.

But in some ways, searching for a job is the same as it ever was. We recently spoke with the career coaching team at StartWorkNow and asked them for the job search advice that doesn’t go out of style. Here’s what they said.

Tech-Job Search Advice That Never Go Out of Style-

Cover Letters Are Still a Thing

With few exceptions, you should include a cover letter with your application. But don’t use the same cover letter every time! Take the time to customize your cover letter (and resume) to explain why you’re applying to that specific role at that specific company. Recruiters can tell when all you’re changing is the name of the position and company.

What’s more, as Denise Ingledue-Lopez points out, cover letters are an opportunity to explain why the hiring manager should hire you over other candidates. “Cover letters complement your resume and are an opportunity for you to showcase your personality and why you’re applying for this role at this company.”

She continues, “It also highlights your communication skills and gives you the chance to address anything you think might stand in your way of getting the job, like a gap in your resume or changing careers.”

Prioritize Your Tasks

There’s so much to do during a job search: update your resume, track and log where you’ve applied and who you need to follow up with, and growing your network.

It can be overwhelming.

To help you stay organized, you need a plan. Specifically, a job search action plan. Outlining your goals at 30, 60, and 90 days can help you break down those goals into smaller, more manageable steps. These smaller tasks can help you prioritize what you have to, what you’ve done, and keep track of your wins!

Time Management Skills

Speaking of prioritizing your tasks, another piece of job search advice that never goes out of style is time management.

“Having a game plan and setting priorities keeps your job search focused,” says Tracy Capozzoli. And this game plan will keep you from falling down a social media procrastination rabbit hole and help you identify when you’re spending too much time on job search activities that aren’t working.

Network

While technology has made searching for jobs easier and more accessible, it’s also made it more competitive. When you’ve got hundreds or even thousands of people applying for one job, you need to find a way to set your application apart from the rest of the pack.

Some people may resort to tricks or stunts, but often, a better choice is using your network. Your contact may know someone who has an opening that’s perfect for you or can connect you with someone who has some advice about your job search.

The same technology that’s made your job search efficient can also be used in networking. From LinkedIn to virtual job fairs and other events, networking is a valuable tool that can take your job search to the next level.

Multigenerational Communication

It doesn’t matter if you work 100% remote, 100% in-person, or somewhere in between. You may have as many as five generations in your workplace! And even if that doesn’t describe where you work, professional courtesy and respect never go out of style!

“Written communication always has and always will be important in the workplace,” says Heather Starr. “When you’re working with someone from another generation, it’s important to keep things professional and courteous. Make sure your communications are crisp and clear, and consider avoiding abbreviations and emojis that work in a casual context but not a professional one.”

Send a Thank-You Note

Saying “thank you” never goes out of style, even when you’re job searching.

“The concept of sending thank-you notes after an interview has not changed,” notes Ingledue-Lopez. “Not only is it courteous, it helps keep your name in the recruiter’s mind. It could also be the deciding factor on who gets the job and who doesn’t.”

Keep It Simple

There are tons of beautiful resume templates that you can choose from. And the best choice is…none of them! Use a simple resume format to ensure the ATS can read it correctly.

Skip the columns and graphics. These often confuse the ATS and make it less likely your resume will get a high rank. Stick with plain fonts that are easy for an ATS and human to read. Not sure what resume format is best for you? Here’s a guide to help you figure it out!

Manage Your Personal Brand

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and in the age of social media and viral moments, that’s never been more true—especially when it comes to your job search.

Your first impression starts seconds after your application is submitted. Hiring managers often research candidates on social media to vet them, and if your personal brand has any red flags, you may not get the job.

Take some time before your job search to do a little tidying up. Delete posts that may paint you in a negative light, and consider untagging yourself from photos. Or, set your current profiles to private!

Not Quite the Same

Not only is this job search advice always in style, it’s perfect for every generation of job seekers. You’ll use these timeless bits of wisdom from the day you search for your first job until you retire!

The survey found that 12% more millennials have discussed salary with coworkers than Generation X. Specifically, only 35% of Gen Xers have talked about salary, while almost 53% of millennials did.

Millennials were also more willing to negotiate their salary or ask for a raise. While approximately one-quarter of Gen Xers (24%) said they felt more empowered and tried to negotiate salary, 43% of millennials felt the same way.

It looks like this is one place where things are changing!

The More Things Change…

If there’s one way to sum up job searching in the 21st century, it could be “some things change, and some things stay the same.” And when it comes to these 10 bits of expert advice, some aspects of your job search are as classic, retro, and timeless as ever!

How to Avoid Work-from-Home Job Scams

May 30, 2022 startworknow

How to Avoid Work-from-Home Job Scams

When it comes to finding a remote job, many people are concerned about being scammed. And for good reason, from re-shipping scams to asking job seekers to pay for a federal job, scammers are getting craftier. It’s for this reason that avoiding remote job scams can seem like a tall task.

One of the reasons StartWorkNow was created was to provide a safe, trusted way for people to find legitimate remote and flexible jobs, without having to worry about the junk and scams.

If you use StartWorkNow for your job search, you can be assured that all the opportunities on our site have been screened by a real person and are completely scam-free.

Our recent annual survey found that more than 80% of job seekers report being on guard or very concerned about scams on other job boards. According to the same survey, almost 20% of job seekers have been a victim of a job scam (up from 13% in 2016), with 22% of job seekers knowing somebody who has been victim of a job scam.

Listings can be rife with scams and savvy scammers know how much people want to make money from home. They impersonate recruiters, potential bosses, and hiring managers in order to scam job seekers out of personal financial information—and in the worst-case scenario, their life savings.

That said, 15% of survey respondents have avoided being scammed because they knew the warning signs. Knowing the warning signs of online job scams is important, but remember that StartWorkNows’ in-house team of experts carefully vets through openings so you don’t have to.

Trust Your Gut If a Job Feels Scammy

As with most situations in life, one of the single best ways to avoid a job scam is to listen to your instincts.

That can be hard if you’ve been out of work for a while and a plum position seems to fall smack dab into your lap. But think about the job and how you were approached in an objective light.

The ability to work from home would be a dream come true for many people and because of the value people place on this way of working, scammers are able to take advantage of folks who want to find this type of job.

If something just feels off, or you feel uncomfortable for any reason (e.g., the job recruiter is pushy or demanding, or you don’t have a clear understanding of the job responsibilities), don’t think twice about walking away from it.

More than likely, your instincts are right. And remember, there are plenty of real online jobs out there to choose from. This won’t be your one and only opportunity to work remotely, so don’t feel intimidated or pressured into doing something you don’t feel comfortable with.

Know the Signs of an Online Job Scam

While job scammers have adapted their tactics over time, there are still some hard-and-fast warnings that a job is a scam. Here are some basic signs of a work-from-home job scam:

You’re asked for personal financial information—such as your social security number, your bank account, your home address and phone number, your date of birth, etc.—early on in the job interview process.
The job pays a lot of money for little work. After all, if it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is.
The company boasts several rags-to-riches stories that showcase high-flying lifestyles.
The job posting mentions quick money, drastic income changes overnight, etc.
The job posting has glaring grammatical or spelling errors.
The product is supposedly endorsed by countless celebrities or public figures.
The job requires several up-front expenses from candidates.
Compensation is based on how many people you recruit.
A recruiter offers you the job immediately without verifying your work experience or doesn’t ask for references.

In one of the latest remote work scams, the FTC reports that the operators of a work-from-home scheme used “misleading spam emails to lure consumers into buying work-from-home services.” These emails used fake news stories and fake celebrity endorsements to convince consumers to purchase. In total, the settlements with the operators of this scheme imposed an $11.3 million judgment.

“Unfortunately, online job scams remain a troubling component of the work-from-home job market, even as the number of legitimate remote job opportunities continues to grow. It’s encouraging to see this settlement, but job seekers should not let their guard down—many, many more scams still exist,” said Reynolds.

Consider the Keywords

In general, be careful of certain keywords in posts. The following options (and variations) can be indicative of a work-from-home job scam:

Free work from home jobs
Quick money
Unlimited earning potential
Multi-level marketing
Envelope stuffing
Investment opportunities and seminars
Part-time jobs with full-time pay

Research the Companies

Let’s say a “recruiter” contacts you and wants you to apply for a job. They say that based on your skills and work experience, you’d be perfect for an open position.

That doesn’t mean the job is legitimate (or the recruiter is who they claim to be). You should always do your due diligence on both the recruiter and the job. Conduct research to see if you can find out any info on the recruiter/hiring manager to determine if they are indeed a real person.

The Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission can be great resources to find and report online job scams. For instance, you can use the Better Business Bureau’s scam tracker to review (and report!) job scams. You should be able to find a trail verifying the person and company and, if not, you may want to reconsider moving forward with the job process.

Connect with the Company Directly

A hiring manager might reach out to you with a potential job. They might offer all the details about the job but not the biggest one of all—the company hiring for the job. Although they might say they can’t disclose the company or they’ll lose the potential commission associated with placing you in the position, you should know for certain the name of the company you’re interviewing for.

If the hiring manager won’t tell you, it could be a sign that you’re in the middle of a scam. So contact the company that you might be working for to verify that a) the job recruiter is working for them, and b) the job you’re applying for exists.

Question the Communication

The job interview process has evolved quite a bit over the years to keep up with changes in technology.

Almost everything is done online, from job applications to interviews, which are happening more frequently via video conferencing, particularly for remote positions.

That being said, there are still a few red flags when it comes to using technology for hire, and those are email or instant messaging. Any hiring manager or boss worth their salt is not going to conduct a job interview via instant message or email. Most often, you might be initially contacted by email, but after that, you should still have a phone or video interview—or both.

Dodging Work-from-Home Job Scams

It’s unlikely that job scammers will ever go away, but there are ways to protect yourself and avoid job scams. Using a reputable job search service like StartWorkNow can help you find a real online job faster, easier, and, most importantly, safer.

We pre-screen every job and company before posting them to our site. Our trained research team weeds out both the obvious scams and the more sophisticated ones, along with commission-only jobs, low-quality positions, “business opportunities,” and other junk so our members are guaranteed a quality job search experience.

Wherever else you might be searching, use caution and always consider the signs of a work-from-home job scam and stay safe and find legitimate, real online jobs!

How to Use Facebook to Network and Land Your Next Job Opportunity

May 25, 2022 startworknow

How to Use Facebook to Network and Land Your Next Job Opportunity

Are you strategizing your job search? Do you think, “I need to devote some time to Facebook this week”? Probably not. Facebook isn’t generally the first or even second platform that comes to mind when thinking about finding a job. And why would it? It’s not like job postings regularly bubble through your newsfeed between that cute cat video and that TMI post about an acquaintance’s recent battle with the flu.

But when it comes to an effective and organized job search, you should invest some time in social media platforms for multiple reasons. First, you absolutely need to ensure your profiles enhance your job search, rather than derail it. And second, you can interact with companies online in ways that weren’t accessible to job seekers even a few years ago. While the main focus of social media isn’t career-focused, that might actually be what gives you an advantage over other applicants.

How to Leverage Facebook Effectively

Many studies show that most recruiters research applicants through social media. Your Facebook presence is one way to support your personal brand and grab a recruiter’s attention.

Ensure Your Profile Has Professional Polish

Make an excellent first impression when you use Facebook for a job search. Adjust your Facebook profile and view it using the “View As” tool, so you know what appears from the viewer’s perspective. This step will alert you to any potential issues that could deem you an undesirable candidate.

Remove any content that a potential employer could misconstrue. You want to ensure your private photos and your religious and political views are set to “private.” Use the “Lists” function to keep your personal life confidential.

Consider your Facebook profile photo and update it to a more professional one. Use the same headshot throughout your online branding, such as your LinkedIn profile, personal website, Slack communities, etc. Ensure you’re paying extra attention to the photo background and your attire in the photo. Mirror the professional image of the company or field you’re interested in.

For best results, update your “Work and Education,” “Professional Skills,” and other profile sections so they support your resume. Do your research, and find the most relevant keywords for you. And if you are looking for a job in a specific locale, make sure you’ve added your city and state as well.

Take the time to develop a brand statement that briefly describes what you do and how you do it, sprinkling in a few interesting and unique details to make it pop. This will help recruiters get a broad perspective of who you are and what you do.

2.Do More Than “Like” a Company’s Page

Research various professional organizations, groups, and companies that align with your job search interests and follow those pages. Associating yourself with these organizations online will build your network, boost your job search potential, and impress future employers with your commitment. Try to get a feel for their culture to ensure an excellent job fit and take a deep dive into their online presence.

You can see the most recently posted jobs on your target company’s profile under the “More” menu drop-down. Also, many companies will regularly publish posts with job openings. You can connect with them by adding meaningful comments on their general posts and engaging with company team members.

Go a step further if they’re your dream company and explore relevant details about them for use in prospective interviews.

Update Your Status

In the pre-Facebook days, lighting up your network meant announcing to everyone you know that you were on the hunt for a job. That might mean you spent time on the phone, texted, or had a friendly chat in the grocery store. While those methods still work just fine, it’s much easier—and perhaps more effective—to broadcast the specifics of your hunt via status updates on Facebook.

Don’t go overboard, of course, but the more you provide information or even humorous updates about your job search, the more likely you will come to the top of a contact’s mind when something at their workplace opens up. Ensure that you’ve clearly defined what you’re looking for so that if your information does get passed along to a recruiter, they’ll see you’re a perfect match for their opening.

4.Network Through Facebook Groups

From alumni groups to professional interest groups, take advantage of every remotely relevant network to your hunt. In alumni groups, reach out directly to any alumni who work at companies that interest you and nurture that relationship. In professional groups, exchange insider tips, share your advice, and monitor the feeds for jobs posted by community members.

Remember to think beyond your immediate industry to complementary industries too.

Use Targeted Keyword Searches

Job seekers aren’t the only ones enjoying the ease that social media has brought to job searchers. Employers post jobs on almost every social media platform, including Facebook, to ensure they’re getting their openings in front of as many eyes as possible.

Utilize keywords in the Facebook search feature to find relevant openings. For example, if you’re looking for a hybrid role as a project manager in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, you might search for “Ft. Lauderdale project manager jobs” and then narrow it down based on the responses.

An important note here is that social media job postings can be rife with scams. Do your due diligence and research to ensure that the company and posting are legitimate and you’re not participating in any risky internet behavior that might compromise your personal information.

Getting a Job Search Boost From Your Profile

The great thing about Facebook is that it can get you one step closer to in-person relationship-building that most often brings people jobs. And it can do this on a grander scale than you could ever get using only face-to-face routes or relying solely on LinkedIn.

One of the best ways to ensure you have a safe and scam-free job search is with StartWorkNow. We have a team of real people who hand-vet each posting to ensure our members are only seeing legitimate and verified job opportunities. Take the tour to discover all of the ways that a StartWorkNow membership can support your remote job search.

Don’t forget to share this article with friends!

Qualities Wanted in Work from Home Employees

May 23, 2022 startworknow

Qualities Wanted in Work from Home Employees

Has working from home caught your eye? Maybe you have friends who have seemingly found work-life nirvana. They break for lunch during the week without rushing to get back to the office. The last time you mentioned the price of gas, they didn’t even know it. No commute seems like it means no worries.

Yes, those can all be fantastic advantages to a work-from-home job. But before you upgrade your laptop and start tailoring your resume, you should consider the qualities needed to be successful in a work-from-home role. Many job seekers skip this step only to discover down the road that it’s not such a great fit for them after all.

5 Qualities Needed for Working From Home

The boom in remote work has shed light on the attributes of the most successful employees working from home. Many have the following qualities in common.

Impressive Self-Motivation

Work-from-home employees need to be incredibly self-aware without someone else in the same room. To excel, you should have the drive to stay on task and maintain a productive schedule.

While seemingly straightforward, work-from-home life is abundant with distractions, from the lure of laundry piles and chatty neighbors to social media, pets, and family members. There can be a revolving door of distraction magnets for those that struggle to keep themselves motivated.

Consider whether or not you’re someone who regularly sets goals for yourself. Do you create lists, seek out challenges, and diligently work to increase your performance? If you’re the type of person who gets a rush of excitement when your list gets completed, you might be a great candidate for a work-from-home position.

Excellent Time Management Skills

Work-from-home team members need to have above-average time management skills to ensure they’re meeting deadlines.

Review how you go about structuring your day. Can you list your next highest priority at any given moment? Are your tasks categorized in order of importance? Do you self-evaluate, leave a cushion for unexpected delays, and have time estimates for each portion?

Besides time management skills for the workday, remote employees also need to flex time management skills for building a healthy work-life balance. You’ll need to ensure that you’re maintaining your personal and mental health and limiting work to actual work hours.

Outstanding Communication Skills

As a work-from-home employee, your performance will most likely require more than simply completing your tasks and submitting them.

Being a part of a team means you need top-notch communication and collaboration skills. Whether via Zoom, email, Slack, or any other team communication platform, you’ll need to ensure that your manager and the team can easily reach you.

And working remotely, your communication skills take on even greater importance, as you generally won’t have body language and tone to give context. Your written communication has to accurately and professionally do the talking for you. Take the time to read over some emails you’ve written lately. Are they friendly, professional, and concise? If not, it might be a great time to invest in some communication classes.

Continuous Adaptability

As a work-from-home team member, you’ll need to go with the flow and be extraordinarily resourceful at times. You’ll be in your own tech department when your computer isn’t working. If you can’t reach your boss to answer a question, you might have to make an educated guess rather than wait for direction. And you’ll possibly need to adjust your expectations and schedule as you flex to accommodate other team members’ schedules or time zone differences.

Adaptability is a transferable soft skill that you can’t take a class to develop. Instead, seek out new challenges, ask for stretch assignments, and create development goals with your leader. You’ll not only grow your skill, but you’ll also come away with some tangible experiences to fill your resume skills section.

Notable Self-Confidence

You’ll often need to take the initiative to meet your role-specific goals and support the organization’s objectives. Your boss generally won’t have the time or desire to continually check in throughout the day to make sure you’re feeling good about your assignments and work. Instead, you’ll need to have the ability to make informed decisions within a short time frame.

Most successful remote workforces are full of proactive high achievers. Ask yourself if you’d thrive within that type of environment or if you really would do better with a more continuous flow of back-and-forth feedback from your boss. If you’re unsure, it’s time to create a development plan to grow your confidence.

Monitor the way that you speak to and think about yourself. Are you full of self-depreciation as you relate to situations or outcomes? What about mistakes that have occurred? Do you convey them as a learning lesson or as monumental? What about taking risks when it comes to attempting new things?

Essential Work-From-Home Qualities

Before you commit to the significant life change that working from your home can bring, take some time to truly consider if you have the qualities and personality to thrive as a work-from-home professional.

If the answer is, “I’m not sure” why not look for a hybrid work-from-home position? You can get your feet wet, and you might discover that it’s a perfect balance. Of course, every business will structure their hybrid work schedules differently, but generally, you’ll be working remotely a few days a week and in a traditional office the remainder of the time.

If you’re ready to find a hybrid or full-time, work-from-home position, take the tour on oue Website. With a database of jobs in over 50 categories, discounted career coaching, and advice on building a successful career, we’ll help you find a remote job that fits your needs and interests.

How to Avoid Remote Work Security Risks

May 18, 2022 startworknow

How to Avoid Remote Work Security Risks

Are you currently in the middle of a job search? The chances are pretty high that you’re spending a lot of time online if you are. Or, perhaps you’ve already landed your dream job, and you get to work remotely full-time or part-time.

If all or some of your job-related work is remote, you have some additional security concerns to factor in. In a traditional office setting, the organization is generally responsible for creating firewalls and password-protection update reminders, and you do all of your work on their devices. Working remotely, a lot of that responsibility falls to you.

Mitigating Remote Work Security Risks-

Congratulations! You’re taking one of the essential steps in creating a more secure remote work environment by simply not becoming complacent. You are the first line of defense for protecting your company’s data and any sensitive customer information that they’re housing. Beyond awareness, we’ve got some best practices for you to consider.

1.Invest in Antivirus Software

Antivirus software generally updates itself regularly, and you can set it to run updates automatically in the background. Invest in well-regarded and robust antivirus software and ensure that it’s installed on your primary devices, such as tablets, computers, and cell phones. This might be the hardest working assistant you’ve ever had.

Pair that with other security practices, such as multi factor authentication and an encrypted password manager, to create the best initial line of defense.

2.Run Software and Device Updates Regularly

It may be difficult to set “Run Updates” on your computer since updates are often created as concerns are created. Your best choice is to set “Update Automatically” on all of your software and devices.

This is true of anything that connects to your network as well. So, if you have a digital thermostat, security cameras, a smart TV, or a wireless picture frame—to name just a few devices—those are back doors for access into your network.

3.Schedule Regular Password Updates

Consider creating a log of everything that regularly connects to your home Wi-Fi system. Make it a best practice to reset the passwords regularly and check for security updates that will send security patches.

Cyber security expert Dr. Erik Huffman recognizes that updates are a necessary hassle, but often, if hackers see robust and updated passwords, they’ll move on to less secure victims. Ensure you have protected every opening to your network at home. Create a complicated router password and ensure that you’re updating it on the same schedule as your other devices.

4.Beware of Email Scams

Never open or click on suspicious links. Your first line of defense is to verify if the sender is someone familiar. Hackers have become adept at using identical-looking emails to lure employees. It might be something as minor as a single letter difference. If you’re in doubt, call your contact or reach out via a different communication method to verify they sent the email.

And never provide any personal or confidential information via email. One of the best things you can do is slow down and listen to your gut instincts. Cyber criminals are relying on you to be busy and distracted.

5.Hide Your Network

When you turn on your laptop and search for Wi-Fi signals, all available networks pop up, right? Well, unfortunately, the pop-up for everyone else is within range as well.

Consider making your network hidden so that no one driving or walking by can see it being broadcast. All of your devices that are already connected will stay connected, but no one else will be able to access them. Without knowing the network’s name, it’s nearly impossible to connect to it.

6.Avoid Using Public Wi-Fi

Coffee shops, libraries, and other public networks are notorious for creating internet security risks. When you do choose to work remotely outside of your home, you should invest in a private hotspot, or use your phone as a hotspot. You’ll need to check in with your company’s IT department to ascertain that you stay within their remote work security guidelines.

Also, ensure that you’re never leaving your laptop unattended when you are in public. There should never be a trip to the bathroom or up to the order counter when it’s not in your possession. Likewise, don’t leave your computer bag on the seat of your car.

7.Be Mindful of Who Has Access to Your Computer

It’s not just in public that you’ll need to be mindful of who has access to your computer. You have family and friends at home among whom you’ll need to maintain computer privacy too. While you might trust them, you need to remember that your company probably didn’t agree to do so.

It would be best to consider that any friends who are connecting in your home are bringing their own security concerns to your home network. A best practice is to create a separate guest network from your main Wi-Fi network.

Actively Maintain Remote Security-

Cybersecurity for remote work centers on a proactive approach. One of your best defenses is creating challenging boundaries for hackers who will often move on to easier targets.

If you’re currently involved in a job search, ensure that you’re not engaging in risky behavior while submitting applications. Maintain a layer of protection around your personal information that you only breach after verifying a legitimate need at a reputable company via a secure network.

Are you ready to ensure that your job search is safe and scam-free? Here at StartWorkNow, we have an entire team dedicated to vetting our job postings so that our members’ experiences are kept safe. Take the tour to discover all of the ways that a StartWorkNow membership can support your flexible job hunt.

Let your friends and family know that we are searching for work at home customer service agents!

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