When You Land a Job, Take the Time to Help Others Along the Way

Landing a new position is a great feeling and can bring about great career opportunities. It's a great feeling to get a job offer and accept it because something was accomplished through hard work and dedication. No matter how far you go and what positions you land, continue to take time to help others.

At one point or another, all of us has had help from one person or another in regards to a job search. Whether it was someone taking time to look at a resume for you, reading over a cover letter, putting in a phone call to a contact, etc., we've all benefited from someone lending a hand along the way. Don't forget who lent you that hand in need and don't be shy about helping others along your path.

Being in transition is difficult and frustrating and keep that in mind if someone reaches out for your help. Take a few minutes to put yourself in that person's shoes and understand what that person must be going through, his or her frustrations and the need for someone to help them with the job search. Sometimes taking 15 minutes to talk to a person by phone can help point them in the right direction and can provide them the guidance needed for a job search. Find a way to help someone reaching out for your assistance and realize that the time you are taking will mean a lot in the end.

No matter how far you go, always take a few minutes to help others in need. It will be appreciated and you never know what can come from that relationship.

Job Seekers, Watch What You Post On Facebook!

Facebook has grown to become one of the most popular forms of social media over the past couple of years but caution needs to be taken when using it. If you are currently looking for a job, the content on your Facebook page might cost you an interview or a job offer. Employers are constantly looking at Facebook profiles to see if anything offensive or inappropriate is posted. If a company is considering spending a good amount of money to hire and train someone for a job, they have to take whatever steps are necessary to make sure the candidate will not hurt the company and Facebook has been monitored for this purpose.

Facebook has been a great social tool but keep the following in mind before posting something on there:

1) An Inappropriate Joke or Picture Might Be Funny To You But Not to Others- it's tempting to post certain pictures, comments or stories on Facebook but keep in mind that inappropriate material could be offensive to others. When looking for a job, you do not want to offend someone who has a hiring capability so if it's inappropriate, it's best to leave it off.

2) Watch What You Are Photograhed Doing and How Those Pictures Will Be Used- if you are at an event and do not wish to be photographed, it's okay to say that to the photographer. If you are hanging out in a social situation, be aware of who is taking pictures of you and where those might go. With more Facebook apps becoming available for Smart Phones, it's easy for someone to simply upload a picture within minutes of taking it. Make sure to have your own camera with you and be in control of what pictures are taken with you in them.

3) Use Common Sense- if it looks like it could offend someone, don't post it on there. Once it's posted, it's easy for it to get shared through other channels and spread to a larger number of people. The more people it reaches, the better chances you have of someone with a hiring capability of seeing it.

No Matter What, Someone Still Has to Know About Your Product Before They Can Buy It

This economic recession has been difficult for different businesses but in truth, people still have to know what product you are selling and know your company exists. Marketing dollars may have been trimmed down but no one will buy your product if they don't know it exists! Coming up with different ways to market your product in a recession can be tricky but is doable.

Business owners have had to find creative ways to market their products and here are some ways you can let people know your business exists:

1) Go to Networking Events- a lot more people are organizing these types of events and it's a great way to meet others in a casual and face-to-face atmosphere. Some of these can be a bit overwhelming but can pay off in the end. You could come across someone who has a need for your product or service or be able to reach those who may know someone who has a need you can fulfill. This can be time consuming but can pay off in the end.

2) Social Media- many people have expressed fear over Facebook and Twitter but others have been able to grow with the help of using these tools and several other forms of social media. Most forms of social media are free, growing in popularity, and have helped market businesses to a different audience. Setting up these profiles does take a little time but can help bring in more business in the end.

3) Start a Blog- most blogs are free to set up and can be shared through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other forms of social media. This allows you to demonstrate to potential customers what you can provide for them, your expertise and gives people a reason to trust your business. Blogging does take time but with a regular schedule of posts, can help you reach a different audience and help grow your business.

Get The Most Out of Your Internship

If you are a college student, internships are great ways to get hands-on experience to put on a resume and a great way to get your foot in the door in a professional business setting. This experience is valuable and can help you later on as you get closer to graduation.

Wherever you intern at, get the most out of it and don't pass up opportunities to learn elsewhere in that internship. If you are interning for a large company, there are probably several different departments you could work in or sit in with for a day to learn more about what these people do, their experiences and maybe even lend a hand. Smaller organizations can provide this opportunity as well and the more you are willing to learn, the better off you will be and the more people you can meet to help you later on down the line.

By exploring all opportunities available, you will find what you enjoy doing, what you don't enjoy doing and possibly open more doors later on. Taking time to sit in with people from other departments will help you get to know more people within the organization, understand how the organization works and open the doors for more networking possibilities later on down the line.

Wherever you intern at, take time to sit in with other departments and other people if you have time. Get to know these people, understand their positions, and how they contribute to the organization. This will help you find other doors later on down the line, provide you with some other experience and build your network.

If You Get Called From a Potential Employer or Contact at a Bad Time, Stay Calm

At times, we often get really busy with what we are doing and don't always have time to take a phone call from someone. The only problem is what if that phone call is from a potential employer or contact? Even if you can't stop what you are doing, if you stay calm and are polite, you will still be able to keep your foot in that door that just opened up. Just because you can't take the call doesn't mean that that opportunity will be lost.

Getting a call at an inconvenient time is never easy but there are ways you can tell the person on the other end that you can't take the call without offending him or her. If you are in this situation, consider the tips below:

1) Stay Calm- If you raise your voice, sound irritated, or rushed, you might offend the person on the other end or scare him or her off. Take a deep breath before taking the call and remember to talk to the person in a calm manner.

2) Be Polite- I know this sounds obvious but by being calm and minding your manners, you will still be able to call this person later on or the following day if you answer and speak to this person in a polite manner. If you get snotty or make rude comments, the person might get offended and will cross you off the list of people to call.

3) Let the Person Know You Cannot Take the Call and Offer to Call Back- Chances are, the person on the other end will understand if you are in the middle of something and cannot take the call. A few different approaches to handling this can be done in the following ways:

"Thank you for taking the time to call me. I would like to talk with you but cannot do so at this moment. When can I give you a call back later on today or tomorrow?" (TAKE DOWN THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION)

"I appreciate you reaching out to me but am not available to talk at the moment. Is there a time today or tomorrow in which I can give you a call back?"

"I'm afraid I'm a bit tied up at the moment but would like to talk to you. Is there a time in which I can give you a call back today or tomorrow?"

"Thank you for giving me a call. I would like to talk to you about the opportunity but cannot do so at this time. Would it be okay if I called you back today or tomorrow morning?

By staying calm, being polite and offering to call back, you won't offend the person, leave the door open for another conversation and be able to get that opportunity.

Whenever There is a Guest Speaker, Introduce Yourself!

If you are a college student, getting involved in different organizations around campus is a great way to meet new people and make friends. Oftentimes, campus organizations that are professionally based or provide work experience will have outside professionals come in and give a speech. Time might be limited for these people on a normal basis but can pay dividends later on if you take time to introduce yourself after the speech.

Whenever there is a guest speaker who comes in and gives a talk to any organization you are apart of, take time to introduce yourself and exchange business cards with that person. This person is taking time out of his or her day to come speak with people and meeting this person face-to-face shows interest and initiative on your part. It will show this person you are interested in what he or she talked about and provides you an opportunity to speak one-on-one for a couple of minutes. This gives the guest speaker an opportunity to know you and put a name with the face when you send a follow up e-mail.

When sending that follow up e-mail, keep it short, sweet, to the point and ask if the person has any other time to speak with you for further advice on reaching your career goals. The worst this person could say is no and getting more time to speak with him/her could open up more doors in the future. Be respectful of time and politely ask if you could spare more time in the future for advice on reaching your career goals.

From a personal standpoint, this approach has helped me develop great business relationships, landed me a couple of internships and even a part-time job! Some of the people I have introduced myself to after a talk or speech have helped me with networking, reaching out to other professionals in the area and there are a couple of introductions that led to internships later on. I once introduced myself to a guest speaker after a networking meeting and a week later, that person e-mailed me an opportunity for part-time work (which I ended up getting!). Had I not taken the time to introduce myself, these possibilities never would have happened so my five minutes with these people paid dividends in the end.

Don't Be Afraid To Try Several Different Networking Groups

Networking can be a time consuming process but if you are looking for a job, it can benefit you in the end. There are different networking groups out there that are large sized or small get-togethers but going to these events can help you succeed in your networking.

The number of networking groups have increased over the years and finding particular ones to go to can be challenging. My advice: don't be afraid to try more then one group. Going to a large group meeting may work out for some while utilizing a small-group approach may work better for others. You won't know what works unless you try.

Some may consider other networking groups to be better then others, however, taking time to visit several different networking groups will give you an opportunity to meet a more diverse group of people. Taking time to visit different groups will put you in contact with different people from different backgrounds and you never know who you might run into unless you attend.

When networking, take time to visit the different networking groups out there and take advantage of the opportunities to meet new people.

Before an Interview, Make Sure You Clean Up!

"This person wore jeans that had holes in them to the interview!"

"That person looked like they rolled out of bed 15 minutes before the interview started!"

"This person looked like he combed his hair this morning before coming into the interview!"

As bizarre as this sounds, making sure you look presentable for an interview is a key component to getting a job or internship. Not taking the proper time to look presentable or professional can get you eliminated from contention for a position easily.

Some companies or people in upper management have set rules and guidelines on how employees are supposed to look and dress for the position. Sometimes these rules are very strict and it's important for the employees to look professional while representing the organization. Dressing professionally and looking neat and trimmed will show the person interviewing that you can look professional while representing his or her organization for a job or internship.

Before going into an interview, take time to make sure clothes aren't wrinkled heavily, your clothes are clean, and that your attire is appropriate. Realize that not everyone may appreciate someone showing up in jeans, visible body piercings, unkept hair, or looking like you just rolled out of bed 15 minutes before the interview started. Take time to make sure you look presentable, professional and show you can be apart of the interviewer's organization.

Give Back To Others No Matter How Far You Go

If it weren't for the help of several people along the way, I would not be where I am today. Many people have taken the time to provide advice, help me with my job searches and help me develop my skills along the way. I will never forget the kindness these people gave to me and will always return the favor or give back to others.

During the rough times in my life, many people went out of their way to help point me in the right direction in life and I will always remember their kindness. On both a personal and professional level, these people took time out of their lives to help guide me to where I needed to go. Helping me out was a choice of theirs and for making that choice, I will always take time out of my day to help them with their needs.

No matter how successful you are or whatever job you land, take time to help others. Whether it's through networking, a phone call for advice, offering to call someone on your behalf, take time out of your day or week to help someone who could benefit from your help. You will not only build trust with that person but provide them a reason to help you later on down the road. You might not know what they can help you with at the time but that person won't forget the kindness you showed towards them.

Whenever you come across someone you could help, remember you may have been in that person's shoes at one point or another and how grateful you felt that others took the time to help you. Don't forget where you came from and taking time out of your schedule to help someone else will help that person find his or her way and give them a reason to pay it back later on.