How does sharing their favorite blogs help you?

• It takes time to find new blogs worth reading.
• Their recommendations may spark new ideas.
• Knowing what people read is a window into what makes them tick.
• You can discover new resources.

Below you will at least 90 blog recommendations that you may adopt for your reading enjoyment. If you have a favorite blog to share – comment below.

Blogs I Enjoy

Dan Ryan at Search for Authentic Leadership

This post covers the blogs Dan enjoys reading the most – leadership tops the list!

10 Blogs for Job Search, Personal Branding and Career Help

Meg Guiseppi at Executive Career Brand

Sites with advice on job search, careers, personal branding, marketing, social media, leadership, technology and personal development.

10 Websites every baby boomer should know but probably doesn’t

Marc Miller at Career Pivot

There is a set of websites every baby boomer should know to manage your career, and I am writing this post to expose you to them. Some of these might surprise you.

10 Blogs I Love; Learning and Laughing

Deborah Mourey at Hell in the Hallway

I read blogs that inspire me. Art, news, people with attitude – these are fuel for my personal fire. Go!

Top 10 Blogs That Help My Career

Arthur Catalanello Consulting

My top 10 list of blogs that help me in my career, complete with descriptions and links.

Top 10 Blogs to Stay Up-to-Date

Hannah Morgan at CareerSherpa.net

This list is focuses on inspiration, motivation, deep thinking, bigger thinking, opening up to new ideas, and learning new things! Just the stuff needed to continually develop yourself.

Resources for a Well-Balanced Job Search

Lisa Rangel at Chameleon Resumes Blog

A successful job search gives well-balanced advice to address the mind, body, spirit and financial well-being of a person. A balanced job search prepares the job seeker to be in the right frame of mind…Check out these 10 blogs for tips…

Me? I do not have time to read blogs…

Eric Derby at Staffing Insights

I do not have much time to actually read blogs, and I would guess many readers are the same. But here are a few that I read on occasion.

Ten Favorite Blogs for Career, Personal Development and Geekiness

Lynn Dessert at Elephants at Work

It was hard to narrow the list down to my top 10 blogs because I read a variety of topics.

Next Month

On June 20^th find the latest career expert advice at CareerSherpa.net hosted by Hannah Morgan.

If you have a career related post to share, everything you need to know is here:

• The Career Development Carnival 2013 Carnival
• Career Development Carnival Post Submissions

The post Career Development Carnival: May 2013 appeared first on Elephants at Work.

One of the reasons why is that when I write, I want to convey a unique point of view. I often wonder how much other bloggers are influenced by what their contemporaries write or say.

Here is a list of my ten favorite blogs, in no particular order:

Great  Leadership by Dan McCarthy

Dan stays ahead of the leadership curve with Great Leadership. A former Rochesterian, a few years ago he made a career move to the University of New Hampshire where he is the Director of Executive Development Programs. We had the pleasure of meeting before his departure and when Great Leadership’s readership and clout was climbing. Since then he has expanded content to include other leadership guest bloggers and continues to produce cutting edge information.

Sugarrae  Aka Rae Hoffman

What some of you may not know is that I do all my website development. Sugarrae is a “white collar redneck” (her words, not mine) who is one of my go-to web and affiliate marketing gurus. Why? I love her style, advice and transparency. Besides that, she also moved from Thesis to Genesis like I did!

JobMob by Jacob Share

Don’t discount career advice outside the United States – JobMob is based in Israel and is your ticket to everything you need to know about job hunting. Jacob is known for creating lists – a favorite for readers who like to see lots of information in a single post.

Penelope Trunk

Here’s what I learned from Penelope. Share your life experiences in your blog. When I started Elephants at Work, I was mesmerized by how much she shared about her deepest fears and flaws. Lesson: You develop stronger connections with your readers when they see your vulnerabilities.

Evil HR Lady by Suzanne Lucas

If you have a burning question about what Human Resources says or why they act the way they do, ask Suzanne. Her advice is no-nonsense – whether it is on the side of the employee or company. Who cares if she is based in Switzerland, treating employees fairly is a global goal.

Seth Godin

Meaningful and to the point – that’s what Seth’s blog is about it. It is an art to express your message with fewer words.

Mildred Talabi

Hailing from the U.K., Mildred knows how to create a winning CV, but that’s not all she writes about. To manage your career successfully in today’s fast paced environment, effectively develop social media and networking skills and Mildred gives you examples of how to do it.

Traffic Generation Café by Ana Hoffman

Ana’s weekly tips satisfy my geeky interests and keep me up-to-date on SEO and social media changes on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google.

Viper Chill by Glen

A 22 year man of the world, Glen is a successful blogger and affiliate marketer who is quite remarkable. I learn something from every post he writes about blogging, SEO and marketing. What sets him apart? His posts are long with examples and detailed information. I only wish I had the time to do half of what I have read.

CareerSherpa by Hannah Morgan

People who are on their career journey want to be led by Hannah. She tells it like it is and has a natural quirkiness that connects with people.  Perhaps I am biased, but she’s my career partner here at the Career Development Carnival.

What is your favorite blog? 

The post Ten Favorite Blogs for Career, Personal Development and Geekiness appeared first on Elephants at Work.

The New Position is inside your Company

If the new position you want is within your current company, then talking to your boss may be a good decision. However, there are organizational cultures where initiating career movement is not welcome. Here’s an example:

A few years ago, a career coaching client came to me because he wanted to make move from the Engineering organization into a business role. When he approached his manager about supporting his career change, the manager could not believe he wanted to leave the Engineering organization! The engineer languished in the department for a few years until he was finally able to make the career move. If his manager was supportive, the career move would have been much quicker.

There are managers who support upward mobility within an organization or company. The conversation you have is just as important and should be carefully thought through before you approach them.

Many companies have formal Human Resources policies about inter-company moves. Review what the proper procedure is in your organization. Let’s say your company has a job posting system where employees are free to apply to internal jobs. In this case, you will want to discuss your career goals with your manager and ask for their support in the process. The reason I suggest this approach is that your manager may be informed by Human Resources about your application activity and it is better that they hear it from you first.

Applying to a Position outside your Company

Perhaps your boss is blocking your promotion or you believe there are no other career opportunities in your current organization. When you want to leave a company for a new position, carefully consider if you should discuss it with your manager. As soon as you tip your manager off that you may leave, expect your manager will treat you differently.

Managers reward company loyalty and when you are actively looking for a new job, they will question your loyalty. Your manager will tell their boss that you are actively searching for a new job and that’s when your credibility and power in the organization deteriorates.

If you think your boss is one of those rare managers who will not treat you differently, it’s time to reflect on why you believe their loyalty is with you and not the company.  There are managers – albeit very few – that have your interests at heart more than the company’s.

“I need my Manager’s Reference” is not a Good Reason

Are you thinking you need to talk to your manager because you think you need a reference? Most companies who try to recruit you from another company realize that asking for a reference within your current organization is not practical. Think of other people who can serve as a reference that have left the company and do not put your current employment situation at risk.

In general, I don’t recommend you talk to your manager about leaving until you have a job offer when you are leaving your organization.

The post Applying for a new job? What do you tell your manager? appeared first on Elephants at Work.

Have you ever wondered what strengths you have and how to tap into them in different situations? You will uncover new strengths and think about how to use them most effectively in everyday life situations.

Leading with Your Strengths is being sponsored by the Pen-Web Rotary on May 16, 2013 from 7:30-8:30am at the Baywinde Senior Living Community Center in Webster NY.

This program is open to the public, the admission is $5.

 How to Use your Blog to Build Your Business

If you just started a blog or have a blog that doesn’t seem to be getting the ROI you want, this session is for you!  

You might be asking – can blogging be an effective marketing tool to build your business? Yes! 

I have been writing Elephants at Work for over three years and it’s time to share what I have learned with others who want to use their blog to build their business. Yes, it can be done. It takes a strategy, trial and error and perseverance. 

• Growing your audience
• How to market your services
• One website or two?
• How often do I need to post articles?
• What kind of traffic can I expect?
• How to I measure success?

How to Use your Blog to Build Your Business is being sponsored by the Rochester Professional Consultant’s Network (RPCN) at the Brighton Town Hall from 8-9:30am on May 24, 2013.

Members – free

Guests – $10

Register here.

The post Personal and Business Development Seminars in Rochester, NY appeared first on Elephants at Work.

What are the options for finding out the extent of the dysfunction and how to fix it? There’s the obvious method of assessing organizational culture with employee surveys. However, to conduct an effective survey, the process can take two to three months. A well designed employee survey will tell you what your employees are thinking if you ask the right questions. Consider using an outside vendor to conduct the employee survey to build trust and maintain employee confidentiality.

There are other methods for assessing the organizational culture. Use an independent consultant that specializes in leadership or organizational development to conduct a series of interviews, discussionS and observations within your organization.

Why should you use an independent consultant for your cultural assessment? There are several reasons this approach is desirable:

1. Human resources and management already have a point of view about the situation. An independent party can help to confirm or shed new light on the cultural dysfunction.
2. Lack of trust is a reason organizations experience cultural dysfunction. It is important to bring someone in who is fair and can build rapport with the management and employees.

How do you select the right leadership or organizational consultant to conduct the assessment? Let’s face it, all consultants are not equal.

Select a consultant with:

• Excellent listening and probing/questioning skills.
• Hands on experience in working with individuals, team and organizations.
• A method that assesses employees and management.
• Grounding in personality, communication and/or behavioral training.
• Experienced in conducting assessments and making recommendations.

With either option – using an employee survey or independent leadership/organizational consultant – expect to hear results that surprise you or you do not agree with. Many employee survey processes provide generic steps you can take to improve your results. A competent consultant is an ongoing resource to help management and employees develop feasible plans.

The post Organizational Culture: How to Assess it Objectively appeared first on Elephants at Work.

As organizations look for ways to cut costs, they turn to online or large traditional classroom training which can be effective in specific situations. Typically, traditional training methodologies are effective when imparting hard skill development.

Why does traditional training not work well? Professionals and executives develop personal skills, abilities and competencies through active development vs. passive training methodologies. Active professional and executive development is a core ingredient in executive coaching.

By design, executive coaching provides action learning through discussion, interactive exercises and role-playing. Targeted homework encourages discovery, new approaches and reinforces learning objectives. Through regular meetings, the professional or executive is able to formulate their unique approach and modify their decision-making, problem-solving and interpersonal communication styles.

Many of the challenges that professionals or executives face are personally embarrassing to reveal to their organization, peers or boss. They may fear reprisal so working with an external executive coach is a smart alternative. By working together, the professional or executive is able examine their behaviors, skills and competencies without judgment. Through expert questioning the executive coaching process encourages deeper introspection, self-evaluation and commitment to change.

Think about traditional training methodologies, how effective would this approach be? Would professionals or executives be forthcoming about their shortcomings to a large group? Does the group process encourage action plans? What would be the incentive to follow through? Generally, once the course is over employees revert back to their comfort zone and operate the way they were doing it before the training session.

Here’s my experience – organizations see positive ROI when executives change their behavior. An executive’s success is not dependent on acquiring skills or knowledge that helped them get to their position but on their ability to manage people, people, systems, communities, and customers. When executives make changes on how they execute, ROI permeates throughout the organization.

The post Why Executive Coaching has Better ROI than Traditional Training appeared first on Elephants at Work.

Applicant Tracking Systems

There is a lot of confusion about what is the acceptable way to send your resume. As each recruiter began to describe the system that they use, it became clear that there is no standard.

Recruiters on the panel used simple systems such as an excel spreadsheet to complex systems that housed over a quarter million people.

To search their databases, recruiters use algorithms and rarely look at resumes with human eyes. They admit there are too many resumes. However, one recruiter on the panel admits to settling in and reading each resume with a steaming cup of coffee.

So what’s the magic in being found by an algorithm? The secret is key words. If your resume has key words that match the criteria the recruiter searches on…viola your resume pops up.

Applicant tracking systems get a bad rap with job hunters because when you send your resume you believe it was deposited into the dark abyss. One recruiter was quick to point out that applicant systems are beneficial because your resume is always searchable and companies are more apt to keep your resume past the standard six months.

Include Cover Letters

The recruiters’ consensus was the majority of job applicants do not include a cover letter with their resume and that’s a missed opportunity to make a positive impression. While it takes time to customize cover letters for each position, it’s a great opportunity to show your personality and explain why you should be hired even if your qualifications are not an exact match. Demonstrate what you to offer without overusing the word “I”.

Do not expect a recruiter to figure out why you should be hired, make it easy and point it out. One recruiter likes the “T” format – use two columns. In the first column highlight their “Requirements” and in the second column identify your “Qualifications”.

What happens to your cover letter when you submit it online to an applicant tracking system? Is it lost or is it attached to your resume? Does the hiring manager see it? Well, it depends on the system and how it is set up.

Some positions specifically ask for a cover letter. Don’t skip this step or any other step in the process that a recruiter or company outlines. You may not be included in the short list because you failed to follow instructions. Think that is harsh?  Think again, companies want employees who pay attention to the details and follow instructions.

Resume Formatting

Some applicant tracking systems accept Word documents only, some accept PDFs, and some accept both. The general consensus is that Word documents are preferred. The type of applicant system that a recruiter uses depends on how many people they have to track.

Using graphics in your resume sometimes causes problems with applicant tracking systems. Pictures in the middle of your resume screws up the formatting, however, lines seem to be OK.

Typically, you’ll find more forgiveness when recruiting for technical positions.

Recommendation – have several versions of your resume available so that if a recruiter calls to say your resume was not accepted, you can quickly send it a second time. Seize the opportunity to discuss your interest in the position while you have the recruiter on the phone.

Use LinkedIn

Every recruiter on the panel uses LinkedIn to find qualified candidates. A LinkedIn Recruiter’s package gives them advanced search capabilities on the entire database – not just people they are linked with. Recruiters find qualified candidates for every position by searching on key words.

A well-written LinkedIn profile is the secret to being found by a recruiter for your dream job. The key words you use in your profile represent the skills and capabilities you have to offer a future employer. When your key words match the recruiter’s search criteria (their key words), you get their attention! That’s the first step to being asked in for an interview.

One of the best ways to see if your LinkedIn profile is working for you is to do a search on the types of jobs you would love to have. Look at the key words that are sprinkled throughout the job description and compare that with your LinkedIn profile. Do they match up? If not, you have some homework to do.

If you are not sure what a good LinkedIn profile looks like, search for people who have the same job title as you do. There will be some good profile out there and others that don’t make a very good impression. Once you look at several dozen LinkedIn profiles, you may find that hidden gem – the profile where you say “WOW”. Study it, figure out what they did, how they said it and emulate it. Don’t copy it – make your LinkedIn profile your own.

Don’t forget to show your experience in different verticals – that might mean industries, professional disciplines or geographical preferences. Recruiters search on those fields to narrow down their results.

What should you do if you want to link in with someone who met you briefly at an event? Contact them and refer to the event or meeting and ask to connect or suggest meeting them to have a personal conversation.

LinkedIn Endorsements or Recommendations

Do recruiters pay attention to one of LinkedIn’s newer features – Endorsements? Overwhelming, the panel said “NO”. However, your recommendations play an important factor in consideration. When evaluating how relevant your recommendation is, they pay attention to who the recommender was and the context of the recommendation.

Contacting Recruiters on LinkedIn

Is it OK to reach out to a recruiter you don’t know on LinkedIn? Absolutely! Don’t be bashful, especially if that recruiter specializes in your field or area of expertise.

Social Networks

Do recruiters use the social networks during background checks? What you post on LinkedIn and Twitter – yes. Expect the recruiter to check Google. One candidate who was about to receive an offer from a company was googled by the company and they found out that the person was involved in child pornography. That job offer was dead. Know what the internet says about you. If you don’t like it, clean it up.

Everyone on the panel said they do not check your Facebook account. There are potential legal entanglements. However, one recruiter said an employee shared information about a prospective candidate because they were friends on Facebook and the company reconsidered making an offer. Remember cyberspace counts and it stays out there a long time.

How to Connect with Companies

Every recruiter agreed that cultivating personal connections inside a company is the best way to conduct a job search. Use informational meetings to learn whether your targeted companies are a good fit. Many of the people who are hired are from employee recommendations. Cultivate your network to gain access into companies.

Interview Preparation and Follow Through

It’s time for your interview – remember that first impressions count! Respond with a firm handshake and direct eye contact as you introduce yourself.

Express your interests clearly – the type of organization, culture, management style and job that is important to you. Let the recruiter or manager know how your skills and abilities will help the company meet specific challenges. Think about some killer questions to ask them that proves you did your homework.

What happens to letters of recommendations you bring to an interview? If the recruiter or hiring manager is interested, they will contact the recommender to authenticate the information and ask follow-up questions.

Finally, remember to send a Thank You Note to each person you interview with. The recruiter and hiring manager wants to know that the time you spent together was meaningful. It’s your opportunity to make a lasting impression. Every recruiter smiled when they talked about the thank you notes they had received.

The post Recruiters’ Secrets Revealed: Part 2 appeared first on Elephants at Work.

The session was sparked by Abby Kohut’s tour through Rochester, NY last year when she shared her recruiting secrets over several open forums (start reading recaps of her talks here). Her events were such a success that Eric Derby, Software Scout approached a number of area recruiters and enlisted the help from the Rochester Employment Network and Carol Larsen to put on this free event.

Carol began with introductions of the panel asking each of them to share their personal tip to help job hunters. The panel consisted of:

Betty Petro, Director of Talent Acquisition, Rochester General Health System – Do your research about a company before you have a meeting.

Barb Antczak, Recruiting Manager, Rochester General Health System – Reads every cover letter –  but keep your introduction brief. Tell her why you have an interest in the position and why your experience is relevant.

Karen D’Angelo, Human Resources Generalist, Catalyst – Looks for resumes that light her fire. She likes to see bullets and she wants you to answer the question, “So what?”

Pauline Wilcox, Chief Talent Officer, Catalyst – You’ll get her attention with a firm and confident handshake. If your handshake is wimpy…you might as well end the interview.

Eric Derby, CEO and Recruiting Consultant, Software Scout – Eric admits he doesn’t pay much attention to cover letters. He wants your resume to communicate who you are and what you want in your next position. If you don’t express it clearly, he won’t go hunting for it.

Gary Baker, President/CEO, Cochran, Cochran & Yale – If you are prepared, on time, professionally dressed, know about the company you are interviewing for and answer behavioral questions well you have a chance of getting past Gary’s screening.

John Morgan, Technical Staffing Supervisor, Superior Group – Double check that the cover letter and resume you are sending match the job and is addressed to the recruiter you send it to.

Kelly McClure, Talent Acquisition Specialist, Heritage Christian Services – Treat your interview like you are in a two-way conversation and relax!

Erin VanDamme, Technical Recruiting Manager, Nesco Resource – Don’t be afraid to share your salary preferences with an agency recruiter so that they can help match you with the proper job level.

While these tips may seem specific to each recruiter, think about how you can improve your success rate by adopting some of their suggestions.

It is time for the packed audience to ask their questions – and there is no surprise that some of our recruiters think and do things differently in the recruiting process.  In our next post, I will recap the questions and answers that are on every job seeker’s mind.

The post Recruiters’ Secrets Revealed: Part 1 appeared first on Elephants at Work.

Here’s how a blog carnival works. Each month, we invite career experts to share their top career related tips and advice.

As a carnival host, I organize the posts so that you can find what you need quickly and give you a snap shot of each author’s content. Each blog title is linked to the article so that you can read and visit their site. If you like what you read, help promote the article through your favorite social channel – LinkedIn, Twitter, Google +, Facebook or email it. When you share their articles it is a way to communicate your appreciation.

We are excited to welcome several new contributors: Cindy Billington, Vickie Elmer, Susan Heathfield, Barb Poole, Paul Smith, Bianca Thompson and Marc DeBoer.

Career Management

Whether you think you can or cannot, you are probably correct

Blog: Dan Ryan Search & Consulting    Author: Dan Ryan

The biggest obstacle we often face is ourselves.

Crafting an SEO- and Human-Friendly LinkedIn Headline

Blog: Profession Direction Blog              Author: Kristin Johnson

“LinkedIn is a dichotomous beast. There is the side that requires specific keywords to play well with LinkedIn’s algorithm, but there’s also the human element – the person reading your profile. Can you please both sides? This is no easy feat, especially when you’ve only got 120 characters to do it in, as with your “Professional Headline.” Keep reading for some great ideas to help you balance the need for SEO and readability in your LinkedIn headline.

Advice – The Magic Word in Managing Your Career

Blog: Career Pivot                                    Author: Marc Miller

Advice is the Magic Word. When someone comes to you and asks for some advice, do you ever turn them down? Probably not. In fact, you’re probably take it as a compliment! What is the best way to approach a contact for help with your career?

Make mine a handshake: Avoid the hug from a boss or a client

Blog: WorkingKind                                   Author: Vickie Elmer

Hugs can be wonderful, warm things, or they can make you feel queasy. If your client or boss is a bit too friendly or hugs for too long, here’s some ways to politely, professionally avoid the embrace.

I Hate The HR Fear

Blog: Welcome To The Occupation        Author: Paul Smith

“How I have dealt with the two types of HR Fear:

• Fear of HR
• Fear of Working In HR

Don’t Follow Your Passion

Blog: Hell in the Hallway                         Author: Deborah Mourey

Conventional wisdom doesn’t always work. Be so good that they can’t ignore you is a better way to think about your career than ‘follow your passion.’

Newton’ Three Career Laws

Blog: Career Sherpa                                 Author: Hannah Morgan

Keeping your career in motion requires a little physics. Learn how Newton would suggest you develop your career!

Job Applications: Should Companies Ask for Date of Birth?

Blog: Elephants at Work                          Author: Lynn Dessert

Every time you fill out a job application you may be cringing at the request for birthdate because you fear the employer may discriminate against you. Dates of birth are needed at some point in the employment process…here’s the how and when it should be done.

Sheryl Sandberg’s 5 Best ‘Lean In’ Tips For Women

Blog: Next Avenue                                    Author: Kerry Hannon

Career Tips for women 50+ from Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg.

Personal Branding

Google Plus Profile, Personal Branding and Executive Job Search

Blog: Executive Career Brand                 Author: Meg Guiseppi

How a Google+ Profile builds online personal branding and how to create your profile.

Five Consulting and Job Search Parallels

Blog: Arthur’s Blog                                    Author: Arthur Catalanello

I’ve noticed five parallels between my job search activity and my marketing consulting business.  Lessons earned in one helps with the other!

What is not so Human about Human Resources?

Blog: The Voice of Job Seekers               Author: Bianca Thompson

Sassy HR Girl offers a “Human” perspective of an often “Human-less” side of treading through the flooded field of job hunting, interview, and the hiring process.

Career Exploration

26 Ways to share the ABC’s on your resume

Blog: Examiner.com                                  Author: Debra Ann Matthews

Beware of a boring resume that has no clue. One way to excite your resume is to use phrases that describe the impact you’ve made in your jobs, community service and professional development events. Try to describe your contributions, using various letters of the alphabet. Here are some action oriented verbs to get you started; many of the starters are compliments of Fred Coon’s coaching in his book, Ready, Aim Hired! See if you can fill each one to enhance your branded professional contributions:

Job Search Resources

What Employers Aren’t Saying

Blog: DeniseMpls                                       Author: Denise Felder

This blog post looks at a few reasons why employers might not hire a job seeker, but will not tell them.

Networking Tips

One Brave (And Great) Way of Asking for Help in Your Job Search

Blog: Hire Imaging                                    Author: Barb Poole

Advice on how to enlist the help of those you’ve reached out to who may not have reached back. How to communicate and ask them to listen and share potential opportunities for you in a respectful way.

Top 100 Pinterest Boards for Job Search

Blog: JobMob                                             Author: Jacob Share

Where to find the best job search resources on Pinterest.

Spring Cleaning For Your Job Hunt

Blog: Why Work At Vocus                        Author: Veronica Segovia

As the year goes by, those of you who are recent graduates or re-entering the job market, might be frustrated with your job search and wondering what you can do to get closer to getting hired. While you prepare to clean out your closet this spring, it may also benefit you to think about how you can apply some organization and “spring cleaning” to your job hunt. We got our talent acquisitions specialists together and came up with a check list of items that might help you get hired, faster.

Personal Branding

Personal Branding Without Purpose: A Job Seeker Failure Story

Blog: The Savvy Intern                            Author: Mark Babbitt

So many of us genuinely suck at branding ourselves.

And for most of us, there’s one simple reason for our shortcomings: we haven’t identified our purpose for why we want to engage in personal branding.

Here’s what you may not realize: The purpose of personal branding is NOT to get a job. Here are three tips to getting the most out of your personal branding efforts…”

Networking Tips

Discussing Salary in Information Interviews

Career Management:  Keepin It Real     Author: Cindy Billington

Information interviews provide a tremendous opportunity for job seekers to become more knowledgeable about a profession or industry.  It is also one of the best ways to increase a network.  Asking salary information draws the focus of the conversation away from what potential contact knows and to what the job seeker wants which is a job and a desired salary.

How to Network Naturally

Blog: CareerTrend                                     Author: Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter

If only networking were under the guise of a different name. For many, just hearing the term, ‘networking’ creates stress. But what if you underwent a paradigm shift in your thinking and behavior, and learned to network more naturally–or, rather, what if you learned to netweave your way toward more meaningful relationships?

Why You Are Networking Wrong

Blog: A Better Interview.com                    Author: Marc DeBoer

There is a reason why you are networking wrong – it’s probably with the wrong people! Find out why.

Next Month

On April 18^th find the latest career expert advice at Career Sherpa.net hosted by Hannah Morgan.

If you have a career related post to share, everything you need to know is here:

• The Career Development Carnival 2013 Carnival
• Career Development Carnival Post Submissions

The post Career Development Carnival: March 2013 appeared first on Elephants at Work.

Asking a candidate or employee’s age is not illegal. However, it is illegal to use age as a criterion in hiring decisions, except in some limited pre-defined situations (i.e. police officers, firefighters or employment of minors).  It’s a fine line, but a clear distinction that is spelled out in the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) which prohibits employment discrimination against people 40 years of age or older in companies with 20 or more employees. The governing body, The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces the ADEA.

There are no protections for candidates or workers under the age of 40 unless the state you live in has enacted legislation with wider inclusion.

So why do employers need to ask about your date of birth (DOB)? To be honest, many companies do it because the applications have not been updated, it saves them time or the application also serves as a waiver to do a background check. The problem with asking for date of birth is that if someone challenges their hiring practices, the company has one more hurdle to prove why date of birth was not used in the criterion.

The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) outlines some best practices for companies that avoid the need for date of birth declarations early in the interviewing process. They include:

• Use a background check authorization form that is separate from the job application process. Keep this form separate from the hiring process and out of the hands of the decision makers and hiring managers.
• Limit date of birth requests to background checks only – if you use a third-party vendor, use their forms.
• Consider using vendors to request date of birth information using external channels – candidates use toll-free numbers or fax information directly to the vendor.
• Employers give preaddressed stamped envelopes for candidates to mail in their information to the vendor.
• Include the company’s stance on employment discrimination on the request for information.

Even though SHRM outlines the best practices for employment applications; the fact is most companies (unless they are large companies or companies with heavy compliance or legal staffs) do not follow these practices.

Bottom line, the greater arm’s length the employer has in asking a candidate’s age in the interviewing process, the easier it will be for them to defend against any claims of discrimination.

Consider if educating your potential new employer is good approach because it only highlights your sensitivity to the matter and probably will backfire. Companies who want to pay lower wages for a position hire inexperienced people and companies who value experience know that tenure comes with the package.

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