Four simple steps to refresh your job search for spring

Four simple steps to refresh your job search for springFour simple steps to refresh your job search for springSpring has finally arrived - but has your next job offer?If youve been slinging resumes for the past few months with no success, take these simple steps now to bring some of that spring cleaning spirit to refresh your job search. If you plant the seeds of growth now and tend to your job search diligently, the right offers will bloom for you soon.1. Clean up your calendarBefore we look outwards, start by cleaning house. Begin with your calendar how are you spending your time today, this week, this month? Does your calendar reflect your fruchtwein current and important goals? Are you setting aside time to focus on the work thats most critical to your long-term growth (like developing the skillset that will round out your resume) even if it doesnt come with a deadline or someone else holding you accountable? If not, where can you make adjustments to set the healthy boundaries y ou need to preserve your most precious resource?In addition to considering how your calendar reflects yourgoals, pay close attention to how it reflects your targetaudience.Are you looking to get a job in the government sector after years working for nonprofits? When and where are you building relationships with people in your target industry?Go through your calendar week-by-week to add networking events, conferences, and even casual meet-ups to your agenda. Traveling to make those a priority might even be well worth the expense sincejob search-focused travel expenses are tax deductible.2. Reconnect with VIPsRelationship-building is probably the best investment you can make in your job search. Back in 2013, TheNew York Timescovered a trend in hiring thats only increased since thenemployers are increasingly relying on internal referrals for hiring. That means that building relationships with staff members who currently work at the companies youd love to work for can be total game-chan gers for your job search. Make identifying and reaching out to these VIPs a top priority.Keep in mind - cultivating real relationships means being reciprocal. Dont only reach out when youre asking for help. Instead, consider sending along a timely article related to your contacts work or tip them off to events you think they might want to head to as well. Be a useful source of information to them and itll feel a lot easier asking your VIPs to do the same for you.3. Refresh your zugnglich presenceThat old adage of the tree falling in the forest applies to your job search, too. If youre doing great things with your career but no one knows about them - do they count?Make sure your online presence makes clear what your value proposition is to your dream employer. Go ahead and Google yourself Think about what your search results would look like to an HR manager at one of your target companies. How would you help their team? How would your skills and experiences add value?If your skills , experiences, and achievements arent clearly communicated online, you must learn to boast like a babo. Bragging online has never been easier, but make sure you proceed with tact. Use LinkedIn, Google+ (which disproportionately impacts your Google search results), and other social networks that make the most sense for your field to document your achievements over time. Intersperse your self-promotional updates with resources and information youre sharing for the benefit of others, and be sure to share news directly related to your field to show that youre staying current.4. Make coffee meetings countSo youve been searching for months and diligently growing your network along the way. But are you putting that networkto workfor your job search? Its time tomake those coffee meetings countby making a clear ask for the support of your colleagues and friends.Ask for an email introduction to their hiring manager.Ask for them to drop your resume off on their bosss desk for you.Ask them to l et you know of the next industry event or conference theyre heading to.Ask for them to make a phone call to the hiring manager vouching for you if youve already applied.Do not hesitate to follow up. Make it easy for people to help you by writing the email introducing youforthem. Keep your closest colleagues up-to-date on your job search progress on the regular and of course, thank them for continuing to keep their ears to the ground for you.Emilie Ariesis the Founder CEO of Bossed Up and the co-host of Stuff Mom Never Told You, the fiercely feminist podcast by HowStuffWorks.This column originally appeared on BossedUp.org.

How to Succeed at Work Without Kissing Up

How to Succeed at Work Without Kissing Up How to Succeed at Work Without Kissing Up That promotion you were hoping for just went to the guy in the department next to yours. He is nowhere near as qualified as you are, and youre pretty surehis I.Q. places him just below the plant you have sitting on your shelf on the office intelligence scale.How could this have happened?No, wait you know exactly how it happened.Marvin is the best suck-up on the fourth floor. Hes made pandering to the boss an art form. There are rumors hes contemplating teaching Kiss Up 101 at the local community college.You push the pile of reports you should be doing late into the night into your brief case. They can wait. Youre dealing with a larger question Why stay here if youre not willing to play the game required to move ahead?If youre feeling, or have in the past felt, these emotions, youre not alone. amtsstube and company politics didnt just start. They have been going on for years, and probably have been around since well before the Industrial Revolution. As long as workplace politics remain relevant, the sycophants, toadies, and suck-ups will have a home.A little context might help you formulate a plan on what to do and how to do itSuck-ups can only thrive when there are leaderswho act as hosts. Like the suckerfish that attaches to a shark and remains connected for the rest of its life, so too do the human equivalents depend on a carrier for passage.Enlightened leaders spot suck-ups from a mile away. They know the tendencies, and they know the behaviors.Those who thrive in their careers recognize that attaching their lifeline to a single source is a long-term recipe for disaster. The management team changes, the company restructures, and the parasite dwindles away and dies.Okay,that makes some sense but the real question is, How do I succeed without becoming a suckerfish myself?Below are six things you can do to greatly increase your chances of career success. No suck-up can beat t hem.1. Build a Proven Record of PerformanceSuccess begets success. All the media and backroom maneuvering in the worldcant overcome results.2. Build Quality Relationships With the Real Influencers in Your CompanyNo, not the superficial and self-serving kind of relationships, but the meaningful, collaborative kind. Successful employees understand the power of positive networking. Expand on these relationships every day.3. Stay Above the Political Fray as Best You CanThis doesnt mean you become the career equivalent of Switzerland. An apolitical position is in and of itself a political position. Rather, this simply means that emotions and pettiness can reign supreme on the job site. Professionalism often doesnt.4. Find a MentorOne who is respected, knowledgeable, and can offer perspective on how your business works. Their value is greater than gold.5. Treat Everyone You Meet With Dignity and RespectEveryone. If you want to spot a classic suck-up, watch how they act around the teambe rater versus the guy who vacuums the hallway. The very best work under a simple code Every person I meet I treat as an equal, not a superior or inferior.6. Accept the Imperfection of the World Around YouThe worldwill never be completely fair. It will never be a meritocracy. Lose that idealistic view. Move on with your life. Focus on what you can control, rather than on the eccentricities of others.Is it possible to succeed without becoming a suck-up at work? Of course it is. Building a truly significant career demands a lot more than learning how to grovel it demands learning how to lead. Great companies know that.Can you change Marvin from the fourth floor? No but then again, without the Marvins of the world, truly transformative employees would never be noticed or admired.Tim Cole is the founder and CEO of The Compass Alliance. His book, The Compass Solution A Guide to Winning Your Career, is an Amazon best-seller.

Number of Americans saving more toward retirement climbs

Number of Americans saving mora toward retirement climbsNumber of Americans saving more toward retirement climbsPrior Bankrate research found that 8% of Americans never plan to retire and 61% dont know how much money theyll need, more recent data from the site shows that 6% of Americans didnt save for retirement last year or this year.SSRS surveyed 2,011 Americans for Bankrate.How much money people are saving for their Golden YearsSaving more 28%Saving less 13%Saving about the same amount 48%Did elend contribute this year or last year 6%Dont know/refused 6%You might not think that the 28% of people who were found to be saving more in 2018 is very significant since a staggering 48% of people say theyre still saving as much money for retirement this year as they were last year. But Bankrate highlighted the point that 2018 marks the highest percentage of people increasing their retirement savings (28%) since the question was first posed for their research in 2011.The company elaborated, further notingthat this is the fourth consecutive year that more Americans have boosted retirement savings, up from 23 percent in 2017 21 percent in 2016 19 percent in 2015 and 18 percent in 2013. (The question wasnt surveyed in 2014.).Why people are putting less cash away for retirementThis is why people say that they havent started putting away more cash for their Golden Years in 2018 compared to in 2017.Income hasnt changed or has decreased 26%Comfortable with retirement savings 21%Focusing on another financial priority 16%Rising household expenses 12%Havent gotten around to it 11%Dont know/refused 10%Unexpected financial emergency 5%