You must first understand that on Pinterest people are attracted to the visual appeal of what’s presented on the boards. Those in creative careers can benefit the most by attracting people to hire you through your Pinterest portfolio. Some such careers are graphic designers, architects, bakers, culinary experts, designers, photography, arts and the likes. But there is no limit for the creative!

Pinterest might come in really handy as a job search tool for those who have acquired degrees through online programs, where you did not get the opportunity to get placements through on campus career centers. Some applicants are using Pinterest to their advantage after graduation with a degree in Arts from the South University online programs.

1. Go Creative with your Portfolio on Pinterest

Create a board on your Pinterest account as a portfolio. The visual nature of the site is very effective at grabbing the readers attention and showcasing your talents. You can post a photo directly to Pinterest or link to your website or blog for more information. If you do not have a photo of your work, search the Internet for a royalty-free image to use. You can include previous work, degrees, previous jobs, special classes, hobbies and awards as necessary. The idea here is to be creative; you cannot expect people coming to Pinterest to read pages of text. You can also add a video on this board. Use different pins to show your work around. An investment in a good camera would help you tremendously.

Pinterest can be of huge help to someone working from home and looking for a contract job. I know of an acquaintance who has recently set up her Pinterest boards with the pictures of hundreds of creative cakes she has made over the last few years. She made sure that she added her portfolio board which directs users to her website and they can contact her for orders. With thousands of women on Pinterest I can only imagine her business going north with this new social media channel!

Just remember: If you use Pinterest professionally, keep all of your pins and boards professional in case a prospective employer looks at your profile.

2. Look up Company Boards

Many businesses use Pinterest to market their products and services. Look up a company’s boards to see what they post before you submit your application. Read comments and descriptions to get an idea about the tone of the company. Are they formal or casual? What do their pins tell you about the company’s priorities and culture? Keep these in mind when creating your resume and application. You can also get a good understanding of the company culture before you apply.

3. Find Career Resources

Search for and follow career experts. They often post advice from resumes to the interview to help you with your career search. These career experts also can offer the much needed motivation during the job search.

Pinterest may not be the obvious social network choice for all types of career option, but it has potential in your search. Use it to learn about a company before applying, find valuable advice from colleges or career experts or just keep yourself inspired. Some graduates from an Atlanta, GA college have used Pinterest for their job search and helped them find the creative career of their choice.

Have you use /using Pinterest for #jobsearch? How did it work for you? 

The following list expands on these pros and cons of working for a charity:

1 – Add Value to your Resume

Getting voluntary or paid charity work means that you are able to demonstrate a range of skills to other employers. Charity work shows a deep level of commitment to a good cause, while also demonstrating a willingness to provide support on a voluntary basis. Experience of organising others as part of a charity team can also help you to develop transferable skills for other jobs.

2 – Getting New Experiences

Charity work can expose you to a number of new experiences. Local charity jobs can give you a much greater insight into the needs of people in your area, while working for a larger charity can lead to international postings and experiences.

3 – Giving Back to the Community

Working for a charity, and particularly a local one, is one of the best ways in which you can give something back to your community. Work might include helping out as part of a voluntary shelter, assisting in hospitals, or helping to coordinate a local fundraising drive for an established charitable organisation.

4 – Stability

Charity work can lead to long term job stability and security. Non profits that provide salaries are less likely to go under, and are more likely to be risk averse in terms of expanding as an organisation.

5 – Rewards

Long term commitment to a charity can mean that you receive employment benefits and security. This security might include everything from pensions to generous annual leave, and special allowances.

DISADVANTAGES

By contrast, there are disadvantages to working for a charity that should be taken into consideration by anyone wishing to change careers.

6 – Difficult to Meet Targets

Charity work can be frustrating due to the difficulty of creating and meeting realistic targets. Unlike other businesses, charity work might involve short bursts of activity and a lot of planning. In this way, it can be difficult to organize your time across the year.

7 – High Stress

Any job that involves a lot of direct fundraising, often on small resources, is going to be stressful. This stress is only magnified by working as part of a small team, or as part of a charity where you might be expected to take on a lot of different roles.

8 – Time Consuming

Charity work takes up a lot of time, which can be difficult even if the work is rewarding. You may find that you struggle to create a work and life balance, and might feel that you are neglecting your friends and family.

9 – Transition from Voluntary to Paid Work

The transition from voluntary to paid work can be difficult depending on a charity, with places and positions often limited. You may need to build up a lot of experience, or just be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

10 – Public Cuts

The experience of working for a charity can be made particularly stressful by public funding cuts for local services. The pressure that shifts to charities to provide support rises as public services are reduced, which can stretch already tight resources.

About the guest post author:

Patrick Hegarty is a freelance writer with a passion for advising people about getting charity jobs.

If your family member or friend is in the job search phase, here are some ways you can help them out:

1. Know first, offer thereafter

Ask the right questions first – What areas of your job search do you think I can help you with? Or to offer help tell them what you are good at. For example, I know a career coach who helps job seekers accelerate their job search – I would be glad to recommend her if you wish to. I can also offer to help you with your interview preparation since I have conducted a few interviews at my workplace and can offer you some feedback. You friend might need some help with the kids while he she is out for interviews, let her know if you can be available or can take time off to help her out if she lets you know well in time.

2. Your skill set might help here

You might be well aware that it is very important to have a strong online presence for max visibility during job search. If the job seeker has less experience on the internet and social media front, offer help by informing them on the available tools like LinkedIn, Twitter and finding the right job search boards. If you are on LinkedIn perhaps you know someone in the field your friend is searching for jobs currently, you can help him/her by connecting to the right contact for an informational interview. The point is to probe them to find out what means and tools they are using in their current job search and what other ways they can try.

3. Household, kids, chores support

Since the job seeker might be busy in updating skills, taking courses, applying for jobs and all, you can help by searching for the job support groups or meet-ups in his/her area that can help them either through some vocational guidance support or career counselors who offer free services at the career centers.

4. Take a break to recharge

The stress of job search can be overwhelming and at times, the job seeker just needs to vent out or get if off his/her head. If you see exhaustion or breakdown signs, just ask them out for a day – a nice break can recharge and get them back on track faster than any other help! Appreciation, laughter, support, hugs, are all no-cost feel-gooders – give what you can and you’ll get the same back too!

5. Health matters

If you have tried all of the above ways or perhaps none of the above seems appropriate in such a situation, just gift them something that will help them along. A gym membership, a yoga class or some continued exercising fun activities can help instill positive reaffirmations and is a natural way to stay healthy and motivated to endure the job search marathon.

Have you helped a job seeker in some way? What did you do to ease their jobsearch process?

About 20 years ago, Ryan White, a young teenager of 13 years was diagnosed with HIV. He contracted HIV, not because he was a frivolous individual. Instead, he was born with a genetic disorder called haemophilia, which required him to go through frequent blood transfusions – and one of the needles the hospital used was contaminated.

But despite the fact that Ryan was of no danger to other children (his doctors said so), his school decided it would be safer to expel him. After a lengthy court battle the judge sided with Ryan. His woes, however, did not end there. People around his community still shunned him.

What the court battle did, however, was catapult him into fame. Soon people around the world were moved by his ordeal and celebrities like Elton John and Michael Jackson began working with him to promote AIDs awareness.

When Ryan died 6 years later, the US congress passed the Ryan White Care Act that made what many did to him when was alive, illegal.

Now, of course, Ryan wasn’t the first person to contract AIDs, nor was he the first child to suffer from it. In fact, literally millions were suffering from AIDs when his story broke. So why did HIS story got the attention and get people to act, but not the millions?

Well, one theory is the “identifiable victim effect”.

The identifiable victim effect is a psychological bias in which we care more for one person than the mass. Ryan’s story is but one example. The reason the identifiable victim effect is so powerful is because we are all neurologically hardwired to care for others.

Yet every time I read something that has to do with career, gurus squawk about “keep it strictly on business”
and “nobody wants to know about your personal life”. So what most interviewees do is focus on their professional achievements and never bothered with building relationships.

So you want to stand out of the crowd like a flower in a sea of grass? Make it personal! When it’s personal, people care.

Here are four simple relationship building tactics to try out:

#1. Conduct your research.

Do you have something in common? Trust me, if you start the interview by briefly mentioning a subject the interviewer is passionate about, you’ll score big points!

#2. Get to know your interviewer before you step into the meeting.

You probably already know that 60% to 80% of all jobs are filled before they are even listed. How are these jobs filled? Because the employers knows someone who is up for it. And you want to be that guy!

Some of the most successful people I know spend at least 2 hours a week meeting strangers. But they don’t do it randomly. They’ve identified the companies they want to work with and they contacted the people already working there (usually via LinkedIn).

So when they step into the interview, the people interviewing them are people they already know. Guess who wins the job?

#3. Slip in a little personal information in your interview.

For example, you can tell the interviewer why you choose to do what you do. Did your mother inspire you to be a nurse? Did you witness an injustice that drove you to be cop? Do you just love numbers so much you decided to be an accountant at 8 years old?

These stories tell the interviewers more about your strengths, weaknesses and characteristics better than any of your claims can achieve.

#4. Don’t be afraid to show your appreciation.

A friend of mine sent a handwritten thank-you note to an interviewer, who later told her that because of that thank-you note, she jumped from a just-another-candidate to a potential hire.

Why? Because my friend interviewed for a business development role and that’s exactly the kind of initiative the interviewer is looking for. No amount of claims can replace that one act to prove herself.

Not only that, there’s actually a deeper reason to do this: reciprocity. One study found that fundraisers who give something small – like a rubber bracelet – BEFORE asking for a donation, multiplies the funds they ultimately get, even if some people who take the bracelet simply walked away. The reason is because most people feel obligated to reciprocate.

This is why thank you notes are such a powerful motivator. Deliver value first, and you will boost your chances of getting considered.

About the Guest Author:

Andrianes Pinantoan is part of the team behind Open Colleges, a leading alternative TAFE courses provider in Australia. When not working, he can be found on his personal blog, Journey To Earth.

You have also done your research and preparation on showcasing your strengths at your past jobs, perused the company’s website to learn as much as possible about your potential employer, and practiced making eye contact while dressed in your nicest business attire.

In short, you are as ready for your interview as you ever could be.

But when you walk into the office at the time of your interview, you realize that there will be nothing traditional about this process and that your preparation was for naught. Instead of sitting you down and asking standard interview questions, the hiring manager asks, “Why don’t we act out some scenarios?” or “Tell me about your childhood” or “If you were stranded on a deserted island at sea, how would you prove that March is the best month ever?”

While the questions and the requests may fall all over the place, there’s no doubt that you’re in for a highly unconventional interview.

With workforces trim and unemployment high these days, companies have found themselves increasingly turning to the unconventional interview method as a means of differentiating between candidates who are otherwise equally qualified. The unconventional usually attempts to judge an applicant’s character and creativity more so than his/her knowledge or experience.

So what should you do when faced with an unconventional interview? What strategies should you employ now that all your well-laid interview plans have gone out the window?

Here are a few tips:

Focus on personality

As aforementioned, an employer that chooses to take an unconventional interview approach has probably already determined that you are qualified on paper for the job. He is simply looking at this point for signs that you posses the right personality traits for the work – traits that usually include flexibility, empathy, creativity, fast-thinking, and modesty.

Focus more on delivering these traits than on highlighting something positive from your resume. Ultimately, it’s better to be personable than to explicitly focus on skills you gained in past accounting jobs.

Don’t look for the “right” answer

If an employer asks you to act out scenarios or accompany him and the other applicants for a casual lunch, you are probably expected to conduct yourself in a modest and thoughtful manner. But, for the most part, unconventional interviews don’t have set right or wrong answers.

Getting hung up on delivering “what the interview wants” may stifle your creativity and make you come across as a less appealing candidate.

Stay calm

While it is certainly stressful to walk into an interview and hear questions that you’ve never heard before, always remember that there is no reason to be any more concerned or nervous than you were before. In fact, unconventional interviews are often more casual and less intimidating than traditional ones, so long as you are willing to think off the top of your head without fear of being wrong.

Employers will also view more relaxed applicants favorably in the unconventional interview setting.

These are a few of the main tips to keep in mind when entering an unconventional interview. While the strangeness of the situation and your lack of direct preparation may cause you some alarm, try to enjoy the uniqueness of the experience and embrace the creativity afforded to you. If you do, you’ll likely perform just fine.

For female job seekers who have been out of the paid workforce for a period of time –  yet have been performing valuable, non-paid work — this special day may cause confusion. Despite the gains women have achieved in the world of work, many employers reject valuable volunteer and extra-curricular activities that impart women’s diverse, multi-dimensional backgrounds.

Ford R. Myers, Career Coach, Speaker and Author of “Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring,” (John Wiley & Sons, http://www.getthejobbook.com) encourages job seekers to “think outside the box” and draw on a variety of past experiences, in both paid and non-paid positions, when applying for new employment.  These “transferable skills,” acquired during any activity – volunteer positions, classes, projects, parenting, hobbies, sports – can be applicable to one’s next job.  By adding transferable skills to a resume, employers get a better understanding and broader picture of whom they are hiring – as well as the interests, values and experiences that the candidate brings to the table.

Myers uses the example of an attorney who does not wish to continue practicing law. “Attorneys perform research, write briefs, do counseling, and develop new business ideas with clients – skills that can be used in a variety of work settings, not just the law.”

Myers notes that transferable skills can be divided into five broad skill areas:

1.  Communication: 

writes clearly and concisely, speaks effectively, listens attentively, openly expresses ideas, negotiates/resolves differences, leads group discussions, provides feedback, persuades others, provides well-thought out solutions, gathers appropriate information, confidently speaks in public

2.  Interpersonal Skills: 

works well with others, sensitive, supportive, motivates others, shares credit, counsels, cooperates, delegates effectively, represents others, understands feelings, self-confident, accepts responsibility

3.  Research and Planning: 

forecasts/predicts, creates ideas, identifies problems, meets goals, identifies resources, gathers information, solves problems, defines needs, analyzes issues, develops strategies, assesses situations

4.  Organizational Skills: 

handles details, coordinates tasks, punctual, manages projects effectively, meets deadlines, sets goals, keeps control over budget, plans and arranges activities, multi-tasks

5.  Management Skills: 

leads groups, teaches/trains/instructs, counsels/coaches, manages conflict, delegates responsibility, makes decisions, directs others, implements decisions, enforces policies, takes charge

“My hope is that this International Women’s Day will encourage female job seekers to really think about the professional skills they’ve developed in all the facets of their lives, not just from years of on-the-job experience,” adds Myers.

Reprinted by permission of Ford R. Myers, a nationally-known Career Coach and author of “Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring.” Download your free bonuses now at http://www.careerbookbonuses.com.

For more information and other useful tips for achieving career success, visit http://www.getthejobbook.com .

Please note that this post is mostly relating to job seekers that are looking for marketing jobs.

Prove it!

It is really important that you include your language proficiencies on your CV and most us you have done this already. What many job seekers forget is that it seems a lot more credible when you have an actual certificate in the language you speak. When I went on a job interview I was being tested afterwards because the lady who interviewed me was German, and asked me ad hoc in German “So we can speak in German now as well”? I was able to respond quickly, but it did come sudden and it was clearly a test. In order to avoid these uncomfortable situations, I would highly recommend you to consider English exams because it simply creates more credibility.

Show it!

You need to show your language abilities everywhere on the internet, because after all, it is all about promoting yourself and your online brand. This means that you not only have to include it on your LinkedIn profile, but also on your Twitter and Facebook account. For Twitter it is especially important because through this, you will create more followers as you are tweeting in several languages. This will, in turn, give a good impression and shows that you are putting an effort into your social media usage.

Besides this, it would also be recommendable to start a blog in the different languages you speak. Not only will it get your name out there which again, is positive for your reputation as a job seeker, but you can also enhance your en maintain your level of proficiency in that particular language.

Say it!

Video blogging has become very popular and I therefore would strongly suggest you to start this if you are thinking of setting up a blog. I mentioned earlier that you need prove of your language abilities, making videos would obviously be the ultimate prove. It has also been said that by the use of video’s you attract more visitors to your blog, which in turn would increase your popularity and makes you an attractive candidate from a recruiters perspective.

Network!

The last point that I would like to share with you, and I believe this could significantly help you, is guest blogging. Guest blogging allows you to really get your name out there but most importantly, it allows you to expand your network. I would start looking for sites, preferably company sites that allow guest posts, and create a relationship with them. This will naturally increase the number of connections you have on your LinkedIn account and if you amend your settings to allow the public to see your connections, recruiters can view your connections too. If you have an established network behind you, i.e. someone with over 200 connections, you would be more attractive as opposed to having less than 100 connections.

I hope that these tips have been helpful for those who are seeking marketing jobs and speak more than one language.

About the Guest Author:

Susanna Cha is a recent MSc International student and is writing on behalf of Pearson PTE English test, English exams and Tier 4 student visas. 

77% of job seekers are using mobile job apps ~ @payscale

Since most of you are already well connected – online – searching for the right advice can be a huge time-consuming process. To use your time optimally it is to your advantage to know which job search websites offer the best job search assistance. Here’s a list which genuinely takes you step by step from the prep and launch of your job search to the ‘high-fives’ and ‘now-what’ stage:

Step 1: Job Search Preparation – Includes Resume Writing, Cover Letter Tips

Monster.com – is a well known job board but over the years it has done a great job in adding valuable job search tips/articles which help new grads to retirees re-entering the workforce. Use this website to write/re-write your resume, look up some cool cover letter samples and other job search relevant tips specifically for the new grads.

Though there are resume-writing apps, but it would be best to prepare a custom resume and cover letter for every job you apply (hard when you think about it but better results for sure).

Step 2: Research Companies and People to add to your Network

LinkedIn – If you are not on LinkedIn then it’s the right time to be on it. Employers and recruiters today are scanning the LinkedIn profiles even more than before short-listing the candidate list. You can also use LinkedIn to prepare your resume, find recent and relevant job openings, and of course network with ease.

Lindsey Pollak Blog – Being on LinkedIn would not mean much if you don’t know how to present yourself as the most suitable candidate. Can your profile attract CEOs, recruiters or hiring managers? Lindsey Pollak’s blog offers loads of valuable info on how to manage your LinkedIn profile. As Lindsey says: “LinkedIn doesn’t work unless you work it.” Lindsey is a career & workplace Expert, a LinkedIn spokesperson and offers regular advice to the new grads on her blog.

Step 3: Get the Essential Valuable Job Search Advice

Beyond.com Jobs and Career App – Access valuable career articles and videos for advice related to your job interests from this app for iPhone/iPad. Loaded with informative tips and a built in GPS to find jobs near you! Very helpful app which you must browse through in your spare time.

Step 4: Find Relevant Jobs and Apply Online

SimplyHired – You can go to 10 different job boards or just go to one and get the aggregate job openings data at one place. SimplyHired’s alerts will get the freshest jobs online in your inbox in a matter of an hour of less these being advertised online. Getting out there first matters and that’s what they are simply good at.

Step 5: Interview Preparation and After

Jobsearch.about.com – Hundreds of websites on interview preparation are out there, but with thousands and more pages of info on just interview, it’s hard to beat Jobsearch.about.com. Alison Doyle has been helping many job seekers for years now and some advice which is relevant for any job seeker in any generation is as much valid for a new grad. The only downside is that you the hundreds of links on one page itself – it’s easy to get lost – or spend hours just soaking in the valuable advice. Worth every minute of your time if you want to be a pro at your next interview. There’s this one webpage – Interviewquest – which is a treasure chest for interview preparation.

Interview App for iPhone / iPad – Monster.com Interviews by Monster Worldwide offers this app to ace any job interview. You can use this app to prepare, access expert advice, and follow-up with a complete post-interview guide.

Step 6: Post Job Offer Negotiations

Texas A&M Univ Career Services – Though you’ll find many websites which offer salary negotiation steps and tips, but this website offers some very apt advice for the recent grads; you’ll find various links on this webpage which guide you appropriately on what to do before and after the job offer.

RileyGuide.com – This is one other website with awesome information on negotiation tips, the topic demands more in-depth research and practice too – not an easy topic so the best is to take-in such informative tips from such valuable resources.

Some other cool job search apps that are engaging and helpful in your job search:

• BeKnown - Professional networking app on Facebook
• BranchOut - Professional networking on Facebook, browse jobs and internships
• BraveNewTalent - Develop your talent, skills, follow your future employer and more.

Question: What other websites or apps have worked for you?

Try these techniques and habit-changers out before your next job interview:

Get into shape:

Working out and getting fit as a result is a great way to boost your confidence. The results, when it comes to being interviewed, are obvious: the better you feel about your health and appearance, the more likely you are to perform well. In addition, employers tend to find candidates who appear to be in shape to be more attractive as members of the workforce.

Few deep breathing exercises before you step in the building will do you good – it helps in pumping in more oxygen the brain and relaxes muscle tension. If you’re in good shape you’ll naturally feel good about yourself and that’s a big deal in displaying confidence!

Avoid caffeine:

Consuming caffeine leads to increased heart rate, which in turn leads to increased anxiety and poor decision-making skills. Skip coffee and other sources of caffeine prior to an interview. If you can’t go without caffeine without getting a splitting headache, then reduce your caffeine intake slowly over time in order to prevent it having an impact on your performance during an interview.

You can take along some healthy juice or drink that you can have in-between interviews that day – in case you are required to interview or meet with a couple of teams spanning a few hours.

Eat light:

You definitely want something in your stomach prior to your interview, or else the subconscious concern for food will affect your performance. But at the same time, you want to avoid stuffing yourself full, which will cause you to become sluggish. A light meal an hour or so before your interview will give you the energy you need without compromising your effectiveness at responding to the questions of a potential employer.

Read the news:

While you wait for your interview, focus on news and other unrelated information. News in particular has a way of putting your interview in perspective. After reading about armed conflict and natural disasters, your “high stakes” interview won’t seem like such an unconquerable feat anymore. Browse through the magazines in the waiting area, it also gives a good perspective on what subscriptions appeals to the management there. What’s important here is that it just gets your nerves more relaxed – focusing on something else other that what you’ve been stressing about in the last few hours helps in easing the tension.

Interview often:

This is really the only way you can ever expect to naturally improve your interviewing skills. The more interviews you experience, the better prepared you’ll be for the next one, and ultimately the better you’ll perform. Follow every lead through to the end. Either you’ll find the job you’re looking for, or gain much-needed experience. Either way it’s a win-win.

Avoid focusing on interview tips that instruct you on how to behave and think. The result will surely be too much time spent thinking about answering questions effectively, instead of simply effectively answering the questions themselves. Commit to the aforementioned in order to be as natural as possible during the interview process. You’ll discover that being yourself goes quite a long way.

And, in spite or because of these things, it can also be a huge drag.

Let’s face it: sometimes networking is no fun. And, doing the “grip and grin” when you’re not in the mood can have a counterproductive effect. So, how do you get out and do it, and do it right, even when you’d rather just blow the whole thing off?

These three tips should help get you in motion even when the couch is singing its most seductive siren song.

1. RSVP

Many conferences and meetings are announced and coordinated via electronic services like Eventbrite or some other scheduling method, and committing to the RSVP list is a great way to stay in the game.

Professionals keep their appointments and sending an RSVP to an event, especially when other prospective attendees can see who has registered, is a great way to instill a little automatic incentive in a networking plan.

It’s true that this may not change your mood about attending, but that’s where #2 comes in …

2. Focus on Fun

Sometimes the thought of being professional can get in the way of having fun, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Networking events are typically geared to facilitate interaction, which usually means food, drink and activities are available to help keep the social gears well-oiled.

The recommendation here is to stay engaged. Eat the food, drink the drinks and enjoy it! Let go of the “too cool for school” persona and play the little get-to-know-you games. It’s a great way to inject a little fun into the event and will show people you have charisma.

Studies show time and again that confidence and social savvy gets more deals inked than being smart, and regardless of the rightness of that fact it is more often the one who participates who reaps the rewards.

3. Buddy Up

There are (usually) no rules stating who can attend what networking event, and people can take advantage of that fact by inviting a friend or even a date along for the ride. Of course, it will help if that friend is also interested in the networking community at hand, but even if not it can still make a positive difference.

Having someone else there to share the moment can provide a sounding board for better communication, a foil for added humor or a buffer to help avoid unwanted contact. A good wingman (or wingwoman) can enrich the networking experience by keeping you more engaged and upbeat, especially when conference doldrums set in.

So, remember …

Sign up early, keep fun in mind and invite a friend, and there’s no doubt you’ll get more out of networking more often. Who knows? You may even start to like it.

About the guest author James Madeiros:

James Madeiros writes for Criminal Justice Degree Schools, a career site providing information on how to earn a paralegal degree or criminal justice degree and insights into careers from blood spatter analyst to FBI agent.