A must read for all my connections with children!
http://money.msn.com/careers-and-education/30-smart-career-moves-you-should-make-by-30-1
30 smart career moves you should make by 30
From networking to job hunting and then wowing your boss once you land the gig, here are some savvy moves experts recommend early in your career.
For many people, their twenties can be a rich time for personal self-discovery — a period when you’re more willing to take risks and maybe even make mistakes along the way.
But they can also be some of the most formative years for another important facet of life: your career.
When you graduate, you may have an idea of what you want to be when you “grow up,” but you may not have an idea of just how to get there. And while hindsight is 20/20, you don’t want to leave everything to chance — especially if it affects your future earning power.
So we tapped a plethora of career experts and coaches to get their opinions on the top dos — and don’ts — for the younger generation of career builders. From networking to job-hunting and then wowing your boss once you land the gig, here are 30 savvy moves you should make at each stage of your career before you hit 30.
Top networking moves for 20-somethings
1. Attend as many events as possible. “There’s an unstated expectation that you come to networking events to support people. As a result, there are many people who are more than willing to help perfect strangers find a job, exchange contacts or give meaningful advice,” says Michael Price, author of “What Next? The Millennial’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Real World.” “But the key is to meet those people face-to-face.” In other words, get off social media and start making real, human connections because no one can tell how charming you are over email.
2. Set networking goals. “Before attending any event, you should have a clear purpose of why you’re going,” says Ricardo Trigueiro, director of international marketing for image and brand development firm CHUVA group. “Is it to meet as many people as possible to build your contact list? Or is it to meet a particular person?” Then make sure to accomplish your goal before the event is over.
3. Order business cards. It may seem old school, but it’s still simpler to hand people a card as opposed to hovering over them as they input your info into a cell phone. Plus, you can’t hand your résumé to everyone you meet, but you can leave a card behind without seeming overbearing, adds Kathy Condon, author of “Face-to-Face Networking: It’s All About Communication.” Exchanging cards with an important contact will then allow you to follow up with a résumé later.
If you don’t have an existing business card, you can create a simple one for yourself that includes your name, address, phone number and email, along with links to any relevant business sites, like a LinkedIn account or a personal website that displays your work or portfolio. A stack of cards won’t cost much, either. Online print shops, like Vistaprint and Moo, offer options in the $10 to $25 range.
4. Use a contacts manager app. The new people you meet can easily get lost amid the hundreds of contacts you log into your email address book and various social networking accounts. But using apps like Rapportive or Connect6º PeopleDiscovery can help you note identifying details — e.g., the C.E.O. that loves Coldplay — to jog your memory, and give you something to chat about the next time you meet.
5. Craft the perfect reply to “What do you do?” It may sound like a no-brainer, but you want to tell someone about your job in a way that encourages conversation as opposed to shutting it down, says Trigueiro. If you’re Trigueiro, the obvious answer for what he does is: “I am an image consultant.” But he prefers something more like: “I help professionals enhance their visibility, image and performance in the workplace.” The latter is a better way to pique curiosity and open a dialogue.
6. Follow up — and mean it. “When you meet people, let them know how you plan to follow up, either by connecting on LinkedIn, emailing or calling about scheduling a lunch,” says Trigueiro, adding that you should then do what you promise in a timely manner. “Lack of follow-up is not good business.”
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Top job-hunting moves for 20-somethings
7. Delete eyebrow-raising online pics. Employers are likely to check out social media when researching prospective candidates, so your online presence on every account — whether that’s Twitter, Instagram or Facebook — should be professional, says Parker Geiger, C.E.O. of the CHUVA group. “That means no photos showing you drinking with friends on the beach or couple shots.”
If you can’t quite bring yourself to delete those old spring break albums, at least make sure your privacy settings are at their tightest. That said, once something is on the internet, there are no guarantees that those “It’s all in good fun” photos won’t surface somehow.
8. Create résumé “extensions.” “If you want to stand out from the competition, listing your extracurricular activities on a piece of paper is no longer enough,” Geiger says. For example, adding your Habitat for Humanity volunteer work to your résumé doesn’t bring the experience to life. Instead, post pictures of yourself working on the house on LinkedIn or brief videos of you working with other volunteers on YouTube. You can also add these as links within your résumé in Word, PDF format, or on a personal career website.
9. Play the job field. While it’s tempting to focus on one cool company you’re dying to get into, “be strategic and interview with numerous companies at the same time,” says Matt Mickiewicz, C.E.O. and co-founder of job-placement start-up Hired.
This also means not accepting the first offer that comes along. In fact, juggling numerous opportunities is the best way to make yourself more appealing to hiring managers. “Then you can be upfront about the fact that you have choices,” Mickiewicz says, “because once a company has made you an offer, the last thing it wants is to see you walk out the door.”
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Top interviewing moves for 20-somethings
10. Kill the receptionist with kindness. “That person probably has more pull in the office than you think,” says Rosalinda Randall, author of “Don’t Burp in the Boardroom: Your Guide to Handling Uncommonly Common Workplace Dilemmas.” Being rude to your future bosses’ gatekeepers might burn bridges — and your chances at getting the gig.
11. Come armed with questions. “The key to interviewing and landing a job is to interview the interviewer,” says Price. After all, you’re on as much of a fact-finding mission as they are, so gather as many clues about the company’s culture and job expectations as possible. “Strong questions also let the interviewer know how you think and how intellectual you are,” Price says. “Think of it as a game of mental chess. They may not admit it, but they secretly want you to stump them.”
12. Master the handshake. Here’s a hint: It shouldn’t be weak and clammy. “Do not underestimate the importance of a firm, dry, eyeball-to-eyeball handshake,” says Karen Elizaga, an executive coach and author of “Find Your Sweet Spot: A Guide to Personal and Professional Excellence.” “I hear from so many top executives that a less-than-stellar handshake makes them nuts.”
Top skill-building moves for 20-somethings
13. Sell something. Even if you never go into selling full-time, holding a sales position at some point in your career can teach you valuable life lessons. Kate McKeon, C.E.O. of Prepwise, a test-prep and career-coaching firm, even suggests trying out a commission-only job to get the full experience. “It’s brutal to get rejected over and over, but you’ll learn to persevere — and you’ll figure out how to be successful,” McKeon says.
Besides, whether or not you realize it, you’re actually selling all the time. “You have to sell yourself to companies to get jobs — and peers and bosses to earn their respect and promotions,” she says. “Selling is all around us.”
14. Take an improv class. “It can develop your ability to listen more carefully, build on the ideas of others, solve problems creatively and get comfortable with risk — and even failure,” says Milo Shapiro, author of “Public Speaking: Get A’s, Not Zzzzzz’s!” “My improv years did as much to help me with my corporate job as my college training,” Shapiro says.
15. Mind your (table) manners. “Many meetings take place over fine lunches and dinners, so it’s important to know the basics,” Elizaga says. Learn how to order graciously, which fork and knife to use, and bread plate etiquette. “Your comfort with the basics will ease nerves, as well as make you look polished,” she says. “If you don’t have these skills, it will stick out — and possibly be a negative in terms of interfacing with clients or employers.”
16. Learn basic HTML. Millennials get a lot of credit for being “digital natives,” but knowing merely how to browse the web, send email, use Twitter and upload videos doesn’t really mean much these days, says Aaron Black, assistant professor of management and business administration at Missouri Baptist University. “You don’t have to know how to write software or create a website from HTML, but you need to know enough to understand how programming works so you’re ahead of the curve.”
17. Get out of the country. Spending time abroad — even if it’s just personal travels — is good experience to have in an increasingly global economy. “When I speak to my 30-something friends, nearly all of them say they wish they had traveled before launching their professional careers,” says Chaz Pitts-Kyser, author of “Careeranista: The Woman’s Guide to Success After College.” “Through travel, you can gain an amazingly broad view of the world — and maybe even find new career opportunities.”
18. Adopt a cause you believe in. “[Volunteering] can help show trust and value to potential employers,” says Geiger, adding that it illustrates you care about something deeper than the daily grind. But don’t just team up with a nonprofit to meet people or because it looks good on your résumé. “Join one to help others first,” he says, “and make connections second.”
19. Be willing to invest in yourself. Your career is your biggest asset, so it will require some financial investment, says Eddy Ricci Jr., author of “The Growth Game: A Millennial’s Guide to Professional Development.” “Don’t be afraid to invest in a library of self-help career books, lunches and dinners with influential people, and ongoing courses to build a career bedrock.”
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