Job Hunting Tips – Career Advice – Ask a Wharton MBA

Many job seekers are considering doing contract work as an alternative to full time employment.  It sometimes give us more flexibility and an ability to continue working that full time employment may not allow.  When you do transition from full time employment to contract work, you will be paid by the hour instead of a salary.  Therefore it's important to know how to convert salary to an hourly rate in order to know what should ask for in a contract situation. This podcast is an one-on-one coaching session to discuss two topics How to negotiate your contract hourly rate (if you are currently a full time employee transitioning to contract work).  This is not simply dividing your salary by 2000 hours. How to negotiate your vacation time when you are contracting - given contracting usually doesn't pay for vacation time.  In this person case, she doesn't want to get paid for vacation but she does have vacation planned soon after she would start this contract. She just want coaching on how to make sure she can still take her vacation. Podcast: How to Negotiate Contract Rate and Vacation Time Best wishes in your negotiations.  For additional job hunting tips, subscribe to my podcast on iTunes under Job Hunting Tips or Lei Han. I am always in your corner Lei

In any job search, it is your job to sell your skills and convince prospective employers that you are the best fit for a job opening.   Being able to sell you skills in any job search situation is important.  It is even more critical to master this skills if you are trying to do a career change - move into a new industry or functional role. This podcast is a live coaching discussion with a job seeker who is trying to make a career change.   While I helped her with her specific situation, the podcast goes into detail about the process of how to sell your skills into any new industry or role.  This includes How to read the job opening description and understand what the employer is looking for - identify 6 skills they are look for. How to tailor your resume and cover letter to best convey your qualification for this role - build your resume and cover letter around which of the six skills you identify in their description you have.  How to think about your skills in a new way in a new role - dare to market yourself boldly without lying How to prepare for your interview and address difficult questions confidently - If you don't believe you are qualified deep down, the prospective employer won't either.  So make sure you can sell your skills to yourself first. To see a specific example of how this process works, download the job opening (ProjectManagerRole) we discussed during this call so you can follow how I used this process to help her apply for a Project Manager role. Podcast - How to Sell Your Skills Into a New Industry or Role You can also find this podcast on iTunes - Just search in Podcast under Lei Han or Job Hunting Tips.  Good luck in your job search. Like this podcast?  Then help me out and share it on Google+, Linkedin, Twitter, and elsewhere. Your comment:  Did the process I described help you rethink how you write your resume and cover letter?  Share your comments below.  I am always in your corner.  

As the job market remains tough, college graduates continue to face an uphill battle in finding a good job.  This podcast is a 15 minute coaching call between a recent college graduate and I.  The topic is how to maximize your chances in finding a good job after college. To read more tips, also refer to my other post - Can't Find a Job after College - 6 Ideas. Podcast: How to Maximize Your Job Search Chances After College Your comments:  was this podcast helpful?  any outstanding questions? Like this podcast?  then help me out and share it on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and elsewhere.  Thanks.  Subscribe to my podcast channel on iTunes - under Job Hunting Tips or Lei Han I am always in your corner. Lei

To succeed like an executive, you not only need to know how to excel at your current job, but also need to know when it's time to leave and how to best find your next job.   Most people has at least 8 to 10 jobs in their lifetime.  Don't wait until you know you want to leave a job to start job search.  It's important to network early and often while still at work in order to find a great next job. Networking job search is not easy.  You need to be resourceful about who to network with, how to cold call, and how to uncover job opportunities even when the company has no official openings.    However the effort is worth it.  If you can discover job openings before it hits the open market, you would have significant advantage in getting an interview and possibly the job. So how can you network with companies even when they don't have any official job openings?  Listen to this podcast which is an one-on-one coaching discussion on this exact topic.  You will find answers to the following questions How to identify companies to network with? How to approach companies to introduce yourself?  should you email, call, set up an info interview etc..? How networking this way benefits you and the companies you approach? How networking can help you find a job long term? Podcast: How to Network for a Job ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your comments: Was this  podcast helpful?  Can you suggest other ways to network for a job?  Add your comments below and let's have a discussion. I am always in your corner. Lei

Good management is hard to find and recognize. Here is a 10 minutes one-on-one coaching discussion I had with a job seeker on how to best recognize whether a company has good management while she is interviewing with the company. She has 10+ years of experience and so far has had mixed experiences with good and bad management in the last 4 jobs she held. Podcast  - How to Recognize Good Management During Job Search Your comments:  was this podcast helpful? Like this podcast?  then help me out and share it on twitter, facebook, linkedin, Google+ and elsewhere.  Thanks.  Subscribe to my podcast channel on iTunes - under Job Hunting Tips or Lei Han I am always in your corner. Lei