39 Most Popular Facebook Pages In The World for Job Search

Learn where so many job seekers are going on Facebook for leads, job search tips, company research and more.

How to use this list

• Each row shows how many fans that page has right now, and mentions which language is used regularly on that page besides English.
• A country flag means that page is for people in that country only while the globe icon () means a page with international scope e.g. job listings for multiple countries.

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On to the list…

1.		Jobs in Indonesia – 179,168 fans, English/Indonesian – official page of the large jobindo.com job board in Indonesia, it’s just a lot of job listings. There’s only a little bit of English used in the job descriptions here but this page was too popular not to include in the list.
2.		CareerBuilder - 90,527 fans – the main Facebook page for CareerBuilder (CB), this corporate page is mainly used to publicize articles from their (good) The Work Buzz blog and to announce CB-sponsored and CB-hosted events. Funny- under their Boxes tab, CB claims to have the “largest job search employment & careers page”. Oops.
3.		Ernst & Young Careers – 41,341 fans – official page for Ernst & Young, there’s a lot of information about the company for targeting purposes. Not much of an attempt to build a community, as the few moderator responses mostly just point people to their website’s job listings.
4.		Petroleum and Petrochemical Jobs – 32,663 fans – job listings in Indonesia for the oil & gas industry.
5.		CareerBuilder Healthcare Jobs – 28,861 fans – Unlike the main CareerBuilder page above, this one seems to have been created with the idea ‘if you build it, they will come’ but aside from links to its sites and a few job postings on the Wall, most of the (high) activity is from other people posting healthcare job listings. The only fan page whose fan numbers went DOWN while this list was being compiled.
6.		Verizon Wireless Careers – 21,115 fans – not too many job listings on this recruitment page for Verizon, but the Wall does have many people asking questions about their jobs and getting responses from the company recruiters. Very much aimed at college grads and grads-to-be, there’s a lot of content here. Verizon’s doing a great job with their page to announce events and just build their employment brand well.
7.		Jobs au Maroc – 17,913 fans, French only – job listings in Morocco.
8.		Career Network – 15,723 fans – official page of the Career Network job boards, the Wall mostly lists job search news while getting a lot of reaction from community members. A good place to discuss job search.
9.		CareerBuilder Finance Jobs – 14,908 fans – another shell of a Facebook page from CareerBuilder, this page was created with the same disappointing formula as the CareerBuilder Healthcare Jobs above, albeit while containing finance-related jobs in this case.
10.		Ernst & Young Careers – Australia – 13,376 fans – this official page is a great place to connect with recruiters at Ernst & Young Australia, who do a good job responding to queries.
11.		Jobs Vacancy – Lowongan Kerja – 13,253 fans – job listings in Indonesia, they also have a nice list of scholarships for Indonesians.
12.		Resumark.com – Get Paid to Post Your Resume – 11,796 fans – Mostly job search tips and Q&A about the Resumark service, the moderators are quick to reply.
13.		Microsoft Careers – 11,890 fans – this very well-planned page is where Microsoft recruiters reach out to everyone on Facebook. The Wall is mostly people asking questions and getting responses directly from Microsoft- cool, but the many other tabs are all actively used too.
14.		Hyatt Hotels and Resorts Careers – 11,761 fans – very active official page for Hyatt Hotels and Resorts. If you’re interested in working for them, get onto this page. Great work by the Hyatt people here.
15.		NACHE Indonesia Hospitality Career – 10,917 fans – although this is the page for an Indonesian website, most of the job listings are for Arab countries.
16.		Media Match – TV & Film Production Jobs – 11,795 fans – just what the name says, it’s mostly job listings and followup comments about those job listings.
17.		Jobs In Dubai – 10,996 fans – The official JobsInDubai.com fan page, just job listings and want ads. Fan questions don’t get responded to often, unfortunately.
18.		State Farm Careers – 10,076 fans – official page of State Farm Insurance, it’s a nice community for people targeting that company on their job search. The moderators are responsive to questions and also post job search tips, while fans also interact with each other. Good job, State Farm.
19.		UAE — Part Time Jobs, Promotions & Events. – 10,090 fans – “Effort of an individual (Shady) to focus on individual or group- centered interest, activities, ideas, events, jobs, freelance, advertisements etc etc. Its a community where you’re free to be yourself, express anything your way,be it about business or personal social activities. We’re here to Build and Reflect!” Mohamed in Dubai aka Shady seems to be a very likable guy, and Wall posts get lots of reactions as a result. Entertainment- and fashion-oriented job listings are listed under Discussions.
20.		PartTimePost.com – Malaysia Part Time Jobs Board – 9,704 fans – Malaysian job listings, very little community activity.
21.		Engineering Jobs – 9,374 fans – “Engineering and Technical Jobs from around the world in the Oil and Gas, Engineering, Construction, E&P, Industrial, Manufacturing, Transportation, Automotive and Aerospace Industries.” The Wall is filled with relevant job listings and want ads.
22.		EU Careers – 9,116 fans – “career opportunities in the EU Institutions” but there aren’t many job listings posted anywhere. Rather, the Wall is used to announce events and direct people to discussions but even those aren’t too active.
23.		Mustakbil.com – Search & Find Latest Jobs in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad… – 8,333 fans – official corporate page of Pakistani job site Mustakbil.com, the Wall posts are mostly links to company blog posts and the comments are filled with people asking for jobs.
24.		Job Vacancies and Career Opportunities in Nigeria and Abroad – 7,985 fans – official page for a Nigerian job site, the Wall is mostly job want ads.
25.		Jobs – 7,840 fans – official page of the Indian BindaasJobs website, the Wall is mainly used for links to job search tips and resources which have been copied from elsewhere on the Web. Many of the comments are job listings (good) or spam (bad).
26.		Singapore Jobs – 6,967 fans – just what the page name says, but they seem to be jobs for professionals.
27.		Jobs n Jobs – 6,732 fans – “posts daily job opportunities in various fields and occupation in Pakistan, India, USA, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Other middle east countries, Singapore, Australia and many other countries.” Aside from the occasional correction or clarification comments, this page is just filled job listings.
28.		Science Careers – 6,613 fans – “the careers component of Science magazine that scientists rely on for career information and job postings.” That, and industry news for scientists and researchers.
29.		Batam Jobs – 6,605 fans – lots of job listings for Indonesia, listed in English but comments tend to be in Indonesian.
30.		My African Career – 6,541 fans – Jobs in Kenya. Seems like a great community, moderator questions and job search tips get lots of comments and discussion. One of my favorites in this list, for sure.
31.		Film Professionals And Jobs – Fpnjobs.net – 6,302 fans – job listings and casting calls for film sets around the world. Active in bursts.
32.		Career – 6,185 fans, Chinese only – official page for a major Taiwanese career portal, this page contains a lot of job search news and tips for Chinese speakers.
33.		Jobs in Pakistan – 6,010 fans – an constant stream of job listings from major Pakistani job board, Mustakbil.com.
34.		BestJobsOnline – 5,931 fans – official page of a Pakistani job board – although you would never know it from the page activity – the Wall nevertheless attracts people from all over the globe both with job openings and want ads.
35.		ZUMBEEL | A Telecom Career eTool – 5,639 fans – mostly job listings for telecom engineering professionals.
36.		Cirque du Soleil Jobs | Emplois au Cirque du Soleil – 5,643 fans, French/English – fairly active, this is where to connect with the Cirque’s recruiters.
37.		jobs – 5,547 fans, Arabic/English – jobs in Arab countries, the Wall is mostly job want ads, listings, questions and some spam.
38.		Find your first job – 5,169 fans – official page for a UK government initiative to help students enter the job force there. Nice amount of activity including regular job tips, the moderators are pretty good at reacting to questions on the Wall and in Discussions.
39.		Cisco Graduate Recruitment – 5,135 fans – Global New Graduate and Internship opportunities at Cisco. Somewhat active, the page’s Wall is mostly used by people to ask questions about Cisco opportunities.

If you found this article handy, you’ll enjoy reading Success Story: How I Used LinkedIn and Facebook to Find a Job During the Recession.

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Posted via web from AndyWergedal

10 Job Interview Mistakes to Avoid

If you’ve read one or several of the countless publications about job job interviews and how to avoid messing up the interview, you may have some good tips and suggestions.

Most of that information may be just fine, however here are 10 common mistakes made in one fashion or the other. Consider these just the “cliff notes” version.

Avoid These 10 Mistakes

1. Arriving late for your job interview. The one thing you avoid at all costs is being late for your interview.  If you’re hired you’ll be expected to be on time and your ability to be on time for the interview is often a judgement of whether you’ll be late if you’re hired.

Some suggestions to prevent tardiness are:

• Obtaining through directions to the interview location from the recruiter or hiring manager or the HR representative. When possible inquire further about just how much time to allow to either drive (or use public transportation) to your job interview location from wherever you’ll be coming. When it’s a big organization or plant setting, find out which building your interview will take place in. Don’t forget to ask about parking your car and if the parking is free or paid.
• Get phone numbers of the interviewer just in case you need them during your trip to the interview, or should you need to reschedule your interview date/time (illness, family emergency, current work conflicts, etc.)
• If at all feasible make a trial trip, by driving to the location for the interview.  This includes driving to that location at about the same time during the day that your job job interview is planned. This provides you with the best idea of just how much time to allow to get to the interview. This is a good time to also scout out the parking arrangement.
• Permit yourself a minimum of a 10-15-minute safety net. It’s much better to be early, instead of being late.
• When you are running late despite all your planning and best efforts (traffic jam, flat tire, inclement weather, etc.) phone the interviewer so that you can notify her or him that you’ll be a little late and include the causes for your delay. See whether you can still be interviewed or if  you need to reschedule.

2. Overlooking a last minute personal grooming check. By arriving early ask for the nearest restroom and look in the mirror so that you can make certain your grooming is still appropriate.  Make certain your clothes are strait and neat and comb your hair if needed and if you’ve eaten recently check your teeth to be sure that you don’t have  food lodged in your teeth. Remember this is a good time to also take that “pit stop” so you won’t have to ask to use the restroom in the middle of interviews.

3. Dressing inappropriately. No mater what level of job you’re interviewing for, your clothes must clean and neat.. For professional positions, men and women must dress professionally and what that means may vary from company to company. For many jobs, well put together business informal clothing will be all you need. This isn’t right time or place for jewelry or clothing that is flamboyant. You wouldn’t want anything to draw attention away from focus from your qualifications to do the job.  It’s best to inquire about proper dress code when setting up the interview appointment.  And just in case, it’s always best to err on the side of being a little over dressed, vs. under dressed.

4. Being trapped into making casual conversation. Numerous interviews start with a casual conversation to place the two you at ease. No matter what, stay away from topics such as politics and religion. Acceptable subjects for casusal discussion include sport or the weather,regardless and if you needed any assistance locating the company facility for the job interview. Making comments about photos or other things at place of work is generally effective. Nevertheless, be sure you are in the actual interviewer’s office, instead of in a office just being used for the job interview, before you discuss workplace items.

5. Being unable to communicate effectively about your current and prior work background. Many interviewers are certainly not really experienced and often a few of the more knowledgeable ones will use your resume as a guideline during job interview. Be ready to discuss everything in-depth that you’ve listed on your resume. If you can, rehearse having an interview with an associate or friend. Your practice may not be optimal, but it will sure help you increase your interviewing ability all of which will place you ahead of many of your competitors.

6. Being unfamiliar with the job you are being interviewed for. The more knowledge you get regarding the job and the organization, more probable it is you’ll be able to represent yourself as the solution to meet the employer’s needs.  When you’re in a major job hunt, you ought to have completed considerable company research prior to getting the interview.

Information sources for  could be:

• The Internet. Both the company’s website and/or websites focussing on the profession or industry.
• The library. Industry magazines or publications like the Occupational Outlook Handbook tend to be helpful.
• Networking. Talk to individuals who are acquainted with the actual job or business. Linkedin is a great resource for this. In case you do not know a person with the knowledge you seek, you probably know somebody who knows somebody who has that information. Networking begins with asking them questions, so you shouldn’t be reluctant to ask others for information and facts.

7. Failing to pay attention for hints in relation to requirements from the company. Numerous interviewers begin the job interview by supplying you with an understanding of the business and its needs. Treat these details as a treasure. As soon as you’ve acquired these details, you’ll be able to customize your replies to how you are able to assist them fulfill those needs. The company is trying to find somebody to solve their challenges and, if you are able to persuade them that you are capable of doing so, you will end up significantly ahead of your competition.

8. Failing to recognize when to quit speaking. When you have practiced your interviewing, you will definitely have the ability to plainly and briefly answer their questions and explain your accomplishments. Avoid rambling replies that will move away from subject of the job interview. Use the SMART method for structuring your answers. This should be a one to three minute initial response in most cases.

S = Specific

M = measureable

A = Action oriented

R =Results oriented

T = Time specific

Don’t be frightened of silence druing the interview and don’t try to fill in lulls in the conversation. If you’re unsure whether or not the job interviewer has gotten adequate details from your answer, ask them if your response was sufficient, i.e. “have I given you enough information, or would you like more detail?”

9. Failing to ask insightful questions. Usually, at the conclusion of the job interview, you’ll be asked if you have any questions. Avoid using these times to inquire about benefits or when you might take your very first holiday. The questions you ask need to display your desire for the job. You might want to ask questions like:

• The most important long term plans for your company? The most important plans for the position you’re interviewing for?
• Exactly what do you believe are the most crucial skills needed for this job?
• How will you evaluate my progress and my accomplishments in this job?
• May I answer any questions for you before I leave?

10. Failing to remember to always use a thank-you / follow-up response. Attempt to get business cards from every person you interview with and make at least one key note about what you talked with during interview with that person (use the back of the card), then include a comment about that point in your thank you letter.  Emails are OK to use. The interviewer’s email should be on the business card.

A thank you correspondence has a number of excellent points.

• It’s going to help remind the interviewer of both you and your qualifications. Very few people really send this sort of coorespondence and submitting one should cause you to differentiate yourself.
• You can use it add to the responses you presented during your interview.
• You could stregenthen areas in places you thought you failed to throughtly explain during your interview.
• It is possible to add more details – the points you “wish you’d have stated” during the job interview.  This could even include a document or white paper or a link on the web that points to what you’ve done.

All through the job interview process, remember that the process is actually a competition. Its not necessary to be perfect, just superior to the competition. By eliminating these ten ways to mess up a job interview, you will have a high probability of beating your competitors.

via theemploymentguy.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Career Rocketeer: Top 10 Job Search Resources

Getting job clarity is one of the simplest concepts in job search, yet one of the hardest steps to take. When I say job clarity, I mean the 2-3 specific jobs a person is pursuing in their quest to find a new job. It does sound simple, but my observation is that in reality, a job seeker is often troubled about clarity. I have seen people realize that due to their background and desires, they could head in a number of different directions – all valid, all confused.

One of the first questions I ask a person who seems to be struggling with their job search is what specific jobs they are pursuing. The answers I get range from an industry they want to focus on like “finance and banking” to something that resembles a word jumble. An industry is not a job title, nor is a word jumble. I know right then that their struggle in the job search is not a bad resume’ or work experience, it has to do with the fact that they haven’t focused on what they are in search of. It’s like saying they’ll find my home somewhere in the Northwest. It’s a direction, but so loose they really can’t begin an effective search. The chances of someone finding my home are almost zero. Your chances of finding a job without knowing what you are in search of might be about the same.

An effective job search entails a great strategic plan, but you can’t begin to form a plan, if you aren’t clear on what your goal or job is. As a result, a job seeker will end up jumping after every tip, every lead and many ads, because they all seem like something they could do. This lack of clarity drifts into the resume’ they develop, which without an understanding of what the job is, also lacks a clear message to anyone who receives it. When they speak to any of their network, the network walks away confused about what kind of help they can offer. In other words, any effort expended on the job search can often be ineffective and really a waste of time until the job seeker can zero in on a couple of jobs/titles they can focus on and believe in.

So what lends to this lack of clarity and what can a person do to clear up the muddy waters?

Too many jobs on the radar.

This is an issue I see a great deal. When a person is looking for a job and has had years of experience, they may look at BOTH the array of work they have done PLUS the array of work they could do. It’s wonderful to have so many transferable skills. It allows you to pursue a wide variety of positions with the belief you will be successful, because you have done that work before. The problem is that this often creates a lack focus and direction.

Solution: If you are lucky enough to be in this situation – congratulations! But, you need to make some choices. I have seen people avoid making a choice because they either thought it would reduce their chances of landing a job or they were interested in pursuing them all. You have to decide which 2 or 3 job titles you will enjoy the most, be the most competitive for and are perhaps the most abundant for you to pursue. You have to narrow down your choices. Once you’ve made your decision, you need to be convinced that your choices are right and move forward with confidence.

Changing career focus.

I’ve seen people use a change of job as a platform for making anywhere from a major career change to simply applying their work in a new industry. Certainly, if your situation and background call for that kind of shift, I say: Go for it! However, I have seen people let that shift confuse them or make them unclear about what that next career is. If you aren’t clear about what you’re looking for, imagine how unclear the universe of hiring managers is about where you belong.

Solution: Before you step into the job search, you need to explore your options, as well as yourself. If you’re doing a “slight shift”, you should be able to find job titles fairly quickly with some research. If you’re doing a wholesale career change, you have a whole self-examination process to go through to discover what you want to do when you grow up. Treat yourself like a research project. Go to work exploring your values, skills and passions and research where those can be applied. You do not make a major career change by launching a job search; if you do, you may not like the results.

Mistake an industry for a job.

This one I find fascinating. I can’t figure out what the internal process must be, but I have had people answer the question of “What kind of job are you looking for?” with things like “investments” or “banking” or “green technology”. Even after additional probing they are unwavering in their responses. An industry is not a job or a career – it’s a business classification.

Solution: You need to test yourself in this area. You could be what I call “tone deaf” to what you are thinking (and saying) around a job. You might think you’re crystal clear, but in fact, you aren’t at all. It’s also important to understand that if you are looking for a job, you need to be clear with your network and hiring managers. Find a trusted person with a critical ear who will give you some good honest feedback. Tell them what you’re looking for, and then ask them if you might be talking about an industry or a real job.

You may be holding on to the past.

For people that have been laid off or are facing the end of some dream career, you may lack clarity, because you’re looking backward not forward. You haven’t come to grips with the fact that your circumstances are now causing you to look for a job. You may be reluctantly trudging through the acts of looking for a job. You might be thinking you have to go do “X” because that’s all you can do. There are a variety of reactions when people are in this state of transition. If you think you might fall into this situation, you might lack clarity, because you can’t “see” yourself in that next job.

Solution: Normally, transition has its own timeline, but you may not. If you can afford to simply give yourself a space of time to allow your previous work life to end, it will free you up to think more clearly about your next job. If your circumstances simply won’t allow you to move through your transition at your own pace, then I suggest you consider a coach or someone who can help you process the endings. This can open up the possibilities for finding your dream in the next thing you do.

I heard a quote that I think applies here: “When you are clear, what you want will show up in your life, and only to the extent you are clear”. Chris and Janet Attwood. I think this summarizes it best. To maximize your job search, to make everything you do count, you have to get clear about the job you’re pursuing.

Guest Expert:

Dorothy Tannahill-Moran is a Career Coach and expert on helping her clients achieve their goals. Her programs cover: Career growth and enhancement, Career Change, Retirement Alternatives and Job Search Strategy. Want to discover specific career change strategies that get results? Discover how by claiming your FREE gift, Career Makeover Toolkit at: http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com/

via careerrocketeer.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

The Glass Hammer: Don’t Get Dooced! Staying Employable Online

By Elizabeth Harrin (London)

Heard the one about the girl sacked via Facebook? Or the woman fired for blogging about her sex life? The internet is a dangerous place. “While fewer than 2% of employers have terminated employees for violations committed on business or personal blogs, that number is certain to grow as workplace blogging becomes more prevalent,” says Nancy Flynn, in her book The e-Policy Handbook. There are millions of blogs online, and if you write one you could be at risk of being marched out of your office with your stuff in a cardboard box. There’s even a word for it: dooced.

In 2002, Heather Armstrong, a web designer from Los Angeles, lost her job after her employers decided they didn’t appreciate what she had written on her website, Dooce. And a new word passed into the lexicon. Armstrong now makes a living from blogging and her website supports her family. However, she’s pragmatic about how she ended up writing as a career. “In February 2001, I launched dooce.com as a place to write about pop culture, music, and my life as a single woman,” she writes on her blog. “I never expected more than a couple of dozen people to read it. A year later I was fired from my job for this website because I had written stories that included people in my workplace. My advice to you is BE YE NOT SO STUPID.”

Here are our six tips to keep yourself employable online, and avoid the stupid stuff.

1. Read your company’s social media policy

   Trawl through the intranet and find that social media policy. If it says you must tell your manager that you blog, tell her. In fact, do whatever it says. Breaching the policy will certainly be a contributing factor if your blogging antics ever become public knowledge, and ignorance of the policy is not likely to be a good enough excuse. No policy? Talk to your manager about what you are doing online, the topics you blog about and so on, and agree some ground rules – see below. And get your internal communications team to write a policy for everyone’s benefit.

2. Follow the code of ethics

   Forrester analyst Charlene Li has come up with a blogger code of ethics, which is worth a look at if you need some guidance on what is suitable for the public domain and what should be kept offline.

   As a rule of thumb, think before you post! What are the risks – to you and the company – of you saying what you’re about to say? Don’t blog about share prices, sensitive information, security processes and so on. And it should go without saying that you should never comment on your colleagues. If in doubt, don’t. Even if your current employer doesn’t mind (or doesn’t notice) you don’t want to be labeled the employee who gave away company secrets when you’re looking for your next job.

3. Use photos with care

   No one can see your Facebook profile, what with all the security settings you’ve set, right? Unfortunately, nothing on the internet is truly private, so be careful about what information you post, even if you think only your friends can see it. That means no suspect photos: being seen in a wet T-shirt contest or partaking in dubious substances is only going to harm your credibility in the workplace, and is the sort of information potential employers might stumble upon when they are filtering information on job candidates.

4. Keep work separate

   Social media tools give us the ability to friend, follow and link all our colleagues on multiple sites. You might have your friends and family connected through the same network as the people in your office. However good you are at keeping your work and personal lives separate online, the easiest and safest way is to use separate networks for different groups. LinkedIn is a popular tool for business people – choose that or something similar for work. Use Facebook for friends and family. Don’t let anyone slip past this net.

5. Understand that it’s more than a water cooler conversation

   You’re not saying anything online that you wouldn’t say down the pub, or at the water cooler, so what’s the difference? There’s a huge difference. The audience is much larger, and things can and do get picked up and spread around by other people. Many corporations, including Wal-Mart, have been caught out by what’s been written about them online, and you really don’t want to be the centre of a big PR scandal.

6. Google yourself

   You need to write online with tact to keep yourself in your employer’s good books, but that will only help you stay on top of what you are saying. To find out what other people are saying about you (or your company), set up a Google Alert to inform you when something about you turns up online. It’s not vanity, it’s a useful way of monitoring the online space and following what other bloggers are saying about you and the topics you discuss. This way you can head off anything that could be potentially career damaging, or at least warn your employer that something’s coming.

It should be easy to stay employable online. The mantra ‘don’t be stupid’ is a good one to follow. Unfortunately, it’s very easy to type and click ‘Submit’ when you’re tired, or not thinking straight, or furious with someone at work. The internet has a very long memory – it’s not like sending an email to just one person and then having to grovel an apology in the morning. However, follow a few sensible ground rules and you’ll avoid many of the pitfalls of having a presence online, and maintain your credibility and employability.

via theglasshammer.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Bud Bilanich: Failure, Criticism and Rejection are the Price You Pay for Success

Self confidence is one of the keys to career success in my Career Success GPS System.  If you want to become self confident you need to do three things.  1) Become an optimist.  2) Face your fears and act.  3) Surround yourself with positive people.

Fear is the enemy of self confidence – and success.  Most people fear failure, criticism and rejection.  It’s only normal.  We all want to feel good about ourselves.  Failure, criticism and rejection are not pleasant experiences.  They lower our self esteem and make us feel bad about ourselves, so we often avoid doing things that we think might lead to failure, criticism or rejection.  As a career success coach, I advise my clients to have to have the courage to do things that might result in failure, criticism or rejection.

Failure, criticism and rejection provide you with the opportunity to grow and develop – to become a career success.   You can’t take failure, criticism and rejection personally.  Failure, criticism and rejection are outcomes.  They are a result of things you have done.   They are not who you are.  Remember that.  We all make mistakes and fail on occasion.  We all do things that cause others to criticize or reject us.  This doesn’t mean that we are failures.  It means that we have made some poor choices and done some dumb things.

Failure, criticism and rejection provide the opportunity to start over – hopefully a little smarter.  Buckminster Fuller once said, “Whatever humans have learned had to be learned as a consequence of trial and error experience.  Humans have learned only through mistakes.”  As a career success coach I agree with him.

That’s why fear is the enemy of self confidence and career success.  If your fear of failure, criticism, and rejection paralyzes you to the point where you aren’t willing to take calculated risks, you’ll never learn anything or accomplish any of your goals.

Don’t be too hard on yourself when you fail, or when others criticize or reject you.  Instead, put your energy into figuring out why you failed and then do something different.  Here are my four career success coach questions to ask yourself the next time you fail, or get criticized or rejected.

1. Why did I fail?  Why did I get criticized or rejected?  What did I do to cause the failure, criticism or rejection?
2. What could I have done to prevent the failure, criticism or rejection?
3. What have I learned from this situation? 
4. What will I do differently the next time?

If you do this, you’ll be using failure, criticism and rejection to your advantage.  In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill says, “Every adversity, every failure and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.”  I know it’s hard to see the benefit or opportunity in failure, criticism and rejection.  But it’s there – you just have to look hard enough.  But it all begins by facing your fear and acting.

A year ago, my niece Brett and her move from Florida to San Diego.  She left a good job in Florida.  She had no job lined up in San Diego when she moved.  Several people criticized her for making such an audacious move.  I thought that she demonstrated amazing optimism in making such a long move in such a difficult economy.  I’m happy to report that 17 days after she arrived in San Diego Brett landed a job as an account manager for an athletic apparel manufacturer.  She has received two promotions since.  I’m proud of her.  She didn’t let her fear of failure, criticism or rejection stop her from pursuing her dreams.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people are self confident.  Self confident people face their fears and act.  Our most common fears are failure, criticism and rejection.  However, if you choose to find and use the learning opportunity in failure, criticism and rejection you will not only become more self confident, you will become more successful.   It’s sad but true – failure, criticism and rejection are the price you pay for becoming a personal and professional success.  Facing your fear of failure, criticism and rejection and acting will pay big dividends in your life and career.

That’s my take on the importance of facing your fears and acting.  What’s yours?  What have you learned from facing your fears?  How has it helped you become more self confident?  Please leave a comment sharing your story with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

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Green Business Jobs: Top 10 Job Search Resources

“Green jobs” is the hot topic of the day, and now more than ever, companies are embracing the sentiment, if not the practice, of sustainability. But, when it comes to career options, green business can mean many different things—sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), cleantech, socially responsible investing, green building, carbon markets and finance, renewable energy industry jobs, green marketing, or corporate-NGO partnership engagements, to name a few.

Are there really any jobs out there? Absolutely. But the catch is: these openings can be hard to find. Few job search boards aggregate socially and environmentally responsible business jobs in all of these different areas of sustainability, and often sustainability is not easily searchable in a job’s title or descriptive keywords.

Here are my ten favorite green business job search resources:

1. Net Impact (www.netimpact.org). Any professional interested in sustainable business should join the global Net Impact organization as a full member. Members have access to a job board focused exclusively on social and environmental impact careers, as well as access to the global member directory (great for networking), the “Issues in Depth” educational series, and regular career newsletters. If your city has a local professional chapter of Net Impact, join that, too.

2. Sustainability Recruiting Blog (www.sustainabilityrecruiting.com/blog/). Recruiter Ellen Weinreb sifts through many different sources for the best new CSR and sustainable business job openings, and posts one to her blog each day.

3. GreenBiz (www.greenbiz.com). GreenBiz is the preeminent source of green business news and commentary, along with its affiliated sites ClimateBiz.com, GreenerBuildings.com, GreenerComputing.com and GreenerDesign.com. GreenBiz’s annual “State of Green Business Report” is an excellent resource, as is its job board.

4. Green Dream Jobs (www.greendreamjobs.com). This job board is easy to search by skill level (eg, “Senior Level”) or by keyword (eg, “MBA”).

5. Justmeans (www.justmeans.com) . This social networking site includes an active job board for social impact job openings, many with environmental and cleantech organizations.

6. Green Drinks (www.greendrinks.org). Many cities have regular happy hours events called “Green Drinks”—a great way to network with environmentally-oriented professionals in your area.

7. LinkedIn Groups. The “Green Jobs & Career Network Group,” “Acre Sustainability Recruitment Network,” “Sustainability Career Group,” and “Renewables Job Market” groups on LinkedIn are just a few of the groups posting green business job openings, and anyone can join for free.

8. BSR’s CSR Jobs Board (www.bsr.org/resources/jobs/). BSR (Business for Social Responsibility) posts mid- and senior-level CSR and sustainability positions on its site.

9. CSR Chicks (groups.yahoo.com/group/csr-chicks/) and CSR Jobs (groups.yahoo.com/group/csr-jobs/). These two Yahoo! groups are good sources for CSR jobs in the UK and other parts of Europe (despite the name, men and women alike are invited to join).

10. Simply Hired Job Search Agent (www.simplyhired.com). Simply Hired is a meta-search engine which will crawl other job boards and send you daily email summaries with any matches. A carefully crafted search agent (ie, “sustainability and MBA” or “renewable energy California”) can yield great results from places you might not otherwise look.

Guest Expert:

Katie Kross is the author of the book, Profession and Purpose: A Resource Guide for MBA Careers in Sustainability (Greenleaf Publishing, 2009), available at Amazon.com and BetterWorldBooks.com.

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My Global Career: Engage Workers By Letting Them Think

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“If you see a fork in the road, take it,” and “You can observe a lot by watching” are some of the many one-line quips of baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra.  Yogi’s comments are both fun and a blinding flash of the obvious that often draw us back to simple truths.  My favorite is “The future ain’t what it used to be.”

One blinding flash of the obvious that is often missed, and that could be extremely pertinent in the age of employee engagement, is “Engagement requires thinking.”  In my experience, many employee engagement approaches are still one-way communication efforts on steroids that fail to tap into the ability of employees to think and act differently.  At a time when study after study confirms that only about 20% of employees are engaged in their current work, it’s hard not to conclude that something’s not working!  Maybe “having a best friend at work” isn’t the determining factor.  Why are so many employees simply checked out at the place where they spend 40% of their waking lives…at work?

Let’s start with a key premise that’s often missed in engagement efforts – that we want to solve problems ourselves.  From Sudoku to mystery novels to crosswords, we all love the challenge of solving a puzzle.  Obviously, we could just turn to the back of the book and get the answer or read the final page.  But what’s engaging about that?  We want the intellectual and emotional experience of finding a sense of achievement in our own thinking.  When people get a chance to solve their own puzzles, they own the result.  And owners think, act, and engage differently from non-owners.  They’re vested, they’re passionate, they won’t take no for an answer, and they’re willing to put in more effort than is required.I once talked to an employee at a large Canadian bank just after she was given her first opportunity in 15 years to actively think about her business.  In an “official” group discussion, she was asked to compare and contrast major marketplace trends and consider competitive threats, industry consolidation, and consumer expectations.  The experience was a real eye-opener for her – and for her leaders.

She told me, “You know, learning and engagement require thinking.  In the past, people have tried to persuade me to do things differently in order to improve the business.  But they never asked me to think about the business.  This is the first time I’ve ever learned anything here – the first time I have really been engaged in solving our problems.  Now that I’ve had a chance to actually think about our business, I’m beginning to change my ideas about how it works and my role in it.”

And it’s not just intellectual – engagement is emotional.  You can’t possibly be engaged if someone else is trying to draw your conclusions for you.  You need the “emotional aha.”  You need to feel like you’re totally in the game by really feeling what the business needs, figuring out how you can help, and realizing why you make a difference.  The woman at the bank felt valued because her company offered her a challenge instead of spoon-feeding her a solution.  That showed her that her leaders believed that she had the ability to think.  And this energized her and created a sense of belonging, pride, ownership, and desire to go the extra mile.

Most organizations attempt to execute their strategies by doing all the thinking for their people – and then trying to persuade them to dedicate their heads, hearts, and hands to bring the strategies to life.  Our 20% engagement statistic should loudly tell us that this doesn’t work!

So to be engaged means that you know what you need to do as well as why you’re doing it.  But if you’re a leader at any level in your organization, how do you get people there?  Abraham Maslow said, “The great tragedy of the human race is the history of people selling themselves short.”

To apply this to business engagement, I’d say, “The great tragedy of the engagement movement is the history of leaders selling their people short.”  By telling employees what the answers are – solving the business puzzles – we are giving them only the answer key and depriving people of the chance to think about truly engaging in the business differently.

Jim Haudan is the CEO and founder of Root Learning.  His new book, The Art of Engagement (McGraw Hill, August 2008), explains how organizations can close the gap between their aspirations and actual, tangible results.

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