Give Your Job Search a Holiday Boost

(Alison Doyle on About.com Guide) – If your plan is to wait until the holidays are over to really jump start your job search, think again. The holidays are actually a great time to hunt for a new job. Here are some helpful tips for boosting your job search. Read full article here!

What’s next in the exciting world of apps?

(Jeff Hilimire on adage.com) – Food marketers intent on shepherding and tracking shoppers — from car, to cart, to checkout, to chowing down — are understandably salivating over the potential of location-based mobile apps.

Badges and virtual goods may seem cool in the first few encounters, but how long can the thrill of a mayorship or a virtual Tazo Tea bottle last? It’s gimmicky. Moreover, what if I want to make a purchase but don’t want to check in? Lasting and sustainable innovation in this space will require apps that offer far greater benefits for both consumers and marketers. Don’t get me wrong. Consumer food marketers and, indeed, all marketers, should be actively experimenting with new apps and technologies to determine their potential value and how best to use them.

Read full article here: http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=147211!

Turn Your Computer off and Manage Your Sleeping Time

(Ester Liquori on instantshift.com) –  Unfortunately, upcoming deadlines, continuous reviewing of the work required by clients, time lack, etc. sometimes affect designers and creatives all over the world.

Inspiration and creativity never sleep someone could say but there are several side effects for too many nights spent working at the PC. Read the full article here!

How To Profit From A Great Personality

(Chris Kyle on yahoo.com) – Are you an extrovert? A people person? A crowd pleaser?

Consider channeling your winning personality into a pretty paycheck.Just remember that even with a great personality, you’ll need some training.

“Education is always a good thing…” says Mitchell York, a New York-based career coach.”…[A]nd, in some cases, it’s mandatory.”

Take a look at some of these great-paying careers that extroverts can excel in – then see how you can get in on the action!

Read the full article here!

Freelancer Guide

(Anders Ross on www.instantshift.com) – Becoming a freelancer is a way to work at home and be independent without having to start a business. Freelance work varies greatly. Some projects require clients to sign written agreements, while others provide work based on verbal agreements that are enforceable through the nature of the project. Some freelancers provide written estimates of work and request deposits from clients. Read the full article here!

Mobile Marketing Guide

It’s no secret that mobile media is the way of the future. Stay current with the latest in mobile marketing with this excellent guide we stumbled across on adage.com.

Too Nice to Land a Job

(www.insidehighered.com) You are reading a letter of recommendation that praises a candidate for a faculty job as being “caring,” “sensitive,” “compassionate,” or a “supportive colleague.” Whom do you picture?

New research suggests that to faculty search committees, such words probably conjure up a woman — and probably a candidate who doesn’t get the job. The scholars who conducted the research believe they may have pinpointed one reason for the “leaky pipeline” that frustrates so many academics, who see that the percentage of women in senior faculty jobs continues to lag the percentage of those in junior positions and that the share in junior positions continues to lag those earning doctorates.

Read the full article here!

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Job titles can be confusing, their significance and meaning often changes from company to company. It’s important to take a closer look at what’s out there; some jobs are actually far more interesting then they may sound! Today we looked into the title of Project Manager. We found a great article on this position here.

25 Classic Fonts

 We came across this nice summary of classic fonts while browsing the web this morning. This article claims that these 25 fonts will last your whole design career…decide for yourself here!

After School Special

Check out this very insightful article we found, packed with usable advice!

(Lynda Decker on www.aiga.org) Building a career is not something that happens overnight. It requires patience and tenacity, and it involves more than raw talent. A career demands an overarching curiosity about the world and how things work, topped off with well-honed people skills. To rise to the top in your profession, you have to have the guts to be self-aware, to know your own strengths while trying to improve upon your weaknesses. And, come to think of it, raw talent doesn’t hurt.

The great thing about a career in design is that you can define success in a number of ways. You can strive to be a renowned creative director at a big firm, to create a small boutique studio, or to savor both your profession and parenthood by working out of your home while raising children. This industry isn’t just about savvy insight and fresh aesthetic perspectives; it’s also largely built from flexibility and potential.

In the beginning of a career, the transition from school to work is difficult, to put it mildly. The first thing you learn is that there is more to learn. A lot more.

-Read the rest here, well worth your time!



Browse creative logo designs

(Anders Ross on  www.instantshift.com) – A Logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype (a uniquely set and arranged typeface) form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo’s design is for immediate recognition. The logo is one aspect of a company’s commercial brand, or economic or academic entity, and its shapes, colors, fonts, and images usually are different from others in a similar market. Logos are also used to identify organizations and other non-commercial entities.

These types of corporate identities are often developed by large firms who specialize in this type of work. However, if you want to save some bucks and want to design your logo then there are many sources to get logo design inspiration. Infect, we might able to help you by presenting this showcase of Highly beautiful, original and creative logo designs for your design inspiration.

Read and see more

Much Ado About Nothing (Or: Contemplating GapGate)

(Eric Karjaluoto on www.aiga.org) – I’ll start by getting it out of the way immediately: I’m not a fan of what was the redesigned Gap logo. There, I said it… alongside about a gazillion others.

We’re all very upset

Fact is, I wasn’t a fan of their new approach to three letters and a square. Nope—just not feeling it. I do want to stress the critical importance of this whole thing, though. You see, we’re serious people, and we take serious things like this seriously. (Seriously.) Google “Gap logo” and you’ll find many, many other serious people with serious opinions on this newsworthy, and serious, issue.

Upon being asked for his opinion on this grave incident, Armin Vit (of Brand New) exclaimed, “Choosing Helvetica in 2010 is inexcusable.” And right he is! Helvetica has become so terribly gauche it’s hard to not feel pummeled, assaulted, and even outright violated in its presence. He continues, explaining that the typeface is “as bland as grilled chicken without salt and pepper.” True dat… true dat… I gotta say, though, those are fighting words,’vetica. You really going to take that?

Read the full article here!

Concise Guide to Archiving for Designers

Designers, protect your hard work! Archiving is one of the most important steps of the creative process, even if it isn’t always the most fun! But if you take the time to archive properly, it will pay off down the road. For effective ways to archive, check out this comprehensive guide.

Best Professional Social Networking Sites for Businesses and Entrepreneurs

Social media has become vital to the success of any business, especially for the entrepreneurs out there. With limited time and countless options, determining the best sites to focus your energy on can be tough. Of course, there are the usual suspects; Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. But what about the more specialized sites out there? We came across this great article that touches on the issue, take a look!

(Full article by Kathryn Vercillo on hubpages.com)

Freelance workers reshape companies and jobs

 Check out this very relevant article we found on usatoday.com about the evolving job market. Apparently, freelancing is becoming mainstream, which is no surprise to us! Is the increased flexibility and freedom worth the security that a full time position would offer? Decide for yourself here!

(Full article by Paul Davidson posted on usatoday.com)

Recruiters Won’t Kill Your Grandma

While perusing the interwebs this afternoon, I stumbled across a fantastic blog about recruiters. Myths about recruiters, in fact. Take a look-see and check the blog out here, and Mindy Slobodkin Fineout’s awesome writing below:

Recruiters Don’t Want to Kill Your Grandmother (and other recruiting myths debunked)

Commentaries, articles, posts and emails have been flying left and right in an attempt to clarify and disassemble the falsities being spread about Obama’s healthcare reform. Rumors of death panels, promoting euthanasia, cutting Medicaid and bringing about a complete government takeover of healthcare have been flooding the media channels. I’ve watched in wonderment as town hall meetings, editorials and letters escalated to the point of comparing President Obama to Hitler. I read the proposals, both attended and watched town hall meetings and tried to understand how these misconceptions originated. Whether or not you support Obama’s healthcare reform, the aforementioned rumors and accusations being concocted are simply untrue. And so it becomes incumbent on the Obama Administration to educate and inform the public of the facts, to quell the rumors and set the record straight.
Recently, in this job climate flooded by candidates, there have been an increasing number of rumors flying around about working with recruiters. It seems just about every candidate carries with them a story about a horrible experience they’ve had with a recruiter they have worked with. There is sometimes an undertone that recruiters provide little worth, do not value their candidates, and get in the way of candidates getting the jobs they want. I also would like to quell the rumors and set the record straight.

Myth #1- Recruiters are glorified coordinators

Malcolm Gladwell, a staff writer for the New Yorker and author of several international best sellers, writes about what he refers to as the “Connectors,” in his book The Tipping Point. Connectors are people in the community who have large networks, know lots of people and are in the habit of making introductions. A connector is like a computer network hub and typically knows people across a variety of social, cultural, professional and economic circles. They make a habit of introducing people who work or live in different circles.

A good recruiter is a connector, not just a coordinator. Outside of hunting for candidates, studying companies, and being in the know about current business trends, recruiters make introductions that connect two points that wouldn’t necessarily meet otherwise. We bring A, to Z, connecting all of the letters in between to make it possible. So while we are indeed just coordinating the interview and submittal process, to get to that point involves a behind-the-scenes connectability that only comes from being a true Connector. A good recruiter has a relationship with the hiring manager and can help to give an opportunity to a candidate who otherwise would be overlooked. She will leverage her relationship with that manager, and the trust she has built to get you a chance to interview if she believes you fit that position. She will help the manager see what isn’t on the resume that makes you a fit, and even put her reputation on the line if she believes you deserve the position. This brings me to my next myth..


Myth #2- Recruiters can’t help you break into a new industry

Okay, this may be true a lot of the time. However – as was mentioned above , a good recruiter sometimes has the power to make a hiring manager consider a candidate he normally would pass on. An even better recruiter can both understand, and convince the hiring manager of the portability of your skills, even when they don’t match up in an obvious way. I have helped Scientific candidates break into IT, Developers break into Project Management, and Administrative Assistants break into QA.

I’m not saying this works every time, but if you have a recruiter who can recognize portable skills and how they apply to a new industry, she will help to make a hiring manager see the match, with or without having all of the buzz words.

Myth #3- Recruiters get in the way of you getting the job you want

I recently cold called into a company seeking a candidate with a very unique skill set. Knowing the technologies I needed to identify, I did my research, found the company’s competitors, and narrowed in on my top 5 list. When I contacted one candidate in particular, his response was not favorable. “I don’t work with recruiters,” he said. “If I’m interested in a job, I’ll just apply to it.” I pushed him a bit and asked why he did not work with recruiters and his answer was surprising. “Because,” he said, ” Recruiters get in the way of the process. I can just find a job on my own if I’m looking.”

But what about when you’re not looking? A good recruiter will not only help you find the perfect job, but help the perfect job find you. It took some work to figure out which company’s employees would be a match for this particular role, learn about which candidates might be a fit, find them, and contact them. This is not a service that is provided through a job board. Aside from that, several A-list companies don’t even post all of their positions, which means sometimes a recruiter is your only way in. I thought about all of the times not only have I not hindered the process, but gone to bat for a candidate helping them to win the job on my recommendation, or pushing a hiring manager to meet with a candidate they originally passed on. There is always an exception to the rule, and there certainly, like any profession are bad recruiters out there. But if you are not getting the jobs you want, it is most likely not for lack of recruiting effort. A good recruiter is not only submitting your resume to a hiring manager, but is behind the scenes, pushing it along, being your advocate, trying to hurry the process and trying to deliver constructive feedback whenever possible. The rest of it unfortunately, is out of our control, and we are just as frustrated as you when we don’t get feedback. Also, we want to see you get your dream job- for most of us that is what we are most rewarded by – both monetarily and instrinsically.


Myth #4 – Recruiters have no pull or decision making authority

I cannot tell you how many times a hiring manager has asked for my input on who they should hire. Especially in this economy, when a hiring manager may have several technically identical candidates in front of them, it is not uncommon for them to turn to the recruiter for their input. If all hard skills are equal, it will come down to which candidate followed up, which has the better attitude, and even which was more receptive to the recruiting process. If you are friendly, respectful, responsive and appreciative, you are in good shape – the recruiter will almost always be in your corner. These may seem like small details, but doing things like following up with the recruiter after your interview, expressing your interest in the position, and making every conversation positive, will go a long way. If I have two technically equal candidates for the same position, and one out of the two has a positive attitude and always returns my calls quickly, I will assume that candidate is more interested in the role and a better overall fit, therefore will make that recommendation every time.


Myth #5- Recruiters sit on death panels

Though I have addressed the paragraphs above that recruiters can often influence a hiring decision, ultimately, it is not the recruiters fault, nor is it solely their decision when it comes to whether or not you are selected for a role after an interview with a hiring manager. Be careful how you handle the rejection, and understand at this point in the process, the recruiter is simply delivering the message. Once delivered, the results are final and binding, so don’t kill the messenger, and remember, handling feedback constructively may lead to other opportunities in the future **

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media Careers – Up 25 percent

It looks like things are moving in the right direction for job seekers.  Read this article to see where design and related fields fit in to the grand scheme of things.  (Spoiler alert: things are looking good!)

Full article by Chris Kyle posted on Yahoo.com at:

http://education.yahoo.net/articles/jobs_that_are_hiring_now.htm?wid=1

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