Summary Sunday: Find A (New) Job

Use one of these two lists or follow some of this week’s advice to get a job – either a new job or to leave the one you currently have.

This week’s Summary is like all the past issues. It was created to help you get a job. Not just any job. A job that fits what you need and want!

But as you know, getting a job isn’t as easy as applying online and waiting to get hired.

You have to understand yourself, the job market, and, perhaps most importantly, you need a plan.

That’s why I’m re-sharing my article on the 6 steps for job search success.

In this week’s summary, you’ll find:

• 2 lists to help you identify potential employers
• How to find insiders
• Cover letter samples
• Personal branding for older job seekers
• 2 articles about career success
• And news about what one tech company is doing differently

TOP EMPLOYERS

There were two lists of top employers this week I wanted you to see. One recognizes top employers for diversity and the other is a list of the best companies to grow your career.

America’s Best Employers for Diversity List 2021 – Forbes

If you are looking for an employer that values building and honoring a diverse workplace, check these out.

America’s Best Employers For Diversity 2021

Where are the most diverse places to work? We polled 30,000 U.S. employees and came up with a ranking of the top 500 large employers and the top 250 midsize ones. Is your company on the list?

Top Companies 2021: The 50 best workplaces to grow your career in the U.S. – LinkedIn

This is more than a list of 50 companies. It’s based on criteria like: “ability to advance, skills growth, company stability, external opportunity, company affinity, gender diversity and educational background.”

Top Companies 2021: The 50 best workplaces to grow your career in the U.S.

The world of work is transforming. Not only have we worked through a once-in-a-generation global pandemic, but decades of automation, the rise of artificial intelligence and a new shift to remote work have all reshaped what our professional lives look like – and what we’re expecting from our employe

JOB SEARCH

One of the things that frustrates job seekers is not knowing people inside companies they want to work for. The other conundrum is around cover letters – do you include one or not? And if you do, what do you say. Both these questions are answered below.

Try these 3 things to get noticed by a potential employer where you have no connections – Fast Company

Try these 3 things to get noticed by a potential employer where you have no connections

I’ve never been one of those super-connected people with a Rolodex of contacts on speed dial. So, it has always bothered me when people would say getting a new job is all about who you know.

The 11 Best Cover Letter Examples: What They Got Right – HubSpot

The 11 Best Cover Letter Examples: What They Got Right

Let’s face it: A job search is, typically, anything but fun. It’s almost as if it carries its own five stages of grief. At first, there’s denial of its demoralizing nature. Then comes the anger over either radio silence or rejection from prospective employers.

OLDER JOB SEEKERS

Older job seekers face challenges during a job search. Creating the right message about why to hire you is one of them.

Overcome the 5 Worst Boomer Personal Branding Mistakes – Job-Hunt.org

Overcome the 5 Worst Boomer Personal Branding Mistakes

By Wendy Marx Google the phrase “personal branding,” and you get over 300 million results. Not too shabby for a marketing term about promoting yourself and building a reputation. Yet, wisdom about this popular phrase is not plentiful. Much of the guidance is cliche-ridden and generic. And not geared for Baby Boomers.

CAREER

A career, as we’ve traditionally defined it has changed. Dorie Clark and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic outline the 3 key differences – the manner in which we work, the companies and leaders we work for and our professional networks. See how you can look at your career differently.

Reshaping Your Career in the Wake of the Pandemic – Harvard Business Review

Reshaping Your Career in the Wake of the Pandemic

Over the past year, we’ve all heard that we should be preparing for the ” new normal” – but what that means or when this will start is unclear.

9 Roadblocks To Success – Frank Sonnenberg

Your career and your success are intertwined. Frank Sonnenberg has a way of simplifying complex topics and delivers his insights in this article.

9 Roadblocks to Success – Frank Sonnenberg Online

Don’t let your dreams become an empty promise – to yourself. Success requires passion, optimism, and hard work. It also requires courage, sacrifice, and personal commitment. Remember… there will be roadblocks and you’re going to have good days and bad. But every step you take will bring you closer to your goal.

5 Undeniable Signs It’s Time To Leave Your Job – Kathy Caprino

If you are experiencing any of these things, then it may be time to start looking for a new job.

5 Undeniable Signs It's Time To Leave Your Job

Part of Kathy Caprino's series “Living and Working Better” For many years during my 18-year corporate career, I remained in a number of roles I disliked, and a few of them were a terrible fit.

TRENDS

Changes at Basecamp – Jason Fried, Basecamp

You may not have heard of Basecamp. But it’s quite well known in certain circles. It’s CEO is considered a thought-leader. So when he wrote this letter to his company, it created quite a stir in the tech world. Could this be a sign of things to come? Will other companies jump on this too?

Basecamp has outlined six things their company isn’t going to do any longer.

• 1. No more societal and political discussions on our company Basecamp account. 
• 2. No more paternalistic benefits.
• 3. No more committees.
• 4. No more lingering or dwelling on past decisions.
• 5. No more 360 reviews.
• 6. No forgetting what we do here.

Changes at Basecamp

At Basecamp, we treat our company as a product. It’s not a rigid thing that exists, it’s a flexible, malleable idea that evolves. We aren’t stuck with what we have, we can create what we want. Just as we improve products through iteration, we iterate on our company too.