3 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Break Out of Your Career Rut

If you dismiss LinkedIn as just a social media network for job-seekers, you’re missing out. LinkedIn is also a great tool if you find yourself in a career rut. Here are three major ways LinkedIn can help you get un-stuck:

1. Research

If you’re stuck in a job you hate and aren't sure how to move forward in your career, researching the career paths of others can be incredibly illuminating. Understanding how someone got from point A to point B in his career might open your eyes to different ways you can move up the ladder — or closer to a career that excites you — in your own way.

Before LinkedIn, we didn't really have a way to do this, but now it’s even easier with LinkedIn’s new Field of Study Explorer. Simply select a field of study (if you’re logged in to LinkedIn, it will automatically select the field you studied in college, but you can change this under “Explore More”), and LinkedIn will tell you what others who studied that field are now doing — even where they’re living and working. It also shows you profiles of people who studied that field, starting first with your own connections and then moving on to people you don’t yet know but with whom you have connections in common. Don’t be afraid to click around and read what people have chosen to make publicly available. Reverse-engineering the career paths of others can be helpful if you’re not even sure what the possibilities are, much less how to accomplish them. 

2. Re-brand yourself

Your LinkedIn profile tells a story about you: your history and path, your skills and interests and where you might go next. If the experience section seems like just a list of jobs, your summary is where you tie everything together. It’s your opportunity to connect the dots for your reader while articulating the best of your achievements. Your summary will go through many revisions as you gain new experiences and evolve personally and professionally. Writing about yourself forces you to consider things from someone else’s perspective and think objectively about your past. This can open your eyes to new possibilities.

Don’t discount the power of a good headline, either. Most people just default to using their current position and company, but there are better ways to make a fuller, more encompassing statement about yourself professionally. And if you’re job-seeking, don’t put that as your headline! As the first thing people read about you, it positions you as a beggar — not a chooser — and makes people worry you’ll just ask them about jobs. A better option is to describe yourself as the professional you are, whether or not you have a job. If you were recently laid off from a job as a marketing manager, you might choose to use something like “Proven marketing manager with eight years of experience.”

How you choose to portray past experiences is also important. Let’s say you’re that laid-off marketing manager and you’d like to work on more digitally focused campaigns at your next job. In that case, you might highlight the digital aspects of your prior projects by pointing them out first in the experience description.

3. Reach out

What’s the point of a network if you don’t connect with others? This is where you take your research a step further and actually connect — in real life — with people in your industry or who started from the same place. There’s definitely a right and a wrong way to do this, but most people are happy to help others; they’re flattered you want their advice, and if you end up being successful, they get value from the relationship as well. Making it easy for them to say yes is the tricky part; you don’t want to burden them with a long email or ask for too much of their time. Ramit Sethi’s blog has smart advice on how to approach people the right way for mentorship.

Thinking creatively and proactively about your trajectory is a necessary part of moving forward in your professional life, and LinkedIn can be an excellent resource and tool to help you map your career.

5 Dollar-Store Halloween Costume Hacks

Intro

Here's the bad news: Halloween is a 7 billion dollar industry in the United States. That's big money, and sometimes it seems like you need those kind of big bucks to outfit yourself or your kid in a costume good enough for them to hold their head high the following day at school. The good news? The demand for low-cost solutions to all things, not just Halloween, means that there are more dollar stores (and, sometimes, slightly less than a dollar, wink-wink..) than ever before. And these places are an absolute gold-mine for your Halloween costume toolbox. Nevermind the pre-mades they have on their shelves. Here are 5 fun, creative, and absolutely easy-to-make costumes with the most affordable ingredients imaginable. Trick or Cheap!

Carmen Miranda shaking her maracas. (Carmen Miranda Costume)

Things You'll Need

·         Robot:

·         2 Silver sun shades for the car

·         Hot glue gun

·         12 inch plastic basket

·         Colored duct tape in red, yellow, black, and turquoise

·         Black 1/4 inch tape

·         Dark shirt and pants that fit child

·         Scissors

·         X-acto Knife

·         Wax paper

·         Carmen Miranda:

·         Rectangular plastic tablecloths in 3-4 assorted colors

·         Plastic fruit

·         Fake flowers

·         Hot glue gun

·         Large beaded jewelry

·         Duct tape

·         Apron

·         Small basket with a handle

·         Scarf to tie hair with

·         Ribbon

·         Crop top

·         Scissors

·         Spaghetti with Meatballs:

·         Yellow yarn

·         Plastic baseballs

·         Air dry clay

·         Yellow fabric or ribbon

·         Double stick tape

·         Needle and thread

·         Brown craft paint

·         1/2 inch sponge brush

·         Scissors

·         Shackled Ghost:

·         Pipe insulation or pool noodle

·         White glue

·         Scissors

·         Black fabric

·         Mask

·         Garden Party:

·         Fake flowers

·         Skirt

·         Top

·         Scissors

·         Hot glue gun

How to Ace the Final Interview

Making it past the first round of interviews offers a sense of satisfaction and gets you one step closer to landing the position. The final interview is your last chance to prove your qualifications and push yourself into the lead candidate position. The initial sessions give you an idea of how the company interviews and what they're looking for, but additional preparation for the final interview readies you for a more in-depth questioning session with the hiring manager.

Instructions

1. Confirm the time and location of the final interview. Don't assume it will take place in the same location as your previous interviews. Verify the format of the interview so you can prepare for the number of people sitting in and understand what will be expected of you.
2. Replay all of the previous interviews with the company in your head. Make notes about your answers so you can respond consistently. Identify questions and answers that stumped you or didn't go as well as you'd hoped so you can practice those areas before the final interview.
3. Research the company if you haven't already. Even if you researched before your first interview, review the information and read more on the company. Show you care about the company by being able to tailor your answers to the company's vision and goals.
4. Talk to any acquaintance you know who already works for the company to get a sense of what to expect from the final interview. Ask for any insight into exactly what the hiring manager is looking for.
5. Write down specific examples from your prior work experience as a review for the interview. The final interview often involves more in-depth questions and answers. Having ideas in your head to show you possess the necessary skills makes answering those questions easier.
6. Prepare yourself to show the hiring manager how well you'll fit into the company. Use the specific examples from your experience and your knowledge of the company to demonstrate that you're a qualified candidate who will excel in the position.
7. Consider your requirements and desires for salary and benefits. Questions about these topics may arise in the final interview. Preparing yourself to answer the questions helps you avoid being caught off guard and giving a salary range you later regret.
8. Bring extra copies of your resume in case there are additional people sitting in on the interview. The hiring manager should have a copy of your resume available from the previous interviews, but being prepared with extras shows you're on top of things.

Smart Tips for Using Your Debit Card

INTRO

Debit cards function similarly to credit cards except that debit cards allow you to withdraw funds directly from a checking account. In other words, when you use a debit card you are spending money you have already earned. Responsible debit card use can help you avoid fees and dangers that may end up costing you money

Check Your Account Balance Regularly

Since debit cards draw money from a checking account, you can only draw as much money as you have in your account. Overdrawing your checking account may result in fees from your bank. Many banks allow users to check account balances online, which can make it easy to keep tabs on how much money you have to spend. Some accounts also offer overdraft protection to protect you from fees if you happen to draw more than your balance.

Cancel Lost Cards Immediately

Debit cards and credit cards are easy to misplace. If you lose your debit card, call your bank and cancel the card as soon as possible. Unlike credit cards, it may be difficult to recoup fraudulent debit card charges because money is withdrawn directly from your checking account. For this reason, consider using a credit card instead of a debit card for normal use and online purchases and then use your debit card to pay off the credit card.

Destroy Old Cards

If you never use a certain card or receive new cards in the mail, destroy your old cards. New debit cards may have new expiration dates and security codes, but the card number will usually be the same.

Memorize Your PIN

Debit cards allow users to set up a personal identification number (PIN) that must be entered when withdrawing funds from an ATM. Set up a PIN as soon as you receive your debit card and commit the number to memory. Bankrate recommends that debit card users never write their PIN on their card.

Keep Your Card in a Safe Place

You should treat your debit card as if it were cash. You probably wouldn't leave $3,000 in cash sitting on the kitchen counter, but that's essentially what you are doing if you leave your debit card on the counter with a checking balance of $3,000. Keep your card with you in your wallet or purse when you are out and put it in a safe, drawer or other hidden location when you are not using it. Never leave the card sitting out where others can see it.