If you’re spending sun up to sunset looking for a great new job, then you need to make sure your social media “nose” is clean.

Basically, you need to clean house with your social networks. This means do a search for yourself, and clear out or hide photos that show you drinking too much or making ridiculous gestures. Think you have everything covered? Chances are your potential hiring manager will do a deeper dive, and pay an extra few bucks to see what type of things you have buried out there. If you’re unsure, pay the extra yourself and find your old myspace account, or twitter feed with angry rantings of your last job.

[5 Tips for Improving Your Visibility on LinkedIn]

A lot of companies are going beyond the traditional background check. So even though you’ve never been in trouble with the law, it doesn’t mean your hard partying or griping on social networks will be anymore appealing to a recruiter.

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By N. Cooper
Online Career Tips Staff

This topic isn’t often talked about, especially not in an informative and positive light. Let’s face it, at one point or another, we’re all going to have to quit a job.

Here are a few tips on how to resign professionally, and without burning bridges.  Whether you like your job (the one you want to quit) or not, you’re going to want to bow out gracefully… you never know when even your most hated coworkers will cross your path in your future.

1. Alert your immediate manager first. Talk to your immediate boss before notifying your department head or HR staff.  Your boss will appreciate the heads up and lead time to come up with a plan.
2. Write a short and sweet, but professional, resignation letter. Most companies require a letter of resignation to get the ball rolling (you know, the ball that ties up all your loose ends so you can leave); make sure it’s concise, professional, and includes: the date, a formal salutation, the date of your last day, and a formal closing.
3. With your manager’s blessing, brief your coworkers or teammates. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re “that guy” who’s out of the loop.  Let your coworkers know your plans (you don’t have to give details), so no one feels left out and so rumors don’t start… transparency and honesty are the best policies!
4. Don’t give up yet. Just because you’ve put in your two weeks doesn’t mean you’re done.  Make sure you continue to carry your weight and do what’s expected of you right up until the day you leave.
5. Wrapping these tips into one: Leave on a good note.  Don’t burn bridges.

By: J. Mason
Online Career Tips Staff

Looking for a job in today’s economy is about persistence, experience, and a little bit of luck. The perfect job could open up at the start of your search, or you can spend months looking for a position that fits your backup plan. It’s important to keep your mind open, and have a willingness to concede if the timing calls for it.

The founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman, was recently interviewed by Mashable on what he thought were sound job searching tips. One that spoke to me was #3, “use ABZ Planning.” Like I stated earlier, it’s like having 2 backups. A is where you are now, B is what you want to change to, and Z is if A and B just aren’t working at the moment.

[6 Tips to Leverage Your LinkedIn Profile to Land a Job]

I consider B as a backup plan, especially if you’re A is looking for a position. If you’re looking to start working, while waiting for that perfect position to fall into your lap, then look at something related to your field of interest. Consider consulting on the side for friends, old colleagues, or even friends of family. It’s one way to get your foot in the door, and to keep you apprised of the latest in your field.

[related: "It's the Economy, Stupid!"]

The Office (NBC Series) on Valentine's Day

Today of all days is pretty bad in terms of avoiding distractions. Your co-workers are getting flowers left and right, chocolate is getting passed around, and with all the “love” in the air it’s hard to focus. So, before you get a sugar high from today’s sweet nothings, check out the great post below on finding focus.

Finding Focus in Your Work
By Ryan Harding
repost from APUS Career Services Blog

As someone who works from home quite often, I have an acute sensitivity and awareness of distraction—things which could derail an otherwise productive day. While I have been able to reduce or eliminate most distractions from my day, there are still two, seemingly inexorable forces that, every day, try to pull me into an abyss of distraction. I imagine falling into that abyss is a lot like finding yourself on the other side of an event horizon of a black hole: unable to trace the boundaries of the event horizon, a space traveler unwittingly crosses through to that inescapable region of space, only realizing his mistake after it’s decidedly too late. My two distractions actually have names: Slinky and Pogo (the former of whom is pictured above, purring while wedged into the internal framework of an old couch).

One, by happenstance, is sitting here in front of me as I write. He throws himself about my desk as if doing an interpretive dance and once settled, consciously drives his thick fur into the keyboard of my laptop. Although ultimately unknown, I can tell you his intent is to sabotage. The other, mesmerized by water, can be heard pawing at cups, attempting to drive them off of their surface, enabling her to violently attack the water as it splashes to the ground. She’s a menace. Using our many bookcases as springboards, as she throws her body into the air. I’m convinced she’s part sugar glider. At the same time every day, she begins tearing around the house. She’s a one-animal stampede. As her pace quickens, she loses traction on the hardwood floors. When she applies the breaks she hydroplanes, colliding with whatever sits in front of her. Did I tell you? She’s also part bowling ball. These are my distractions. And for better or worse, I’m stuck with them, and them with me. Even if you don’t have pets, every employee has their Slinky or Pogo—something that, although endearing, or seemingly harmless, has an innate, ineffable capacity to distract.

Dr. Paul Hammerness and Margaret Moore, writing for Harvard Business Review recently laid out a few suggestions for distracted employees interested in injecting a bit of focus into their professional life (in addition to listing the risks associated with multi-tasking).

“Tame your frenzy.” No, frenzy isn’t Slinky ripping through the kitchen cabinets driving out their contents, it’s an “emotional state”—the “feeling of being a little (or a lot) out of control,” say Hammerness and Moore. Adopt psychologist Barbara Fredrickson’s 3:1 approach to dealing with frenzy: “You can tame negative emotional frenzy by exercising, meditating, and sleeping well.”

“Apply the breaks.” Know how and when to mentally apply the breaks—don’t go skidding into walls or oncoming cognitive traffic. “Use the ABC method as your brain’s brake pedal,” suggests Hammerness and Moore. “Become Aware of your options: you can stop what you are doing and address the distraction, or you can let it go. Breathe deeply and consider your options. Then Choose thoughtfully: Stop? or Go?”

“Shift sets.” It can be difficult to, mentally, jump from one task to the next, so break them up with physical action, recommends Hammerness and Moore. “Before you turn your attention to a new task, shift your focus from your mind to your body. Go for a walk, climb stairs, do some deep breathing or stretches.”

By N. Cooper
Online Career Tips Staff

Hi folks! I wanted to help you guys out this Valentine’s Day… if you’re looking for some last minute tech gifts for your sweetie, we’ve got the list for you!

5 Tech Gifts for Your Valentine by APUS
Here are the links to the products Evan covered in his podcast:

1. Aqua Jet Foot Spa by Brookstone
2. AGloves
3. Bluetooth Speakers
4. Happy Endings on DVD
5. USB Heated Blanket

If you want to make a good impression in your next interview, then make sure to avoid the interviewer’s pet peeves list. Besides being on time, and showing enthusiasm, make sure to have examples to present when asked.

[How to Get Noticed: 5 Tips to Stand Out in Your Job Search]

Your resume helps sets the stage for your interview, but it’s how you conduct yourself during that makes all the difference. Don’t go blank when asked about how you solved a hard problem. If you’ve noted on your resume how you are great in a stressful situation, or a good leader, make sure you have something specific to respond with in case they ask questions.

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By Grace Williamson
Senior Manager, Employer Relations at American Public University System

Participating in career fairs is a great way to network with employers and learn more about available job opportunities within your field of interest. Whether you are attending an event in a brick and mortar setting or online, job seekers benefit by allowing applicants to practice their elevator pitch, explore a variety of careers, and expand their professional network.

American Public University System (APUS) hosts two virtual career fairs annually for employers to connect with our talented students and alumni. Employers participate by posting jobs prior to the event, and schedue a two hour time block during the Virtual Career Fair to chat online with interested APUS candidates. Students and alumni we be able to log into the NACElink website, upload their resumes, chat with recruiters and apply for positions all from the convenience of their home or office. While this upcoming event may be specifically geared toward APUS students, there are local options for those interested in attending a career fair online. A quick search on google, or monster, can help point you in the right direction.

The next Virtual Career Fair for APUS will be held from February 28 – March 1, 2012 with scheduled recruiter chat sessions taking place from 9:00AM -7:00PM EST.

If you’re an APUS student, or alumni, and are interested in attending you’ll need a NACElink account and resume in order to participate in this event. To register for a NACElink account visit: www.apus.edu/nacelinkjobs.  All students that submit an RSVP for this event by February 23 will receive the recruiter chat schedule and list of participating companies by email.

Some great things to expect from a virtual career fair:

• Meeting with recruiters from various industries
• A place to practice your pitch for potential employers
• Feedback from experts on your resume
• Guidance in job searching

Besides wanting a raise or a promotion, doing more than what you’re asked should give you a sense of accomplishment and more job security. Set the bar a little higher by creating a competition with yourself.

[related: Be Innovating - Take the Initiative and Move Your Group Forward]

Make time to develop new ideas and innovations at work. You may come across a new process that alleviates strain on your position, and helps positively impacts your co-workers as well. Still not convinced that having ambition is worthwhile? Check out the recent post from resident careers expert, Ryan Harding, below.

Why simply doing your job just isn’t enough anymore
By Ryan Harding
repost from APUS Career Services Blog

In one of my earliest blog posts, I characterized the job search as a ruthless war of all against all. Suit-clad, briefcase wielding, warriors battling it out, constantly attempting to eke out the competition through an adept application of cunning and practiced professionalism. Although we have always found signs that this war exists in the workplace, the stakes are higher now—the war more furious, with the workplace looking less like a group of individuals working toward a collective goal, and more like a chess board. In the same way that the rhetoric and tone of our politicians has, in recent years, taken on an almost (or, rather, exclusively) venomous tone—amounting to “political brinksmanship”—employees must today stake their claim, and demonstrate bold tenacity to get ahead. Showing up and simply doing your job, settling into the background, simply won’t cut it anymore. In a few words, you have to get out in front. (As an aside on today’s political discourse, the mud slung today, in print, online, and coating the halls of Congress is hardly comparable to the gruesome, toxic sludge politicians hurled at one another in the early days of our republic—check it out.)

“Marketing guru” Seth Godin recently exclaimed, “If you’re an average worker, you’re going straight to…the bottom.” Vivian Giang, writing for Business Insider, recently observed how the cultural malaise produced by the economic recession has had an interesting, even if expected side effect. A scarcity of jobs has ratcheted up competition for jobs, which has, in turn, created a workforce besieged by uncertainty, and has lead employers to be more selective about their workforce. Translation: getting ahead can no longer be compared to a rat race—it’s a horse race. “If you’re the average person out there doing average work, there’s going to be someone else out there doing the exact same things as you, but cheaper,” says Giang. So what does this mean for the average employee? “The days when people were able to get above average pay for average work are over.”

Your foot is in the door after you’ve accepted the interview. That’s the time where you really shine and show off what you have to offer the company. So, how can you be sure you’re leading with your best foot forward? Act like a reporter, and use the opportunity to get as much information without being too pushy.

I sat down with a PR expert, Tiffany Young, to chat about how to translate reporting skills into the interview. Her 5 tips for thinking like a reporter are below.
How to Think Like a Reporter During a Job Interview by APUS

By: J. Mason
Online Career Tips Staff

Patience wouldn’t be something you list on your resume, or annual review. Instead, it’s something that is reviewed (by your manager and colleaguest), and gets tested on a daily basis. Being able to exercise control when a co-worker seems impossible is a very important skill to master. It’s all about judgement, and knowing when to hold back.

You don’t lose your cool everytime a colleague misses a deadline. You learn how to re-prioritize the projects you’re working on, and then find a more effective way of getting them back on track. It’s about thinking before you leap. If  a timeout is what you need to keep a level head, then walk away and get a snack. Sometimes a position specifically calls for patience, especially those that deal with project management.

So, remember that patience and being contructive gets positive notice. You can talk it out to another co-worker or friend if you’re frustrated, but do’t let the anxiety bug get the best of you.