Boost Your Creativity

 Want a Creativity Boost? Learn How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci

We are all gifted with almost unlimited potential for learning and creativity. Consider Leonardo da Vinci as your inspiration, and uncover your hidden abilities and liberate your unique intelligence.  Join author Michael Gelb, a leading authority on creative thinking and innovative leadership, for our December 16 webinar to learn not just theories, but step-by-step processes that will help you develop your own creativity.

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci 

December 16, 8 pm EST

Want more perspectives on creativity? 

TED Talks are a great way to get inspired, learn–and get practical ideas, too:

Four Lessons in Creativity    

Radio host Julie Burstein talks with creative people for a living and shares four lessons about how to create in the face of challenge, self-doubt, and loss. Hear insights from filmmaker Mira Nair, writer Richard Ford, sculptor Richard Serra, and photographer Joel Meyerowitz.

Tim Brown on Creativity and Play 

At the 2008 Serious Play conference, designer and IDEO CEO Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play, with many examples you can try at home (and one that maybe you shouldn't).

How to Manage forCollective Creativity 

What's the secret to unlocking the creativity hidden inside your daily work, and giving every great idea a chance? Harvard professor Linda Hill, co-author of Collective Genius, has studied some of the world's most creative companies to come up with a set of tools and tactics to keep great ideas flowing, from everyone in the company, not just the designated "creatives."

Ken Robinson: Bringon the Revolution

Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence. Thought-provoking for everyone, not just educators.

Try Something New for 30 Days

After you’ve got some creative new ideas ... what next?  In this short talk, Matt Cutts offers a practical way to change your life: a little bit at a time, for 30 days. 

Revamping Your Career

Are you at a point in your life where you’re asking, “What’s next?” It’s time for a transition, but you’re midway through your career and not sure what to do next. The one thing you do know is that you want a job that gives you a sense of purpose.

Many of us face these transitions at midlife, but they can happen at any time. It’s a time full of enormous potential, and it defines a whole new phase of life.

 Join our Life Reimagined webinar presented by Richard Leider, motivational speaker and chief curator of content for AARP's Life Reimagined Institute. Leider will share the powerful practices and insights he’s developed to help you uncover your own special gifts, connect with people who can support you, and explore new directions. You will gain insight into how others have reimagined their lives in extraordinary ways.

Life Reimagined 

February 24, 2016, 8 pm EST 

Read more from Richard Leider about how to find and live your purpose.

 Visit the Life ReImagined Institute.

 For more practical tips and inspiring stories of how others have profited from their passions in semi-retirement, check out My Lifestyle Career 

Strategic Networking

In 2003, university-led research confirmed the age-old notion of “six degrees of separation” as true, suggesting we are all much more connected than we realize. Our existing social networks can help us develop new relationships, build community, and advance our careers, but few of us know how to harness their power. Enter Dr. John-Paul Hatala, who has conducted years of research on social networking, social capital, and career development. Join Dr. Hatala, author of The Strategic Networker: A Learner’s Guide to Effective Networking, for our November 4 webinar and learn how to network more strategically and more successfully than you ever thought was possible.

The Strategic Networker
Nov. 4, 2015
8 pm EST

More advice on networking:

• Are you an introvert who finds networking challenging? This article offers interviewing tips for you, and can be adapted to networking situations as well. For example, preparing carefully what you will say and what questions you will ask is helpful for speaking with someone at an informal interview or conference, as well as in interview situations. 


• Can you ask for advice from someone you don't know? If the person is also a Tufts alum, you already have a community connection, which definitely helps. But what if they're not? Try this customized email approach. While I like the way this writer encourages people to reach out to a specific person they'd like to talk with, I would skip starting an email with, "Hello, my name is...." It's a brief email, and your name is right there at the bottom. Conciseness is really appreciated by busy people.


• While we're talking networking, let's not forget LinkedIn. Check out this Business Insider article on some common LinkedIn mistakes. Some are pretty obvious: no typos in your profile! But even savvy users may see a helpful reminder or a new tip. And join the NEW Tufts Career Networking Group on LinkedIn to connect with more than 5,000 Tufts alums and offer advice to students and alumni.


• Are you a good writer? Can you use your writing skills to build visibility and relationships? Yes, and this Mojo40 article offers tips on how to use your writing chops to connect with people you'd like to work with ... this networking secret for people who "hate networking."

Hidden Job Market: Creating Your Own Opportunities

Surveys have found that 80 percent of jobs are filled before they are advertised, if they're advertised at all. That's due to the time lag in defining and approving a position once a need has been identified, and it's no surprise people would always rather work with people they know and like.

How do you tap into these available yet invisible opportunities? On October 7, join Darrell Gurney, noted career author, to learn proven tactics to connect with the people and information that will lead you to the hidden organizational needs that YOU can fill.

The Hidden Job Market: Creating Opportunities From Thin Air 
October 7, 2015, 8 pm Eastern

Can't wait to learn about the hidden job market? Check out these resources:

• "8 Tips For Successfully Penetrating The Hidden Job Market," Business Insider

• "Get A Job Using The Hidden Job Market," Forbes

• A Foot in The Door by Katherine Hansen details how to use informational interviews to research companies and trends, and identify the business needs you can solve―even when they aren’t advertising.

• Dave Perry, author of Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters, offers some targeting strategies to connect directly with the company―and the person―you’d like to work for.  

And lastly, if you haven't already: Join the new Tufts Career Networking Group on LinkedIn to expand your professional network. 

Tufts Career Networking Moves to LinkedIn

Career networking between Tufts grads and students is now even easier! The Tufts CAN will be retired later this year as we transition to LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking tool. It’s time to join our new Tufts Career Networking Group on LinkedIn to connect with fellow alumni and current students!

The Tufts Career Networking Group is a closed group designed to make alumni-student networking as easy as possible. There, you’ll be able to engage with students and alumni in your field, request informational interviews, share career-related articles and job leads, and build your own professional network.

How do you join the Tufts Career Networking LinkedIn Group?

All you need to participate is a LinkedIn profile. If you don’t already have one, create a profile today. Then join the group, and we’ll quickly accept requests after verifying Tufts affiliation.

That’s it! By joining the group, you’re leveraging the power of LinkedIn with the tremendous career capital of Tufts alumni.

Please contact me with any questions at leslie.warner@tufts.edu or 617-627-2307. See you on the Tufts Career Networking LinkedIn Group!

Best Regards,

Leslie Warner

Associate Director

Alumni Career Services

P.S. If you’re new to LinkedIn or want to do more with your profile, check out our LinkedIn resources page for helpful information.

Boost Your Interview IQ

Are you sure you're the best candidate for the job, but not sure how to say so? 

Here are some tips to help you make your case:

1. Join Carole Martin, author of Boost Your Interview IQ, on June 3 at 8 pm EST to learn how to increase your confidence and dramatically improve the impression you make in interviews. During What You Don’t Say in an Interview Can Hold You Back, Carole will share her strategies to help you build a personal narrative that showcases your skills, knowledge, and personality. 

2. Check out Eric Cramer’s presentation on Active Interviewing in our archive.

3. As you research the company (and person you will be interviewing with), put together a chart of the key points you’ve learned in your research. Work these points into your interview answers and practice these answers out loud. 

4. The Muse website has reliably good advice on many career topics, including what you must communicate in interviews. 

5. Read Bernard Marr’s article to make sure you are ready for the one interview question most people aren’t prepared for. 

Tufts Career Networking Moves to LinkedIn

Tufts Alumni Career Services is excited to announce the launch of the Tufts Career Networking Group on LinkedIn. We’re inviting alumni from all Tufts schools and programs to join now. The group will provide a forum for career and professional development questions, informational interview requests, discussions, resource sharing, and building your own network.

The LinkedIn group will replace the Tufts Career Advisory Network (TuftsCAN), currently available in the Online Community. The new group will offer improved networking tools on the world’s largest professional networking platform.

All you need to become a member is a Linkedin profile. Create a profile today if you don’t already have one. Then join the group and help us leverage the power of LinkedIn with the tremendous career capital of Tufts alumni.

New to LinkedIn, or want to do more with your profile? Check out our LinkedIn resources page for helpful information. William Arruda offers the best tips I’ve seen yet on developing a summary that communicates what’s most important about you to the audience you want to reach.  

Check out the archived Career Author Webinars for more strategies to help you make LinkedIn work for you. Viveka Von Rosen shares how to Let LinkedIn Market Your Skills and Experience and other speakers and webinars offer additional perspectives.

Building a Powerful and Profitable Network

Want to land your dream job? Or find the right leads for your business?

Here are some tips to boost your chances.

1. Create an active, written strategy–one you can refer to frequently. 
2. Be a helpful resource to others. Bestselling author Beth Bridges  will show you how in our May 6 webinar, 5 Steps to Building a Powerful and Profitable Network. Tune in at 8 pm EST to listen live. Or listen to it later, along with other archived webinars, in the Events Library. Topics include many aspects of networking, including the elevator pitch, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 
3. Strengthen your business network. An article from the always excellent Mojo40 offers 21 strategies. Some are most appropriate for entrepreneurs, but you will find inspiration for any career situation.
4. Update your online image. Here are some strategies for your LinkedIn photo. That photo is your chance to make an impression, and you want it to be a positive impression that’s appropriate for your industry.
5. Keep conversations going. Wonder what to say to someone you've just met? Here’s an article from the Muse with tips.
6. Write networking outreach emails that will be answered. Check out this Muse article for new strategies–backed by recent research--that improve response rates. 

What do you do best?

Are you looking to shift your career in a more rewarding direction? Your strengths—what you really do best—are the key to change.

Tom Rath, author of Strengthsfinder 2.0, has used extensive research to build the best techniques that will help you determine what you do best and how to leverage your assets. Join Rath for a free webinar:

Use Your Strengths to Create a Rewarding and Satisfying Career
April 1, 8 pm EST

More tips to find and leverage your strengths:

• “How to Find—and Use—Your Career Gift” from The Muse  
• “6 Steps to Find My Passion” from the Revolutionary Club  
• Try making a quick checklist of skills in this tool from the Federal Government, which links to detailed job descriptions. See where your skills can take you!
• Ready to get personal? Link skills to specific achievements in your own life via the unbeatable “Seven Stories” exercise from the Five O’Clock Club 

Best of luck!
Leslie

leslie.warner@tufts.edu | 617-627-3299 | Visit Alumni Career Services 

Irresistible Keywords

When you apply for a job, it can feel like your résumé falls into a black hole. But it usually goes into a database.

How do you get plucked from obscurity? Keywords.

Career expert Jay Block has researched automated résumé software extensively. His strategies will significantly increase your chances of getting your résumé onto the desk of a hiring manager. Join Block, author of The Five Steps to Rapid Employment, for a free webinar:

Stuff Your Resume With Keywords to Highlight Your Experience
Wednesday, March 4, 8 pm EST

Arm yourself with the best insider info in 2015:

• 42 Résumé Dos and Don'ts from The Muse 
• 10 Cover Letter Tips to Make You Irresistible to Employers (hint: how to make your letter more like a one-night stand) 
• 8 Tips for Writing Standout Cover Letters from NerdWallet (think audience research) 

Beyond the cover letter: your online portfolio and/or website is an easy click for employers, showcasing your value proposition. Some words of wisdom from The Muse on creating your site.

Best,
Leslie

leslie.warner@tufts.edu | 617-627-3299 | Visit Alumni Career Services 

Best Advice of 2014

Happy New Year!

Alumni Career Services is kicking off 2015 with a free webinar:

Proven Strategies to Build a Network That Works for You 
February 4, 8 pm EDT

Who has the time to build a network? Nobody! But today, more than ever, having a carefully cultivated professional network is the key to getting a job faster, with less effort, and without the added anxiety of potential loss of income. Join Mike Fishbein, author of How to Build an Awesome Professional Network, to learn how you can utilize social media strategies to not only build your network, but engage it.

Best Articles of 2014

One of our favorite sites, The Muse, rounded up their best tips from 2014; check out the slideshow (below) or read the article: 31 Most Loved, Shared, and Read Career Articles of 2014. And some creative tips to get your application noticed from Brazen.



Here's to a tremendous year for your career!
Leslie

leslie.warner@tufts.edu | 617-627-3299 | Visit Alumni Career Services