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PayScale’s VIP Blog Roundup: 50 Google Searches That Will Save You From a Layoff

Topics: Career Advice

Pity the job seekers of yesteryear: when they wanted to avoid taking a job with a lousy employer or an unstable company, they had to scour the news or listen to the grapevine. Now, you can just Google your way to (almost) all the information you need. In this week’s roundup, we look at the specific Google searches that can save you from taking a bad job, plus how to become a Tipping Point-style connector and how to write an effective resignation letter.

Google searches
Image Credit: startupstockphotos.com/Pexels

Susan P. Joyce at Job-Hunt.org: 50 Google Searches to Avoid Layoffs and Bad Employers

“Being uninformed today is a dangerous habit,” writes Joyce. Companies go out of business or have layoffs. Best not to be the last employee hired before the layoffs begin.”

Of course, Googling the company’s name will get you some information—its online presence in the form of corporate sites and social media, and maybe a few news stories. To dig deeper, you need more specific searches. Joyce’s suggestions will get you started.

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Miriam Salpeter at The Vault: 10 Tips to Becoming a Connector (Not Just a Networker)

If you’ve read The Tipping Point, you’re familiar with the idea of the connector, a sort of super-networker who not only forms connections with others, but facilitates connections between the people he or she knows.

“…you haven’t seen good networking until you’ve met a ‘connector,’” writes Salpeter. “This person seems to know everyone and never stands with two people without introducing them to each other. A connector is always thinking about how to help others in his or her network.

“And if you act as a connector, you’ll not only help other people get in touch with each other but will also reap the benefits in return. People will be more likely to think about you and refer you for opportunities if you go out of your way to help link them with useful information and contacts.”

We tend to think of connectors as being born that way, but Salpeter’s tips make a compelling case for the idea that connectors can be made, as well.

Eleana Stylianou at Career Addict: How to Write an Effective Resignation Letter

How many actual letters do you write these days? If you’re like most of us, the answer is zero. Then, you start the process of looking for a new job, and all of a sudden, you’re writing letters like it’s the Victorian era and email is just a twinkle in a science fiction writer’s eye.

Writing a resignation letter is particularly tricky, because as Stylianou points out, you need to be direct without being rude. You don’t want to leave anything up to interpretation—especially not your last day—but you also want to leave on a positive note, so that your former boss will be willing to write you a recommendation in the future. These tips will help you toe the line and get what you need, without alienating any of your soon-to-be former colleagues.

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Jen Hubley Luckwaldt
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