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If you’re like me, and you may be since you’re reading this post,  you get ideas for apps , websites and services all the time. I know I do. What I am bad at is actually executing these ideas. Sometimes I write a little code, other times I buy a domain name that would fit […]

The post I decided to build a job search site appeared first on HighEdWebTech.

If you’re like me, and you may be since you’re reading this post,  you get ideas for apps , websites and services all the time. I know I do. What I am bad at is actually executing these ideas. Sometimes I write a little code, other times I buy a domain name that would fit my idea and then life happens and before you know it I have a bunch of folders, some code and domain names but no real sites to speak of.  I’m trying to break that cycle.

I worked in higher ed from 1998 to 2016. It was both the best and hardest career choice I could have made and it was awesome. I met so many awesome colleagues, team members, friends and more across that time. I left and went to the private sector for two years, but it wasn’t a great fit. At that point, I went full-time on my own at my digital agency, Gas Mark 8.  I kept looking for higher ed roles, interviewed for several (including a few full-day on campus interviews) but nothing went my way. What can you do — it happens.

Over the last 6 years since I left higher ed, I’ve seen so many amazing people leave the industry. It started pre-pandemic, the last 3 years have really been hard on higher education and there’s been a large exodus of talent. There are a lot of reasons for that, and we know many of them (pay, remote work, career advancement, difficult environments, the big sea change in education, and so on.) There has been a very large brain drain, and that’s a bummer.

I’m bummed because I love higher ed and it’s important. I don’t know what the future holds for it, but I believe in what its about. I have one child a year away from finishing college and one a year away from starting. They’re working with amazing faculty and staff and taking advantage of all the opportunities they can. It’s so critical as they get ready to go out into the world.

Back in 2013 or 2014, I created a very quick and dirty job search website that provided links to the HR listing pages of colleges and universities around me in Cleveland, where I live. I was curious about what was out there, and made a simple tool. I shared it with some folks on my team, and added more cities like Erie and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was just for me mostly, and had very little in terms of design or usability. I did, however, notice that a few schools featured  RSS feeds, and I added a note in my code to someday build out a feature that would grab those job posts and show them on the page without needing another click. The idea nagged at me. I took me 7 or 8 years, but I finally built it.

Before Christmas, I was going through some folders of code and old sites and found the old job site I made. “Finally,” I thought, “there has to be an easy way to build this.” In about 15 minutes, I spun up a WordPress dev site, installed some of the tools we use at Gas Mark 8 and got to work. I started with the last school I worked at (miss you, JCU) — it’s also where my son attends. I threw in their RSS feed and to my surprise, it worked. There were 15 jobs in a custom post type I created. Interesting…

I continued to iterate on features and data structures. The goal in my mind was to build something I didn’t have to babysit. I wanted to add schools to it, import their posts and make sure the data goes to the right place. It started out well. I found more and more schools whose applicant tracking system (ATS) offered RSS or Atom feeds. A decent amount do but the vast majority of them to do not. TMany are closed systems, which is fine, but it stinks to not share that data.

One thing that the plugins we have and the code I’ve written so far doesn’t do (except for a few tests) is scrape pages to get job postings. The ones I’ve tried to scape use the same system so I can re-use my code but many obfuscate their code and don’t let you make requests to data like JSON feeds (looking at you, Workday.) If anyone has written a scraper for any of these ATS sites, let me know.

Once the jobs were coming in, the actual web site  needed a layout, design, UI and most importantly a name. Let me introduce you to CollegeAndUniversity.careers. Have you tried to find a good domain name lately? It’s difficult.

After a few weeks of work and getting some help (thanks, Dylan!), it’s ready for use. I’ve polling about 90 schools and the site now has over 7,700 jobs. It polls schools daily, gets new jobs, edits existing job and deletes jobs that are no longer posted. We’ve created some cool searching ability (by keyword, state or both.) I think it would be cool to allow people to create job search alerts, but that’s down the road. I’ve got a nice feature list going.

We also have a logo. I had one made awhile ago for another app (it’s on the list to build) and we all love it so it’s got a graduation cap now. Why an octopus? It’s got eight legs. Our agency also has an 8 in it. Made sense at the time. I’m thinking of calling it Tako.

The si

A side hustle is one way to increase the amount of money you bring in each month. But it could be end up being more than just extra cash. Why Have A Side Gig? 40% of Americans have a side hustle, according to a new LendingTree survey, according to LendingTree survey. Here are some benefits […]

The post A Side Hustle Is More Than Extra Cash appeared first on Career Sherpa.

A side hustle is one way to increase the amount of money you bring in each month. But it could be end up being more than just extra cash.

Why Have A Side Gig?

40% of Americans have a side hustle, according to a new LendingTree survey, according to LendingTree survey. Here are some benefits of side hustles: 

• Financial Security:
  • 61% of people say their life would be unaffordable without their side hustle income
  • 77% say their side hustle improves their quality of life
  • 44% say their side hustle provides long-term financial security
• Extra income: Side hustlers say they earn an average of $1,215 monthly. The median is just $400.

But there’s another reason to line up a side hustle.

Save Extra Money

Common wisdom and financial gurus recommend you have between three and six month’s worth of expenses in your savings account to help survive an emergency like a layoff or downsizing.

Few workers are able to accumulate that type of savings on an entry-level salary. Diligently depositing income from a side hustle into savings is one way to build up savings. Unfortunately, Bankrate found that less than half the side hustlers saved the money earned.

Income and Job Security

There is another benefit to a side hustle. If needed, it can easily be converted into a part of your portfolio career. This offers a form of job security or at least reduces the anxiety about losing a job and not having enough money to survive.

If you’re looking for ideas for a side hustle that require little to no investment, below are some opportunities to turn your passion into income, or at least allow you to use what you have to earn a buck.

Enhance Skills

If you want to keep your skills fresh or want to develop skills, taking on a side hustle is a great option. When jobs are scarce, it doesn’t mean there isn’t work. Companies and people still need to get specific projects done and might be willing to pay for someone to work on a project.

Why People Are Working Side Hustles

While many do it for the extra money to cover expenses, there are other reasons. Some have side hustles to fill their spare time, some do it to help others and others engage in side gigs to pursue their passions.

Start With What You Know and Like

If you are wondering where to start looking for your side hustle, it’s best to start with what you know how to do and what you enjoy doing. This will make it easier for you to dedicate some of your free time.

To get more ideas on the types of freelance jobs people are hiring for, investigate freelance jobs posted on job boards like upwork, LinkedIn’s ProFinder, a professional services marketplace. And for more sources of freelance job boards check out Think Like A Free Agent.

Freelance Writing

If you have strong writing skills, look for freelance writing opportunities. Search for freelance writing or content writing job sites.

Some job listing sites may require a small monthly fee to join. Carefully read the reviews and research the sites reputation. And watch out for scams that ask you to pay money for training or ask for you to write without a contract.

Another way to find freelance writing gigs is to talk to friends and family members who run small businesses and see if they need help writing newsletters or blog posts.

Graphic Design

There are lots of opportunities to use your graphic design skills. You can apply to offer your services using LinkedIn’s ProFinder. It will help potential clients make a decision if they can see your work so it’s a good idea to create an online portfolio with samples.

From designing logos to creating company brochures, you’ll find many types of freelance graphic design jobs on sites dedicated to creative services like 99designs.com or Behance.net.

Make Money Using What You Already Own

Are you looking to earn extra income from items you already have? Here are some straightforward options:

Rent Your Possessions:

• Vehicle sitting unused in your garage? Consider listing for short term rentals.
• Bike or motorcycle taking up space? Try renting it.

Use Your Vehicle Actively:

• Enjoy meeting people? Become a driver for Lyft or Uber.

Leverage Your Living Space:

• Travel frequently? List your apartment on Airbnb while you’re away.

Offer Your Time and Skills:

• Deliver groceries

Having a job search checklist ensures you have the right equipment and tools to compete. Without having everything you need, you potentially waste a lot of time.  While gathering this checklist of items in this order is not required, it is *highly* recommended you do them all. Job Search Checklist – Things You Need For […]

The post Checklist for a Job Search appeared first on Career Sherpa.

Having a job search checklist ensures you have the right equipment and tools to compete. Without having everything you need, you potentially waste a lot of time.  While gathering this checklist of items in this order is not required, it is *highly* recommended you do them all.

Job Search Checklist – Things You Need For Your Job Search

1. Portfolio of work and evaluations
2. Professional email address and email signature
3. Professional greeting on main voicemail
4. 20+ Accomplishment stories
5. 10 or more ideal job titles
6. Request 3-5 people to serve as references
7. Targeted, strategically focused resume for each of those job titles and/or ideal job postings
8. 50+ companies that could potentially hire you for what you want to do
9. Craft answers to the dreaded interview questions
10. 10-30-60 second answer to “tell me about yourself” (here’s how to create yours)
11. LinkedIn profile (here’s how to make your profile awesome)
12. Listing of 100+ people you know
13. Cover letter and thank you letter templates (Use AI to generate rough drafts)
14. Networking email templates (Use AI to generate rough drafts)
15. Begin practicing common interview questions
16. Folders/system to retain job postings, resume, and cover letters by company (version control)
17. Spreadsheet to track jobs applied for and followup (Try Teal Job Tracker)
18. Spreadsheet/system to track networking contacts and follow up
19. Time blocking system (here’s what a structured week can look like)
20. Positive mindset, anything is possible! 

20 is the most important.  Take care of yourself emotionally and physically.  Don’t allow “negative self talk”.  Surround yourself with positive reinforcement.  Prepare for the long haul and try to enjoy this exploration of the new world!

2025 Job Search Check List

Here’s a pdf to download.

Job-Search-Checklist-2025-careersherpa

The post Checklist for a Job Search appeared first on Career Sherpa.

Do you want an easy way to stay connected with your network on LinkedIn? Or maybe you want employers to discover you.  Updating your LinkedIn profile regularly is one of the best ways to do both! People have asked me HOW to update their LinkedIn status, so here are four easy ways you can update your LinkedIn […]

The post HOW TO: 4 Ways to Update Your LinkedIn Status appeared first on Career Sherpa.

Do you want an easy way to stay connected with your network on LinkedIn? Or maybe you want employers to discover you.  Updating your LinkedIn profile regularly is one of the best ways to do both!

People have asked me HOW to update their LinkedIn status, so here are four easy ways you can update your LinkedIn status and share information.

Whether you’re actively job searching or simply want to stay top-of-mind with your LinkedIn network, sharing regular updates on LinkedIn is one of the easiest and most effective ways to boost visibility.

But many people ask me how to update their status — what to post, where to find content, and how often to do it. So here’s your step-by-step guide to four simple ways you can update your LinkedIn status and stay engaged with your network.

(And if you’re wondering what to say, check out my earlier post on 10 types of status updates for job seekers).

Why Post Daily

You may think posting daily sounds like a lot — but remember, not everyone in your network will see every post. LinkedIn’s algorithm filters what appears in people’s feeds, so posting more often gives you more chances to show up.

Here are just some of the many benefits of posting daily:

• Increased Visibility: LinkedIn’s algorithm favors active users and content that receives engagement.
• Algorithm Favoritism: The more you post and the more engagement your posts receive (likes, comments, shares), the more LinkedIn’s algorithm will push your content to a wider audience.
• Showcasing Expertise: Sharing industry insights, tips, or experiences in your niche demonstrates your expertise and build credibility.
• Staying Top-of-Mind: Regular posting helps you stay top-of-mind with your network and reminds them of your expertise.
• Building a Community: Consistent posting allows you to build a community.
• Job/Business Opportunities: Activity can help attract potential clients, collaborators, or employers.

  Remember, Don’t just focus on posting, but also engage with others’ posts, comments, and messages to build relationships and increase your visibility.

Another tip: Experiment with different posting times, content formats, and topics to see what resonates best with your audience and yields the most engagement.

Your updates don’t need to be complicated. You can:

• Share something you’re working on
• Talk about an event you’re attending
• Post a thoughtful quote
• Highlight an article you found useful

The point is: stay visible. Because if your network doesn’t see you, they won’t think of you when opportunities arise.

1. Write Your Own Post

When you log into LinkedIn, you’ll land on your home feed. At the very top is the box that says “Start a post.” This is your opportunity to share what’s on your mind or what you’re working on.

Examples of what to post:

• A recent win or milestone
• A professional challenge you overcame
• Lessons learned from a podcast or article
• A quote that inspires you

Pro Tip: Add a question at the end of your post to encourage engagement.

2. Share Articles From Your LinkedIn Feed

LinkedIn is full of content you can share with your network. Follow industry leaders, companies, or topics that matter to you — then scroll your feed to find something worth reposting.

When sharing, consider:

• Adding a short comment or takeaway
• Tagging the author or company
• Explaining why it matters to you or your industry

Quick Tip: LinkedIn defaults to showing “Top” posts in your feed. If you want to see the most recent updates, change the filter below the status box to “Recent.” (You’ll have to do this each time you log in.)

First Step: Creating A Notebook

Here’s the link to sign up for free access to NotebookLM using your Google account.

The first step is to create a notebook and add sources, which will serve as the knowledge base.
Notebooks should be well-named for easy organization. For your job search, I recommend creating a new notebook for each target company or company that you are interested in. In this notebook you would keep all job applications, networking correspondence and interview information having to do with that company. You are limited to 100 notebooks with a free account.

Adding Sources to NotebookLM

Let’s say you find a job posting at a company you are interested in. You want to create the research sources (company research, mission statement, job posting, resume) into your notebook so you can thoroughly and thoughtfully draft your resume and cover letter.

The following steps allow you to set up all the resource materials you need to craft a draft of your cover letter and resume.

1) Copy and paste your company research (which you have done in one of these: Claude, CoPilot, Perplexity) as a source and name it “[Company] Research”.

2) Then add your master or super resume as a source

3) Either copy and paste the job posting or a link to the job posting as a source.

4) Finally, either copy and paste or use the URL to the company’s mission statement.

If the URL is highlighted in red, it means that it can’t be used as a source. Either copy and paste the text or check to make sure the URL is public.

Sources can be renamed for clarity

Using NotebookLM for Resume and Cover Letter Customization

Now that you have all the source material identified and selected for that company, use the chat area to ask questions, using prompts to guide NotebookLM. If you’ve used ChatGPT or other AI tools to help you with your resume and cover letter, the

Taking a summer vacation shouldn’t feel like a risk to your career—but for many, stepping away from work comes with guilt, anxiety, and a constant urge to check in. It’s time to reclaim your time off and truly tune out. There are many studies that discuss how important disconnecting from the office is to our […]

The post Taking Summer Vacation, Turn Off and Tune Out appeared first on Career Sherpa.

Taking a summer vacation shouldn’t feel like a risk to your career—but for many, stepping away from work comes with guilt, anxiety, and a constant urge to check in. It’s time to reclaim your time off and truly tune out.

There are many studies that discuss how important disconnecting from the office is to our mental health and well being and when they do go on away they spend hours checking voicemail, email, and calling into the office.  Yet, a recent survey by Solitaired revealed that 47% of Americans left some PTO unused in 2024.

I saw this firsthand during a recent family visit. Two of our guests are employed and one is currently job searching. All three spent most of their time glued to smartphones and laptops. Instead of enjoying downtime, they were checking emails, responding to Slack messages, or scanning job boards. When I asked why, they said they didn’t feel like they could afford to be offline—literally or figuratively. One even said, “I’m afraid they’ll forget about me if I don’t check in.”

Seriously. Let me ask you this. Do you know anyone who has gone on vacation and come back to see a pink slip waiting for them on their desk?

You’ve Earned It So Take It

I’ve always believed that vacation time is earned and should be respected—by both employees and employers. For years, I only had two weeks of paid vacation, and I worked hard for it. Like many of you, I put in overtime, covered for colleagues, and took on additional responsibilities. That vacation wasn’t a luxury, it was a necessary break.

Here’s how to write a vacation request email with samples.

So what I learned was to set the expectations with my manager that I would not have the ability to check-in. I would also make sure that clients and co-workers knew that I would be out and provided contact information for my replacement. I briefed coworkers on what critical items they needed to know. (Only once did a client truly need some immediate help while I was out and my co-worker handled it with ease.)

Setting expectations and delegating and informing show responsibility.  A respected quality in today’s workplace.

The truth is, we are all replaceable.  If your manager wants to fire you or needs to fire you, it really doesn’t matter if you worked during your vacation or not.

5 Key Tips to Avoid Working on Vacation

1) Get Everyone On Board Early

Give your manager, team, and clients ample notice about your time off. Set the expectation that you will be offline. The earlier you communicate, the easier it will be to coordinate coverage.

2) Find a Vacation Buddy

Identify a trusted colleague who can be your point person while you’re away. Provide them with a quick briefing and a list of key contacts. Offer to return the favor when they take their vacation.

3) Select Your Vacation Time Wisely

Choose a time that aligns with slower business cycles if possible. This reduces the chance of urgent issues arising while you’re gone. If your role is seasonal, plan your break accordingly.

4) Leave a Roadmap

Document key tasks, due dates, and contact info in a shared folder or email. This makes it easier for your team to handle things and shows you’re thinking ahead.

5) Neatness Counts

Before you leave, tidy up your inbox, finish loose ends, and set up a clear out-of-office message. The smoother your departure, the easier your return will be.

Why Time Off Matters

Employers are beginning to understand this, too. Many progressive managers encourage their teams to disconnect fully when taking time off. Why? Because refreshed employees perform better.

If your manager frowns upon vacation, that’s not a reflection of your value, it’s a red flag about the company culture. A healthy workplace supports boundaries and acknowledges that employees are more than just productivity machines.

And let’s not forget, in many countries outside the U.S., vacation is encouraged. Some European countries mandate four to six weeks of paid vacation, and it’s expected that employees will not be available during that time.

Boundaries Are Professional

Let’s be clear: your employer does not own your personal time. If you regularly go above and beyond, then taking time off shouldn’t be seen as a lack of commitment. In fact, setting healthy boundaries signals confidence, self-awareness, and professionalism.

Remember, being available 24/7 isn’t sustainable and it doesn’t make you a better employee. What does? Showing up energized, focused, and ready to contribute. That only happens when you take care of yourself, and yes, that includes time off.

Take A