Ah, the internet’s favorite treasure trove, Reddit. Want to get your fix of cats in hats? Looking for a new workout plan? Need financial advice? Reddit has become a virtual habitat for millions of people to congregate and share memes, engage in heated political debates, and discuss everything from the epiphany they had in the shower to incredibly useful life hacks.
With all the valuable crowdsourced wisdom just waiting there for our brains to slurp up, it’s no surprise that the site is chock-full of career-related advice. To help you wade through all of the great (and not-so-great) information out there, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best career subreddits we could find surrounding the job search, interviewing, and tips for navigating the workplace.
r/Jobs
From job search tips and advice on how to navigate a new role, to pointers on how to successfully craft your resume and cover letter, this subreddit has stockpiled a ton of valuable information for you to lay eyes on. One redditor asked for advice on how to broach the subject of a promotion with her boss. One of the responses really hit the nail on the head, saying the individual should not only share their successes and measurable achievements with their manager, but to also turn the mic over their boss and ask what additional tasks she would need to accomplish in order to qualify for a promotion. This is a great way to get inside your managers head and have a clear strategy moving forward of what you need to do to satisfy the requirements of a promotion.
r/Resumes
This thread is a great place to ask questions, post your resume for others to critique, and discover sample resumes in your field to help you tailor your own. One Redditor, for example, posed the question, “Do I mention why I quit my last job?” The most epic response? “First you get the date, then you tell them you’re divorced.” Such valuable information delivered in a highly entertaining way. The goal of submitting your resume to a potential employer is to score an invitation to interview with the company. The last thing you want to do is set off warning signals before you even walk through the door. You should be prepared to discuss the subject (and I mean d-i-s-c-u-s-s, not vent or rant about how awful your previous employer was) once you’re in your interview.
r/LifeProTips
LifeProTips has a ‘career & work’ flair (essentially a tag or sub-category), that gives you a 360-degree view of all things career-related. One Redditor suggests asking for a copy of your performance review sheet as soon as you start a new job. By doing so, you will understand what criteria you’ll be assessed on from day one and immediately begin working towards achieving those goals. The poster also suggested using the performance review sheet, as well as the original job description, down the road to negotiate a raise once your responsibilities have expanded and you’ve taken on several additional tasks.
What about this scenario: you’ve landed an awesome gig and now your good friend is pestering you to refer them to your hiring manager so they can work at your company too. As one person puts it, “Someone who is a good friend doesn’t necessarily translate to someone who has a strong work ethic.” Only recommend a friend if you’ve worked with them or are 100% confident in their ability to perform the job successfully. Otherwise, their mistakes or poor performance will reflect badly on you, which could negatively impact not only your relationship with your employer, but with your friend as well. A referral bonus is certainly not worth having to swallow the embarrassment of watching someone you vouched for ruin your reputation at your job.
Here’s another great piece of advice from Redditor u/Celt9782: If you’re unemployed, seek out volunteer opportunities. Volunteer work is an incredibly effective way to expand your professional network and stumble upon career opportunities that you may never have been introduced to otherwise. The original poster joined their local firehouse, where they were able to meet hundreds of people through social events, trainings, and via their fellow volunteers. It’s a great way to get your foot in the door while broadening your soft skills – which employers place a strong emphasis on.
r/CareerGuidance
Have a career question you need answered? Career Guidance is a great subreddit to share your thoughts and experience for others to learn from while also gathering some great feedback on your most pressing questions. From threads on “Should I omit jobs I’ve held for a short time?” to “I started my new job 5 months ago and am struggling to keep up. Any advice?” there’s no shortage of insightful information to help you navigate the working world.
From Ted Talks and entrepreneurial advice to everything in-between, Reddit is one of many great virtual sources to turn to for inspiration when it comes to your career. In addition, our career experts here at HumanEdge are always happy to answer any questions you may have.
Go ahead – post one of your burning career-related questions in the comments below and we’ll take a crack at it.
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