Abridged: Forbes
CHICAGO, IL -- To help you avoid a
costly faux pas, here's a list of the six missteps that will sabotage
your job search:
1) Failing to proofread job-hunting materials. We all
make mistakes. Make sure your resume and cover letter are error free or
it could lose you a job opportunity.
2) Ignoring your online footprint.
If you don't show up
online somewhere, the hiring manager will either conclude that you're a
technological dinosaur or have little to offer. Limit the damage of a
weak online presence by being proactive.
3) Sounding wishy-washy
about your job objective. When networking to find employment, you'll
probably be asked, "What type of job are you looking for?" The
more confident and clear you are, the likelier others can and will help
you.
4) Playing the pity game. Yes, it's a tough economy. Yes, age
discrimination is real. Yes, it's increasingly difficult for the
long-term unemployed to find jobs. But interviewers don't want to hear
it. Focus on the positive and keep your emotions in check and try to
convey an upbeat attitude.
5) Not preparing a list of questions
for your interview. Nothing spoils a job interview faster. Spend time
compiling great questions for the interviewer.
6) Forgetting to say
"thank you" Don't be a networking nitwit. Make it a point to thank
everyone who takes the time to speak with you.
Try a different approach to your job search
SAN DIEGO, CA -- With a new job
search engine called MyJobHunter, you can search all top career sites at
once & apply to all matching jobs with one click. Just enter your
search criteria, review the matching jobs and select the ones you want.
Then, click a single button and you'll instantly apply to all selected
jobs with your resume and cover
letter (without having to log into each job site separately).
Click
another button and you can automate the whole process! MyJobHunter can
remember what you searched for, search for it again each day, and
AUTOMATICALLY APPLY FOR YOU to new jobs matching your criteria. Review
jobs in advance or put searching & applying on auto-pilot. The
choice is yours.
You'll also get an application history report
that makes follow-up a breeze! It shows the jobs you were applied to,
full job descriptions, employer contact info, and application dates. You
can even add personal notes to each job! This service is proven to
reduce hours of job searching and resume submitting to just minutes.
Simply upload your resume, enter your job search criteria and let
MyJobHunter take it from there. Try a new approach this year when
searching for a job online with
MyJobHunter.
A personal website should be a part of your search
Abridged: CareerBliss
ATLANTA, GA -- These days, a job
seeker has to stand out. And in a difficult job market, a strong resume
may not be enough. One option for getting an edge on the competition is
to build a personal website or online portfolio. Here's how having your
own website can help your job search:
1) Helps employers come to
you. Recruiters can't
reach out to you if they can't find you. Building a website or online
portfolio makes it easier to be found by a wider array of potential
employers. 2) A personal website allows you to show instead of tell.
Resumes and job applications tell potential employers about your
experience and skill-sets. A personal website allows you to show your
talents
instead of simply listing them. An online portfolio can let your work
speak for itself.
3) Adds to your existing resume. Using a
personal website allows you to supplement your resume without leaving
anything out. 4) Builds your personal brand. You want to showcase who
you are and what you do in a clear and consistent manner. Building your
personal brand can help you control how you are seen by others. 5) A
personal website grows with you and your accomplishments. It lets you
keep an up-to-date listing of every new career achievement. You can
highlight a success immediately without having to rework your entire
resume around it.
Things employers look for in an interview
Abridged: Wet Feet
INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- When
interviewing, hiring managers are hoping to explore these basic areas:
Do we want to work with you? You might enter an interview prepared to
recite a litany of skills and work experience, but interviewers aren't
looking for a walking, talking resume. They're already intrigued by your
skills--that's why they're
interviewing you in the first place. The reason they need to meet with
you in person is to gauge your personal qualities, to see if you'll be
an asset to the workplace.
Will you mesh with the team? The
corporate workplace is increasingly a team-driven environment. Because
of this, organizations are especially eager to hire people whom they
think will fit within a team. This might mean a tough adjustment for
academic high achievers who are used to working on their own. But as
much as interviewers might be gauging your individual strengths, they
are also evaluating your ability to be a team player.
What's your
EQ? Interviewers are probably less interested in your IQ than your
EQ--your emotional intelligence. You can have a high IQ and still lack
common sense and empathy. Employers are learning that intelligence isn't
always the most desired attribute for prospective employees, especially
when it comes at the expense of good sense. Although you'll want to
impress your prospective employer with your smarts, you also must
convey you are a thoughtful, collegial coworker with a sense of personal
responsibility.
Why aren't you getting more interviews?
LOS ANGELES, CA -- According to
the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 66% of organizations
are having difficulty recruiting for specific job openings. If you think
these are highly technical positions that only apply to a very limited
few, think again. In their poll of 2,286 HR professionals, the job
categories listed as being
difficult to fill ranged in expertise from the highly skilled to day
laborers.
Do you have what these recruiters are looking for? If
so, then why aren't you getting more interviews? It may be hard to
believe, but there's a good chance your resume is the culprit. Even the
most carefully crafted resume and cover letter can be overlooked if
you're not tailoring it to a specific job posting. When your
qualifications are not opening the doors for an interview, consider
enlisting the assistance of a professional resume writer to help you
stand out and get recruiters to take action.
The Career News
recommends having your resume written or revised by the resume experts
at
GuaranteedResumes. Your new resume is--guaranteed to grab an employers
attention--while emphasizing your work experience, skills, abilities and
achievements. Their expert resume writers know how to strategically
apply keywords to your resume and effectively market you for the job you
want. Whether seeking a new job or climbing the career
ladder--you need a resume that sets you apart from other qualified
applicants. It's easy to get started and they even back their work with a
60 day interview-guarantee. To get a superior resume that gets you
noticed,
get started now.
When to say 'No' on interviews
Abridged: What's For Work
DANVILLE, CA -- Keep your
principles and priorities in check. Any time intent and motive come into
question on an interview, say "no" even if it means losing out on the
job. Intuitive warning signs are also something to which you should give
serious consideration. Recalling a past experience, I was asked to meet
a traveling recruiter in the
lobby of a luxury hotel. Upon arriving, I asked the front desk to let
the recruiter know I had arrived. The front desk manager relayed the
recruiter wanted me to meet him in his room.
Without hesitation,
I said, "no" but that I would wait until he came down to the lobby.
Taking the lead on interactions puts you in a position of
professionalism. The recruiter came down to the lobby and profusely
apologized. From there the interview deteriorated. He conducted a
one-way conversation, grilling me, as if I were his prisoner not allowed
to offer input or ask questions. Only at the end of a 45 minute
discourse was I allowed to ask a question or two and as it turned out,
the
answers were less than truthful.
Needless to say, this job was
not even close to my ideal and one from which I walked away. We all
could use extra cash but the question is, to what lengths are you
willing to go to get some? Your answer will dictate the right job for
you!
The ultimate guide to job interview answers
LOS ANGLES, CA -- The interview
is extremely critical given employers and recruiters use your
presentation to make their final decision. When you enter an interview
armed with a wealth of information on the company and a solid
understanding of how you can make a valuable contribution, you're
automatically put at the front of the pack. Imagine
what life would be like if you could ace any job interview you take,
blowing the competition out of the water and giving the interviewers no
other option but to hire you!
If you really want to land the job
of your dreams you must give yourself an advantage over your
competitors. What too many people fail to understand is that it doesn't
matter what it says on your resume, you only really have one chance to
impress your prospective employer and it all boils down to 'how well you
perform in your job interview' and the answers you provide to their
tough interview questions.
With 'The Ultimate Guide to Job
Interview Answers' you can arm yourself with the answers they want to
hear to some of the toughest questions any interviewer could possibly
throw at you. This guide is "so much more than a list of questions and
answers". With a bit of practice you'll be able to adapt to the mind-set
of the interviewer and know exactly how they want you to respond based
on the types of questions they ask. You will lose any nerves you
once had, increase your interview confidence and the job interview will
become a game you will win! To ace your next interview and beat the
competition, get
The Ultimate Guide To Job Interview Answers today.
Tips to get your resume past scanners and screeners
Abridged: Feisty Side of Fifty
DENVER, CO -- In order to ensure
your resume gets passed along, you'll need to "learn the rules of the
game." Applicant tracking systems are programmed to allow only those
resumes that match the search criteria (i.e. keywords) to make it
through the screening process and eventually wind up on the recruiter's
computer screen. If yours does not
reflect what they're looking for, it will disappear into the black hole
of cyberspace.
Give them what they want. You'll need to match
your skill sets to the skills advertised in the posting. Whatever you
put on your resume needs to be 100% truthful, however it's your decision
as to which skills you choose to emphasize. Remember, software
cannot make assumptions, your resume needs to duplicate the advertised
skills as closely as possible.
Placement is Important. If your
resume makes it through the screening process of the applicant tracking
software, it will eventually be viewed by a human screener/recruiter.
Most reviewers claim to give resumes only a 30-second scan.
Therefore your key skills and experience need to be readily visible and
placed at the top of your resume. Ask yourself the "so what" question.
Although keywords and skills are critical, you'll need to sell the
reviewer on your abilities by stressing your accomplishments. Asking
yourself "so what" after each bulleted statement on your resume will
help you focus on the positive results you've achieved.
