09 Apr 11 Where to Find the Perfect Job
If youre seeking the perfect job, its impossible to say exactly where you will find
it. The key is to take your list of requirements and look at the available job postings
to find the closest match. You are not likely to find something that will match your
list exactly because most everyone tends to look for something more than what is
potentially possible to find. For example, everyone would love to find a job that has
free medical insurance, but that is not likely to happen in the economy today,
therefore you want to scale that down a bit into something that is more realistic.
Something you should remember when you are job seeking is that less than 20% of
jobs are listed in the newspaper. Most employers have a file of potential applicants
or look toward those who have the ambition to walk into their company to drop off
a resume and/or see a hiring manager. These are the people who have the highest
potential for being hired because they show the ambition for going after what they
want. It shows a potential employer they are an enterprising person and not
someone who is going to sit back and wait for something to happen.
On the other hand there are many employers today who refuse to accept resumes
unless they are actually hiring and with the cost of gas, many job seekers have
stopped just walking into a company hoping to have an interview. Most employers
today are asking to see resumes in their mail or inboxes before they will even
schedule an interview. How do you beat the game when you are up against
potentially thousands of applicants? One thing that many applicants fail to do in
todays economy is making a list of the places they have submitted resumes so
they can follow up on its status. Never attempt to rely on your memory because
several weeks later you will not be able to remember where you sent your resume.
Of course job posting sites such as Monster.com are available and many employers
today make use of these sites when searching for new applicants. By filtering your
search you have a better chance of finding the job you seek and seeing if it fits
within the scope of your perfect job before you submit your resume. This method
makes it convenient for employer and job seeker and allows both to see what is
available before they request an interview.
Tags: Ambition, Economy, Find A Job, Find Job, Free Medical Insurance, Hiring Manager, Job Find, Job Match, Job Posting Sites, Job Postings, Job Seekers, Job Seeking, Job Sites, Mail, Memory, Monster, Resume Job, Resume Posting, Resume Sites, Resumes
02 Oct 10 Fired Before Youre Hired: Five Ways to Ruin Any Interview
Fired Before Youre Hired: Five Ways to Ruin Any Interview
Arrive on time. Dress well. Write a thank-you note. Dont lie on the application. You have the job-hunting basics down, but the gods of employment have plagued your people with a drought. Whether youre interviewing after a layoff, seeking a change of employment or documenting your futile interviewing plight to milk yet another unemployment check, be aware of these five deadly interviewing sins.
1. Dont get too friendly.
Youre chatting with the interviewer, discussing professional experiences and swapping war stories; however, a relaxed interviewing environment is no excuse to become complacent in your professionalism.
An ex-colleague of mine was looking to migrate back towards substance-abuse counseling, his original area of study and expertise. He was cordial, outgoing and a hard worker. He had plenty of experience and great references, but he met his downfall while making small talk. After the interview, the hiring manager mentioned in passing that he had recently received a DUI. My colleague, attempting to empathize, admitted that he, too, had received a DUI ticket. On three separate occasions. Lesson learned: get job first. Tell war stories later.
2. Dont forget to train rigorously.
Reading job-seeking books, articles and studying potential interview questions are all great ways to prepare, but these resources dont exactly put you in the interviewing hot seat. You wouldnt expect to run a marathon just because youve read several books about running, would you? Get a friend or significant other to give you a dry run through a hypothetical interview with suggested questions from these books or articles. Even better, if you know someone who is a hiring manager or works in human resources (for a different company, of course), ask them to administer the mock interview.
By humbling yourself and asking for the help of others, youll receive constructive criticism and be able to integrate another perspective into your response. You may even be asked a question that you never considered answering, making great practice for unexpected interview surprises.
3. Dont forget to shut up.
When youre done answering the question, shut your mouth. The two deadliest kinds of interviewers we will refer to as the poker face and the yes man. The poker face will ask you a question and give no signs of life during the answer. In hopes of eliciting a smile, nod or comprehending grunt, you will elaborate. And elaborate. You will continue elaborating until you realize that the poker face is playing a game. By the time you realize you are involved in a game, you have already lost. Take this knowledge and answer the next question completely, concisely and without superfluous commentary.
The yes man is just as deadly, if not more so, than the poker face. He will nod his head and seem to understand and agree with every answer. Feeling encouraged by this enthusiasm, you will elaborate. And elaborate. You will continue elaborating until you realize that you could say your career goals to sleep with the boss, publish trade secrets and burn the building down, and the yes man would still nod his head.
In the yes mans defense, sometimes he may actually agree with what you are saying at first, but, towards the end, every nod means Yes, I understand. Just like I understood ten minutes ago. Please stop talking, lest I puncture my own eardrums with this letter opener.
4. Dont forget to tone it down.
Everyone knows not to bad-talk a previous employer, but even a comment where you feel you have restrained yourself may ring sour with the interviewer. If youre jaded and bitter with your current job or the interviewing process, try to keep the disillusion to a minimum. Take yourself to a happy place. Reminisce about the time you unwrapped a vending machine sandwich, locked it in your managers file cabinet and allowed their office to smell mysteriously foul for weeks. If your personality is sarcastic or dry, make sure to take this down a notch as well. While your friends and family may understand your charismatic quirks, a complete stranger may not.
5. Dont forget to bring enough supplies to make a Boy Scout proud.
Bring a notepad, pen and three copies of your resume and references. Taking notes shows a proactive attitude and commitment to the interview. Additionally, these notes will be useful later when writing a personalized thank-you note to the interviewer.
If multiple members of management are administering the interview, make sure to provide a resume for each person. Worst-case scenario: you only bring one resume and end up with back-to-back interviews, thus leaving you empty-handed for the second round.
Whether youre rebounding from a layoff, looking for a different job or seeking excuses to stay unemployed, these tips will help you accomplish your objective. By becoming aware of these deadly interviewing sins, youve taken the first step towards meeting your goal!
Tags: Books Articles, Colleague, Constructive Criticism, Different Company, Downfall, Drought, Hiring Manager, Hot Seat, Interview Questions, Interviewer, Interviewing, Job Hunting, Layoff, Marathon, Mock Interview, Plight, Professional Experiences, Professionalism, Substance Abuse, Unemployment Check
02 Sep 10 Fired Before Youre Hired: Five Ways to Ruin Any Interview
Fired Before Youre Hired: Five Ways to Ruin Any Interview
Arrive on time. Dress well. Write a thank-you note. Dont lie on the application. You have the job-hunting basics down, but the gods of employment have plagued your people with a drought. Whether youre interviewing after a layoff, seeking a change of employment or documenting your futile interviewing plight to milk yet another unemployment check, be aware of these five deadly interviewing sins.
1. Dont get too friendly.
Youre chatting with the interviewer, discussing professional experiences and swapping war stories; however, a relaxed interviewing environment is no excuse to become complacent in your professionalism.
An ex-colleague of mine was looking to migrate back towards substance-abuse counseling, his original area of study and expertise. He was cordial, outgoing and a hard worker. He had plenty of experience and great references, but he met his downfall while making small talk. After the interview, the hiring manager mentioned in passing that he had recently received a DUI. My colleague, attempting to empathize, admitted that he, too, had received a DUI ticket. On three separate occasions. Lesson learned: get job first. Tell war stories later.
2. Dont forget to train rigorously.
Reading job-seeking books, articles and studying potential interview questions are all great ways to prepare, but these resources dont exactly put you in the interviewing hot seat. You wouldnt expect to run a marathon just because youve read several books about running, would you? Get a friend or significant other to give you a dry run through a hypothetical interview with suggested questions from these books or articles. Even better, if you know someone who is a hiring manager or works in human resources (for a different company, of course), ask them to administer the mock interview.
By humbling yourself and asking for the help of others, youll receive constructive criticism and be able to integrate another perspective into your response. You may even be asked a question that you never considered answering, making great practice for unexpected interview surprises.
3. Dont forget to shut up.
When youre done answering the question, shut your mouth. The two deadliest kinds of interviewers we will refer to as the poker face and the yes man. The poker face will ask you a question and give no signs of life during the answer. In hopes of eliciting a smile, nod or comprehending grunt, you will elaborate. And elaborate. You will continue elaborating until you realize that the poker face is playing a game. By the time you realize you are involved in a game, you have already lost. Take this knowledge and answer the next question completely, concisely and without superfluous commentary.
The yes man is just as deadly, if not more so, than the poker face. He will nod his head and seem to understand and agree with every answer. Feeling encouraged by this enthusiasm, you will elaborate. And elaborate. You will continue elaborating until you realize that you could say your career goals to sleep with the boss, publish trade secrets and burn the building down, and the yes man would still nod his head.
In the yes mans defense, sometimes he may actually agree with what you are saying at first, but, towards the end, every nod means Yes, I understand. Just like I understood ten minutes ago. Please stop talking, lest I puncture my own eardrums with this letter opener.
4. Dont forget to tone it down.
Everyone knows not to bad-talk a previous employer, but even a comment where you feel you have restrained yourself may ring sour with the interviewer. If youre jaded and bitter with your current job or the interviewing process, try to keep the disillusion to a minimum. Take yourself to a happy place. Reminisce about the time you unwrapped a vending machine sandwich, locked it in your managers file cabinet and allowed their office to smell mysteriously foul for weeks. If your personality is sarcastic or dry, make sure to take this down a notch as well. While your friends and family may understand your charismatic quirks, a complete stranger may not.
5. Dont forget to bring enough supplies to make a Boy Scout proud.
Bring a notepad, pen and three copies of your resume and references. Taking notes shows a proactive attitude and commitment to the interview. Additionally, these notes will be useful later when writing a personalized thank-you note to the interviewer.
If multiple members of management are administering the interview, make sure to provide a resume for each person. Worst-case scenario: you only bring one resume and end up with back-to-back interviews, thus leaving you empty-handed for the second round.
Whether youre rebounding from a layoff, looking for a different job or seeking excuses to stay unemployed, these tips will help you accomplish your objective. By becoming aware of these deadly interviewing sins, youve taken the first step towards meeting your goal!
Tags: Books Articles, Colleague, Constructive Criticism, Different Company, Downfall, Drought, Hiring Manager, Hot Seat, Interview Questions, Interviewer, Interviewing, Job Hunting, Layoff, Marathon, Mock Interview, Plight, Professional Experiences, Professionalism, Substance Abuse, Unemployment Check
11 Sep 09 Fired Before Youre Hired: Five Ways to Ruin Any Interview
Fired Before Youre Hired: Five Ways to Ruin Any Interview
Arrive on time. Dress well. Write a thank-you note. Dont lie on the application. You have the job-hunting basics down, but the gods of employment have plagued your people with a drought. Whether youre interviewing after a layoff, seeking a change of employment or documenting your futile interviewing plight to milk yet another unemployment check, be aware of these five deadly interviewing sins.
1. Dont get too friendly.
Youre chatting with the interviewer, discussing professional experiences and swapping war stories; however, a relaxed interviewing environment is no excuse to become complacent in your professionalism.
An ex-colleague of mine was looking to migrate back towards substance-abuse counseling, his original area of study and expertise. He was cordial, outgoing and a hard worker. He had plenty of experience and great references, but he met his downfall while making small talk. After the interview, the hiring manager mentioned in passing that he had recently received a DUI. My colleague, attempting to empathize, admitted that he, too, had received a DUI ticket. On three separate occasions. Lesson learned: get job first. Tell war stories later.
2. Dont forget to train rigorously.
Reading job-seeking books, articles and studying potential interview questions are all great ways to prepare, but these resources dont exactly put you in the interviewing hot seat. You wouldnt expect to run a marathon just because youve read several books about running, would you? Get a friend or significant other to give you a dry run through a hypothetical interview with suggested questions from these books or articles. Even better, if you know someone who is a hiring manager or works in human resources (for a different company, of course), ask them to administer the mock interview.
By humbling yourself and asking for the help of others, youll receive constructive criticism and be able to integrate another perspective into your response. You may even be asked a question that you never considered answering, making great practice for unexpected interview surprises.
3. Dont forget to shut up.
When youre done answering the question, shut your mouth. The two deadliest kinds of interviewers we will refer to as the poker face and the yes man. The poker face will ask you a question and give no signs of life during the answer. In hopes of eliciting a smile, nod or comprehending grunt, you will elaborate. And elaborate. You will continue elaborating until you realize that the poker face is playing a game. By the time you realize you are involved in a game, you have already lost. Take this knowledge and answer the next question completely, concisely and without superfluous commentary.
The yes man is just as deadly, if not more so, than the poker face. He will nod his head and seem to understand and agree with every answer. Feeling encouraged by this enthusiasm, you will elaborate. And elaborate. You will continue elaborating until you realize that you could say your career goals to sleep with the boss, publish trade secrets and burn the building down, and the yes man would still nod his head.
In the yes mans defense, sometimes he may actually agree with what you are saying at first, but, towards the end, every nod means Yes, I understand. Just like I understood ten minutes ago. Please stop talking, lest I puncture my own eardrums with this letter opener.
4. Dont forget to tone it down.
Everyone knows not to bad-talk a previous employer, but even a comment where you feel you have restrained yourself may ring sour with the interviewer. If youre jaded and bitter with your current job or the interviewing process, try to keep the disillusion to a minimum. Take yourself to a happy place. Reminisce about the time you unwrapped a vending machine sandwich, locked it in your managers file cabinet and allowed their office to smell mysteriously foul for weeks. If your personality is sarcastic or dry, make sure to take this down a notch as well. While your friends and family may understand your charismatic quirks, a complete stranger may not.
5. Dont forget to bring enough supplies to make a Boy Scout proud.
Bring a notepad, pen and three copies of your resume and references. Taking notes shows a proactive attitude and commitment to the interview. Additionally, these notes will be useful later when writing a personalized thank-you note to the interviewer.
If multiple members of management are administering the interview, make sure to provide a resume for each person. Worst-case scenario: you only bring one resume and end up with back-to-back interviews, thus leaving you empty-handed for the second round.
Whether youre rebounding from a layoff, looking for a different job or seeking excuses to stay unemployed, these tips will help you accomplish your objective. By becoming aware of these deadly interviewing sins, youve taken the first step towards meeting your goal!
Tags: Books Articles, Colleague, Constructive Criticism, Different Company, Downfall, Drought, Hiring Manager, Hot Seat, Interview Questions, Interviewer, Interviewing, Job Hunting, Layoff, Marathon, Mock Interview, Plight, Professional Experiences, Professionalism, Substance Abuse, Unemployment Check
05 Sep 09 Fired Before Youre Hired: Five Ways to Ruin Any Interview
Fired Before Youre Hired: Five Ways to Ruin Any Interview
Arrive on time. Dress well. Write a thank-you note. Dont lie on the application. You have the job-hunting basics down, but the gods of employment have plagued your people with a drought. Whether youre interviewing after a layoff, seeking a change of employment or documenting your futile interviewing plight to milk yet another unemployment check, be aware of these five deadly interviewing sins.
1. Dont get too friendly.
Youre chatting with the interviewer, discussing professional experiences and swapping war stories; however, a relaxed interviewing environment is no excuse to become complacent in your professionalism.
An ex-colleague of mine was looking to migrate back towards substance-abuse counseling, his original area of study and expertise. He was cordial, outgoing and a hard worker. He had plenty of experience and great references, but he met his downfall while making small talk. After the interview, the hiring manager mentioned in passing that he had recently received a DUI. My colleague, attempting to empathize, admitted that he, too, had received a DUI ticket. On three separate occasions. Lesson learned: get job first. Tell war stories later.
2. Dont forget to train rigorously.
Reading job-seeking books, articles and studying potential interview questions are all great ways to prepare, but these resources dont exactly put you in the interviewing hot seat. You wouldnt expect to run a marathon just because youve read several books about running, would you? Get a friend or significant other to give you a dry run through a hypothetical interview with suggested questions from these books or articles. Even better, if you know someone who is a hiring manager or works in human resources (for a different company, of course), ask them to administer the mock interview.
By humbling yourself and asking for the help of others, youll receive constructive criticism and be able to integrate another perspective into your response. You may even be asked a question that you never considered answering, making great practice for unexpected interview surprises.
3. Dont forget to shut up.
When youre done answering the question, shut your mouth. The two deadliest kinds of interviewers we will refer to as the poker face and the yes man. The poker face will ask you a question and give no signs of life during the answer. In hopes of eliciting a smile, nod or comprehending grunt, you will elaborate. And elaborate. You will continue elaborating until you realize that the poker face is playing a game. By the time you realize you are involved in a game, you have already lost. Take this knowledge and answer the next question completely, concisely and without superfluous commentary.
The yes man is just as deadly, if not more so, than the poker face. He will nod his head and seem to understand and agree with every answer. Feeling encouraged by this enthusiasm, you will elaborate. And elaborate. You will continue elaborating until you realize that you could say your career goals to sleep with the boss, publish trade secrets and burn the building down, and the yes man would still nod his head.
In the yes mans defense, sometimes he may actually agree with what you are saying at first, but, towards the end, every nod means Yes, I understand. Just like I understood ten minutes ago. Please stop talking, lest I puncture my own eardrums with this letter opener.
4. Dont forget to tone it down.
Everyone knows not to bad-talk a previous employer, but even a comment where you feel you have restrained yourself may ring sour with the interviewer. If youre jaded and bitter with your current job or the interviewing process, try to keep the disillusion to a minimum. Take yourself to a happy place. Reminisce about the time you unwrapped a vending machine sandwich, locked it in your managers file cabinet and allowed their office to smell mysteriously foul for weeks. If your personality is sarcastic or dry, make sure to take this down a notch as well. While your friends and family may understand your charismatic quirks, a complete stranger may not.
5. Dont forget to bring enough supplies to make a Boy Scout proud.
Bring a notepad, pen and three copies of your resume and references. Taking notes shows a proactive attitude and commitment to the interview. Additionally, these notes will be useful later when writing a personalized thank-you note to the interviewer.
If multiple members of management are administering the interview, make sure to provide a resume for each person. Worst-case scenario: you only bring one resume and end up with back-to-back interviews, thus leaving you empty-handed for the second round.
Whether youre rebounding from a layoff, looking for a different job or seeking excuses to stay unemployed, these tips will help you accomplish your objective. By becoming aware of these deadly interviewing sins, youve taken the first step towards meeting your goal!
Tags: Books Articles, Colleague, Constructive Criticism, Different Company, Downfall, Drought, Hiring Manager, Hot Seat, Interview Questions, Interviewer, Interviewing, Job Hunting, Layoff, Marathon, Mock Interview, Plight, Professional Experiences, Professionalism, Substance Abuse, Unemployment Check
