04 Apr 11 Where else to look for job openings?
The initial step is to look at local newspapers for this provides information just by looking at the Classified Ads section and the lists of
wanted personnel and employment opportunities will be read. Applying at several companies initially in a local area can save an
applicant more time and money. If it so happens that a job was found late in the day, call immediately for inquiries and never let a day pass
when opportunities arise.
How to look for jobs that are not announced?
Sometimes companies and other employers do not really advertise any job openings in their organization. The best thing for an applicant is to
weigh things if it will be possible to be hired by a certain company by just submitting an application form or resume. Start looking for the
job personally. Tell everyone about your job hunting. Relatives and previous offices or company co-workers will be able to give hints on
job vacancies in their current companies. Professors or teachers will also be helpful in recommending schools and institutions that are now
looking for new instructors. These people might not have any vacant position in their company in mind but they certainly know someone
who knows or needs a new employee. That is what others call networking.
Often times, the Yellow Pages does the important job of providing information on how and where to call to look for a job. This gives an
accurate list of companies and prospective employers in a chosen area. Visiting the library is also a tool than can be useful when looking
for a job. There are libraries that have a list of local employers, just asks the librarian for more information.
Contact these employers personally, even if they did not advertise any vacant positions that needed to be filled
Lastly, be observant of signs posted on doors and windows of shops and stalls being passed by. If lucky, just walk in and ask for
information about the job and how to apply. After submitting application forms and resumes to the respective
companies, keep track of the progress by creating a chart where you can jot down the name of the company and when the application was submitted.
Tags: Ads Section, Application Form, Application Forms, Co Workers, Current Companies, Doors And Windows, Employment Opportunities, Initial Step, Job Hunting, Job Openings, Job Vacancies, Librarian, Local Area, Local Newspapers, Professors, Prospective Employers, Resume Job, Time And Money, Vacant Position, Vacant Positions
21 Feb 11 Unique Ways to Find Jobs
Are you in need of a job? Whether you are currently unemployed or if you would just like to find a new job, one that pays better or one that you actually enjoy doing each and everyday, you may be wondering how you can go about finding new opportunities. When it comes to finding job listings, which outline open positions, you will find that you have a number of different options. Some of those options are quite obvious, like using online career hunting or job hunting websitesa or the employment section of a newspaper; however, there are other options that are fairly unique, but effective.
One unique way that you can go about finding information on available jobs is by speaking to those that you know. Word of mouth is a great way to find jobs that you may be qualified for; jobs that you may want to apply for. What is amazing about this approach is those that you know, whether they are your friends, family members, or neighbors, may not even be looking for a job themselves. They may have just come across a now hiring sign or happen to see an advertisement in their newspapers employment section. It may seem weird when you think about it, but those who arent actually looking for jobs are usually the best sources of information when it comes to finding a job.
Another unique way that you can go about finding a job is by working with a buddy or a partner. If you know of anyone, like a family member or friend, who is also in need of a job, you and that person may want to think about teaming up. For instance, you could search for job listings online and your partner could search for job listings in local newspapers. This approach is nice because it allows you to save time, when searching for job listings. Yes, you may end up receiving a little bit of competition from your job hunting buddy, but the amount of time that you are able to save will likely be well worth it in the end. Also, depending on where you live, you may be able to find hundreds of available job listings; therefore, the chances of both you and your job hunting buddy finding a job are actually quite high.
Another unique way that you can go about finding jobs is by using the internet to your advantage, namely online message boards. Online message boards, as you likely already know, are online forums where internet users can interact with each other. Although many internet users use online message boards for recreational purposes, there are others who use them for business purposes, like with assistance with finding a job. In most cases, online message boards are great ways to learn about work-at-home opportunities or nationally operated companies that may have a local branch near you. It is not uncommon for a current company employee to mention that their company is hiring or just outline the fact that they enjoy working for the company in question. If you happen to comes across these types of discussions, you may want to prod for more information or at least do your own investigation of the company in question.
Another approach that you may want to take isnt necessarily considered unique, but it isnt as common as you would think. Many businesses, even those that are locally owned and operated, now have online websites. Many businesses have a webpage that is devoted to employment. That employment page may outline whether or not the company in question is currently hiring. If they are, information on what positions are available or how you can apply may also be touched on. If you dont already know the online websites of your local employers or ones that you would be interested in working for, you can easily find them, if they do exist, by performing a standard internet search.
The above mentioned approaches are just a few of the many unique or less common ways that you can go about finding a job. With the above mentioned approaches, combined with online career hunting or job hunting websites, career counseling centers, career fairs, and your newspapers employment sections, you are sure to find a handful of job listings; job listings that you may want to apply for.
Tags: Advertisement, Amount Of Time, Available Jobs, Employment Section, Family Member, Family Members, Finding A Job, Finding Information, Finding Job, Friends Family, Job Hunting, Job Listings, Little Bit, Local Newspapers, Neighbors, New Job, New Opportunities, Open Positions, Sources Of Information, Word Of Mouth
28 Nov 10 Strategies for an Effective Job Search to Get You the
Strategies for an Effective Job Search to Get You the Job or Career You want
At this point you have posted your resume online and even applies for a few of the positions you have seen listed. You are also scouring the online classifieds postings as well as the newspaper classified ads. You have of course been sending off cover letters and resumes by email, fax and snail mail for the entire job opening that seem appropriate for you.
Is there anything else that you can do to look for that job you wish? You bet! In fact, the more diverse and wide spread your job hunting strategies, the more effective it is likely to be.
First you should contact the professional organizations in your chosen field or wide scope of employment area.
National. Regional and local professional organizations exist in a great part to help their members with career development as well as employment search. Many of these organizations include field specific job listings on their web sites or in their printed publications. Check out the career contact and alumni network which is composed of alumni, employers, students as well as friends and patrons of the organization who have offered to share their career experiences with alumni and students.
Next Visit Company and organization web sites.
Many companies and organizations post their job openings right on their websites. Often it is the Employment or Career Opportunities Links. If it doubt check the site map. Or as another resort actually contact the webmaster of the site.
A more direct tack is to apply directly to the organizations that actually interest you. What a compliment it is for a firm for an applicant to be able to appreciate their hard work and focus. You can send a well written cover letter directly to the human resources department or even the direct person who is most likely to initiate hiring decisions. Your research skills may be necessary to find that vital information. The entire better to demonstrate your research skills which are actually hard to come by and very valued by many current employers.
Networking is key to effective job hunting strategies.
It is often said that close to 85 % of jobs are filled through networking. Talk to your contacts. Always remember when one door closes often another opens. You never know where even a failed interview will lead.
The one contact you make there or in your research travels can easily lead to another contact. Sometimes even name dropping can have great results so says Layton Mancin an expert in the field.
Make a list of contacts you know in the field.
You most likely know lots of people or know people who do.
Sit down with them. Take them for lunch coffee or a donut. But do it sincerely not like an aggressive insurance salesman.
If there is a professional organization in your field, join it and start participating in its meetings and other events so that you can get to know people in your area of interest ? Work with a career counselor at your college or school to both tap his or her contacts and learn of alumni who might be willing and able to lend you a hand. Do not forget your supervisors or instructors connections as well.
You can consider using either a placement agency or recruitment agent now often called a headhunter. It is often very expensive for companies to conduct hiring.
Companies incur not unsubstancial costs as well as time to research, screen, conduct initial interviews as well as travel and hosting costs. As well they may not want to make to known that they are hiring either to their industry or employees including the one that they are planning on replacing. For these reasons as well as the fact that the management of the firms may already be short of time many progressive firms will employ the services of headhunters.
You can avail yourself of the services of these headhunters or placement organizations.
You can do an initial search in your local phonebook. Follow this up with contacts in your networks and at professional organizations. It is amazing how helpful people can be with a simple phone call with well prepared specific questions. As well as the posting that are prominent in local, national and industry newspapers and publications.
Note that most of the firms are paid by the employers. They are generally paid a percentage of your projected earnings. Basically they are paid on a commission basi sothat they have a vested interest in placing you. Often these firms are even paid a percentage of projected future bonuses or in the case of sales projected commissions However be very wary headhunting firms that try to charge you fees or send you on courses supplied by their very firm or a sister company. As said many good employers use reputable head hunters and consider the money they spend as very good value and an ultimate saving of both money and time
Lastly consider a temporary or fill in job and the firm of your choice. You will make valuable contacts. Perhaps even the firm will consider you such a valuable addition to their organization that they will determine it is best to continue to have you around as you are an asset to their organization.
Remember the more diverse and planned your job hunting methods are the more opportunities and ultimately the greater the chances you will have of landing that job and that career you really want.
Tags: Alumni Network, Career Development, Career Experiences, Career Opportunities, Cover Letter, Cover Letters, Employment Area, Employment Search, Human Resources Department, Job Hunting, Job Listings, Job Opening, Job Openings, Job Search, Organization Web, Patrons, Printed Publications, Professional Organizations, Snail Mail, Vital Information
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
04 Jul 10 Filed in Recruitment Help with 0 Comments
In this age of technology a CV put together on an old typewriter and sent snail mail is not enough.
A Web CV is simply a copy of your CV produced on a web page that can be accessed via the Internet rather than held on your PC at home. It is an ideal addition to your job hunting toolkit if you intend to spend any time away from your PC.
Imagine being away for the weekend, whether on a wild trip to Amsterdam or a cosy hotel in Paris. You pop into an Internet caf to find the nearest Italian restaurant and browse the web to use up the rest of your pre-paid time. You come across the perfect job! With a Web CV you can send an email with your CV Web address and password to the employer or recruitment agency and they can view your CV immediately. Indeed, whether you are moving house, taking a gap year abroad or travelling extensively in your current job you can give employers and agencies instant access to your CV and you can apply for any vacancy at any time.
With a CV Web page you can ring employers or agencies about a job advertised in the local paper and instead of just sending your CV by post a few days later, why not give them your web address and password over the phone? They can look at your CV while you are still talking. You will be remembered for being innovative, professional and efficient.
Even if you apply for a vacancy via email you can include a link to your CV Web Page or add it to your covering letter. Employers in every line of business use computer technology to a small or larger degree. A Web CV will show employers and recruiters that you are aware of and embracing the latest technology.
Add a Web CV to your toolkit today and get ahead of the rest.
Tags: Computer Technology, Cosy Hotel, Covering Letter, curriculum vitae, cv builder, cv format quality cv, cv service, cv template, Cv Web, cv wizard, cv writing, Email Address, Gap, help to write cv, Hotel In Paris, how to write a cv, Instant Access, Italian Restaurant, Job Hunting, Latest Technology, Line Of Business, make a cv, Old Typewriter, online cv, perfect cv, prepare a cv, professional cv, Recruiters, Recruitment Agency, Snail Mail, Taking A Gap Year, Use Computer, Web Cv, Wild Trip, write cv, writing a CV
Filed in Cv with 0 Comments
29 Jun 09 Recruiter split – Share income or split relationships?
A particularly unique job order needed some tweaking. Couple of us recruiters and our good client met over coffee. We could not help over hear the next table – also recruiters (is this cafe a recruiter hang out or what?) were on to their banter. Their conversation was getting hotter than the brew. Long story short: Your job order, my resume, how do we split the income.
Our client asked, does that happen all the time. We volunteered a guess, on the negative. Heading back, we googled out recruiter splits and you would be surprised to a lot of dirty linen in public (IPs – so to say).
Green opportunities beckon – you have the job order, I have my resume archives gathering dust. We jump in, all in good will. When there is income to share, goodwill is under stress and, relationships split. Whats a good method:
1. The side that brings the opportunity takes the larger share (The risk is taken by this recruiter in dealing the business)
2. The person sending resumes is usually pulling out of the archives – not that there were hot hot resumes
3. If there are niche skills, or the recruiter is going out of the way to source resumes – discuss costs then and there
4. Basically agree on the split before sharing the resume
Tags: Cosy Hotel, Curriculum Vitae Cv, Cv Builder, Cv Cv, Cv Format, Cv Service, Cv Template, Cv Web, Cv Wizard, Format Quality, How To Write A Cv, Job Hunting, Old Typewriter, Quality Cv, Recruitment Agency, Restaurant Job, Snail Mail, Taking A Gap Year, Web Cv, Wild Trip
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
22 Jul 09 Filed in Recruitment Help with 0 Comments
In this age of technology a CV put together on an old typewriter and sent snail mail is not enough.
A Web CV is simply a copy of your CV produced on a web page that can be accessed via the Internet rather than held on your PC at home. It is an ideal addition to your job hunting toolkit if you intend to spend any time away from your PC.
Imagine being away for the weekend, whether on a wild trip to Amsterdam or a cosy hotel in Paris. You pop into an Internet caf to find the nearest Italian restaurant and browse the web to use up the rest of your pre-paid time. You come across the perfect job! With a Web CV you can send an email with your CV Web address and password to the employer or recruitment agency and they can view your CV immediately. Indeed, whether you are moving house, taking a gap year abroad or travelling extensively in your current job you can give employers and agencies instant access to your CV and you can apply for any vacancy at any time.
With a CV Web page you can ring employers or agencies about a job advertised in the local paper and instead of just sending your CV by post a few days later, why not give them your web address and password over the phone? They can look at your CV while you are still talking. You will be remembered for being innovative, professional and efficient.
Even if you apply for a vacancy via email you can include a link to your CV Web Page or add it to your covering letter. Employers in every line of business use computer technology to a small or larger degree. A Web CV will show employers and recruiters that you are aware of and embracing the latest technology.
Add a Web CV to your toolkit today and get ahead of the rest.
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Filed in Cv with 0 Comments
29 Jun 09 Recruiter split – Share income or split relationships?
A particularly unique job order needed some tweaking. Couple of us recruiters and our good client met over coffee. We could not help over hear the next table – also recruiters (is this cafe a recruiter hang out or what?) were on to their banter. Their conversation was getting hotter than the brew. Long story short: Your job order, my resume, how do we split the income.
Our client asked, does that happen all the time. We volunteered a guess, on the negative. Heading back, we googled out recruiter splits and you would be surprised to a lot of dirty linen in public (IPs – so to say).
Green opportunities beckon – you have the job order, I have my resume archives gathering dust. We jump in, all in good will. When there is income to share, goodwill is under stress and, relationships split. Whats a good method:
1. The side that brings the opportunity takes the larger share (The risk is taken by this recruiter in dealing the business)
2. The person sending resumes is usually pulling out of the archives – not that there were hot hot resumes
3. If there are niche skills, or the recruiter is going out of the way to source resumes – discuss costs then and there
4. Basically agree on the split before sharing the resume
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11 Nov 08 Your job is to find a job
Job Hunting Tips
Are you a fresh graduate and planning to look for a job? Did you just recently quit your job and are looking for greener pastures? Are you
unemployed and have little experience regarding ways to secure a job? Whatever your situation may be, it would be to your advantage to
study the following tips:
Check your resume for mistakes Before submitting your resume to a prospective employer, check your
it for corrections at least three times before handing it over. After researching about the job position, it is critical that you format your
resume to match the needs of the company. For example, if you are applying for an accounting job, you should put in detail your
accounting experience on your resume. Typographical and grammatical errors are serious no-nos. It is also ideal to keep the
length of the resume to at least a page and a half long. Taking the interview challenge
A survey conducted by a staffing and consulting firm based in California which corresponded with 1,400 chief financial officers
concluded that candidates for employment made most of their mistakes on their interviews. Some of the mistakes they made include:
Arriving late
Having little knowledge about the company
Having little knowledge about the position applied for
Having a superiority complex
Behaving arrogantly
The body language of the applicant must also denote that he isconfident yet not overpowering. He must maintain eye contact, have a
strong handshake, and avoid looking defensive by the act of crossing the arms. Wearing the right clothes is crucial for projecting a confident
stance. As they say, it is better to go to an interview over-dressed than being under-dressed.
Answer questions smartly
A common mistake of interviewees is that they tend to get tense and forget the questions that are given to them, which has the effect that
they are not prepared for the interview. It is important to research the company and the position applied for to prevent being side-tracked
during the interview. If you do not know the answer to the questions being asked, it is better to admit you dont know the answer to the
question and add that you can research about it. Look for the skills or expertise that the company is looking for so that when interview day
comes and the interviewer asks about your strengths and core competencies, you will be able to match it to what they need.
Getting the necessary referrals
Having a referral from one of the company employees can go a long way toward landing an interview. A typical company may receive job
applications in the hundreds and usually 35% to 60% of all job vacancies are filled by referrals. The odds of getting hired when you
have a referral are very high if you have another 200 to 500 applicants vying for the same position. If you do not know anyone from the
company that may give you a referral, it is a good idea to network the alumni of your college or university, trade groups, social networks, and
professional associations. Remember, having a referral greatly increases your chances of getting the position.
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