Fortune Magazine has made it official: Job Boards are not the most effective way for most people to find employment. The article notes it would be more effective to have lunch with one good contact than to send 50 resumes for openings through job boards. Read More
Internships: Brilliant or Bogus?
A recent article in The Week Magazine highlights the increase in internships by job seekers, including those who are fairly advanced in their careers. The article has ignited a firestorm amongst job seekers, some of whom find the whole concept of an internship, particularly an unpaid internship, completely bogus. Some view internships merely as a chance for employers to take advantage of unpaid labor in order to advance their business.
If you’re a job seeker, spending time and energy on the debate over the merits of interning may not be directly helpful for your job hunt. Read More
Handling Rejection
Virtually every job search involves rejection. It’s typical to apply and interview for many jobs before finding a great match and getting hired. While it’s not fun to be turned down, it is an opportunity to grow.
It’s ideal if you can get direct feedback about why you were not selected. Here are some people you should ask: Read More
I Wasn’t Laid-off. I Was Fired!
These days, it’s pretty common to lose your job due to a reduction in force (RIF) or lay off. With the struggling economy, such a lay off is usually not problematic on a resume and can be easily explained, especially if you were one of many to lose your job. But how does a job seeker explain being fired? Read More
Why Isn’t My Networking Working?
Earlier this week we dug up some stats that prove networking really does work. The numbers prove the majority of jobs are found through connections, not through posted ads. Yet sometimes a job seeker will say networking just isn’t working. Here are five quick ways to rethink how networking is supporting your job search. Read More
Handling the Ups and Downs of Job Search
Some people purposely read the end of a book first. They find that removing the suspense and knowing how it’s going to turn out makes the book more enjoyable. With job search, you don’t have the option of knowing from the start how it will turn out. While job search tends to follow a certain course, you don’t know what any given day will bring – perhaps a new lead, or perhaps a rejection. It’s helpful and appropriate for job seekers to be optimistic that their job search will have a happy ending. But between now and the start of your new job, there are sure to be highs and lows. Here are six ways to deal with the ups and downs of job search. Read More
Making the Most of Each Day in Your Job Search
“I’ve lost my structure,” Shannon sighed. “When I was working, the day, the week, and the month had a built-in structure. There were activities I knew I had to complete, deadlines, and accountability. Now the days are free-form. I’m not sure what to do next and I feel like I’m spinning my wheels.” Two months into a job search, Shannon’s feelings are very common.
The work-world often makes it very easy to stay on track. Read More
How Much is “Free” Costing You?
The teenage son of a friend recently shared with us that he had found a way to watch movies on the internet for “free.” He explained that the only downside was that the quality of the picture was not very good. Oh, and the audio was hard to hear. Oh, and many of the movies cut out at 90 minutes, so you didn’t get to see the ending. But it was “free!” Of course the adults had a good laugh at this and wondered, “Is free really worth it when renting movies doesn’t cost much?” Read More
Preparing for a Hiring Boom
Are you ready for a hiring boom? The Wall Street Journal published a piece this weekend confirming that in April, companies increased hiring at the fastest pace in five years. According to the government snapshot of the labor market, the US created 244,000 jobs, with 268,000 in the private sector. Here are three things you should do now to position yourself for success as hiring picks up.
Persistence and Job Search
Many job seekers, especially those who have been out of work for awhile, experience a sense that “nothing is working.” They may feel they have “tried everything” without success. The temptation is to give up. But if you want and need to work, quitting your job search is not an option. Instead, it’s more productive to find ways to stay strong and motivated in the face of discouragement and rejection. Read More