Image is important when you are job seeking or working. The image you put forth – be it in person, online, or through your work – communicates who you are and how you work. Read More
Guided Versus Unguided Job Search
There was a time when it didn’t take much planning or strategy to land a job. The expanding economy favored job seekers and it didn’t take long to find work. But today, the balance has changed. It’s a “hiring company’s market.” Attempting an ad hoc job search without guidance in tactics and best practices often leads to a lengthy job search, creating economic stress. Read More
Know the Job
There are three key elements to getting the job you want – knowing the job, looking the job, and being the job. How well do you really know the job you hope to get? This is the first step to reaching your end goal.
When you are job seeking, you need to know the job you want, what it entails, how to do it, and how to be successful at it. You also need to be able to get all of that information across to your contacts, interviewers, and potential coworkers in a clear, concise, and consistent manner. 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.
Is Your Appearance Hurting Your Job Search?
Are your looks stopping you from getting hired? A recent AARP report noted older job seekers resorting to orthodontics, plastic surgery and more, in hopes that looking better will get them hired. As we reported in “Do Looks Matter?”, appearance is rated the third most important factor in hire decisions following qualifications and confidence. That means confidently bringing out your qualifications should take you further than Botox. But clearly, appearance is a factor. Read More
Is Your Job Search Target Unrealistic?
If you are finding it difficult to locate any open positions at all in your targeted area, it may be that you have picked too small a target. Job searchers today are particularly challenged because there are many job areas that have greatly diminished due to changes in the market and economy. If you are targeting such an area, it’s time to widen your target.
Troubleshooting Your Job Search
Job seekers sometimes say to me “I’m doing everything, and nothing is working.” The truth is, there are things every job seeker can do to improve their job search. But often job seekers don’t see beyond what they know about job searching. What they don’t know could change their strategy and execution. With that in mind, I’m kicking off “Troubleshooting Tuesday”, a series designed to help job seekers locate and fix the trouble spots in their job search. Today, I’ll go over some common trouble areas and raise some questions for rethinking your future job search efforts. In the weeks that come, we’ll tackle each area in depth.
Unemployed Need Not Apply: The Numbers Behind the Claim
There’s been a lot of discussion about the claim that some recruiters and hiring managers are only interested in people who are already employed. This report, circulated on CNN and other major news sources, raised the specter of discrimination against the unemployed. But a recent poll should go a long way to putting minds at ease.
Jump-start Your Digital Job Search
I just came across an interesting article on College Aftermath about some best tactics for the modern job search. The article is right on about today’s job search – in the digital age, your job search is completely different than even ten years ago and it should absolutely begin online. The tips for applying to jobs over the Internet are fine – if you are applying through the classic job portal online. But before you do that, remember to check your network:
Job Seeking for New College Grads
A challenging job market awaits the tens of thousands of college graduates who receive their diplomas this month. One recent estimate is that 17% of people ages 20 to 24 do not have a job and two million college graduates are unemployed. The good news is that the job market for recent college grads is improving, with hiring up 5% according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Even with less than ideal numbers, there is much new college graduates can do to find fulfilling employment.