Job Seekers

21 Oct Say No More: 5 Non-Verbal Interview Tips

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

Interviews are stressful to almost everyone. You want to sound great, but not arrogant, accomplished but not overqualified, enthusiastic but not overeager. So what can you do? Well, you can practice with friends or family (maybe not colleagues if you don’t want your boss to find out), you can study your resume extensively so that you do not stumble over answers, and you can make sure you are prepared for tough but common interview questions (see our post on Five Hard Interview Questions and How to Answer Them for more on that). But here’s the not-so-great news. What you don’t say can also greatly influence how your interview goes. Sometimes your interviewer will consciously notice these unspoken things, sometimes it’s more subconscious, but it will dissuade them from moving forward.

We offer these non-verbal interview tips to keep in mind:

14 Oct Starting a Second Career? Things to Consider

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

Who are you? And what do you do? Are those two different questions or the same thing? Before we get too existential, the basic question is, do you feel that your current career really reflects the person you currently are, or the person you want to be? A couple of decades ago, this query seemed almost unimportant, even confusing. You get a job, get a couple of promotions, perhaps start to manage people, and that morphs into a career. No more. These days, it’s highly unusual to drift toward a job and then look over your shoulder and discover that is the definition of what you are. Why? Two reasons – one, the world is no longer that stable. In a climate of recessions and layoffs and wind-downs, it is not realistic to expect the same company that gave you your first chance out of college to be the same place to give you your retirement part. The average duration of any one job is now 4.4 years. Second, we as employees are no longer that static. We move to new locations, we go back to school. We get bored, we get curious. We pursue passions, we scratch an itch. The “second career” is actually the third or fourth. So how do you reinvent yourself?

Consider the following if you are looking to reinvent your resume:

30 Sep Five hard interview questions and how to answer them

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

The process of finding a new job is never easy. But let's say you've done all the right things -- you've kept your LinkedIn profile current, been dutifully participating in networking opportunities and got the letters of reference in your back pocket. And now you've locked down an interview. Great work -- but are you ready? Interviewers can be tough, but the questions don't have to become stumpers. We discuss some common interview questions that can get you dinged or distinguished.

Here are five hard interview questions to prepare for:

09 Sep Calm Down: How to Manage Stress at Work

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

Even the best of jobs can from time to time prove to be stressful. Before we know it, we can find that we’re dreading each morning, and exhausted by noon. So, how then, do we keep a balance of meeting the demands of work without succumbing to the stress that often accompanies it?

Here are five tips to reduce stress at work:

26 Aug How to Get Noticed — Resume Tips to Get You Hired

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

If you are out in the job market, or even thinking about getting out into the job market, you will certainly need an updated resume, LinkedIn profile or CV to help promote yourself to potential employers. And of course, it is key that it be free of spelling errors, have up to date contact information and use good grammar. That's the basics, however, and it will take more than that if you want to your application to be the one they notice. So how do you make sure that you emphasize the right skill sets and experiences to get a company's attention? Everyone wants to describe themselves as “effective” and “organized”. But the truth is, that doesn’t really mean anything if your resume doesn’t give some context to these adjectives. You are going to have to be more specific and give concrete evidence of your talent if you want to really leave an impact.

12 Aug Resumes are so 20th Century: Best LinkedIn Profile Tips

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

The days of the mailed paper resume are long, long gone. But even the emailed variety is dying a slow death. Sure, interested employers still ask for a traditional CV once you are at the interview stage, but finding a job by sending out a cover letter and resume to dozens of companies is pretty old school. 93% of companies now use LinkedIn for recruiting purposes -- for not only searching for candidates, but also for publishing opportunities. In other words, get thee to a computer and polish your profile.

29 Jul Temporary Rock Star: How to be a Great Temp

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

Most people have a pretty good idea of what it takes to be a good team member of an organization. It’s about more than just what you contribute, but how you support your boss, your colleagues, even the greater mission of the company. Understanding the long-term goals and the core values of your employer help show that you are engaged and committed to the long term view. But what if you’re not in a role with a permanent commitment? What if you found a position with a staffing agency, and it’s only supposed to last six months, or even six weeks? Can you really make an impression? Yep. You really can – but you do have to adjust your expectations and how you make your contributions.

15 Jul Preparing for a Staffing Agency Interview: Know These 5 Things

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

Whether you are actively in the job market, or even just considering a new opportunity, you have probably started thinking about the interview process (and if you haven’t, you should be). If you have a staffing agency interview, you should consider what might be different from a traditional job interview. No matter how impressive your credentials and how solid your recommendations; you almost certainly will have to convince a potential employer that you’re the right candidate during an interview. Interviews give your future boss all kinds of information about you: are you prompt? Courteous? Professional? Eloquent? Engaging? And that’s not even about the substance of the interview – what your actual experience and skill sets are and how they align with what the company is looking for. A lot of the tips for interviewing for a traditional job are applicable to a temp position as well. But you might want to modify your answers and be prepared for a few questions that are specific to short term employment when you are prepping for a staffing agency interview.

08 Jul Go Temp-to-Perm to Find Your New Hire . . . But Do This First

Posted at 07:00h in Employers, Job Seekers, Small Business Owners, Startups

This year 46% of companies plan to use temporary employees at some point in 2015. While many of them may truly only need short-term help for a spike in business (such as accounting firms during tax season), using a temp can also be a great way to assess a temp-to-perm opportunity – turning a seasonal or periodic worker into a long-term member of the team. But how do you assess a potential new hire that is working for you through a staffing agency?

01 Jul Ready to Temp? Here are the Fastest-Growing Staffing Jobs

Posted at 07:00h in Job Seekers

You probably already know that a temp job can be a great way to learn a new skill, jump start your career after some time out of the job market, or get your foot in the door toward a permanent position. Over three years, the number of workers in temporary jobs increased 28%. But where are the fastest-growing staffing jobs -- the specific industry areas that are showing increasing demand?