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Resume Blasts
I included resume blasts on my Fastest Way to Find a Job Series not because I like them, but because some job seekers think these are the way to go, and I have a better alternative.
Resume blasts used to be the hot, hot thing back in 1999 and before. When I got my first job ... Views: 1123
Career Coaching
If you’re in the job search, you have certainly heard advice about job boards, networking, or even temporary work. But have you ever considered a career coach as a path to a new job?
When I say “Career Coach,” I do not mean the kind of life coach who helps you decide what ... Views: 1102
Freelancing / Consulting / Temping
Freelancing, temping, and consulting are all great ways to fill your time in between jobs. Sometimes it’s just a financial necessity, and that’s OK. But these activities also offer some great benefits for you while you’re in the job search. Sometimes they ... Views: 1078
Industry Organizations
Industry organizations are some of the best job search resources anywhere. These can be fantastic because they are a direct connection for you to people in your field—including potential hiring managers, but that’s not your only benefit here. You can expand your ... Views: 1044
Networking Events
Do you have a love/hate relationship with networking events? You know how important networking is for your job search and career success. Networking events are specifically set up so you can network and meet new people. That’s a very good thing. Yet, the thought of ... Views: 1058
Newspapers (or Craigslist)
If you know that I’m not very fond of job boards as a job search resource, then you must be really surprised that I would talk about newspapers or even Craigslist in a series about the fastest way to find a job. I’m sure you assume that I think newspapers belong to ... Views: 1240
Debt collection is an undertaking that is never pleasant for either party involved. This is especially the case for businesses whose primary objective is servicing their clients. The easiest and simplest way of collecting your outstanding business debt would be to use a professional debt ... Views: 713
Social / Civic Events
Not all social or civic events are hotbeds of job search networking…I’ll give you that one. Networking events are better suited for that. However, I believe that any gathering where someone might ask you, “So what do you do for a living?” is a not-to-be-missed ... Views: 1071
Alumni Organizations
Alumni organizations are great networking resources for you, which means they are also great resources to help you find a job.
I graduated from the University of Oklahoma, so I have attended many OU alumni functions in Dallas. (Most alumni organizations have groups in ... Views: 1080
Job Shadowing
Job shadowing is ideal for college students as they graduate, but it’s not just for the kids. Anytime you’re transitioning into a new field (either by choice or because you were laid off), a job shadowing experience can give you a big boost in your job search.
Why should you ... Views: 1102
Internships / Volunteering
Internships are fantastic. There are more paid internships than ever before, but even unpaid internships can be extremely valuable to you—if you can snag one at a company within your career area.
Some internships are the very formalized set-time programs ... Views: 1059
Job Boards
What do I mean by job boards? The big ones are Monster, CareerBuilder, SimplyHired, and Indeed. Companies post job openings and requirements on there, with instructions for how to apply for that job.
What job seekers normally hear from me is, “Step away from the job board! ... Views: 1201
YouTube
Posting a video on YouTube to try to find a job might sound like a desperate, last ditch effort, but think again. If you’re on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Plus, or other social media networks, why wouldn’t you be on YouTube? There are lots of things you can do on YouTube that you ... Views: 1078
Recruiters
Recruiters can be extremely valuable to your job search. Why? First, they very often have an “in” at some great companies that you don’t…if there’s an opening and the recruiter says, “Hey, this is someone you should look at,” that’s going to carry more weight than if you show up ... Views: 1047
Companies you’ve interviewed with before
Companies you’ve interviewed with before but never worked for are a place to network that most people don’t think about. It’s really overlooked. It won’t work for everyone, but it will work for some and it will be extremely fruitful.
Let me give ... Views: 1123
Recruiting staff when you are a sole trader can be a real challenge. I have written this article to give some back ground and some practical help for sole traders (small business). It may also help people looking for work in small companies.
Before I get into the central theme of this article, ... Views: 2131
Employment seeking can prove to be a nightmare for both those looking for a job as well as those looking fill a position. t is normally very difficult for employers to track down the most suitable person for the job. Most job hunters feel as though they are always applying for jobs and not ... Views: 918
Statutory Warning – ‘Never Deal with a ‘Recruitment Consultant’ who ask money from you in any form including one time registration fee, no matter how meager the amount may seem’.
Sometimes desperation to get a job leads us to the way which is wrong, morally as well as logically.
Ever ... Views: 826
Understand Your Recruiter
Tip to Remember: Recruiter is a buyer and ‘YOU’ the candidate is a salesman as well the product.
Now, you would agree when I say that, for any sale to happen, both the product and the salesman must be as per the buyer’s needs and choice and the moment you accept ... Views: 896
Career Fairs
I’ve got to say, career fairs are not my preferred method of finding a job fast. They are mobbed with job seekers and it can be a little unnerving to line up shoulder-to-shoulder with your competition. They usually require you to stand in long lines for a lot of the day which ... Views: 1237
Trade Shows
Trade shows can be fantastic, rich resources for the aggressive job seeker. They are full of real, live contacts from a concentrated selection of companies in your field. You may not come away from the show with a job, but you very well could come away from the show with a ... Views: 1251
Social Media
Have you ever Googled your own name? What shows up? That’s what potential employers will see if they search your name (and they will). If there’s anything negative, now is the time to do some damage control. If there’s not much at all, now is the time to build your online ... Views: 1322
Facebook
Do you think that LinkedIn is for business and Facebook is for friends? You’re partly right; but the line between the two is very, very fuzzy when it comes to job searching. I found some stats on Mashable that says as of December 2011, over 18 million people have gotten jobs ... Views: 1241
LinkedIn
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: LinkedIn is great job search resource. Why? It’s packed with information and potential connections, and it’s entirely business-focused (unlike Facebook, which is socially-focused). Everyone there is interested in making more connections ... Views: 1179
Previous Bosses
Did you know that there are a lot of things your previous bosses can do for you in your quest to find a job? They might have a job lead for you, they can definitely offer insight you can use to be a better job seeker, and they are excellent references.
If I were looking ... Views: 1162
Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you know…it’s WHO you know”? That’s not entirely true, but there’s a healthy-enough grain of truth in that statement to make networking a very powerful strategy for your job search.
The most important thing you can do when you’re in the job hunt ... Views: 1080
Sure-Fire Secrets to Get More Interviews and Find a Job Fast
Let’s face it…job searches suck. No one likes having to put themselves out there for evaluation and judgment, and the nature of the search is that it's filled with rejection. Job searching is often a numbers game…sometimes you've ... Views: 1292
Why would you accept a lesser salary than what you made before? Won’t you jump ship when a better offer comes along?
This job interview question has been a very big deal with all of the adjustments of the last few years. Lots of people have gotten laid off or downsized and have had to take ... Views: 1463
Why should we give you the job over the other candidates?
This is a tough job interview question. Most people are not that comfortable with the idea of tooting their own horn, but that’s exactly what you have to do in a job search and in a job interview, and that’s especially what you have ... Views: 1167
Why haven't you been promoted?
If you are someone with quite a bit of career experience but you haven’t moved up the career ladder, you can expect to be asked this question in your job interview. Employers don’t worry about this issue quite as much as if you had been fired, but both ... Views: 1357
Why have you changed jobs so frequently over the past X years?
Job-hopping is not a great habit. When you stay at a job for only a few months or a year, over and over again, you are cultivating an image of someone who can’t be depended upon, who doesn’t know what they want, and who’s ... Views: 1162
Why have you been out of work for so long?
Boy, I bet you’d like to know the answer to that question, too! The job search can be a very difficult time for many people, but it’s important that you show a positive face to everyone. Answer every job interview question with as much positivity ... Views: 1138
Why do you want to work for someone else after owning your own business / freelancing?
LOTS of hiring managers will have a hard time believing that you can start taking orders after being your own boss. It’s not a big leap for them to make…it would be difficult for many people. Your best ... Views: 1213
Why do you want to switch from an academic field to business/industry?
The one big perception / misconception about academics is that they can’t make it in the ‘real’ world. They are secure in their ivory towers and not coming out any time soon. So if you find yourself trying to leap from ... Views: 1115
Why do you want to join this company?
All companies want to know that you want to work for them rather than you just want a job. An enthusiastic employee is a better employee—and more pleasant to work with, too.
Your answer to this question should sound like, “I want to join this company ... Views: 1167
Why do you think you can manage a team without any prior managerial experience?
If you are interviewing for your first management-level job, you will definitely be asked some version of this question. They are going to want to know if you think you can do this job and why.
The key here is ... Views: 1136
Why do you have a big gap in your employment history?
A gap on your resume can be anxiety-inducing for a job seeker, and for the employer who’s looking at them for a potential hire. But it’s really not as bad as you think. Actually, many people have employment gaps, and they have them for a ... Views: 1240
Why do you believe you are the best fit for this position?
This job interview question closely resembles “Why should we hire you?” It’s one question that makes candidates very uncomfortable because it puts them on the spot, but it’s really a fantastic question. Why? It allows you free rein ... Views: 1193
Why did you take a job that seems to be outside of your career path?
So what happens when your potential employer is reading through your resume and they come across the job that doesn’t make sense? You have a job in your history that doesn’t fall within the logical progression of jobs in ... Views: 1229
Job interviews aren’t meant to be an interrogation — they are supposed to be a dialogue. An interview is as much about making sure the company is a fit for you as it is that you are a fit for the company.
Preparing for the Interview
Before the interview, at a minimum, you should research the ... Views: 5130
Nowadays, the employing environment is very serious for the students, especially for the senior students. In order to have more advantages in getting a job, many students hanker for various certificates besides their own specialties. It's true that we must have a good knowledge of what we have ... Views: 981
Why did you leave your last position?
The underlying questions behind “Why did you leave your last position?” are, “Is there something wrong with you?” “Did you get fired for a reason?” “Will I regret hiring you?” Those are the concerns that you need to address when you answer this ... Views: 1207
Why did you freelance for so long?
A lot of people have taken up freelancing, consulting, or other independent work in the last few years just out of necessity. In many industries, it’s been difficult to find a job. Others have struck out on their own because there has been just so much ... Views: 1205
Why are you looking to leave your current job?
It’s very important that you think about this job interview question well before you set foot in an interview. Interviewers always want to know why you want to leave your current job, and you must have a good answer ready to go.
This can be a ... Views: 1157
Who was your best boss and who was your worst?
This job interview question tests several things about you and gives a lot of information to the interviewer:
Are you adaptable?
Can you get along with a wide variety of people?
Do you carry grudges?
Do you fit their ... Views: 1153
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In other words, are you going to bail on them in a few months for another job, or are you going to stick around and make their training and investment in you pay off? Is this a stepping stone on your career path, or is this a job to pay the bills until ... Views: 1093
What can you do to make this company better?
There are a million ways for an interviewer to ask “Why should we hire you?” and this is one of them. They want to know what benefits you as an employee are bringing to the table, and it’s right for them to ask. The job interview is where you sell ... Views: 1014
What would your manager say was the area you needed most development in?
This question might also sound like, “What would your boss say you need to improve on?” No doubt about it…impressing your boss is always important, and we all have things about ourselves that we could improve on. But, as ... Views: 1132
What would your friends tell me about you?
This question could also easily be “What would your friends or co-workers tell me about you?” They just want to know what you would say about how other people would describe you.
Asking you about what your friends would tell the interviewer about ... Views: 977
What would you do first at this job?
When they ask you this question in the job interview, they want to get a picture of how you would be in the role. How you answer tells them about your personality and your work style. Do you attack it from day one? Do you take it all in and analyze it ... Views: 1116