Monday, March 31, 2014

5 Things you shouldn’t say in an interview

Picture the scene…

You’ve been running around for weeks, maybe even months doing everything you can to try and get yourself an interview for your dream job.  You have given your CV a meticulous makeover, bought a brand new “I’d be amazing at this job” suit, practiced interview questions relentlessly, got yourself a great night’s sleep and then in one foul swoop you go and ruin your chances during the interview.

It’s truly a horrible feeling!  The worst part is that quite often the mistake you have made has very little relevance to your ability to do the job well, however in today’s incredibly high pressured and competitive jobs market, it is just enough to swing the interviewers opinion in favour of someone else!

OK, so it’s not the end of the world if this happens, but it can be a huge disappointment and a significant blow to your confidence.  We’ve put together a little list of some of the things you absolutely should not do in an interview to help you avoid shooting yourself in the foot.


1.  Ask the question “How much does the role pay?” 

2.  Speak ill of your previous employer

4. Ask the question “What exactly does the job entail” or “What exactly does the company do?”

Read more about each of these three, all 5, and the complete article

Thursday, March 27, 2014

12 Tips to Hone Your Job Interview Etiquette

By Michael Petras

Your job interview etiquette--or lack of it--will not go unnoticed by respectable employers. We'll explore 12 rules of conduct that will help you make a lasting impression on hiring authorities.

Proper interview etiquette may be second nature to you; but, it's still a good idea to do a quick self-assessment. You'd be surprised how often you are judged by your body language or other personality quirks. We all have them, but once you become aware of your mannerisms, you can over compensate for them during your interview to better reflect the real you.

Fact: Nearly one-third (32%) of chief financial officers recently polled said that candidates are more likely to slip up during their interview than at any other time during the hiring process.


Little subtleties in your personality or mannerisms aren't so little; so don't take them for granted.


1. Greet your interviewers as Ms or Mr

5. Let the company take the lead during your interview

6. Don't step on the last 3 words of someone's conversation

13. A bonus from me... Answer the question that is being asked.  Too often candidates want to tell their story but neglect to actually answer the question that is being asked.  Listening skills are one of the most critical skills that employers are looking for.

Read more about all 12 tips and the complete article


Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The Truth Behind 5 Common Job Search Myths


When you are looking for a new job, don't allow yourself to be undermined by your preconceived ideas or by the advice of well-meaning but uninformed friends and colleagues. An effective job hunt requires up-to-date knowledge about how employers go about looking for talent, plus insight into the nature of the entire process.

Too often job hunters experience frustration along the way because they begin their search without examining fundamental assumptions about themselves and how they are perceived. Don’t fall prey to these five inaccurate or outdated ideas:

1. Your résumé is about you.

2. A recruiter’s job is to help you get a job.

3. Job seekers and employers must both sell each other on the opportunity at an interview.

4. Networking is all about obtaining help from others.

5. You can beat age discrimination by omitting dates from your résumé and LinkedIn profile.

Read more about each of these 5 myths and the complete USNews article 

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Effective Resume Writing: 5 Tips that Get You a Yes!

Your resume is a very important part of your career. It is a reflection of your professional life that you have managed to create arduously over the years. When you create your resume for an internship, you need to make sure that you give all the positive vibes out of it. However, that is not the mantra of a good internship resume. Read on to know what else matters:

1. Understand a ‘resume’
Before you get serious to make a resume, you need to know what exactly the difference between a resume and a CV. is. A resume is an outline of the jobs you have done, the work experience you have and what your expectations with the company are.

2. Make a presentable resume
Too much of text in a resume makes for a very dull approach during interviews. This is because HR does not have the time to go through each and every statement of your resume. Lots of words can also make the resume look shabby and congested. Include bullet points wherever necessary and write headings in bold fonts.


3. Reveal your professional side concisely - Read more of 3, tips 4-5, and the complete article

Monday, March 24, 2014

How to network with people at the company where you're applying

Dana Manciagli

Question

I just found a few positions at a company I want to work for and I even know two people who work there. I was thinking of shooting the two people my resume. Is that what I should do next?

Advice from Career Mojo

Want the short answer? No! But let me be a little more helpful.
First, never, ever, ever send your resume alone when applying to a job (unless the company limits you to a strict template) or when networking for someone’s help.

Here’s a better way to handle it:

  1. Apply via the company website – with your Candidate Packet – even if you will network at the same time. Why? You need to be in the company’s system, to respect the work of HR and any recruiters involved, and to be able to tell your network contacts that you have applied.
  2. Write a personalized letter to each of your network contacts, attaching the full cover letter/resume that you’ve already submitted to the company. Your letter to them should be professional and formatted like a business letter so the contact can forward your entire e-mail to the hiring manager or recruiter. Leave out any personal comments such as thanking them for the great party a few weeks ago or sharing that you just broke up with your girlfriend or boyfriend. In your letter, be sure to ask directly for what you would like them to do. For example: “May I ask you to please forward my credentials to the hiring manager and provide a recommendation?”

Friday, March 21, 2014

The Most Important Part of the Job Interview (That You're Probably Forgetting)



If you're at all interested in getting a given job, you prepare thoroughly ahead of time, researching the company and position, doing practice interview questions, even choosing your interview outfit with special care. But there's one thing you probably aren't doing, and it might be costing you the job: odds are, you probably haven't given a thought about how to close the interview.

And we do mean "close," in the Glengarry Glen Ross sense of the word -- sort of.

"There always seems to be a big debate on whether or not a candidate should try to 'close the sale' at the end of a job interview," writes Lisa Quast at Forbes. "My answer is 'Yes' -- but you need to close the interview with class."

In other words, you can't ask outright, "So, did I get the job?" Nor should you pressure the hiring manager to tell you the precise time, down to the hour, when you can expect to hear from them. Instead, use your "closer" to find out if there's anything lacking, so far, in their picture of you as a candidate.

For example, Quast suggests asking something like ...  Find out the recommendation and read the rest of the article

Thursday, March 20, 2014

6 Rules of Dating That Apply to Your Job Search


We all know a — ahem — "friend" who spends hours crafting the perfect text message to a potential date: carefully choosing words, paying attention to length and tone and finding the emoji that's just right. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, it's possible that you're increasingly familiar with this practice.

It makes little sense, then, that these same meticulous message-crafters will often fire off a professional email without so much as a proofread. 

The job search and the dating game share some common ground when it comes to finding the perfect match. If you're looking for "the one" — whether it's your dream girl or your dream job — waiting for the phone to ring can certainly be anxiety-inducing. Most of the time, success boils down to putting your best face forward, being sincere about your wants and needs, and, yes, even making compromises.
Here are a few basic guidelines that ring true for both work and romance:

1. Online Communications

2. Networking and "Friends of Friends"

3. The First Date

4. Be Yourself

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

17 Ways to Interview Like a Pro

by

Big interview coming up? Not to worry! The devil is in the detail when it comes to interviewing, make sure you are on top of all the following bits and pieces and you will nail that interview. Here we go:

1. Briefing on the job and company

Have you got the full briefing of the job including tasks, reporting lines, location, travel requirements, salary range etc? If not, get it immediately. The more information you have, the more you can tailor your questions and sound like you know what you are talking about. What do you know about the company? Again, make sure you have information on the company and familiarize yourself with their website, check press releases and stock quotes to get an idea of what is happening at the moment. A candidate who is updated on the company and the industry will impress.


2. Briefing on the people

Who are the interviewers, how do they fit into the organization, what type of people are they? This is where your online sleuthing skills come very handy. The interviewers will have full information on you courtesy of your CV so it’s only fair you do some digging as well. Scour any resources including LinkedIn, Facebook and other social networking sites for information.

3. Format

What is the format and agenda of the interview? You are likely to meet more than one person and they will have divided the questions and topics, find out exactly what to expect so you can be mentally prepared. Candidates sometimes go in expecting a soft chat about fringe benefits with HR but end up doing a four hour technical screening with managers from three continents, don’t let this happen to you.


4. Prepare for their questions

Break out your CV and ask yourself what you would ask a candidate with this profile. Put yourself in a hiring manager’s shoes and be critical of any gaps/omissions on your CV. Do role plays with a friend and let them play the devil’s advocate. Come up with the ten questions you are most likely to be asked and then come up with the answers. When you are happy with the answers, go for the next set of ten…

Ways 5-17 and the complete Undercover Recruiter article

Monday, March 17, 2014

How to Woo a Recruiter and Land Your Dream Job

Struggling to find your significant other the perfect Valentine’s Day gift? If I may make a suggestion: woo a recruiter. Stop scratching your head and let me explain.

Work-related stress is a leading cause of relationship squabbles. While landing your dream job won’t resolve all relationship woes, it will give you and your significant other one less thing to squabble over, and as a result, likely improve your relationship. So, do yourself and your loved one a favor this Valentine’s Day: woo a recruiter!

So how do you do that? For insights from the trenches, we turned to popular recruiting site Recruitingblogs.com, and asked recruiters, “What should job seekers do to woo you?” Here’s what they had to say:

Get relationship-ready.

Do your homework.

Shoot straight.

Read more on these three tips, tips 4-8, and the complete article

Thursday, March 13, 2014

10 Lies Interviewers Might Tell You



You are interviewing for a position and you're getting a pretty good feeling. The interviewer says, "It was great meeting with you, but we do have a few formalities to go through, before we can make an offer." So does that mean that you're going to hear the "good news" soon, or is what the interviewer said a conversation filler?

It could be either one. Interviewers might not even mean to lie to you. As Alison Green of Ask a Manager points out in her column at US News, these statements often aren't meant maliciously. Rather, "they're inaccurate enough of the time that you shouldn't take them at face value when you hear them."

Here are a few sample statements that you might hear during the interview process -- and what they might mean:

  • “We’ll keep your resume in our archives for any opportunities that may arise matching your qualifications.


  • “We haven’t closed the compensation for the position yet.

  • We strongly believe in work-life balance and encourage it.”

  • Read more on these three lies, all 10 lies, and the complete PayScale.com areticle

    Wednesday, March 12, 2014

    How to Get Hired, SXSW Style

    BY

    In recent years, Austin’s SXSW has become a huge draw for tech recruiters. The conference’s range – interactive, music and film – lures a special mix of digital creatives that companies hope to tap. We scoured the floors at both the Tech Career Expo and the Digital Creative Job Market to give you a sense for what companies are looking for now – and how to ace the modern job fair, which is as likely to be held in a massive conference hall as it is in a Sunday brunch spot.

    1) Do your research.

    2) Bring and old-fashioned hard copy resume.

    3) Do a full circuit.

    Read more on tips 1-3, tips 4-6, and the complete Entrepreneur article

    Tuesday, March 11, 2014

    The Absolute Worst Ways to Get a Job

    By

    What’s the first thing most of us do when we’re looking for a job?

    The answer to this question is nearly universal: we hop on the Internet and look for job postings. Some of us even post our resumes on CareerBuilder and Monster, hoping that some eager HR person will find us. If we’re feeling really desperate, we might send our resumes out to as many prospective employers as possible, regardless of their qualities.

    The obvious problem is that everybody else is using the exact same methods. When we’re job hunting, we’re trying to stand out from the crowd. Doing what they’re doing is exactly the opposite of what we need to do.

    Read on to find out why the methods you’re used to are the absolute worst ways to get a job:

    Bad Move #1: Applying to publicly posted jobs

    Bad Move #2: Posting your resume online

    Monday, March 10, 2014

    5 Steps That Will Uncover Your Dream Job

    Here's how to block out the noise and set yourself on the right path.

    We all want a dream job. Just like finding that one great love, it’s a goal that virtually everyone has. After all, over the course of our lifetimes, we’ll work some 90,000 hours -- and that's a lot of time to waste on something you're not passionate about.


    While identifying the ideal career is not a walk in the park, I’m here to tell you it’s also not a fantasy. As with anything in life that is meaningful, it requires making a number of clear commitments. In my work with entrepreneurs and CEOs over the years, helping them find professional fulfillment, I’ve identified five tried-and-true tactics that help put people on that path, no matter your industry. Consider it your dream job checklist.      

    1. Know your greatest talent and purpose, and learn to speak with clarity and confidence about it.

    2. Commit to finding or creating your ideal job, no matter what.

    3. Be realistic about your basic financial needs -- but know that when you follow your passion, money often comes too.

    Friday, March 7, 2014

    8 Ways To Get Your Foot In The Door At Any Company


    “If I could just get my foot in the door…” is a complaint I often hear from job seekers. With automated applicant tracking systems in such wide use, how do you bypass computers and connect with hiring managers?
    Actually, there are multiple ways to do exactly that. Let’s take a look at eight.

    2. Follow The Company On Social Media & Interact Online

    3. Arrange An Informational Interview Within Your Target Department


    7. Research External Recruiter(s) & Build Relationships


    Thursday, March 6, 2014

    10 Must Use Websites For Your Job Search

    There is a wealth of job search tools available out there to help you in your quest. What are some of the most useful resources?

    3) Jigsaw

    Learn, contribute, and use JigSaw.com! This is an extremely powerful tool to find contact information. JigSaw is probably the worlds largest “Rolodex”. You can either “Play” by adding your own contacts and gaining points, or “Pay” by purchasing points to gain contacts. I always prefer FREE, so find all the business cards you have and start entering the information! They have the business card information of millions of people and if you can’t find a phone number or email address through other contacts or Google… THIS is the place to go!


    4) JibberJobber

    Keeping your contacts, job postings you’re interested in, schedule, record of connections, and everything else in your search organized can be a colossal headache! JibberJobber is a tremendous tool to keep it all together in one place. Another Jason Alba creation, it’s highly useful for free, but even more powerful with some of the premium services. This is a great tool if you’re having trouble with keeping track of everything!


    7) Linkup

    Similar to SimplyHired and Indeed, LinkUp.com consolidates results for you, but instead of scouring job boards, it scours company websites to produce results that may not be listed anywhere else. It’s a great resource to find opportunities that you might otherwise never see.


    See all 10 websites and the complete article


    Wednesday, March 5, 2014

    6 Requirements for Job Search E-mails

    by Dana Manciagli

    Requirements for all job search related emails – not just cover letters:

    1)  Write to a Specific Person.

    2)  Make the Subject Line Work for You.

    3) Salutations Must Be Formal.

    Tuesday, March 4, 2014

    Why You Shouldn’t Stop Using Buzzwords During Your Job Search


    Monday, March 3, 2014

    How to Get a Job -- No Matter What!

    Liz Ryan

    Hey Liz, I read a lot of your articles. I like them. They cheer me up.

    That's good. Why do you need to be cheered up?

    I'm job-hunting. It's awful.

    What's awful about it?

    It's so hard. I'm so afraid I won't get an interview, and then I don't, or I get the interview and then 
    nothing happens.

    Tell me your name?

    Chris.

    Okay Chris, why do you think that's happening - so few interviews, and no callbacks?

    Well, I mean-- the economy is horrible, and I'm not the perfect candidate.

    Why not?

    I'm not sure I have what employers are looking for. The job ads are full of requirements I don't have.

    Chris, can I ask you a few questions?

    Sure.

    You say that you read my columns. Have you read the ones about avoiding online applications in those Black Hole portals, and reaching your hiring manager directly?

    Yeah, I have, but that doesn't apply to me. I can't do that.

    Why not?

    It's - um, I'm more of a conformist type of person. I understand what you're saying, though. It sounds cool. Just, not for me -- that's for other people.

    So you feel you have to follow the rules?

    Definitely.

    Why's that?

    I guess I'm just not the rule-breaking type.

    Do you want my opinion?

    Yes.

    Chris, here's my opinion. You're not going to get a job by following the rules. Between your compromised mojo and your belief that you have to follow other people's rules, you're at a dead end. There's nowhere to go. There's no fuel for your job search, and your engine is broken.

    You're in line at the deli, waiting for your number to be called, but there are lots and lots of people in line ahead of you and no guarantee there'll be roast beef available when your number gets called. The deli may close while you're waiting.

    Well, I'm going to keep reading your stuff.

    I can write columns until I'm blue in the face and you can read them for the next ten thousand years, but if you want a job or desperately need one, you'll have to step outside your comfort zone. You'll have to do things differently.

    Read the rest of Liz's LinkedIn Influencer article to find out how to get a job no matter what