As another month of Jobacle-mania wraps up, here's what's on my mind:1) Thanks to the ladies at Clearchannel's NewsRadio 740 KTRH in Houston, TX for giving us some love.2) The time waster of the month has definitely been the Cubicle Freakout Game. How much destruction can you unleash on your cube in the allotted time period?3) The Working Podcast continues to grow rapidly, especially in Asia!? For some reason we've been getting a nice clip of traffic from qq.com and music.soso. I have no idea what they're saying about us...but thank you...I think! Can anyone translate?4) An open message to career blogger posers. You know who you are. Download the 90-second rant.5) According to a recent Vault survey, 89% of employers are interested in viewing video resumes. If that's the case, we think about 88% of them will be disappointed. While video has swept the Web, we here at Jobacle still feel the video resume has nowhere to go but up. Vault recently wrapped up their … [Read more...] about Video Resumes Continue to Fail, etc.
Archives for November 2007
The Worst Resume Template Ever
We here at Jobacle are on an endless hunt for the perfect resume. And we're pleased to report that so far, it's nowhere to be found. Cue the music, Bob. It's time for the Resume Hunter! Today's lucky contestant is Vinay Pandey of New Delhi. Fluff: The first thing I gather from this resume is NOTHING. After reading his objective I have no idea what Vinay does or wants to do. Be clear in your objective; especially if you want to work in HR. Also keep it short and to the point, and for God's sake, no run on sentences. Grammatical errors are completely unacceptable in this day and age. Word processing has come too far to allow misspellings. If anyone can figure out Vinay's objective, please explain it to me because I'm lost. If one has enough technology to post a resume on the Internet, one has the technology to make sure that what they write is grammatically correct. Or at least darn close. Layout: A Google search of "resume format" garners roughly 22 million results. There is no … [Read more...] about The Worst Resume Template Ever
Find a Job! 8 Career Facebook Apps
As Facebook continues its march towards social networking domination, they are regularly adding career-related applications. Here's a look at some recently-added employment tools that can help Facebook users land their dream job.INTERN NATION: College students looking for three credits and employers looking for cheap labor both find love with an internship. An updated list of opportunities can populate within your profile with this app. Remember, even if you are removed from college, internships can be a great way to make a successful career transition.JOBSTER: With over 250 partner employers targeting the 18 - 30 demographic, you can connect directly with hiring managers at companies you'd like to work at. Find openings, learn about recruiting events or convert your profile into an online Jobster resume.FIND A BETTER JOB: This Career Builder project is designed for job-seeking college students. Your profile info is scanned and you are matched with job … [Read more...] about Find a Job! 8 Career Facebook Apps
Should Employees Get Paid for Ideas?
I recently purchased a vintage employee handbook from the now defunct Trans World Airlines (TWA). Thumbing through it, secretly hoping to find some ridiculously outdated and outlandish personnel policy, I uncovered what I think is a pretty neat perk: The TWA Suggestion Plan. The benefit made employees eligible for cash rewards (over $5,000) if their suggestion was adopted and helped make the company money. Folks also won awards if their suggestion had an "intangible value" to the company. That's some serious money in 1965! Now I can only speak from my experience, which to this point has been: Share an idea // make the company money // get no reward // get no credit. Perhaps it's just the media industry where companies feel your mediocre salary also gives them ownership of your ideas. Check out the vintage handbook excerpt below. If your company has a "suggestion plan," we'd love to hear about it. What are your thoughts? Should companies reward employees for helping them make … [Read more...] about Should Employees Get Paid for Ideas?
Say NO to Charity Collections at the Office
He got his start laying pipe for the Atlas Water and Sewer company. Eventually, he climbed the ranks, becoming responsible for a staff of 800 and annual revenue exceeding $120 million. His name is Victor Kipling. This is his weekly column. While the barrage of begging continues year 'round, it is never, ever worse than at Christmas time. Professional solicitors (aka Chariteers) well know, it's the time of year when sentimentality is at its height and common sense at its lowest. There appears to be no escape from the ongoing charity onslaught. Turn on the radio, especially during drive time, and you'll be sure to hear either laughing or crying children, and the charities they supposedly represent, wanting you to donate your car to them. Switch on the TV for some mindless, escapist stuff, and you're bound to see some very slickly produced pleas for the homeless, the addicted, the sick or the dying - especially those in some fly infested and far away place. Your mailbox is … [Read more...] about Say NO to Charity Collections at the Office
Career Lessons From Dancing With the Stars
Thank God, it's the last dance! The fifth season of Dancing With the Stars (DWTS) is finally over. I don't understand the success of much that's on TV, but this show is an absolute enigma to me.If at this point you're thinking, 'Andrew, if you hate the show so much, why the hell do you watch it?' Fair point. My only response is that it's difficult to avoid when you're wife is addicted to the show and you live in a one-bedroom apartment.Since I must purge my system of this dreadful show (at least until next season), please allow me to share with you several common themes I've noticed between Dancing With the Stars and working.The Fix Is InThe premise of the show is that non-dancers get teamed up with a professional to learn how to dance. We all know that most of the contestants have had some training and/or instruction on the past - but for some unfathomable reason - over 20 million people a week choose to look the other way. This season's runner up, Mel B. … [Read more...] about Career Lessons From Dancing With the Stars
Free Job Matchmaking With Jiibe
This is a guest blog post by job hunter Sally Lawton. Company: Jiibe.comSlogan: Company culturePros: Empowers the job seeker; Learn more about what YOU want in a job Cons: Limited sample size; Can't search geographically; Company write-ups a bit staleFinding the right job is a lot like finding the right partner. So what happens when you take a job classifieds site like Monster and smash it headfirst into a matchmaking site like eHarmony? Jiibe.com is born.Jiibe.com’s defining characteristic is a lengthy personality quiz that examines 18 'critical factors' of employment. By asking questions that compare your current company’s culture to your ideal company’s culture, Jiibe promises to scientifically match you to your next employer. By the end of the compatibility quiz, users will know which cultural characteristics are important to them, and which companies value the same characteristics. Once a 'match' is selected, users can then read more about … [Read more...] about Free Job Matchmaking With Jiibe
5 Signs It's Time to Quit Your Job
Tell me if this sounds familiar...It's 7pm on a Sunday night. You've just finished dinner and you are starting to settle down for the evening. Normally this would be a relaxing time. Maybe you take this time to reflect on the past week, or perhaps settle into your latest Netflix arrival. But this night is somehow different. You suddenly become filled with a certain something. You can't exactly but your finger on what it is. Unfortunately, there's a good chance that it's anxiety. Rather than relax you actually begin to get worked up, even annoyed. It comes in waves and is an overall malaise. This is a serious indicator that you could be experiencing the early warning signs that it's time to leave your job. At some point most of us will reach this crossroad. Maybe you're there now but just don't recognize it. With that in mind here are five surefire signs that it may be time to change your job. Change in Appearance This can include weight gain or loss, … [Read more...] about 5 Signs It's Time to Quit Your Job
Why You Must Talk to Your Manager or Boss
Throughout my career I've always been amazed at the lengths employees will go to to avoid talking to their supervisor or boss. The result: The person in power feels like an outcast - a situation that benefits no one. Especially you. I've been on both sides of the fence and trust me, it's time you start chatting up your boss. Here's why:Someone who likes you is more apt to help you... The best career advice is usually simple. That's why I'll never understand why 10 new employment books come out every hour. But I digress. Ask yourself a simple question: Would you rather help someone you like or someone you don't? If you want to get ahead in your career, you're going to need your boss's support at some level. Whether it's submitting the paperwork to HR or submitting a proposal to the clowns upstairs, being nice to your boss today will make your life easier tomorrow.Makes your motives crystal clear...Chapter Four of the Manager's … [Read more...] about Why You Must Talk to Your Manager or Boss
Retailers Screw Over Employees on Black Friday
An open letter to stores that feel they have to push the envelope this shopping season, specifically on Black Friday:Dear Kohls/JC Penney,Congratulations! You're one-upped your retail counterparts by opening a whole 60 minutes earlier. As if your employees weren't thankful enough for the crappy pay, lousy uniforms and non-stop Christmas music - now they have the pleasure of reporting for duty at 3am. I'm sure they'll have plenty of nice things to say about you over Thanksgiving dinner.Retail giants won't be happy until the PR nightmare hits. The headline will read something like this:Family of 3 Killed When Soccer Mom Careens Off Road Rushing to Save 10% on an Irregular Pair of Levi JeansHave you guys ever even been out at 4am? It's dark and lonely. A time reserved exclusively for silence and 9-1-1 calls.I get it. We're a capitalist nation and our economy relies on hardcore holiday shopping. Or at least that's what the media tells us. It's up … [Read more...] about Retailers Screw Over Employees on Black Friday