Graduation season is here, and thousands of new job seekers are joining millions in the job market. What does the new kid on the block need to do to be successful? Here are 10 tips for graduates from Janice Bryant Howroyd, an employment expert whose AppleOne staffing company puts thousands of people to work each month: 1. Do Your Homework. You may have graduated with honors, but the real research begins now. Invest your skills and time into studying opportunities in your field of interest and learn what’s going on in that market. Look beyond Monster.com, Hot Jobs and LinkedIn. Search company websites, and set Google alerts to learn what they aren’t saying about themselves. Tailor your resume to each company; it is time consuming but can pay back big! 2. Ask Somebody. Everyone you know knows someone who knows someone who works in a company you want to be employed by. Work every contact you have, … [Read more...] about 10 Job Hunting Tips for Graduates
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Time Management Tips for Today’s Worker Bees
How to get more life out of less time.It’s ironic.It seems the more “time saving devices” we embrace as a progressive society, the less time we actually seem to have.Think about it.There’s microwave cooking, speed dating, emails, online shopping, online job searching, electronic books, online classes, and still many folks struggle to find more “me time” and a better quality of life. Still, one should never underestimate its importance.Time is a commodity. It’s an investment.The way you “spend it” is just as valuable as your money decisions.Not having a handle on how time is used can lead to increased stress, poor work performance, and a feeling of being overwhelmed and undervalued. And who wants that? To help save your sanity, here are a few tips and strategies to help you to have more time, and work smarter, not harder! 1. Become Better Organized---This may seem a bit simplistic, yet it has a great R.O.I. (return on … [Read more...] about Time Management Tips for Today’s Worker Bees
Tired at Work? The Wake-Up Squad Wants to Drug You
I never pay attention to advertisments, EVER. But when I recently heard a radio ad that asked if I suffered from "Shift Work Disorder," it grabbed my attention.The voice asked: "Sleepy during work?" "Trouble sleeping when you should?"It had to be a joke, right?So I made the leap. I got home and punched the URL into my browser, expecting it to be a viral campaign for one of those SimplyHotMonsterBuilder job boards or some caffeinated energy drink. Who else would set up a group called The Wake-Up Squad?Lo and behold, SWD is a real disorder, at least according to Cephalon, a drug company hawking its FDA-approved prescription medicine NUVIGIL. Designed to "improve your wakefulness throughout the day," the meds come along with the usual myriad of scary warnings; possible hallucinations, psychosis, mania, thoughts of suicide, aggression, and even trouble sleeping! Apparently when you work odd hours, and change the times you sleep, you throw off your circadian rhythm, … [Read more...] about Tired at Work? The Wake-Up Squad Wants to Drug You
How to Leave a Great Impression on Your Next Job Interview
Being invited to a job interview is an exciting thing. It means you are one of the top prospects for the position.To save time, employers do not interview every job candidate who submits a resume. Instead, they carefully select a few candidates to talk to. So, congrats! You made it to next stage in the job search process.But this new stage can be a stressful. There is a lot hanging on the interview. You will meet face-to-face with a hiring manager or a supervisor for a relatively short time period. You don't have much time to prove yourself. If you impress the interviewer, you have a great chance of landing the job. However, if you blow it, you'll probably have to look for another job.There are many things you can do to leave a good impression in a job interview. For example, you can dress for the part, research your employer, speak clearly, and exude confidence. But based on my experience and from the material I've read, the best thing you can do is tell relevant stories about … [Read more...] about How to Leave a Great Impression on Your Next Job Interview
A Terrorist’s Resume Examined. Would You Have Hired Faisal?
The Resume Hunter has come out of retirement to critique the resume of terror suspect Faisal Shahzad. Never meant to be taken personally, the advice doled out by our resident resume guru is designed so that the masses can learn from the mistakes of an individual. 1) Longer Than the Qur'an. No 30-year-old on the planet, or anyone for that matter, should have a three-page resume. In fact no one should probably go beyond two pages. 2) Career Highlights. This section rambles on like a missive from the Unabomber. I think anyone looking at this resume would agree that Faisal is claiming experience in far too many areas. "Good team player" and "results oriented" are a waste of text, not true “highlights,” and in this case, blatant lies.3) Attention to Detail. It’s the little things that kept that Pathfinder from blowing up and wreaking havoc in NYC, so thankfully for us, Mr. Shahzad was not bit on dotting his I’s … [Read more...] about A Terrorist’s Resume Examined. Would You Have Hired Faisal?
A Terrorist's Resume Examined. Would You Have Hired Faisal?
The Resume Hunter has come out of retirement to critique the resume of terror suspect Faisal Shahzad. Never meant to be taken personally, the advice doled out by our resident resume guru is designed so that the masses can learn from the mistakes of an individual. 1) Longer Than the Qur'an. No 30-year-old on the planet, or anyone for that matter, should have a three-page resume. In fact no one should probably go beyond two pages. 2) Career Highlights. This section rambles on like a missive from the Unabomber. I think anyone looking at this resume would agree that Faisal is claiming experience in far too many areas. "Good team player" and "results oriented" are a waste of text, not true “highlights,” and in this case, blatant lies.3) Attention to Detail. It’s the little things that kept that Pathfinder from blowing up and wreaking havoc in NYC, so thankfully for us, Mr. Shahzad was not bit on dotting his I’s … [Read more...] about A Terrorist's Resume Examined. Would You Have Hired Faisal?
What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
Utilize That Fork in the Road to Decide I’ll start with a disclaimer - I’m not a career coach. I’m a psychotherapist and have counseled people about work-related issues, like stress, improving interactions with co-workers, etc. But my experience is in the clinical rather than the business sphere.Having had about a zillion jobs, I am somewhat of an expert on zigzagging career paths. A recent personal “fork in the road” has made me re-evaluate the type of work (besides writing, which I love, but doesn’t pay the bills yet) I might want to do. And since I won’t be able to retire until I’m 92, I’d like to explore some new, interesting work- something more than a paycheck, but maybe less than a “calling.” We’ve all heard career advice that says that you should think about what type of work you would do even if you weren’t getting paid. Starting there, my list would be:* Working around horses (I never did get … [Read more...] about What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
How to Resign? Sample Resignation Letters at 25% Off
Since we know mom wants you to be happy, we're honoring her special day by offering you 25% off of The Exit Guide: How to Leave a Job the Right Way. This step-by-step guide equips you with everything you need to make a graceful exit from a job. You only have one chance to make a last impression, and the consequences are greater than you can image. For under $5, you get...* How to put in your two weeks notice* Resignation letter templates* Goodbye letter samples* Rules for the final two weeks* Reference letter template* Exit interview traps* A plan to stay calmBy now you know Jobacle is a career name you can trust, with over five years of no BS advice! The book is endorsed by many of the top names in the career advice game, so order now! Use code MOM before midnight ET on Sunday, May 9th and get 25% off! … [Read more...] about How to Resign? Sample Resignation Letters at 25% Off
5 Credit Risks That Could Keep You Unemployed
Does your credit impact your job performance? That’s the question many lawmakers are currently considering. Legislation has been introduced in California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii to put an end to employee credit checks. Federal legislation is also being considered. In the meantime, however, employers are allowed to check applicants credit files so long as they ask for permission. Businesses and credit bureaus oppose these bills.Ken Lin, CEO of Credit Karma, says certain items in a person’s credit report may appear as red flags to employers. Lin is a seasoned industry veteran with more than 12 years developing statistical models and marketing programs for the credit card industry. These red flags include:Liens – Any type of lien against you could be a sign of irresponsibility. It suggests to employers that you weren’t responsible enough to pay off your debt or negotiate a settlement.100% Credit Utilization – This shows … [Read more...] about 5 Credit Risks That Could Keep You Unemployed
Work Motivation: A Do-It-Yourself Project
How to work for “The Man” While Working on Your Dreams!Let’s face it; we work because we have to.Because it’s the “grown-up” thing to do.Because like many things in the grown up world, it’s a trade-off.We sell our “dreams” for the “reality” of monthly mortgage payments, insurance premiums, car notes and the privilege of keeping up with the Joneses. Given our druthers, most of us would much rather spend our days chilling out in our undies with a big bowl of cereal while surfing the Net, or reaching new tiers on our favorite video games, or vegging out in front of the boob tube, or “doing damage” at the local mall, or becoming beach bums, or building our own business, or almost anything else. Almost anything else other than the slow death that is corporate America and working for the man! But all is not lost. Just because your career path has led you on the road to perdition, doesn’t mean you have … [Read more...] about Work Motivation: A Do-It-Yourself Project