Don't despair too much: The job market is improving
BOSTON, MA -- There are many gainfully employed people who are very frustrated and dissatisfied with their current roles. Reasons may include: those of you still employed are doing the jobs of several people, there are few internal opportunities within your company, or there are fewer opportunities outside of your company. There are other people who are working in a contract or part-time role, when what they truly want is a full-time role with benefits.
Here are a few words of advice: The employment market does seem to be slowly improving. There was a drop recently in the number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits. Additionally, the early September numbers showed a decline in the total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits. Companies are slowly hiring. There are sectors that are definitely hiring, including green/alternative energy companies, health care, and biotech, to name a few.
Career counselors recommend thinking about what skills you may have that are most transferable to these emerging industries. Keep an active network so when hiring picks up, you are top of mind with your contacts. Be positive and professional in your current role. You may need a reference from this company some day. Learn whatever new skills that you can while in your current role. Don't despair. Economists are forecasting a slow recovery, but a recovery nonetheless.
Reduce hours of job searching & resume submitting
LOS ANGELES, CA -- With a new service called MyJobHunter, you can search all top career sites at once & apply to all matching jobs with one click. Just enter your search criteria, review the matching jobs and select the ones you want. Then, click a single button and you'll instantly apply to all selected jobs with your resume and cover letter (without having to log into each job site separately).
Click another button and you can automate the whole process! MyJobhunter can remember what you searched for, search for it again each day, and AUTOMATICALLY APPLY FOR YOU to new jobs matching your criteria. Review jobs in advance or put searching & applying on auto-pilot. The choice is yours.
You'll also get an application history report that makes follow-up a breeze! It shows the jobs you were applied to, full job descriptions, employer contact info, and application dates. You can even add personal notes to each job! This service is proven to reduce hours of job searching and resume submitting to just minutes. Simply upload your resume, enter your job search criteria and let MyJobhunter take it from there. For more information visit MyJobhunter.
Nail that job interview in the first 30 seconds
AUSTIN, TX -- We all know that first impressions count, right? Recent research by Day Novo Consulting has confirmed just that. Their "Interviewing In The 21st Century" survey revealed that a bad entrance is the single most important factor in interview failure. So much so that most interviewers have already made up their minds on a candidate in the first thirty seconds. So, what can a mere mortal do to get past that first important milestone? Here are a few interview tips for all job seekers to consider.
Check your appearance. An unsightly piece of spinach in your teeth, the coffee-stained shirt or disheveled tie can go a long way to diminishing your personal capital. Always check clothes, face and shoes before entering the interview room. Confirm the name, role, and any other basic details of your interviewer. If one of the elements is unexpected try to not appear surprised, or even shocked. Greet the interviewer warmly and professionally. Greetings should be positive, sincere and culturally appropriate.
Research the culture of both the company and the hiring manager. Remain calm - even under a blistering opening of questions. Be prepared for hard-nosed openers such as "So, why should I spend thirty minutes of my time with you?" or "How on earth did you get through the screening process?". Occasionally a trick question may be used to throw the candidate off balance. So make sure you have done your homework and be prepared before you go on your next interview.
Reinvent yourself by building up your strengths
SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- Revitalizing your career in the middle of a job search involves two important steps: Step 1: Begin acquiring a new skill or refreshing one you already have. You might, for example, take a course in a second language at a local community college or attend a new certification program offered by your professional or trade association. You can choose almost any topic just as long as it will clearly and meaningfully enhance your ability to contribute on-the-job.
Step 2: Add the fact that you're back in school to your resume. Note it in the summary at the beginning of that document and, in its Education section, provide the name of the course you're taking, the institution or organization that's offering it, the formal outcome if there will be one and the term "On-going. Those two simple steps will instantaneously transform you into a new person. They'll enhance your skill set and also demonstrate your attributes to employers.
Most importantly, this course of action will set you apart from other candidates by demonstrating that you have two very special attributes: you understand that in today's rapidly evolving world of work, staying competent in your field is an ever-moving target AND you take personal responsibility for keeping yourself at the state-of-the-art. You recognize the responsibility and accept it.
Education can be the key to your success
NEW YORK, NY -- If you think that the only way to earn a degree is to spend gobs of money and traverse across a complicated college campus, taking anywhere from two to eight years to get your Associate's, Bachelor's or Master's or even doctorate degree...think again. With advances in technology, you can now get your degree online, from an accredited university in your spare time and from the comfort of your own home.
Jennifer Day, Chief of the Education and Social Stratification Branch at the U.S. Census Bureau says, "In 1999, average annual earnings ranged from $19,000 for high school dropouts, to $26,000 for high school graduates, and $45,000 for college graduates and $99,000 for the holders of professional degrees. That includes medical doctors, dentists, veterinarians and lawyers.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau the difference in lifetime earnings between a high school diploma and bachelor's degree is a million dollars. Add on a master's degree and you can expect to earn an additional half a million dollars in earnings. Those with professional degrees earn much more - about 4.4 million dollars during their working life. To learn more about available schools & programs, and instantly request complimentary course catalogs of the ones you like, go to Find-The-Right-School.
Posting your resume online in today's job market
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Update your resume so that it is better formatted to be posted online. Update the words and phrases in your resume so that an employer or recruiter doing an online search will find your resume. Always make sure that you include the keywords and phrases that you'll want to be found under. Keep an MS Word formatted copy of your resume as many job boards also allow you to upload the .doc version.
If your resume is long, consider preparing multiple specialized resumes for each type of job. This allows you to customize your resume to match your potential employer. Create a cover letter that makes sense to an employer who finds you online. Target the big job boards first. However, don't completely ignore the smaller niche boards. There are many job boards that are specific to an industry.
If you find job boards for your industry, it might be best to post to ALL of them to increase your odds of landing a new job faster. Many employers don't want to pay a lot of money to the big job boards, so they use a smaller board to search for a new employee. The more job boards you are on, the higher your chances of being found by your future employer.
Now is the time land a job over the competition!
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Now that the job market is showing slight signs of improvement, now is the time to land a job over the competition! The hard part is to get your resume into the hands of the hiring manager first. Good jobs aren't on the market very long. To succeed your resume has to be available to the employer the moment they decide to fill a position.
One easy way to be found by employers who are looking to hire someone with your skills, is to post your resume on all the top career websites. As soon as an employer needs someone, this is the first place they look. It's a proven, documented method of successful job searching. While it may take a fair amount of time to find and fill out the forms of all these websites, you will definitely multiply your chances of landing a job.
If you want all the benefits without all the work, you can let a service like Resume Rabbit do it for you. You fill out one simple form and they'll instantly post your resume on over 85 career websites like Job.com, CareerBuilder, Net-Temps, Dice and more. Then you'll be seen by over 1.5 million employers & recruiters daily. It takes only 5 minutes to complete, and saves you 60 hours of research and data entry. To get noticed today, try Resume Rabbit.
Does your resume represent you as a qualified candidate
TAMPA, FL -- Are you having a hard time finding a job? Do you feel that you are being overlooked? You should ask yourself; does your resume represent you as a qualified candidate for the position? If your answer is no then you need to revise your resume so that it is strategically targeted to that specific job. Today's job market is very competitive. Therefore you need to have a resume that will demonstrate that you have all of the qualifications that the employer is looking for.
Remember employers are looking for the most competent candidates to fill the position. So, in order to get the job you need, you may need to start your "target practice". How do you target your resume? Do your homework. Learn everything about the industry you are pursuing and learn what precise skills, qualifications, education, and credentials someone in that field is expected to have.
When composing your resume make sure to emphasize the specific qualifications they are seeking. An easy way to target your resume is to include a "Summary of Qualifications" section at the top of your resume. This is where you can list the qualifications and education that fits their needs. Keep in mind that by targeting your resume and emphasizing your related qualifications you may also need to omit unrelated information.
Get your resume critiqued by a professional writer-free
LOS ANGELES, CA -- You've got terrific experience. Your work ethic is superb. You're even willing to be flexible on salary. But after sending your resume to countless, perfectly matched management opportunities, you're just not getting the interviews! Why? It may be hard to believe, but there's a good chance your resume is the culprit. Stop wasting time with a dead-end resume.
Today's job market demands hard hitting resumes that sell your skills, not list past history. With the average employer spending less than 30 seconds scanning each resume they receive, your resume needs "The Right Stuff" to grab attention and get the interview. What is the Right Stuff?
To find out, The Career News arranged for its subscribers to receive a free resume critique and price quote from a certified professional resume writer. You'll not only find out what's right with your resume -- but more importantly, if it is actually preventing you from getting interviews. While the critique is free and valuable, you'll also learn how a professional writer might re-vamp your resume -- and exactly what that would cost. Get your complimentary resume critique today!
Career Tools Highlighted in This Issue:
- MyJobHunter Search all job sites at once. Apply to matching jobs with 1-click.
- Find the right school today Earn a degree online and increase your marketability!
- Resume Rabbit - Saves you time! Distribute your resume fast and beat the competition!
- Complimentary Resume Critique Resume critique & price quote from a professional resume writer.
