Archive for the ‘Career Advice’ Category

Negotiating Salary? Be Transparent & Know Your Needs

Posted by Rusty Rueff • February 9th, 2010 • Comments

The recruiter asks, “How much was your salary at your last job and what are you expecting in this position?”

This is the moment of truth and you will be forever judged by the recruiter by what you do at this moment. Your choices are to tell the truth and take the chance that you are underselling yourself. Or to inflate, not tell the truth and if found out in a reference check, either don’t get the job after all, or have the recruiter always remember that you didn’t tell it like it was.

Here’s what you need to know before you answer…

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Victims Don’t Get Jobs

Posted by Jeff Hunter • February 8th, 2010 • Comments

Colleen McCreary, the head of HR for Zynga, was talking about mistakes that jobseekers make when applying online. Colleen’s warning to jobseekers was direct and dire: “You are going to be remembered – and not in a positive way.”

What does this mean? I think it means that recruiters and HR professionals are starting to point out that in this economy jobseekers should beware thinking that populist rage is a solid strategy for finding a job.

…If you are serious about finding a job you need to drop the victim narrative. For every jobseeker who is angry because of their job hunting experience, there is a recruiter who is just as mad because of jobseeker behavior. The experts are stoking a blame-delegation and finger-pointing exercise that can only lead to fewer real solutions and more bad blood. And in this economy the jobseeker is going to be the ultimate loser.

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No Luck In The Job Search? Consider Temp Work

Posted by Hank Stringer • February 5th, 2010 • Comments

Looking for work? Having a difficult time landing that position equal to or greater than your last role? Whether you’re an admin or an executive if you can’t find the perfect job consider finding project work through a temp firm…you may be surprised what you find!

Here a few good reasons to pursue temp work…

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Dealing With Unemployment Depression

Posted by John Sumser • February 4th, 2010 • Comments

In our culture, personal identity and employment are tightly coupled. More often than not, the first question you get asked at a party is “What do you do?” Without a job, the pressure of personal circumstances is relentless. Options seem to evaporate while awful consequences loom closely. Feelings of anxiety, panic, depression, bewilderment and terror are commonplace. The combination of loss of identity and loss of respite make the strongest of characters wobbly.

Glassdoor career expert John Sumser points out the signs for joblessness depression and offers some things you might try to reduce the suffering.

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Nine Reasons Not To Delay Your Job Hunt

Posted by Liz Ryan • February 3rd, 2010 • Comments

Who could be surprised to read in recent news that people receiving severance and unemployment benefits start their job searches later? It’s only natural that when income is flowing in, people put off the daunting and tedious job search task. Unsurprisingly, the longer unemployment benefits continue for the average person, the later the person’s job-search activities begin.

Take a look at our Nine Reasons Not to Delay Your Job Search, even if (especially if!) you’re receiving a severance check for sitting at home right now.

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Tell-Tale Signs You Are Losing The Attention Of A Job Interviewer

Posted by Rusty Rueff • February 2nd, 2010 • Comments

In job interviews or other business meetings we take people for granted thinking we have their undivided attention. So we go into the meeting as if we are the most important person in the world to them for the next 45-60 minutes. I need to let you in on a little secret. You are not.

Here are the tell-tale signs of losing someone’s attention and how to get them focused back on you when they drift…

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Highlight, Connect, Question: Keys To Getting & Keeping The Conversation Going

Posted by Jeff Hunter • February 1st, 2010 • Comments

You walk into a room and see a friend who announces “Hi! I would like to introduce you to Mike. Mike and I worked together and Acme Co.” And before you can reply Mike grabs your hand, shaking it furiously and saying with wide-eyed admiration “I have heard all about you!” You blush, insisting that you really aren’t that big a deal.

I imagine that is the best feeling the world. It’s like you are a celebrity. In all my travels I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t appreciate being treated with that sort of admiration and respect. Especially recruiters and hiring managers.

Last week I offered some simple advice for building a great relationship with a recruiter: ask their opinion. This week, the advice is even simpler: treat hiring managers and recruiters like celebrities.

This week, the advice is even simpler: treat hiring managers and recruiters like celebrities.

It doesn’t take a lot. Just follow these simple steps…

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How To Interpret A Job Rejection Letter

Posted by John Sumser • January 28th, 2010 • Comments

Currently, there are six applicants for every open job in the American economy. The jobs we’ve lost are going to take a while to come back. The most important implication is that you are going to get six times as many rejection letters in your search for work. Rejection letters make a banal attempt to appear sincere. They always fail.

Let’s take a look at a sample rejection letter and what an authentic rejection letter might look like…

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Are Your References Destroying Your Chance At A Job?

Posted by Liz Ryan • January 27th, 2010 • Comments

Ten years ago I was sitting in the office of my client Dan, a marketing executive. In the middle of our meeting, the conversation was interrupted when Dan’s phone rang. “I need to take this,’ he said. “I’m giving a job reference for a guy that used to work for me.”

I couldn’t help but listen as Dan dove into the reference-giving conversation, but within seconds I started to feel queasy.  Poor Dan gave the most left-handed reference ever, saying things like “Jack is really good at certain things, and lousy at many others,” and “depending on the situation and the amount of responsibility, I could see him being a great hire.”

Mamma mia! I thought. With reference-givers like this, who needs enemies?

After the call, I gingerly broached the reference-giving topic. “Dan,” I said, “Are you a fan of this Jack, who used to work for you?”

“Oh, he’s a great guy,” said Dan. “I’m crazy about Jack, but I believe in giving the whole picture.”

“Hmmm,” I said. “You may want to fill Jack in on that ‘whole-picture’ business before giving any more references for him.”

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Ways To Find Serenity In Work

Posted by Rusty Rueff • January 26th, 2010 • Comments

As I sat in church this past weekend, before the service I saw on the rotating message screen I saw that the church was offering a resume workshop for those who are out of work and want to improve their resume. The night before I had been at an event where I had been asked by someone what their son, who is graduating from college, was to do when the jobs that had been going to college graduates were now being taken by those with experience and who are willing to do positions that are below them experientially, making it so he can’t find a job. The day before that I had a long conversation with a friend who is stuck in a job that he dislikes but doesn’t want to take the chance of moving to another company where the security may not be there. As we know, these stories and questions are only the tip of the iceberg of the pain that people are feeling. And with the media messages we receive daily about the uncertainties in the financial market and shifting government actions, we are all affected by the collective mood swings of the nation.

When you add ...

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