Don’€™t Let This Happen to You

When it is time for your interview, please don’t make the mistakes that apparently some others have made.  Wow!

There are many ways to stand out in a job interview, but bringing an exotic bird instead of a briefcase to the meeting probably isn’t the best option. Robert Half, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm, frequently conducts surveys of hiring managers and workers, asking them to recount the biggest interview blunders they’ve witnessed or heard of. The following examples represent the most memorable mistakes collected from these polls over the years:

· A job applicant came in for an interview with a cockatoo on his shoulder.

· The candidate sent his sister to interview in his place.

· One candidate sang all of her responses to interview questions.

· When asked by the hiring manager if he had any questions for him, the candidate replied by telling a knock-knock joke.

· One candidate handcuffed himself to the desk during the interview.

Although these blunders are extreme, even small mistakes during the job interview can cause professionals to miss out on opportunities. To help applicants put their best foot forward, a series of light-hearted videos were launched depicting interviews that have gone awry.  The videos, along with tips for avoiding common blunders, can be found at www.roberthalf.com/dont-let-this-happen-to-you.

“For most job candidates, an interview mistake is subtle—for example, they may appear unenthusiastic or too nervous to let their personalities shine through,” explained Brett Good, a senior district president for Robert Half. “Job seekers should remember hiring managers aren’t just assessing their qualifications but also looking for signs of outstanding people skills and good judgment.”

People skills—or lack thereof—got the following job seekers into trouble:

· When asked by the hiring manager why she was leaving her current job, the applicant said, “My manager is a jerk. All managers are jerks.”

· I interviewed someone who had a jawbreaker in her mouth during the entire interview.

Putting the cart before the horse by issuing demands about salary, benefits or perks is an unwise move. These applicants should have focused on the employer’s needs:

· One individual said we had nice benefits, which was good because he was going to need to take a lot of leave in the next year.

· The applicant told me he really was not interested in the position, but he liked that we allowed for a lot of time off.

Hiring managers appreciate authenticity, but common sense should prevail. These job hopefuls were a bit too candid:

· An individual applied for a customer service job, and when asked what he might not like about the job, he said, “dealing with people.”

· One prospect told me all of the reasons he shouldn’t be hired.

· The candidate said she would really prefer a job offer from our competitor.

If nothing else, employers expect interviewees to dress professionally. While the right attire alone won’t seal the deal, the wrong outfit can sink your chances. Here are a few examples of what not to wear:

· An applicant wore the uniform from his former employer.

· The candidate arrived in a cat suit.

· A person came to the interview in pajamas with slippers.

Finally, exhibiting dishonesty is the ultimate interview error:

· After being complimented on his choice of college and the GPA he achieved, the candidate replied, “I’m glad that got your attention. I didn’t really go there.”

Here is some advice on avoiding four common interview mistakes:

1. Going on and on and on — While you certainly don’t want to give a series of one-word responses, be careful not to ramble; be thorough, yet succinct. Don’t over-answer or attempt to fill dead air between questions.




2. Poor “posturing” — It’s not just what you say but how you say it. Slouching, constantly shifting in your chair, crossing your arms or wearing a tense expression can signal nervousness or disinterest.




3. Ranting and raving — It’s important to be tactful and diplomatic. Criticizing former employers only makes you look bad. Even a mildly sarcastic quip can raise red flags. When in doubt, take the high road.




4. Throwing in the towel — Don’t act dejected if you feel the interview is going poorly. If you fumble a response, maintain your composure and move on. Showing that you can swiftly recover after a setback might actually work in your favor.

Infographic Details the Differences Between College and the “Real World”

College graduates should expect some changes as they journey out into the workforce.

OnlineDegrees.com and its sub-domain, The Degree360 have announced the launch of the “It’s a Wonderful Student Life” infographic, emphasizing the dissimilarities between the lives of students and professionals. The infographic comes after a survey by the National Associate of Colleges and Employers (NACE) revealed that employers are likely to hire 19 percent more college grads this year.

“There are so many things that vary among the professional and student worlds, “said Michael Stearns, spokesperson for OnlineDegrees.com. “And while our infographic covers fun topics, we want our users to know that although they work hard during college, the professional world will likely present them with new and different challenges.”

The results of the NACE survey also draw attention to the fact that on average, at least 20 applications are submitted for every open position. This reinforces the competition in the job market at the entry level, especially because only 56 percent of last year’s graduates secured jobs within a year. As college graduates continuously search for jobs, it is important they understand that there is a huge shift that happens when they enter the work world. The infographic points out several variances between students and professionals including sleep habits, wardrobe and appearance, vacation time and income that can be useful. For example, 23 percent of students have one to three tattoos, while in the workplace, appearance is the number one characteristic associated with unprofessionalism.

“We hope that this infographic and the other articles on our site will help recent college grads gain professional insight and eventually land a job,” said Stearns. “We know it’s tough, but we are dedicated to helping our users.”

To find more information on this infographic, education news and up-to-date information on career trends, visit The Degree360 on OnlineDegrees.com as well as the OnlineDegrees on Facebook and Twitter.

OnlineDegrees.com is a leading education resource focused on connecting thousands of visitors with the information they seek about online education and degree programs. Site visitors can easily research schools and connect with the providers of the career training they needed to succeed.

New Generation More Career-Minded Than Ever

For many of today’s high school and college students, finding a career is not just about earning a fat paycheck.  They also want career satisfaction.  From the results of a survey done by CPP, Inc., these students are not only thinking about their careers, but how what they learn in the classroom can assist them in planning for the careers they want to obtain.  As a result, they will not only be motivated to learn as students but also motivated to help their future employers succeed.

 

Here are some survey results:

· Are career-minded

· constantly or frequently thinking about their future career

· 12% think about their career only occasionally

· Not a single respondent reported rarely or never thinking about it

· Feel careers should be personally fulfilling

· 80% believe a career should be something that brings enjoyment and fulfillment to their life

· 72% want a career that aligns with their passion

· 53% believe their career will play a role in defining them as an individual

· Don’t believe their parents have this privilege

· 57% said their parents either like what they do, but suspect they’d rather do something else or don’t like what they do, but feel they need to do it for the money (as compared to 25% who believe their parents love what they do)

· Connect career success with enjoyment of work

· 78% believe they will achieve the most success in a career for which they have a passion

· When identifying specific motivators for successful people, the largest group of respondents (58%) believe enjoyment of the work itself as the primary motivator for career success over money and a desire for power, influence, and respect among other choices

· See their studies as steps to career fulfillment and success

· The majority (55%) believe that knowing their ideal career path will improve their college performance

· For specifics on what motivates them to study, the largest group of respondents (27%) cited interest in the subject as their primary motivator compared to only 9% who cited getting into a good college

· Gain clarity about their career direction from assessments

· 72% reported they were more enthusiastic about their future career after taking CPP’s Strong Interest Inventory assessment

· 85% said they became aware of more appealing career options after reviewing their assessment results

· 50% reported that knowing their results made them more likely to study

You can view the full survey at: https://www.cpp.com/pdfs/iStartStrong_survey_report_final.pdf.

Marketing Terminology That You Should Know Prior To Going For a Job

After having multiple interns to help me with my marketing, I could say that most college graduates will go into the business world with a significant lack of understanding of the important facets that shape marketing today.

Therefore, I have listed some marketing definitions every aspiring marketing professional should know prior to graduating college and entering the job market:

1. SEO – I know this definition is very simplistic, however an understanding of SEO is not usually commonplace among college students. I can attest to three interns who, upon being asked the definition of SEO, gave an answer such as, “we learned something like that… I think.”

Search engine optimization or (if you want to go by the acronym SEO) is the foundation of online marketing in the year 2011 and, most likely it will be just as important when we are 80 years old, barring some bizarre upheaval in the way the world uses the internet.

In a nutshell, search engine optimization is the studying of search engine algorithms to determine how to rank highly when people search specific keyword phrases. The end goal is to get incoming leads and minimize the number of cold-calls that a firm has to make.

If someone tells you that search engine optimization is not important, ask them how the second page is, because the economy is always better on the first page of Google.

2. Landing Pages – Landing pages are separate pages on the website, constructed to highlight one or two keyword phrases for Google. Usually, you cannot get to these pages from the site’s homepage as, unless a very nuanced writer authored them, the pages are typically unnaturally written, stuffed with keyword phrases so that they resemble a spam email more than an informative page. Landing pages are a facet of marketing that the aspiring marketing professional will have to learn early, simply because being able to style a webpage, yet still keyword stuff it, takes a significant amount of skill.

The aforementioned topic could probably be a book in and of itself. Luckily for me, I have enough content to last me a while.

3. Ezine websites – Ezine sites are article websites that cater to the nonprofessional writer and allow the general public to publish articles on topics of their choice. There are many advantageous reasons to write for these publications. One main factor is to get your name ranking highly in Google search terms, as most hiring companies, upon recruiting a marketing professional, will Google the applicant’s name.

Additionally, writing for the sites will force the reader to become an expert in the topic, thereby not only helping them to get the job, but to excel in the position after obtaining the offer.

4. Google Analytics – Google Analytics is a web-based software that tells the marketing professional, among many other things, how many visitors (both unique and returning) are coming to a particular website on any given day. The program also covers the amount of time each visitor is staying on the website and the subsequent bounce rate of that particular site. Google Analytics will tell the viewer what keywords are most popular in leading to visits on the website, as well as what pages the visitor lands on, and which webpages are most popular.

5. PageRank – PageRank is a numeric value given by Google that aims to quantify how important a particular website is in the eyes of the search engine. PageRank is judged on a number basis between 1 and 10, 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest. There are many factors that go into the PageRank that a particular website is given, and most believe that there is little correlation between the PageRank of a website and where it ranks amongst particular Google search terms.

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Pack Your Job Interview With a Dose of “DOUBLE-H”…

Most job seekers over-focus on the job itself. Will the hiring manager like them? Will they answer questions correctly? Will they be hired? Of course these are legitimate concerns worth considering, but two essential elements are often neglected––Humility and Humanity. So if you’re serious about landing the perfect job for you, be sure to pack your interview with both of these important characteristics.

 

HUMILITY

 

This trait is often misunderstood. Some people think it means scraping and bowing and basically letting people walk all over them. But this is not true. To be humble means to hold a respectful view of yourself and others, to show interest, to be kind and courteous, and to avoid coming across as self-centered and intrusive. Humility is one of the most important attributes you can express in a job interview. Right away the hiring manager will see that you are a person who is reasonable, kind, concerned with others as well as with yourself, willing to compromise when necessary, able to lead without bullying, and true to the company and to yourself when on the job.

 

During the interview you can exhibit humility by listening attentively to the hiring manager, answering questions honestly, showing interest in the company and its objectives, and paying attention to the cues you notice when the interviewer speaks.

 

HUMANITY

 

To be human is to be real, to show your strengths and your weaknesses. In other words, if you failed to achieve a certain goal in your current employment, be willing to share that experience and then talk about how you remedied it. No one expects perfection. And job seekers who present only their victories will not be convincing, because everyone has a down side. The hiring manager knows that. Being authentic is so rare in our culture that it will be refreshing to an interviewer to meet someone who is willing to be true to himself or herself. That does not mean you should play the victim or focus on your failures. Simply acknowledge them, when appropriate, and then talk about what you learned from them. Such a conversation will show the hiring manager that you are an overcomer, instead of an overachiever––who at some point is bound to crash.

 

Pack your interview with humility and humanity and the job that is just right for you will appear without worry or fear.

 

© Written By Jimmy Sweeney

President of CareerJimmy and Author of the new,

Job Interview “Secret”

 

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new “Secret Career Document” job landing system. Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, “Job Search Secrets.”

P.S. Join 5,379 job seekers that are using the “sneakiest” job interview secret of all time…a customizable, fill-in-the-blanks, “Secret Career Letter” that will make you stand out from the crowd like never before — DURING your next job interview. I promise you’ve never seen anything like this before and it’s PROVEN to work job search miracles in this tough economy over and over again, as incredible as that may sound…it’s true…

Job Interview Secret

Cover Letter Tip: Give and You Shall Receive…

Most job seekers know the value of a well-written cover letter. It’s their calling card, their first impression, their opportunity to get a foot in the door of the company they hope to work for. BUT, not every job seeker knows how to write such a letter. Many toot their horn in the wrong direction. They focus on themselves, failing to connect with the hiring manager who is reading the cover letter.

 

Give Your Best . . .

 

Keep in mind three things.

 

1. Your knowledge of the company. Find out the mission statement and mention it in the letter. This shows you have done your homework and know the focus of the organization.

           

2. Your skills and experience. Tie these to the mission statement. In other words, how can what you do and the background you have help further the goals of the company?

 

3. Your willingness to work for the good of the organization. Mention your ability to get along with colleagues, to be a team player, and to take the lead when called for.

 

 

. . . to Get the Job

                                                                 

A cover letter such as this will demand attention, prompt the hiring manager to call you for an in-person interview, and create a bond of good will between the two of you.  Everyone wants to work with a person who has solid experience, sound principles, and a steady work pattern.

 

You can convey this and more in a first-class job search cover letter.

 

© Written By Jimmy Sweeney

President of CareerJimmy and Author of the new

Amazing Cover Letter Creator

 

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new, “Amazing Cover Letter Creator.” Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, “Tough Times Job Tips.”

 

Visit our friends at Amazing Cover Letters for your “instant” cover letter today. “In just 3½ minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition and this tough economy like a hot knife through butter!”

54% of Laid Off Workers Hired Into New Fields

While more laid off workers are getting back to work, those who are still unemployed are anxious about re-entering the workforce. Sixty percent of workers who were laid off in the last year reported they landed new jobs with 88 percent of these workers finding full-time positions. Of those workers who are still searching for new opportunities, 56 percent said they are nervous about returning to work after an extended period of unemployment. The survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive from May 19 to June 8, 2011, included more than 800 workers who were laid off from full-time jobs in the last year.

When asked why they felt anxious about re-entering the workforce, 50 percent of laid off, unemployed workers said it was the pressure to prove themselves while 40 percent pointed to fear of the unknown and 21 percent cited new technologies with which they may not be familiar.

“We need to do a better job as a nation to help workers identify jobs that are in-demand today and are projected to grow in the future,” said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. “We have a growing skills gap and the need to get millions of Americans back to work. As the economy recovers, we need to focus on retraining and ‘re-skilling’ workers to help them move to new fields with a greater number of opportunities.”

Fear of the unknown especially comes into play as workers look to new industries and occupations after exhausting options in their own fields. More than half of workers (54 percent) who were laid off in the last year and found new jobs reported they found them in entirely different fields than where they previously worked. Respondents provided the following real-life examples of how they transitioned to new career paths:

How to Prepare for a Research and Development Job

What is Research and Development?

Many companies claim that research and development is an investment in a company’s health and future. Research and development is the stage wherein the life and existence of the product is being honed completely in order to run and stand out among the giant fishes in the market. In a fast-changing industry, businesses do persistently revise their design and range of products, and this is crucial due to the unstoppable revolution of technology.

How is Research and Development important in the business?

Nowadays, the level of competition, production processes and methods are rapidly rising. Giant companies are everywhere. Therefore, it is very crucial for every business to keep an eye on competitors in order to get aligned and well-run with the modern approach and trends in the business.

First and foremost, the aim of the research and development is to determine the quality and regulatory compliance, research, develop, and maintain new products. It requires specific skills such as project management, leadership, and improvement. However, research and development is very complicated to manage since the researchers cannot determine the desired result accurately.

Being in the research and development industry, there are several guidelines to follow:

SCHOOL: Experimenting things is a great jump-start to set up in the research and development job. Taking advanced science and math classes to whet your skills is a plus.

UNIVERSITY: Obtaining an undergraduate degree would be a huge factor in giving you the knowledge in research and development, especially if you are a science, math, or engineering major.

INTERNSHIP: Every university requires internship as a pre-requisite for graduation. Internship is the key to a good research and development job. Internship involves operational and managerial experience, and some companies do absorb apprentices who possess outstanding performance and behavior in the workplace. To find an internship partner, collaborate with your school academic or career adviser.

Research and development encompasses various fields like public speaking, accounting, report writing, technical, and computer operation. You can utilize these skills to communicate your results to the company and to keep track of your research and development activities.

CAREER: Generally, it is not necessary to have a bachelor’s degree to get an entry-level research and development job. Nevertheless, there are employers who prefer applicants with advanced degrees. Therefore, you may take advanced courses if you want to enter into the research and development industry.

About the Author: Elias Cortez is freelancer writer that specializes in writing in the education field for students looking to pursue a career in graphic design. Read his latest articles titled “Graphic design schools” and “Graphic design career information” to learn more.

Power Phrases

If your occupation requires involvement in a business-process or system-development life cycle, and you are looking to prepare a resume or a career profile, then you may welcome a few hints for adding power phrases to your presentation. The list of key phrases below can help you highlight how your work experience has contributed to the success of a project or development of a software application, or even a task that involved improving a business process.

• Design, develop and deliver
• Conduct needs analysis
• Write course design documents
• Manage development
• Consult with clients
• Facilitate problem-solving meetings
• Implement solutions
• Develop and implement formatting
• Developed and delivered
• Revamped product training
• Assessed employee and client training needs
• Analyzed evaluation data
• Designed and implemented

 

Guest Post by D. Lawton

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.