The Toughest Job of All – Finding a Job

John Feldmann, Sourcing Analyst for Insperity Recruiting Services

Every year, thousands of new college grads emerge from academia, filled with optimism, ready to enter the next stage of their lives. But the first step is often the hardest – finding a job, or better yet, a career. The task of finding a job is a full-time job in itself, and how are you supposed to know the dos and don’ts of job hunting if you’ve never actually done it? Alright, so you worked as a lifeguard last summer, and sold jeans at The Gap during high school. But now, you’re looking for a career – a job that will support you, pay off your student loans, act as the first step to reaching your professional goals, and ideally, draw upon the knowledge and education you acquired in school. Continue Reading

How Employers can Improve the Candidate Experience: Part 11

Joe Murphy of Shaker Consulting Group

Kevin Wheeler of Global Learning Resources has been a student of and thought leader for the candidate experience. He has written countless articles on the subject of recruiting and staffing process improvement. He is an advocate of simulations for pre-employment testing and knows that multi-media is a must have for a robust candidate experience.

I caught up with Kevin in San Diego at ERE and here is what he has to say. He suggests we need to make the process of applying for a job easier. Continue Reading

Why Isn’t My Resume Generating Calls for Interviews?

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

To understand why your resume isn’t getting any callbacks, you first have to ask yourself a few questions. First, are you applying for jobs that you’re qualified for? If yes, are you customizing your resume each time you apply for jobs you’re qualified for? If you’re not, see my article: “4 Tips for Making Your Resume a Perfect Match”. If you are tailoring your resume to the position (using the tips mentioned in the above article) and you’re completely qualified for the job, then let’s explore some other reasons. Continue Reading

5 Ways to Get Fired

Ken Sundheim, CEO of KAS Placement

Getting fired is a very unpleasant, psychologically wearing event that many people go through at least once in their career.  Being fired is one step lower than being laid-off which is also a very painful experience for those who are involved (including the family members).

5 Ways to Get a Job

Mary Sevinsky

Recently, when explaining to a client that it was important to vary his approach to finding and applying to jobs, I stumbled upon the “Five Fingers of Job Search.”

In general, you are going to have the best results by spreading out your “hand” and tapping into more jobs.

Certainly other ways to get a job, but if you follow these recommendations, you are bound to be successful.

To find the most jobs, you will want your fingers to spread over the following job search resources: Continue Reading

Get Your Game On! – Three Questions about Your Candidate Experience.

Joe Murphy of Shaker Consulting Group

Game designer and TED presenter Jane McGonigal had an article in the January 22, 2011 WSJ “Be a Gamer, Save the World.” She states we (the royal We) spend three billion hours a week gaming.  The average 18 year old spends 80 minutes a day gaming and extreme gamers spend up to 45 hours per week connected to a digitally delivered challenge. The quick lesson here is that engaging experiences hold our attention.  The first question is: What kind of engagement does your candidate experience deliver? 

Charles Handler, in his Candidate Bill of Rights suggests a candidate assessment should last no more than 30 minutes.  Is that to free up time for gaming?  Or is that because the assessments he is thinking about are a form of torture.  Maybe he is seeking to limit the pain of a putting a candidate through poorly designed on-line assessments. He wants to limit (but not ban)– Applitorture.  Or, the degree to which the applicant is subjected to mental or physical anguish from the act of applying for a job. Continue Reading

4 Job Search Alternatives to Applying Online

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

The process of job seeking has nearly turned upside-down over the past decade thanks to the Internet and changes that have accompanied newer technology. One of the major adjustments we’ve witnessed is the manner in which employers accept applications.

Primarily, companies require candidates to submit applications via their online systems to improve convenience for all parties involved. But believe it or not, if you’re serious about getting a callback, applying online simply isn’t good enough. Continue Reading

Can LinkedIn Make Applying for Jobs Easier?

A recent Wall Street Journal report has revealed that LinkedIn is making some changes that could simplify the application process for many job seekers who have profiles on the site.

LinkedIn Will Utilize Auto-Fill Technology to Make Applying Easier

The WSJ article reported that LinkedIn is now partnering with Taleo, the country’s largest job applicant tracking system provider, in order to allow job seekers the opportunity to utilize auto-fill technology through their LinkedIn profiles when applying for jobs. Continue Reading

Place the Job Search in Your Hands

How would you describe the status of your job search?  Hopefully, you have been proactive, researching companies and positions, sending out resumes, networking, etc.  Or, maybe you’ve been passive, not really trying to find a job because you are waiting for employers to call back or for the economy to improve.  If you’re doing the latter, then you have taken away any control of your job search.  Moving forward, you need to place the search in your hands.  Here are a few tips that can help: Continue Reading

How to Stand Out When Applying for a Job

It is probably frustrating as a job seeker when you have applied for multiple job opportunities without receiving a response.  Obviously, something is missing in your job search in the minds of recruiters and employers.  At a time when competition is especially fierce for employment, you must consider factors that can help you get noticed.  Here are some tips on how to stand out when applying for a job: Continue Reading