How to Use Google to Make More Direct Hires

If they are not already doing so, employers may want to consider using Google to recruit new workers.  How can they maximize their chances for hiring with this tool?  The following post has some helpful tips.

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How to Use Google to Make More Direct Hires

Top Employers for Business and Engineering Students

Which are the world’s best employers according to Universum’s 2012 survey of 144,000 business and engineering students from the world’s 12 largest economies?

In business, Google placed as the most attractive employer in the world for the fourth consecutive year. KPMG maintained its 2011 second place finish, while Procter & Gamble reached a new high as the third most attractive employer in the world in 2012. “The Google fever is still hot!” comments Universum’s CEO Petter Nylander. “Students are still attracted to Google’s relaxed and creative work environment, international atmosphere and innovative products. Google lets the students know that they offer great benefits that are hard for other companies to match.” In engineering, Google takes first place for the fourth consecutive year in a row. IBM and Microsoft nabbed second and third place, respectively. “The giants in the software industry are seen as great places for the launch of an engineering or IT career,” said Nylander. “They offer training, networking and future career possibilities.”

The rankings reveal dramatic trends: Continue Reading

Don’t Let Your Executive Brand Slip Away From You

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

When you reach the executive level, your reputation means everything. You are relied upon to lead entire departments—or the company as a whole—in new directions, which means you need to prove you are knowledgeable, wise, trustworthy, strong, innovative, and a natural-born leader.

It’s not easy to prove that you meet all of these qualifications without some evidence to back yourself up. Your executive brand serves as a window into that evidence, vividly providing the imagery needed for the hiring manager to envision you as a great candidate who simply must be called in for an interview.

The only problem is that an executive brand isn’t always set in stone, especially in today’s online world. Although you can try your best to control which information about you is shared, you can’t control it all. So what are some ways you can avoid having your executive brand slip away from you? Continue Reading

Despite 30,000 Job Cuts by HP, Still Shortage of Professionals in Digital and Tech

Job Seekers: It’s Time to Conduct a Google Self-Check

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

It’s no secret that most job seekers don’t fully understand how involved a job search really is. It’s far more in-depth than simply looking for a job, sending in an application and resume and waiting for an interview callback.

For instance, did you know that, according to an ExecuNet survey, 77 percent of recruiters use search engines to learn about candidates? This means, it’s up to you to ensure recruiters and employers who look up your name in search engines are happy with what they see. The only way to get this done is by conducting your own Google self-check! Continue Reading

24 Real, Oddball Interview Questions

It may still be winter, but many companies will soon begin looking for college students and graduates to fill summer internship positions and entry-level jobs. Finding a job and applying for it may be the first step to securing a position, but it’s the interview that can often be the most difficult. That’s why candidates need to be prepared to answer all interview questions – from the most common to the most bizarre.

To help get a leg up, Glassdoor, a jobs and career community, dug into the thousands of interview questions shared by job candidates throughout the past year to shine a light on 25 of the most oddball interview questions.

The lesson here?  Expect the unexpected.

1. “How many people are using Facebook in San Francisco at 2:30pm on a Friday?” – view answers

Asked at Google.  More Google interview questions.

2. “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk.” – view answers

Asked at Acosta. More Acosta interview questions.

3. “If Germans were the tallest people in the world, how would you prove it?” – view answers

Asked at Hewlett-Packard. More Hewlett-Packard interview questions.

4. “What do you think of garden gnomes?” – view answers

Asked at Trader Joe’s. More Trader Joe’s interview questions.

5. “Is your college GPA reflective of your potential?” – view answers

Asked at the Advisory Board. More Advisory Board interview questions.

6. “Would Mahatma Gandhi have made a good software engineer?” – view answers

Asked at Deloitte. More Deloitte interview questions.

7. “If you could be #1 employee but have all your coworkers dislike you or you could be #15 employee and have all your coworkers like you, which would you choose?” – view answers

Asked at ADP. More ADP interview questions.

8. “How would you cure world hunger?” – view answers

Asked at Amazon.com.  More Amazon.com interview questions.

9. “Room, desk and car – which do you clean first?” – view answers

Asked at Pinkberry.  More Pinkberry interview questions.

10. “Does life fascinate you?” – view answers

Asked at Ernst & Young. More Ernst & Young interview questions.

11. “Given 20 ‘destructible’ light bulbs (which breaks at certain height), and a building with 100 floors, how do you determine the height that the light bulb breaks?” – view answers

Asked at QUALCOMM. QUALCOMM interview questions.

12. “Please spell ‘diverticulitis’.” – view answers

Asked at EMSI Engineering. More EMSI Engineering interview questions.

13. “Name 5 uses of a stapler without staple pins.” – view answers

Asked at EvaluServe. More EvaluServe interview questions.

14. “How much money did residents of Dallas/Ft. Worth spend on gasoline in 2008?” – view answers

Asked at American Airlines.  More American Airlines interview questions.

15. “How would you get an elephant into a refrigerator?” – view answers

Asked at Horizon Group Properties. More Horizon Group Properties interview questions.

16. “You have a bouquet of flowers. All but two are roses, all but two are daisies, and all but two are tulips. How many flowers do you have?” – view answers

Asked at Epic Systems. More Epic Systems interview questions.

17. “How many planes are currently flying over Kansas?” – view answers

Asked at Best Buy. More Best Buy interview questions.

18. “How many different ways can you get water from a lake at the foot of a mountain, up to the top of the mountain?” –view answers

Asked at Disney Parks & Resorts. More Disney Parks & Resorts interview questions.

19. “What is 37 times 37?” – view answers

Asked at Jane Street Capital.  More Jane Street Capital interview questions.

20. “If you could be a superhero, what power would you possess?” – view answers

Asked at Rain and Hail Insurance. More Rain and Hail Insurance interview questions.

21. “If you were a Microsoft Office program, which one would you be?” – view answers

Asked at Summit Racing Equipment.  More Summit Racing Equipment interview questions.

22. “Pepsi or Coke?” – view answers

Asked at United Health Group.  More United Health Group interview questions.

23. “Are you exhaling warm air?” – view answers

Asked at Walker Marketing.  More Walker Marketing interview questions.

24. “You’re in a row boat, which is in a large tank filled with water. You have an anchor on board, which you throw overboard (the chain is long enough so the anchor rests completely on the bottom of the tank). Does the water level in the tank rise or fall?” – view answers

Asked at Tesla Motors.  More  Tesla Motors interview questions.

25. “How do you feel about those jokers at Congress?” – view answers

Asked at Consolidated Electrical.  More Consolidated Electrical interview questions.

Think you could handle these questions during an interview?

Glassdoor Reveals Top 50 Best Places To Work 2012

You may already feel the pressure of finding a full-time job after graduating, but how do you know which companies to apply to? And, how do you know which companies really are the best to work for?

Glassdoor, a jobs and career community, has issued the 50 Best Places to Work for 2012, which is based entirely on employee feedback. The top five companies on this annual list, all recipients of Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Award, include Facebook, Bain & Company, McKinsey & Company, MITRE, and Google. It’s worth noting that companies like Bain & Company and McKinsey & Company have offices in several states and are known for recruiting talented college students. Continue Reading

5 Steps for Using Social Media in a Job Search

To get a job today, it is imperative for job seekers to create a purposeful and professional web presence. But, despite this clear directive, many job hunters still find it distressing, due to privacy concerns, or lack of confidence in—or comfort using—the social media tools, and decide to opt-out of social media altogether. According to Laura Labovich, Founder of Aspire! Empower! Career Strategy Group, a Washington, D.C.-based career firm, “Companies are turning to social media sites to look for candidates at a breakneck pace, and to catch the attention of prospective employers, and to be viewed favorably when stacked up against the competition, job search must be paired with a proactive social presence.”

In a recent article entitled “No More Resumes, Some Firms Say,” the Wall Street Journal showcased the recruiting protocol of Union Square Ventures, a New York venture-capital firm that recently posted a position for an investment analyst. “Instead of asking for resumes,” the V.C. firm asked applicants to “send links representing their web presence.” Continue Reading

Why the Shift to Global Work Is a Massive Opportunity for the U.S.

American companies will soon hire millions of designers, coders, writers, marketers, and other skilled people from all over the world, says Ross Dawson, co-author of the just-released book Getting Results From Crowds: The definitive guide to using crowd-sourcing to grow your business.

“The shift to global work is not a problem for the U.S., it is a massive opportunity. The future of the economy depends on us embracing crowdsourcing. Companies must get good at creating value with crowds.” Continue Reading

Top 10 Best Places to Work

Employees were surveyed by Glassdoor and, as of November 23rd, rated their own employers on a zero to five scale with 4.01 to 5.0 meaning they’re very satisfied, 3.51 to 4.0 meaning they’re satisfied, etc. The top 10 employers in terms of employee satisfaction are: Continue Reading