Many job seekers can find Linkedin company pages to be a useful tool in their search. This often overlooked Linkedin feature allows the savvy candidate to gain an edge with companies they target. Remember, 80% of the available jobs are unadvertised...it's a widely known industry statistic. Yet, most job seekers target the 20% of the jobs easily seen on job boards.

What can Linkedin Company Pages do for me?

Linkedin Company Pages provide information and views that's helpful when targeting smaller companies as well as mammoth ones. For larger companies, Company Pages shows divisions and subsidiaries. For example, one of the companies that's been consistently near the top of reCareered's Who's Hiring articles is IBM. IBM is many companies under a single brand...many non-techies think of IBM as a mainframe manufacturer (they sold off their PC division years ago).

Continue reading "Can Linkedin Company Pages Help You Find Unadvertised Positions? " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 20, 2009 at 11:43 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

We all know career success is linked to lifelong learning. To remain competitive and adaptable, we have to be constantly learning new skills and knowledge. It's the only job security we have. But how do we learn? What can science tell us about the best, easiest way for us to absorb and become proficient in a new career field or skill?

I've been fascinated by a new book, "Why Don't Students Like School?" that offers some answers. In it, cognitive psychologist Daniel Willingham looks at what techniques help students and adults think and learn effectively. I adapted some of his findings for people choosing or changing careers.

Continue reading "3 Principles for Helping You Learn a New Career or Job Skill " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 20, 2009 at 10:23 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Below is an example of what someone interested in applying for a job as a manufacturing manager might see in a job posting

I/ Job information of Manufacturing manager

1. Job tile:
2. Job Code:
3. Department:
4. Report to:
5. Job purpose:

II/ Key job tasks of Manufacturing manager

1. Overseeing the production process, drawing up a production schedule.

2. Ensure planned KPI's of efficiency and performance are met or exceeded.

3. Ensuring that the production is cost effective.

4. Track competencies of subordinates and provide leadership and development as required to achieve the objectives.

5. Ensure implementation and evolution of safety procedure. Continue reading ...

Sample job description courtesy of hrvinet.com

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 19, 2009 at 7:11 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Usually when I'm talking about jobs in gaming, I'm talking about jobs in the video game industry, but today "gaming" means something a little different. We're going to take a look at WMS Gaming, a Chicago based company that produces the machines that you find in casinos. I found out about them from Brill Street's list of Top 50 Gen-Y Employers in Chicago (which is surprisingly light on companies with entry level jobs available--I think the #1 thing a company can do to be "Gen-Y friendly" is hire new grads). WMS was founded in 1943 by Harry Williams, a Stanford engineer, who invented the tilt mechanism for pinball machines (which prevents cheating and damaging the machine). Luckily for WMS Gaming, the decline of the pinball industry coincided with the rise of the casino industry, so their transition to focusing solely on slot machines went pretty easily in 1999. I guess people would rather win--err lose--real money than "points."

Read the full article

Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 18, 2009 at 3:07 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

I don't know about you, but I've been well enough behaved during the course of my life to avoid any appearances in court. I did have to serve on jury duty for a day a few years ago, but most of knowledge about court rooms comes from tv and movies. Despite my limited knowledge of the legal process, I don't find it hard to imagine that there's room for innovation in our courts. Center for Court Innovation is a New York City based non-profit organization that is doing just that. They act "as the court system's independent research and development arm, creating demonstration projects that test new ideas." Some of their projects include community courts, drug courts, reentry courts, domestic violence courts, and mental health courts.

Read the full article

Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 18, 2009 at 2:35 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Posted on November 13, 2009

If you let your belief in bad luck and superstition affect you on a daily basis, then you're setting yourself back in the job search. It really won't do you any good. With that said, there are millions of people who suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia--the fear of Friday the 13th. One of the biggest symptoms of this phobia is an unwillingness to travel on Friday the 13th. There's some debate as to whether this actually has a significant effect on the travel industry, but I've heard that you can get pretty good deals when the 13th day of a month falls on a Friday. Since I'm not a big fan of superstition--especially when it comes to the job search--we're going to fly in the face of paraskevidekatriaphobia and take a look at jobs with Orbitz Worldwide. If you don't already know, they're a Chicago based online travel company. In late 1999 they were formed through a partnership between 5 major airlines--Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and American--to compete with Expedia and Travelocity.

Read the full article

Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 18, 2009 at 2:31 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Not long agao, talented college students and recent graduates had employers genuflecting all over the place to make them happy in order to hire the best candidates for the entry level jobs and internships being offered. Now the tables have turned and it's employers who want job seekers jumping through hoops to please them.

Because employers screen so many qualified candidates, it's important for college students and recent graduates to do all that they can to make themselves memorable to employers, should they be fortunate enough to land interviews.

Continue reading "Personal Branding and the Entry Level Job Interview" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 18, 2009 at 1:11 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Below is an example of what someone interested in applying for a job as a assistant project manager might see in a job posting

I/ Job information of assistant project manager

1. Job tile:
2. Job Code:
3. Department:
4. Report to:
5. Job purpose:

II/ Key job tasks of assistant project manager

1. Assist in evaluation and solution of potential field problems, referring them to Project manager.

2. Assist in plan and spec analysis in order to provide clear, trackable and coordinated interpretations of the design/drawings for construction.

3. Perform additional assignments and responsibilities as assumed or requested by supervision.

4. Conduct quality control activities in accordance with instructions, inspection programs, using specified control measuring and testing equipment.

5. Understand and perform document control functions in accordance with on-site policy and procedures. Continue reading ...

Sample job description courtesy of hrvinet.com

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 18, 2009 at 7:15 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Below is an example of what someone interested in applying for a job as a purchasing agent might see in a job posting

I/ Job information of purchasing agent

1. Job tile:
2. Job Code:
3. Department:
4. Report to:
5. Job purpose:

II/ Key job tasks of purchasing agent

1. Coordinate and direct activities of workers engaged in cutting, transporting, storing, or milling products and in maintaining records.

2. Arrange for processing and/or resale of purchased products.

3. Determines method of procurement, such as direct purchase or bid.

4. Prepares purchase orders or bid requests.

5. Reviews bid proposals and negotiates contracts within budgetary limitations and scope of authority. Continue reading ...

Sample job description courtesy of hrvinet.com

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 18, 2009 at 7:04 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Many job seekers complain of applying online with cover letters for dozens (if not more) of positions on monster.com, careerbuilder.com or other job boards. What happens so much of the time? Absolutely nothing. While I do not have magic solutions or answers to this, let me share a perspective on what often happens on the other side. These insights have been shared by many friends and colleagues coming from that "other-side-of-the-desk" viewpoint.

Hiring managers or recruiters are flooded with many qualified responses to their advertised openings. In this economy, the numbers are more staggering than ever. They can give very little time to any one résumé or letter. Letters often do not get read at all, and yet they are still touted as important pieces to the document suite.

There are some tips that will improve chances of your online letter being read and hopefully, noted!

1. Short paragraphs, no more than three lines.
2. Hard space returns so the layout is broken up on the viewer's page.
3. Relevance! The letters should closely mirror back the job requirements.
4. Bullets that are easy to read and to the point.

It is better to have no letter than an ineffective one. When sending e-mail letters or Internet postings, structure greatly impacts their success.

Internet Posting Letter Structure Tips

1. Quickly reference the job you are applying for
2. Three to four bullets summarizing why you are the right candidate. These should absolutely align with the posting's job requirements!
3. Speedy, concise closing.

Internet Letter Sample Structure & Content

Dear ABC Company:

John Doe

As President of Hire Imaging, LLC, Barb Poole has over 25 years' experience as a career coach, strategist and writer. She partners with global clients in all industries and levels to explore, find, get and keep their career dreams.

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 17, 2009 at 2:59 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Posted on November 12, 2009

Today is the two year anniversary of the launch of One Day, One Job! I started working on a job search related project in late May of 2007 (how do you like that old logo?); however, the entire concept didn't come to fruition until November 12th, 2007 when I featured entry level jobs at InsideTrack. Since then I've taken a look at 730 more companies and their employment offerings for new college grads (see all of our entry level employer profiles). In that same time I've reached more than a million job seekers with my content, received a ton of press, signed a deal to write a Career Development textbook, and, most importantly, created my own entry level job.

Thank you all for reading and helping me make this a reality. Without you I wouldn't have my entry level job. Continue reading ...

Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 17, 2009 at 2:26 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The magazine business is dying, right? A lot of people seem to think so, and for the most part I agree with them; however, we seem to be seeing a new breed of magazines cropping up. They're web integrated, extremely well designed, and laser focused on a specific audience. They still sell advertising, but they offer advertisers access to a well-defined audience that general interest magazines can't compete with. The company behind one of these magazines (Seed Magazine) is Seed Media Group. They're based out of New York City, and they are a media and technology company built on the premise that science is culture. They've been offering a new take on science since 2005, and it seems to be working with them.

Read the full article

Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 17, 2009 at 2:23 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Those with Dallas medical jobs, and healthcare careers in other places throughout the country, will soon get some help with improving their positions.

IBM recently opened the Health Analytics Solution Center, a research center in Dallas that will be dedicated to developing tools to allow healthcare professionals to more efficiently use data as a part of medical decision making.

Not only will the new center help healthcare professionals get better at their jobs, but it also will help create new jobs. The center plans to employ more than 100 experts in healthcare analytics, technical architectures and other, related specialties.

The overall goal of the center will be to create analytics systems that can leverage healthcare data streaming from electronic medical equipment, such as patient monitoring systems, physicians' hand-held devices and other smart medical instruments.

"With all the dynamic changes occurring in healthcare and the availability of new data from more sources, deep analytics unlocks new possibilities for improving the way healthcare is delivered by reducing risk, saving lives and even helping to reduce costs," Rob Merkel, healthcare leader for IBM Global Services, said.

In developing its healthcare technology, IBM is working with such institutions as Duke University Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the University of North Carolina.

According to an article by InformationWeek, many experts believe the healthcare industry - including pharmaceutical companies, insurers and device manufacturers - can use analytics to predict trends, reduce risk and improve patient care and safety.

"Tapping into mountains of data within hospitals and clinics can provide powerful new insights into what's working and what isn't," Dwight Carter, CIO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, said in the article.

"New analytics technology makes it possible to see important health trends and allow physicians and hospitals to design more effective treatments," he continued. "As hospitals become more interconnected in the future, this will be an especially powerful tool for hospitals, physicians and patients alike."

Posted by Joel Cheesman on November 17, 2009 at 12:48 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

This post was inspired by the many poor applications I have reviewed over the years. I especially dislike applications from job seekers who are not truly interested in the position, but apply nonetheless.

If the job posting asks for specific information to be included in your job application and you send me a one liner email with your resume attached, don't expect me to even bother looking at your resume.

If you are applying for a position as a freelance writer and your cover letter has typos in it, how do you expect me to believe you have "good writing skills"? This last example may sound obvious, but I keep receiving these applications!

All I'm trying to say is that if you are not willing to spend the time to prepare a decent job application, then don't even bother. Really! You have to want to get the job to actually get it.

Article by John Sylo and courtesy of WorkBloom, an employment blog incorporating a comprehensive career resources section, including the largest database of professionally written resume and cover letter samples on the Web.

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 17, 2009 at 11:20 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

WRATH....

• Do you hate your boss?
• Are you angry because you were passed over for a position that you were clearly the best qualified for?
• Are you feeling frustrated and unappreciated in your current position?

Sometimes these feelings are a good thing, they are just the push you need to leave your comfort zone and actually pursue your next best career step. However, you need to put all of your negative feelings aside during your job search, this is not the arena to exact your wrath.

THE AWFUL TRUTH is, nothing will submarine a great opportunity for you faster than speaking negatively of your current or previous employer. Your interviewer is not your counselor, they do not need to understand why you are so angry or what a big jerk your boss is. All an interviewer sees, in those situations, is a person who will be trashing their company the same way next year and a potential employee problem. You have to put a positive spin on why you are looking at the position. Speak in positive terms about what this opportunity can do for your career, for example, "I think I could grow with this company and have a better chance at advancement", "I love the team philosophy here and could really thrive in this environment." When your motivation to make a job change is prompted by feelings such as anger, wrath or rage, then you need to keep that to yourself.

THE AWFUL TRUTH is, you need to put on a happy face when interacting with others during your job search, and then if you really need to, go home and punch a wall.

Article by Nicole Dukehart and Jennifer Bruton, The Job Awful Truth

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 seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities, and posted on Daily Career Connection.

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 17, 2009 at 10:57 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

"The qualities that make Twitter seem inane and half-baked are what makes it so powerful" - Jonathan Zittrain

Who would have thought that Twitter would be leveraged for so many different purposes? When I first joined Twitter as a way to let people know that I had posted a new blog on my website, I was fairly naive in terms of how many people are both tweeting and leveraging job search on Twitter.

Why, you may ask, would you want to use Twitter in your job search? Well for one, you get information "real time" in many cases. One of the more important theories of job search is to "get there first" as this gives you the best chance. How does this work? Just take a look at the links below. Leverage the power of Twitter now.

Continue reading "Tweet Your Way to a New Job " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 17, 2009 at 10:52 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Whenever unemployment rates are high, unscrupulous businesses and individuals find ways to prey on job seekers and profit from their misfortune. With unemployment rates now hovering above 10%, the one industry that continues to grow and remain strong is the "employment scams" industry. There are websites that will make up a work history for you to include on your resume; websites that will issue fake degrees; and websites that will provide job seekers with bogus references.

Then there are the more innocuous sites whose names are somewhat more familiar. They boast thousands of job openings and employers and offer "members" an inside lead to the "hidden job market" in exchange for a monthly fee. They offer free resume critiques and will gladly rewrite every resume to anyone willing to provide them with a viable credit card number.

Continue reading "Job Boards, Scams and Reality Checks" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 17, 2009 at 10:05 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

When time and budgets are tight many employers start their interview process with a phone interview. Though it may sound like a lower hurdle than an in-person meeting, that's not necessarily true. There are things you need to know to get you to a meeting with the hiring manager--and eventually, to a fantastic new job.

DO

• Be positive and energetic. Remember that the person interviewing you can't see any body language and can only read the inflection of your voice. Practice this if you need to--and if you have trouble with it, put a mirror in front of you to watch your face as you are talking on the phone.
• Show you're listening. The occasional "I see," "Yes," "Great," make for a better conversation--as do any positive vibes you can give during pauses.

Continue reading "How to Turn a Phone Interview into a Face-to-Face" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 17, 2009 at 7:01 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Did you know that how wealthy your family is has a lot to do with which sports you play growing up? Sometimes it's a demographic thing, but a lot of times it just has to do with whether or not your family can afford to pay for the equipment. Take hockey for example. There's a ton of stuff you need, and it's all expensive; whereas, basketball can be played with just a ball and a hoop in a park. There are no hard and fast rules about this, but it's very clear that many kids don't get the opportunity to try some sports because of the costs involved. Good Sports is a Boston based non-profit that "provides sports equipment to disadvantaged youth in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Philadelphia, and Chicago." They may have pictures of Boston athletes plastered all over their website (yuck!), but they're doing a really good thing.

Read the full article

Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 16, 2009 at 2:20 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

If you haven't checked out our post on Personal Finance and the Job Search, do that now. We've just added a special one day offer to get our job search training course Found Your Career for free.

Exactly a month ago we featured Charm City Cakes of Food Network fame, even though they're not hiring. It was my birthday (so today is my 1/12 birthday!), and I wanted to talk about what to do when a company has zero interest in hiring anyone. If that post didn't work for you, we have another way to get closer to the Ace of Cakes--working for Scripps Networks. They're the parent company behind tv networks that include HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living, and GAC. Unlike Charm City Cakes, Scripps Networks is openly hiring, and a number of their positions seem perfect for new college grads. If your tv is often tuned into one of those stations, then you need to see what Scripps Networks has to offer.

Read the full article

Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 16, 2009 at 2:12 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

If you're looking for personality tests online that you could administer to potential employees, you should check out tests that target the "Big Five" personality dimensions or personality traits. Visit http://www.shakercg.com to learn more about personality tests online.

These tests are based on decades of psychological research about personality. Even though they are not capable of identifying every aspect of someone's personality, they can help you understand the general makeup of someone's personality, specifically the factors that are the most important in social and interpersonal situations.

The "Big Five" dimensions include:

• Extraversion - your level of sociability and enthusiasm


• Agreeableness - your level of friendliness and kindness


• Conscientiousness - your level or organization and work ethic


• Emotional stability - your level of calmness and tranquility


• Intellect - your level of creativity and curiosity

According to an article by PsychCentral, it's important to keep in mind that these are not types of personalities, but dimensions of personality. It's the combination of these dimensions that effectively makes up someone's personality.

So why could this be useful to an employer? There are several studies that show someone's personality remains relatively stable throughout life and can be associated with everything from academic success and occupational success to marital stability and physical health.

Other studies show that getting to know someone's personality is an important step to take before you hire them. Just as skills tests, such as Agent Day in the Life, can assure you whether or not a potential employee will do a good job, personality tests can give you better insight about exactly who you are hiring.

Anyone wishing to take the "Big Five" personality dimensions a step further can use the Abridged Big 5 Circumplex, a circular model of personality that allows psychologists to examine traits that are blends of any two of the "Big Five" dimensions.

For instance, you could expect someone who is high in intellect and high in extraversion to be both sociable and creative, but the AB5C takes it one step further and says that person would be witty or humorous.

Posted by Joel Cheesman on November 16, 2009 at 12:37 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

After all your efforts--networking and distributing your resume--you've landed an interview for a job that looks just like the spot you've been looking for. It's a good fit between your qualifications and the requirements of the opportunity. You feel confident it will be another step on your career path.

Now, it's up to you to conduct a winning face-to-face interviews with those persons who will make the final hiring decision. It's time to sell the total package that is you and the benefits you can deliver. In other words, it's time to close the deal.

Continue reading "There Are At Least 14 Ways To Sabotage An Interview" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 16, 2009 at 11:22 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

In today's hyper-competitive, recessionary job market, job seekers are finding more barriers than good news. Creative social media use gives job seekers a way to beat the odds. When government figures list unemployment as 6 times greater than job openings, you've got to try something different to be noticed.

The good news is that Social Media gives job seekers plenty of opportunities to stand out. While most job seekers recognize Social Media's help in networking, few take advantage of Social Media's power in branding, Subject Matter Expertise, research and differentiation.

Continue reading "5 Ways Social Media Gives Job Seekers an Advantage in a Recession " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 16, 2009 at 10:22 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

There's nothing fun about looking for a job. It's more stressful now because there are so many people vying for the same "handful" of jobs that recruiters and hiring managers post on job boards and in newspaper want ads (yes, people still use those).

Executive career consultant, Duncan Mathison says, throw out the old, tried and true job search methods that worked so well twenty years ago and start using more unconventional ones to achieve desired results. In his book, Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times are Tough, he lists several things that job seekers should know before they start sending out resumes:

• Even companies with sophisticated recruitment processes have haphazard ways of finding the best talent.
• Only a small fraction of open positions are even published.

Continue reading "Revamp Your Job Search" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 13, 2009 at 2:17 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

If you're wondering what kind of job Phoenix might have to offer, you may want to check out opportunities in the city's leisure and hospitality industry.

A recent survey from the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau found that the city's tourism industry is extremely important to the local economy. The industry as a whole is responsible for employing several local workers as well as supporting those with jobs in other industries.

"Tens of thousands of Arizona jobs are directly related to tourism - the majority of them right here in the Valley," Mayor Phil Gordon said. "But teachers, police officers, firefighters, utility companies and bankers are no more than one degree of separation from the tourism industry. Because tax revenues generated from the industry go toward our schools, public safety, libraries, pools, parks and streets.

"Whether we know it or not, we all have a direct stake in tourism," he continued. "It matters how many visitors we get. It matters how many conventions we host. It matters how many meetings are scheduled for Phoenix and the Valley. Whether you work at the airport or at a flower shop 300 miles from the airport, you are one of the faces of tourism."

In particular, the survey found that hotels throughout Phoenix accounted for several jobs and paid more than $166 million in combined property and sales taxes during 2008. This translates to a gross tax yield per hotel room of more than $6,300.

"Hotel property taxes are approximately 27 percent of this total, or over $45 million," GPCVB President Steve Moore said. "This equates to $1,710 per room, which is 8 percent greater than the median Phoenix household property tax, yet a hotel room is much smaller than a house. When one considers that a visitor uses a fraction of the government services provided to residents, this is a great investment for the state, county and city."

"The hotel industry is proud to be one of the state's largest employers and also one of the largest contributors to city and state tax revenues," Debbie Johnson, president and CEO of the Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association, said. "Our many hotels and resorts are known for providing visitors and Arizona residents endless dining, golfing and recreational activities, but it's important that we also recognize the economic impact that our industry has and communicate that when the tourism industry is strong, Arizona residents benefit with lower taxes and more job opportunities."

These findings are supported by a recent Oxford Economics study, which found that there is a clear link between business travel and business growth. That study found that for every dollar invested in business travel, businesses see an average $12.50 in increased revenue and $3.80 in new profits.

Posted by Joel Cheesman on November 13, 2009 at 10:02 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The Department of Labor issued its monthly jobs report for October, reporting that unemployment rose from 9.8% to 10.2%, the highest since 1983. If taken into account the number of people who have given up looking for work or who want full-time work, but have settled for part-time work, the unemployment rate is 17.5%. Other statistics report that 5.6 million Americans have been out of work longer than six months.

When I heard this report, the words "given up looking for work" really struck me, as did the notion of someone looking for work "longer than six months." I know there are a lot of reasons people remain unemployed and that many of these reasons are tied to the state of the economy. Yet, I can't help wondering what else may be contributing to some job seekers' inability to land a job.

Continue reading "Unemployment Numbers Not Being Tracked" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 12, 2009 at 2:36 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Linkedin has released some interesting upgrades in the past week that can help job seekers. Linkedin's two big new features are Linkedin Follow and Linkedin Twitter Integration. How can these new features help job seekers?

Linkedin Follow:

Linkedin Follow is a new feature for Linkedin Groups (If you haven't discovered the power of Linkedin Groups yet, read Top 20 Linkedin Groups All Job Seekers Must Join). One feature of Linkedin Groups provide a way for employers to advertise jobs to a targeted audience....for free. Aren't these postings you want to see, especially from targeted companies or industries?

For those already using Linkedin Groups, Follow gives a user the ability to follow the posting stream from an individual group member. Linkedin's blog states that Follow's purpose is "...making it easier for you to see contributions made by your connections and other people you value within your groups."

Continue reading "How Can Linkedin's New Features Help Job Seekers? " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 12, 2009 at 1:07 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Is anyone else beginning to feel like they are always chasing after the train, only to discover when they finally catch up they were on the wrong track? Yes, I'm of the "Boomer Generation;" I attended a three-room school house and our family phone was on a five-party line; however I have been pretty smitten with all I have taught this "old dog" and how well I have embraced technology - until recently.

I learned how to communicate via email; bought and began using a cell phone; learned to surf the Internet, and I swear it was just yesterday that I was teaching a Windows 3.1 workshop to a class full of recently displaced professionals. Now I am balking at upgrading to Windows 7 and asking clients to please stop sending me .docx files!

Continue reading "Could Technology Be Derailing Careers?" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 10, 2009 at 2:06 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The scenario: You've been called in to interview with a company that you know virtually nothing about -- and the interview's tomorrow. While you're excited that they want to recruit you, you're sweating bullets at the thought of giving meaningful answers about this mysterious organization.

The answer is quick, simple, and painless. Just turn to your computer. Research nowadays is easy, and often free. There are a wealth of great sites and services that specialize in getting you up to speed on an organization.

Continue reading "Prep for a surprise interview with quick-but-deep Internet research" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 10, 2009 at 10:05 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

I'm going to be brutally honest with this one. When I landed on the The Wrap's Home page, I immediately clicked the back button. I thought that I had landed on one of those Google Money Maker scam pages (it's all because of the font choice). After processing what I had seen, I decided to take a second look. Despite their poor design choices, The Wrap is a legitimate site--if a site that covers entertainment industry analysis and breaking hollywood news can be considered legitimate (I kid). Now, The Wrap shouldn't be confused with gossip sites like TMZ or Perez Hilton, this is actually an industry focused site that does primary source reporting. They're venture funded and quite obviously located in Los Angeles. I don't know a lot about the entertainment industry and how it's covered by the press, but it looks like The Wrap is growing a solid audience with their web-based content.

Read the full article

Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 10, 2009 at 8:32 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Before I started One Day, One Job, I was a recent grad without a job and without an idea of what I wanted to do. I had a lot of time on my hands, and I wasted most of it doing a halfway job search and grasping for ideas of what to do with my life. In early 2007 there was one really smart thing that I did--I decided to get my personal finances in order. I didn't have an income or any debt, and my expenses were minimal because I was living with my parents, but I still thought it was important to be in control of my financial well-being. So, I took some time, and started to figure things out. For the first time in months I felt like I had accomplished something; in fact, I even considered starting a personal finance website to share what I had learned (luckily I did this instead).

Read the full article

Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 10, 2009 at 8:28 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

About 4 months ago I began working with a bright, talented lawyer shortly after he was made redundant. Like every client I work with in this market, from the outset I explained the importance of focussing his job search campaign via networking and contacts much more than targeting recruiters and jobsites

Not because the other search channels were ineffective - but because in the current job market a much larger proportion of roles are being filled by employee referral programmes and direct hiring from firms rather than recruiters and job sites. An abundance of candidates, smaller recruitment budgets and slimmed down HR teams (who manage and process applicants) being the main reasons.

Continue reading "Using Your Network To Find Job Opportunities In A Tough Market" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 9, 2009 at 1:57 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

One-half of US employees are dissatisfied with their jobs, up from two-fifths 10 years ago. Are you one of them?

If you are seriously dissatisfied, it's going to affect your attitude. And that may show up in your performance. It could also put you at risk of losing out to others who are more satisfied with what they do.

But are you really in the wrong job or business? Or is it just a case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence? Are you dissatisfied or unfulfilled for little or no reason? How can you tell?

Continue reading "Are You in the Right Job?" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 9, 2009 at 9:32 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Text 100 is a global, high tech public relations agency. They call themselves the world's only "global boutique PR consultancy" or "big agency 2.0." Like the public relations industry as a whole, Text 100 prides itself in constantly evolving to meet its clients' needs. Speaking of clients, I recognize nearly every name on their client list, which includes PayPal, MTV, IBM, Adobe, eBay and more. This year, Text 100 took home two awards, including the 2009 Holmes Report "Best Agencies to Work For" where it ranked #6. The other award, also from Holmes Report, was "Best Campaign" for its work with Cisco.

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Guest post by Heather R. Huhman. Heather is the media relations manager at a national health care professional association and entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com.

Article courtesy of Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 9, 2009 at 8:22 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

I'm a nut about wildlife. I don't watch Animal Planet all day or anything, but I get ridiculously excited when I see a new species in the wild. My hope is to one day run into a mountain lion in the wild, at least as long as I'm not being hunted. As fanatical as I am about wildlife, I bet I don't even come close to the people at the Wildlife Conservation Society, a New York City based non-profit. They were founded in 1895 with a "clear mission to save wildlife and wild places across the globe." Their first major success was aiding the recovery of American Bison, and now they're working to "protect many of the world's iconic creatures here and abroad, including gorillas in the Congo, tigers in India, polar bears in the Arctic, and ocean giants in our world's amazing seascapes." Beyond doing that, they also run 5 parks in New York City--the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and Queens Zoo.

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Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 9, 2009 at 8:10 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Posted on October 30, 2009

Tomorrow is Halloween, which means that we need to talk about candy today. We've already looked at companies like Jelly Belly, The Hershey Company, Charles Chocolates, Vosges, and Just Born Quality Confections. We've also discussed jobs at Mars & Co., which is a consulting firm, and not to be confused with Mars, the CPG and candy company. You probably know them best for M&M's, Snickers, Dove, Milky Way, Twix, and Mars bar; however, they're also behind Pedigree, Whiskas, Uncle Ben's, and quite a few other brands. For your sake I hope you only run into the good stuff and not Whiskas or Pedigree during your trick-or-treating. While headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars has locations all across the world. They're a huge company with a ton of international business, which makes for a great place to gain some experience.

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Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 9, 2009 at 8:05 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Following seven months of struggle, one Minnesota man made a simple change in his job search in August, and was hired for a new position only 30 days later.

What did he do?

Read on ...

Scott Bornstein, from suburban Minneapolis, was using what he thought was a well written resume, but without results. "Every time I sent it out, people would suggest changes to make. When I handed it out at a job fair, they'd say, 'Thank you' and file it away immediately." He wasn't getting called by employers.

Continue reading "The 30-Day Job Search " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 6, 2009 at 11:56 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

It took long enough, but Internet video is everywhere. Yes, we had online video 10 years ago, but now it actually looks good--and works. The main reason for this is that end users (you and me) finally have technology in their homes that can handle playing online video. This means high speed Internet connections and computers with enough processing power to not crash when a website uses a Flash video player. The issue for content creators is that delivering video still poses some challenges. Sure, I was able to produce an online job search training course that relied heavily on video with little trouble, but I wasn't delivering video to thousands or even millions of people (I wish I had the problem). As your use base increases, the challenge of delivering video increase exponentially. Moreover, managing video content in an organized fashion is a completely different challenge than organizing text and images. Brightcove is a Cambridge, MA based company that provides an online video platform for many of the worlds biggest brands.

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Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 6, 2009 at 7:55 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

It feels pretty good to be talking about a Boston based newspaper today knowing that they have to report on another trip to the World Series for the Yankees; although, I'm sure they'd much rather be publishing stories on what Dustin Pedroia and Jonathan Papelbon are doing during their offseason (possibly watching the World Series from their couches). Now that I've gotten in my dig at Red Sox fans, we can take a look at The Boston Globe, Boston's most widely read newspaper. The paper is owned by the New York Times and has an excellent web presence at Boston.com. Much like other newspapers the Globe has had significant financial struggles, and The New York Times even threatened to shut the paper down if the paper's union didn't accept major concessions. Apparently those problems have been worked out, and The Boston Globe is now on more stable ground. At least that's what the fact that they're hiring would indicate.

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Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 6, 2009 at 7:53 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

When I saw the name and location of Winston Salem, North Carolina's Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, I was instantly reminded of one of my favorite recent reads--Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley. A North Carolina based non-profit with Reynolds in it name has to be tied to the tobacco industry, and it is. "The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation was established in 1936 as a memorial to the youngest son of the founder of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company," and it seems to be one of the few good things that has come out of the tobacco industry--"a trust for charitable works in the State of North Carolina." The Foundation is focused on making grants to non-profit organizations in the areas of Community Economic Development, Democracy and Civic Engagement, the Environment, Pre-Collegiate Education, and Social Justice and Equity, which, in my opinion, is a huge improvement on the other things associated with the Reynolds name.

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Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 6, 2009 at 7:49 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

It's no surprise that careers matching the Social personality type are growing quickly with our aging population needing health care and our expanding community, education, and family needs.

Although school districts nationwide recently suffered cuts in both teachers and counselors, prospects vary sharply by geographic area. While tenured professor positions are as difficult as ever to get, college and universities are increasingly relying on adjunct and other non-tenured positions to serve increasing numbers of students.

These are just a couple of reasons to do your information interviews and research about careers close to home. For more tips about researching and choosing an education career, see my blog post about it.

Continue reading "Job Outlook for Careers Matching Holland's Social Personality Type " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 5, 2009 at 11:48 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Job seekers are notoriously afraid to embrace change...even though their entire goal is based on change (sure - sometimes the change is thrust upon us). Some candidates are afraid to approach new career paths, others afraid to change industry or function, almost all are afraid to change their approach.

I spoke to a candidate today, whose job search strategy was "the same thing I did 7 years ago". When I asked why he felt what worked 7 years ago would work well today, he listed these reasons:

• It's what has always worked for him
• A CEO complimented him on his good resume
• Of his friends, he was considered the expert in how to search for a job

This illustrates an interesting phenomena...while many job seekers realize the job market has dramatically changed, most still won't change their strategies. This unfortunate fellow fought change, tooth and nail, even after discussing how much the job market has changed and how much more competitive it is, especially in his field, Pharmaceuticals.

Continue reading "Step Out of Your Comfort Zone - Why are Job Seekers Afraid to Change? " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 5, 2009 at 11:38 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

It probably is a foregone conclusion that the number of healthcare providers will increase as more Americans become enabled to purchase health insurance. With that in mind, it's also logical to assume that the number of jobs open in the field will increase.

As with most industries, there are a number of healthcare job boards for candidates to utilize in their job search. Two, in fact, have been recently launched by the Locate Jobs Network, which was founded by the founders of Insourced. Locate Occupational Therapist Jobs, as the name of the job board itself suggests, focuses entirely on jobs for occupational therapists, including rehabilitation managers and coordinators, OT assistants and hand therapists.

Locate PICU Jobs features a variety of positions in hospital PICUs, with a particular focus on PICU nurse jobs and positions for technical specialists. Those searching for PICU jobs can utilize this site to find employment opportunities in this particular setting.

Article by, Matt and courtesy of Insourced blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 5, 2009 at 9:39 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Bite Communicationstouts a "fearless and boundless" approach to B2B and B2C communications. They have seven offices worldwide--three of which are in the U.S., including Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco. "Public relations" and "media relations" used to be synonymous, but no longer at Bite Communications. They recognize different clients have different challenges that require different approaches. Starting your career at a progressive agency is the best way to go--you'll end up a more rounded professional and thus be more marketable. As a full-service agency, Bite Communications offers everything from strategic counsel to new media programs to influencer relations--and everything in between. Some client names you might recognize include Sun Microsystems and Vonage.

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This is a guest post by Heather R. Huhman. Heather is the media relations manager at a national health care professional association and entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com.

Article courtesy of Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 4, 2009 at 3:02 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Social networking is a new thing, right? Not at all. Social networks have been around almost as long as the Internet. They've just become way more mainstream in recent years. Take Redwood City, CA based Care2 for example. They're an online social network that aims "to help people make the world a better place," and they've been doing it since 1998. That's impressive, not only because it means that they were early to social networking, but also because it means that they survived the dot com bust of the early 2000s. "Making the world a better place" used to be strictly the territory of non-profits, but now we're seeing more and more companies like Care2 that are choosing to be B Corporations. That means that they can do good and build a profitable businesses at the same time. That's exactly what Care2 is doing with their "more than 50 employees, 11 million members, 400 nonprofit partners and hundreds of responsible advertisers making a difference."

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Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 4, 2009 at 2:54 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Once you start interviewing for jobs, you realize how important it is to stay well informed. Whether it's staying up on the industry that you want to work in or just keeping up with current events, you need to be able to speak (somewhat) intelligently about a wide range of topics. Chit chat and small talk play a big part in the impression that you make, so don't try to use the fact that you "live in a bubble" at college to explain away your ignorance. Instead, you should subscribe to the The Daily Beast. It's a cheat sheet for current events that covers a wide array of topics. Some would call it a news aggregator, but they like calling what they do "curating." The site was created by Tina Brown, who was formerly the editor at Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. The Daily Beast, which is based out of New York City, launched just over a year ago, and has been able to garner a huge amount of traffic pretty quickly. I guess it might have something to do with their IAC backing.

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Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 4, 2009 at 2:52 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Originally posted on October 12, 2009

In my day... Columbus Day was a real holiday. Now there's a huge portion of the population that doesn't even get the day off. Yes, I understand that Christopher Columbus was a bit overrated as a historical hero (and a lot of the things that we learned about him in grade school were inaccurate), but I'm still amazed that he had the guts and the persistence to make a voyage across the Atlantic happen. Now we'll barely take a walk down the street without a GPS enabled device in our pocket. Navigation and exploration have a long history, but I'm not sure how much more advancement is possible. Facet Technology would disagree. They're an Eden Prairie, MN based software and services company that is changing what state of the art means when it comes to the Transportation, Mapping and Food Processing Industries. They're another Inc. 5000 company with 110.4% three-year growth, and I think they're going to shoot up the rankings over the next few years.

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Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 3, 2009 at 2:48 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Some of the most fun that I had during college was playing in a charity dodgeball tournament. My team was doing really well until we ran into a team of future NHL players, pitchers from the baseball team, and some former softball players (they threw underhand, and they threw hard) in the semifinals. That match was pretty ugly, but even when you lose at dodgeball, you have fun. We've seen dodgeball gaining more and more popularity, and with that trend we've seen more and more non-profits using dodgeball to raise funds. Best Shot Foundation is a Washington, DC based non-profit that is doing just this. They're an organization that is focused on bringing attention to the fact "that pneumonia kills more young children than any other disease," and then doing something about it.

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Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 3, 2009 at 2:45 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The number of online advertisements looking for workers to fill Colorado and Denver jobs (Click here) did not change much last month.

According to a report from The Conference Board, there were about 37,100 online ads for jobs in Denver during October, which is down from 37,900 ads during September and down from 65,800 ads during October of last year.

The city had about 22,900 ads for new jobs, which is only slightly lower than the 23,400 ads for new jobs during September, but significantly lower than the 43,700 ads for new jobs during October 2008.

As a whole, about 67,800 online ads for jobs in Colorado ran during October, including new ads and those re-posted from previous months.

That number is only a .7 percent decrease from the 68,300 jobs posted during September, but a 37 percent decrease from the 107,000 ads posted during October 2008.

Of the online ads posted during October, 43,000 were for new jobs, compared to the 71,000 available new jobs posted during October 2008

However, Colorado was closer than most other states in the number of online job ads compared to the number of available workers. The state's "supply-demand rate" came in at 2.74 during October. That means there are 2.74 available workers for every available job in Colorado.

The national "supply-demand rate" came in at 4.5 during October. Of the 20 states included in The Conference Board's report, only Maryland had a lower rate, at 1.94.

Throughout the country there were 3.28 million online ads for jobs during October, which is down from 3.36 million during September. Many experts see the lack of growth in online job ads in many states as further indication that the recovery is still weak.

Posted by Joel Cheesman on November 3, 2009 at 11:19 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

We all know that news is changing, and jobs in journalism aren't what they used to be. We're in the middle of a major transitional stage that is going to determine how news is delivered for years to come. Blogs are becoming more and more reputable, and one of the companies that best exemplifies that trend is The Huffington Post. They're a New York City based news website and blog network with an admittedly liberal slant (traditional newspapers would never position themselves in that way--even if they have the same biases). The site was launched in 2005, and since then it has grown to a $100 million valuation. While newspapers are dropping like flies, new fortunes are being made by blogging moguls. This is an exciting time to be involved in media, and it presents a ton of really exciting opportunities for new grads to grab a place in journalism's future.

Read the full article

Article by Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 2, 2009 at 2:35 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

A full-service firm rooted in traditional public relations, MMI Public Relations integrates "emerging" public relations technologies such as social media, when appropriate, to achieve the best results for their clients. This small agency is located in Raleigh, NC and headed by highly sought-after speaker Patty Briguglio. It's not surprising to me that she speaks both on public relations and business in general. Half the fun of being at a small agency is the entrepreneurial environment! However, the small agency/entrepreneurial environment may cause you to question stability during these tough economic times. Well, MMI-PR has won the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce's Pinnacle Award for Steady Growth and Profitability in 2007, 2008 and 2009--and been named to the Triangle Business Journal's Best Places To Work list. No need to worry!

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This is a guest post by Heather R. Huhman. Heather is the media relations manager at a national health care professional association and entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com.

Article courtesy of Willy Franzen of One Day, One Internship and One Day, One Job

Posted by Candice Arnold on November 2, 2009 at 2:31 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

How often do candidates treat their job search like it's Halloween?

Do you dress up your resume to appear like you are someone other than you?

Not only is it unethical, it's impractical. It wastes the employers' time, but even worse...IT WASTES YOUR TIME as a candidate. Take your kids Trick or Treating, there's a more effective way for you to stand out.

I can't begin to count the number of times a candidate has asked me if they should hide their age, change their experience, or try to adopt a different personality, so they can appear to be someone other than themselves. To make it worse, many recruiters either turn a blind eye, or actually encourage this.

Continue reading "Job Search Trick or Treat " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 30, 2009 at 11:40 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

If you watch enough old movies and television, you might think having a big idea is a bad thing, the sort of item gangsters and slapstick comedians asked each other if they had.

It could lead to a pie in the face, or worse.

These days a big idea could be your ticket to the big time, or at least an interview.

I, for one, am glad to see this, because maybe, just maybe, it might replace the dreaded elevator pitch.

Continue reading "What's Your Big Idea? Use It to Snag That Job " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 30, 2009 at 10:03 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The short answer is no, jobs aren't 'hidden'-at least not on purpose. They are simply the ones that are not advertised or do not yet exist.

How can a job not yet exist? Simple. A soon-to-be-created job is one that is developed after you meet up with a hiring manager at, say, a trade show or industry association.

Believe it or not, the majority of job seekers do not know how to 'find' jobs other than at the traditional sites such as CareerBuilder, Monster, etc.

These days, only an innovative and aggressive approach will help ferret out those jobs and get hired.

Readers, what are YOU doing differently to find a job? What changes have you made to locate both JOBS and HIRING MANAGERS?

Article by Lorraine Russo of the Underground Job Network

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 seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities, and posted on Gradversity.

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 30, 2009 at 9:18 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

"Are you goin' to Scarborough Fair?" - Simon & Garfunkel

If you've ever been to a job fair, you will know that it's more like a circus. Incredibly long lines, so many people and so few jobs! But, it is another avenue you must travel in your quest for a job. There are many types of job fairs these days. Some are virtual, some are just or college grads and the list goes on.

Continue reading "Are You Going to the Fair? Job Fair that is" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 30, 2009 at 8:37 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Your dream is to work in social media. You've been blogging, building your brand and know your stuff. After doing all the right things you have a job offer, so now what?

As with any potential new job there are many questions & many unknowns in regard to one in social media. And to make it worse, I believe that there are many more because the space is so new.

I have been advising both employers and job seekers for quite awhile. Here's a review of practical things to consider when you're on that emotional high of having received a job offer:

1. Job expectations? Do you know what your role will be? Has it been defined adequately? Be wary of a job that is too open-ended. Overall, make sure that the expectations are communicated from both sides.

2. A good fit? What is the culture of the company? How open are they to change? Social media requires a culture that has open communication and a focus on the customers.

3. Salary? Only you know what you need, but don't undersell yourself. I hear of too many companies expecting a lot of services for little or nothing. On the flip side I think that some investment at the beginning on your part can prove to be very fruitful. As with anything one must gain experience. This is an opportunity to show you skills. You can influence this by requesting that your status be reviewed in a shorter period of time than the usual year (which is really too long in the online world because things are changing so quickly).

4. How will you measure your efforts? This is imperative to plan for. You need to benchmark where the brand is at then you'll be able to compare your efforts against that going forward. This will have a direct impact on salary. If you can prove that you're efforts are having a measurable impact then you'll be that much further ahead.

5. Contract or salary? This really depends on many things. Contract work allows much more flexibility. I think that a more important question is what are your job requirements based on? hours or deliverables? My recommendation is that deliverables is much more flexible and suited to the role.

6. Work remotely? More and more people are working remotely, but I don't think that employers are trending toward this yet. I've worked online remotely since 2006. And before that I worked for a decade remotely because my Director was 75 miles away. I also supervised 7 library sites spanning 80 miles and it was no problem. We had phones, email, and transportation. Now I have IM, airports and my blackberry. It's all the same and I believe that I'm more effective working from where I live.

7. Should you relocate? This is also related to salary. What is the cost of living in the new location? Can you mediate the risks involved? Many people that ask me are considering going to work for startups. I loved working with startups so don't get me wrong, but there are some inherent risks along with the excitement.

I hope that those provide you with some questions to ponder as you seek your ideal job. What did I miss?

Article by Connie Bensen, Community Strategist, and courtesy of ConnieBensen.com

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 30, 2009 at 7:11 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Make Your Next Job the Right Job!

In the terrible economy that's among us, almost everyone is affected in some shape or form! Financial problems plague many people's lives and has caused so many drastic changes in their lives. The bad economy has resulted in many companies closing down, laying off, and even moving over seas in order to hire cheaper labor. This caused thousands of Americans' homes to be foreclosed, cars to be repossessed, and what were once "career" jobs, are now just a memory (without a 401k). The unemployment rate is higher now than ever before and it just doesn't seem like anyone is ever hiring anymore! Well, here are 5 of the most in-demand career jobs for 2009-2010...

1.) Technology. With many aspects of life being "improved" into easier, more technical forms, it would be a good idea to be a part of it! Technology will always continue to improve, so this provides job seekers with an opportunity that will allow them to become more advanced and excel in their particular field. Some of the best technical careers to look into are: data communications, software engineering, software designing, network and system administrators, graphic designing, and more. Continue reading ...

Article by, Jim Walker and courtesy of Associated Content, Inc.

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 29, 2009 at 11:27 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

I was having a conversation recently with a job seeker who had concluded that there were just no jobs out there for her. It was a little surprising since she is actually in a field that has quite a few job opportunities, even in the bad economy.

After a few minutes, I realized that she was so fixated on the last job title she held, she really wasn't looking for broader possibilities and reading job descriptions carefully enough. In fact, she was actually discarding possible job opportunities because the job title in the job description was not familiar to her.

I think that many job seekers might actually be in the same boat as my friend.

Many people get attached to their job titles and their current job descriptions, they may actually be overlooking the actual day-to-day assignments involved in a particular job - especially if the job description has evolved over time.
Online job boards today, do a pretty incredible job of making it easy for people to find job opportunities just by using keywords. Employers used to be able to search for resumes using keywords and now every job board gives similar capabilities to job seekers. Continue reading ...

Article by, Bullseye Resumes and courtesy of Associated Content, Inc.

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 29, 2009 at 11:21 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Sometimes people want to change jobs, but don't want to change employers. Large organizations with a variety of departments can accomodate such employees more easily than small businesses.

Tai Goodwin addresses the issue of internal transfers and offers some helpful tips in her article, Job Search in Your Own Backyard: 8 Steps to Changing Jobs With Current Employer. Goodwin starts by identifying those times when "and internal transfer makes sense."

• to shed a negative reputation
• to make a new start after getting to involved with office politics
• to get away from a poor employee-manager relationship
• to find a department that's better suited to the employee's skills and interests.
• to get out of a reorganized department
• to advance a career
• to take advantage of regular job announcements on the company job board

Continue reading "How to Find a New Job While Staying With Your "Old" Employer" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 28, 2009 at 2:04 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Remember that last interview when the Hiring Manager asked if you had a business card? Remember how you had to say "no" and kicked yourself for not having one? Remember when your buddy told you two months ago to get one?

Whether you create your business card at home, or hire a printing service, online or offline, there's no need to be without your own business card, ever again, as you explore new career opportunities. (Some people call these cards different things: networking cards, job search cards, job hunting business cards, personal branding cards.) Regardless of what you call it, you either have one, or you don't. Once you have convinced yourself you need one, the next big question becomes: "What should it say?"

Consider the information below to decide what's right for you:

1. Name: Make it consistent with other career marketing and branding materials.
2. Designations/Degrees/Certifications: Keep them relevant to your target goal.
3. Address: For privacy purposes, some job seekers choose to reveal only their city/state on their business card and forgo a residential street address. If by chance your friend or relative is letting you use idle business space, or you're renting a professional (commercial) address, you can state a full street address, in addition to the city/state and zip code.
4. Phone Number: State one number, not three. Select the one where you can be contacted the first try!
5. Email/Internet Addresses: Consider the relevancy of each address; select those with brand relevance (LI, Twitter, website, Visual CV, etc.)
6. Language/Wording: Purposefully and intentionally choose words that best capture the essence of you and your brand in as few words as possible. Think: brevity, clarity and avoid clutter.
7. Text/Color/Logo: Carefully select font, color, text, and logo to best support your brand and the message you wish to convey to your target audience.
8. Photo: Some job seekers like to include a professional photo on their business card; others don't.

While there is no perfect way to create a business card, you will want to produce a distinctive one that well represents you and your brand. If you are stumped for ideas, peruse that stack of business cards collected at the last networking event. Create a stand-out card that captures attention -- for all the right reasons! And be sure, most of all, to hand them out! How about it...do you have a job hunting business card? Better yet, do you have any cool tips or ideas to share with others about making one?

Article by, Billie Sucher and courtesy of CareerHub.com. The Career Hub blog connects job seekers with experts in career counseling, resume writing, personal branding and recruiting.

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 28, 2009 at 12:27 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Efforts to build a smart grid will help create several jobs in Baltimore.

The Department of Energy recently announced that it will provide Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. with a $200 million federal stimulus grant to help the city build a smart grid.

White House officials have said the funding will help create work for those manufacturing smart meters and completing equipment installation, data entry, cyber-security and information technology.

The Department of Energy will provide a total of $3.4 billion in funding to help build smart grids throughout the country. BGE is one of 100 companies selected to receive the funding out of 400 total applicants.

Funding for the smart grid initiative is coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was passed earlier this year. BGE plans to invest a total of $251 million into the project, meaning the first phase will cost about $451 million.

The project will help install 1.1 million advanced power meters for BGE customers. The company expects that customers will save a total of $2.6 billion because of the project.

According to an article by The Baltimore Sun, the nationwide initiative is designed to help speed transition to what has been dubbed by the Obama administration as "the largest single grid modernization investment in U.S. history."

BGE has announced that it will eventually implement peak-time pricing, which will provide savings to customers for using less energy during peak periods and reduce the need to build new peak-power generating capacity.

Posted by Joel Cheesman on October 28, 2009 at 11:10 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

It is astonishing to me how many job seekers in today's day and age are held back because they lack the information and skills necessary to interview well. I have developed a simple list of basic interview skills every job seeker should posses before stepping foot in the door of an interview. You may be amazed by what you don't know.

• Prepare a resume that sells. Is your resume a timeline, historical document, or a sophisticated marketing and sales piece? Sell the employer on your best attributes and what you can bring to them. Quantify when possible!
• This may sound like a no brainer but practice makes perfect. Actually practice answering interview questions. When I'm getting ready for a big job interview I think about all the questions I could possibly be asked during the interview and I already have my answers formulated in my mind. This way there are no long, uncomfortable pauses and I'm not scrambling to put something together on the spot.

Continue reading "Interview Basics - Secure the Offer " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 27, 2009 at 12:04 PM | Leave a Comment (1)

You may have heard that finding a job is like finding a mate. But did you know it's also like writing a sales letter? Or producing an infomercial? You'll find the explanation below, along with sure-fire tips to use in your job search.

1) Treat networking like a mating dance.

If your networking isn't paying off, you might try a less-obvious approach.

Consider Bill McCausland, a marketing executive from Novi, Mich. His networking improved when he stopped asking for job leads and started asking for information.

This makes sense, when you realize that hiring is a lot like marrying.

Asking people for job leads at their employer, especially someone you've just met, is like asking someone to marry you on the first date. You look desperate, oafish.

Continue reading "Marriage, Infomercials, and Your Job Search " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 27, 2009 at 11:42 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

These days many people supplement their job search by searching for and responding to online job postings. Largely because they are in such plentiful supply, and also because there are whole websites dedicated to helping job seekers search for jobs by industry, target compensation, location, and any conceivable keyword, online job postings are often irresistible, even to the most seasoned and savvy professionals who otherwise might resort to headhunters and their professional network. However, when daring to find your ideal next job via online job postings, it can sometimes be daunting to figure out how to determine if the job is really a fit for your background and skills, or not. In fact, when surfing your favorite job search site, how can you tell if the job posting is worth responding to; and if you do apply, will it actually help you to get to the interview stage?

Continue reading "Decoding Online Job Postings " »

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 27, 2009 at 10:44 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Close to a half a million Americans are losing their jobs since the last quarter of 2008 when the financial crisis hit the U.S. and swept the entire globe. While economists conclude that we have already seen and felt the worst of the recession, and basic economic indicators show that this crisis is bottoming-out; however, the unemployment rate continue to average between 8 to 9 percent every month.

A Shrinking Job Market

Worse, even if the economy normalizes, job opportunities will remain scarce because most companies who downsized during the downturn are not likely hire additional employees in the next few months. Newer technologies, a more competent and lean workforce, and efficient management systems were adopted and given priorities. Thus, hiring additional employees will take a back seat for while.

Continue reading "5 Practical Tips on How to Find a Great Job During Recession" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 26, 2009 at 11:35 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

ENVY -

Do you find yourself thinking things like "I can't believe Bob just got that new job, my numbers were better than his?"

Do you spend precious moments obsessing over fact that you and Charlie have the same skill set and comparable experience, but he is getting 10 times the number of interviews?

THE AWFUL TRUTH is, it is a significant waste of your time to focus on other people's job searches. You will be much more successful in your own job search if you focus on yourself. Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, your energy is better spent identifying ways to improve your resume, acquiring new skills to make you more marketable, and networking with those that can help you get hired in the positions you seek.

THE AWFUL TRUTH is, being envious of someone else's success only takes away from your own.

Article by Nicole Dukehart and Jennifer Bruton of The Job Awful Truth

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 seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities, and posted on JobsinStockholm.

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 26, 2009 at 9:40 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Time to focus on Finance again. I don't know which profession has been the hardest hit in this recession, but if Finance and Finance related jobs is not the hardest hit, they certainly can not be far from it. Today's post will cover a few of types of resources, but remember, finance jobs can be found in every industry, not just Financial Services.

Capital Financial Recruiters - This recruiter, focuses on financial services. Their main page has tabs down the left hand side that include Job Openings, Articles, Advice and more. Their contact information is on the top right hand side of the page as well as their Contact Information tab on the left hand side of the page. To see their specific jobs, you must use the links on the Job Openings page.

Continue reading "Jobs in Finance - Who's Hiring!" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 26, 2009 at 9:35 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

In today's economy it's not a surprise to find many people who are unemployed and many who are on the verge of losing their jobs. Some people like to say things like "No matter how you look at it, it sucks." But, how you look at it really makes a difference and if you look at in the right way then you'll see that there is a reason some people jokingly refer to it as "funemployment."

However, those who only see the negative side put themselves in a really dangerous position because they run the likelihood of a downward spiral. In fact, the worst thing you can do when you are unemployed or looking for a job is crawl into a whole and become a hermit.

Continue reading "Why You Need to Develop a Healthy Unemployment Routine" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 26, 2009 at 9:20 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Posted August 31, 2009

New graduates seeking employment are now facing the toughest job market in over 25 years. Keeping a positive attitude in such an economic climate can be an extremely difficult task but believing in your skills and abilities will go a long way to ultimately finding a position that meets your goals and expectations. Continue reading ...

Article by, Penny Loretto, a career counselor at a small liberal arts college in upstate New York, has her own private career counseling practice, Career Choice, and is About.com's Guide to Internships.

Posted by Candice Arnold on October 26, 2009 at 9:04 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Below is an example of what someone interested in applying for a job as a operations manager might see in a job posting

I/ Job information of operations manager

1. Job tile:
2. Job Code:
3. Department:
4. Report to:
5. Job purpose:

II/ Key job tasks of operations manager

1. Operational delivery

• Provide technical support for the agreed redesign, development, implementation and continuous improvement of the company's processes as required to ensure customer focus;
• Direct via project managers the software, knowledge base, data base and customer support teams to overcome technical and other constraints on the delivery of projects,
• Assist in the development of the strategic plan for all operational activity;
• Implement and monitor the annual and medium term operational plans, program and projects to meet overall objectives and agreed timings;

2. Communication and Information:

• Ensure effective internal communications both within the operations team and across the organization.

Sample job description courtesy of hrvinet.com