Thinking about your prospects for landing that new job? You should think first about what your former boss and other references will say about you. While many employees believe that a former employer can't, or won't say anything negative about them, Allison & Taylor, Inc. says they might be unpleasantly surprised at the truth...

Isn't it corporate policy that an employer will only confirm the dates and title of employment?

Allison & Taylor, Inc. has found (since their inception in 1984) - that most managers and HR representatives will ultimately offer them some information about former employees beyond the normal purview of confirming dates and titles of employment. Note that there is absolutely nothing illegal about A&T's consultants asking your references for additional input on their employment experience with you.

How common is it that past bosses will badmouth former employees?

Over 50% of the reference checks we conduct come back as negative in scope (sometimes, significantly negative). Clearly, many of our clients have lost good job offers due to bad or mediocre comments from previous employers.

I have a separation agreement with my previous employer saying that neither of us will say negative things about the other. Should I have any cause for concern?

Having such an agreement in place is no guarantee that your previous employer will necessarily honor it. Unfortunately, we have seen countless instances where prior employers did not honor their written agreement with their employees.

This information was submitted to Ultimate Resumes by Jeff Shane, Vice President of Allison & Taylor, the nation's oldest professional employment verification and reference checking firm. If you want to find out more about their services contact www.allisontaylor.com or 800-651-2470.

Article by Liz Handlin and courtesy of Ultimate Resumes

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 17, 2009 at 9:29 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Jobacle recently caught up with Louise Kursmark, co-author of the recently released book 15-Minute Cover Letter, Second Edition. She offers effective strategies for scoring face-to-face interviews and answers several of our questions.

Jobacle: If you had to assign a % to the importance of a good cover letter, what would it be?

Louise Kursmark: It's hard to be absolute, because some recruiters and employers love, read, save, and share cover letters while others completely ignore them. Consider your cover letter an added opportunity to convince your audience that you have what they are looking for. It would be foolish to pass up the chance to capture favorable attention.

J: Is there a recommended number of words one should use in a cover letter?

LK: The fewest possible to get the message across! Rather than a word count, use these guidelines to construct your letter:

Opening: Get to the point - tell them why you're writing - in an interesting way if possible. (But it's more important to be clear than clever.)

Middle: Tell them the value you offer. It's not about you - it's what you can do for them. Give a couple of brief highlights of your most notable accomplishments as relevant to the position, company, industry, and any specific challenges you know they are facing. Do NOT tell them your entire career history or all of your qualifications, and don't repeat items word-for-word from your resume.

Closing: Ask for a meeting. Tell them you'll follow up ...and do so!

J: Is it ever OK to send a cover letter that is not targeted to an individual? What if you've exhausted every avenue and have come up empty but still want to contact the organization?

LK: Of course it's OK, although it's less desirable because you don't have an avenue for follow-up. Some companies make it extremely difficult to find out just who your letter should go to. But I consider a blind cover letter a last resort. First be sure you are using the telephone, tapping into your network, and consulting resource materials to find the name of a hiring authority for your area of the business.

J: Should a cover letter match the look and feel of your resume?

LK: Absolutely, in their printed format. However, many cover letters these days are sent by email. I recommend placing your cover letter in the body of the email and attaching your resume as a Word document. You won't have the same look-and-feel with this method, but it's what employers prefer. But do be sure that the language, style, and messages are congruent.

J: What's one piece of advice that you've uncovered after the book went to press that you'd like to add as an addendum?

LK: It's more important than ever to get your messages across QUICKLY. We've learned from Twitter that you can say a lot in 140 characters! Trim your letters down to the core message to be sure they are read and not passed over.

More advice from Louise...

Article by Andrew G.R. and courtesy of jobacle.com - your cure for carbon copy career advice!

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 15, 2009 at 9:57 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Resumes are straightforward documents. They should list information that describes your education, the companies for which you have worked, what your jobs were, and what you accomplished in those jobs. In addition you can include lists of certifications, patents, affiliations, and board memberships. There are some variations on this formula but that is pretty much what a resume should contain. Do you know why?

Because that is what hiring managers, recruiters (retained or contingent), and human resources professionals want to see.

It amazes me that many people do not think about their intended audience when they put together a resume. I have had a couple of clients, both of whom had more than 20 years of work experience, who have asked me to do "clever" things to their resumes. For example, one client wanted to put her salary history at the top of her resume because she felt that it would demonstrate that she had excelled in her most recent jobs.

Salary is inappropriate information to include in a resume and if you list your salary on your resume it will appear that you don't know what information should and should not appear on this document. Not only that but this particular client wasn't making very much money compared to others in her industry. She seemed think that she was making a lot of money but she clearly didn't know what others in the industry were earning. If she were to put those numbers on her resume she would not only look out-of-touch but a good recruiter wouldn't even consider her for the type of job she was interested in pursuing. Keep your salary to yourself until its appropriate to talk about it.

Another client wanted to put together a data sheet which listed no specifics about her jobs and which just spoke in general terms about her ability to manage projects. Her goal was to change careers so she didn't want a potential employer to immediately be able to tell where she had been employed because she felt they would assume she wasn't right for the new career. She seemed to think that if she just talked in general terms about her skill set she would generate interest based on subjective statements. Wrong.

I told both of these clients the same thing: clever doesn't work on a resume. You aren't fooling anyone when you deviate from the types of information that recruiters want to see.

Recruiters get suspicious when they can't quickly look at a resume and determine what companies you worked for, what your jobs were, and when you worked there. If you want to change careers you can say so in a cover letter or summary statement. You can emphasize experiences you have had in previous jobs that are similar to the new career or job that you want. But what you cannot do is try to fool the reader into picking up the phone and calling you based on subjective generalizations or by adding information that is inappropriate on a resume.

Don't overthink your resume - straightforward and clearly articulated information will always be more attractive to recruiters than cute, clever, or "unique" formatting or phrasing.

Article by Liz Handlin and courtesy of Ultimate Resumes

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 14, 2009 at 9:06 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Imagine you're on Google, Yahoo, or any Internet search engine looking for a custom clothing store in your hometown. To search, you might use a series of words (keywords) to initiate your search, such as custom clothes, boutique, petite, and the name of your town. This search combination would result in a returned list of stores that meet one or all of your search word criteria. The same goes for using relevant words (to your profession, industry and personal characteristics) in your keyword rich resume, when an employer is looking for you.

If a recruiter or HR professional is doing a search on passive candidates (those candidates who have not directly submitted an application or resume to the company's database), they'll use a combination of keywords related to the position, as well as words that emphasize the characteristics they're seeking in an employee. They may do this on Google, Yahoo, LinkedIn, or any job board, as well. They're all search engine optimized. If your résumé contains these words or combinations of words, it will show up in the returned search results. When you submit your résumé online to a company's application system, the same concept applies. When the company is ready to pull down resumes for a particular position, it may do so by title, keywords, education, or any other combination of words.

To be successful regarding getting your resume looked at, follow these tips:

• Carefully read the job posting for which you're applying. They are not randomly written. Use a highlighter to underline key words related to desired skills, the position title, and other characteristics or qualities. Compare your highlighted list to your resume and attempt to get some or all of the highlighted words into your resume, as it makes sense. Don't simply randomly plug the words in; instead, construct logical, accomplishment-based resumes that contain the words or phrases if they're relevant and truthful.
• Use a resource such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook or O*Net's Dictionary of Occupational Titles to research your specific job title and pull keywords from those descriptions. HR professionals typically use these resources to develop their job descriptions and postings.



• Do an Internet search on your selected keywords and see what comes back to you. If the types of jobs being returned to you are in line with what you desire, then there is a good chance you're selecting the right keywords that are being use and that your resume will also appear in the returned search once it's "out there."

Interview followup starts even before the end of the interview and not with the thank you letter. This is necessary so that you are well prepared to make your follow up moves. You can start the process during the end of the interview when you are given the chance to ask any questions. Some of the questions you can ask are

• By when will you make a decision of hiring?
• How many more candidates do you expect to interview?
• Do you need any additional information to get a complete picture of my suitability?

You also end the interview confidently not only thanking him but also explain why you are the right person for this job.

Review the interview as part of interview followup

It is best to review the interview within 24 hours. Ask yourself: Where did you succeed? Where did you fail? What will you do differently next time? Seek feedback from members of your network. These could include headhunters, career consultant, your contact within the company etc.

Thank you letter

The follow-up letter as part of interview follow up should be more than a mere thank you letter. It should encourage the employer to call you for more interviews. Some of the sections in the follow-up letter should be as follows

Thanking the interviewer for the opportunity to interview. You should also appreciate any extra effort taken by the employer, such as introducing you to others, taking you through a tour of the plant etc.

• A brief note about your strengths, with the focus on those areas relevant for the position.
• Address any concerns expressed by the interviewer regarding your qualifications or experience in a straightforward and honest manner.
• A statement of your interest in the job and the organization
• Remind the interviewer about the next steps that you had agreed upon, such as a call next week.

The interview follow up letter should not exceed one page.

Sample thank you letter

Nancy E Spencer
Purolator Courier Corporation
300 West Hollywood
Los Angeles
California

Lisa M.Grant

After you have sent the followup letter, you should plan your next strategy in interview follow up. Use your common sense and imagination to schedule follow up calls.

Article by, Suresh Nair and courtesy of Resume Writing Quick Guide - Quick way to a professional resume

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 9, 2009 at 11:25 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

It is normal to expect some degree of anxiety before an interview. At times, you could have the feeling that you are on stage and your performance is being judged. You will feel less anxious if you know why you tend to feel anxious.

If you strongly desire to work for a particular company, and worry that you are not going to do well there, you are likely to experience stage fright during the interview. However, if you go with the expectation of giving an excellent performance, then your anxiety before interview will be far less.

You may also have the feeling that you are being judged. It is important to remember that being evaluated as a candidate for employment is not the same as having your worth as a person assessed. Although an interview is an assessment in some sense, it is not an assessment of your personal worth. It also pays to remember that there is a great deal of luck involved. Even with the best preparation, you may be rejected due to the hiring manager's personal whims, organizational politics, and even economic downturn or industry performance.

Tackling anxiety before an interview

Just telling yourself not to be nervous before an interview may not be of much help. You must have some powerful strategies to combat anxiety and some of them are given below.

Direct your nervous energy into positive action: Spend time in research or study your strong points spending less time in worrying. You may also like to practice for your interview, thinking of what to say and how to say it.

Think of your achievements: Take out your resume and go back to your strengths, accomplishments and skills. These are traits that would benefit your employer. It would also give a boost to your self confidence and lessen anxiety before interview.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket: This way too much does not depend on one interview. Once in a while, an interview may come up that will make or break your career. However, generally, it is foolish to be too anxious for a particular interview. If your job search is on track, you need not worry if one interview does not turn out well, there are others in the pipeline.

Know when to stop preparation for an interview and reduce anxiety before interview: As you must have experienced during exams, it is not wise to study up to the last minute. You must allow some time for the information to be retained. Try to do something enjoyable and not work related just before the interview. It could be something like browsing in a bookstore, going for a walk etc.

Be well in time for the interview: Leave plenty of time to take care of traffic and any other aspect that could delay you. This includes ensuring that you know how to reach the place.

Use relaxation techniques to tackle anxiety before interview

Controlled breathing involves taking slow, deep breaths focusing on and feeling the air enter and leave your body. The attention on your breath flow will drive away any anxiety thoughts.

Relax yourself physically by closing your eyes and relaxing every part of your body. Start with your head and work yourself up to your toes. For better effect, you can tighten and then relax the concerned muscle. Physical relaxation usually leads to mental relaxation.

You can also use visualization techniques by say, imagining that you have done well in the interview and you are shaking the hands of the interviewer. You can imagine signing and sending the acceptance note to the job offer. You can also visualize yourself entering the office on the first day of the new job.

Be realistic

Sometimes, job seekers imagine that their entire future depends on one interview thereby increasing anxiety before interview. This is a fallacy. Look at things in their proper perspective. This is not the last interview you will have. You are not interviewing at the last company in the world or the greatest company in the world. If you fail, nothing much is going to happen to you.

Article by, Suresh Nair and courtesy of Resume Writing Quick Guide - Quick way to a professional resume

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 8, 2009 at 11:19 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Written By Jimmy Sweeney
Author of the brand new, Amazing Cover Letter Creator

Have you ever heard or read a quotation you just had to share with someone? How about one of these?

"Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan." Norman Vincent Peale

"Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love." David McCullough

"Success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone." Unknown Author

Each one provides good advice as well as inspiration. Consider including an appropriate quotation in your cover letter. It will pack a punch, give the hiring manager something fresh and motivating to read, and elevate you in his or her mind. Cover letters that offer more than simply a list of job skills, will rise to the top of the pile. Managers will notice such a person and want to call you in for an interview.

How to weave a great quotation into your letter.

Suppose you are applying for a position as a sales manager for a book publishing firm. You thank the hiring manager for the opportunity to introduce yourself, let him or her know where you found out about the opening and the good things you read or heard about the company, why you believe you're a good fit for the position, and of course something about your previous employment. Add a sentence that asks the employer to look at your enclosed resume for further details. Next, start a new paragraph with a snappy, insightful quotation.

Example: "Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means." (Albert Einstein)

Then add a sentence showing how you will do just that--set an example for the people you manage. Example: You can count on me to live these inspiring words. I know the importance of influencing people for good and that is what I want to be known for. I'd welcome the opportunity to meet with you in person so you can judge for yourself.

When it comes to cover letters, it is essential to make a strong, first impression. You can do that with a great quote from someone known and respected in the field you are aspiring to.

Imagine the results you'll experience in your job search when your cover letter includes not only details about your abilities but also insight into who you are as a person? A prospective employer will actually be excited to meet you, to discuss the job, and to hand it over to you! Potential employees who show creativity and color in their communication are a gift to any company.

So, include a strong, inspirational quotation to your next cover letter and then get ready for the phone to ring!

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new, "Amazing Cover Letter Creator." Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."

Visit our friends at Amazing Cover Letters for your "instant" cover letter today. "In just 3 1/2 minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!"

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 3, 2009 at 7:36 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Written By Jimmy Sweeney
President of CareerJimmy and Author of the new,
Job Interview "Secret"

Today it's more challenging than ever to land a great job. It's possible you'll have to go through several interviews before you find the position you're looking for. You might feel a knot in your stomach, your pulse rate jump, and your hands suddenly perspire as you anticipate the interview. In fact, if you're prone to sweaty palms...

Job Interview Tip #1: Sprinkle some talcum powder in your pocket ahead of time and massage a little onto your palms before shaking hands with those you meet.

Job Interview Tip #2: Break the Barrier with a Sincere Smile

Jonathan, a professional sales and marketing consultant shared with a friend recently that in this job-search climate he's always on the lookout for such useful tips. Besides a warm, dry hand he claims a sincere and optimistic attitude, a smile, and looking the person in the eye, go a long way to break down initial barriers. Being friendly and forthright helps one relax and puts the hiring managers on your side.

You may even want to go a step further. Find out at least one unique detail about the person who will be interviewing you. For example, one job seeker learned that a woman hiring manager was crazy about cats. He mentioned his own cat in the discussion about the job. Her eyes lit up. They had something in common besides the opening in the company. Another job seeker discovered the man who contacted him for an interview was an opera buff. During a question and answer session, the job seeker mentioned how he liked to relax on a Friday night after work by attending the opera and even suggested the company purchase a block of tickets and sell to employees at a discount. This idea sparked an interesting discussion of how to provide cultural experiences for employees.

Job Interview Tip #3: You Can Be Personal AND Professional

Looking to add some sort of personal touch to each interview is bound to engage at least one or two hiring managers and could make the difference between being overlooked and being hired. Here's an example of how to move the conversation in this direction. Take the lead. "I noticed in your company brochure that you take good care of your employees and as a result they have a high level of loyalty to your organization. In my last job I was in charge of the annual sales meeting one summer at a resort with an Olympic-sized swimming pool. I suggested we hold our session poolside. We then invited attendees to stay afterward for a swim and drinks on the company. We even provided bathing suits in assorted sizes for those who didn't bring theirs. Employees talked about this event for months afterward."

A conversation-starter such as this will provide so much more information and insight about you, your creativity, personality, and client relations than stock answers to typical interview questions. So make a plan now to be friendly, be confident, be creative, and spark the discussion with personal details that draw in the hiring manager.

BONUS Job Interview Tip #4: Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new "Secret Career Document" job landing system. Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."

Visit our friends at Job Interview "Secret" and discover Jimmy Sweeney's breakthrough strategy that will have you standing out from the competition like a Harvard graduate at a local job fair... DURING your next job interview.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 2, 2009 at 5:42 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Pre interview preparation begins much before you even apply for the job. You need to have a good career plan in place, your resume made as marketable as possible and more. So, let's go one by one.

Career plan

A career plan can be made once you have identified content knowledge, transferable skills and identified your positive personal qualities.

Content knowledge consists of those subjects and areas that are familiar to you and also your areas of expertise or specializations. For example, a real estate broker will have knowledge of financing, mortgage banking, property development etc.

The next step in pre interview preparation is to identify your transferable skills. Transferable skills can be thought of as functions, actions or behaviors that you actually do. For example, someone interested in investment banking will have the skills to analyse financial data, work in teams, write reports etc. You must dig deeper to find out more skills that you have used some time or the other in the past.

Finally, for pre-interview preparation,you need to assess and find out positive personal qualities that would be applicable for the job. These cover a whole range such as creative, dependable, detail-oriented, efficient, enthusiastic, independent, persuasive, responsible etc.

Resume

Since this site is a resume writing guide site, you can browse around and get all the information you want. However, expect questions from statements you made in the resume. As pre interview preparation, you may have to expand on statements and give concrete examples.

Research the employer

Today, the web will give you information on almost any company. Information such as Products and services, financial data etc. Your research should be deeper and thorough. For instance, you can find out the corporate culture, values, organisation's goals for the future and the difficulties facing the organization.

As a pre interview preparation, you must also know as much as possible about the job itself. The skills and personalities required, other departments you would need to interact, the biggest challenges of the job, to whom would you report, its position in the organization hierarchy etc. You may need to track down current or former employees, customers or vendors to get this information. It would be good if you can find out something about your interviewer.

Your research should also extend to the larger world- the sector or the profession in which the company is operating. Trends and developments affect organizations and your knowledge about these will put you ahead of others, especially for managerial positions. Such information can be got from trade journals, financial publications including newspapers etc.

What to take and what to wear?

Take several hard copies of your resume, copy of reference list, a good quality pad and pen. Wherever relevant, carry your portfolio and any sample presentations. Ensure that everything you carry is clean, polished and that all items are well organized so that you can quickly retrieve them during the interview.

Regarding dress, remember that the first impression is formed within few seconds of meeting someone, and 93 percent of the overall impression comes from nonverbal messages. If the organization's dress code is business attire, wear a suit and tie (for men). If you are confused, you can always ask the human resources department for suggestions on appropriate wear.

Attitude

Your mental preparation is just as important as all the other factors that we have discussed so far in preparing for pre interview. As a candidate, you have considerable control over the success or failure of the interview process. You can pay attention to your own thoughts and feelings before the interview, and can develop a winning attitude instead of succumbing to self doubt, nervousness or false confidence.

It is important to have your anxiety in check and this article will help you a lot in this direction.

Questions and answers

Since, at the end of the day, interviews are basically a conversation, this is an important area and this will be dealt with in another section.

Article by, Suresh Nair and courtesy of Resume Writing Quick Guide - Quick way to a professional resume

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 1, 2009 at 2:57 PM | Leave a Comment (0)