Make Sure Your Resume Does These 3 Things Before Applying for a Job
Your resume is one of the most important documents you will ever write in your life. It could land you a big raise or decide where you work for the next ten years. You should invest plenty of time and effort into writing a resume, and you should proofread it thoroughly before taking it to the job market. We all know that we need to check for spelling mistakes and typos, but what about the...
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8 Signs LinkedIn Probably Isn't for You
For a long time, I've considered it my mission to recruit job seekers to join LinkedIn, the same way a college recruiter goes after blue chip basketball players. However, after having a discussion a few days ago with someone in one of my workshops, it dawned on me that my style of getting people excited to join LinkedIn might be too strong for some. After the workshop — where I spoke...
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How to Build a Network That Will Get You Hired
A networking event is your chance to impress the movers and shakers in your industry with your skills. It's the perfect opportunity to tell everyone just how great you are at what you do. Unfortunately, it doesn't really work like this. You see, nobody likes a gloater. Being successful at networking isn't about being hyper-confident. No, it's all about being vulnerable and making real...
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Why Job Offers Are Just Like Buses
Years ago, when I was finishing graduate school in California, I spent a significant amount of time searching for the right job opportunity. I would go to job fairs and networking events as if it were my full-time job. I would interview for anything and everything. Occasionally, a job would pop up that seemed almost perfect — but not quite. The description would be great, the company...
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5 Reasons Why You're Not Applying for Jobs
It's called "paralysis by analysis." I'm sure you've heard of it or even suffered from it. I certainly have. Paralysis by analysis occurs when you're so caught up in the process that you can't take meaningful steps to achieve your end goal. It is different from procrastination in that it is not just a matter of waiting until the last minute — it's losing the ability to act...
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How Honest Should You Be in an Exit Interview?
The decision to give your notice is a difficult one to make. While no job is perfect, there are surely things you will be sad to leave behind. Your exit interview serves as an opportunity to share feedback and help the company find ways to improve. But beware: The questions asked during an exit interview may stir some negative feelings you've been keeping inside. It's important to offer...
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To Find Hidden Jobs, Run a Proactive Job Search
When I explain to my clients that networking correctly is the most effective way to find a great job, about 99 percent of them say they hate networking. Even super skilled, relationship-building-is-my-middle-name salespeople! Good networking involves relationship-developing conversations, not ask-a-stranger-for-a-job transactions. Think of it this way: In an interview, the hiring manager...
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The Secret to a Successful Transition From Military to Civilian Life
Veterans sacrifice a lot of things to serve their country, but a normal life once they return from duty shouldn't be one of them. A crucial step to take after your service ends is getting a job. The good news is there are legions of employers out there that can benefit from the skills and discipline you learned in the armed forces. In fact, a great number of them actively seek veterans to...
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The Illegal Question in the Room
Today, I want to talk about the elephant in the room of recruiting — something that everybody knows but nobody likes to talk about. That elephant? Illegal interview questions. I've often wondered how people could still be asking illegal questions in 2018, and my best guess is this: Hiring managers are rarely trained on how to interview people. After all, the interview process seems...
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4 Things You Need to Know About Your Painfully Long Job Search
The job search can easily become all-consuming, wreaking havoc on your self-esteem. It's natural to be disappointed when you don't get an offer for a job you had your heart set on. When you find yourself in a trend of rejection that lasts for months, it's all too easy to start wondering whether something is wrong with you. Here are the four things you need to know to make it out of your...
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Back to School Basics: How to Launch Your First Job Search
I learned this summer that some people have never learned to job hunt in our current climate, whether because they've never had to do it before or because the rules have changed since the last time they hit the job market. In the spirit of the back-to-school season, I've decided to cover the fundamentals. Welcome to Job Search 101! (Don't worry if some of this seems complicated. You can...
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Don't Let Bad Hiring Managers Get in Your Head
If you're looking for a new job and actively interviewing, I want to encourage you to hang in there. It's going to work out. I'm sure of it. Job searching is like dating. It's really tough until you find "the one" — and all you need is one good job to change your current situation. In the meantime, it's painful. I get it. I'm starting to think some hiring managers haven't been...
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Career Changes Are More Common Than You Think
If you left college only to discover a career in your field of study wasn't for you, you aren't alone. Career changes are quite common in the business world, as professionals learn the reality of their chosen careers fails to align with their expectations. Nearly one-third of respondents to a survey from online learning platform EdX say they have seriously considered a career change, while...
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Finding a New Job After a Layoff
Recruiters and hiring managers sometimes fail to distinguish between firings and layoffs when perusing resumes, causing valuable candidates to slip through the cracks. With low unemployment the new norm, potential employers must be willing to dig deeper to understand exactly why an applicant left their previous job. While companies may lay off employees to streamline processes or...
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3 Interview Mistakes That Cost You Job Offers
From submitting your resume to scheduling interviews and accepting a job offer, the hiring process can take weeks or months. But it only takes employers a few seconds to rule you out during a job interview. After working with hundreds of job seekers as a recruiter, I've been able to identify three common interview mistakes that are probably costing you job offers. Check them out below,...
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The Time to Find a New Job Is Right Now
For years, the job market had been tight. Many job seekers were suffering through work each day, unsure of their alternatives. They weren't prepared for unemployment, and there didn't seem to be any other jobs out there for them. Today, however, all signs indicate the job market is looking up. Our national unemployment rate, hovering around 4 percent, has been lower this year than in any...
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How to Breathe Life Into a Dead Job Search
I once had a neighbor who loved his cat as much as his girlfriend, if not more. He carried this cat around everywhere he went. Phil Collins was practically attached to him! (Yes, the cat's name was really Phil Collins.) The cat wasn't fighting the affection, either. He honored his owner's obsession with complete submission and purrs. That happy motor ran continuously, and it was...
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The Perfect Touch: Choosing the Right Jewelry for a Job Interview
You've fixed up your resume, submitted an application, and landed an interview for a dream job — and you deserve some congratulations! As any job seeker knows, just getting through the screening process is a huge deal. Now, it's time to prepare for the interview. As you research the company and map your route to the office, don't forget to spend some time choosing what you'll...
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Such Sweet Sorrow: 4 Ways to Leave Your Job Without Burning Bridges
You're ready for a career change, but you're not going to tell your boss until the last minute. After all, isn't the standard operating procedure of jumping ship to sneak off for lunchtime interviews? Or duck out in the middle of the night, à la the Baltimore (now Indianapolis) Colts? As a COO, I can say neither situation makes for a seamless breakup. Whether you want to leave for more...
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How to Network With Comfort and Ease
You want a new job — but what's the best way to find it? Networking, of course. Networking is hard, however. You have to go out and meet people, and then you have to ask those people for help. It's a daunting task — but it doesn't have to be. You can become more comfortable with networking if you learn to view it as honest communication between people. The Old View of...
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4 Ways to Build Confidence During Your Job Search
Searching for a job is tough, and it can really take a toll on your self-esteem. A lack of confidence can hold you back from getting the job you really want, creating a vicious cycle in which a difficult job search lowers your confidence, which makes your search more difficult, which lowers your confidence further, and so on. However, approached properly, a job search can also be an...
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7 Tips on Being the Ultimate Professional
Recently, I've been hearing about candidates "ghosting" employers — that is, not showing up for interviews or first-day onboarding without notice. Similarly, recruiters are ghosting job candidates — and have been for quite some time. In fact, some argue that candidates have only started ghosting employers because employers have been ghosting them for years. Regardless of the...
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6 Ways to Annoy a Recruiter — and Lose the Job Offer
Recruiters are very busy people, short on time and patience. With hundreds of applications to sift through for every vacancy they advertise, they are always looking for quick and easy ways to sort the best candidates from the time-wasters. Attention spans are short and time is of the essence when they're looking to fill vacancies, so recruiters will often spend just seconds making snap...
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How to Be a Pro at Teleworking With a Disability
Many people currently collecting social security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits want to return to work, but to do so, they require accommodations to help them perform at their best. One of the most common and simplest accommodations employers can offer to individuals with disabilities is the opportunity to work remotely for at least part of the week. Not only does this help employees of...
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7 Signs You Should Accept That Developer Job Offer
You nailed the job interview and aced every tech question — and now the employer is ready to make you a job offer. But are you ready to accept it? Taking — or declining — a job is no small decision. A career choice can be tough, as you have to factor in a lot of things, from income to commute time to career opportunities. A workplace that doesn't align with what matters to you can...
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10 Best Tips for Not Blowing Up Your Job Interview
Congratulations! You've gotten through the door and landed yourself an interview. Now, you must sell yourself. Close the deal by demonstrating why you are the best choice to meet the employer's needs. Last year, Entrepreneur published a list of interviewing mistakes to avoid that I think offers a good place to start — but I don't think it covers everything. That's why I'd like to...
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4 Common Interview Tools — and How to Prepare for Them
My daughter recently applied for a teaching position, which she landed after one interview. This wasn't the surprising part. What was surprising is that she didn't meet with anyone in person during the entire process. She was hired based on a video interview. Has the hiring process evolved to the point where employers can determine after one video interview that they've found the best...
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Could the Data Scientist Shortage Be the Career Opportunity of Your Dreams?
By some estimates, the demand for data science talent in the employment market is outstripping the supply by 50 percent. While that's bad news for employers, it's potentially great news for students wondering about their career paths and established professionals looking to make a change. Data scientists are some of the most well-paid professionals, with the median salary for a...
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The Introverted Interview: Making It a Success
Can you imagine showing up at an interview and not saying a word? Sure, a lot may be going on in your head, but not sharing any of it because you want to ensure you only share your best thoughts would be a disaster during an interview. For those of us with a preference for introversion, this is our natural inclination: keep what is going on inside our heads to ourselves. However, most...
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White Hat? Blue Hat? How to Make (Legal) Money as a Hacker
The average pop cultural image of a hacker is a shadowy figure maliciously breaching systems and selling your credit card info on the dark web. (See above.) It's an understandable representation, given all the high-profile hacks we've experienced recently, but it's not an entirely accurate one. The hackers who steal your identity and sell it to the highest bidder are what we call "black...
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Want to Ease Your Job Search Pain? Try Networking
Most people don't enjoy the job search process — not necessarily because their livelihood is at stake, but because hunting for a job forces you to sell yourself to strangers and deal with judgment, criticism, and rejection. What is a job seeker to do? Is there any way to make the job search less painful? The first thing to understand is that the days of relying on your resume to woo...
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The Secret to Successful Follow-Up
You've sent out your resume — now what? We all want to receive a response right away after sending in a job application. However, the reality is the HR manager likely has to scan through tens or hundreds of resumes on top of their other job duties. Therefore, fast turnaround times are understandably uncommon in hiring. While you're waiting to hear back, you can do more than stare...
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3 Ways to Save Money While Job Searching
Searching for a new job can take weeks or even months. During that time, you have to keep up with your bills while paying for the extra costs that come with interviewing, such as transportation and clothing. If your budget is already tight, coming up with extra money for your job search can feel impossible, especially if you have federal or private student loans. However, there are ways to...
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Marketing Your Skills for a Job Outside Your Traditional Career Path
When you started college, you probably had a specific career path in mind, and perhaps you've followed your plans to the letter. However, in today's fluid business environment, many job seekers are discovering their career skills are transferable to settings they never envisioned. Making such a major career pivot can be both challenging and exciting, and if you understand how to market...
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Glassdoor Announces the Top CEOs of 2018
It's often said that employees don't quit jobs — they quit bosses. There's a good chance you can relate to this sentiment personally. If you're looking for a new job, one of the first things to consider is the management you'll be working for. I believe that finding the right environment is just as important as finding the perfect title, if not more so. As it does every year,...
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Tackling a Job Search When You're in Outpatient Treatment
As if a job search were not daunting enough on its own, it becomes vastly more complicated and anxiety-inducing when you're going through drug or alcohol rehab at the same time. Faced with this reality, many of us might go so far as to quit the job search altogether. Most of us would at least toy with canceling our subscriptions to LinkedIn. That said, tackling a job search when...
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4 Keys to Conducting a Successful Mock Interview
One of my clients told me recently that the mock interview I conducted with her was the best experience she'd had preparing for an interview to date. This was after a session during which I reviewed her performance with constructive criticism and, at times, brutal honesty. I understand my client's sentiment, because I also think mock interviews are extremely effective — if done...
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How to Write Effective Bullet Points for Your Resume
Of the 250 resumes received on average for each job opening, only 4-6 will garner an interview. This means that 98 percent of applicants are rejected based on their resumes alone. These odds may seem daunting, but I'm not trying to scare you. Rather, I only want to demonstrate the importance of writing a resume that stands out. Improving your resume can make a world of difference for your...
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Tips for Looking Refreshed and Rested for Your Interview
Heading into the interview for your dream job, it's important to show your prospective employer that you're up for the challenge of a new role. To make a lasting impression you'll have to do — and look — your best. This pre-interview regimen is sure to help you look refreshed and rested leading up to the big day: Step 1: Cover the Essentials of Self-Care Caffeine and energy...
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3 Tips for Impressing Recruiters on Social Media
With 3.03 billion people around the world actively using social media, it's no surprise that social media is now a key part of the hiring process. Resumes, cover letters, references, and interviews are still central, but recruiters are also embracing social media to learn more about who candidates are beyond their curated professional personas. A survey conducted for CareerBuilder by Harris...
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Finding Career Independence
One of the the most common causes of career dissatisfaction is the lack of control. It can take many forms: not doing the kind of work you enjoy, working for a boss you don't like, being underpaid, etc. No matter what your lack of control looks like, it can breed a feeling of helplessness that takes a toll on your emotional state both in the office and outside of it. Finding career...
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Reading Between the Lines of a Job Ad
First-time home-buyers may be easily impressed by advertising lingo like "easy-care yard," but the more seasoned shopper knows that's code for "small and filled with stones and cacti." "Great starter house"? That means you should expect to spend a lot of time fixing it up. So it goes with job ads. Especially early in our careers, we're often eager and excited to read ads for roles that...
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5 Ways to Turn Your Internship Into a Career
Imagine you've landed a great position with an organization you're passionate about and an office culture that makes you feel comfortable. You're working on exciting projects that are expanding your knowledge and expertise. You have a supportive manager who wants to help you grow your career, and you love the coworkers you spend your time with every day. Sounds like a dream job, doesn't...
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7 Rules for Creating a Resume for Your First Job out of College
Finding your first real job out of college can be stressful. It takes time and perseverance to scour the search engines and research companies you may want to work for. But before you do any of that, you have to create a resume. Most hiring managers only spend a few minutes (and sometimes just a few seconds) skimming candidates' resumes before making a decision. With so little time to get...
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How Much Do You Make?
You've applied for a job and your resume has made it through the first round of screening. Now, the HR manager is calling to have a quick chat to qualify you. The conversation seems normal at first. You field basic questions like "Why did you apply for this job?" and "Tell me about yourself." But then comes the curveball: "How much do you make?" It's a deceptively simple question,...
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3 Steps to Finding Hidden Jobs on LinkedIn
Most job seekers on LinkedIn wait to be contacted about an open job. They're all waiting for the inbound call instead of digging into the hidden job market to find jobs that aren't even open yet. Most growing companies budget in advance the hires they need to make for a whole year. For example, if a company plans to hire five people in the coming year, or 50, or 500, they can't absorb them all...
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Working in Blockchain: Lucrative Careers in Cutting-Edge Tech
Not only has the initial coin offering (ICO) and cryptocurrency gold rush sparked massive investment, but it is also establishing a brand new industry containing plenty of exciting new jobs. From the obvious roles of engineers and full stack developers to the not-so-obvious ones like business strategists and content writers, here are some of the newly created cryptocurrency and blockchain...
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Graduates: Avoid These 6 Early Career Pitfalls
The summer can be an exciting time for a young job seeker, especially if you're fresh off of college graduation and ready to embark on your professional career journey. As you head out in search of your first job, set yourself up for long-term success by avoiding these common early career pitfalls: 1. Don't Let Your Parents Get Involved in Your Job Search At the most, your parents...
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