July 2010
13 posts
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Advice on Closing the Deal in a Job Interview
Alexandra Levit offers some advice on closing they deal towards the end of an interview:
Express enthusiasm about the position and appreciation for the time they’ve given you and the opportunity to interview.
Reiterate the problems they’re looking for the new hire to solve, and summarize exactly what you’ll do to address them.
Ask thoughtful and pertinent questions about the organization...
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“Reading those little “DO these Four Things Right Now and You’ll Land Your Dream...”
– Resume Massacre, Job Search Advice, Ignore | JibberJobber Blog
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“Hire for attitude, not academic qualifications.”
– Says Sir Richard Branson
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Weird and Wacky Job Interviews: Bad Hiring and Bad... →
“Although the job interview is the most frequently used method for hiring employees, it is very often misused because many interviewers insist on using wacky methods and asking weird questions. The irony is that many of these interviewers firmly believe that their hiring methods work, but psychological research suggests otherwise.”
Comes with a few examples of really bad questions.
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When Terrible Things Happen To Interns →
Susan Adams, from Forbes.com, shares stories from Forbes interns and brings up issues from internships (whether work or social) that many interns may face. She also talks about issues within the Forbes internship programs and offers some advice to those hating/regretting their internships:
- Stay positive and do good work, because you’re working for a recommendation - Network, make...
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“I don’t think I fully understood the severity of the situation I had graduated...”
– Scott Nicholson, unemployed ‘08 college graduate, via The New York Times. The millennials - my generation - are at a 14 percent unemployment rate right now. It’s a scary place, but with optimism like Scott’s, I do believe we’ll fight through it. (via natalieavon)
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Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom: How to... →
Really good overview on the different generations of workers and their (general) viewpoint.
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“They keep telling me “You’re overqualified. You’re under-qualified. We want...”
– Comment of the Day: Not-So-Funemployment (via dayofthedreamweavers)
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The Keys to Unlocking Your Most Successful Career →
I’m glad to see “pay it forward” is one of the five tips.
Helping others during the job search is underrated. With the competition out there to find a job you’re being programmed to close off opportunities to other people. If you see an opportunity that would be perfect for a friend, share it. Even if you found something you want for yourself, give the info to some...
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Ben Casnocha: The Blog: How to Get Hired →
From mlarson, Ben Casnocha infers two myths from Derek Sivers’ How to Get Hired (posted earlier):
The first is that we all have one or two things we are destined to do. In fact, I think you can become good (and thus) really interested in a range of things. The second is that the way to find what you “really want to do” is through inspection and reflection. In fact, introspection seems never to...
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Derek Sivers: How to Get Hired →
Derek Sivers shows the way. His first point is crucial, and in my opinion the hardest part:
Do some soul-searching to decide what you really want to do.
Then find the company in your area that you feel is doing it the best. (The company needs to be near you already. If you don’t live near them, move there first, or choose a closer company. Do not do this remotely.)
June 2010
15 posts
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I Want to Find My Passion, but I Don’t Know Where... →
Advice on passion via Alexandra Levit:
According to Tom Siciliano and Jeff Caliguire, authors of Shifting into Higher Gear: An Owner’s Manual for Uniting Your Calling and Career, defining your passion involves considering:
What do you do really well?
What makes you unique?
What moments in your past have proven the most memorable to you? (examples: “I can still remember shouting with...
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Creepy Searches as the Norm
MSN Money recently talked about employers using creepy web searches to research you. A question sent to their Ask Annie section asked:
Dear Annie: I had a strange experience the other day: I went to a second round of job interviews at a company where I’d really like to work, and a manager there mentioned that he, too, is a fan of a little-known science fiction writer whose books I happen...
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Knowing What Not To Say
I was looking over a recent post online that had some tips for applicants to come to the interview “working, not looking for work”. Some of those tips:
Mention what the company is doing now and how you think they will succeed or fail in what they are doing.
Suggest a strategy of how they could proceed and detail how you would facilitate that change.
I immediately remembered a...
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Resumes and Cover Letters →
From itsthemusicpeople comes this article about resume design and this one about cover letters by Purdue University. Nice resources to help you if you’re having issues.
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“You should always be doing something, something to add to your experience and...”
– Carter Lavin, 21-year-old oil spill volunteer, via MarketWatch (via natalieavon)
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The Greatest Interview Question [By the... →
reblogged from the405club, original via tweetmyjobs:
I had been interviewing with a company for quite some time and things were starting to drag on. A few days after the third interview I called my contact person and said, “I want to bring this to a close. What do we need to do that?” He said he was glad I had called and suggested that we meet one last time. “Bring all of your questions with you...
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“One of the more embarrassing and self-indulgent challenges of our time is the...”
– On Distraction by Alain de Botton, City Journal Spring 2010
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Five Tips for Summer Entry-level Job Hunting
From the Entry Level Careers Examiner and a director of career services at Wake Forest University comes this list for summer job hunters:
Apply quickly. If your university provides an online service with updated job postings, check them every day. Many employers are giving job candidates only a few days to submit an application.
Update contact information with your university’s career...
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Put Jobless Young People to Work Cleaning Up BP's...
via joshmohrer and robertreich:
Friday’s job report was awful. For most new high school and college grads finding a job is harder than ever. Meanwhile, states are cutting summer jobs for disadvantaged young people. What to do with this army of young unemployed? Send them to the Gulf to clean up beaches and wetlands, and send the bill to BP. Florida’s panhandle beaches are already marred with...
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Tips for applying to a job from Craigslist →
via bluefly and craigslist comes some honest advice:
I respect failure, and I look for potential. Yet, it seems to be common practice to BS on resume’s nowadays. It’s ok to be proud of your accomplishments, but a little modesty makes you look human. I’d much rather meet with someone who admits they’ve failed, than someone who pretends they’ve always been...
May 2010
22 posts
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What They're Looking For: The Credit Report
Heather Huhman at Entry Level Careers Examiner lets you know what employers are looking for when they run your credit:
Low credit score: Most employers aren’t credit experts. They many not fully understand credit scores and the various metrics. In those cases, the score may be the most important aspect to the employer. New entrants to the job market may find that they have a very short credit...
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“When you hear of an opportunity you want, you have to go for it completely,...”
– How I became Ryuichi Sakamoto’s guitarist | Derek Sivers
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WatchSir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution! | Video on TED.com
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Job Recruiting and Your Odds
via Glassdoor.com and John Sumser comes some info on why “hiring is a crap shoot”:
“Within a year, hiring managers regret 50% of the hiring decisions they make.” – Recruiting Roundtable
“46% overall hiring failure rate and a modest 19% great hire success rate.” – LeadershipIQ
“Only 10% of attempts to hire a top performer are successful.” - Recruiting Roundtable
“Nearly...
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A Reblog: Thou Shall Separate from the Pack
Great anecdote from dioriofotografia:
This post is meant to stress the importance of being a non-conformist when searching for jobs. Not only a non conformist, but those that are willing to be progressive; willing to put themselves out on the line to set themselves apart from the cookie cutter molds typically seen in society and by employers.
A best friend of mine Joseph Vincent Wagner,...
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Before the Interview - APM: Marketplace Whiteboard →
If you’re looking for a job in the finance/accounting field then then you have to stay up to date with everything happening in the news. I’ve always personally enjoyed the APM: Marketplace Whiteboard podcast with Paddy Hirsch. He does a great job giving a simple and understandable example of complicated financial issues. It’s always important to study up before an interview -...
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“Make sure your intern isn’t treated as an employee. Your intern should not be...”
– “Internships are not illegal. Make sure your program is properly run.” - True.
via Unpaid Internships: The Cautious Approach - ERE.net
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15 Best Practices for Internship Programs
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A really nice list from NACE. I really like number 11 (Bring in speakers from your company’s executive ranks) because I don’t think this is done enough. Bringing in a senior speaker helps show that the company sees the interns as future leaders and that they’re ready to invest in them. This is how you connect with out generation.
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Watchvia eekim:
J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement (by Harvard Magazine). Beautiful speech on fearing failure, the power of story, and valuing your friendships.
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Formula for a Great Cover Letter
lesahammond:
Have you heard the phrase, “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you”? This is my key formula for a great cover letter.
First of all, every cover letter should be personalized to
Paragraph 1 ~ The first paragraph is very short and simple. Generally, this paragraph should be no more than one or two sentences. State the exact title of the job you are seeking...
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“We all know that getting a better-paying job is one of the main reasons to go to...”
– Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve, from his commencement speech at the University of South Carolina this year. I couldn’t agree more. h/t Wonkbook. (via conservativeradical)
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The 'Shape of Jobs' to Come
via olishaw-journal:
From Fast Future Research come an interesting report on the future professions that will be available:
The purpose of this report is to highlight examples of the kinds of jobs, careers and professions that could result from advances in science and technology in the period from 2010 to 2030. The report was commissioned as part of the Science: [So what? So everything]...
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“Every entry level job, blue collar or white, has a manager. And that manager...”
– How a recent college graduate can go about getting a first job
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5 Steps for a Successful Internship →
Some really nice tips via comerecommended.com.
Mistakes are inevitable – what matters is your reaction. The company didn’t hire you for your expertise. Say you mess up on an assignment or upset a client; instead of getting defensive, show your boss you both regret what happened and learned from the experience. It won’t only save your job, but keep communication between you and your boss open.
...
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50 Worst of the Worst (and Most Common) Job... →
Nice list. Interesting to see arriving too early on there.