Ever been faced with interview questions that put you on the spot and make you squirm? “I see you never finished college (or high school).” “It looks like you might be overqualified.” “I see you haven’t worked in xxx months.” “Seems like you’ve had a lot of jobs in recent years.” Verbal cushions can help you handle the most challenging interview situations. For that matter, they can help you in everyday conversation.
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Most every company will want to check your references at some point. As a job seeker, you know they’ll ask for those names, but how can you help your references really make you stand out? Let’s take a look.
Without a doubt, the single biggest source of frustration for my job seeking clients is the lack of communication from recruiting firms and employers. Let’s explore some reasons why you may not be hearing back, especially when you feel you’re a solid candidate. Recruiters, whether in-house recruiters or staffing firm folks, wish they had enough hours in the day to be able to personally respond to every candidate’s application or follow up inquiry. They simply don’t. That’s the short story.
Technology has impacted our daily lives in more ways than we can probably count. One area is how we interact with each other online – social media. Social media is a complex topic. While I’ll be writing future articles on it, today’s focus is on why it’s important for job hunters to be active on social media.
How many times have you seen a driver speed through a red light? Or heard someone say, “I hope I can make it to pay day.” Or maybe your child puts off their homework until bedtime. Our fast paced lives are packed with places to be, things to do, bills to pay, etc. Is there a way to change that feeling of barely keeping up? Maybe, just maybe, we can learn to create margins in life. A margin could be time, space, money, or anything that relieves us of making reactionary, short term decisions out of necessity.
Interviewing can be a nerve wracking time. Much like a first date, if you don’t say and do the right things, there likely won’t be a second opportunity. Studies have shown the most difficult interview question to be, unfortunately, the one typically asked first: Tell me about yourself. Great. Just great. The toughest question at the beginning. Yet you needn’t let it worry you. Today I’ll offer a strategy for handling that question to get your interview off to a positive start.
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Spring is often the time of year when teenagers begin their first job. I thought now would be a good time to offer some tips on landing a job when you lack prior experience.
At some point, all of us have asked ourselves that question. Today I’ll discuss some reasons why – or why not – you might want to start looking for that next opportunity. Generations since the 1950’s have seen a huge shift in worker mobility. Loyalty, however defined, by both the company and worker, is largely gone. No longer do companies typically keep workers when business tails off. Workers are much more apt to change not just jobs, but careers, multiple times during their lifetime.
All I need are job openings and a great resume and I’ll be in good shape! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that. Let’s explore what employers really look for and why simply possessing a good resume often isn’t enough. Employers look for a combination of competency and culture fit. They need to know you’re likely to do a good job, but they also want a comfort level with your personality.
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Maybe you’ve seen the ads on TV, or while you’re out and about: Financial consulting, investment services, portfolio management, etc. It can sound impossible even to a person with a relatively comfortable middle-class income! Those services, though, can extend to anybody, as can the practices of smart money management and building a more secure financial future. Here are a few simple things that you can do.
You’ve decided that you need a budget, but where do you start? It may seem overwhelming, but with a bit of planning, you can achieve your financial goals. Whether your goal is to be debt free, build up your emergency savings or save for the future, the first step in having extra money to put toward your goals is taking control of what you spend on a daily basis.
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A budget is a smart and easy step toward financial health regardless of where you work or what you earn. Simply put, a budget is an itemized summary of your likely income and expenses during a given timeframe, such as monthly or annually. Whether you create it in a spreadsheet or handwrite it in a notebook, a budget gives you an overview that helps you.
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