The Good, the Bad, and the Temps

http://www.linkedin.comSome good news in the hiring forecast. Not only are companies like Toyota, Mack Truck and numerous financial organiations hiring - all of your local retailers are on the hunt for, or are already hiring,  seasonal employees. So that brings us to the point of this posting. Many of those retailers are hiring through Temp Agencies (aka., Hiring or Staffing Services)

So, why do Temp Agencies fill some with glee, and others with horror? Well, it depends on your experiences with them, and what you're really looking for. If you're looking for a flexible but fairly steady paycheck - temp agencies can be a great answer. If you're looking for regular work hours, a stable environment and benefits - sorry. You're likely out of luck. There are even groups that hire day laborers. Tough work, but those who do well are usually kept pretty busy.

So what are my experiences with Temp Agencies? I actually who worked for two different temp agencies at the same time (a big no no to those groups) for two years. Norrell (now Spherion) and Kelley Services. I worked for a number of companies that hire seasonal workers like Vermont Teddy Bear Company, Burton Snowboards, Resolution, Inc. and a few less favorable locations too. I can tell you that I got out of it exactly what I wanted. No 'take home' responsibilities, low stress level, an ever changing flexible work environment and the chance to figure out what kind of work I liked, all while earning a paycheck. The longest stretch of time I went without work was a two week period, which I treated like a vacation.

So what's the bad? Sometimes you love with the employer, the co-workers and the job you're doing - and it doesn't lead to permanent placement. Sometimes, however, it does. The flip side to that is you may also work in a place that is horrible, the work is awful, the bosses bad, the co-workers miserable - and it's a long term placement. Often you can request to be placed elsewhere, but it's no guarantee you can be placed elsewhere, or you may be tagged as difficult if you make too much noise.

The other issue, for some, is that you don't always get paid what you might be worth. While the Temp Agency may be paid $16 an hour for you to work there - they use $4 an hour to cover their costs of recruiting, advertising, etc - you might only take home $12 of that hourly wage.

The other is that you get known as 'the temp worker'. Many of us have worked with a clueless temp worker with too little to do, and they're texting or filing their nails while we're working. That's often because they're not well supervised and, honestly, if it was you, would you ruin a good thing? Would you ask to do stacks of filing when you have less than a week left on the job assignment?

So while you browse the links above, don't forget the ABC's - Always Be Connecting. Get on the social media networks, Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn to connect with the people in the right places, and don't try to force yourself on them, just let it be known at the right time that you are looking! If you still struggle with how to use social media for networking, read this article!

Happy Hunting!

How's that economy look?

Today, it seems the big difficulty in the marketplace is the middle. Middle skilled, and middle paid people are in the part of the economy that seems to be struggling. The Good news, and for some the great news, is that wages are increasing 5% in the private sector. Read more in this New York Times article about the recession and it's affect on everyone - positive and negative.

Overall, and in the public sector - things are still on a bit of a plateau - in fact overall in general things seem to be on a plateau as shown by this poll from Gallup. Gallup Daily: U.S. Workforce 

The good news is that there are great signs of growth in some areas. Kelley Services (who I worked for over the course of a few years) has reported some great news in this article which shows they've had 18% growth in revenue. If you haven't thought ofTemp services, and you're unemployed, it can be a great way to get some revenue for yourself, and keep a paycheck coming in. You might be surprised who you can work for, and what you can do, at a temp agency!

Speaking of checking out places you might not have thought of - do you check multiple job listing sites, or just one? A loft of companies aren't hip to the fact that consumers find and stick to a favorite job site. So get out there, check out HotJobs, Monster, Craigslist and others - because your dream job might not be where you're looking for it - and don't forget that talking to people in your network of friends is a great way to get in the running for a job that hasn't made it to the posting sites yet!

If you need help writing a resume - make sure you go to The Employment Lines website where we posted a resume writing 'Best Practices' for you.

Happy Hunting!

Are you climbing on the right ladder?

I saw this posting today - and definitely should make many wonder if they are fighting to climb up the ladder in the right segment of the job maket - click here or on the image to go directly to the original posting!

Steve Jobs on Jobs. Jobseekers take note.

Mac vs PC? It doesn't matter - this guy has some great vision. You have 15 minutes, spend it listening to Steve jobs commencement speech to Stanford University in 2005.

The works!

We're very happy to be rolling out a number of interviews coming up, to help you stay in the loop as you either brush up on the resume and cover letter skills, re-enter the workforce, or just make sure you're on the right path.

Tomorrow (June 12th's) episode features Bethany of Global Girl Social Media, a friend of ours who helps businesses and individuals discover how social media can benefit their bottom line. Check Global Girl Social Media out, along with her Blog, Twitter, Facebook. Thanks for joining us!

Then, coming soon, we'll be joined by Kim DuBrul of Your Year of Transformation and Kimberly DuBrul Coaching. Not only does she help people find their careers, but just their life's focus as well. She has a Blog and Facebook page as well!

Up next, we're bringing back Rosa E. Vargas and a few of her friends who collectively call themselves The Resume Chicks.

All that, and a web site of our own coming soon where we'll have Access to E-books, links to Career Counselors, Services and just house all that information you should always have access to. The blog will, of course, continue to be a way to share the 'of the moment' info that's so important!

Happy Hunting!

Yes, you can actually work from home. True story.

I stumbled across Nancy Collamer's blog today, quite by chance. I misspelled something in a search as I realized I forgot to tag a prior search I'd done, and - bingo - there it was. An article about actually working from home. When I say working, I don't mean just spending hours deleting email because you signed up at one of those sites that just collects your email address and then SPAMs you into oblivion with offers for.. well, let's not get into that - we've all seen them.

Nancy gives you 25 ideas that you can actually do from home, with more resources on finding out specifics and other options for help. Click to read the post: "Work From Home: Biz Ideas for Moms" (and Dads too).

Now, amazingly - that's not the only place you can go to find real work at home jobs. Some of them can be found and reviewed at Work At Home No Scams and often, the local Craiglist has work from home jobs. Just make sure it's a local number, they provide some information about what the business is doing and what you're expected to do. Anyone who gives you too little information, and just promises a windfall of cash is selling you a pipe dream, hoping you'll email them so they can SPAM you. In fact, I have a SPAM account just for submitting to websites where they could be fake. After I'm sure it's not - I update my account with my normal email address. One easy way to find out if it's fake, just search for the title of the job in Google, if you see all the top searches come up with that same ad in ten different cities, just walk away.

Amazingly, you can work from home doing a job most people do from a cubicle with Alpine Access. They have some pretty strict rules abut noise, and you do have to have a few pieces of equipment - but if you're working from home, check with an accountant about deducting some of your home, Internet and telephone expenses if you really want to get into this as a career. As I'm not a tax professional, I can't give you any advice on your particular situation, nor would I want to - I'm just blogging here!

Happy Hunting!

Talk about What you can, When you can

As the saying goes, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" or is it, "First impressions are never given a second...", or.. no - you see what I meant was... Dang it - they left.

Ok, you get it - right? First impressions are really important. so when you're going in for that interview, it's important to remember that's *NOT* your first impression! Wait, it's not? No - your cover letter and resume are your first impression and, like it or not, ALL the remaining decisions a Human Resources Recruiter, Hiring Manager or Head of a Department makes are based on that information alone. They won't look you up on Linkedin.com, they won't go check out your Facebook page to see what a kind person you are, and how great your hair looks. That employer gets flooded with resumes when a job is posted - especially in this day and age of digital postings and online applications. Become the buoy they grab onto in that flood!

We've talked about the importance of Keywords, and we've talked about the importance of cover letters, but first things first - you need to pay close attention to the job posting, and then you need to make sure they pay close attention to you. How do you do that? This great article from The Savvy Networker titled, "Five Resume Items That Can't Wait for the Interview" says it so clearly that if you haven't already clicked on the link to open it in a new tab or window... well you just should.

But wait, that's not all - There's always more, right? It's like Ron Popeil around here and you can "Set it on this blog's RSS feed and forget it!" Ok, the line needs work, but for those who get lost when I mention keywords, Yahoo! Hotjobs also posted this article "Resumes for the Digital Age: 7 tips for mastering keywords and electronic formatting" that covers many of the tips we've mentioned in a very succinct post. Again, get yourself there - and some snazzy shoes to go with that outfit. Oh - and no pants with holes, even if you paid extra to buy the ones that came with them already.

While you're here, I'm throwing in a bonus post as well. From ILostMyJob.com comes this Tuesday editions Video podcast which covers, among other things, the Outlook News for June 7th, 2010:

•More resignations than layoffs last month, breaking 15 month streak...
•Many people are waiting to leave their job once economy improves
•... After a long period of layoffs, companies may try to keep employees longer
now
•New college graduates see smaller starting salaries; 24% of job seeking grads have found a jobsource

Check out the full details at the ILostMyJob.com Tuesday Podcast (includes video)

Happy Hunting!

But how do I fit in there?

So we've all done it - wonder what we're going to do once you get the job. For some, it's more stressful than the interview process, and much more stressful to most of us than job hunting. Fret not, I have a lot of tips for you today, even if you haven't thought about this part of the puzzle yet, and how you fit yourself into it.

First - Here's a great selection of videos from Howcast "How To Fit in on Your First Day Of Work" once you do, or if you recently have, found that new job!

Ok, so your attitude, clothes, and the rest are important to the co-workers and people around you, but our friends to the north have some really great tips, not only on what you should do to fit in with co-workers, but on how to make some headway with your boss immediately with this posting "Tips on starting a new job and fitting in at a new company"as well.

Finally About.com has a thorough three part article which says much of the same, but is a bit more granular about the entire process. Look at their article "Starting a New Job: What You Can Do Before Your First Day"

Now if you haven't found that dream job yet and you're still looking, this article from Jobweb.com on "The 2010 Job Outlook" might be a bit of help - it was posted about a month ago and it has all sorts of details on the job outlook this year, basic salary information and some good tips on handling that difficult question about your salary history. I don't know about you, but I've fumbled that one a bit in the past - before learning how to navigate through it!

Happy Hunting!

The number one thing...

It's amazing. You ask ten people the same question - you get ten different answers. Opinions are like Elbows, everyone's got them in spades!

So, when I went of a search spree to find out the 'Number one' Interview questions, or thing you must do in an interview, it's not a surprise that I received many different answers. But here's a collection of some of the things I did find. My advice for the 'Number One' thing you must do - be prepared. Some great 'they' - as in 'they tell me', or 'they say' - said if you aren't planning for success you plan for failure.

So here they are, in no particular order because they are all (and also because I phrased the question in different ways when quizzing those amazing search engines) 'The number one thing':

The #1 Interview Question AND How to Answer It!.

How to Answer Interview Questions - The Number One Job Interview Tip

The Best Interview Question of All Time

Job Interview Question Database:
Questions with Excellent Sample Responses (great if you are new to the job market or haven't interviewed much)

Common Interview Questions, Part 1

And lets wrap it up with these, shall we?:

Get the job of your dreams: Post-interview Follow-up

The Number One Thing You Must Do After a Job Interview

Job Interview Strategies
You Use AFTER the Interview
Can Make the Difference!

So there you have it - the Number one Thing.. err things. Confused yet, don't be. See - you should be prepared for every interview to be completely different. Even if you were asked the *exact* same questions at four different interviews, the turnout may be very different at the end.

Happy Hunting!

Work pops up in the strangest of places

Who knew that my little corner of the world would be near the top of the list in the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey and, sure you could go there and read the dry report, but I have to admit Resumark did a great job of highlighting some of the important stuff with their blog post The Best and the Worst U.S. Cities for Jobs in 2010. Interestingly enough, U-haul also recently put Vermont as number two on it's list too: U-Haul tracking data suggests more families migrating to Kentucky, Vermont than other states.

I guess things sometimes aren't where you expect them to be. Sometimes jobs are.

* Chamber of Commerce mixers
* Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, etc.
* Trade and professional association meetings
* Lectures, workshops, conferences, and fundraisers
* Social, cultural, and sporting events esp. if they have receptions
* Private gatherings organized on Meetup, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
* Job clubs, networking groups and others - often found on your local Craigslist

Happy Hunting!

Head straight to the soupkitchen, or other places nearby

Yep, you heard my advice correctly - go straight to the soup kitchen, or a 'Habitat for Humanity' job site, volunteer your services on Craigslist, offer to build a website for a new business, check the books over for the local non-profit.

Now, if you're searching for a job, why would you want to do this? It's all about networking and connecting. Everyone (well almost everyone anyway) is intimidated by the interview process - so maybe find a way that gets you right in the door.

By heading to the volunteer site, guess who you will run into? You're going to meet (especially if you do your homework and time it right) executives and their spouses, human resources managers and entire teams of people from industry. Who do you think those people are volunteering locally? Yep, it's the working people, taking time to commit to their environmental goals on Earth Day - April 22nd - or Green up Day - usually between April and May in states that observe it.

So all these industries are offering their workforce to volunteer during the slow times. Use your knowledge of the industry you've been in, do some homework, or just look at the local places who need lots of volunteers - the companies that send their employees will often show their commitment to volunteering and put up posters that tell you when they'll be on site. Show up to be a 'regular volunteer' a bit before, then that day you'll rub shoulders and teach people the basics to the people you might want to be working for. Then you have some familiar faces, they've learned about you - probably ask what you do - and give you the opportunity to tell them your elevator speech. So now you might walk into to an interview with a friendly face!


If you volunteer to do work in the area you know, or have lots of schooling on and little to now applied skills - it allows you to keep your mind sharp, and apply some new experience to your resume. Plus, it gives you a reason to get up in the morning, head out and start your day off in a positive way, then you can spend the afternoon 'pounding the pavement' with your head held high.

Here's a good list of links if you want to read more:

One from eHow:

How to Find a Job through Volunteer Work

and these from Monster:

Leverage Volunteer Work on your Resume

Tips for Turning a Volunteer Position into a Full Time Job

Volunteer for Your Career

Online Volunteering, a Win-Win for Technies, Non-Profits

Happy Hunting!

This one's for Friday - have a couple laughs on me

Ok, I'm often posting some seriously helpful things. This time, it's not so much the serious stuff, but you might find this posting seriously funny. It's the “Top 20 of the Most Hilarious Spelling Mistakes on Resumes and Cover Letters”.

Not enough for you? How about these - Quotes from Real Resumes, Cover Letters and Performance Appraisals

And last but not least for your Friday, how about 15 Skills NOT To List On Your Resume.

Ok, just one more Just some more funny things people said. I wonder if I'll ever make any of these lists?

Happy Hunting!

Resume length, listed information and the name game!

How Long should your resume be, and what should be on it?

The resume length issue seems to be a never ending one, and these days it's actually a little less important than in the past. As more and more Human Resources recruiting department are handling the entire process electronically, or scanning resumes and cover letters into a system, then combining that with information scoring your experience and skills with the hiring manager's guidelines - it can be a multiple page document regardless of the length of your resume. However, because your resume may still be handed to someone directly - the old 'one Page' option works best. If you go a bit over it's not a huge worry - as long as it's valuable content. The exception, however, is for the case of senior executives. You have to give many specific examples of your successes, and in this case a minimum of two pages is likely necessary.

Keywords (Yep, we keep mentioning this)
Many human-resource staffers will automatically scan your resume or use software or a digital database to check for certain keywords that relate to the position for which they are hiring. If you are familiar with the position and/or work within the same industry, you may know important words to use. If you're not sure what keywords an employer will be looking for, review similar job postings, talk to friends who hold that position or work within the industry, and so on.

List your experience!
Not your duties, your actual experience and what you got done, and how you brought tasks to completion. After all - you're trying to sell yourself. Modify the resume if necessary to showcase only your *relevant* experience to that specific position. It's more important that you show how you complete tasks than listing all the various tedious aspects associated with prior experience.

Conclusive Numbers
You need to show quantifiable results to prospective employers. Include the total budget you were responsible to oversee, the total number of staff, estimates of reduction in expenses, estimates of gains if you were in a marketing or sales based position. Remember, resumes aren't just about the skills you have, but how well you perform them!

Speaking of Skills
Don't leave an employer guessing that you know how to use Microsoft Office, let them know. If you have web editing software and content management experience, include that too. Make sure that any certifications or professional development or designations - related to technical skills - are included as well.

That brings us to Titles or 'The Name Game'
This is another point of contention and debate. Some HR types will tell you not to list 'Marketing Assistant' as your title and instead to have you embellish and list yourself as a 'Marketing Liaison, Scheduling Coordinator and Copywriter'. Be careful, however, as it's a slippery slope. If you take the descriptions too far then the Hiring Manager might not know what the heck you did! Keep it in check, make sure you show the description to a few friends whose knowledge and experience you respect and, if it seems to create confusion, simplify it.

Happy Hunting!

It's just simple and straight forward

Many thanks to Ellen, an HR Recruiter, who joined in for the podcast on Saturday! She gave some specific examples of how you can win the top spot in a stack of resumes, how HR departments actually process and handle your resume and cover letter and more. A lot of straightforward and simple direction in what can be a complicated process for many.

If you're more comfortable reading than listening, then this blog entry on Getting Un-stuck from your Rut by Michael Spiro (himself a recruiter) might be beneficial. As John Wooden said, 'Failing to plan is planning to fail'. Michael, others and I all seem to agree with that. Remember, when you don't have a job, getting a job *is* your job, and just as you have a daily plan and core responsibilities at the office, you need to make time for those when you're looking for work - otherwise you might just sit in front of Facebook or craigslist.org all day long!

Speaking of jobs, and the market today, If you haven't looked, Simply Hired released their February Job Trend Report and, who knows, you might be trend worthy!

Happy Hunting!

You've got a friend...

Some great advice came my way the other day, about who should review your resume. No, it wasn't some great expert, it wasn't some service you have to pay for, and it wasn't some guru sitting atop a mountain. No, it's your friends. Here's why, they know you, probably know the jobs you've had, and if you show them your resume they should 'get it' very quickly. If they don't, big problems!

So grab that resume, shove it in front of some people you know and ask them to highlight anything that doesn't make sense, anything they think is written poorly and anything that seems to use too much 'corporate speak'. For example - you don't want to say, 'I alleviated the congestion of, and redistributed telephony consumers for, a group of account executives in a fast paced, bottom line drive, office environment' when you actually answered telephones and transferred callers to the appropriate salesperson in an advertising agency. Even though we've talked about keywords, it eventually comes down to a person reviewing the information at the end. If they can't 'get it' then you won't get the interview.

Oh, and suffer from the delusion that the people who interview you are always skilled and qualified people, Careerbuilder disagrees. You should really read this article for more on how the process works all too often. Don't be fooled by a glowing title, all too often people in the process you believe you should impress, or who you might believe have some pull are really there to compile data, and that includes you, your resume, and just go through a checklist to determine if you will be passed along, or passed over, in the hiring process.

Oh, and buy some chocolate or pizza for your friends. They could be helping you land that next big thing!

Let's get it covered anyway...

The Wall Street Journal published a great story on cover letters and why you should craft one. If you listened to the podcast on Saturday, you learned some thoughts about how to use keywords, especially the ones use in the ad placed for the position. If you target your cover letter to specifically answer many of the questions or situations posed, and reference many of these keywords, you'll have a great chance of standing out. It's a good idea to make some slight modifications in your resume for each person you send it to as well.

Being recognized on a piece of paper, after all, is a good deal more difficult than you might imagine. In these days of scanning and warehousing digitally, it can be even more tricky. However, as Audrey Hepburn said, "Nothing's impossible, even the word says I am possible". That's why it's so important to follow instructions. In the ad placed - they tell you what they are looking for, what skills are needed and why. So look at those as reasons to show how you can accomplish them with the skills you bring to the table!

So without further ado, go here and read Stand Out Letters to Cover Your Bases from the WSJ. They also re-iterate a common thread you should be aware of. Cover letters should be written for each job, especially if you're sending it to a recruiter. If they start to see the same letter pop up again and again from you, it's not going to make you stand out in the good way.

Happy Hunting!

Turning a weakness into a strength

Ok, you've been there. The interview is going great. Suddenly, they ambiguous questions hit you. It's getting tougher, but you twist, duck and dodge, navigating your way through successfully. Now you start to sweat as you hear, 'Tell me about your weaknesses'. Suddenly there's this rushing sound filling your ears. You realize it's all the air in the room being sucked out.. You scramble for air, but there isn't any...

Hopefully this is all just a dream.

But the reality is, you should anticipate being asked to expose what you have to compensate for, and how those weaknesses would affect the duties the job entails. However, this is also a way for you to show what skills you have to deal with it, and how self aware you are of those weaknesses, turning them then into strengths by how you have developed a process, a regular routine, on dealing with them.

This video from The Job Shopper explains the process quite well, and there are others to watch from there as well.

Happy Hunting!

Dirty words?

As I've mentioned before, sometimes you need training to get into a new field. While most apprenticeships, with some exceptions, have gone by the wayside - Internships are still here. Who, it's not a dirty word. Interns can be paid and anything you do in the effort of being where you want to be isn't a bad move. You can always benefit from establishing a network and one great way to do that is to look into internships. Sure, it's not going to pay you the amount you're looking for right away, but be positive, do your job well and it's paid training. Think you're too old for an internship, I'm betting Interns over 40 would disagree!

I hate to do this, but Yahoo! again has a good post that you should read if you're having trouble staying positive in the job market. Their 5 Ways to Beat Job-Hunting Pessimism in 2010. Thanks to Audio Job Interview for sending that one my way.

Happy Hunting!

Some like it hot...

So was perusing the web today and saw that Yahoo! posted their latest list of hot jobs, namely Which Jobs Pay New Hires Best? If you are new to the job market, or have the ability and desire to train for a job that looks like a good fit. Remember, though, it's not always about the hot job out there, it's about the job you may be a perfect fit for, and the job that will constantly challenge you, in a good and rewarding way. Imagine taking the time to study nuclear medicine, only to realize you can't stand it. That bottom line no longer may be important to you.

So maybe it's time to take one of those career placement tests. I know, you're thinking of the one you took in school that didn't relate to who you are and didn't account for your mindset. How about a real one then. This is one posted by the BBC, and it's actually centered around your mindset. Go take the BBC Careers Test and.. (according to their site)

"* Find out which careers suit you best.
* The test has seven questions and should take between 5-10 minutes.
* It was developed by psychometric specialist Neil Scott of Cassin-Scott Associates."

I also located one from Quest Career Services: MAPP (Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential) Test which appears to be a more in depth assessment about what motives you, etc. Now bear in mind that sometimes an assessment can really depend on your state of mind at the time, so go into i when you're in a positive frame of mind. Don't take the test after an interview that didn't go well, or at the end of the day. Start off a day with it and really let the answers soak in. This from the mind of someone who has had to take assessments through some employers. Just a note, I didn't take this one myself, and they may be trying to sell you more services. At least be aware that if you enter your email on a site, they may abuse it! In fact, I have a 'junk' email account that I often do test sites like this with - but time is a premium on this Monday!!

Happy Hunting!

Get that resume fixed!

For those of you interested in learning more about your resume, tomorrow's show is at 5pm ET at our Podcast site . The show features Rosa Elizabeth Vargas, a professional resume writer who shared some amazing things with me already. Did you know many employers scan in resumes and search based on keywords, just like you and I use to search the internet? Well she did, and now you and I do!

She'll share some of her knowledge & tips with you. If you think her services might be helpful for you - go to her website Creating Prints for a list of services! You can also follow her on Twitter - @resumeservice

Sometimes the smartest person is the one who knows who to ask when they need help.

Happy Hunting!

'Torpedos away', or 'How not to sink your own ship!'

I was reading a blog post that inspired this one, basically asking if you're sinking your own career search. It's a good question, and one that definitely requires you to consider. If you get to the interview time and again, or send your resume for a job that you should be a shoe-in for, and yet don't get it, is the common denominator here *you*?

To read the post that inspired this post click to read 8 Self-Imposed Reasons People Can’t Find Jobs. Throughout the posting there are, obviously, 8 points made, and they provide more links to look into more detail if you find one of the points reflects on you and your personal struggle.

Maybe it's something a little less obvious - maybe it's one of those stealth 'tough questions' that's not sitting well. Apparently this is the most popular post at this blog ever, and I think for good reason. Take the time to go read “Tell Me About Yourself” The 25 Toughest Interview Questions (and Tips on How to Answer Them!) now. As for what I think, the first answer that comes to your head is the best. Don't blurt it out though, think about the phrasing of it, and make sure you paint your answer in a positive light.

Sometimes, just being honest can get you the job.

Happy Hunting!

Time for schooling?

Sometimes, especially when the economy is down, it might be better to go back to school or find some training programs that economic stimulus has made available. How do you find the right job to train for, and how do you know what's available?

Usually your state will have a Department of Employment and Training, usually connected to the same office where you get unemployment benefits from. If you're receiving, or have ever received unemployment benefits, then you might know about the office, where it is and some of the policies and programs available. Still unsure, try starting at the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration website.

If you're looking to get more training, and want to know which field is right for you - check this link from the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics report. It's a list of top 30 occupations likely to have the most new jobs over the next 10 years.

Happy Hunting!

My resume is still dusty...

I often hear from people who have the hardest time writing their cover letter, which I posted some examples for in last week's post.Of course, now people are asking - how do I write a resume, especially after I was posting information on the 10 resume red flags in that day's post. So if you're looking to get started writing your resume, or refining it, this is a good resource, with lots of samples on the basics. Now, if you read the prior post linked above, then you're going to notice that some of the red flags are raised in these samples, but if you don't know where to start, or just want to see what you might be missing, these sample resumes can be a fantastic source of help.

In my experience, sometimes you take from two to three resources and combine them - creating something that is uniquely yours, that highlights your skills and doesn't fall to the bottom of the pile. Of course, there are always those resumes that are on thick stock, or look like they're almost a book, but just because you stand out, doesn't mean your resume is the best - it just means that when someone is hiring you they may think, 'pretty package, but nothing inside'.

Happy Hunting!

"No-No's" and "Yes-Yes's" for the interview

So hopefully your cover letter and resume rose to the top of the pile. Wonderful news!

Now it's time to prepare for the interview. No, I don't mean brush your teeth. I mean prepare. No chess player goes out to challenge their opponent and plans to crush them without prepping. Ok, you don't want to crush your opponent, and the interviewer isn't your opponent. Often it may be a 'gatekeeper' to stop the flow of people who eased through the qualification process because their resume really did glow, only to be put on the spot and have some glaring omissions all reveal themselves in a few short minutes. Many times it will be the person who will oversee you - regardless, if you go in thinking you'll ace it on a whim, then you may be surprised to hear that's not entirely likely. It's more than brushing your hair back, putting on a tie or ironing a shirt that gets you a job. However, those are very important.

For some of the No-no's, this is a good list as any. 15 ways to annoy your job interviewer. Yep, that just about sums it up! It should be thorough though, it was written by the well known 'Working Girl' Karen Burns.

Now, on to what you should do, by a fairly well written list on the sometimes overly rudimentary, but very useful if you need that sort of thing, website eHow entitled, quite properly, How to impress at a job interview!

On a side note, when you hear people say 'maintain eye contact' it doesn't mean you want to have a staring contest and loudly proclaim, 'I win! Does that mean I get the job?' if you force them to blink or look away. It means don't focus on how crooked your laces are, stare at the odd broken fingernail on your left hand or look out the window the entire time. Just make sure that you are focusing on them a good majority of the time. Another piece of advice I'll add directly is that you'll want to talk about the job as if it is yours, don't preface every response with, 'If I got the job I would...' or 'When you hire me I would...' Just state how you, a qualified candidate, would deal with the difficult situations they present you with.

By the way, if you have to ask,'Does that mean I get the job?', then you probably didn't.

Happy Hunting!

As the legally challenged call it - Case the joint

Going to a Job Fair in the near future? Don't go in empty handed, go to the web site of the Job Fair. While there - match your skills & interests to the companies that will be there, and that you know you would like to work with, before hand. Research those companies, and others if possible, to make sure you know at least some of what they do.

Do you have a Job Fair strategy for your Career?

If you don't, here are two I'm sure you can borrow, Valerie and Tina have some suggestions. Learn what to do after you come home from any conference with this post.

You'll likely see some commonalities between all three, but there are some very diverse ideas as well. What works? The options they all mention, and the others that feel most natural for you, are a good place to start - though it's always good to go outside of your comfort zone from time to time!

Happy Hunting!

Now you can know what they're thinking!

I wanted to let you know about this great article. It's and one you absolutely should read! 9 Things The Seal The Deal for Hiring Managers

It gives you a unique perspective from the hiring managers about why they hired who they hired - giving you the opportunity to see if you're doing many things right, and just get tripped up on a detail, or if you are just stacking the deal breakers on the table.

If you like that, you should also follow this lady on Twitter! Who interactively answers your questions!

Happy Job Hunting

How to offer up your services to big businesses!

If you are a small business, and you're looking to sell yourself to BIG businesses, then take the time out to read this article over at Open Forum. If you're not familiar with Open Forum, and you offer services, you should be. They were started by American Express as a way for small businesses to connect with each other. It's full of great ideas for any consultants, contractors and other small businesses too.

If you have 'but I'm a small business' syndrome - then read this article too. In today's Digital World you can not only turn your perspective around, you can (and should) change how others perceive you by Creating a Big Online Brand.

Happy Hunting!

Ok, list time

I'm not big into lists, but here's one. If you're looking to get some basic resources, maybe these places can help:

If you just need some hourly or part time work to die you through go here - Snag A Job

Lots of well known national companies use this site to get the word out - Job Shouts

Sort and Search Twitter job postings in another way - Twit Hire

It might be a ploy to help you buy a book, or may be a valuable tool to learn where you should be - Strong Life Test for Women

And to quote the Human Resources Recruiter who sent this to me, "This is a classic book for anyone who wants help with their career..." Job Hunter's Bible

Happy Hunting!

Step 2, 'Don't make simple mistakes' or 'Do I even need a new job?'

Ok, so you think you're ready to get out there, start sending out your cover letters and resumes to employers. Congratulations. There are a few things you really should consider. Is my cover letter and resume up to snuff? Good questions. Thankfully, Yahoo! posted some great tips just the other day that you should check out, it's called '10 Resume Red Flags' and you should read it. Yes, you need to do the resume first. Why? Because it's going to go out to more people, and it will be modified less than a cover letter. For some real simple tips on writing a cover letter, I found Advanced Resume Concepts - and they include some real simple steps for cover letters (and more too). Not sure what should be in a cover letter? Well, Virginia Tech's Career Services Department posted some examples that might help you. Just about any college actually has similar information (ok, so it's meant to be available for their current and former students) that is ripe for the picking.

The next thing to ask yourself before you hit that send button is, 'Do I need a new job?' See, many people think the job is the issue and, let's be frank here, often it's the attitude and the expectations about the job that can be faulty. To make sure you're making the right decision, and since we're giving Yahoo! some love already, check out the story they recently ran called 'Loving Your Day Job and Your Life'.

And that about wraps it up for today, Happy Job Hunting!

Step 1, 'How to find a job' or 'Is your way working'?

Ok, so you're looking for a way to find a job, well - I hope I can help you. One of the great tools out there is Twitter, but where to start? Well, like many things - there's someone out there who has already done it. The good thing is, they can help you get to where you need to be. One of the instant ways to find a job is through Twitter! To see more, go check out this blog post!