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Mistakes to Avoid at Your Next Career Fair

October 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Career fairs can be great opportunities to find a job that will be rewarding in pay and in personal satisfaction, but only if you go about them the right way. There are many mistakes that are commonly made which can prove costly when attending a career fair and these mistakes should be avoided at all costs.

Of course the first mistake to make is under dressing. You must dress in the appropriate manner if you wish to find success at a career fair. There will after all be many potential employers there and sloppy attire will get you the wrong kind of attention.

Another common mistake that can cost you is gum chewing. Nobody wants to hear you smacking your gum in your mouth so you should do yourself a favor and just leave the gum behind. This will allow you to speak without looking like you just don’t care.

You should also avoid trying to control a conversation. Ask questions by all means, but make sure you listen more and talk less. Give the potential employers a chance to tell you about a possible opportunity and save the jawboning for another day.

Perhaps the biggest mistake though is leaving for the career fair with too little resumes on hand. Always come prepared with more resumes than you could possibly need. After all, it is far better to have some resumes left over at the end of the career fair than it is to run out before it even ends. By not having enough resumes with you potential employers will simply think that you a person who is not prepared and that will not bode well for your chances of employment.

Career fairs only work well if you work them well. So, you have to be prepared, look great, and be willing to listen. By avoiding simple mistakes you can help you boost your changes greatly when attending your next career fair.

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Using Social Media to Find a Job

August 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you are like most people you are likely involved with social media and if you are looking for a job, then you can use this to your advantage. After all, think of all the contacts that you have with the various social media outlets you use.

You can easily let all your social media connections know that you are looking for a job with a quick post or two. While none of your contacts may necessarily have a job to offer you, they may know someone that you don’t who is looking to hire. If they do, they will likely pass your information on to their contact and before you know it you are getting an unexpected call for an interview.

Many social media sites even make it possible to post links as part of a comment. You can take advantage of this and post your resume as a link. Of course you will want to let everyone know what you are doing and again, you never know who will be hiring either in your network or an outside source of your network.

There are also social media sites that are dedicated to making business contacts. These kinds of social media sites are a must to be involved in whether you are currently looking for work or not. You never know when you might find yourself in the hunt for a new job and having business contacts to turn to within your social media network never hurts.

This is a day and age where connections are made online and this is evident with the explosion of social media. If you are looking for a job or even just curious about what is out there, give your social media contacts a shot. You just might be surprised at what you find.

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Apply in Person – AKA Hit the Pavement

July 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

They say nothing beats a first impression and when it comes to finding a job, this statement really hits home. You can actually have a first impression before you make a first impression in an interview if you go about using a method that has been around for many years known fondly as ‘hitting the pavement.’

When you hit the pavement you take to the streets and go to a bunch of different places where you might like to work and ‘apply’ in person. Now, this doesn’t mean that you will necessarily fill out an application, but you will take your resume with you and ask to speak with a manager in order to hand over your resume in person.

This will let the potential employer know two things about you. First it shows that you are in fact looking for a job and second it will tell that potential employer that you are serious about finding a job, which will be evident with you out hitting the streets and not simply faxing in your resume.

In order to perform this method in the proper manner, you do need to be sure that you address yourself before you hit the pavement. Always dress to impress and be sure you are groomed properly. This method is after all a way to make a first impression and you don’t want that first impression to be a bad one. If all goes well, the potential employer will get a good first impression and instantly look over your resume.

This method will likely produce for you a number of interviews and you may even find that you have to interview right on the spot. You should therefore be ready and willing to answer any and all questions that a potential employer might have for you as your first impression, may be the only impression they need in order to give you a shot at a job.

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How FlexJobs.com Works

July 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

flexjobsLife is busy and your job typically makes sure of that, but a new job search website is helping to save those in need of a flexible work schedule lots of time. FlexJobs.com is an online resource that can be used to help anyone find jobs that are, as the name suggests, a lot more flexible. Such flexible jobs include telecommuting jobs and part-time freelance jobs for various industries.

According to FlexJobs.com, the average person looking for this type of work will easily spend 15 to 20 hours each week while doing so. With FlexJobs.com you can cut that time down rather dramatically as they pre-screen flexible jobs to remove the scammy ones. Instead of you searching through various resources trying to find the perfect flexible job, and wading through dozens that sound too good to be true, FlexJobs.com posts only legitimate jobs with flexible schedules on their website. They do charge a small fee for access to their database of jobs, but most people consider this well worth it, considering all the time they save.

FlexJobs.com works hard so you don’t have to in the following ways:

•    Researching Leads: FlexJobs.com knows there is a lot of junk out there and doesn’t want you wasting time looking at leads that go nowhere. Therefore, the FlexJobs.com team goes to work every day searching through websites, job boards, and more to find only quality leads. All leads must pass stringent requirements in order to be listed with FlexJobs.com.
•    Offering Leads: FlexJobs.com has over 100 job categories that you can search through. So, no matter what your passions are, you will likely find the perfect flexible job with FlexJobs.com. This holds true regardless of whether you’re looking for a new full time flexible job or just looking to make some extra money on the side with a flexible job that will fit into your off-time.
•    Providing Skill Tests: FlexJobs.com also offers over 50 skill tests that you can take. By taking these tests you are giving prospective employers that work with FlexJobs.com evidence of your particular expertise increasing your chances of landing a great flexible job.
•    Resume Help: With FlexJobs.com, you can create an entirely new resume or just revamp the one you have. Once complete, FlexJobs.com uses your resume in order to further bolster your chances to gain flexible employment.
•    Providing Job Finding Resources: FlexJobs.com offers a whole multitude of job finding resources. They have blogs, articles, a job finding checklist, and more. All their resources are designed to assist you with your search on their website in order to be as efficient as possible.
•    Providing Account Control: FlexJobs.com allows you total control over your account. You can upgrade, downgrade, or even cancel your account at any time with no worry of penalties.
•    Providing Great Customer Service: Should you need any help at any point during your job search, FlexJobs.com is there for you. You can contact their customer support staff via a toll free number or e-mail.
•    Guaranteeing Satisfaction: FlexJobs.com backs up their claims with a full money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with any of their services you simply have to let them know and they will refund your money to you, no questions asked.

Everyone can use more flexibility in their lives, especially when it comes to work. With FlexJobs.com you can find great telecommuting jobs and other freelance jobs that are truly flexible and not full of empty promises.

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Finding Jobs on Company Websites

June 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There are many places to look when you are searching for a job, such as the newspaper and even online job sites, but one place that many people do not seem to ever consider is a company’s actual website. Even many of the largest companies you could think of will allow you the chance to see what employment opportunities are available right on their own websites.

In order to find these opportunities you simply have to look for a link that says ‘jobs’ or ‘opportunities.’ Sometimes these links are in plain view on the home page towards the top and other times they are sort of tucked away towards the bottom of the home page, but more times than not, they are there.

Once you click on the link, you will be able to see what job opportunities exist for that company. Additionally, you will be able to see where those jobs are and be able to determine whether or not there are any jobs available in a location near you.

If you find a job that you are interested in simply click on the link that says ‘apply’ and follow the process that is presented. Unusually, applying online means having to upload your resume, so be sure your resume is ready and is in tip top shape. Then all you are left to do is wait and see if you get a call for an interview.

While job searching is sometimes hard, you can lessen your workload by going directly to the websites of companies you would be interested in working for and seeing if you can apply online. The process is easy and straightforward and going from website to website is a lot simpler than driving all over town to see firsthand what the job opportunities for various certain companies are.

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Posting Your Resume Online

June 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The key to getting interviews is having your resume viewed as many times as possible by as many potential employers as possible. One way in which you can help ensure that your resume is viewed a lot is by posting your resume online.

This is easy to do and you can either use websites that charge you a small amount in order to post your resume, or you can stick with the freebie websites. Even though free is not always good, there are some big names in the job industry that will allow you to post your resume with them free of charge. Monster.com and CareerBulider.com are two big boys that allow free resume posting on their websites.

Once your resume is posted, you then have the opportunity to have potential employers who are searching the website for potential candidates stumble upon your resume. Because you have to open a free account with most of the resume posting websites, you will also have already had to create a career profile. This is also to your advantage as the more information potential employers can gain about you the better.

If you opt to go with a pay service this doesn’t necessarily mean that you are getting ripped off. In fact, many of these pay services will not only allow you to post your resume on their websites, but they will take it a step further and distribute your resume to members in their database as well. This means even more eyeballs on your resume.

So whether you are going with the free services, the pay services, or both, it definitely pays to have your resume posted online.  Remember, the more eyes on your resume the more likely you are to get a job interview, so make use of online resume posting wherever you can.

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Great Online Job Search Resources

June 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There are many great resources on the internet today and you are at a real advantage over those applying for jobs even just 20 years ago. From writing your resume, applying for jobs, or even deciding what career to go into, look to the internet for help.  Here are just a sampling of great resources available – best of all, completely free!

Introduction to Resumes

Purdue University is well known for their online resources, which are available to the general public.  Their introduction to resumes is a great general resource for those first writing their resumes or those that haven’t updated their resume in a number of years.

Cover Letter Tips

Another great resource that Purdue offers is information on cover letters.  This can be a tough one, especially in today’s world of emailing resumes. Many think cover letters aren’t necessary, but including one in your email is critical.  Some hiring managers won’t even look at a resume if it doesn’t come with a cover letter.

Upload Resume to Monster

Once you have your resume completed you can upload it to Monster.  Potential employers filter through the resumes and if they find you to be a match, they will be contacting you regarding an open position.  Recruiters often sort through these resumes to find candidates for their clients.  It never hurts to have someone out there helping you in your job search.

Salary & Wages

When applying for a job, it’s not uncommon to be asked your salary requirements.  Many don’t know how to answer this question – of course you want as much money as possible, but in order to have a professional response to this request, check out the salary and wages page of Monster’s site.  This can also be a great resource when you are ready to ask for a raise.

Salary Comparison

Another great resource for investigating salaries is to use a comparison calculator.  Find out what other professionals in your area are making. This can help you negotiate your salary when first starting a position.  Compare their offering salary with what other local companies are paying.

Follow Up Thank You Letters

After interviewing it’s always a good idea to send a follow up thank you note.  Remember, they are interviewing multiple candidates.  Sending a nice  email later that day, or the following day is a great way to get them to reflect on you and your interview.  Find great tips for these follow up letters.

Local Area Unemployment Statistics
Federal Employment Statistics
National Compensation Data
Employment Projections

The government has several site with a wealth of information.  You hear about unemployment rates on the news all the time, but you can check your local unemployment statistics to see where your community ranks with the national unemployment data.  The Bureau of Labor also compiles data and information on compensation and employment projections that is interesting to explore.

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Hit the Streets and Find a Job

May 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In today’s world of everything high tech, you probably tackle looking for a job much in the same way that you look for anything else; online. As great as this method is, there is an old standby method that has stood the test of time and if implemented can greatly increase your chances of finding a job. The method of hitting the streets is one where you actually do have to leave your home and get proactive, but it is also one of the best ways in the opinion of many to land a job rather quickly.

To start with, you will want to print off about 20 resumes. Then you will need to get dressed and be sure that you are dressing to impress. Lastly, you need to hit the streets. You can drive to strip malls, plazas, or pre-plan your route and drive to various businesses in order to get the job done.

When you go into the reception area of a business, walk up, smile, and then ask to speak with a manager. If the person you are speaking with says the manager is not available, then hand them one of your resumes and ask them nicely if they would please give it to their manager when they are free.

If you do get to speak to a manger, then smile, shake their hand, introduce yourself, and hand them one of your resumes. Explain that you are actively seeking employment and that you thought their company would be a good fit for you.

The end result may be an interview on the spot or at the very least some considerations down the road if you leave a good impression. Either way, you will be putting a face with a name instead of just sending in one of probably one hundred random resumes that the business gets each and every week.

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Find a Job Using Your Inner Circle

April 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Any time find yourself in the position of looking for a new job, you should explore all your options. That means looking at the resources that you already have at your fingertips and may not even realize. Everyone, whether they think so or not, has an inner circle which should be utilized first when on the prowl for a job.

Simply stated, your inner circle consists of those who you know already and talk to quite frequently. This can include your friends, family, former co-workers, various colleagues, and on and on. If you know them and have even slight communication with them, they are in your inner circle.

To take advantage of your inner circle as a job finding resource, you need to begin by first formulating a list. Sit down and write out the name of every person you can think of whom you can put on the list and also how you can contact them.

Once your list is complete, the real work begins. If you have e-mails for a majority of those in your inner circle, then the job is made a little bit easier as you can send out a blanket e-mail to them. For the others you will have to either call them or write them to make contact.

Basically, all you will tell them is that you are looking for a job. You can list what you would like to do, but always say you are open for suggestions. Usually what will follow is a whole bunch of responses from your inner circle members with either job leads or even a job offer.

The worst case scenario will be them not returning your e-mail or not answering the phone. However, since they will be part of your inner circle, chances are they will help you out if at all possible.

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Job Fair List of No-No’s

April 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Job fairs are a wonderful place to look when you are trying to find a new job, but only if you avoid making some easy mistakes. There will many people at any job fair you attend and they will all be looking to one-up you, so you need to be sure that you do everything in your power to stand out from the crowd, but in a positive way. Negative attention, is not the attention you should be trying to get a job fair.

Here are some things that you should never do when attending a job fair:

  • Be Unprepared: Don’t go to a job fair without being prepared. Bring lots of resumes to a job fair. Many people will bring only three or so and what typically happens is they run out in a hurry. It is better to be prepared and bring 20 than it is to be unprepared and run out.
  • Dress Sloppy: It happens all the time, people wearing shorts and flip-flops to a job fair. Do you think that impresses a potential employer? When you attend a job fair you should dress to impress.
  • Chew Gum: If you are chewing on a stick of gum when attending a job fair hopefully you are not planning on talking to anyone. Job fairs are a great place to not only find out about a number of companies that are hiring, but also to speak with people from that company. Nobody wants to talk to someone who is smacking their jowls together due to a stick of gum.

While job fairs are not job interviews, if treated properly they can become one. You should always treat job fairs the same way you would treat a job interview and if you do, your success at them will be great.

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