Job Hunting Forum

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Think Ahead

So you've impressed an employer with your resume, but now comes the interview. You can't let your nerves get the best of you. The best way to go into an interview with the most confidence, is to plan ahead and quiz yourself with questions you think you may be asked. No interview is exactly like another, but some questions are bound to resurface depending on your profession. You might be taken by surprise by some questions, but there are others you should expect to be asked. Go into detail when explaining what you bring to the company with examples from your past. Use these work examples to show why you have all the necessary experience to add to the overall success of the business.

Be direct in the interview. The best way to do this is to think of questions before the interview and answer them in the most detailed explanation, without droning on. No doubt your new job will have stressful times. The interview is a way for your boss to see how you handle stress and being put on the spot. All the other pieces to the puzzle may be there for you to be a great addition to the organization, but there may be another candidate who gets the position because they were more prepared and confident in the interview.

So, to review the plan:

1. Think of questions you have been asked before in previous interviews. Find out from friends in the same line of work what they were asked.

2. Formulate what your answers to these questions are going to be.

3. Know there will be at least one question you didn’t plan on being asked, so when the time comes, you don’t feel completely sideswiped.

Going over your resume and talking about your skills will happen in the interview no matter what. The interview is the time for the boss to see who you are. They want to see what your personally is like and what you will bring to the feel of the business, not just the bottom line. Know that the interview is when you will seal the deal for your next career opportunity.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Tap into tech to advance your job hunt

There's a whole world at your fingertips in terms of tools you could be leveraging to shift your job hunt into another gear. The beauty of it is most of the resources out there on the Internet are free, easy to use and extremely accessible. Not to mention, there are resources galore to get you started (like this blog for instance). So here we offer up some quick ideas to take your job search out of the dark age and into the digital age.

1. Tap into LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the our society's answer to the old-fashioned Rolodex. All the professional contacts and connections you've made in your career can now be stored in one convenient website. But there's a lot more to it than just that. In addition to the people you already know, making connections with those who have influence in companies that you want to work for is also a good idea. LinkedIn also provides the option of recommending coworkers you have worked with or work with currently. By recommending someone and writing something casting them in a positive light, you open up the door and increase the likelihood that they'll recommend you back. But there's also groups targeting specific industries that you can join to keep up with the latest news in your field.   

2. Be a social media butterfly
This isn't so much a recommendation as it is a requirement. More and more employers are looking for and expecting some sort of social media presence to find out more about you and make sure you're keeping up with current trends. Do: post and share messages related to your industry or field of expertise; offer to help people out and be a resource. Don't: post anything that could make you look bad. i.e. Those pictures from your best friend's party in Mexico.

3. Get your blog on
Another great way to establish your cred as an expert in your specialty is to start blogging. There's numerous free blogs out there from Blogger to Wordpress that one can sign up for quickly and customize easily. Once signed up, start sharing insights, links or offering up advice. Then you can start promoting your new blog to people interested in your industry or thought leaders via your social media and LinkedIn.

4. Post on a job board
Careerbuilder, Indeed and a slew of others - there's a plethora of job boards out there that you can use to look for a new position. The results they yield can sometimes be negligible because they are so saturated with resumes and applicants. But employers do use them and look for people that fit the qualifications for positions they open. It's something that if you're not doing, you should be.


6. Hit up a website - your own.
Back in the '90s, the Internet was a cryptic and esoteric place reserved for coders and web developers. So if you wanted to find a way to secure your own spot in cyberspace, those were the people you had to call. Not so anymore. Now, there are plenty of intuitive, easy-to-use sites with WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) tools to get a professional looking website up quickly and easily. In only a few minutes you can set up something with your resume and a bio for free! And if you're willing to pay the cost for a domain name, many of those sites can connect your own personal web address to the site to take it a professional step further. Need ideas? Visit sites like Wix and Moonbuilder.