The How’s During a Phone Interview

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Posted on 1st September 2010 by Michael Gabriel in Articles

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A lot of companies these days use phone interviews. With just a simple phone call, they can save time by eliminating the not-so good candidates. For the applicants, though, this is going to be a make-or-break step.

To breeze through the phone interview, consider the following tips:

• Expect a call.
You did not submit your resume for no reason. You somehow hope the company will contact you for an interview. Expecting the call is good for you. This will reduce the nervousness you are going to feel during the actual call. You will also be forced to make more preparations.

• Carry your resume around.
Some HR officers will call you beforehand, telling you the interview schedule. Most, however, do not. Just to be sure, have your resume ready at all times. Although you can keep all information in your head, you really don’t want to count on that. It is common for job-seekers to suffer from mental block when under a lot of pressure.

• Stay away from the crowd.
Also, stay away from places with too many people. These include the mall, market, department store, children’s playground, busy streets, etc.

It is very important for you to hear the caller’s voice very clearly. Requesting the interviewer to repeat the questions can sometimes be very awkward. A quiet environment will make the conversation more pleasant.

• Turn off call waiting.
To avoid any interruption during the conversation, turn off phone features that may cut the line. This includes the call waiting feature.

• Speak slowly.
There are two reasons for this. First, the slowness will give you enough time to compose your thoughts while you speak. Second, your voice will be heard very clearly on the other line.

• Give different contact details.
Besides your cell phone, provide your landline number. This way, if you can’t be reached through your mobile, the company has another alternative. Sometimes, a number of mobile phones do not function well and are very prone to lost signal, low battery, and frequent interference.

• Consider giving other alternatives.
Sometimes the call may happen while you are in a tight situation or when you are driving. If this happens, be frank enough to tell the interviewer of your condition and why you cannot take the call just yet. After declining, suggest another option or tell the caller to call you back within minutes.

• Practice the interview.
You can come up, prepare, and practice with standard telephone interview questions. Have someone call you up and answer the questions as if you are really talking to a company interviewer. Allow the other person to assess you. By practicing, you can minimize dead times and pauses.

• Take down notes.
If you passed the phone interview, you will be asked for another interview – this time it’s an actual one. Some of the questions asked during the phone interview might be raised again. Sometimes, you will be asked to confirm some of your previous answers. For consistency, take down notes during the phone interview. You can also record it. Just ask for the caller’s permission first to record the phone call.

Check out our Hot Jobs section for the latest opportunities.
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How to Survive a Grueling Panel Interview

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Posted on 30th August 2010 by Michael Gabriel in Articles

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Of all the phases of the hiring process, the scariest would definitely be the panel interview. For one, it seldom happens. Thus, not a lot of people can really teach you what to do or say. Moreover, a panel interview could let you multiply your nervousness into several folds. After all, you might be facing more than five different personalities at one time. It is also a make-or-break situation for you. After the panel deliberation, it is either you get hired or not.

There are many ways on how you can breeze through the process and come out not only victorious but also very impressive. How is that for a good start in the company? You may simply have to keep in mind these tips:

Before the Interview:
• Meditate.
Or do something that will make you release those jumpy nerves. You can practice visualization too. Picture yourself facing and talking to several people. Through this, you can already determine how you are going to act in front of the panel. The more you meditate and visualize, the more you will feel comfortable about the idea.

• Research.
You can plan yourself with a series of test questions, but nothing will completely prepare you. The key is to just research — the company, the nature of your job, and even the people who will probably interview you. Normally, a panel interview involves the top guns. These include the middle- and top-level managers.

• Dress appropriately.
There is really such a thing as “dress to impress”, and you should do this in one swoop. Dressing can also affect your own mood. When you look professional, you will also think and act like one.

During the Interview:
• Maintain eye contact.
Here is the good news: the interviewers don’t talk all together during a panel interview. To show your sincerity, make sure you maintain eye contact to the one who’s asking the question. In the middle of your answer, you can then start shifting your focus to the rest of the interviewers. Then before you close, return your attention to the source of the question.

• Keep your hands on your lap.
When you are made to sit in the middle of the room, the best thing to do is to keep your back on the chair and place your hands on your lap. This way, you are free to move them when you want to make an emphasis. Crossing your arms is considered rude and inappropriate.

• Take time to answer.
But make sure it is not too long. You simply have to organize your thoughts. Remember, if you are going to mess up, you’re going to do so big time.

• Listen to your own answers.
Anticipate plenty of follow-up questions during the course of the interview, so your main goal is to establish consistency to all your answers.

After the Interview:
• Give thanks to the panel.
Once the interview is over, take time to give everyone a very firm handshake and a gracious “Thank you!”.

Check out our Hot Jobs section for the latest opportunities.
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5 Reasons Why You Cannot Even Get to First Interview

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Posted on 27th August 2010 by Michael Gabriel in Articles

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Unless you have impressed someone so much, it is possible that you get interviewed more than once. Unfortunately, there are also times when you don’t even get past the first interview at all. Now before you whine about how companies can sometimes be unfair to potential candidates, you may want to assess yourself first. The chance to get to first base rest in your hands.

Here are the five possible reasons why you’re not given a chance to go through the initial interview:

1. It‘s all in your resume.
Your resume is and will always be a very powerful tool, especially when you are still trying to land a job. Any mistake can work against you. That includes misspellings and grammatical errors. You will less likely receive attention if your qualifications do not match those expected by the employer. Also, a resume without a list of references is considered inferior.

Before you submit your resume, make sure you have checked all the details. Be complete and truthful to all information. Some employers are good in scrutinizing resumes, they can tell which ones are fabricated.

2. You failed the written examination.
Some employers will conduct a written examination before the interview. There are a number of reasons for this, but the primary basis is that a written exam can eliminate those who don’t have enough idea about the job. This way, only the best among the batch of applicants can be prepped for an interview. Surely, you cannot proceed to the next level if you fail the tests.

3. There is someone much better than you.
You might believe that you have what it takes to land the position, but unfortunately, someone could be more qualified than you. This is something you don’t have a control of. You can greatly reduce the chances of being sidestepped by improving your skills.

4. You don’t have the personality.
Just because it is an accounting job, it does not mean you have to be Mr. Grinch. Friendliness, open-mindedness, and a high sense of comfort and trust to people around you still count. A lot of employers do judge people by their gut feel. If they think you are not friendly enough, they may be apprehensive of hiring you. After all, this might mean you are a hard person to talk to.

Certainly, there are some traits you cannot change about yourself, but you can try to be more approachable and confident in dealing with people.

5. You were not just nice.
This is one good reason why you should treat the receptionist or even the security guard properly. You may not be aware of it, but a number of them can actually put a good (or bad) word for you to the employer.

You don’t have to give them special treats when you submit your resume, but make sure you leave a good impression by giving them your sweetest smile or just a simple “Hi!”. This is also an excellent way to get to know more about the company’s culture. Moreover, if you land the job, you already have a potential friend to count on.

Check out our Hot Jobs section for the latest opportunities.
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How To Use Google Alerts for a Live Job Search

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Posted on 26th August 2010 by admin in Articles

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Another excellent article comes from TheUndercoverRecruiter written by Jorgen Sundberg, known professional in social media, personal branding, blogging, online engagement and digital PR.

Google Alerts is a fine tool provided free by Google for monitoring your online presence. It is very useful for anyone in to Personal Branding as you get alerts sent to you as soon as you are mentioned somewhere on the Internet. Other uses for Google Alerts would be to monitor news about your company, competitors, share prices, weather warnings and so forth. One often overlooked use of this tool is to monitor employers and what new job openings they post, this little article will teach you how to do this…

Read the original article here: How To Use Google Alerts for a Live Job Search


Check out our Hottest Employment Opportunities to find your dream career right now.

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How to Use Business Cards to Land a Job

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Posted on 25th August 2010 by Michael Gabriel in Articles

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Great things can start in small packages. It can be as petite as your wallet or the pockets in your pants. What I’m talking about are business cards.

To many, business cards are meant only for those who are trying to promote their enterprise to strangers and possible partners. What they don’t know is that business cards can also be a very powerful job hunting tool.

Business Cards can Build your Connections
Not all jobs are found in the Internet or even in job posts inside newspapers or on bulletin boards. Some job vacancies can come from your friends, family members, and random strangers. That is why if you have such a huge desire to land a job immediately, you should also try to increase your network connection.

A business card is one of the best materials you can use for establishing connection for a lot of reasons.

• First, it is considered traditional and formal. No one is going to raise his or her eyebrows should he or she get one from you.
• Second, it is easier to carry. Potential employers can keep your cards in their wallets or pockets with a reduced possibility of losing them (unless they deliberately throw them away).

Get All Your Contact Details in One Location
Don’t you think it would be easy for your potential employer to get all your contact details in one go? The company’s HR manager does not have to open your resume just to have your phone number or email address. Instead, he or she may just look at your business card. A business card can contain as many contact details as you wish: home phone number, mobile number, fax number, e-mail address, and even your website.

Tell Them What You Know
When you think of business cards, you will probably just consider contact information when it comes to content. However, these are not the only types of information you can print there. You can also put down your list of services or excellent skills, perhaps in abbreviated or bulleted form. You can place this list on a two-fold business card. You can also utilize the back portion of the cards for these kinds of information. Make your business card the briefest and the most precise resume.

Share Your Portfolio
You really don’t know who you are going to bump into, so you better make sure you bring along your portfolio as often as possible. Nevertheless, that would be cumbersome. What you can do instead is set up a website, publish your complete resume there, upload your best samples, and add a website link to your business card. Ensure that you indicate that it is a portfolio link.

You have to remember, though, business cards can only get you this far. You will never get the job you like if you cannot prove to your potential employer that you deserve it. You may want to improve your skills, relevant knowledge, and level of education to further increase your chances of getting that dream job.

Check out our Hot Jobs section for the latest opportunities.

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Jobseekers: How to Handle Rejection

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Posted on 23rd August 2010 by Michael Gabriel in Articles

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According to the 2010 study conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor, there will be, at the very least, 5 to 6 people fighting for one vacant position. This means more than 80% of the applicants will be rejected — and you can be one of them.

Admit it, any kind of rejection is bad, especially if it is something you really want for such a long time. Coping will not take overnight either. However, before you start wallowing in self-pity, learn how to deal with it more effectively using the following tips:

• Grieve and get over it.
Many of the so-called experts will tell you to move on. The problem is, since you did not deal with the emotion, it crops up a lot of times. In fact, a lot of people develop a fear of looking for jobs because of their past rejections.

When you are rejected and not that emotionally strong, grieve over it. If you feel like crying, then cry. Don’t bury your sentiments. Even if you’re a macho man or a guy with too many tattoos, letting your emotions out is not a sissy thing.

However, put a limit on when you will allow the pain to hit you. After grieving, pick up the pieces, move on, and look for another job.

• Know it is not your entire fault.
There are many reasons why you are rejected, so stop blaming everything to yourself. For one, there is definitely someone better than you. Your qualifications may have not matched to the needs of the company. Or the firm may be “reserving” you for a much better position.

• Be ready for it.
Of course, it is important to face every challenge with a positive outlook. Nevertheless, do not shut off your mind to negative possibilities, including rejection. It may hurt, but the set expectation will somehow soften the blow.

• Talk to someone.
If it is necessary for you to give off emotional loads, share the experience with someone. Grab a few beers or go out with friends. Spend time with your boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife. Have the warmth of your family over dinner. Allow positive energies to take over the negative ones. Before the day ends, there is a huge chance you will forget the feeling of rejection.

• Assess yourself.
Use the rejection as a chance to evaluate yourself as a potential candidate. Perhaps you definitely need more education or training, or you lack considerable experience. You may even need to improve how you “sell” yourself to employers. Use the experience of rejection as a learning tool. In time, this will increase your self-value.

• Send a Thank You note.
Saying “Thank You!” to someone is an easy thing. But how about saying it to the one who rejected you? It may be the last thing on your mind, but it actually helps. It shows your integrity, level-headedness, and sportsmanship. It also allows you to inform the “rejecter” that you are just around should an opportunity that matches your skill will be available.

• Put everything behind you.
As much as possible, push all the bad memories off your mind, especially when you are going to have another interview. How you feel and see your rejection experience can have a positive or negative impact to your forthcoming interviews.


Check out our Hot Jobs section for the latest opportunities.

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Job Seeking: To Search or Not To Search Online?

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Posted on 20th August 2010 by Michael Gabriel in Articles

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Check the different job ads on newspapers, magazines, posters, radio, and TV. Only a few isn’t it? During the 1990s, these media became the haven of job seekers. However, with the advent of the Internet, job seeking took a 360-degree turn.

If you have not noticed it yet, many companies are now publishing their job ads using the power of the World Wide Web. Most of these organizations also encourage their applicants to send their resumes online. There are even others that would compel you to open their database and create your own profile.

Now, the question is – “Can you rely on the Internet when seeking a job?”. Well, the answer is YES! You can depend on the web but don’t spoon-feed yourself. You must still exert effort and determination. Remember, the internet is just a medium – it’s not a sure way to get your dream job.

Watch out for Online Scam Jobs
Read the condition completely. Thanks to the World Wide Web, almost all information you need are available with just the click of the mouse. This includes a long list of job ads from people all over the world. Because of this, you now have plenty of opportunities to choose from.

However, you should be very careful because there are many job-scams found online. These are “positions” that will require you to pay up before you can receive your first assignment. These could also be companies that do not give salaries to their employees after rendering the agreed service. There are also others that will offer you hundreds of job openings — only if you have $20 – $100 to pay.

Fall into these traps, and you are already ripped-off of your money, time, and effort even before you begin working. Click only job ads from reputable websites such as www.Monsters.com. This site has the biggest online job databases to date and it contains millions of resumes from all corners of the globe. Submit one and you could be the next lucky employee.

There are also plenty of false data online. A cunning employer may appear compassionate and fair through his self-created reviews in various websites. He can also create a blog damaging another person’s reputation.

Aside from looking jobs online, you can ask support and help from labor unions and organizations. Most of them have tie-ups with the best companies within the state or even within the country. You can also ask help from your friends, ex-colleagues, family members, neighbors, association and alumni members, and former classmates.

Self-Gratification
It may look tiring, but online job hunting is fun and easy. You only need to have patience, willpower, and the eye for in-demand jobs.

When you’re already employed, nothing beats the words “You are hired” straight from your boss’s mouth. There is the feeling of gratification and fulfillment, knowing you have exerted effort and spent time pursuing the job that you have been longing for.

Check out our Hot Jobs section for the latest opportunities.

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How to Conduct a Passive Job Search

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Posted on 10th August 2010 by admin in Articles

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Today’s post on how to conduct a job search for better career while being still employed comes from the EmploymentDigest, and written by John Sanders, the Job Expert. Enjoy!

It’s true; most employers prefer passive candidates. A passive candidate is a gainfully employed professional who is open to hearing about career opportunities and would actually accept a new job if it made sense to them and their family.

Employers believe that a person is employed because they are the top of crop. When I say employers I refer to specific managers who maintain this mindset. I don’t personally know of any managers who think this way, but I have come across hundreds who feel this way…

Read the original article: How to Conduct a Passive Job Search

Check out our Hot Jobs section for the latest opportunities.

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What Companies Are Looking for in New Graduates

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Posted on 28th July 2010 by Michael Gabriel in Articles

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If you are a graduate and you are still unemployed despite your fervent efforts, you may want to take a look at your resume and the career path you are taking. It is either the former is poorly made, or the latter is not the ideal one for you. It is also important that you are very much aware of what the companies are currently looking for in their employees. Like any relationship, employer-employee requires a perfect match.

Sandwich degrees are so much better.
It is already a given fact that having a degree or a certificate of completion gives you an edge over those who never made it to college or vocational school. However, those with sandwich degrees will fare much better. A sandwich degree is a course that provides at least a year of on-the-job training for students.

This is preferred by many employees since OJT training can already be counted as a working experience. They usually hire those who already know the ins and outs of their jobs and those who demand less training and less company expenses.

People skills are highly demanded.
Take a look at all the job ads. You will notice that virtually all of them need people who know how to speak, write, and listen effectively. Even if you are working behind the desk from 9 to 5, you still have to interact with your boss, colleagues, and even clients. You have to convey the right attitude and people-skill to everyone.

All it takes is initiative.
Companies do train their employees to do the job better. They will also provide troubleshooting tips when the going gets tough. Nevertheless, you cannot expect business owners to be always reminding their workers about a certain issue. Initiatives then come in. Those who show such trait on the job are often those who get promoted. This is because majority of employees with initiative also develop leadership and interpersonal skills. These workers also have a high grade for communication skills.

You have to be an IT-educated person.
Brick-and-mortar businesses are already adapting technologies to speed up productivity and improve accurate data. Every business maintains at least one computer. Thus, if you are computer illiterate, it will be very difficult for you to land a job. On the other hand, you are on a good head-start if you have intermediate or advanced IT skills. Therefore, it is best to pick colleges and universities that incorporate IT in their curriculum.

If you’re applying on a job that does not primarily revolves around IT (such as being an accountant, office clerk, HR manager, sales representative, teacher, and the likes), your computer experience does not need to be topnotch. As long as you know how to operate the machine, then you’re good to go.

Work ethics still matter.
In spite of the many changes in the workplace, certain things still remain. It is essential for would-be employees to honor working schedules, to show respect to their heads and fellow workers, to offer support to their subordinates, to follow the rules, and to never engage in office politics and gossip.

Check out our Hot Jobs section for the latest opportunities.

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Old School Job Search Tips You Ought To Use

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Posted on 22nd July 2010 by admin in Articles

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Another great guest post comes from The Undercover Recruiter, written by Kevin Donlin, Career Coach and Columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Some of the best employment advice you can get is as true today as it was back in your grandfather’s day. Here are three ways to find a job faster from two books published more than 65 years ago …

Real wisdom is timeless.

Read the original article here: Old School Job Search Tips You Ought To Use

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How Your Colleagues Can Help You Find the Next Job

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Posted on 12th July 2010 by Jörgen Sundberg in Articles

When we consider a new job, we inevitably think of contacting recruiters, trawling job boards and perhaps speaking to our network. One often overlooked channel is all around you in the office – your dear coworkers. I have come up with a few ways you can leverage your colleagues to get your next job, here they are:

Volunteer to give a reference
Tell your work mates that you are very happy to be a reference at the bottom of their resume, complete with your job title, email and phone number. Recruiters and employers love to call you up and take a reference, then casually seeing what you are up to and whether you would entertain a few opportunities. This way you get a win-win situation, you help out as a referee and you get headhunted in the process. Whatever happens to your colleague’s job search, you are now on the radar screen of the recruiter and/or employer and you have established a good personal contact that you would never have got from an online application.

Let them know you are open to suggestions
By the water cooler you will hopefully get the chance to speak openly about your career with colleagues. You want to let it slip that you have been ‘contacted by a headhunter’ and they had some interesting ideas that you are considering. This will let them know that while you are not desperate for a new job, you will keep your options open – perfect information to pass on to their recruiter contact.

Track their movements
Make it your goal to know what career moves people are contemplating. What recruiters are they talking to? Where are they interviewing? Ask recent leavers how they got their jobs. Ask recent joiners what other opportunities they were considering. Again, some people prefer to keep this very hush hush and others are very liberal with information. If you don’t feel like being that nosey in person, simply do some sleuthing online by looking people up on LinkedIn and see what recruiters, HR representative and competitors they are connected to, this will give you a pretty good idea of what the situation is.

Conclusion
These were only five methods you can leverage your colleagues, I am sure you can think of a lot more. The point is that everyone around can help you with your job search, don’t just rely on one channel for your search. You will only land your dream job if you really work smart and hard at it, you owe it to yourself to get that job that you deserve.

Check out our Hot Jobs section for the latest opportunities.

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