Acing the interview

Reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows employers are still cautious about hiring. So it's more important than ever to really wow a potential employer.

Here are 5 Tips to help you put your best food forward and nail that interview.

1. It's not all about you. What is it that they need? What is it that their company needs?
2. Understand how work life has changed. Employers don't want to hear that you can't compromise or be flexible -- especially in a time when companies are forced to do more with less staff.
3. Practice makes perfect. You need to have more than one answer for any question you're going to be asked.
4. Consider easing in. If there's a way to do an interim or project-focused job, it could be your chance to show them what you're made of.
5. Leave money for last. People can easily get filtered out if they start setting limits about what they will do and how much they'll do it for. 

If these tips make sense, get more details here.

Get HR on Your Side

Employers are dealing with more job applicants than ever. With thousands of submissions for a single vacancy, companies must be more diligent when sorting the wheat from the chaff. Many rely on HR managers to screen out applicants who aren't qualified for the job or a good fit for the company. This step may feel like a roadblock to you as the applicant, but there are good reasons companies do it. Instead of thinking, "Ugh, I have to talk to HR," focus on how you can work with the department to pass this critical hurdle.

If you are called for a phone interview, or better yet one in person, you have passed a significant hurdle. You have made contact. For some good pointers on handling this level of interview view the complete article here.

Show Confidence with Body Language

How do you look? What message do you communicate the moment you walk into a room? What are your eyes, hands and shoulders saying? What information can people gather about you before you ever say a word?

People read your body language, often via instinct and without thinking. It’s because our poses and postures are a great source of information. They reflect our mood and our confidence level. With a little practice, we can learn the tips to show confidence through body language so that we always appear confident, capable and ready.

If this sounds interesting or you are just curious, find 10 tips for body language here.

How to stay optimistic

The holiday season is not noted for much hiring. The corporate focus is preparing for the next year in many ways, but not necessarily with interviews. Building a Support System Being in a job search for long period of time can be mentally draining and physically taxing.  Seeking support from friends, family or professional help may also may not generate much response for your search efforts. Regardless, you need to remain optimistic.  Consider the following suggestions:

1. Build a Support System
2. Volunteer – Do Something you Like/Love
3. Be Inspired, Remain Motivated
4. Define Goals – Be Practical
5. Meet Friends – Network
6. Practice Positive Affirmations

For more info about how to achieve this optimism, click here.

Ask Better Interview Questions

So, the resume you slaved over for weeks and the expertly tailored cover letter landed this interview.  You have answered all their questions in confident detail, you feel great. Their next question: ‘Do you have any questions for us?’  It has all gone so well, and you say…‘No’. BAD MOVE!

This was your chance to take control, to direct part of the conversation to your benefit. Your prior research on the company should give you some good discussion points. Ask short but thoughtful questions; let the interviewer participate. If you would like to learn 5 techniques for this part of the interview, click here.

Habits That Will Make You Happier

The stress of looking for a new job or the necessity of getting one has a negative effect on your attitude and relationships with others.  Taking some time to review and modify your mental and emotional state is worth the time.  These are stressful times; acknowledge that fact and recognize its effect on you and those around you.

Minor changes in your daily routine will make a major difference in your life and career. Happiness is the only true measure of personal success. Making other people happy is the highest expression of success, but it's almost impossible to make others happy if you're not happy yourself. So if you are open to 9 suggestions that might counter the job search stress, click here.

9 Words to Dump from Your Resume

Think of the hundreds of resumes that cross an HR manager’s desk; a mountain of paperwork they’d rather bypass. But there are subtle ways to make your resume stand out from the rest.
 
One way is to be word wise. But first, the words that need dumping. These are self-aggrandizing words that your references may use to describe you. But if you use them, it sounds like you’re patting yourself on the back. They simply lack objectivity. They’re qualitative and can’t easily be linked to quantitative appraisals of your accomplishments. So, if you are curious about 9 words to dump and 9 to include, see the article here.

Part Time, the new normal?

With effective unemployment at 14.6 % (BLS U-6 statistic for October) due to the lack of an expanding economy, part time employment represents a practical solution.  While the thought is not pleasant, part time may become the new normal.  Lack of expansion, increased regulation and additional health benefits mandated for full time positions likely will cause an increase in part time offerings. 

Those with extended lack of employment may consider part time as a stop gap measure; the sluggish economy may translate into it being a permanent reality. More detail from an economic point of view available here.

Will your skill set last 10 years?

It has been well acknowledged that for today's workplace one should expect to encounter five to seven distinctly different job descriptions over your forty years. The dynamics of the job place and the pace of technology will present you with the 'ride of your life'.

If you are a new graduate or if you have more than 10 years 

before retirement, think about this. One job for life hasn’t been true for a while, but in the tech space even expecting to have one skill-set for life may be asking too much. Jobs may last less than a decade before becoming obsolete. So how do we cope? Since this roller coaster ride probably applies to you, read more here.

The Prophets Speak!

The Bretheren have given specific and sound counsel over many decades relating the responsibility of the Priesthood to be concerned and care for the temporal welfare of the members.

Leaders should be aware of the needs of each member, active or otherwise and utilize the Priesthood for their rescue.  Selected quotes on the subject available here.

V.I.P. Job Posting Web Sites!

While networking is the most effective source of job leads, the web can also be of value.  Search sites come in two varieties, one for employers to post opportunities and one for candidates to post resumes.  Both allow candidates to search based on personal criteria and on key words. The following sites are a place to start for finding opportunities and get a sense of what employers are looking for:

1. www.ldsjobs.org  The Church web site for employment
2. www.indeed.com    General site with good search features
3. www.dice.com    Hub for high tech professions
4. www.denver.craigslist.org    Denver Blue Collar Jobs
5. www.monster.com    Comprehensive job postings
6. www.usajobs.gov    Source for Federal Government jobs

Your Six Seconds!

So you have worked for weeks on the resume, had it reviewed by others, run the spell checker twice and confirmed proper use of words and grammar. Now it is ready for a thorough review by the hiring manager. You are hoping for a two or three minute detailed analysis - think again.

You will have about six seconds to get the attention of the reviewer and make the first cut ... to read again, or to wastebasket. It is of critical importance to be seen as a seriously qualified candidate in the top one third of the page and within six seconds.

Interested? see the full article here.

Get The Hiring Manager's Attention

Your resume’s cover letter needs to make a strong first impression that will entice employers to want to know you better. Researching the organization and demonstrating why you would make an excellent candidate for this particular job will set you apart.

• State why you like the company
• Use the job description as guidelines
• Bring your specific experiences to life
• The last paragraph should say you're eager to learn more about the position
• Add an individual touch by saying what your next steps will be

If this sounds interesting see the complete article  click here 

Advice for Making the Right Job Move

Whether you find yourself out of work and needing to find a new career path, or whether you're just ready to make a career change for personal reasons, now is the perfect time to figure out what sort of new position would truly fulfill you and make you happy, not just pay the bills. 
Consider the following exploratory steps:

1. Evaluate what you truly enjoy doing.
2. Determine your career goals.
3. Explore your preferred work style.
4. Analyze your preferred work environment.

If these topics raise an interest, read the complete article. Click here.

How to Keep Your Job!

Top 10 Tips for Keeping Your Job

If you have a job you're not thrilled with, before you turn in your resignation, take a look at these tips on how to keep your job. And, if you've successfully kept your job, share your advice on how you made your job work.

For the complete article, click here.

Where To Begin

Employment is a serious concern in the Church. The Church expects priesthood leaders to address this issue at the local level. Leaders need to seek out those with financial or employment challenges and act with compassion consistent in finding improved opportunities. Unemployment of 8.5% is a concern, but if you are THE ONE in the tragedy, it is a significant personal challenge!

The following article can be a catalyst for those persons who want a job, need a new job, or know of  someone needing help searching for employment. It contains a myriad of resources that can help you look for employment and get you thinking about what you want in a job. This is a place to begin.

For the complete resource click here:

Is Your Leadership Showing?

Most members of a team know when they’re doing their work well. They often have a particular area of expertise, and they have deadlines and deliverables.

For leaders, it’s a bit different. How do you show that you’re leading? Here are five competencies that good leaders demonstrate. They are related to one another, and each is framed with a question to help you think about opportunities to display leadership.

For the complete article, click here for more details.

Present Yourself With A Penetrating Message!

Great article and video about how to communicate your message in 15 seconds. Great for job interviewing and gospel sharing approach.  This is accomplished by building a message map in 3-steps. A message map is the visual display of your idea on one page. It is a powerful and tool that should be a part of your communication arsenal. Building a message map can help you pitch anything (job skills, interview answer, a product, service, company, or idea) in as little as 15 seconds. 

For the rest of the article, click here.

How to Market Your Skills ...

By Curt Rosengren US News and World Report Posted: July 19, 2011

You’ve seen skills checklists that ask you to tick off every skill that sounds like you. When it comes to telling your story to a prospective employer, it’s still one-dimensional. There’s nothing to back it up.If you want to talk about your skills in a compelling way, you have to go deeper than that. Remember potential employers aren’t interested in your skills; they’re interested in how those skills can meet their needs. The following will help make your story more compelling by letting you demonstrate that.

Reverse engineer to find your skills  In a nutshell, you’re going to identify your skills through reverse engineering. You will look at three things:

1. Your big picture responsibilities
2. The tasks you had to perform to fulfill those responsibilities
3. The skills you needed to successfully perform those tasks

For the rest of the article, click here.

7 Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers

Networking is a term that didn’t exist (academically) until almost 40 years ago. It’s a word uttered in and around the business world every day, yet is unclear to most as to how it actually works. Still, it’s a fundamental tool to the success of any business. By definition, the term networking is the development and maintenance of mutually valuable relationships. It’s not schmoozing; it’s not just handing out business cards, selling, marketing or small talk. Those activities are part of networking, but unfortunately, many people’s misunderstanding of the term causes them to network ineffectively. 

The following are The 7 Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers and they can stand in the way of developing mutually valuable relationships. So, next time you attend your chamber or association meeting, keep these ideas in mind so you can offer the most value to your fellow networkers.

For the complete article written by Scott Ginsberg, click here.

Bring These 5 Things To Your Next Interview!

Job interviews are stressful and there is so much great advice available about what to wear, how to act and what questions to ask that it's easy to get overwhelmed. Once you have the right outfit, have done tons of interview prep and are confident about your ability to show yourself in your best light, it's showtime. Before you walk out the door, however, there are a few things you need to make sure that you bring along with you.

Here are 5 things you need to bring to your next interview:  click here for the recommendations.

Career Quotes

Careers are ever changing. I know of no other way to prepare for these times of adjustment than to be certain that during times of employment, preparations are made for less prosperous times. Start now and create a plan.  L Tom Perry

Networking is getting to know someone so well that you discover how to create opportunities for one another.

The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul; but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.  King Solomon

Many people today don’t want honest answers insofar as honest means unpleasant or disturbing. They want a soft answer that turneth away anxiety.  Louis Kronenberger

Do not wait; the time will never be “just right.” Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.  Napoleon Hill

Believe that problems do have answers, that they can be overcome, and that you can solve them.  Norman Vincent Peale

Keeping in touch with other people is one of the most important things we can do in our lives.  Plantronics website

Your No. 1 job is to network on the job. Daily. Subtly. Productively. Watch out for No. 1.  Rand Christensen

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.  Thomas Edison

The successful person is the individual who forms the habit of doing what the failing person doesn’t like to do.  Donald Riggs

The luck of having talent is not enough; one must also have a talent for luck.  Hector Berlioz

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.  Abraham Lincoln

There are no secrets to success. Don’t waste time looking for them. Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure and persistence.  Colin Powell

The greatest gift people possess is their ability to interact with people. Good communication skills and business success go hand-in-hand. There are so many brilliant people out there, but you have to be able to get your point across quickly. Attention spans are short. Get your point across quickly and succinctly.  Mrs. Debbi Fields

The worst thing that can happen to your career is to be shot out in an open field. You’ve got to be in the right position to die dramatically, against a wall, near something to hang onto. Never close your eyes. Glaze them. You can’t go wrong bringing something down with you when you fall. A tablecloth is excellent. Preferably with a meal on it.  George Plimpton

Tomorrow's College Education Options Today at a Bargain!

Western Governors University (WGU) is a one of a kind university for working people needing a degree (bachelors or masters) covering over 70 degree offerings.   For a detailed list of degree programs, click here.  WGU is a completely virtual, competency-based university founded by 19 governors of western states.  The governors of Utah and Colorado spear-headed it and the main HQ was originally located in Denver.  Now it is located in Salt Lake City.  Dirt cheap and fully certified and accredited nationally without any questions or reservations.  And also is the largest on-line college in the country.

WGU is a serious alternative for those who need to upgrade their careers and not interfere with their families and their present employment.  And affordable all at the same time.  My son earned 90+ semester credits in 3 semesters at a list price of $3,500 per semester but also had a half tuition scholarship because his career was already in place before he became unemployed.  And there are no charges for text books!  And he immediately earned a master's degree from August 1st to April 1st following his B.S. degree last July graduation.  Now his Master's thesis is all that is left and he graduates on July 14th with a master's degree in Internet Security in less than 12 months.  And the college paid for all national certification tests required for the degree such as the Microsoft Networking Certifications, CISCO tests, and many more which are in themselves very expensive.  And again, no charge for any of these national tests that can be taken at local colleges.

Self-Paced instruction may not be everybody, but students can earn unlimited number of credits per semester.  Students enrolled in a 6-month term and can accelerate to take as many courses as possible in that term at no additional cost.  My son finished each course usually in 2 weeks.  Then takes another course on and on to the end of the semester.  And that's how he earned in excess of 30 semester credits every semester.  Plus passing national computer certification courses.   What a no-nonsense approach to upgrading ones profession.   Academic support is provided by academic mentors who specialize in content areas through online learning communities.

Online instruction offers advantages that can help people upgrade their professional skills while not disrupting their lives:

1. Distance learning does not require commuting.
2. You can complete all of the classes at your convenience.
3. You can live anywhere, study from anywhere while pursing the education of your choice.
4. Gain extra knowledge on the subjects of your choice.
5. Self-paced learning is for both slow and quick learners.
6. Accessibility in the confines of your own home
7. Issue of time.  The learner is not confined to a classroom for certain number of hours on a given day.  

It is an amazing story to motivate others to do something besides do little and wish their careers were more competitive. For more information about Western Governors University, click here.

The Secret of Networking! It May Surprise You!

You have heard over and over again that the key to a successful job search and long-term career advancement is networking. Almost every article touches on this fact. Emphasis is placed on the following fundamentals:

• Develop a target list of companies and make contact with employees and, ultimately,hiring managers.
• Clearly articulate what you would like to do in a job (positioning statement).
• Clearly explain why you are looking for your next job (exit statement).
• Ask for additional networking names.

For more information, click here.  Article is written by Matthew Levy.

7 Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers

By definition, the term networking is the development and maintenance of mutually valuable relationships. It’s not schmoozing; it’s not just handing out business cards, selling, marketing or small talk. Those activities are part of networking, but unfortunately, many people’s misunderstanding of the term causes them to network ineffectively.   

For detailed information about the 7 Habits of Horrible Networkers, click here.

10 useless résumé words (and 10 eye-catching ones)

Instead of being another candidate professing to be a "hard worker," revitalize your application with a little seek-and-replace exercise. Scan your résumé for empty, overused words such as the following:

Click here for more details and essential tips to improve your resume instantly.

Resume Rescue-Is Yours Full of Fluff?

Hiring managers read hundres of resumes per day. Their main challenge includes weaving throught the endless cliche's, jargon, and over-used marketing terminology to really discover what you have to offer. Are you limiting your changes of getting the job by burying your skills and accomplishments among resume fluff?

For more insight, click here.

US in Longest Stretch of High Unemployment Since Depression

Friday, February 17, 2012 02:09 PM  By: Greg Brown

The United States is experiencing the longest stretch of high unemployment since the Great Depression, according to a new study by the Congressional Budget Office.  U.S. unemployment in the United States has exceeded 8 percent since February 2009, making the past three years the longest stretch of high unemployment in this country since the Great Depression, writes CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf on the CBO Director’s Blog site.

For more information, go to the published article by clicking here.