Ask The Headhunter® | Nick Corcodilos

Readers’ Forum: Better to be unemployed when job hunting?

Nick Corcodilos — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:59:52 +0000

Discussion: February 9, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter In today’s Q&A column a reader wonders whether it’s better to be unemployed and job hunting full time, or to explain why he’s underemployed and jumping ship so quickly for the job he really wants. Do managers care? Does it make a difference? I outline three different risks in my reply. [...]

How to Say It: My degree beats your certification!

Nick Corcodilos — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:55:29 +0000

Discussion: February 9, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter In today’s edition a reader says, “My degree beats your certification!” Why are firms so ignorant of one’s university degrees and instead treat certifications like CPA with much more respect? To complete a degree takes quite a bit of effort. (Try to take MBA school in four exams like a [...]

The Preemptive Reference

Nick Corcodilos — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:31:29 +0000

Sometimes an idea gets a point on it when there’s a story to tell… Chris Walker is an “ATH Regular” from Ohio. He is a Training and Placement Specialist at the Senior Employment Center in Akron. That means Chris helps seniors find jobs. He just sent me this note, which made my day: Nick, One of my recent grads [...]

What do your job interviews sound like?

Nick Corcodilos — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:20:49 +0000

I’ve spent years sharing advice about job interviews. My main advice is to walk into a job interview prepared to stand and deliver: Show the employer how you will do the work profitably so the employer will want to hire you. But sometimes I forget that that’s the substance of a good interview. A good interview [...]

How to Say It: You want me to start WHEN?

Nick Corcodilos — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:59:06 +0000

Discussion: February 2, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter In today’s edition a reader asks how to deal with a job offer that has a three-month starting delay. The candidate is interested in the job but cannot start work immediately. But there are risks in accepting the offer today — what if a better deal comes up in [...]

Readers’ Forum: When to tell all

Nick Corcodilos — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:52:49 +0000

Discussion: February 2, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter A reader asks for advice: After several years of being a single mother I am now looking for work. However, due to family obligations I do not wish to work full time; ideally 20-30 hours per week. I have successfully found work using your approach in the past and would [...]

TheLadders: Job-board salary fraud?

Nick Corcodilos — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:11:19 +0000

Honest, I don’t wake up every morning wondering, How can I slam TheLadders today? But TheLadders just seems to keep tripping over its own questionable practices. I received a query from a reporter who’s working on a story about the perils of job hunting: I am looking for job seekers, recruiters or hiring managers who can talk [...]

How to Say It: Boo! to the employer

Nick Corcodilos — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:30:08 +0000

Discussion: January 26, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter A reader’s query: In today’s newsletter, a “less than qualified” job applicant wonders how to shake the interview up. Is it ever proper to tell the interviewer that looking for “exact skills” will result in hiring someone who is likely to get bored easily and move on when the [...]

How to apply for a job: The Working Resume

Nick Corcodilos — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:20:45 +0000

When I first started publishing Ask The Headhunter online in 1995, the most popular and frustrating question I’d get from readers was, How can I write a really great resume that will get me an interview? My answer was simple: Throw your resume in the garbage. Don’t use a resume. A resume is a crutch. A dumb [...]

Readers’ Forum: Screwed by a headhunter

Nick Corcodilos — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:40:48 +0000

Discussion: January 19, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter In today’s Q&A a reader lost a precious job offer because she let a “headhunter” get involved: My daughter recently got a job offer from a Fortune 100 company. When her headhunter sent them a bill, the company withdrew the offer. They said their policy excludes headhunters. Something doesn’t sound [...]