AllCountyJobs.com Blog

First Day Jitters

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:52:07 -0400

Starting a new job can be an exciting time for both you and your new manager, but can also stir up many emotions. Making a good first impression will help you avoid the need to make a course correction later.Almost everyone who starts a new job, even at the most senior level, experiences the first week jitters.

There are many people to meet, new lunch spots to discover and new water cooler gossipers to avoid. Here are some thoughts about ways to control these jitters.

Look for the Welcome Wagon – You know who these people are. They may not buy you a plant for your desk or fill your office with balloons, but these people befriend all new employees “just because”. They may not be your best friend over time, but during the first week, they’ll show you around as if they owned the place.
Dress the Part – On your first day, dressing one step above the crowd seems appropriate, as first impressions are important. Two steps up will make you appear to be trying too hard to impress the boss, so avoid wearing a 3-piece suit when everyone else is wearing khakis. Arriving with a new portfolio is definitely acceptable regardless.
Find a Lunch Buddy – Asking someone at the same level in the organization (and ideally your same gender) to have lunch on day two or three is a great way to find an ally. Although it was easy in kindergarten, making friends is a bit daunting in the work place as egos and competition are at play. Taking the first step by asking someone to lunch is a great way to network.
Stop at Dunkin Donuts – Do you know anyone who doesn’t appreciate a yummy donut, especially when it’s free? I don’t either. Bringing a box of Munchkins and leaving them on your desk will cause a flurry of people to stop by to “introduce themselves”, although you and I will know why they are really there.
Don’t be Afraid to Ask Questions – The saying goes that the only dumb question is the one you don’t ask, especially during your first week when you’re in training. Take lots and lots of notes about the 3 P’s -people, processes, and policies while you are asking questions. No one will expect you to be an expert on your first day. Lay low and don’t try to move mountains until you truly understand the big picture.
Remember Your Paperwork – In many cases, the Human Resources department will have sent you a large stack of forms to fill in and return to them on your first day. Remember to bring them along with your ID and proof of eligibility to work for your employer. Some employers will send you home if you forget your paperwork and that would be an embarrassment difficult to overcome.
Have Patience – If you find the first few days overwhelming, reassure yourself that once you establish a new routine, you’ll feel right at home. If doubts arise as to whether or not you made the right choice, allow yourself five full days of work at your new job before developing any full-fledged opinions. A new job needs to stretch and challenge you in order for your career to grow. Don’t be concerned if you feel awkward or out of sorts for a while like you felt during the first week of school. It’s completely normal. Be kind to yourself and believe that after a few days in your new job you’ll be ready to take on any challenges they can throw at you.

Absolutely Abby’s Advice: Starting off at a new organization makes you want to make changes quickly to ensure success. However, tread lightly and make every attempt to fit in to the team and blend in with the culture. Many people and organizations find it difficult to accept change despite whether or not it will help them be more successful. The time will come for you to let your opinions be known, and you will sense when that is. Just like searching for a job, have patience and spend the time adapting to your new home. Then rev up your engine and enjoy the ride.

Blog by ‘Absolutely’ Abby Kohut. See more from Abby on her site: http://www.absolutelyabby.com/

Our CEO, David Lewis, talks about best practices following your...

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 09:03:25 -0400

Our CEO, David Lewis, talks about best practices following your interview in this week’s Video Blog. Leave your comments on our YouTube channel!

In our newest Video Blog, David Lewis gives Job Seekers advice...

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 08:39:57 -0400

In our newest Video Blog, David Lewis gives Job Seekers advice regarding best practices when creating variations of your resume tailored to individual employers.

Leave your comments below!

Cover Letter Conquests

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 14:06:32 -0400

Remember the last time you went shopping for a big-ticket item such as a car? The salesman showed you a shiny, professional piece of collateral that explained the car in great detail. Could you have learned about the car without the collateral? Of course! But the collateral is part of the sales pitch - it explains the features and benefits of the car and tells you why you should buy it.

Your cover letter is your resume’s collateral, and its purpose is to highlight your strengths to the reader. I continue to hear stories about jobseekers who were far less qualified than their competition and landed in positions anyway. In almost every case, the jobseekers wrote a stellar cover letter to get their foot in the door, so by the time they arrived to the interview, they were already way ahead of their competition.

You should include a cover letter as often as possible, but at least when you are applying for a job that you are extremely interested in. Consider asking a marketing friend to critique you letter to ensure that it is marketing you in the best way possible.

Make an attempt to address your letter to an actual person, rather than just using Dear Sir or Madam. To find the name of the hiring manager, use Google or LinkedIn. Even a good guess scores you points, because it indicates that you tried harder than everyone else.

Make sure that you mention the name of the company in the letter, followed by an explanation of why you are interested in working for THIS company in particular. Make sure that you really mean what you say. Recruiters have a way of sensing when you are being less than truthful. Our goal is to hire people who sincerely want to work for our company - it’s the job of your cover letter to convince us.

At the same time as you are writing creatively, proofread your letter to be sure that your writing is grammatically correct. When recruiters are faced with large stacks of resumes for certain positions, you will not make the first cut if they discover spelling or grammar mistakes on your resume or cover letter. These mistakes are the eye’s equivalent of “nails on a chalkboard”.

Over the years, I’ve saved a dozen or so resumes that had comical mistakes on them. I refer to these affectionately as my “Wall of Shame”. Here are just a few examples from cover letters that ended up in my collection:

A fast-paced company is not the same thing as a “face paced”, a “fast paised”, or even a “fast paste” company.
The abbreviation for Assistant is Asst. Please don’t ever forget that. When you drop the “t” from “Asst” you aren’t offering much to be proud of.
Hiring is not the same thing as “highering” or “hiering” or “hireing”

Double check, triple check and quadruple check your cover letter. And then check it again. You can never be too obsessed about getting the details right.

Absolutely Abby’s Advice: Your cover letter is your sales presentation and it can make you or break you. The key is to give the reader a small glimpse into your background, which encourages them to want to learn more by reading your resume. As simple as this sounds, writing a good cover letter takes practice and patience. Trust me…it will be Absolutely worth all the hard work if you get it right.

Blog by ‘Absolutely’ Abby Kohut. See more from Abby on her site: http://www.absolutelyabby.com/

Facebook Advice for Job Seekers - Leave your comments and let us...

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:54:34 -0400

Facebook Advice for Job Seekers - Leave your comments and let us know what you think of this week’s video blog!

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 11:04:00 -0400

In order to love your job, you have to love ALL of the components of the job, and not JUST the job itself. Let me explain…

In order for a job to be perfectly suited for you, it has to be perfectly suited in many ways. You have to have a wonderful boss in a wonderful company with the ideal culture for you. Your schedule has to be exactly what you’d like it to be and you have to have the exact amount of work/life balance that you desire. And, your job must be situated in an appropriately sized company as this can also affect your happiness.

Many recruiters believe that there is, in fact, a major difference between smaller entrepreneurial companies and larger, more established companies. This difference cannot be ignored when trying to match a candidate to an open position.

Let’s look at small companies first. Many small companies provide opportunities to take on more responsibilities within your job, because there are not as many employees who are qualified to do those tasks. Sometimes you take on projects that you have absolutely no idea how to complete, but because you are smart, you are asked to do them anyway. Small company employees may work longer hours because they are in their start-up and fast-paced phase, which means deadlines are abundant. Small companies may offer lower salaries but may be flexible enough to offer promotions and raises, throughout the year, for excellent performance.

Larger companies offer long-term career paths since there are usually plenty of steps between you and the CEO. Navigating the career ladder may be tricky though, because your peers tend to be vying for similar roles. Large companies typically offer generous benefits including healthcare, tuition reimbursement, and flexible, substantial paid time off plans. Some even offer daycare or adoption assistance. Until recently, large companies also offered a sense of stability and permanence, although these days, the only thing that is permanent is your network.

If you want to make the transition from large company experience to a smaller, entrepreneurial company, it’s up to you to explain to a recruiter or hiring manager why your big company experience is relevant. Come to the interview armed with details about the relevant accomplishments that you have that can match the pace or the operational details needed by a smaller company. Explain that your big company experience can help the start-up or non-profit grow, because you can teach them how larger, more successful companies accomplish certain processes.

If working at a small company is a top priority for you, volunteer for a non-profit organization while you’re searching to show that you can handle fast-paced entrepreneurial responsibilities with few resources. This will give you a good taste of what it’s really like in comparison to working in a big company. Then you can make a better decision as to which size company you prefer.

If you’re trying to go in the other direction, from small company to large, you should have an easier time. However, the recruiters will want to hear reasons other than, “I want great benefits” or “I want stability”. Be prepared to explain why you will not feel stifled when you are only permitted to work on your own specific assignments because everything else is “someone else’s job”.

Absolutely Abby’s Advice: Making the decision on whether to be a big fish in a small bowl or a small fish in a big one is critical to your job satisfaction. No job will be 100% perfect for you. However, if you strive to get as close to perfection as possible, without settling when times seem difficult, you will find happiness even if there are small imperfections along the way. And when you love your job, the imperfections are not nearly as bad as you might have thought they once were.

Blog by ‘Absolutely’ Abby Kohut. See more from Abby on her site: http://www.absolutelyabby.com/

Mo & Lu's Corner: Patience is a Virtue

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:46:00 -0400

by Mackey & Guasco Staffing on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 5:33pm ·

The Purpose of our blog is to give our readers a raw sense of what is happening in the labor market with a twist of humor; simultaneously educating and entertaining! Our blog will be brief and to the point and we will speak the truth, even if it’s not what our readers want to hear. As we always say, “we don’t make the rules we just recruit by them.” In other words, the CLIENT (prospective employer) IS ALWAYS RIGHT no matter what! After all, they are the ones that are actually doing the hiring…

Patience is a Virtue

The quest to have more patience is what it’s all about these days. As a recruiter, I’m always asked, “how’s the job market?” I am happy to say that we are busy, and that there are open jobs! However, we are what I like to call, “in a state of gridlock.” Making a decision on who to hire has almost come to a screeching halt because most hiring managers have “checked out” whether it be that they are on vacation or are trying to “make it happen” at work before the end of the 3Q. As a result, they don’t have time to focus on recruiting! This happens every year at this time, and this summer is no different. BUT why does it feel different? I believe most people are nervous… Let’s face it, we don’t know where we are headed with health care. Therefore, bringing a new employee on board these days is almost like embarking on a trip with an outdated map. You know you need to take the trip, but you’re not sure if the route is going to change along the way, and you, like most people, procrastinate rather than embark into the unknown.

Additionally, with the unemployment rate being at 8.2%, the quintessential hiring manager believes they can interview an endless array of people. They can, but the question is can they see an endless array of qualified people? The answer is no! While they are busy seeing and endless array of candidates, chances are, they will end up losing a qualified candidate that they met early on in the recruiting process. In this market, candidates are quickly accepting jobs. Long gone are the days of weighing the “pros” and “cons” of a job offer or waiting for a second job offer to come through before accepting the “perfect” job.

Along with having patience, we believe (like most successful organizations) that “the client is always right!” So, if the hiring manager wants to see fleets of people, we will present fleets of people. Even if the days turn into months and the months turn into quarters, we will remain patient. This is one of the reasons why we are here 10 years later thriving in a tough economic market. Burning sage leaves and practicing yoga certainly helps as well. So, we suggest that you continue to be kind to your Recruiters and HR teams and work hard at finding patience - - it’s the key to surviving this labor market.

Photo Credit: www.yogaworldtours.com

Blog by Maureen Mackey, Partner at Mackey & Guasco Staffing. See more from Maureen on her site: http://mackeyandguasco.com

David Lewis, CEO of AllCountyJobs and OperationsInc, offers five...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:07:16 -0400

David Lewis, CEO of AllCountyJobs and OperationsInc, offers five tips to help Job Seekers with following up after sending their resume.

Mirroring Without Mimicking

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:44:55 -0400

Assuming you are qualified for the job, getting a “yes” vote depends on whether or not the interviewer finds you engaging, and feels comfortable with you. Besides using words to develop rapport, you also may find success using a technique called “mirroring”.

People generally like people who are similar to them, and believe me, you want your interviewer to like you. Therefore, by observing an interviewer’s body language and reflecting this back at him by subtly mirroring his movements, he is likely to feel more at ease and friendly towards you.

Here are three ways to mirror your interviewer:

1) Pay close attention to your interviewer’s gestures. If he often uses his hands while explaining things to you, try to do this as well. If he doesn’t use many gestures, keep yours to a minimum.

2) Notice his body posture and adopt a similar one. If he is sitting up straight and tall, you should do the same. If he leans forward, mirror his actions several minutes later.

3) Notice the speed at which your interviewer speaks and adapt your own pace to his. Match his style including tone, rhythm, and pronunciation. If you do this, you will score points that you didn’t even know were up for grabs.

While you are mirroring behaviors, you don’t want to appear to be mimicking because it feels like mocking. For example, just remember a time when little Johnny starting repeating everything you said, word for word, just to annoy you. Practicing the mirroring skill will help it become second nature to you and less obvious to the interviewer.

Here are two kinds of body language to look out for from your interviewer:

1) If you notice your interviewer lean backwards in her chair, lean forwards in yours several minutes later, so as not to be too obvious. Leaning forward should draw her back into the conversation.

2) If the interviewer shakes his head or sighs or crosses his arms, consider this to be an obvious sign of displeasure. Assume that you need to win back some points, and quickly.

Absolutely Abby’s Advice: Like everything else about interviewing, effective mirroring requires polish and precision. Practicing this skill, while also learning how to best explain your strengths to an interviewer, will help you soar to success in the interviewing game.

Blog by ‘Absolutely’ Abby Kohut. See more from Abby on her site: http://www.absolutelyabby.com/

David Lewis, CEO of AllCountyJobs and OperationsInc, offers five...

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:57:46 -0400

David Lewis, CEO of AllCountyJobs and OperationsInc, offers five tips to help Job Seekers dress for the interview.

Shattering the One Page Rule

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 09:17:00 -0400

Probably one of the greatest debates between Human Resources professionals, headhunters, and hiring managers alike, is that of the one page resume. Some believe it is Absolutely essential to keep your resume to one page, while others believe it is an old wives tale.

When you are graduating from high school or college, a one page resume is usually the best choice. Unless you have won a bunch of awards and also participated in a plethora of extracurricular activities before age 21, you should be able to fit a summary of your entire life on one page. This also holds true for those people who have held a single job for a long time and are beginning to search for new opportunities.

If you can fit everything you need to say on to one clean page, there’s no need to stretch it out onto two. But, as many candidates find, after a few jobs you’ll have lots to say and may choose to use two pages (or more).

Here are some reasons why a multi-page resume is ideal:

1) If you are not confined to one page, you will not have to use the teeny tiny fonts that someone, who left their magnifying glass home, will be unable to read.

2) You will have more room to add a section to each job experience entitled “Accomplishments” where you will be able to tell us why you excelled at your job rather than just doing it.

3) You will have room to add a sentence or two about your volunteer and extracurricular activities, explaining what skills you gained from these experiences.

4) You will have room to add a summary of your background or list of key skills representing your talents at the top of your resume.

5) You will have room to add things about you that might be interesting to an employer beyond your job, such as winning an award.

If you survey recruiters and Human Resources professionals, a small percentage will tell you that you need to stick to one page, but the majority will advise you to cap it at two with three being the absolute maximum. I believe that it should be as long as it needs to be to explain your qualifications to your audience.

And my resume you ask? Not only did I break the one page rule, I shattered it. I have 20+ years of relevant work experience and loads of volunteer activities and memberships. My resume is filled with four pages that I am proud of, which make me a well-qualified Human Resources professional. I would never even try to fit my whole career on one page.

Absolutely Abby’s Advice: The answer to whether your particular resume should be one page is like many other things in job searching…it depends. If you have a handful of work experience and great accomplishments to communicate, do not feel that you must confine yourself to just one page. Quality is far more important than quantity.

Blog by ‘Absolutely’ Abby Kohut. See more from Abby on her site: http://www.absolutelyabby.com/

Job Seeker Tip of the Day: Preparing for the Interview David...

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 07:02:32 -0400

Job Seeker Tip of the Day: Preparing for the Interview

David Lewis, CEO of AllCountyJobs and OperationsInc, offers seven tips to help Job Seekers prepare for the interview.

Be a Career Fair Keeper

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 10:51:00 -0400

Career fairs can be beneficial events to attend because you can make many employment connections in one day, but as in all other phases of the job search process, preparation is the key to success.

A career fair, like a networking event is an interview in disguise. You have 30 seconds or less to tell the recruiter about yourself, quickly capture their attention, and entice them to want to learn more. “Yes”, “No”, and “Maybe” decisions are made about you on the spot. Typically recruiters have three piles – the “Keepers”, the “I don’t know what to do with this person but I like them for something” pile, and the “I’m really not sure what this person was thinking” pile. Let’s review the top five ways to improve your odds of landing in the first pile.

Dress like you are going to an interview. A professional image leaves recruiters with a positive impression and will also improve your self-confidence, which is a must at a career fair.
Bring at least 50 resumes printed on special quality resume paper. Running out of copies before the day is over won’t get you into the Keepers pile.
Do your homework before the event. Research the companies on the roster, and see which positions they typically hire for. Be prepared to speak with companies about specific roles that you might fit into, regardless of whether they are currently open.
Prepare a short introductory statement about yourself ahead of time. Find a way to tell a recruiter what you are all about in 30 seconds or less and then end with a closing question such as, “would someone with my background be a good fit for your organization?”
Make sure that your breath smells fresh as the day continues. You have less than one minute to make an impression – make a good one!
Maintain good eye contact with the recruiter, and remember to smile! Smiling is contagious and if you’re smiling, you’ll both remember the experience more positively. Also be sure to offer a firm handshake.
Avoid asking the question “What positions are you recruiting for?” Instead, be prepared to talk about what you can offer to the company and let them tell you what positions they have that might match your background.
Ask each person for their business card and don’t be surprised if recruiters “don’t have any” or “ran out”. Business cards might suddenly appear if you are a top candidate. If the recruiter does not offer you a card, at least ask for the correct spelling of his or her name. If you end up with a pile of business cards that have actual names on them, rather than generic ones, consider yourself to have had a very successful day.
Try to visit each booth even if you don’t think they have positions that match your background. You never know which unadvertised positions recruiters have up their sleeves. Plus, it’s a great networking opportunity and provides you with practice delivering your elevator pitch. Recruiters that have shorter lines will have more time to speak with you individually.
The day after the event, e-mail thank you notes to the recruiters you met. This is your chance to quickly remind them about your conversation and to differentiate yourself from the crowd. Less than 1% of candidates ever follow up, so this is an easy way to make yourself known.

Absolutely Abby’s Advice: By attending a career fair, you can learn a great deal about specific employers, practice effective networking, and perfect your elevator pitch. The key to success at a career fair is being prepared. So, do your homework, put on some comfortable shoes and then get out there!

Blog by ‘Absolutely’ Abby Kohut. See more from Abby on her site: http://www.absolutelyabby.com/

FairfieldCountyJobs.com in the News!

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 09:12:01 -0400

FairfieldCountyJobs.com in the News!:

The FairfieldCountyJobs.com Job Market Report has been featured in the CTPost, Stamford Advocate, and other area publications. Read what our CEO has to say about employment in Fairfield County!

Job Seeker Tip - Sourcing Email Addresses

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 12:24:47 -0400

Ever want to send your resume or just a note to a key person at a prospective employer but you cannot seem to find their email address? I have two ideas for how to ensure you get your email into the right hands.

Most companies use “first initial” followed by “last name” @theirdomain.com as the email string. Try that and see if you get an error message kicking back your email.
Better yet go to Google and type in * followed by the @ sign and the domain name (e.g. *@allcountyjobs.com). What will follow will be the results of your search like any other Google search, but this time any place on the internet where an email address is posted for this company will show up in the results. Pay close attention to the addresses that come up. You may get lucky and find the address for the person you want to contact. Overall you have a solid chance of seeing the email address for SOMEONE in the firm, in which case you shoud match the style of the email string, swapping out their name for the name of the person you want to email.

Getting your message in front of your target audience is a key battle point. This trick should help you clear this critical hurdle.

Good luck!!

David Lewis

CEO

AllCountyJobs.com

Greetings from the New Team at All County Jobs

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 13:30:49 -0400

On behalf of the team at the new AllCountyJobs.com (ACJ) I want to formally introduce our team to you and outline our plans for continuing the success ACJ has experienced to date.

ACJ has set a goal of solidifying its role as the center of the job seeking universe in the markets we serve. We will be providing fresh timely content, ranging from tips on how to find your dream job to news on the job market and specifically on those companies that are hiring. We will also leverage the assets of OperationsInc, our partner company, including sharing insights from their over 30 HR professionals, tapping into their over 600 area clients, many of whom are hiring, as well as posting guest blogs from some of the areas’ top recruiting professionals, who are both partners and clients of OperationsInc.

ACJ will be providing a wide range of training opportunities including webinars, seminars, panel discussions and formal training programs, all designed to educate today’s job seeker and enhance their success rate in their job search. ACJ will also be running Job Fairs and Pink Slip Parties throughout New England, bringing together area employers with the market’s top talent.

Our mission is to improve the job market for those seeking employment and to deliver the area’s best and brightest to the door steps of regional employers throughout New England. We have every intent of succeeding in a big way.

Keep an eye on our Blog, our Twitter feed and our Facebook page as we plan to use these Social Media tools to keep you informed. We are looking forward to making a difference in the markets we serve.

Your ACJ Team:

David Lewis - President / CEO

Jennifer Gerwien - SVP Marketing and Business Development

Mike Wiston - Product Manager

Brittney Tavello - Account Specialist

Thank You Employers & Job Seekers

Thu, 31 May 2012 11:08:02 -0400

Almost 14 years ago I launched my first job board FairfieldCountyJobs.com, which has become an important source of hire for many companies in Southwestern Connecticut. Over time I expanded the network to include many other sites that now cover job markets from DC to New England.

But change is good. It’s time for me to say goodbye and pass the business on to someone else.

Effective today, it’s been sold to OperationsInc of Stamford, CT. (read press release)

This has been a fantastic journey for me. It has literally transformed my career, quite unexpectedly. In 1999 I wanted to start a simple website for job seekers. I had no idea it would turn into a business. And now I get to watch it grow even more under the watchful eye of David Lewis and the team at OperationsInc, who I’m confident, will build upon my success.

So now I’d like to thank the thousands of job seekers and employers who have used my job boards over the past 14 years. It has been my pleasure to help you find work/talent and I couldn’t have done it without you.

I won’t be disappearing altogether. For the next few weeks I’ll be assisting the new owner with the transition and training them on how to run this well oiled machine. I think they have some cool new ideas in store for you as well, so stay tuned.

As for me, I will eventually fade into the background and begin working on some new projects.

The online recruiting space is still a passion for me and I am an entrepreneur at heart. It’s time for me to do something new but I’ll always be proud of what I have built here.

Thank You!

Chris Russell

Founder, FairfieldCountyJobs.com & AllCountyJobs.com

PS…I’ll still be available at my regular email (chris at allcountyjobs.com) for a short time but feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.

Human Resources Consulting Firm, OperationsInc, Acquires Leading Local Job Board Network, AllCountyJobs.com

Thu, 31 May 2012 11:07:08 -0400

29 Sites included in purchase covering all of CT, as well as other local regions

Stamford, CT. [May 31, 2012] It is with great pleasure that OperationsInc, announces the acquisition of leading local job board, AllCountyJobs.com (www.AllCountyJobs.com). The purchase includes a total of 29 Job Boards covering the Northeast US Corridor. The decision to make this acquisition was tied to multiple factors, including the opportunity to exploit countless synergies between the two firms.

OperationsInc’s plans include growing the content and popularity of each site by offering enhanced services to both the employer and candidate populations, leveraging their expertise as one of the nation’s top subject matter experts in the world of Human Resources, as well as in the recruiting field. Terms of the deal are confidential and will not be disclosed.

“I’d like to personally thank the thousands of employers and job seekers who have used my job boards over the past 13 years, said Chris Russell, who founded AllCountyJobs in 1999. “It has been a pleasure to work with you. The success of the sites has been a fantastic journey for me. Now I get to watch OperationsInc build upon that success and take them to the next level.”

“Acquiring AllCountyJobs.com is one of the most exciting milestones for our firm.” stated David Lewis, President of OperationsInc.“ It represents an opportunity to build on the success Chris has created in the array of sites while also leveraging our knowledge and expertise in the areas of job seeking for both employers and candidates. We are looking forward to years of success as the two firms leverage one another’s strengths and capabilities.”

Founded by David Lewis in 2001, OperationsInc specializes in HR solutions for small businesses and HR professionals. OperationsInc’s portfolio of offerings includes such services as: Human Resources Outsourcing, Recruitment and Retention Services, Outplacement Services, Benefits Administration, Exit Interview Services, Payroll Administration and Management and Staff Training.

OperationsInc is located at 992 High Ridge Road, Second Floor, Stamford, CT 06905 and David can be reached at (203) 322-0538 or info@operationsinc.com.

Chris Russell can be reached at (203) 572-2053 or chris@allcountyjobs.com.

TIP: The purpose of a Resume

Tue, 22 May 2012 15:58:54 -0400

The purpose of a résumé is to get interviews. To do that, it must stand out from the other résumés that a hiring manager receives when they list a job opening. Just as an advertisement must create a positive image for a product, so too must your résumé. It must be clearly written with a concise message AND have a visually pleasing design and layout. After the interview, your résumé serves as a decision-making tool and expectation setter.

Your résumé must also be tailored to each job that you apply to. The “one résumé fits all” approach is no longer effective in today’s job market.

Job search tip: ignore the job date

Tue, 22 May 2012 15:42:22 -0400

When you browse our job boards (or any job site) its important to ignore the date a job was posted. Just because a job may be 2-3 weeks “old” does not mean it has been filled.

On the contrary, the employer probably hasn’t finished interviewing yet. In some cases they may not be happy with the flow of applicants despite the job being online for an extended period.

So as job seekers you need to ignore the dates. Just apply.