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Get to know the new rules in job search

CareerAlley — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:01:25 +0000

“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” – Alan Alda

The days of going directly to companies HR departments with printed resumes or posting them via snail mail are history now. With internet job search in full swing, things have changed to a great extent. You can find jobs online, build a good rapport and network with employers, give interviews on the web and find potential people who can recruit you. The rules to finding jobs via the internet keep changing, things which worked previously now are considered to be obsolete and there are no fixed rules for the new world of the online job hunt. The following tips will help you understand the current trend of job hunting.

Make your presence visible over the Internet:

There is something called “sourcing” in the hiring world (finding candidates by networking, advertising or other methods). More than 80 percent of recruiters “source” potential candidates on via business social networks (like LinkedIn). To benefit from this, you need to ensure you are searchable over the internet by having a good profile page on social networking sites. Your profile page will help you market yourself and your skill set to potential job opportunities. You can do a similar process by having your own blog or website to achieve the kind of result. Having a profile page at LinkedIn is not enough; you need to promote yourself using the best keywords and key phrases related to your subject expertise. For this you need to put yourself in your prospective employer’s shoes, understand the way he would search for someone with your experience. Hence make sure you put those words on your profile and get the best search result from employers or recruiters.

The social media factor:

The ever increasing popularity of social media has changed everything including the job hunt market to a great extent. With the help of social media you can connect and reconnect with your old colleagues, clients and friends who can help you find potential employers and eventually a desired job. If this does not work for you, you have countless other ways to reach potential employers. One of the best ways is to become a member of online groups from your industry (or profession) and a potential employer. By conducting some research on maximizing sites such as LinkedIn, you can fast track your job search experience. Just explore social networks in an effective way. Social networks have made the work of both job seekers and employers easy, make them work for you.

Do not expect your potential group to always respond:

This is certainly a tough rule to know. You cannot expect potential employers to respond; they may or may not reply to your email, online application or voice-mail. However, if there is a good match, you will certainly hear back. If you are not getting any responses, you may try to follow up, however, don’t expect a positive result.

Getting or finding jobs today comes with set of different rules than the ones that existed even just a few years ago. Gone are the days when people used to get jobs by sending or delivering printed resumes. With the Internet you have certainly new rules to follow. Try using the above tips to help you find your prospective employers (or help them find you). This is a new mantra in the world of online job search. Job search is a fast changing process, and you will need to change accordingly if you hope to survive in this tough “job hunt” world. Indeed your ability to adapt and change will help you find your dream job.

About the author: Kate is a blogger by profession. She is fond writing on electric vehicles and lifestyle. Beside this, she is fond of gadgets. These days she is busy in writing an article on Umbrella Strollers for her blog Parentingclan.

Good luck in your search.

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Reader’s Choice – Job Search Resources

CareerAlley — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:01:02 +0000

“Ch-ch-Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can’t trace time” – David Bowie

Every so often I cover suggestions/recommendations from CareerAlley readers. The following are resources &/or articles recommended via email. Enjoy and please keep the recommendations coming.

Resources:

Resumesimo – This site focuses on helping you build a better resume (in less than 10 minutes according to the site) – for free. You can download a free eBook with lots of great resources. To get started, click “get started” in the middle of the page. Next, you will see a number of templates (pick one). Once you choose the template, fill in your information (basic info, work history, education, etc.). It’s as easy as that. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

CRCC Asia Announces Temporary Solution for Unemployed US Youth – If you are looking for an internship, take a look at this link. There are some great opportunities to work as an intern in China.

How to Job Hunt – Dick Bolles, author of What Color is Your Parachute? – Some interesting short job-tip videos from Dick Bolles (Dick Bolles is a highly esteemed job-hunting/career-changing expert, best known for his best-selling book, What Color is Your Parachute?). The videos give job-seekers practical tips to help them land careers they love and start the new year off right. Take a look at this and Dick’s other videos.

50 Hottest Twitter Hashtags for Job Seekers – Put Twitter to work for you in your job search. This article tells you how to leverage Twitter to find a job. Who’s hiring, who has posted job openings and lots of other great hashtags. Take a look.

Job / Career Articles:

8 Great Pep Talks for Generation Jobless – A very interesting article, the topic of which I’ve seen first hand. If you are a recent college grad (or about to become one), take a read. Generation Jobless is a very real phenomenon. Take a look at some of the other articles on the site.

The Ultimate Unemployment Reading List – 65 or so great links for those who are unemployed. Some of the articles are focused on personal growth while others focus on job hunting and many of the resources you will need to successfully complete your job search. Lots of great links, take a look.

Good luck in your search.

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How to Answer the Most Terrifying Job Interview Questions

CareerAlley — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:01:37 +0000

“It’s not the hours you put in your work that count, it’s work you put in the hours.” – Sam Ewing

When you’re going to a job interview there are a number of interview questions you can naturally expect. “What are your strengths?” is simply a chance to recite the best parts of your CV. “Why do you want this job?” is just a way of checking you’ve actually read the job description. With these questions you just need to project a confident, relaxed exterior and remember to keep your answers specific.

Of course, in amongst those questions, there is the occasional blindside or questions that, even if you’re expecting them, you’re also secretly dreading. These questions aren’t included just to terrify you, however, and there are ways to answer them without being reduced to a gibbering wreck. Here are a few of the more intimidating interview questions and answers that will help you through them.

What are your salary requirements?
This seems like a pretty innocuous question, but it does put you in an awkward position. You don’t want to price yourself out of the market, but you don’t want to sell yourself too cheap either. Here, ideally, you want to let your interview show their hand.
The best way forward is to simply tell the interviewer what you are earning right now, or in your last job, while explaining that you’re less focused on salary than finding a job where you can directly impact your employer’s bottom line.

Ideally, you don’t want to discuss salary any more than that until you get to the offer stage, when you’ll be in a better position to negotiate.

I notice there’s quite a gap in your CV. Could you tell me about what you were doing during that period?
The job market has been tough for a while now, and plenty of us have had to spend at least a couple of months between jobs at some point. Having this come up at interview can really knock you for six. It’s tempting to become defensive at a time like, but resist that urge.
It’s fine to acknowledge that it’s been tough finding a job- anybody who’s seen the news in the last three years will know that is true. The trick is to be able to say what you’ve been doing while looking for a job. If you’ve done any voluntary work while unemployed, now is a great time to bring it up. Likewise, if you’ve been learned or improving any skills, whether they’re related to the job you’re applying for or not. So long as you can demonstrate that you have been using your time, rather than spending it on the sofa watching daytime TV in your pyjamas, you can turn this question into a plus for you.

Why did you leave your last employer?
The golden rule here is never slag off your previous employer. It can be tempting- Lord knows it can be tempting, but the interviewer is going to hear every bad word about your last boss as future-you talking about them.

If you’re unemployed, it should be enough to say that your employer was making cuts to the workforce due the economic situation. If you’re in a job that you’re looking to leave, it’s enough to say that you’re looking for new challenges.

Aren’t you overqualified for this position?
This can be a particularly tricky question at a time when graduate jobs are thin on the ground and many applicants are just looking to get whatever form of income they can. An interviewer looking at your CV may be concerned that you’re only taking this job until a better opportunity comes along (possibly because it’s true).

What you need to do here is come up with specific, convincing sounding reasons why you want to work for this company, and give the impression that you will be there for the long haul and open to promotions.

What would you say is your biggest weakness?
This question always feels just a little bit like cheating, doesn’t it? Surely they can’t just up and ask why they shouldn’t give you the job?

Unfortunately, yeah they are. When it comes to the “your biggest weakness” question, there are two popular schools of thought. The first is the false-weakness, or “bragplaining”. This would be, for instance: “I’m just too much of a perfectionist” or “Often people say I work far too hard”. Be warned, your interviewer will see right through this with no trouble whatsoever.
The other school of thought is to pick a genuine, carefully judged weakness somewhere in the middle ground between “My professionalism is just too exemplary” and “I often forget to come to work on account of how much I drink”. A good one might be “I have trouble being assertive in group situations” (assuming of course, that being assertive in group situations isn’t at the top of your job description). However, at the same time you tell the interviewer this weakness, also tell them what you are doing to overcome that weakness- for instance, taking part in more group activities to overcome your shyness.

This approach will have you come across as honest, while at the same time showing that you’re dedicated to self improvement.

Even for the very hardest interview questions, it’s not too hard to figure out which ones are going to come up in interview ahead of time. So long as you practice your answers with a friend, and research the employer thoroughly in advance, you should be confident enough to take n the interview with ease.

Guest post written by Sam Wright. Sam is the founder of Blink, a leading web content agency.

Good luck in your search.

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5 Ways to Make Your Executive Thank-You Letter Count

CareerAlley — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:01:57 +0000

“Success is a journey, not a destination.” – Ralph Arbitelle

Author Byline: Jessica Hernandez, expert resume writer, is a nationally-recognized resume authority and former HR Manager who has achieved over a 99% success rate securing interviews with prestigious organizations through exclusive, personal branding strategies.
Author Website: http://www.greatresumesfast.com

Networking skills are of extreme importance when functioning at any spot on the corporate ladder, but as an executive you have even more work to do. As you know, a part of networking is communicating after you’ve completed the interviewing process. This can easily be accomplished by sending out a thank-you letter.

Thank-you letters show just how much you appreciated the opportunity to apply. But not only that, they also give you an amazing opportunity to market yourself yet again for the position. If you’re at a loss for how to create an executive-level thank-you letter that will stick with the employer, here are some tips to make yours count:

#1: Reiterate Your Expertise

Take this opportunity to address any specific needs, issues, or challenges the company communicated it needs assistance with. By reiterating your level of expertise and ability to solve the problems while moving the company in new, exciting, and profitable directions, you’re sure to make a lasting impression on management.

#2: Highlight Specific Accomplishments

You also want to utilize this fantastic opportunity to highlight your strongest areas. Think of some special accomplishments that go above and beyond what the company is asking of you, whether they are initiatives you’ve masterminded or seemingly unsolvable problems you’ve managed to figure out. The company needs to know it’s getting a superstar in your field, so now’s your chance to prove you’re that person.

#3: Overcome any Objections

If you found that you faced a bit of objection during the interview or at any other point in your candidacy, take a moment within your thank-you letter to respond to those concerns. You can demonstrate that the issues aren’t really obstacles. Instead, they are opportunities to fully and successfully meet the challenge.

#4: Don’t Make It Too Short … Or Long

When deciding on the length of the thank-you letter, you don’t want to find yourself writing another cover letter or executive autobiography. But on the other hand, you don’t want to write a one-sentence, handwritten thank-you card. To play it safe, consider making yours no longer than one page. This way, you can dig deep without boring the reader to death with a bunch of information they already know.

#5: Thank Everyone

Before you submit your thank-you letter, be sure to thank everyone who helped you in the process—from the secretary who took all of your calls, to the various interviewers throughout the process. Taking time to acknowledge everyone is not only impressive, it’s the right thing to do. So be sure not to leave anyone off when writing your letter.

There was a time that sending your letter via snail mail was the only way to go, but with electronic communication being the norm, you may miss your chance if you send yours this way. So consider e-mailing your thank-you letter, or if you really want to impress with the snail mail letter, overnight it.

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow us on Twitter @GreatResume or visit our blog.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Good luck in your search.

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Reinvent Your Career and Job Search – Part 1

CareerAlley — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:01:24 +0000

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

I ran into an old friend (metaphorically speaking) that I used to work with very early in my career. We hadn’t been in contact for probably 12 years or so even though we spent 11 years (across two companies) working together way back when. When we worked together, he was not your average guy. He was a very successful business man, near the top of his field. A typical “type A” personality, but if he liked you he would go out of his way to help you. Anyway, long story short, I spotted him on LinkedIn and he then sent a message letting me know the new things he was doing (very different from what he was doing when we worked together). I pressed him a bit for more information on one of his new ventures (because it seemed so different from what I would expect) and he told me that every so often you need to reinvent yourself. And you know what? He’s right. Sometimes we are forced to reinvent ourselves (industries change, companies disappear, skill sets become irrelevant due to changes in technology, etc.) and sometimes change is just part of our natural progression. So, whether you’re reinventing yourself because of your own personal “evolution” or are changing due to a forced “revolution”, take some time to map out the best way to get to your destination.

Reinvent Your Career: Before you reinvent anything, the first question you should ask is “why?”. There are millions of reasons why, but in the interest of time, I’ve tried to narrow it down to some of the most common reasons. The second question you should ask is “how?” and there are a few links below to cover that as well.

Why?

Career Regrets: Maybe your career choice has not turned out as you expected. Or, perhaps your career has not progressed in the way you had planned. Or it could just be that, now that you have experience, you would just like to do something different. No matter what the reason, if you’ve come to that conclusion it is time for a change.

Industry Downturn (or Worse): Could be that your industry has taken a turn for the worse (like my example of typewriters). It could be on its way out (like DVD rentals), depressed (like the Newspaper industry) or the product could just plain be gone (like Hummers).

Your Company is Gone or You’ve Lost Your Job: Sometimes a career change opportunity (have to think on the positive side) presents itself. Maybe your company has been acquired or has gone out of business. Or, maybe you lost your job (does not matter why). Forced job change is a good time to reassess your career and decide if you should continue as planned or look for a new path.

Moving House: Sometimes an unplanned move to another city, state or country will force an unplanned career review. As with job loss, this is the perfect time to take a pause and review your career situation

The “Grass is Greener on the Other Side of the Job Market” Syndrome: Maybe other careers look more exciting, more interesting or pay more money. Sometimes an opportunity presents itself and that means a career change.

How?

Make a List: A list can help you put things in perspective. What do you like about your current job/career? What do you hate? What would you change? If you could define the “perfect job”, what would it be?

What are You Good at (and Bad at)?: Okay, no sense in trying to take on a different career if you don’t have the skills. Make a list (yes, another list) of what you are good at, what you are bad at and what you don’t want to do.

What Do You Want to Do? If you already know what you want to do, skip to the next bullet. If you don’t, take some free career aptitude tests (see some of the links below). This will help you figure out what you are good at (or not). See how this matches up to the lists you’ve created.

New Career Requirements: Take all of the stuff you learned from the prior steps and see how this matches to the requirements for your preferred career. What do you need to do to fill the gaps?

Some links to help you get started are included below. Part 2 (Reinvent Your Job Search) will be published in a future post.

Resource Links:

Career Assessment:

Career Tests:

Career Planning:

Good luck in your search.

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Be Prepared for Uncommon Interview Questions

CareerAlley — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:01:22 +0000

“Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared.” – George Clason

Some interviewers like to get a little creative, and put their interviewees in the hot seat by asking questions that break the classic interview mold. The purpose of these questions is to put you in a pressure situation where you are required to think quickly without losing composure. The benefits of these unusual interview questions are twofold for the interviewer…

The answers that you provide about yourself allow the interviewee to learn about you on a personal level by providing details of your life and personality that you surely did not write on the resume.
Your ability to keep composure, and perform under pressure during an interview, is indicative of your ability to handle similarly stressful situations in the work environment.

Although it would be impossible to prepare a list of all of the uncommon interview questions that could possibly be asked of you, here is a sample list below, of a few humdingers. Since, in all likelihood, you will not be able to predict the questions that an interviewer will ask, I do not recommend simply reading over the list, and preparing answers. Rather, I recommend pretending that you are at the interview, and after making a spectacular impression from the first part of the interview, the interviewer sends you a curveball of a question. Then look at one question at a time, and try to articulate a good answer. By the way, the full benefit of this exercise will only be realized if you answer aloud. The purpose of this exercise is to help you to develop your ability to think quickly without losing composure at your interview.

So, without further adieu:

What would you do if you didn’t need to work for a living?
What book are you currently reading and why?
What do other people think of you, and is that accurate?
What is the difference between, “to say,” and “to tell.”
If you could ask anybody one question who would you ask and what would the question be, and why?
If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
If you caught a coworker using office equipment for personal use what would you do?

Hopefully, by getting accustomed to answering these types of questions you will become more capable of quickly thinking of good answers, explaining your thoughts, and keeping composure. If all else fails, imagining that the interviewer is wearing a clown hat can take the edge off of a stressful interview.

Author Bio: Scott Hersh is a business blogger for BCAblog.com the official blog of BusinessCashAdvance.com, leaders in merchant financing.

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4 Ways to Ace Your Job Interview

Securing the Right Job or Career Transition in the New Economy – part III

CareerAlley — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:01:44 +0000

“We are ready for any unforeseen event which may or may not happen.” – George W. Bush

Author Byline: D. Lawton
Author Website: http://www.CareerConnected.com

Securing the Right Job or Career Transition in the New Economy – part III

Part III – A Method to Make your Job Search More Productive
Part III of a 4 part discussion on the job market

In your quest for the right job or new career, haven’t you asked yourself:

“Is there a way to break from the pack and secure opportunities from the 90% of unpublished job listings?”

For the answer, consider how job counselors and outplacement firms help displaced workers to shorten their unemployment cycle. These groups of former employees are provided tools to directly target companies, create and promote a persuasive resume package and target decision-makers and hiring managers, It all adds up to positive results!

Step One: The Planning Stage

Make a list of your most marketable skills and identify how your skills or job history may have contributed to a company’s financial success or productivity increase.

Leverage your work history. If you have recently developed skills in an in-demand occupation, think about how you can leverage your work history to provoke discussions of employment.

Put yourself in the position of a hiring manager. Think about how you can potentially change or improve the way a firm has done business.

Why is an in-demand skill so important?

If your major job skill or occupation has lost its market appeal or if there is a shrinking market for your job, the length of time it may take to secure a position with your mix of skills can be more challenging than expected! For example, if you were skilled in a technology that has become obsolete, do you have an in-demand skill? Only you can honestly answer this question. If this is your profile, then it may be time to consider a plan B, which may entail rebuilding your skill mix with more marketable, in-demand skills. With the new marketability comes the need to re-strategize your approach to connecting with hiring managers.

What if you are a recent college graduate?

If you’re a recent college graduate you may want to target companies that hire entry-level workers. Perhaps you can leverage the experiences you learned at an internship or extra-curricular activity to give you an edge in the occupation you are pursuing.

Step Two: Connect with your Resume

Now it’s time to get connected with business contacts! Create your cover [sales] letter and include a compelling yet brief discussion of how you have positively contributed to the success of a prior employer. Remember to include a brief statement that persuasively explains why you are in a job search.

Know and Stick to your Target

Should you consider resume blasting? Never! Why use an elephant gun to shoot a mosquito? Instead, do your research and send resumes only to those companies that fit your target profile. Here’s the method:

1. Assemble your targeted company profile: Selectively choose companies in an industry vertical that allows you to leverage your strengths, ambitions, and passions.

2. Research. Take the time to study the company’s web site and press releases. Find some key attribute about the company that you can talk about in an interview. Show a prospective employer that you have taken the time to understand key issues relating to their business.

3. Seek an introduction. Find out if you know a friend, friend-of-a-friend, relative, business, civic or secular associate that works at the firm, is a trusted vendor, or a board member. In short, try to secure an inside contact.

4. Kick the tires. Use financial websites to check the health of a prospective employer. Is the company in an expansion mode? That may indicate an eagerness to hire new productive talent! Are they in a hold mode? Perhaps you have a specialized know-how that may enable them to replace a vacated position.

5. Polish your pitch. Always be ready to talk about how you can contribute to a company’s profits or leadership in their industry. Put together a 30-second “elevator pitch” that highlights your successes.

Direct Mailing and Emailing of Resumes

A common formula for persons in a job search is to mail and/or email 1,000 to 1,500 resume packages per $50,000 in income.A worker who once earned $100,000 or above is eager to send out 2,000 to 2,500 resume packages to rescue their career and secure a salary close to their prior level! Be prepared to make follow calls for the correspondence that you have sent out. Show job contacts that you are a serious candidate for employment.

Other factors that influence how many contacts you may need to make in order to
generate interviews and a job offer:

The position and occupation desired
Salary needs and current market conditions
Industry Indicators: trends that impact employment growth in your job sector

Additional factors to consider:

Age, sex or national origin discrimination.
U.S. sponsorship requirements.
Switching career paths or industries.
Past history of being downsized or fired

Anatomy of a Job Search

Consider this sample job search: To obtain 10 interview requests:

Send mail/emails to a 1000 job contacts. Average response rate = 1%
With your ten responses, success in creating three interview opportunities.
Work hard to convert an opportunity into an offer.
If the above fails, start again.

Cost of Unemployment and Mitigating Factors

[$40,000 salary example]

Three months out of work = $ 10,000.00.
Six months out of work = $ 20,000.00.
Nine months out of work $ 30,000.00.
Twelve months out of work $40,000.00.
Debt builds up.
Savings dissolve.
Skills may go obsolete with extended unemployment.

How can a jobseeker effectively deal with all these challenges and meet their goal of obtaining new, well-suited, well-paying employment in a timely and efficient manner? CareerWizPro can help!

Part IV – http://www.careerconnected.com//gnews/articles/11-Securing-the-Right-Job-or-Career-Transition-in-the-New-Economy.asp

Good luck in your search.

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Shades of Gray – Offer Letters

CareerAlley — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:01:56 +0000

“Today, there is no black or white, Only shades of gray” – Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (recorded by the Monkees, et al)

One of my friends received a job offer last week. The position was with a stable company, higher pay (after lots of back and forth), better benefits and more responsibility. This particular opportunity was through a headhunter (there is a reason I’m using this phrase, read on) and there was some negotiation required. Unfortunately, the headhunter could care less about ensuring the fit was good on both sides (employer and candidate). He was only interested in my friend (let’s call him Paul) accepting the job no matter what the concerns. At first there was no question, Paul was going to take the job. But the more the headhunter pushed back on negotiating the terms, the less interested Paul became (and the more concerned). By the end of the day, Paul decided not to take the offer. This, of course, just set-off the headhunter, who called and emailed Paul no less then 20 times in the span of a few hours (not a very professional way to conduct business).

So what’s the point (there are actually several)? First off, not all headhunters are professional recruiters. Some headhunters are only out for their commission and are only interested in getting a warm body in the role. Second, job offers are not always cut and dry. Most require additional negotiation and some level of “tweaking” is expected by the hiring manager as well. Of course you need to be reasonable, but you would not get to the offer letter stage if all of the particulars (your comp, your experience, your qualifications, your willingness to see the interview process to its logical conclusion) were not in line with overall expectations.

Likewise, very few people get the “perfect job” with the “perfect offer”. It can happen, but generally does not. There is always give and take and some level of trade-offs on both sides. Job offers are very often shades of gray. So how do you know if the job offer is right for you?

The Job Offer – Everything has come together and you’ve gotten a job offer, now what? How do you know if it is a good offer? How do you know if there is some room to negotiate? The following links will help you through the process.

How to Evaluate a Job Offer – Great article from Alison Doyle. Alison covers the major items to consider: Compensation, Benefits and Perks, Hours and Travel and Flexibility and Company Culture (plus a few more). There are additional related links at the bottom of the page that will help you get the best answer for you.

Job Offer Sound Too Good? 10 Tips on How to Avoid Job Scams and Schemes – You know the old saying, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. Job offers may not always be what they seem. Take a look at this article, posted on Quintcareers.com, the article covers 10 items you should consider in both your job search and any job offer.

To Negotiate or Not to Negotiate (that is definitely the question)- One bit of advice I always give job seekers is that everything can be negotiated. You might not get everything you want, but you will come a lot closer if you ask for what you consider to be fair requests. There is a delicate balance between pushing too hard and not pushing enough, but in any negotiation you need to be prepared to either “settle” on some items or walk away.

Evaluating and Negotiating Job Offers – Evaluating a job offer is also covered above, but you must complete this step before you can negotiate. This article, posted on The Riley Guide, provides advice and links for evaluating your job offer, Negotiating and declining the offer. Lots of links, lots of great information.

How to Negotiate a Job Offer – Some more of the same, with some different twists. This article, posted on Jobsjournal.com, covers the basics of negotiating as well as preparing your counter offer.

Counter Offers – So, you got your offer, you successfully negotiated the fine points in your favor and you’ve accepted the job. Now comes the hard part (depending on your current situation), giving your notice. What happens if your current company is just not ready to see you go? What happens if they make you an offer that is difficult to refuse? You thought you had it all worked out, now what do you do? There is no right answer. My personal view is not to take a counter offer (does it take a resignation to get better pay or a promotion?). There are very good arguments on both sides of this question. The following link is but one of them.

Receive A Job Counter-Offer? Don’t Take It – Posted on Forbes.com, take a read.

Good luck in your search.

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The Rewards—And Risks—of Truck Driving

CareerAlley — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:01:06 +0000

“There is more credit and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck driver than a tenth-rate executive.” – B. C. Forbes

America needs truck drivers. Most truck driving jobs don’t require a degree, but they do require specialized training and specific licensing. In the current economic climate, jobs in many sectors are scarce. But if you’re willing to make some compromises, you may be able to quickly and easily find a job driving a truck.

Truck driving is one of the most important jobs in our country. Every item you find in a grocery store was brought in on a truck. When you buy a new car, you can bet it was brought to the dealership on a truck. The gas you pump into your car is transported by truck. Our everyday lives are affected—and made easier—by truck drivers.

In addition to all those goods that are moved through many states, new discoveries of oil in areas like North Dakota are increasing the demand to transport oil to other parts of the country. The need to transport oil and gasoline is constant, so these types of trucking jobs are almost always available.
Aside from the satisfaction of getting consumer goods where they need to go, a lot of truck drivers earn respectable incomes. In some cases, truck drivers are paid by the mile, so there’s incentive to drive longer and farther, while adhering to truck driving time limits put in place for safety. But some industries pay salaries. It takes a little homework to find the type of truck driving job you feel would suit your needs.

Anyone considering a career as a truck driver must keep a few things in mind. It’s a job that requires long hours, sometimes driving 10 to 12 hours a day. It may require being away from home for weeks at a time, which can also mean missing out on family events and even holidays. There are also risks involved with driving large, heavy trucks on the interstate. Truck accidents aren’t as common as car accidents, but they can be much more deadly and devastating. Truck accident statistics show that because of the long hours, driver fatigue is a common cause of trucking accidents, more so than weather or other factors.

If truck driving still appeals to you, you can find dozens of driving schools all across the country that will provide the training and certification you need to get behind the wheel, and embark on a new career.

Noble McIntyre is the senior partner and owner of McIntyre Law, a firm comprised of experienced Oklahoma truck accident attorneys, and a full team of legal professionals.

Good luck in your search.

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How to React When You’re Laid Off

CareerAlley — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:01:52 +0000

Many people react to getting laid off with anger and sadness. This is an understandable, but controllable human reaction. You may assume that your company was looking for ways to cut corners on payroll in order to afford hiring a business speaker or upgrade their hardware. Whatever the reason, it’s important to remember that the best reaction is action. Here a few productive ways to move forward after getting laid off:

Don’t burn bridges. Don’t say anything bitter or insulting to your supervisor or the HR person and certainly don’t make a scene. Beyond just the value of maintaining a professional decorum, handling the situation with grace and rationality will enable you to stay in the running for future positions or being re-hired. If you’re getting laid off, and not fired, it means there was a logistical financial reason why the company needed to let you go. It doesn’t mean you were not a valuable employee or that there won’t be a need for you in the future. Ideally, you will already have contact information from your supervisors and can plan to drop them a line every so often to see if your position is being reinstated.

Alert you friends, previous colleagues, and contacts that you are looking for new work. This doesn’t have to be phrased in a way that makes it obvious that you were let go and the point is not to get sympathy. It’s to network with people who may know of jobs. If everyone you know still thinks you’re working, it probably won’t occur to them to tell you if a position they know of opens up. The contacts in your cell phone may be all you need to find new work. A post on Facebook would be smart as well.

Update your resume. Sounds obvious, but many job-seekers go looking for new work without taking the time to update their resumes with the last employer and the skills learned.

Spend your new free time being productive. In addition scouring the Internet for job leads, you should be acquiring new skills too. The absolutely best way to react to getting laid off is to use the time constructively to improve yourself as a potential employee. Even if the reason for your departure had nothing to do with anything in your job performance, in today’s job market it’s crucial that you stay ahead of the curve by learning new software and making yourself more malleable as a resource.

Utilize social media. There are countless job and career resources online now, not the least of which are social media sites such as LinkedIn, which enable people to network with past, present, and future colleagues through shared skills and business contacts.

Getting laid off or fired creates an awful feeling inside. But the best way to react to that feeling is by approaching the aftermath rationally and preparing for the next job. Do this by networking, upgrading your skills, and being productive.

Good luck in your search.

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