“The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it.” – Lou Holtz

So, don’t drop the ball, right? Easier said than done. As with everything in life where you want to be successful, the key is to be prepared. This extends to every part of your job search. It’s tough out there and there is a lot of competition. In addition to the usual suspects (resume, references, cover letters, etc.), you need to prepare for the interview. There are usually several rounds of interviews, the first with HR and then one or more of the hiring managers. The telephone interview has become very popular and, more times than not, tends to be the first round and the determining factor as to whether you will get a second round. Today’s post focuses on Telephone Interview techniques and tips.

• 8 Telephone Interview Preparation Tips – This article, posted on Worktree.com and written by Nathan Newberger provides some great tips to prepare you for your telephone interview. As the article points out, it is a screening interview and following these tips will help ensure you do not get “screened-out”. Once you’ve worked out your telephone interview techniques, check out the other career related links at the top of the page for job search, recruiter links and more.

• Phone Interviewing Success – This link provides a set of related articles and is provided by Collegegrad.com. There are six embedded articles in total, covering topics like preparation, interview techniques, types of interview and “Phone Personality Matching Technique”. Once again, there are related career links on the page. The left hand side of the page has links for preparation, Find the Job, Job Videos and more.

• Sample Phone Interview Questions | Phone Interview Answers - What better place to look for telephone interview tips and answers than the Job Interview & Career Guide website? This post provides an overview of the telephone interview, followed by tips for the interview and then sample questions and answers. There are a number of related articles at the bottom of the page.

• Most Common Phone Interview Questions And Answers – This article, provided by CollegeRecruiter.com, provides information to help you prepare for your telephone interview. The article provides a brief overview, followed by a long list of common phone interview questions and suggested answers. At the bottom of the article are questions that you can ask the interviewer as well as question not to ask (like “oes this job require that I pass a Drug and Background check?”).

• Phone Interview Tips… – This article, by job-application-and-interview-advice.com (a long title!), provides the Why, When and What of telephone interviews. There are embedded links to help you get additional information as well as numerous links to related career advice and  tips. While not specifically related to this topic, the site has additional links a the top of the page.

Good luck in your search.

“Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.” – Howard Aiken

If you are like most people, the minute you see a great idea you think “now why didn’t I think of that?”. I know that happens with me all of the time. Not that I don’t sometimes have my own ideas, but there is nothing as refreshing as brilliant ideas from others. Today’s post focuses on some great job search ideas that I never had (but wish I did). While this list is by no means exhaustive, it is a good start at listing some great websites and great ideas.

• Tim’s Strategy – Probably the first job search blog I read (and one of the best), Tim Tyrell-Smith does an amazing job writing about so many of the job search topics that we think about all of the time. His website is crisp, his writing is amazing and he has so many great ideas (that I wish I had). There is a “wow” factor with everything I read on the site – add this to your “Must Read” list for job search. I have too many favorites to list here, so I’ve listed just a few below.
  • THE 20 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE NETWORKERS – PART 1
  • PART 2 – THE 20 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE NETWORKERS (Can’t have part one without part 2)
  • WELCOME TO CONFIDENCE WEEK: FINDING YOUR DIMMER SWITCH

• JobMob – Another favorite job advice site of mine. It is filled with great job search ideas and great advice. Job search tips, events, books and (my favorite) “Tools You Need” (see below for a few examples). There are tabs on the top left hand side of the page for Best Of and an Archive of older posts as well as a number of ways to stay in touch with Jacob Share’s JobMob.
  • 37 Ideas to Grow Your Job Search Network Right Now
  • 9 Best Practices For Turning Online Job Openings Into Job Offers
  • 93 Most Linked To Articles of Top Job Search and Career Blogs

• The Wise Job Search – The name alone tells the story. The site is well organized with Job Search Articles by Topic at the top of the page, followed by a Find a Job search box (by CareerJet). Lot’s of great advice (see below) and lots of great ideas.
  • 5 LinkedIn Resources for Your Job Search!
  • 5 Great Interview Prep Resources Online!
  • I can’t get a job because…

• Other Ideas I Wish I Had – So many ideas, so little time! Okay, a few more links, good stuff and worth the read.
  • Ten Tips for Effective Job Searching
  • The Creative Job Hunt: 5 New Ways To Find Employment
  • 5 Creative Ways To Find A Job

Good luck in your search.

“Executive ability is deciding quickly and getting someone else to do the work.” – John G. Pollard

Timing is everything in life and in business. Too young for the early days Wall Street boom, too old for the Internet boom and just right for every major recession since WWII. But opportunity is what you make of it and where you find it (don’t bet on opportunity finding you). I think that every generation has felt they were either too early or too late (or both) for “ground floor” opportunities. But ground floor opportunities are created every day in companies large and small. Maybe your ground floor opportunity is waiting for you at one of today’s featured companies. There were 195 job opportunities across all of today’s companies.

• Publix Super Markets – Ranked at 101 on the list, Publix operates over 900 supermarkets and is employee owned. They have over 141,000 employees (that’s not a typo), and was ranked 107 on this year’s list. Their main careers page has tabs at the top for Why Publix, Stores and then a tab for several types of job functions (Pharmacy, Corporate, Distribution and Manufacturing). Below this are sections for How to Apply and Benefits.  Click on Career Opportunities to link to their main search page, which has a number of additional links for a number of job functions (you need to check individually based on your job function). There were 17 job opportunities when I checked the site.

• Tech Data – According to Hoovers.com, #102 ranked Tech Data is “The world’s #2 distributor of computer products (behind Ingram Micro), Tech Data provides more than 100,000 different items to more than 100,000 resellers in 100 countries”. Their careers page has an overview center page, with links for Employment Overview, Benefits and Career Opportunities on the right side of the page. There were 35 job opportunities when I checked the site.

• Merck – #103 on the list and more than 73,000 employees, is best known for medical related products. Their careers page has a company overview center page with links on the left hand side of the page for Search/Apply Jobs, Explore Careers and Life at Merck. There are links on the right hand side of the page for Students and Graduates, Military Recruiting and Diversity. Click the Search/Apply link for their job opportunities page with links on the left for search, submit resumes and application tips. There were 76 job opportunities when I checked the site.

• AMR – You probably don’t recognize AMR, but I’m sure you’ve heard of American Airlines which is 104 on this year’s list. Their careers page has tabs on the left hand side for Career Opportunities, Why American, Corporate Information, Benefits, College Recruitment and more. Center page provides an company overview, along with links for job opportunities in the US, Mexico and Canada. There were 20 job opportunities when I checked the site.

• United States Steel – Ranked at 105 (up from 146 last year), “making steel” is what they do (and sometimes better known as US Steel). Their careers page is fairly simple, with a brief overview center page and a link for Search Jobs/Submit Resume on the left hand side of the page. Selecting Search Jobs provides an advanced job search engine. Their are additional links at the top of the page for Search Careers, Submit Resume and Career Center. Links for Advanced Search and Search All Jobs are on the right hand side of the page. There were 47 job opportunities when I checked the site.

Good luck in your search.

“The difference between ‘involvement’ and ‘commitment’ is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was ‘involved’ – the pig was ‘committed’.” – unknown

We all know that there is a big difference between having a job and looking for a better one and not having a job and trying to get one (many of us have been there). In a way, it is a little like today’s quote. When you are employed, no matter how bad your situation may be, it is difficult to be as committed to job search as when you are unemployed. Sometimes you’ve been on “the hunt” too long and you need to refresh your approach and other times it’s a matter changing your approach in order to get better results. But no matter the reason for job hunting, sometimes you just need to try something new. This brings us to the title of today’s post. So, what is new in job search? Not much really, the real question is what is new to your job search. Today’s post is a mix of updates from previously posted resources to advice on how to refresh your job search.

• Try These Tips to Refresh Your Job Search – This article, from the Project Management Institute, provides some useful tips on restarting or refreshing your job search. Tips on revamping your resume, switch industries, networking and attitude are all included in the article.  Additionally, there are embedded links in the article as well as a link to their career center at the bottom of the page.

• How to Restart a Stalled Job Search – Written by CareerJournal.com and posted on writejobs.com, this article also provides some advice as to how to restart your job search. Much of this tends to be about strategy and getting back to basics. There are additional links on the left hand side of the page for related topics such as Career Advice, Job Listings and Resources.

• 100 Useful Social Sites for Every Kind of Job Seeker – Posted on associatedegree.com, this article provides a long list (100 to be exact) of social sites that you can leverage for your job search. The article breaks them down into categories including General, College Grads, Resume Help, Networking, Technology and many more. Some of these you would have heard of but there are a number of sites that will be new to you and should help you in starting, restarting or ramping up your job search. There are links to related articles on the left hand side of the page and a link at the top of the page for Best Jobs.

• Job Search Shortcut – An update from jobsearchshortcut.com. The site has been expanded from 30 metro areas and 15,000 links to 41 metro areas and 20,000 links. The main page has links to metro areas (center top) with a link to Nationwide Company Jobs and Toronto/Ontario Jobs as well. The right hand side of the page has additional links to other job resources. Clicking on Nationwide Jobs provides an alphabetical list by company. Click on any company name and you and a new window will open to that company’s career site.

• Don’t wear pajamas for a phone interview – Besides the “getting your attention” with the title of this article written by Anne Fisher and posted on Fortune.com, the article focuses on the increase in telephone interviews and provides a number of tips for phone interviews. I’m not sure I buy into the “don’t wear pajamas” (unless, of course, it’s a video conference call) and I certainly am not likely to put on business attire for a telephone interview, but the tips are good and this is certainly worth a read.

Good luck in your search.

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?” – Robert Schuller

Finding a job and working hard are all part of what we consider the standard path to success. Yet several entrepreneurs under thirty took the road not taken–they started their own businesses, some even before graduating from college–and they hit it big. For those interested in starting their own business, look no further for inspiration. The following are five young entrepreneurs who, through ingenuity, hard work, and perhaps a bit of luck, were able to jump-start their own self-employed careers.

1. Mark Zuckerburg

Founder of the explosively popular Facebook, Zuckerburg, now only 25 years old, started the social networking site when he was an undergraduate at Harvard. Inspired by his high school’s yearbook, also called Facebook, Zuckerburg started the site as a way for Harvard students to keep in touch. Now, Zuckerburg is the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. “Social Network,” a movie slated for a 2010 release starring Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake, will document Zuckerburg’s and his team’s challenges and success.

2. Jacob DeHart

3. Jake Nickell

Right after graduating from high school, Threadless.com co-founders DeHart and Nickell started with only $1000 and a novel idea. Online T-shirt design companies often spent thousands on designs that ended up not selling. Instead, the young entrepreneurs thought, why not let consumers design their own t-shirts?

This is how it works: a growing online community submits sometimes over 700 t-shirt designs every week. Thread less customers vote, and six winners get their t-shirts printed and receive $2,000 in cash and merchandise. Every shirt Thread less has printed has sold out.  Now, Threadless.com projected $30 million in revenue in 2009.

4. Brendan Synnott

5. Kelly Flatley

Childhood friends Synnott and Flatley had one important thing in common–their love for granola. Finding themselves between jobs in their early twenties, the duo invested a few thousand dollars, moved back in with their parents, and began making batches of all-natural granola. They started by selling at local fairs. Eventually they tried pitching their product–Bear Naked Granola–to local grocers.

After making several phone calls and not getting through to their potential clients, Synnott and Flately persevered. They woke up early one morning, made a large granola-based breakfast, and came knocking on the grocery buyer’s door. And the rest, as they say is history. In the years following, Bear Naked quickly distributed their products in the country’s largest grocery stores, and their granola became the top selling brand in the country. Synnot and Kelly sold their company to Kellogg for $122 million in 2007.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of online universities.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katherynrivas87@gmail.com . 

Good luck in your search.

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” – Mark Twain

What’s that sound you hear? Ah yes, the sound of the seconds ticking by on the “graduation clock”. And we all know how it goes down. Your father has been asking you for a year now (and, just to be clear, that is a year before you graduate) – “Have you started looking for a job yet?”  But worse than that, you are getting all of this advice from the Old Man as well. And how old is your father? Probably late 40’s or early 50’s at best. What does he know about looking for a job in the 21st century? Well he may not know how to use Twitter and he (hopefully) doesn’t have a Facebook account, but believe it or not, the basic job search tools have not changed (Resume, Cover Letter, Elevator Speech, etc.). Yeah sure, the Internet was not a tool your father used for job hunting when he was your age (did they even have electricity back then?), but the process has not changed. One of the best places to start your search is on the College Career page of employers, and that is what is covered in this post.

• Internal Revenue Service – The IRS has a great College Student / Recent Grad page as part of their Careers section. There are tabs at the top for About IRS, Working at IRS and Opportunities. Center page provides an overview with a Search & Apply box. There is a short video on the right hand side of the screen (Meet Our Employees). Below this are a broad range of resources, including “Fun Career Tools”. There were 72 job opportunities when I checked the site.

• General Electric – GE is involved in way too many businesses to list here. There are over 300,000 people in over 100 locations (according to the website) and they are world-renowned for their management training programs . Their “University Students” page has links on the left hand side for Job Search, Careers, Why GE and more. Center page are links to their Undergraduate Leadership Programs, Internship and Co-ops programs and much more. To the right of this there is a link for “Start Your Job Search”. – there were 4,291 jobs opportunities when I checked the site.

• Disney Professional Internships – So we all know what Disney does, and they have a broad range of programs for High School and College Grads. Their Internships are well known and respected. Their students page has a Disney company overview followed by a listing of internship fields. Click the “Apply Now” button on the left hand side of the page to submit your details.

• The Hartford – The Hartford is known for both financial products and insurance. They employ over 31,000 employees and are in the Fortune 100. The College page of the Careers section provides a comprehensive list of links. Center page, there is a brief overview, followed by links for Full-Time Programs, Internships, Campus Recruiting and more. The left hand side of the page has similar links, plus additional links for other career related topics. Clicking on “View Opportunities for College Students” yields 13 College Student job opportunities plus 251 other job opportunities.

• Intel – Intel is know for computer chips and their college careers page is well done. The left hand side of the page is filled with relevant links (like Job Search, Intern/Grad Opportunities, a Jobs Blog and so much more). The center of the page starts “Get Started with Your Future” and has a listing of student centers by country. The left hand side of the page has a number of additional job search link. There were 480 job opportunities when I checked the page.

Good luck in your search.

“If we do what is necessary, all the odds are in our favor.” – Henry Kissinger

Article Title: 3 Reasons Why Your Resume Is Missing A Competitive Advantage
Author Byline: Jessica Holbrook is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter.
Author Website: http://www.greatresumesfast.com

If you find you’re sending out resume after resume and your phone still isn’t ringing it’s missing a competitive advantage. What your resume needs is to clearly show the hiring manager who you are, why you’re the best at what you do and how you’re going to meet their needs. You have to peak the hiring manager’s interest enough to get the call and below are a few reasons why your resume isn’t quite making the cut.

NO FOCUS, CLEAR DIRECTION, OR JOB TARGET

When a hiring manager views the first third of your resume they have no idea what you do. If they have to read down to the end of the first page to figure out what you do or where to put you they won’t invest the time. Spell it out up front through a personal branding statement and powerful career summary.

IT USES DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES VS. ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS

Don’t just tell the hiring manager what you did while you were there. They can look up a job description any day. Show them through accomplishments and contributions that are quantifiable. Use clear statements that paint a picture for exactly what you accomplished and how you accomplished it. Professionals call it C.A.R. statements which stands for challenge, action, results. Clarify the challenge you faced, the actions you took to address that challenge and the results you achieved from the actions you took.

PRESENTATION IS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION

Truth be told we all want to make a good first impression and in a job search it’s critical to do so. You have five to seven seconds to make a great first impression and your presentation is the FIRST thing the hiring manager will see. So it needs to be reader-friendly, balanced, and information needs to be easy to find. If a hiring manager has to go searching for the information they needs, chances are – they won’t. Give them the critical information up front.

Take a moment to review your resume and make sure it addresses the three key points above. This is not an all inclusive list but is a great start on your way to an effective and successful resume.

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.

“What I am looking for is not out there, it is in me.” – Helen Keller

I’d like to think that the vast majority of us set out to do the best we can in our jobs. Yes, I know there are the ever present “slackers” in every organization (you know, the people that excel at doing nothing, look busy and take all of the credit for others’ work), but I’m not talking about them. Sometimes things just don’t work out, either because we just don’t fit or we  don’t like the work or the company. A co-worker of mine, let’s call him Edsel,  just had this experience. He was hired for a fairly senior role and was “technically” qualified but had never done anything like that before. Needless to say, it was not working out. But the company did the right thing by him and offered him another role in the company (rather than just let him go) – this does not always happen. But Edsel did not want to take a chance and had already been looking for another job before he was offered the transfer. Needless to say, he soon left the company for greener pastures (I hope) rather than take a chance on this next opportunity. So what is my point? Re-read today’s quote. Today’s post is about “finding the right job”.

• Career Quizzes – According to their site – “Job Quizzes are helpful, free quizzes to help you decide on the perfect job! Take some Job Quizzes before making a decision on a career, they help”. You know what they say, “there are no guarantees” in life and the same holds true for job search. Their main page has a listing of quiz types, like “Office Character Test”  and “Is Your Job Sexy” (and many more). At the bottom of the page are three lists of related links – Career Quizzes, Career Guides and Career Resources. At the very top of the page are similar links plus links for Career Tools and Career Library (plus a few more).  Good luck in your quiz!

• Monster Career Quizzes – From the granddaddy of job search comes this one page that offers a number of quizzes – Career Quizzes, Readiness Quizzes, Virtual Interviews, and Culture Quizzes. There are a few links below each category with an additional link for “more quizzes like this”.

• How to Find the Right Job – This article, by employmentspot.com, takes you through some steps to determine what job is right for you. There are related embedded links through out the article and these are strategically placed. There are related links on the left hand side of the page (for job search in general) as well as links on the right hand side of the page.

• 5 Clues You’re in The Wrong Job or Career – 5 clues, from ezinearticles.com, gives some guidance to help you figure out if you are in the wrong job or career. Sometimes it doesn’t take 5 clues (many times 1 clue does it), but it is certainly worth the read. There are quite a few links to related articles at the bottom of the page.

• How to Know What the Right Job is for You – The last one, from wikihow.com, stresses how you need to clear about what you are looking for. This 7 step article covers all of the things you need to consider. There are tips at the end of the article followed by related “wikihows”. The right hand side of the page has additional links as well as featured articles.

Good luck in your search.

“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticisms.” – Norman Vincent Peale

So what exactly is Job Search Flattery? It goes something like this. Let’s say that you are currently employed, not really looking to make a change in jobs and you get a call from a recruiter. The usual “great resume” and “they can really leverage someone with your experience”. Okay, so you go on the interview, mainly to stay “sharp”. You interview with several senior managers and leave thinking “I’m not really interested”. Two days later, the recruiter calls and says “they thought you were great, can you come back to interview with a few more senior managers?”. Of course you don’t say no. Why? Your ego is so swelled because someone is interested in potentially hiring you that you feel compelled to go on another interview. But what happens if they offer you the job? You know my next question – so what’s the point? The point is that you need to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground and not be swayed by flattery (unless, of course, it is the job of your dreams). Today’s post is a collection of links and resources.

• Database Jobs – Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) – In addition to having lots of neat things for SQL server professionals, their site has a job search section. The main careers page is a Job Target Board with links for posting your resume, viewing jobs, and creating a job search agent. Clicking on View Jobs will lead to their search page. There are three types of search – Keyword, location and Job Type. You can view summary or detailed job info, save the job or apply from a link. There were over 75 job opportunities when I checked the site.

• The International Association of Business Communicators – Who knew there was a special organization for business communicators? This group, in addition to providing a number of other services, also has a job search page. The main page has links on the left hand side for job seekers (view jobs, post resume, job alert and carer tools). Similar tools are listed left center page as well. Click on View Jobs for the job search page. There are links at the top for Resumes, alerts and resources. Center page is the job search section where you can create (and save) a job search based on a number of criteria. There were over 150 job opportunities when I checked the site.

• Now Hiring – An all purpose site, nowhiring.com provides a number of resources for job seekers. The main page has links at the top for Job Articles and Job Tips. The main page is structured like a blog, with embedded links. The right hand side of the page has links for Featured Job Listings followed by links to job articles. Powered by snagajob.com, you can either use the job search bar at the top right hand side of the page (your zip code works here), or click the “management jobs” links in the article. There were over 19,200 job opportunities when I checked the site.

• Bankjobs.com – As the name implies, this job search board focuses on the banking industry and yes, there are jobs out there. The main page has a tab for Job Seekers, Resources and Featured Jobs. You can register and post your resume, view job seeker links, review the job seeker guide or just search for jobs. The Search Jobs link under the Job Seeker tab links to the main search page with a typical search engine. There were over 300 job opportunities when I checked the site (only the first 300 show).

• National Job Fairs – Networking Events List – This job fairs list, by jobconcierge.com, provides over 230 job fairs with a link to organize by state. You can click on the title, city or state for each event. Below this is a comprehensive list of fairs categorized by region. Below each region is the list with the city name. At the very top of the page are additional links for a blog and success stories.

Good luck in your search.

Article Title: The Job Awful Truth’s: 5 Interview Tips to Keep Your Phone Ringing (Volume 1)
Author Byline: ©Copyright, 2009, Nicole Dukehart and Jennifer Bruton. All rights reserved. Used with Permission.
Author Website: http://wp.me/pExOP-4S

When you are actively pursuing new opportunities, the process will most likely start with some type of phone interview. Sometimes this will be a simple phone screen with a Human Resources representative, but sometimes it will be with the actual hiring manager. Regardless of who you speak with, the five tips in this series will give you best chance of reaching your next goal in the process, getting to the face-to-face interview.

1. BE PREPARED…

THE AWFUL TRUTH is, this will be the only time for you to make the first impression and you are at a disadvantage already. Over 50% of human communication is done through body language and with that piece missing in a phone interview, it is imperative that you be well prepared. Start with a printed copy of your resume so that you and the person you are talking with are looking at the same document. Have a list of your top accomplishments written out and placed in front of you. Remember to focus these accomplishments around ways that you have either saved a company money, made a company money or improved a process or procedure. In addition, you will want to have the research you have conducted on this company for reference. As you share your accomplishments, you can relate the information you have gathered to the company and the position you seek. Have a pen and paper for taking thorough notes. Lastly, you will want to have your calendar readily available should the opportunity arise to schedule the face-to-face interview. THE AWFUL TRUTH is, winners don’t wing it, they come prepared, do these things and you should move right on to the next step in the hiring process.

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.

Please also see - Interviews

Good luck in your search.