What’s the Deal with this .JOBS (Dot Jobs) Domain Extension?

If you have been noticing more websites coming up in your job searches ending in “.jobs” and thought it might be some sort of error, let me explain what is happening.  There is a relatively new TLD (Top Level Domain).  The TLDs you already know are the familiar .com, .net, .org, .gov, .us, .uk and a few thousand others.  The new .jobs TLD is different, however, since it has a very specific purpose.  It is designed to help job seekers find jobs. Here’s how…

Anything Worth Doing by Christopher Duncan

All my life, I've heard the same things over and over again. Calm down. Mellow out. Eat your vegetables. Okay, maybe that last one doesn't fit the trend but I can assure you, I've heard just about every other variation on this theme that there is. Apparently, I tend to make the cattle nervous. That's fine by me, as I think cows are just a bit too laid back to begin with. This probably has something to do with why they're such a popular entrée.

Blind Ads Explained

What are blind ads? When you are job hunting, you will see many job openings or job offers listed by recruiting firms or employment agencies.  Generally these job offers are sufficiently vague so that you cannot determine who the actual employer may be.  Do you ever wonder why that crutial information is not revealed? Are these jobs just as valid as offers made by the end employer?  The answer is complicated.  However, I can tell you a few things to consider before sending your resume or an application in response to a blind job ad.

What is the Best College Major for the Job Market?

If you are in college or simply thinking about college, selecting the “right” major is probably decision you have spent a fair amount of time considering.  Which major will be the best in terms of landing a job upon graduation?

Cubicle City - Practical Strategies for the Corporate Jungle

Tomorrow Comes Quickly.

     As long as the world keeps turning, tomorrow is going to have a habit of sneaking up on us when we're not looking. It's not that I don't like tomorrows, mind you. Some of my fondest memories have been tomorrows, although pursuing that line of pretzel logic much further is likely to loosen my rather tenuous grasp on reality. Nonetheless, the fact remains that we very often find ourselves in possession of a day for which we weren't entirely prepared. As anyone who's ever been caught with their pretzels down can attest, this can be a bit embarrassing to say the least.

Start-up Companies: The Risk-Return Trade-off on Your Career

Every step you take in deciding where, when and how to make a career move can have implications for building your career.  That is, when you accept one job change within a company or one new job with another company, you are rejecting all of the other choices by default.  Some people make these choices with an amazing lack of thought about the effect of their decisions on their future career.  For example, when you decide to accept a job with a small start-up business rather than a large, well established organization, you are opting for a high-risk, but possibly a high-return career move.  Making such a decision is perfectly acceptable - just as long as you understand and are willing to accept the risks.

Getting a Job Through the Back Door - Part 2

In my last post I talked generalized terms about how one might secure employment through non-traditional methods.  If you have seen the movie Erin Brockovich, you know of another great example of someone rising above the limitations of their resume to land a job and then turn the job into something great.  In fact, that movie should be required viewing for every college career center.  Although the facts may have been dramatized by Hollywood, Erin's success in overcoming a less than stellar employment history is inspirational.  Now, my story pales in comparison to the Erin Brockovich story, but it may be more accessible as a model for people who do not have quite as much courage, intelligence or self-confidence as Erin.  However, the end result of my story is the same in that I got a job I would never have gotten if I had played by the "rules."  My story...

Getting a Job Through the Back Door

     Everyone knows the traditional methods for finding a job.  You create a dynamite resume and cover letter; you tell everyone you know that you’re looking for a job; you find job listings on the Internet and in newspapers and send in your fantastic resume; you attend career fairs… and then you wait for the news that some company wants to schedule an interview.  Simple, right?  But what if all those great ideas don’t work for you?  What if you have a resume that does not fit the mold or skills that do not shine through on paper?  What if you don’t know all the right people who have the right connections in your chosen profession or industry?  The answer is that you have to start thinking like an employer.

Using Your First Job as a Career Builder – Part 3 of 3

If you are really planning to build a career, whether with a single employer for a long period of time or several employers over a lifetime, the steps you take and the decisions you make during the first few months or years of your first job will have long-term effects on your career success.  If your decisions are positive and productive, the benefits to you will reach far into the future.  Unfortunately, the negative ones can reach just as far.   When you move on to another company or up in the same company, your early decisions will follow you.  They are in your record, on your resume, and in the impressions you leave with everyone who meets you.  How can you make the impact positive?

Using Your First Job as a Career Builder – Part 2 of 3

Not many new employees understand how to take a simple, often tedious first job and capitalize on the opportunity to advance their career path.  Many people simply look at it as a “job” – something they do during the day, so they can get a pay check. They may hope for a raise, a job change or a promotion, but they have no idea how to make that happen.

Using Your First Job as a Career Builder – Part 1 of 3

As a college, trade school or high school graduate, you have probably read much about how to land that first entry level job.  You learn about resumes, cover letters and job interviews.  The Internet is ripe with information about how to get you foot in the employment door.  However, just like the Disney fairy tales that all seem to end on the wedding day with the prince and princess riding off into the sunset, much of the advice and many of the stories seem to end once the job as been successfully.

How to Hire Employees Online

After reviewing literally thousands of career pages and employment websites, I have come to the conclusion that an extremely small percentage of employers understand anything about hiring qualified employees through the Internet.  Based on the information I see on employer websites, many employers must think that the only potential employees or job seekers who visit their employment page are those who live in the local community, already know everything they need to know about the company and have a clear understanding of the job requirements.  Otherwise, why would any employer have a website purporting to be an employment page that provides little or no information about the job offer, the location of the job or any useful information to attract qualified applicants?  How can any employer expect a useful response from prospective employees when their website merely states "We are always looking for good people" or "We invite qualified applicants to contact us"?  Is that how they expect to attract the best people?

How Your Resume Can Kill Your Chance of Getting a Job

Sometimes I think jobs seekers do not even consider how their resume is viewed by a potential employer.  I see thousands of resumes - some of them simply leave me in a state of shock.  Here is just a sample of things I see every day:

• Resumes written like a chat room entry - Job seekers actually submit resumes with their name in lowercase letters, "u" instead of "you", spelling shortcuts, and slang.  The only possible place such a resume would be appropriate would be if the person were applying for a job as a chat-room moderator.  So far, none of the "chat-slang" resumes we have seen are seeking that kind of job.

Resume Related Dangers

So you found a great sounding jobs and want to send them your resume.  No problem, right?  WRONG!

Just because someone or some company has posted a job offer, do not assume that they are all acting in good faith.  Here's why:

• Some (actually many) recruiters will post jobs on job boards for no reason other than to gather resumes.  Why would they do that?  They like to have a huge stockpile of resumes on hand just in case a job offer materializes.  They may gather resumes and then sell them to others in the industry.  They could just be testing the market to see what kinds of ads bring in the most resumes.
• Some job ads could be simply ways to gather your personal information in preparation for stealing your identity.

There are rules you can follow to protect yourself from unscrupulous people who prey on the unsuspecting job seeker.

So you found a great sounding jobs and want to send them your resume.  No problem, right?  WRONG!

Just because someone or some company has posted a job offer, do not assume that they are all acting in good faith.  Here's why:

• Some (actually many) recruiters will post jobs on job boards for no reason other than to gather resumes.  Why would they do that?  They like to have a huge stockpile of resumes on hand just in case a job offer materializes.  They may gather resumes and then sell them to others in the industry.  They could just be testing the market to see what kinds of ads bring in the most resumes.
• Some job ads could be simply ways to gather your personal information in preparation for stealing your identity.

There are rules you can follow to protect yourself from unscrupulous people who prey on the unsuspecting job seeker.

Sales Commissions - Good or Bad

When you consider applying for a commission based job offer, it's important to look at the benefits and terms of payment carefully.  If a company is offering only commissions, they may be telling you a few things that are not beneficial to you. 

• First, if they do not provide training, they are telling you that they are not willing to make any investment in your chance for success.
• Second, if they are not selective in the hiring process and will "hire" just about anyone, they may be revealing the fact that they intend to litter the countryside with sales people.  After all, it is costing them almost nothing to hire as many people as possible, since they only have to pay you if you make a sale.  The reason they may be so willing to hire you is that they know they have almost nothing to lose.  You, on the other hand, have everything to lose.
• Third, if the employer expects their sales force to pay for they own supplies, pay for their own advertising, attend sales meetings at their own expense and pay for their own medical insurance, they are effectively saying that they do not value your services and are not willing to invest in your career with the company.
• Fourth, if the employer calls this commission-only job and "opportunity", you may want to consider running away from it as fast as you can - or at a minimum, you should want to do some very serious investigations into the validity of the company, the offer and the longevity of the other members of the sales force.

When you consider applying for a commission based job offer, it's important to look at the benefits and terms of payment carefully.  If a company is offering only commissions, they may be telling you a few things that are not beneficial to you. 

• First, if they do not provide training, they are telling you that they are not willing to make any investment in your chance for success.
• Second, if they are not selective in the hiring process and will "hire" just about anyone, they may be revealing the fact that they intend to litter the countryside with sales people.  After all, it is costing them almost nothing to hire as many people as possible, since they only have to pay you if you make a sale.  The reason they may be so willing to hire you is that they know they have almost nothing to lose.  You, on the other hand, have everything to lose.
• Third, if the employer expects their sales force to pay for they own supplies, pay for their own advertising, attend sales meetings at their own expense and pay for their own medical insurance, they are effectively saying that they do not value your services and are not willing to invest in your career with the company.
• Fourth, if the employer calls this commission-only job and "opportunity", you may want to consider running away from it as fast as you can - or at a minimum, you should want to do some very serious investigations into the validity of the company, the offer and the longevity of the other members of the sales force.

When you consider applying for a commission based job offer, it's important to look at the benefits and terms of payment carefully.  If a company is offering only commissions, they may be telling you a few things that are not beneficial to you. 

• First, if they do not provide training, they are telling you that they are not willing to make any investment in your chance for success.
• Second, if they are not selective in the hiring process and will "hire" just about anyone, they may be revealing the fact that they intend to litter the countryside with sales people.  After all, it is costing them almost nothing to hire as many people as possible, since they only have to pay you if you make a sale.  The reason they may be so willing to hire you is that they know they have almost nothing to lose.  You, on the other hand, have everything to lose.
• Third, if the employer expects their sales force to pay for they own supplies, pay for their own advertising, attend sales meetings at their own expense and pay for their own medical insurance, they are effectively saying that they do not value your services and are not willing to invest in your career with the company.
• Fourth, if the employer calls this commission-only job and "opportunity", you may want to consider running away from it as fast as you can - or at a minimum, you should want to do some very serious investigations into the validity of the company, the offer and the longevity of the other members of the sales force.

Papering the World with Your Resume

OK, you need a job.  Maybe it's your very first job or maybe it's your tenth.  No matter.  What most people do is create a very good resume and then email it or mail it to anyone and everyone imaginable.  Good idea?  Generally not.

Unless you are a former IRS tax attorney with 15 years experience in corporate taxes or a highly skilled high school Physics teacher or some other marketable, difficult to find professional, your mass mailings are likely to fall on deaf ears.

Here's why. 

OK, you need a job.  Maybe it's your very first job or maybe it's your tenth.  No matter.  What most people do is create a very good resume and then email it or mail it to anyone and everyone imaginable.  Good idea?  Generally not.

Unless you are a former IRS tax attorney with 15 years experience in corporate taxes or a highly skilled high school Physics teacher or some other marketable, difficult to find professional, your mass mailings are likely to fall on deaf ears.

Here's why. 

Sample Interview Questions: How will you answer?

Your career may depend on it...

No matter how much you prepare for your job interview, the interviewer will invariably ask some question you had not considered.  To prepare for this likely event, learn as much as you can about the employer, critically review your own qualifications and think about how your skills match your employer's needs, get plenty of sleep so you mind will be at its best and leave enough time to get to the interview so that you do not arrive flustered and out of breath.

Some possible interview questions and suggested ways to answer follow...

Your career may depend on it...

No matter how much you prepare for your job interview, the interviewer will invariably ask some question you had not considered.  To prepare for this likely event, learn as much as you can about the employer, critically review your own qualifications and think about how your skills match your employer's needs, get plenty of sleep so you mind will be at its best and leave enough time to get to the interview so that you do not arrive flustered and out of breath.

Some possible interview questions and suggested ways to answer follow...