By Alexandra Zatarain
When searching for a job, every resource counts. But more often than not, job seekers forget to take advantage of a very powerful one: alumni networks.
It’s OK if you’ve been absent from recent networking events and LinkedIn groups, your fellow alumni will always forgive. But it’s time to catch up so start cleaning your address book, LinkedIn contacts and even the ones on Facebook.
It happens. Sometimes you are just overqualified. Maybe you really want to join the company or you just really need the job. No matter the reason, if you are applying to a job even if your qualifications are higher than required, you can still make it work.
Employers are concerned with hiring an overqualified person, as there is a higher probability that this person will leave for a better job as soon as possible. So it is the applicant’s job to address this and explain why you are truly interested in the opportunity and how you can deliver and commit to a long stay.
Applying for jobs is definitely exhausting. The percentage of job seekers who search for and apply to jobs online is increasing, making the hiring manager’s and recruiter’s jobs much more difficult.
And as an applicant, if you don’t know anyone at the company or can’t find a way to connect with their recruiters, it becomes much tougher and probably your resume will just go into an applicant tracking system. Hiring managers or recruiters will use this system to, maybe, if lucky, find you. And the only way this will happen is if your resume fits what they are looking for; more specifically, the keywords they are using to search for the right-fitted candidates.
The beginning of new cycles is always a good excuse to make big changes in your life. Whether it’s your personal or professional life, things can always be better.
Finding a job where you are happy and fulfilled is one of the most common wishes for the start of a new year. It’s hard to stick with the purpose when job searching is so time consuming and your busy life might easily deterred you from the goal. So, for most employees, this means that they will close the New Year in the same spot where they started it, most likely at one that doesn’t fulfill them.
During the on boarding process, job applicants may find that the employer requires a background screening before extending the official letter of employment with the organization. Depending on the company, background checks may or may not be part of the hiring process, but certainly the practice has increased over the last years after the 9/11 attacks.
For some jobs, federal or state laws require the screening, emphasizing the need for security and safety. Even volunteers at nonprofits might be asked to submit background checks.
Whether the applicant is hired or even promoted for a job may depend on what the screening reveals. And for this reason, applicants fear that any information that can hurt their chances may be disclosed.
It was 1976, and The Milwaukee Sentinel was headlining: “Sexism is Pinpointed in Career Advice”. More than thirty years after, the British paper The Daily Mail, reported that sexist advice is presently damaging the job prospects for girls, as they are encouraged to take on particular industries or roles, while being diverted from others.
The Milwaukee Sentinel quoted some advice that was being given out to women back in the 70s, which read something like: “Good posture, attractive glasses, manicured hands, smooth arms and legs, proper girdles to firm buttocks – all enhance the physical qualities we have inherited. The secretary who does not make the most of her physical attributes is not doing herself justice.”
The hiring process’ most pressing part is the interview. But this second most used and deficient tool in HR might need some revision.
Interviews are not only used for new hires, but also for promotions, transfers, and other corporate movements.
Dr. John Sullivan, HR expert, highlights 50 of the most common interview problems, of which 15 are labeled as candidate-experience related issues.
These issues are those that may cause a candidate to feel frustrated and steer away from the process, while also hurting the employer brand or even harming product sales. And here is why: during the interview process…
According to the American Staffing Association’s website, more than 90% of companies in the US use staffing firms, and 40% of employees looking for their first job or who are reentering the job market have done so by working with a staffing company.
Unfortunately there is a large pool of candidates that doesn’t take advantage of the services a staffing firm offers. According to CareerBuilder.com forty percent of job candidates are unable to name a single staffing firm from memory and only 20 percent have used a staffing firm in their most recent job search.
The idea of moving to pursue a good career move can be exciting and at the same time frightening and overwhelming.
Relocation can come prior or after receiving a job offer. Some people chose to relocate to look for work in another city; some people chose to relocate because they received a good offer.
But at a still high unemployment rate, more job seekers are willing to go to all extents to widen their shots at getting a job. According to a survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 9.4% of job seekers relocated for new jobs in the first half of 2011, up from 7.6% in 2010.
Education cost money, but then so does ignorance.
Claus Moser
In tough economic times many students are put in the position of deciding between a two and four year college education, while others simply can’t afford any of them.
Research has shown that graduates of a four-year college have better chances at getting better job opportunities, translating the high expenses of a four-year degree into one of the best all life investments.