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Despite the down economy, there are plenty of jobs and internships to be had for anyone willing to work smartly and diligently to meet more hiring authorities.

You can do it the old-fashioned way — networking in person and by phone — or using new social media, like Facebook.

Here are two recent success stories from job seekers who did both, with lessons you can use today …

1) Work the Phone and the Room

“I started my job search in late August 2008 and had a new job on October 13. In addition, I had two other offers and each was $25,000 more than my previous position. I eventually ended up with a $40,000 pay raise. I count my lucky stars every day,” says Christopher Kelly, who now works at Burlington, Mass.-based nSight.

How did Kelly do it? Two ways …

First, he picked up the phone. “I called my top-tier employers before sending any resume. In fact, every interview I received was the result of a proactive phone call.”

Kelly researched employers using sites like MarksGuide.com and LinkedIn.com.

How many calls did Kelly make? “I’m not sure, but my September phone bill was for 3500 minutes,” adding that he used downtime while driving to make as many calls as possible.

Can you make 3500 minutes of phone calls today? No.

This week? Not likely.

But can you spend 35 minutes a day on the phone for 30 days? That’s 3500 minutes.

And that’s very doable. So, are you willing to make 35 minutes of phone calls today, to build relationships with people who can help you get hired? The answer should be yes.

Second, Kelly went to networking events. “The job I landed was the result of attending a mixer sponsored by a local industry association. I met someone who was looking for the exact background I have. I called him 9:00 a.m. the next day and set up an interview. I had an offer sheet 14 days later,” he says.

How did Kelly connect with this person? “I talked to as many people as possible. One person I spoke to told me he had just met someone looking for someone like me, and that man pointed me to my current employer,” he says.

To sum up, Kelly worked very hard — but for less than two months — to build relationships, by phone and in person, until meeting the manager who hired him.

2) Use Social Media Smartly

When Jamie Favreau, from Warren, Mich., updated her Facebook profile in mid-December 2008, she didn’t know how quickly it would lead to a new position.

“I changed my status on Facebook to ‘Looking to volunteer for a new non-profit,’” she says. That evening, a friend who saw her new status brought Favreau’s name up to a hiring manager, who later called to interview her.

Within three weeks, Favreau was working as an intern for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, doing media relations, social media, and public relations.

Favreau’s job search was simple, and can be boiled down to three key actions …

First, she built her network before she needed it.

The woman who discovered her status change had to first be in her circle of friends on Facebook. So Favreau was smart to build a network of connections on Facebook, in addition to her network on LinkedIn and Twitter.

How’s your network? Could it be bigger and better?

If so, try adding one person per day for one month. That’s 30 new connections — 60 more eyeballs to spot employment opportunities for you.

Second, Favreau used the right keywords, putting the phrase “social media” in the Info section of her Facebook profile.

Keywords are simply the words people search for online. If the phrases describing your ideal job aren’t in your online profiles, employers are less likely to find you.

Tip: Make a master list of keywords found in job postings that appeal to you. Then, include all relevant keywords in your profile on Facebook, ZoomInfo.com, and other sites.

Third, Favreau started working before she was hired.

After researching the needs of her prospective employer, Favreau did something smart. “I created a social network plan and I brought that to the interview.”

What did the hiring mangers think of her bringing a sample of work she hadn’t yet been hired to produce? “Their reaction was, ‘Oh, you know what you’re doing,’ and it was well-received,” says Favreau, who got the internship shortly thereafter.

Both of these successful job searches required thinking, research and diligent effort, something anyone can emulate.

Why not you, starting today?

Kevin Donlin is Creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com. Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 20,000 people. Author of 3 books, Kevin has been interviewed by The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio and others. His latest product, The Simple Job Search System, is available at http://www.collegerecruiter.com/guaranteed-resumes.php

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.

If you’re looking for a job in 2009, you don’t need to be reminded about how bad the economy and employment markets are.

But you may need to be reminded of a simple fact: You will never get hired for any job, in any economy, by an employer.

Instead, you will be hired by a person.

A person with feelings, hopes, and fears, just like you.

The more persons you can meet, talk to, and help, the faster you will get hired. In any city. In any economy.

With that in mind, I went through my past columns from this year and collected three proven ways to get hired faster by “getting personal” …

1) Meet Employers in Person

You can shorten your job search simply by meeting more hiring authorities in person.

But you have to do it right. You must dress and act the part you want to play on the job, if you want to impress an employer enough to hire you.

That’s the advice one man gave his wife that helped her win a job at a local college.

“She was going to mail her resume to apply for the position, but I told her that it was so close, why not hand-deliver it instead?” said Daniel Dallaire, from Kamloops, British Columbia. “That way she could check out the employer she might be working for at the same time.”

But it almost backfired. As his wife was heading out the door, Dallaire noticed she was dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt. Solution? “I told her to change clothes and look professional before delivering her resume.”

Good thing. She ran into the hiring manager at the office, and her appearance had a positive influence on the decision to hire her later, according to Dallaire.

And it never would have happened had she not visited that employer in person.

2) Personalize the Internet

Here’s a clever method one woman used to land a director-level position she found advertised on one of the biggest employment Web sites, where millions of other job seekers have uploaded their resumes.

She did it by creating a personal buzz about herself that got the hiring manager’s attention.

Her story is short and sweet …

“A search online turned up the opening I wanted. I then used my network to find people who’d refer me. I timed submitting my resume through the job board with the referrals,” says Barbara Finer, from suburban Boston, Mass.

Finer’s efforts ensured that her resume and the referrals from people in her network all arrived about the same time.

“The resulting confluence of resources got me on the top of the pile, and I was hired as Director of Product Marketing at a Boston-area company,” says Finer.

Here’s how you can do this, too …

a. When you find a job posted online that you really want to apply for, don’t. First, use your network — especially your contacts at LinkedIn, Facebook or MySpace — to reach out to people who work at the employer.

b. Ask those people to forward your resume by email or hand it to the manager you would work for. Give them a specific day to do so, say, Thursday.

c. On Thursday morning, submit your resume to the job posting online.

d. These multiple, coordinated contacts — your resume coming in via the job board and people delivering it to the hiring manager — can generate enough buzz to catapult your name to the top of the list.

3) Help Well-Connected Persons

Here’s my take on some good advice from an article by Phil Rosenberg in the Oct. 8, 2008 issue of CIO Magazine, called “Hubs in Your Job Search.”

Rosenberg discusses how the most-connected people in your network, called “hubs,” can help you make connections with employers.

In essence, if you help hubs get what they want, they’ll likely help you get the job you want.

Here are example questions you can ask your hubs, to get conversations started:

* What are your top two challenges at work right now?
* What three people would you most like to meet in 2009?
* If you could wave a magic wand at work, what one thing would you change?

These questions will prompt the most-connected people you know to tell you how to help them. If you help them, they’ll help you. In this case, their help may lead to employment opportunities.

Why not offer to help a well-connected person today?

Happy hunting and happy 2009!

Kevin Donlin is Creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com. Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 20,000 people. Author of 3 books, Kevin has been interviewed by The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio and others. His latest product, The Simple Job Search System, is available at http://www.collegerecruiter.com/guaranteed-resumes.php

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.

A friend forwarded this email – I thought I’d post it here to see if it’s obvious to you that this scam is as blatant as they come! Scams targeting job seekers are on the rise. Would you have known this isn’t real?

Here it is:

Dear Sir/Ma,

Would you like to work online from Home/Temporarily and get paid weekly? We are glad to offer you for a job position in our organization AB Textiles Ltd. based in UK. We need someone to work for the company as a Representative/Book keeper in the USA. This is in view of our not having an office presently in the USA.You don’t need to have an office and this certainly won’t disturb any form of work you have going at the moment.

Your tasks are:
1. Receive payment from Customers and co-ordinate payments.
2. Receiving and re-mailing of official letters.
3. Cashing or process payment at your Bank.
4. Deduct 7% which will be your percentage/pay on Payment processed
5. Forward balance after deduction of percentage/pay to any of the offices you will be contacted to send funds to through Money transfers. This takes barely hours, so it will give us a possibility to get customer’s payment almost immediately.

For example you got $3000.00, you take your income/fringe benefit: $210.00 Send to us: $2790.00, First month you will have 15-20 transactions on $3000.00-$6000.00 so you may calculate your income. For example 18 transactions on $3500.00 gives you $4410.00 Plus your basis monthly salary is $1000.00 Total: $5410.00 per month. Our payments will be issued out in your name and you can have them cashed at your bank or other Cashing Services, deduct your benefit and forward the balance to the company.

We are looking only for the worker who satisfies our requirements and will be a honest assistant, we understand it is an an incredible job offer and we are glad to offer this job position to you. Should you feel that you are capable of handling this job, serious and honest worker and you want to work for AB Textiles Ltd, kindly email us the following information about you:

1.Full Names______________
2 Detailed Address____________
3 Sex___________
4 Age ________
5 Current Occupation________
6 Phone numbers________

Thank you.

Richard Winston
General Manager.
AB Textiles.
191 Wigston Lane
Aylestone
Leicester
LE2 8DJ
Leicestershire

When looking for your next great job, unfortunately you need to be aware that there are people who are looking to take advantage of you. Although the story they tell will change, a scam falls into one of two basic categories: 1. An attempt to get you to pay money; 2. An attempt to steal your identity

How do they attempt to get you to pay money? Someone may pose as a recruiter stating he/she has a great employer with a high paying job, and all you need to do is pay a placement fee. Another variation of this tactic is to offer you “exclusive” job leads – leads that you can’t find elsewhere, and you can’t see until you pay a fee. Or there are “Work at Home” jobs where you are required to pay a fee for the initial packet of materials.

A good rule of thumb: NEVER pay for a job, or a lead to a job. Read the last sentence again, and let the word “never” sink into your head. No matter what the story is, or how convincing the person is, NEVER pay money. If you follow this rule of thumb, you will never get taken by this type of scam.

How do they attempt to steal your identity? You could receive a job offer, without ever meeting anyone face to face. Does this sound ridiculous? It should, but it won’t when they tell you their story – because they’ll make it sound real. The story changes every time, but usually is something like this: a major company outside of the US needs to transfer money into the US, or needs to deposit money from US sales, and will pay you a (a specified amount, or a percentage of the transaction) to put the money into your bank account. They will tell you this is a great job that pays great money, and you only have to work a few hours each week.

A good rule of thumb: NEVER give your credit card number(s), social security number, bank account number(s), or date of birth to any prospective employer without first meeting with the employer face to face. Resist the pressure to “act now” for a great opportunity that will have to go to someone else – let someone else get their identity stolen. If the employer does not have a local representative to meet with you in a face to face interview, you’ll only need to do a little research to find this great opportunity is nothing more than a scam.

Protect Yourself: When something sounds too good to be true you can research companies through the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org), the Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm). You can find more detailed information on crimes committed via the internet and how to avoid them, from the US Government’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx).

Everyone at GadBall hopes that GadBall.com is a great professional resource for you, and that this information helps prevent you from falling victim to a scam.

It’s very hard to write your own resume because a resume is a macro view of your life, but you live your life at the micro level, obsessing about daily details that have no bearing on your resume. For that reason, a lot of people hire someone to help them. After all, spending money on a resume writer is one of the few expenditures that will have good return right away. But if you’re writing your resume on your own, the first thing you’ll have to do is make some mental shifts. You need to rethink the goals of a resume, and rethink the rules of a resume in order to approach the project like the best of the resume professionals. That means not making the most common resume mistakes, and not breaking a few key rules.

Steps

1. Don’t focus on your responsibilities, focus on what you achieved. A resume is not your life story. No one cares. If your life story were so interesting, you’d have a book deal. The only things that should be on your resume are achievements. Anyone can do their job, but only a small percentage of the population can do their job well, wherever they go.
   • The best way to show that you did your job well is from achievements. The best achievement is a promotion because it’s an objective way to show that you impressed the people you work for. The next best way to show objective measures is to present quantified achievements. Most people do not think in terms of quantified achievements when they are in the job, but on the resume, that’s the only part of the job that matters. No one can see that you were a “good team player” on your resume unless you can say “established a team to solve problem x and increased sales x%” or “joined under-performing team and helped that team beat production delivery dates by three weeks.”
   • Steer clear of expressions like “Duties included,” “Responsibilities included,” or “Responsible for.” That’s job-description language, and not what employers are looking for.[1] Use action verbs instead, but minimize the use of “I” and articles (the, an, a).[2]Write a self evaluation and for each achievement, ask yourself: “What does this accomplishment say about me, and what I can do for this employer I want to work for?”
2. Don’t make your resume a moral statement; it’s a marketing document. The best marketing documents show the product in the very best light, which means using whatever most outrageous tactics possible to make you look good. As long as you are not lying, you will be fine. Here’s an example: You join a software company that just launched a product and the product had so many problems that they had to hire someone to handle the calls. You start doing the tech support, and you work tons of overtime because the calls are so backed up. You clean up the phone queue and then you start taking long lunches because there’s not a lot to do, and then you start job hunting because the job is boring.Here’s how you summarize this job on your resume: Assumed management responsibility for tech support and decreased call volume 20%. How do you know 20%? Who knows? It was probably more. But you can’t quantify exactly, so err on the safe side. But if you just say “Did tech support for a software company” no one knows you did a good job.
3. Keep it all on one page. The idea of a resume is to get someone to call you. Talk with you on the phone. Offer you an interview. So a resume is like a first date. You only show your best stuff and you don’t show it all. Some people dump everything they can think of onto their resume, but a resume is not the only chance you’ll have to sell yourself. In fact, the interview is where the hard-core selling takes place. So you only put your very best achievements on the resume. Sure, there will be other questions people will want answers to, but that will make them call you. And that’s good, right?
   • For those of you who can’t bear to take off the twenty extra lines on your resume because you think the interviewer has to see every single thing about you right away, consider that a hiring manager has to sift through a pile of resumes to figure out which person to interview; each resume gets about a ten-second look. If you think you need a longer resume, give someone one page of your resume and have them look at it for ten seconds. Ask them what they remember; it won’t be much. They are not going to remember any more information in ten seconds if you give them two pages to look at; ten seconds is ten seconds.
   • If you have a long job history behind you, beware of age discrimination. Employers might think you’re too expensive if you have loads of experience. If you’re at the senior level, list about 15 years of job history (no more) and don’t provide the date of your college graduation if it was more than about 10 years ago.[3]
4. Ditch the line about references on request. It’s implied. Of course, if someone wants a reference, you will give one. No one presumes that you will not. So when you write that you will provide a reference you seem to not understand how the game is played.
   • Don’t list references on your resume at all; if they are requested along with your resume, list them on a separate sheet.[4]
   • Bonus tip: If you have an excellent reference, like a CEO of a Fortune 500 company who vacations with your Mom, have the reference call before you even go to the interview. Sets the tone for the employer to think you are amazing.
5. Tread lightly on the personal interests line. Your personal interests are not there to make you look interesting. They are there to get you an interview. Every line on your resume is there to get you an interview. So only list personal interests that reveal a quality that will help you meet the employer’s needs. If you are in sports marketing, then by all means, list that you kayak. If you were an Olympic athlete, put it down because it shows focus and achievement. If you are a mediocre hobbyist, leave it off. Personal interests that don’t make you stand out as an achiever do not help you. And personal interests that are weird make you look weird and you don’t know if your interviewer likes weird or not, so leave weird off the resume.
6. Don’t be a designer unless you are. If you have more than three fonts on your resume and you’re not a designer, you’ve botched the layout. If design was easy, no one would get paid for it. Recognize your strengths and keep design elements to the bare minimum. And leave Photoshop out of it: Just because you know how to use the shading tools doesn’t mean you know how to use them well. Stay away from overused templates (like those in Microsoft Word) because you won’t stand out, and it makes you look completely generic.[5]

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg8A1WbCRXs

Tips

• Tailor your resume to each position. One-size-fits-all resumes should be avoided, unless you’re casting a very wide net (versus applying for a specific company or position).
• If you are only putting achievements on your resume, you are going to be hard-pressed to fill a whole page. That’s okay. Anything on your resume that is not an achievement is wasting space, anyway, because you don’t know what a hiring manager will look at first—and if you have ten good achievements and three mediocre lines about your life story, the hiring manager may only read those three lines—so remove them.
• It’s very hard to see your achievements from the trenches; you might think you did not have achievements because your boss doesn’t ask you to do achievements, your boss asks you to do tasks and projects. But you need to recognize that you do not see achievements and ask for help to see them. A resume coach, or even a friend, can help you to see them more clearly.
• List items in order of importance or relevance to the reader. Many people write the dates first, and while dates are important, they’re not the most important.[6]
  • Job history: Title/position, name of employer, city/state of employer, dates of employment.
    • If the company you work for is unknown, or the nature of the company isn’t obvious from the name, describe the business, note its revenues and maybe how old it is; otherwise, a recruiter or hiring manager will have to look up the company description, which takes up more of their time.[7]
  • Education: Name of degree (spelled out: Bachelor of _____) in name of major, name of university, city/state of university, graduation year, followed by peripheral information, such as minor and GPA.
• Accompany your resume with a short and succinct cover letter/email.

Warnings

• List your most recent job first. Chronological order is only a good idea if you are looking to get hired to go back in time. Otherwise you look like you’re bucking resume writing convention in order to hide something, which you probably are, but you have to do it with a better sleight of hand than that.

• Spell check your resume. Then check the spelling yourself. Then have someone else proofread it. Resumes with typographical errors often automatically get moved to the bottom of the pile. If you can’t be trusted to pay attention to such an important detail in your job search, what does it say about your potential job performance?

Related wikiHows

• How to Write a Self Evaluation
• How to Write a Cover Letter
• How to Make a Resume
• How to Ask for a Reference from an Employer
• How to Get a Job

Sources and Citations

• blog.penelopetrunk.com: How to edit your resume like a professional resume writer – Original source, shared with permission.
• blog.penelopetrunk.com: 6 most violated resume writing rules – Original source, shared with permission.

1. ↑ http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_mistakes.html
2. ↑ http://career-advice.monster.com/resume-writing-basics/Common-Resume-Blunders/home.aspx
3. ↑ http://www.quintcareers.com/older_worker_strategies.html
4. ↑ http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_mistakes.html
5. ↑ http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_mistakes.html
6. ↑ http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_mistakes.html
7. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/2001/11/01/1101resume.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Avoid Common Resume Mistakes. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Microwave. Check!
Towels. Check!
Iron. Check!

This is pretty much the kind of checklist that students and parents are use this time of year as students head back to their college campuses!

College juniors and seniors going back this fall, should consider another type of checklist if they want to land great entry level jobs or get accepted into competitive college internship programs next year.

As college students prepare to participate in on campus recruiting programs this fall, here are 3 things to put on a different kind of checklist.

1. Understand personal traits. Make a list of what you think are your personal strengths and weaknesses. Once you have this list of strengths and weaknesses, commit to working on them this year. For example if you have identified a trait as a strength, you need to identify a great example of how you actually use this strength. If you don’t have such an example then saying it is a strength might not be believable. Use this year to work on weaknesses. Career tests and career assessments are available in your college career center if you need help.

2. Know what you value. Make a list of things that are important to you in a college internship program or in an entry level career beyond graduation. Nothing is unimportant if it means something to you. Include things like working conditions, benefits and training. Use these values as a fundamental guideline when you research companies.

3. Take stock of your job skills. Make a checklist of job skills that employers seek and will be important to succeed in the summer internship program or entry level career of your dreams. Check off the ones you have and work on the ones you don’t.

Your college career center has career counselors and resources to help college students achieve career planning success.

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.

Article by, Marcia Robinson and courtesy of BullsEyeResumes. The BullsEye Career Blogs helps jobseekers, working professionals and students stay focused on their career success!
Author Website: http://bullseyeresumes-college.blogspot.com

A growing number of jobseekers find themselves in the midst of a long-term job search. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. jobless rate soared to a four-year high of 5.7% in July 2008 and the average job search took more than four months to net results. However, some critics would put this number and the number of the unemployed much higher.

Helen Kooiman, author of Suddenly Unemployed asserts, “Such statistics are inaccurate indicators. They do not include those whose unemployment benefits have run out or those who don’t qualify for unemployment… Such statistics also do not count welfare recipients, temps (who cannot be counted as fully employed), or others who eke out a living on so-called self-employment.” Neither do such reports include what the Bureau of Labor Statistics terms “discouraged workers” or those who “were not currently looking for work specifically because they believed no jobs were available for them.” Their figures reached 461,000 in July.

A long-term job search can put a tremendous financial and emotional strain on a job hunter. “It’s been a demoralizing experience and it’s been very difficult budgetwise. I’m a single mother,” Kay Marie King says, a former non-profit executive with a wealth of experience that is currently involved in an ongoing job search.

So, what can you do when weeks of a fruitless job search quickly turns to months? Here are seven tips for jump starting a stalled job search:

Tip One: Don’t be so quick to blame everything on the economy (your region, your industry, etc.)

These issues certainly play a role in the current job market. However, it is easy to fixate on such factors and completely discount factors which we personally control. The next six tips cover areas that long-term jobseekers do well to revisit to jump start a stalled job search. Why is this so important? I am reminded of a woman I once interviewed that looked great on paper, but during the interview she had an incredibly offensive body odor. She remarked that she’d been on several interviews but she was “overqualified” for every position. It was a classic case of the problem (or her perception of what the problem was) not really being the problem. While most jobseekers don’t have such an obvious issue, each one would still do well to take a long look in the mirror.

Tip Two: Conduct a candid self-assessment.

Look at yourself from the perspective of the potential employer. Compare your experience and qualifications to those typically required of someone in your target position. How do your skills and experience match up? Think of creative ways to to fill skill gaps and gain experience.

Tip Three: Re-examine your target position or industry.

Are you searching for work in a waning industry or oversaturated field? Is your desired position readily available in your selected geographic area? Being open to relocation may improve your chances. Can you apply your knowledge and skills to an industry that is experiencing growth?

Tip Four: Rethink your current job search.

What job search strategies are you currently using? If you are concentrating your efforts on strategies that are typically the least effective (like online job boards and newspaper ads) your job search will take much longer to yield results. Consider incorporating job search strategies that yield higher results, like networking and direct targeted mailing campaigns.

Tip Five: Re-evaluate the way you are communicating your message verbally and in print.

Communicating your message to potential employers in a clear and compelling manner is critical to job search success. Re-examine your resume. Does it communicate your value to employers by addressing how your skills and experience will meet the employer’s specific needs? Practice communicating your value in response to typical interview questions, including, “Tell me about yourself.”

Tip Six: Maintain your intensity level and a positive outlook.

It is easy to become discouraged over the course of a lengthy job search. Keep a positive outlook and maintain a high-level of focus and intensity throughout your job search for quicker results. Taking a systematic approach to your job search will help you to stay organized and on track during your job search. Yet, it is important to pursue other interests during your job search. Enjoy spending time with friends and family. Renew your interest in a hobby. Tackle a project you wouldn’t have time to if you were working. Spending time in other pursuits provides a much-needed reprieve from the stress of a job search. You’ll be energized and ready for the next leg of your job search.

Tip Seven: Build a solid support system.

If a self-guided job search has netted limited results; consider working with a career or job search coach. Your coach will help you identify any problem areas and offer suggestions for improvement. Another option is to join a local or online job search club. If a coach or job search club isn’t available try building your own support network. Enlist the help of family and friends or connect with other job hunters. Taking a team approach to your job search provides an opportunity for constructive feedback, a fresh perspective, ongoing encouragement, and added accountability.

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.

Roxanne Ravenel is a Job Search Coach; the author of “The Savvy Jobseeker’s Guide & Workbook: Five Steps to a Simply Successful Job Search”; and the host of The Savvy Jobseeker weekly podcast. She offers job hunters strategies and resources for finding their ideal work in less time at SavvyJobseeker.com.
Author Website: http://SavvyJobseeker.com

So they look great on paper, but do you really know what’s going to come walking through your door? Pay attention to these warning signs when interviewing your next candidate:

Interview Warning Sign #1: Appearance

This is an easy one. If they arrive at the interview in a gym suit, overalls, mini skirt, etc., you may want to rethink your candidate choice. If they can’t put any effort into their interview attire what makes you think they are going to put any effort into their work?

Interview Warning Sign #2: Knowledge of Company

If a candidate arrives to an interview and know nothing about your company, why are they there? They don’t know who you are, what you sell, who your competition is, nothing! How can you have someone represent you if they know nothing about you? Further, if they haven’t taken an interest in your company, they probably won’t take much of an interest in their job. To go even deeper, are they unable to think for themselves? Do they need to be told what to do? This is an important warning sign!

Interview Warning Sign #3: With-holding Information

This is a tricky one. If a candidate won’t tell you why they left their previous position, who they are interviewing with, what they did during the gap in their resume, why they never finished school, why they are applying for your company, etc., wouldn’t you be concerned? Never mind the questions they avoiding, look into the fact that they are withholding information. Do they have something to hide? Are they really qualified? Are they trying to make themselves sound better than they really are? If they work for your company can you trust them to complete their requirements?

Interview Warning Sign #4: References

Ah, references. If their references can’t offer specific details on their job performance, you may have a problem; if their references don’t even know they are references, you may have a problem; if your references haven’t spoken with the individual in ten years, you may have a problem. Why couldn’t this individual have given you better references? Why won’t they let you speak to individuals they worked directly with?

Interview Warning Sign #5: Your Questions Catch Them Off-Guard

Now if you ask a silly question, or an odd question, I would expect an off-guard reaction. If you ask them qualifying questions and they can’t understand the question or articulate a response, I would be alarmed.

Interview Warning Sign #6: They Don’t Know Why They Want To Work For You

Big red flag! If you ask them why they want to work for you and they don’t have a response, what makes you think they intend on staying at your company long-term? Chances are, they are looking for a paycheck until a better opportunity comes along.

Interview Warning Sign #7: They Have No Weaknesses

If they don’t have any weaknesses they must be perfect, right? Wrong! Everyone has weaknesses, some more than others. A person has two options, a) understand and grow or b) ignore and fall behind. Are they capable of listening? Do they want to learn? Will they discourage others?

Interview Warning Sign #8: Can’t Prove Their Abilities

They tell you they are a great leader, great problem solver, committed to their employer, whatever it may be, but, they can’t back it up. How can you be a good leader with no leadership experience? How can you be a great problem solver with no problem solving experience? How can you be committed to your employer when the longest job you have ever stuck to was one year? Make sure they can provide you exact situations that demonstrate their “claimed” abilities.

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.

Article by Free Job Search, Job Interview and Career Articles

Another candidate with inappropriate material on his MySpace… who is now no longer a candidate.

It’s REALLY important to sanitize your social network pages (anything on MySpace, FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.) while you are looking for a job in medical sales, pharmaceutical sales, clinical diagnostics sales, laboratory sales, pathology sales, imaging sales, medical device sales, cellular products sales, molecular products sales, or biotech sales, which is why I have addressed this in previous posts.

Why? According to a Vault.com survey, which I found in Net Etiquette for Job Seekers, 44% of employers surveyed looked up potential employees on social networking sites and 82% of those employers would think twice about hiring candidates with something perceived as negative in their on-line profiles. And FYI: 39% of employers have searched the on-line profiles of current employees, so don’t think you’re good to go after you’ve got the job. It may seem unfair and an invasion of your personal social life, but it becomes fair game once you’ve put it out there in public.

Additional great advice in this article–not only make sure your sites are “PG,” but also make sure they are complete, since they are serving as another resume. For instance, identify yourself as a healthcare salesperson (or even better, as a laboratory sales rep) rather than just say you’re “in sales.”

If that many employers are using social networks to gather information, I would imagine that any recruiter worth his or her salt uses them, too. (I know I do.) Social networking sites are one of the gold mines for finding candidates.

Social networks can be general or focused on a particular group, and it’s worth it to companies and candidates to find out how to effectively use them. The New Way to Network for a Job offers an overview that shows you how important they have already become and solid advice for how to use them to your advantage.

By the way, no one will tell you that this is what killed your chances…managers will just assume that you have bad judgment and want nothing to do with you.

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.

Article by the Medical Recruiter
Website: http://www.phcconsulting.com/WordPress/2008/06/24/myspace-killed-the-candidatecritical-job-interview-tip/

We’re in some tough economic times right now, and that can make it that much harder to find a job. Although laboratory sales, medical device sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, molecular products sales, cellular products sales, and biotechnology products sales are much less susceptible to economic downturns than pharmaceutical sales, any person searching for a position in healthcare sales can have a hard time.

To help you out, Fortune magazine has 7 tips for job hunting in a tougher market. They include:

1. Request more face-to-face meetings. Get your face in front of recruiters and your network instead of relying on e-mails and phone calls. It will make more of an impression.

2. Step up your job-search activity. This makes sense. In many ways, a job search (like sales calls) is a numbers game. Increase your odds by increasing your activity.

3. Try to be as flexible as you can. Consider contract work, part-time work, or starting at a lesser salary than you were hoping for. It gets your foot in the door for other opportunities later. Besides, less money is better than no money, right?

4. Consider relocating. Top jobs aren’t always where you are. I love the idea of relocating and expanding your horizons…trying something new.

5. Scour the hidden job market. Many jobs aren’t advertised. Be proactive. Use your network. Or contact employers directly. They might appreciate your initiative.

6. Spend very little of your time on Internet job boards and help-wanted ads. Look, but don’t focus. Everyone’s looking here.

7. Take advantage of social networking sites. Personally, I love LinkedIn. But also, use MySpace or Facebook as part of your networking tactics. Just be careful to keep it professional.

One tip they missed: In tougher job markets, a medical sales recruiter is a gold mine of job opportunities and information.

Here are some more great tips to heat up your job search. One last great idea:

You never know when or where you may meet a prospective employer. Memory sticks, flash-drives, or email versions of your resume on your Blackberry, Treo or iPhone are must-haves in today’s volatile employment market.

Good luck.

Article by Peggy McKee, Owner/Recruiter
Website: http://www.phcconsulting.com/

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.