How Long Will a Job Search Take in 2010?
December 31, 2009 by sparktalk · View Comments
I know most of our readers have the ‘A New Job in the New Year’ resolution going on for 2010. However, the question of if/when we’ll land a new job is a true unknown.
FACT: Job search duration varies a lot. Why? Well, for starters, a job seeker’s knowledge with respect to the most effective way to look for a job (ie. ability to leverage social media and other networking techniques, proper resume design, effective interviewing skills, etc.) impacts how long they look. Then, factor in things like salary requirements, industry, location, skills, education-level, experience-level, and of course, actual job openings, and you start to see how a job search can take a lot longer than a person plans on.
So, my question to all of you is this:
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Loading ...T.A.P. Q#407 – Prep Questions for Phone Interview?
December 31, 2009 by sparktalk · View Comments
Dear Experts,
I have a phone interview scheduled for early next week. Do you have a list of prep questions I should be familiar with? This is for a freelance Art Director position.
Got a career question you’d like answered? Send it to twitter@careerealism.com along with your Twitter account name (you must use Twitter for us to post your question). Read more
5 Myths of the Holidays (Holiday Job Searching, That Is)
December 31, 2009 by sparktalk · View Comments
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By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Rob Taub
When people consider the “holiday job search” many will use “The Holiday” as a reason not to look for employment, for they believe no one gets hired during the holidays. I once heard it described as a scene out of Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol” where a job seeker is trudging through the snow, pausing now and then to press his face to a window where he sees inside happily employed people celebrating their jobs. Sadly, he ends up a sidewalk vendor standing knee-deep in snow selling apples. It is my experience as an executive and consultant in the career marketing business for 25 years the image he might see would be job seekers celebrating the jobs they landed during the holidays! Read more
T.A.P. Q#406 – Should I Go Back to School for Additional Training?
December 30, 2009 by sparktalk · View Comments
Dear Experts,
I am interested in working in the fashion industry, ideally as a buyer or merchandiser.
However, from what I’ve been seeing so far, some of these positions (and others I’ve looked into as well) require some specific skills and knowledge even at entry level. I already have my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Marketing, and extensive work experience in sales, retail, and customer service. I feel my background, plus my interest and passion for the industry should be enough to open a door for me somewhere, but this doesn’t seem to be the case.
At this point, I am considering enrolling in a program at the fashion college in my area to get some additional skills to be more marketable. But the time (I won’t be able to get in until Sept. ’10, and the program is a year) and the expense (at least $5,000 most likely from loans) has me questioning if this is a good idea.
So my question is this: Do you think I should go back to school for the additional training or keep trying to make inroads in the industry with my current qualifications?
Got a career question you’d like answered? Send it to twitter@careerealism.com along with your Twitter account name (you must use Twitter for us to post your question). Read more
Don’t Let Workplace Rejection Get You Down
December 30, 2009 by sparktalk · View Comments
By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Debra Wheatman
Did you recently get passed up for a big (or not so big) promotion? Did you ask for something at work and were flatly turned down? It happens – to all of us at some point. Things do not always go your way, and rejection is part of life – all aspects of life – both personal and professional. How you handle the rejection at work can serve as the cornerstone for short- and long-term success. It’s time to ‘man-up’ as they say. Read more
T.A.P. Q#405 – Appropriate to Connect on LinkedIn With Interviewer?
December 29, 2009 by sparktalk · View Comments
Dear Experts,
Should I send a request to connect on LinkedIn with people who interview me? If so, when should I do it? Before or after the interview? Should I also invite everyone else I met while at the interview?
Got a career question you’d like answered? Send it to twitter@careerealism.com along with your Twitter account name (you must use Twitter for us to post your question). Read more
Dreaded Interview Question: What is Your Greatest Weakness?
December 29, 2009 by sparktalk · View Comments
By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Karen Siwak
Before I start this story, I need to make a confession. I never wear watches. Not because I don’t find the correct time an incredibly useful piece of information, but because I keep losing them. Watches are a distraction when I’m working, and so I take them off and they disappear. Or worse, I forget to take them off, launch into my latest DIY project, and they get ruined. Read more
3 Questions All Hiring Managers Asks Themselves When Considering YOU for the Job
December 29, 2009 by sparktalk · View Comments
By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Joshua Waldman
In a video published by Pink Slip Mixers, a well known career coach said that, “A resume is a necessary evil.” Some HR folks will cringe at that statement, despite it’s truth. So, I’d like to take a moment and analyze exactly why that statement is some of the best job seeking advice you could get. After all, too many job seekers spend all their time polishing off a resume to submit in an application process, despite recent statistics. Read more
T.A.P. Q#404 – Will Putting Two BAs on My Resume Be a Problem?
December 28, 2009 by sparktalk · View Comments
Dear Experts,
Should I leave out the BA of Economics degree I earned back home when applying for jobs in Canada? I’m going to graduate next year (yes, another BA). Will putting two BAs on my resume be a problem? The recent degree is an honors degree in Administrative Studies, and I’m looking for a job in a business-related field.
Got a career question you’d like answered? Send it to twitter@careerealism.com along with your Twitter account name (you must use Twitter for us to post your question). Read more
10 Ways to Use Speed Networking in Your Job Search
December 28, 2009 by sparktalk · View Comments
By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Melissa C. Martin
Regardless of whether you are married or with a significant other, no doubt you’ve heard of “speed dating?”
The goal is to talk to many potential dates as possible, in a tight time frame, with just enough time to say your name and see if there’s any chemistry (or chemie, as we say in French), with the other partner.
No matter what your opinion is, speed dating and trying to find chemistry with a potential employer share commonalities. Now that commonality has transitioned into a trend called speed networking. Read more
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