How to Shine in an Informational Interview

Even when a company isn’t hiring, the informational interview can still be a great opportunity for candidates to create meaningful relationships within target organizations. LinkedIn is a great tool for finding connections within your network through which to request these informational discussions. The key to using informational interviews effectively in a job search is advance preparation. Informational interviews are, by nature, informal. It’s a nice touch to offer to meet outside the office and buy a cup of coffee or lunch for the decision maker who is giving you his or her time. As a job seeker you should not

Seven Ways to Stay Motivated During a Job Search

Success is what happens when preparation meets opportunity- Seneca For many people, one of the toughest things about finding themselves unemployed is staying positive and focused during the job search. It's all too common to spend several weeks dealing with the emotional impact of the loss of a job, only to fall into a pattern of depression and inertia that is difficult to break free of. Remaining enthusiastically and confidently motivated during your job search can be challenging at times, but it can make all the difference in the world when you are meeting with a potential employer. There are several strategies that I endorse

Working with Recruiting Firms, Part II

**Thanks to Jeff Jefferson of Actum, Inc for this two part guest post about recruiting. Learn more about Jeff and join his network on LinkedIn here.**The main thing to remember about any recruiting firm is this; they don’t get paid unless they place you, so immediately there is a vested interest in you being a fit for one of the jobs that they are working to fill. In most cases that’s a good thing, but unfortunately, in some cases it is a bad thing. Here is what I mean, if the recruiter doesn’t have the right motivation (i.e., “right candidate, right job, right time”), or the experience, you could

Tips for Staying Unemployed

With so many experts regurgitating the same career advice, it is enough to make job seekers wonder what on earth they are supposed to do to stand out from the crowd and get hired. After awhile, the advice just becomes noise and nothing sticks. So I’m not here to tell you how to get hired. I am here to tell you how to stay unemployed in your elusive pursuit of a white collar professional career. I have been witness to every scenario I have outlined below (many more times than the opposite) and let me tell you, it works. These memorable tips will keep you from getting the job you deserve.When you decide a never ending job

Does your online persona work against your career goals?

If youhave been reading my blog for awhile, by now you know that I encourage you to thoroughly prepare yourself for interview situations in several ways, including research, review, and taking appropriate action to communicate your value to employers.While these are extremely important and can either make or break your chances of generating a job offer, the truth is, if you don’t refine and maintain a professional image long before the interview, you may never have the opportunity to walk through that door in the first place. Organizations today have many methods of screening applicants prior to ever contacting them to

Effective Networking 101

How to Effectively Incorporate Networking Into Your Job SearchThere are no rules, when it comes to networking· Forget the old saying; it is who you know, but it is also what you know. Make sure you’re downloading your skills to the right people.· There is no bad time to network. Grocery store, Starbucks, birthday parties, etc…· Develop a mini-network of networkers. Meaning, solicit others share your cause and your objective.Sir, please step away from the computer· Look for face-to-face networking opportunities; you can build relationships through your computer, but not with your computer.·

Taking the Mystery Out of Working With Recruiters, Part 1

***Jeff Jefferson, founder of Actum, Inc, located in Richmond, Virginia, has graciously provided this content to the Interview Angel blog. Thank you, Jeff!!**The Role of the Recruiter-Two things to remember about recruiters, 1. they are in the business of building relationships directly with the people who do the hiring, and 2. there are a lot of them out there. Companies are increasingly “outsourcing” non-revenue producing activities, and recruiting is one of those activities, so my point is this, recruiters aren’t going anywhere, and they can and should be part of your job search. Also, there are a large

Interviews are getting tougher. Are you ready?

With today's unprecedented rates of unemployment, competition for jobs is incredibly fierce. Because it is not uncommon for a single position to generate hundreds of qualified applicants, like the 700 applications recently submitted for a single janitorial position in Ohio; at many companies the hiring process has changed dramatically. Nowadays, hiring managers often find themselves resorting to creative, if not extreme, measures during the interview process to narrow the field.Some of these strategies- like asking a candidate to solve a complicated mathematical problem, answer bizarrely hypothetical questions, (if you were

How to Stop Fishing at Job Fairs

On Thursday, more than 10,000 job seekers turned out for a job fair in New Hampshire. The turnout was so high, job fair organizers had to cut off admission after two hours.With so many candidates flocking to these events, it is important that attendees understand how to make themselves stand out at a job fair. In Virginia, we have been a participating employer at multiple job fairs, and the lack of preparation on the part of candidates is both transparent and consistent.Employers pay hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars for exhibit space at job fairs, and have put a lot of time and effort into the display and materials