Interview Answers for Tough Questions - What To Say If You've Been Fired, Laid Off, Or Out Of Work

By Don Georgevich
 

Job interview questions are impossible to answer when you feel angry about being fired, guilty about being laid off, or depressed about being out of work. Your emotions are going to work against you in the job interview.

The best thing to do is keep a clear head and have some prepared answers!

We all know that the unemployment rate is soaring, and it's true that layoffs are common, but it doesn't seem so common when it happens to you. You probably feel like you have a lot of explaining to do.

You have to explain why you were fired. You have to explain why you were the one laid off in your department. You have to explain why it's taking you so long to find work. You have to explain why there is a gap in your resume.

The best way to explain your situation in a job interview with a potential employer is to be honest, but brief.

Did I mention brief? Brief is the key. Rambling on and on will get you in trouble. You'll get tongue-tied and say the wrong thing. Rambling is a beacon to your interviewer that you are hiding something.

And there's really nothing to hide. Just explain yourself clearly, be honest, be brief, and be prepared with the best answer.

Land of Opportunity

This week we celebrated Columbus Day, a day of opportunity.

It was on October 12, 1492 that Columbus first set foot on what would become The Americas, giving way to many countries including America, the Land of Opportunity.
The great American inventor Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

In today's the job market, it might seem very hard to find opportunities especially if you don't know how or where to look. Many Fortune 1000 Companies are not posting their job opportunities publicly, you have to work smarter to find them.  Once you find them, you need to know how to get your resume in front right people.

Luckily, there are tools and other networking sites help you work smarter to find job opportunities and ultimately their decision makers.  It is up to you to utilize them, because most people wont.

The United States of America is still the Land of Opportunity and Thomas Edison is still right.

Cheers,
Mike

Avoiding the Resume Black Hole

Astoundingly, 75% Resumes are Overlooked

If you are like most people you have applied to and uploaded resumes for dozens of jobs and heard nothing back.  This is generally referred to as the "Resume Black Hole".  But don't lose hope, there is a solution.

The root of the "Resume Black Hole" problem is a piece of technology called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).  The ATS was designed to streamline the flow of applicants for companies.  This is accomplished by having a central place where all applications and resumes are warehoused.  If you are applying to jobs online and uploading your resume it is surely landing in an ATS.

Interviewing and Credit

Image by Casey Serin via Flickr

We talk to thousands of job seekers every week and we hear first hand how the economy has impacted them directly.  Most of us know people who have been hit really hard.  This is why I was floored when I came across a recent article by Lisa Pulliam Weston who writes for MSN Money and The Los Angeles Times.

She writes, "Many employers -- including the federal government -- routinely scour credit reports on current and prospective employees to help decide who's hired or fired."  So regardless of your desire to find a public or private sector job, most companies are using your report as factor prior to making a job offer.

** Update:  Some states are considering banning this practice.   As of now it is still legal and a matter of practice at most companies.

Companies and the federal government routinely check credit but this recent downturn in the economy has made maintaining a positive credit score more difficult. The Society for Human Resource Management reports 35% of companies pulled credit on current or potential employees last year, up from 19% in 1996.

Most people think their credit will not be a problem, however, credit files can contain correctable errors.  Employers are looking for severe marks on your credit history and will generally overlook a few late payments.

Not knowing what is on your credit file is a gamble you should not take. There are many steps you can take to improve your credit and remove items that are old or not accurate.  It all starts with knowing what your credit looks like. Mrs. Pulliam suggests checking your credit a few times a year.

Cheers,
Mike

Now is the Time To Get a More Prestigious Job

More job seekers get new and better jobs in the first few months of the year than at any other time of the year.

You may be pleased to learn that the first few months of the year are typically the months where qualified professionals most often "move up" in terms of the prestige level of their jobs. Now, before we get too far into 2010, is a once-a-year opportunity that will be over before you know it.

As I am sure you are aware, the job market has been improving a great deal since the beginning of the year and thousands of peoples have "moved up" and found great positions-even those who were formerly happily employed in other jobs.

Every year after the first few months of the year I hear a surprising number of success stories:

• A large number of people "moving up" from small to larger employers with greater benefits, prospects and salaries;
  
• People getting jobs in their dream cities;
  
• People finding their dream job with one or more of the following: fewer hours, a better work environment and more interesting work.
  
  

What Can We Learn From Marc Cenedella, The Founder of TheLadders.com

Announcing a new event where Marc Cenedella, The Founder of TheLadders.com, will be joining us to discuss entrepreneurship. TheLadders.com is the world's leading and largest online marketplace for $100K+ jobs and $100K+ job seekers. It's also the 3rd largest job searching site after Careerbuilder and Monster. TheLadders.com has received numerous accolades including the 2009 Webby Award for Best Employment Website, 2009 Best Companies to Work for New York, 2009 Silicon Alley Award - Most Likely to be Worth $1 Billion and "Best of the Web" designations by BusinessWeek and Forbes.

You Need to Bring a Singular Focus to Everything You Do

Career Tip of the Week

Those who do one thing well are more valuable and wanted than those who can do many things not so well. This is what separates those who make the biggest impact from all the others who are just as smart. Any person or group of people who achieve greatness in any calling generally do one thing in the best possible way. Bring a singular focus to your job search and do what you do as well as it possible can be done.

FREE Interactive Job-Seeker Webinar: Finding the Unadvertised Job using Social & Professional Networks

The recent proliferation of social and professional networking websites has added a complex new dimension to the job search process. During this webinar, Bob Larson, CPC, President of Berman Larson Kane, former Chairperson of the National Association of Personnel Services and author of the book " Aim, Shoot, Get Hired" will compare the most popular sites and discuss the job search possibilities these sites offer. If you're confused by invitations to join a group on LinkedIn, or to connect to a "friend" on Facebook, we'll show you why you should consider saying "Yes" to these invitations, and how these sites can play an important role in your quest for employment.

Be Ready to Take Risks

Career Tip of the Week

Are you stuck in a job which is not satisfying? Many employees hate their present jobs, but they stick to them because they feel changing jobs is tremendously risky for their careers. But remember: To grow in life, one needs to explore opportunities and be positive. So, take risks and get going!

The Buzz: April at Freelancers Union

Get Paid, Not Played!
Have you ever had trouble getting a client to pay? Over 77% of freelancers have, so we’ve launched a new web page dedicated to the effort to pass legislation protecting independent workers from deadbeat companies. Add your name to the campaign, and join us on our April 12 strategy phone call as we take the campaign to the next level!

Health Care Reform and You
The bill is signed into law, but how does it affect independent workers? Founder and Executive Director Sara Horowitz answers your questions about how health care reform affects you and speaks to Fox Business about how the new law helps freelancers and about what steps still need to be taken.

NYC Entrepreneurs Networking Reception at Pulse

Announcing a new meetup at Pulse Restaurant and Bar. The venue will be private for NYEBN members from 6 - 10 PM. The venue overlooks the entire Rockefeller Plaza. The event is made free for all NYEBN members on the RSVP list. To support our venue partners, you're supposed to get one drink minimum per person. Please check out the following details before you RSVP


1. Venue

Pulse is a unique restaurant that overlooks Rockefeller Plaza, a bar and cafe area where everyone can relax and grab a drink. Pulse is a great space if you are planning to surprise your partner with a romantic dinner or just looking for a fine dining restaurant with a friendly atmosphere and amazing views. Among other things the private event space is utilized to celebrate any special occasion such as company parties, corporate functions, birthdays, graduations and more. In either setting, Pulse staff is dedicated to providing an upscale experience with superb service to ensure that every detail is perfect. To check out their website, go to pulse-restaurant.com

Organize to End Unpaid Wages

Ever had trouble getting a client to pay?
Tomorrow and next week we're having meetings to organize freelancers against unpaid wages.
Over 77% of our members have had payment delayed or denied within the last year. That needs to stop—but we need your help to end it.
Join us at our upcoming Unpaid Wages Organizing Meeting in your neighborhood.

Rockland Co. Event- April 1st
Westchester Co. Event- April 6th
Nassau Co. Event- April 7th
Suffolk Co. and Upstate Webinar- April 8th

Together we can hold companies' feet to the fire.

RSVP to your local meeting today.

Let's get paid,

Explore Career Options

Career Tip of the Week

Match your identified skills with available career options and see where you fit best. One of the best ways can be trying out intended jobs through internships, part-time work, summer jobs, or volunteer job options.

Digital Media Event: An Evening with Marketers, Entrepreneurs, & Tech Geeks

Announcing NYEBN's 1st digital media networking event. We host this type of event because there is a large demand for it. The event is meant to be free, but we need your commitment for it. Here is how it works:

1. PayPal Payment/Refund
A small fee of $5 needs to be deposited in order to RSVP for the event. We will refund you the $5 fee if you do the following:
A. Show up at the event yourself
B. Drop your business card in the bucket
C. Write your PayPal email address on the back of your card
If you do not pay in advance via PayPal, it's $10 at the door for admission.

2. Attendees
Please note this is not a pitching type of event. Instead, we are creating an environment where you can connect with the right people in the media and tech industries to assist you with your businesses. Let's keep the discussion focused on digital media only for this type of event. If you fall into any of the following categories, you should come:

Avoiding the Resume Black Hole

Astoundingly, 75% Resumes are Overlooked?

If you are like most people you have applied to and uploaded resumes for dozens of jobs and heard nothing back.  This is generally referred to as the "Resume Black Hole".

If you do not know how to beat the Resume Black Hole chances are your resume can be overlooked.  The root of the "Resume Black Hole" problem is a piece of technology called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).  The ATS was designed to streamline the flow of applicants for companies.  This is accomplished by having a central place where all applications and resumes are warehoused.  (Climber.com helps solve this,  please continue on.)

To further compound the issue, ATS's are only 65% to 80% accurate in reading the information in your resume. This means that one-fifth to one-third of the time the ATS is just plain wrong in importing data wholly and properly into the ATS.  If your resume makes this cut, the ATS then screens and ranks your resume against open positions.

Next, resumes that pass the ATS screen are generally sent to a gatekeeper who spends about 30 seconds reading the resume before they decide to move it along to the Recruiter or Hiring Manager or pass it along to the trash can.  About 1 in 10 resumes are passed along to the decision maker who decides if you will be interviewed.

Here are a few more tips:

   1) Job Fit: Make sure the job fits.  Especially in today's tough job environment, it is even more important to make sure that you have the skills and background required for the job.

   2) Join other networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter:  Each offer tools to interact with recruiters and hiring managers.  These are great ways to start open dialogs and ask for a recruiters assistance in routing your resume.

Cheers and good luck in your career,
Mike

NYEBN Seminar: How To Get The Most Out Of Online Marketing

Announcing a new event featuring Gabriel Shaoolian, the founder of Blue Fountain Media, and Ellen DePasquale, The Software Revitalist. They are both well-known speakers and sought-after entrepreneurs in NYC. Scroll down to read their bios. This seminar is focused on giving value and getting you familiar with internet marketing.

Here is a glimpse of the meeting agenda:
6:00 - 6:30 PM: Registration and informal networking
6:30 - 7:00 PM: Getting the most value out of your website (Gabriel Shaoolian)

Details:
~ Features that create better usability – visitors can find what they are looking for
~ Easy navigation
~ Increase conversions
~ Strategies to increase new and returning visitors
~ Create brand royalty
7:00 - 7:30 PM: How to market efficiently online (Gabriel Shaoolian)

Details:
~ Forms of online marketing
~ Search engine marketing
~ Social media marketing
~ Bringing qualified traffic to your site at low cost per visitor
~ How to measure the results
7:30 - 7:45 PM: Q&A for Gabriel Shaoolian
7:45 - 8:45 PM: Prospecting in the Digital Age (Ellen DePasquale)

Plan out your career before doing anything

Career Tip of the Week


You need a plan for your overall life and career that you are seeking to accomplish. People without an overall strategy for their goals never rise very high. Set a strategy for both your personal as well as professional objectives

The Holidays Are the Best Time to Search for a Job

Career Tip of the Week

Searching for a job and applying for the same should be intensely calculated activities in your career. You should critically analyze the factors that would help you in getting hired. The holiday season is one of the best times to apply for a job and get interviewed. There is less competition, employers are in a happier disposition, there is less pressure of work on their shoulders, the temperament is more tilted towards giving than taking, and the basic mood prevailing is one of sharing, kindness and empathy. This should hence be seen as the best opportunity to get hired.

Continue the Communication Process

Job Tip of the Week

A little-known job search secret is that a significant percentage of people get jobs each year using non-traditional methods to communicate with potential employers. Communication is key. Once you interview with a company-or even send in a resume-you do not have much to lose by communicating further. For example, calling before sending a resume is a great way to get the employer’s attention. Calling after an interview to reaffirm your interest is another great way to get an employer’s attention. Making sure you remain on the employer’s radar with a series of notes (even if you end up getting the job six months from now) also helps a lot.

10 Secrets for Searching for a Job During a Recession

Focusing your efforts on jobs in growing industries and demonstrating how your work has generated revenue are just two simple ways to distinguish yourself from the rest of the job seekers competing for positions in a down economy. 

If you're tired of struggling to find a job and don't want an economic slowdown to hurt your chances of landing a new one, follow the best practices outlined in this story for conducting a job search when times are tight.

Identify New Ways of Job Search

Career Tip of the Week

Questioning assumptions, consistently doing new things and finding new ways to search are among the most important things one can do in a job search. The more you embrace new methods of looking for jobs, the better off you will be. Your job search and your career are too important to allow yourself to be stuck in one way of thinking. You need to open your mind and ensure that you do everything within your power to think about your job search in a way that gives you more opportunities and not fewer.

How The Recession Has Changed Hiring

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I suspect hiring managers everywhere could tell you exactly when the economy really imploded: Last fall, I started to see dramatic differences in the hiring process from the employer's side. Everyone knows how the recession has impacted job seekers--there are fewer jobs and lots more competition--but here's what it looks like from an employer's side.

Explaining Job Hopping to Potential Employers

Career Tip of the Week

While there is nothing wrong in changing jobs for better career prospects, making too many moves in a short span of time can impact your ability to get a job. Job hopping can be a huge red flag on your resume because it leads employers to question your commitment. You hence need to be very careful that the reasons you cite for job move make sense to employers. Whatever your reasons for moving, or whatever be the number of moves you have made in your career, you need to convey to prospective employers that you are a stable and dependable employee.

Job Search Secrets: Targeting Done Right

What's the best way for job seekers to land a new job in this dismal market? Target specific employers and network your way into them, career experts say. It's sound job search advice. Unfortunately, most job seekers go about this the wrong way (or they don't do it at all), says Vicki Brackett, a career coach and president and CEO of Make It Happen Consulting.

Don't be a Dabbler - It's All or Nothing

Career Tip of the Week

Persistent pursuit of something you believe in, against all obstacles, is one of the most important keys to success. The secret to being incredibly good at everything is pushing through and getting better and better when others around you are quitting. Even while hiring, employers want experts and people who are the best at what they are doing-they do not want dabblers. They want to hire the person who is incredibly committed to a job and has persisted against odds in one direction when others have given up.

Did You Get My Resume?

Google the phrases job hunt and black hole and you'll turn up 55,700 results. The reason for this confluence of terms, as any job hunter will tell you, is that applying for a position increasingly involves two phases.

Recruiters say the percentage of online applications viewed by an actual human being ranges from 5% to 25%. And while it drives job hunters crazy, there's a good reason companies use so-called applicant-tracking systems to screen and rank candidates.

Measure yourself against your own progress

Career Tip of the Week

Use your past and not an ideal as a yardstick to measure your careers. Most successful people are often the unhappiest because they constantly measure themselves against ideals they simply cannot live up to. A sense of inferiority creeps which is dangerous. All around you there are various ideals that you think you need to measure up to and that which you can never really do because no one can be the best at everything. There is always going to be someone better than you. Compare yourself only to the person you were before. Measure yourself against your own progress and forget about others.

How to Get the Attention of Employers

By Rob McGovern

Are employers ignoring you because you aren't appealing to their new recession-oriented mindset?

In the past 6 months virtually every employer has transitioned to a new candidate evaluation mindset, although sadly most job seekers haven't adjusted to this "new normal." A few job seekers have figured this out and it is the secret that is getting them hired.

In this email I'm going to tell you how to make this necessary adjustment to your job search, with the goal of dramatically improving your odds of landing a job.

The "New Normal"

The biggest change in today's job market is that almost every "open" position is now a "replacement hire." Meaning, unlike boom times when jobs were created due to growth (e.g., "let's add another position because we can't handle all these orders"), the job openings you are looking at today are the result of someone leaving a company. They were fired, transferred, retired, or voluntarily left the company. When the job market gets into this mode, the nature of hiring decisions change dramatically.

What's the biggest difference?

In a "replacement hire" market, employers are focused on hiring impact players. To use a sports analogy, if you lose your star running back in midseason, you don't think about waiting for next spring's college draft. Rather, you head straight to the free agent market to hire the best impact player that's available today. Employers are in the same mindset. Getting approval to hire someone has become extremely difficult for managers, so when they get the green light they want to make sure it's a great "game-changing" hire.

Now for the advice

During times like these, the theme of your job search needs to be that you are an impact player. This feeling and message needs to permeate everything you do, from your resume and cover letter, to your interview responses, to your thank you note; the employer needs to feel that you are an impact player. They want to know that hiring you will lead to an instant improvement in their department. That means you need to convey confidence, self-assurance, and a message that you can step into the job and immediately make a positive impact on their business. Here's what it might sound like in an interview session:

Hiring Manager: Why do you want this accounts receivable position?

You: I'm confident that I can help you quickly reduce the amount of overdue invoices you have. I have six years of accounts receivable experience, and I would expect that you'd start to see results in the first week after me starting in the job. I'm not someone who is afraid of hard work, and digging into a new challenge is something that I relish.

Hiring Manager: How would you go about doing that?

You: On my first day I'd start a triage process, where I'd rank the outstanding invoices by size and age. If you're like most companies, 80% of your outstanding collections is attributable to 20% of your customers. Next I would create an action plan for each client, and immediately start making collection calls...

As you can see, this is a much different interview style than answering questions with cliché's like "I'm a fast learner and a good team player." My suggestion is for you to reread your resume and cover letters, think back to your last interview, and ask yourself whether the employer would think of you as the best free agent on the market, or just another job seeker

If the answer is the latter, you've got some work to do. (If you need help with your resume, check out Jobfox's resume writing service, it's one of the most popular resume writing services on the Internet.)

Best of luck with your job search,

Choose an Organization Culture which Suits You Best

Career Tip of the Week

Choosing the right organization culture is crucial to one's success and happiness. In any business environment, when the employee and employer are on the same plane, success is much more likely. It becomes a mutually beneficial relationship. There may be a number of work cultures. But the key to defining job satisfaction is determining which culture suits you the best. What is going to make the difference to you over time is not a $5,000 per year salary differential; it’s whether or not you feel comfortable and appreciated in your work environment.

How to answer the "Why You?" Question

by Rob McGovern

Recently I interviewed "Bob" for a job at Jobfox. His first response told me he doesn't "get" the new normal job market. I asked him why we should choose him for the job, and he answered, "Because this position would give me an opportunity to learn a new skill set, as well as work for an exciting high-growth company."

Huh?

We should pick you so you can learn and do exciting things? Did someone give you the idea that we were a benevolent university that paid people to learn and have fun? Virtually every corporation's charter states that the company exists to make profits for its owners. The fact that people have fun and learn things is extraneous in this job market.

The mistake this job seeker made was employing a 2007 job seeker's attitude. Back then it really was all about the job seekers, and employers pitched you on why you should join an organization. Now, it's reversed. Your objective is to convince the employer that you can help them achieve their business goals.

Bob would have been much better served by responding to the "Why you?" question with, "I think I'm the best qualified person to come in and solve your Web analytics problem. Not only do I have three years experience using your chosen Web tool but I'm also willing to work long hours and to commit myself to this position." With this response Bob would have positioned himself as the answer to the problem the employer was trying to solve.

This change of tone and approach should permeate every communication you have with a potential employer. For example, the objective statement in your resume should talk about what you can do for the company, not what you want for yourself. The same goes for your cover letter, follow-up letters, and phone calls. When the hiring manager is interviewing you for a position, he or she needs to feel like they can just plug you into the departing person's desk and the problem will be solved.

I hope you find this information helpful as you tune your job search.

Why You Should Work Weekends and Holidays

Career Tip of the Week

In any job, it is extremely important that you deliver far more than what is expected of you. When you have been given certain responsibilities, it means that someone is dependent on you for certain things. When you fulfill these duties far more efficiently, put in a lot more time and effort, and even stay back on weekends and holidays to complete the tasks, your employers get the message that you are sharing their burden of pressures with them and begin to place tremendous trust in you. This is what ultimately paves the path to your promotion and growth in the company.

The Top 10 Deadly Resume Sins

One of the hard truths about job searching is that resumes, not people, get chosen to be interviewed. In a perfect world every candidate would get an in-person opportunity to pitch themselves for a job. However, in reality, it's the resume that has to do all the work. The process is simple. A hiring manager is handed a large stack of resumes of which they will pick only 4-5 for interviews.

In other words, it's up to your resume to get you noticed. 

These are things they see day in and day out that destroys the chances of an otherwise qualified candidate.

I thought you might like to hear about these flaws, so you can avoid making them.


The Top 10 Deadly Resume Sins

1. Improperly formatted name and contact information. Corporate resume processing systems cannot process or "read" resumes with improperly formatted contact information. Without contact information your resume is pretty much DOA (dead on arrival). The use of these systems continues to grow exponentially, making proper formatting even more important for job seekers.
2. A missing or poorly worded Career Summary section. This section is a chance to catch a hiring manager's eye, and has become an essential part of modern resumes.
3. Lack of clarity and readability. Hiring managers don't read every resume they receive. Instead they spend about 3-5 seconds scanning a resume to determine whether it deserves to be read. This practice is being used more than ever with hiring managers receiving 300+ resumes per a position. If your resume isn't "scanable" then it won't get read.
4. Using a common or over-used template. Many job seekers use resume templates they find on the Internet or through their word processor. The problem with this is monotony. There's a good chance you'll look like every other resume in the pile.
5. Inflating skills and experience. It's one thing to market yourself, and another to stretch the truth beyond belief. Employers know humans aren't perfect, and they appreciate a resume that gives an honest portrayal of an applicant.
6. Missing industry and profession-specific terminology. Many companies use sophisticated resume database systems that require keyword searches to find resumes. If the right keywords aren't on your resume, then hiring managers won't be able to find you in their database. This same issue often occurs with the popular resume databases on the Internet (e.g. Monster).
7. Including clichés. Including phrases like "duties as assigned" and "responsible for" makes you sound lazy and unimaginative. The hiring manager will think you didn't care enough to spell out your actual experiences.
8. Too many or too few bullets. Bullets can help hiring managers rapidly scan and digest a resume. No one wants to read a block of text. However, it is also important not to overuse bullets otherwise they are less impactful. Remember, everything in moderation.
9. Highlighting duties instead of achievements. Employers aren't very interested in hearing about your previous duties. They want to know what you've achieved and how you'll help them achieve their goals.
10. Poor grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Proper grammar and sentence structure is becoming a lost art in our society. Everyday we're amazed at the common mistakes we see on the resumes of very accomplished professionals. These mistakes are often fatal as very few HR professionals select resumes containing errors.

I hope you've found these tips helpful.

Referrals Can Change Your Employment Situation

Career Tip of the Week

When you start on a job search, the most important tool you can equip yourself with is referrals from influential people. During the interview process they ensure that you are trusted more and salary negotiations are favorable. Even after getting a job, chances of promotions and raises are higher if you’ve come armed with strong referrals.

There are several powerful job search tools such as websites, mass mailings, and talented recruiters, but there is nothing more powerful and effective than a recommendation from a person of influence. You need to nurture such connections because they could change your life and your employment situation in an instant. Never burn any bridges.

Employment and Your Credit Score

Image by Casey Serin via Flickr

 By Mike O'Brien

I was floored when I read a recent article by Lisa Pulliam Weston who writes for MSN Money and The Los Angeles Times.

She writes, "Many employers -- including the federal government -- routinely scour credit reports on current and prospective employees to help decide who's hired or fired."

Companies and the federal government routinely check credit but this recent downturn in the economy has made maintaining a positive credit score more difficult. The Society for Human Resource Management reports 35% of companies pulled credit on current or potential employees last year, up from 19% in 1996.

Most people think their credit will not be a problem, however, credit files can contain correctable errors.  Employers are looking for severe marks on your credit history and will generally overlook a few late payments.

Not knowing what is on your credit file is a gamble you should not take. There are many steps you can take to improve your credit and remove items that are old or not accurate.  It all starts with knowing what your credit looks like. Mrs. Pulliam suggests checking your credit a few times a year. Follow this link for a free credit check: http://www.climber.com/url/kTZ4S37401365


Cheers,
Mike

Is more education a possible solution?

By Rob McGovern

As the recession continues, many job seekers are struggling to come up with a "Plan B." Many people have been contacting me about whether to go back to school, either for new skills training or for an additional degree.

In this email I'll attempt to answer the flood of questions I've received on this topic. As you know, continuing education is costly from both a financial and time standpoint. To make matters worse, it's not a sure bet. Meaning, you could devote six months to a particular set of courses, only to find that it did little to improve your marketability.

What's the solution?

Over the years I've seen people make many good "bets," using additional education as a way to transition to a better place in the economy. Here are the situations where I've seen it work best:

• Transitioning out of an out-of-favor profession.
  
  One of the cruel aspects of a deep recession is that it exposes the inherent weaknesses of the economy. There are a large number of automobile industry people learning that lesson today. If you're in a profession that is being permanently impacted by this downturn, it might be wise to consider more education as a way to transition to a better place. For example, if you are a print journalist in the newspaper or magazine industries, which are being hammered in this recession, this might be the time to take courses in online journalism or online advertising.
• Reinventing yourself.
  
  There are a remarkable number of industries where there are still huge shortages of people. In many cases, the cost of entry is a degree or certification, and many job seekers are deciding to bite the bullet and reinvent themselves. At Jobfox we continue to hear about people shortages in professions such as Software Development, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Web Design, Alternative Energy, Online Advertising, and Government. While going back to college is an option, in many cases you can find accelerated courses at specialized institutions designed to help professionals make transitions. I think you'd be surprised to know the number of education options that are available in most major metro areas.
• Demonstrating commitment to future employers.
  
  When this recession finally ends, many job seekers will face the challenge of explaining what they were doing during their extended period of unemployment. The ability to tell an employer that you were acquiring new skills and education would send a very positive message in an interview. This is particularly important for the youngest of professionals, many of whom haven't found jobs after college. You don't want to leave an employer with the impression that you were just "hanging out" during this period.

I hope you find this information helpful in your job search.

How to prepare for interviewing candidates

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

How to prepare for interviewing candidates

View more presentations from Consultgenie.

In-Person Seminar: Build Your Marketing Machine

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to grow your business and get new clients, you’ll need a strategy and a marketing plan. Join us for a hands-on workshop where you’ll learn which are the most effective, and least expensive, marketing tools for freelancers.
When: Wednesday, January 20, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Where: Empire Building, 15 Metro Tech Center, Brooklyn, NY
Price: $30 Freelancers Union members, $40 non-members

Special Offer: All seminar attendees have the opportunity to purchase the print version of the 2010 Marketing Plan + Calendar at the discounted rate of $20. If you are interested, when registering select the price that includes the calendar.

Register online now

Communicate relevantly with people

Career Tip of the Week

One of the biggest secrets behind successful marketing is communicating relevantly with people. The more the relevance in communication, the more people are willing to respond. Going the traditional way to communicate does not always work. Understanding your audience's needs is of prime importance and it works wonders connecting with them in a personal way. You need to bridge the gap that exists and reach out in the most genuine manner. People need to trust your interest in their well being and only when this happens, will serious communication take place.

Why January is the Perfect Time to Look for a New Position

Most employers set their new budgets in January of each year. Come January they have fresh budgets that they can use to pay new salaries and bring in new people.

There is typically a lot of "pent up demand" once these new budgets are passed and hiring organizations are eager to bring people in and do so quickly once they have the funds to do so. After months of not having authorization, or funds to pay new salaries, employers can now hire people to fill vacant positions in all sorts of departments.

There are also some other less pleasant reasons why January is a busy hiring month:

• Most employers have reviews towards the end of the year where they ask certain people to leave that they plan on replacing with "fresh talent". There are some major Fortune 500 organizations out there that even annually fire any employee who has been reviewed in the "bottom 10%" of employees more than two years in a row.
• Hiring organizations also know that many people are likely to leave each year after bonuses are awarded (or not rewarded) in December or early January and plan their hiring accordingly.

All of these things "converge" as it were to make January a very active hiring month for employers.

Be a Spartan and Not an Athenian in Your Job Search

Career Tip of the Week

In your job search, you need to be more of a Spartan than an Athenian. While Spartans in ancient Greece focused on discipline, self-denial, and simplicity, Athenians leaned towards culture, intellectualism, and debate. Today we have an Athenian tendency to put ourselves in a comfort zone and spend more time complaining than appreciating the value of our work. This needs to change. In your job and job search, you need to be a Spartan. You need not quit the job if you are unhappy with the work conditions or you do not like your boss. Instead, you need to make it work. You need to only accept victory.

CreativeConnects Happy Hour

Join us for CreativeConnects, a free social event hosted by The BOSS Group for creative, marketing and interactive professionals. Come network with colleagues, meet new people, keep up with industry news and get leads on jobs and business opportunities.

No formal program, no RSVP required, lite bites courtesy of The BOSS Group.

Where
The Shannon Rose Irish Pub
(see below for directions)

The 7 deadly sins of résumé design

So you’ve labored with sweat and tears writing your résumé, and now you’re all set to turn it into a magnificently designed creation. Unfortunately, with the freedom of modern computers and fancy software, comes huge opportunities for abuse. When it comes to résumés, both non-designers and professional designers commit some almost unforgivable sins. Here are the 7 deadly sins of résumé design and how to repent: