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.