Friday, January 19, 2007

Was Your New Year’s Resolution to Find a New Job?
How are you doing on finding that next great job or assignment? An article in the Journal of Clinical Psychology shows how many of us keep our New Year’s Resolutions and for how long. The survey reveals a decreasing percentage of people who keep their New Year’s resolutions as time goes on: - past the first week: 75% - past 2 weeks: 71% - after one month: 64% - after 6 months: 46% How can you better the odds and not be discouraged by those statistics? Take some, or better yet, all of the steps below and increase your odds of achieving a new job in 2007. • Take action today! Even if the action is a little step like updating your resume or making a networking call to a recruiter. • Take time. While taking action today is key, remember changing jobs takes time. Just as for most of us our first date was not the person we would marry, so the first job interview/offer may not be the “one.” • Look at your passions. List what you love in your current job, what you are good at, and seek a job with those ingredients. • Talk to people. Talk with family and friends about your passions and desire to change jobs. Talk with the recruiter that calls or call them (use them as advisors like a doctor or lawyer). Call professors or colleagues you took classes with in the past. They are great sources of information and connections. • Seek ways to enhance your skills. Take a part-time job or consulting job where you can develop new skills, volunteer for a non-profit where you can gain experience or take a class at the college or university in town. I feel blessed to work for EdgeLink which is the best place and job I have ever worked. I am using my skills and passions, and I found this job through networking after leaving a “bad fit” job. There is hope for a great job and there are great places to work. Here is to wishing you the best year yet, and may you find an amazingly fun job in 2007. Resources and References: How happy are you at work? Take a short quiz at the following site: http://www.fabjob.com/tips213.html Auld Lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year's resolvers and nonresolvers, by John C. Norcross, Marci S. Mrykalo, Matthew D. Blagys , University of Scranton. Journal of Clinical Psychology, Volume 58, Issue 4 (2002). Labels: Job Searching Tips, Mark Schacter
Posted by EdgeLink at 11:47 AM  |  0 comment(s)

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Honesty is the Best Policy
There are frequent conversations amongst the recruiters in our office about why an applicant wasn't hired for a particular job. Obviously, we want every candidate we represent to go out there and knock the socks off a potential employer during their interview. However, we’ve seen recurring themes of candidates shooting themselves in the foot instead. One way this commonly happens is through the “fluffing” of one’s skills. In other words, when an applicant wants a position so much, they are not truthful or forthright about their lack of experience in certain areas. What the applicant often doesn’t realize is that this practice is self-sabotaging. An interviewer can almost always tell when an applicant isn’t being realistic about their experience or is afraid to admit that they don’t know something. And if the truth isn’t evident in initial conversations, it most certainly will be uncovered during the technical interview. So, job seekers, bear in mind: It’s okay to be human. Often an employer will favor someone who can admit his shortcomings over someone who is afraid to reveal that he lacks certain experience. Labels: Interviews, Job Searching Tips, Sherry Genauer
Posted by EdgeLink at 5:36 PM  |  3 comment(s)

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Job Tips Article by EdgeLink's Jeff Miller
Check out Jeff's article in the Business Journal: http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2004/10/25/focus5.html This article was meant to educate and inspire those who are a little unsure about what to expect when searching for that next great position. Job hunting can be an enjoyable experience, just remember to get your story together, and get the word out there! Happy job hunting everyone! Jeff Miller Labels: Jeff Miller, Job Searching Tips
Posted by EdgeLink at 5:28 PM  |  2 comment(s)

Online Searchers for Job Seekers
Recently there have been several new "job search engines" emerging onto the web scene. Search engines like Indeed.com, SimplyHired, and WorkZoo.com claim to make job searches on the web an easy one stop shopping experience. Recent press has given them the initial kudos (see New Times Article below). Have you tried these tools yet? Are they next big search tools or just hype? - - - - The New York Times E-COMMERCE REPORT Online Searchers for Job Seekers By BOB TEDESCHI Published: March 28, 2005 Labels: Job Searching Tips, Mark Schacter
Posted by Derek4Real at 5:27 PM  |  0 comment(s)