As I teeter on my smart phone decision, I realize that for me the idea of not having one has never crossed my mind. In fact, several recent polls estimate 31% of mobile users, or 73.3 million people in the US, have or will purchase a smartphone Overall, respondents ages 35 to 44 were most likely to report having downloaded a mobile app. However, app downloads among users ages 18 to 44 were much higher [...]

Here it is… Another article about job interviews. I am sure you’ve seen them a hundred times – the list of “top job interview questions and answers” and the “how to prepare” guidelines and the “what not to wear” advice. Sure, all useful information. So, instead of rehashing what you probably already know I am instead going to provide you with a list of my favorite resources so that you can pick and choose for [...]

I had a conversation the other day with my neighbor about what qualities he looks for when hiring. To be fair, he is a defense contractor who buys military computer systems. We talked at length about the “background qualifications” separating service members acquire during their obligation to the military. Walking away from that conversation I became more convinced than ever that separating military members need more assistance than the standard Transition Assistance Program. The qualifications, [...]

Accomplishment Based Resume Writing I’ve been a career planning and recruiting specialist for over 15 years and in that time I’ve seen some fantastic resumes. But where there is one unique, job winning resume there are often ten horrible, generic, typo-ridden resumes. Many job seekers fall into the same trap when it comes to their career documents: they cut and paste keyword filled “power” sentences from the Web and paste them to a basic and [...]

What is Personal Branding and how can you use it to land a great job? If more job seekers knew the answers to these questions there would be substantially more success stories. Oprah Winfrey certainly knows a thing or two about personal branding. She has taken the idea to a new level with not only market saturation but also diversification of activities (ranging from magazines to radio to TV). Her personal “brand” is recognized by [...]

Don’t let your social profiles turn off potential employers. Follow these guidelines – Know Typos… Or, make that – No Typos. Just because you are creating a profile on a social network does not mean you can forget about correct spelling and grammar. Potential employers will take into consideration all aspects of your application, including your writing so make sure that you have checked and re-checked all of your documents. Along those same lines… Use [...]

Since using social networks to obtain employment is a relatively new concept, its easy to make mistakes when using them.  Here are some of the most common problems and how to avoid them: Resume and Profile Spamming We get it – you really want a job. But the way to get one should not involve setting up poorly done and half hearted profiles on every social network online and then mass requesting, emailing and messaging [...]

You probably already know that hiring managers are using social networks to investigate staff members and potential new hires. There have been a number of well documented cases involving staff or job seeker (let us call them “indiscretions”) that employers have discovered thanks to Facebook. Regardless of you opinion on the fairness of this method, the fact remains that managers are using social media to uncover more details about who their workforce really is. The [...]

I have often been asked to help individuals find and define their brand statement. Recently it seemed that a number of younger business associates needed some assistance positioning themselves in a sector or developing a bio that fit their experience level. They all had fantastic resumes and polished porfolios but they lacked that little something extra. A personal, well defined bio. I was asked by these associates how they should market themselves in their bio’s. [...]