Start Your Own Blog

One way to make yourself hire-able in the eyes of recruiters is to start your own blog. This improves your ability to find a career in several ways. First, it helps you to boost your web presence (which you need nowadays). Second, it helps show employers that you have knowledge in the field you’re attempting to make ground in (even if you don’t have experience). And third, it gives a ton of resources to offer prospective employers in the event that they ask for details about your background.

A blog is the perfect way to not only showcase your knowledge, but build knowledge as well. It’s the perfect transition for those trying to switch careers, or those entering the professional world for the first time. Blogs are free to start and maintain, too, so they’re a great option for job searchers on a budget.

Get a LinkedIn Page

Another great way to make yourself stand out among your competition is by signing up for a LinkedIn profile. You’ve probably heard of this great site for professionals, but if you haven’t, you’re really missing out. Not only can you create a virtual resume that is easily searchable via all of the search engines. But you can connect with other professionals for networking purposes and have those you’ve worked with before give you recommendations.

Hiring managers and job recruiters will consider you a much more credible candidate if you’ve got a well set up LinkedIn page. Taking a few hours to set up a LinkedIn is worth the time, and you can link to your blog for even greater effects.

Obtain a Professional Email Address

If you don’t already have a professional email address, now is the time to get yours. While sourapplebubblegum@unprofessionalemails.com might have been fine at a certain point of your life, but you need your email address to show a decent level of professionalism.

The standard route to take when choosing your professional email address is to use some variation of your name like johndoe@yahoo.com, jdoe@gmail.com or johnd@hotmail.com. But if you really want to look impressive, you could register a domain under your name then sign up for an email address through your own account (ex. john@johndoe.com). This way, you could post a quick resume on your site, point to your LinkedIn page and blog, and have the ultimate professional email address.

Sometimes it’s not easy to think of ways to get your foot in the door when you don’t have a great deal of experience in the field you’re pursuing. But taking free or low-cost steps to build your experience beforehand could make you more hire-able then you could ever imagine.

However, it’s quite common for a valid, potentially hirable job candidate to get into an interview and “fumble the ball.” The worst thing you can do in an interview is make little mistakes that destroy your chances of getting a position. So before going on your next interview, take a look at these mistakes that could definitely ruin it.

Don’t Arrive Late (or Too Early)

One fatal error that could hurt your chances of acquiring the position you desire is to arrive to the job interview late. Often, a hiring manager has several interviews scheduled close together, and you throw a wrench into the works by not respecting his time. If you show up late, you give an indication of what the employer could expect from you as an employee – not a good thing.

However, it’s also good to keep in mind that arriving too early could work against you too. While arriving 15 minutes prior to the interview is perfectly acceptable, arriving 30 minutes early could also through off the interviewer’s schedule and is generally frowned upon.

Don’t Trash a Previous Employer

If you had a bad experience with a previous employer, don’t tell the prospective employer about it. For instance, never talk about how you disagreed with your last boss at every turn, and instead, simply say that you’d left because your goals didn’t line up with the missions of the company. But to say that the manager “sucks” will likely leave a bad taste in the interviewers mouth.

Don’t Get Too “Familiar”

Some hiring managers have complained that job applicants often get too familiar or friendly with them during an interview. You won’t get asked back or offered a job if you suddenly decide to bring up personal facts about your private relationships or anything that doesn’t impact your ability to do the job.

Don’t Dress Inappropriately (or Sloppy)

We all know that wearing a t-shirt or provocative attire is unacceptable during an interview, but many employers also frown upon attire that looks cheap, or even you not ironing your suit or having scuffs in your shoes. A job interview is absolutely the best possible time to look as professional and spotless as you can.

Don’t Question Pay and Benefits Too Soon

You may be anxious to know whether the position you’re interested in will pay will or offer health insurance benefits, but the time to ask is not when you walk through the door for the interview. If during the interview, you’re offered the position then it’s good to be prepared to negotiate. Hold off until that point, though, and you won’t seem too presumptuous.

If you think in terms of what you should and should not do in an interview, you can strengthen your chances of getting the position you want. Besides, what’s the point in working so hard on a resume if you’re just going to sabotage the efforts in your interview?

Even in today’s job market, it is not uncommon to find people frantically preparing for a job interview. Interviewers and interviewees alike, are concerned with effectively presenting information and asking the right questions in order to find out if the job is a good fit for the candidate. Mind Mapping software can help both job interviewers and job interviewees to better prepare for the interview, by helping them to organize the information they want to get across. With Mind Maps, both parties have access to a tool that will help them “map out” their thoughts in a creative and intuitive manner, facilitating a much smoother interviewing process.

What is Mind Mapping Software?

Mind Mapping software is any software that is used to create diagrams, images, and other graphic visuals in order to show the relationship between ideas or other types of information.¹ With Mind Maps, the key concept or main idea of the information being presented is represented by a central image, located in the center of the map. Any themes surrounding the main topic are shown on “branches” that are attached to the central topic, with subsequent themes of less importance attached by “child branches” or “twigs”. The resulting diagram is a “map” of the ideas and information shown in a spatial, rather than linear, format. Moreover, along with the ideas shown on the map are images, visual graphics, and colors that the constructor of the “map” associates with each of the themes and ideas. Mapping out information in this manner is widely believed to allow the brain to process the information in a way that is more consistent with its natural functioning.

Using a Mind Map to Prepare for a Job Interview

Both job interviewers and job interviewees are concerned with being prepared for the interview. However, consider an example in which you are the job interviewee. You’ve accomplished the all-important task of landing a job interview, and now you want to make sure that you land the job. You, therefore, begin preparing for the interview in order to put your best foot forward and present yourself in the best light. As you begin your preparation, you wonder what you should highlight and what questions you should ask the interviewer, so you decide to “map out” your thoughts using a Mind Map. The first step you might take is to represent the main topic of your Mind Map in the center of the map, in this case, the points you want to cover during the interview. Next, you might divide the map into different sections, such as “Background and Experience”, or “Project Management Capabilities”, and list these sections on “branches” that are attached to the main theme. You then might list all aspects within each section that you want to make sure to highlight during the interview on “child branches”. You finally might complete your map by adding any graphics or colors that you feel will help you better conceptualize the map. All of the information you want to ensure you convey to the interviewer, including the questions you have for him and her, would now be organized in a visually stimulating, spatial layout. The attached Mind Map shows a diagram of what your map might look like if constructed in this manner.

The Effectiveness of a Mind Map vs. Traditional Notes in Job Interview Preparation

Another option for preparing for a job interview is to write all of the information you want to highlight on paper, in note form. Here, you would simply list the items, by category, that you want to cover in a linear format, using only words. However, studies have shown that the “brain functions best when it compares, integrates, and synthesizes” the information it receives. This is because the brain naturally associates every word it learns with an image.² Therefore, using the Mind Map has the advantage of not only organizing the points you want to cover, but doing so in a way that naturally allows you to process and remember these points. This advantage can be particularly helpful when under the pressure of the actual interview and trying to remember what to talk about next. For example, you want to make sure to reference your experience managing projects for soda campaigns. The graphic of the glass of soda next to this point on your Mind Map helps jog your memory during the interview, and you are able to remember to highlight this experience. Had you simply listed this point on a piece of paper, you would likely have had a more difficult time remembering to bring it up during the interview, and then later regretted the missed opportunity to showcase this experience. With Mind Mapping software, the stress of preparing for a crucial job interview is so much simpler; Mind Maps make it easy to remember and organize everything you want the interviewer to know about you. And, in today’s job market, being calm, organized, and mentally prepared for an interview can give you an edge over other candidates.

1. Farrand, Paul; Hussain, Fearzana and Hennessy, Enid (May 2002). “The efficacy of the ‘mind map’ study technique”. Medical Education 36 (5): 426–431.
2. Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/k-12-education-articles/mind-maps-maximize-your-learning-power-1417918.html

People have definitely embraced Twitter as a major form of communication; however, because it only allows you to type 140 characters at a time, the communication can be a bit limited. People find ways to cope with the limitations, though, even when promoting their resumes. If this is something you’ve considered, here are a few tips to get your resume noticed by others right on Twitter.

Linking to Your Resume

Of course, the first challenge to presenting a resume in Twitter is keeping it short. Intelligent character allotment is absolutely critical to this end, and a lot of applications have become available to help you handle this. You know right away that you can’t post your entire resume on your profile, which means you’ll need to post yours somewhere else online (a great place to do so is via TweetMyJobs.com). After you’ve done this, you need to somehow link to your resume from your Twitter account. If you’re adding a message along with the link, though, the size of the link may stop you from saying what you want.

One application that provides a solution for this problem are link-shortening applications, such as Bit.ly or TinyURL. These applications allow you to link your online resume to your Twitter message by creating a new link that uses significantly fewer characters. This way, you don’t have to use up your character count to post your resume, making the “tweeting” experience that much easier.

Making the Message Short and Clear

After you’ve created your resume URL, you want to type your message for your Twitter followers – or anyone else who happens to see. Remembering that you need to keep your characters at 140 or below, many job seekers use what are called hashtags along with Internet/texting shorthand to make themselves findable by recruiters.

Hashtags on Twitter basically provide an opportunity for others to find you through site searches. By including the pound sign (#) before your word, you’ve created a hashtag. Some that you might consider include #jobseeker or #lookingforwork (a good source for hashtags is HashTags.org).

Also, it’s good to include RT at the beginning of your message because it tells others they’re allowed to retweet your message.

An example of a job seeker’s Twitter resume might look like this (the link below is not real):

RT #Jane Doe seeks a PR DIR JOB http://bit.ly/resisgreat @TweetMyResume #resume #prjobs

The message is basically telling you that Jane Doe is looking for a Public Relations Director position and that you can find her resume with TweetMyResume.com at her link. The hashtags allow for those who search for #resume or #prjobs to find her message. At the start of the message, she’s allowed others to repeat (sometimes called re-tweeting) the message in part or in its entirety. That is absolutely a ton of info for 87 characters.

By learning how to create a Twitter resume, you have the opportunity to gain access to more recruiters than ever before. Try it out. You just might get the job you’ve been looking for.

So now that you know that you will very likely continue to be required to submit your resume online, it’s a good idea to learn how to do so the right way. Here are a few tips to consider:

Attachments

There is a little bit of a debate going on about whether you should add the resume as an attachment when submitting it or placing it in the body of the e-mail. Some believe that adding the resume as an attachment can often take up too much space in an inbox while bringing with it the possibility of security threats like viruses. It’s also worthwhile to consider that a company’s email security might block the message, or the hiring manager might avoid the message altogether if he doesn’t want to take the time to open it.

On the other hand, depending on what e-mail program you’re using (and the employer is using) cutting and pasting your resume into the body of an email could look ill-formatted. Spacing could be weird – and worse, the fonts you worked so hard to choose could change. It is for this reason that many pros suggest doing both. This way, you can please those who don’t like looking at attachments, as well as those who can’t stand strange formatting. Another good idea is to use a PDF format when sending the resume, as it always looks clear and clean and it doesn’t allow anyone to change your resume (other than you).

If You Are Cutting and Pasting …

If you’ve decided that you want go ahead and paste your resume into the body of an e-mail, it’s good to consider a few rules of cutting and pasting. First, remember to add a brief introduction of yourself, something that would do the job of a cover letter. Secondly, you should watch your introduction length quite carefully; keep it to 3 lines or less per paragraph and no more than two paragraphs.

Third, use text for the e-mail instead of HTML. As mentioned previously, formatting can cause a lot of problems when copying and pasting into e-mails – especially from word processing programs like Microsoft Word. If you don’t know how to change an email to plain text in your email client, an easy alternative is to use a text only program (Notepad is free and comes pre-installed on Windows), then copying and pasting your resume into email. Unfortunately, you won’t have the ability to use bold or italics in your resume with plain text, so you’ll have to use a bit of creativity to set different sections apart from one another–try using special characters around words, or using your capitalization (“RESUME INTRODUCTION”, etc).

Avoiding Spam Folders

As mentioned previously, your resume can sometimes get lost in a company’s security efforts. So to help you avoid spam folders and other issues, you could consider keeping punctuation (especially exclamation marks) out of the subject line and avoiding any other words that might be misinterpreted as something inappropriate by spam folders.

The last thing that you want is to create the perfect resume only to not have it reach its destination appropriately. Taking the time to submit a resume via email correctly is certainly worth the extra time, especially when you’ve spent so much time to create that perfect document in the first place.

Depending on who you ask, you may receive different pointers on how and where to post your resume. In other words, there’s no sure-fire way to be discovered by recruiters online. It’s important not to disregard any tips, however, when you set out to get your resume out there. Before hitting the web to post your resume, think things through and consider some of these ideas.

Saturating Your Resume

There’s nothing like being seen by as many recruiters and hiring managers as possible. You can accomplish this feat by finding as many job hunting websites as you can, and posting your resume on all of them. There are argument both for and against taking this action. Let’s look at a few reasons to consider taking this route.

First, there are a number of job sites that are tailored to your field, allowing you to saturate your resume while remaining focused on a specialty. Also, you don’t always know what position you’re looking for, just as recruiters don’t always know what applicants they’re looking for. Sometimes, job positions are created specifically for promising applicants who seem valuable. This could be you, which is why it’s not a bad thing to consider saturating your resume for many eyes to see.

Posting in Moderation

On the other hand, some experts make a case for using moderation when posting your resume on the Internet. When you adopt a scattershot approach, you miss out on the ability to customize your resume for different fields and industries, as a resume posted to dozens of job websites have to be general. If a resume’s very general, it doesn’t tend to be as effective in getting a job in a specialized field.

So while saturation is a good way to have your resume seen by a large number of recruiters, without it being specific to any one field, many recruiters will overlook it anyway. This makes a good case for using the resume in moderation instead, focusing on one job board, or a handful of companies, where you tailor your resume to appeal to only a few employers.

Private Postings

As you know, when you post on job boards, your information can often be thrown out there too far into Cyberspace, leaving it vulnerable to the simplest of engine searches. You might avoid public postings altogether, especially if you’re a private person or you can’t afford to publicize your job search. Instead, you can privately submit your resume via email or submission forms, or simply network privately with people you know. This way, you won’t risk the wrong people finding out what you’re up to.

Which route you choose to take for online resume distribution is up to you. You might try moderation first and if that doesn’t work, consider saturation. Remember, you only need to impress one hiring manager to get the position you want. You’ll get the job offers and interviews eventually if you simply write a great resume and get it out there where it can be seen.

You Don’t Have to List Your Legal Name

Most people think that they have to list their legal name when creating their resume and cover letter, or sending in a job application. This is not true. You can actually use the name that you would like to be known by professionally. For examples, say you’ve got a name that’s difficult to pronounce; you might shorten it, or spell it more phonetically to make pronunciation easy.

For example, if your name is Theophilus, there’s nothing wrong with using the nickname Theo for your first name. And if you have a unique last name that may be challenging for some to pronounce, like Nguyen, you might add the phonetic spelling (nuhWEN) so that the person contacting you won’t be more concerned with how to pronounce your name than offering you an interview.

Be Consistent with Your Name Choice

Whatever name you decide to go with, it’s important that you use it consistently throughout your career (unless you get married or choose the legally change your entire name). As your name becomes a more and more important part of your profession, you’ll want it to develop and become more and more important and linked to your reputation.

This means if you choose to go with a nickname that sounds nothing like your legal name (i.e. if you go by your middle name), it’s good to stick with it so people will always know they’re talking about the same person. The same rules apply for email address, voicemail messages, file names and social media profiles.

Feel Comfortable with Your Decision

The name that you choose to use during your job search and beyond should be one that you feel comfortable with. If you use a name you don’t answer to, you might inadvertently create an embarrassing situation when your employer or someone else calls you by it and you forget to answer. If your name is Elizabeth but since birth you’ve been called Lizzy, by all means you can use it. Use a form like Elizabeth (Lizzy) Brown to include both names. The only thing that experts suggest is that you don’t completely change your name for your job search. You need to be traceable for background checks, so if you’ve suddenly changed your entire name (legally), it’s good to note your previous name as you make the transition.

It’s good to know that you can use more than your legal name while in pursuit of job, as well as in your career. As long as you’re consistent with the name you list, you won’t have any issues.

Advanced career training is career training that you can undergo in the particular field of your choice. This is available to students so that they will be able to receive proper guidance in how their career choices work, and so that they will know what to expect out of their choice. Although investment could be quite expensive, advanced career training is one of the best investments any student can ever make Where can this advanced career training be done?

In the USA, one such institution for advanced career training boasts of a history of more than 25 years long. Namely, this insitution is called Advance Career Training (ACT) which is wide spread in more than 5 campuses in California. The main focus of these campuses include, providing health care, business and technology related trainings. The time span of a training is usually 8-9 months and the knowledge gained through these programs are invaluable.

Advanced Career Training is also an accredited institution, which means that you can be assured that you will receive some of the best guidance and experience from here. Advanced Career Training will help you become a competitive player in the job market of today, and will also provide you with hands on experience in the career of your choice. This means that you will know for a fact what is expected out of you in the job you chose, and also if you think you will be happy with the job of your choice.

When it comes to advanced career training, you will be required to have some presentation. Are you looking for devices for succeeding your presentation? It will be a good idea for you to choose overhead projector bulbs or projector light bulbs for your presentation need. If you want to know more about this devices, just visits lcd projector bulb sites where you can get the best toshiba projector bulbs an related information. Hopely this useful information could be the one that you are looking for.

If you are fortunate enough to experience a successful job interview for the first time, that is because you probably have exerted that much effort to prepare for it. A successful job interview would depend on the judgement of the interviewer and the effort being given by the applicant. If the company’s hiring process does not require that much evaluation because they need to immediately hire a person to fill up the position, then you definitely have to work hard on preparing for this job interview because this might be your last first and last to show your best.

If you would be able to make it through the first screening of job seekers, then you are absolutely fortunate. Knowing that your resume wasn’t shredded into pieces and you got a call from the company itself, is already a big step. This time around you have to move on to another step and aim for having a successful job interview so you can move on to the next step.

A few things that you can take note of are researching more information about the company, know more about the possible questions that these employers ask the applicants through researching online, prepare the appropriate responses to these questions and practice delivering them with confidence, make sure that you wear the appropriate attire on the day of your interview.

These are simple and common successful job interview pointers that you should take note of to have greater chances of getting hired. The first or the second interview may be very challenging on your part, but if you prepared yourself to deal with this, then you definitely have nothing to fear. Take note that the keys for a successful job interview are confidence as well as preparedness.

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Filing incorrectly will result in an outright denial of benefits, a delay or being awarded less than the full amount.

How you file unemployment can have a major impact on the benefits you receive, as a correctly filed application can result in up to ,000 in benefits paid at a maximum of 00 a month.

The intent of unemployment is not to replace your income. It is intended to help you through the time required to become re-employed. That said, the time between starting a new job, and getting paid can be up to four weeks putting a serious strain on any budget.

Considering these 7 major factors will help you a great deal when you file unemployment.

1. Do you qualify for umemployment? Because unemployment is a state benefit, eligibility varies depending on your state of residence. There is much more to merely being unemployed or being laid off. Along with being fired from or quitting a job, you can also file unemployment claims if you are under-employed. Will you continue to stay eligible or not? You can be disqualified before you file, during the filing process, as well as during the continued benefits time period.

2. Amount of the award. We can help you determine how much in unemployment benefits you are eligible for. Sometimes people get as little as 0 per month, but are required to file more and more paperwork to recieve even that amount, which makes it often not worth your time.

3. When to file unemployment claim. You should in general file immediately after your job dismissal. That said, your case may vary based on your state, and the nature of your termination, so “file unemployment” immediately is definitely not a one-size-fits-all strategy. In one particular case, we offered assistance to a young lady whose claim was delayed for over a month because she filed too early. If you are dealing with a potential workman’s compensation claim, complete that before you file.

4. Directions on how to File Unemployment. All but six states allow people to file unemployment claims using the Internet. When filing a claim with the state, they typically require you to provide supporting evidence. Once the application is made, the information it contains cannot be changed in any way. When you file your claim, make sure you provide accurate information.

5. Supporting Documentation and Arguments. Depending on your personal situation, we can recommend several arguments for you to use when filing your appication. It is important for these arguments to be based on the facts. That said, you may want to present facts in a specific way depending on the state laws and how your ex-employer states their side of the case. Generally, if you quit your job, in order to be eligible, there needs to be one of a few specific reasons present. These might include issues involving gender or sexual harrassment, issues at home such as domestic violence or transportation issues where no alternative exists.

6. If the state denies your claim, you have the right to appeal. There’s a phrase that applies in some cases: “You can wrestle with a pig in the mud, and the pig enjoys it and you just get filthy”. State employees don’t like dealing with appeals and of course in some cases it’s a total waste of time, however in other cases it can provide a reversal of the denial decison and full award.

Lastly, to file unemployment successfully, here a few common mistakes you should avoid. The preceding tips are from our 9-step re-employment system we designed to save those attempting to file unemployment claims time, and money, and to maximize their benefits. Here are 3 common mistakes (naturally, our guide has many more you can avoid):

1. File unemployment on Monday. Mondays tend to be the busiest so unless you enjoy waiting in lines or being put on hold, it’s best to wait to file another day. Instead, Monday is a great time to get hold of contacts who may be able to provide referrals. In certain states, using the previous week to support your claim is not allowed if you file over the Internet.

2. Not utilyzing one’s social network. Over 40% of hires are made based on relationships. Relying on the people who know and respect you is a much better way of job hunting than relying on job boards or classified ads.

3. Providing too much information on your application can lead to disqualification. In general, it is best to keep the information you provide to a bare minimum. Anyone wanting to file unemployment should be aware the system is being flooded with claims, and that even minor mistakes can result in a claim being denied.

Becoming unemployed is tough. It is stressful not only financially, but psychologically, and emotionally, as well. Have you ever noticed that sometimes the highest-paid exectutives manage to “fall up”, get million-dollar severance packages, and no matter what seem just fine? This guide is to help you file unemployment and can help you make the best of this situation. A change of employment can be a positive experience if done right. If not, your career and finances could be set back years.