CareerLight

04/23/2020

John won his new job by raising the standard of interviewing. What did John do?

1. Selected a company he really wanted to work for and studied it.
2. Selected a manager who knows his skills. (John could have spent the year educating and cultivating a manager he didn’t already know.)
3. Did not rely on job-board postings.
4. Did his homework and figured out what problems he could solve for the manager.
5. Avoided a phone interview of low information value.
6. Insisted on a meeting where he could prove his value.
7. Prepared a mini-business plan for the job.
8. Presented his plan on the whiteboard to be judged.
9. “Did the job” in the interview to win the job.

One job seeker's success story is about making the job interview harder, not easier, and on "doing the job" in the interview.

04/20/2020

This Tuesday, Apr. 21st, a free webinar will take place for international students in the U.S. to learn job search strategies. https://buff.ly/2VDw93k

03/25/2020

Good advice and whether or not it is ever okay to renege on a job offer (yes, it is okay).

To renege on your acceptance of a job offer is a crappy thing to do. But sometimes you may have to do it. It's just business.

02/29/2020

"A cover letter is an important component of the decision-making process among 83% of hiring managers, recruiters, and HR staff.

In a separate question, 83% respondents claimed that a great cover letter can secure you an interview even if your resume isn’t good enough."

"Even if not required, cover letters are usually preferred:

• 74% of recruitment decision-makers prefer to receive job applications which include cover letters apart from resumes.
• For jobs with a direct application process (for instance through an email), a cover letter is required 64% of the time.
• For vacancies advertised via automated online tools (e.g. job boards such as Indeed, or internal career sites), 61% recruiters require cover letters."

02/12/2020

"There is no one-size-fits-all template for a resume that will guarantee a job interview or offer. But there is one major message that every resume should illustrate: 'This is how I made things better for my employers.'"

There is no one-size-fits-all template for a resume that will guarantee a job interview. But there is one major message that every resume should illustrate: "This is how I made things better for my employers."

02/05/2020

"My advice to anyone who finds themselves in a stress interview is to calmly and politely stand up and deliver a message like this one:

'I'd never subject a fellow employee or a customer to such treatment for any reason, and I don't tolerate it myself. Good luck finding someone who does.'

"And walk out."

Would you consent to being tortured as part of a job stress interview, so we could see how durable you are and whether you're worth hiring?

01/29/2020

Before responding to an inquiry from a job recruiter, you should "Ask yourself these six questions about the solicitation and, if you like, ask the 'recruiter,' too":

1. Is this solicitation really addressed to me personally, or is it boilerplate that was mass-mailed to a list?

2. Am I being recruited for a specific position, or is this an advertisement inviting me to read a bunch of job postings?

3. Is there any evidence that the "recruiter" knows enough about me to know whether I'm really "a great fit" for this job?

4. Did the "recruiter" mention the name of someone that recommended me, or am I just one of 14,000 matching profiles turned up by an algorithm?

5. Does the "recruiter" reveal that they understand what this job is about?

6. If I'm really the "great fit" they say I am, why isn't this a request for an in-person job interview?

"A good job candidate is worth a lot to a real recruiter, who will take your questions seriously. If you don't get good answers to those six questions, you're not being recruited. 95% or more of solicitations are not from real recruiters. They're from job spammers paid to force feed you job postings. Beware what you swallow."

Do you want to save 95% of your time that phony recruiters waste when they don't get back to you or contact you about the wrong jobs?

12/09/2019

Good advice for not including an objective statement on your resume. "The most impressive resumes concisely and compellingly illustrate one major message: 'This is how I made things better for the companies I worked for.' But the one section that gets in the way of this objective is ... well, the 'objective' — those few words up at the very top, meant to capture the entirety of a candidate's career ambitions. Instead, they don't really say anything at all."

An impressive resume concisely illustrates one major message: "This is how I made things better for the companies I've worked for." But there's one section that gets in the way of that — and I see people make the mistake of including it all the time.

12/04/2019

Here are three reasons to say NO to a job offer:
1. You don't meet the manager you'll be reporting to.
2. The job offer is low but you're promised a raise "soon."
3. The details of the job are not made clear.

Excited about that job offer you got? Not so fast. Calm down and think carefully. Does the offer guarantee what you need to make it a good deal?

11/25/2019

"We talked to a handful of career experts to get their recommendations on great questions to ask while networking. Use any of these questions for a quick and painless conversation starter."

1. "What brings you here?"
2. "How did you get involved in the industry/company?"
3. "Since you work in the industry, how do you feel about X?"
4. "How would someone get their foot in the door in your company/industry?"
5. "Based on your journey, what do you wish someone would have told you earlier in your career?"
6. "How do you spend your time outside of work?"
7. "What's the best way for me to get in touch/follow up with you?"

Never dread a mixer or conference again — with these networking questions, you'll be all set.

11/12/2019

Good advice on drawing a clear line between a demonstration and working for free.

Do employers request free work from you in job interviews? Don't work for free. Tease them. Prove you can do the job and make them beg.

10/17/2019

"I think the best questions you can ask in job interviews are about the work, the people, and the money."

1. What's the problem or challenge you'd like me to tackle if you hire me? I'll show you how I'll do it.
2. Can I meet people upstream and downstream from this job, so I can see the quality of their work and cooperation?
3. So, what's the pay like? (Ask early. Save time.)

"I like questions that prove you can do the work and help you decide whether you want the job — or further discussions."

Beware interview questions you ask employers that are indirect and too clever. They don't get to the truth you need to judge an employer.