6 Common Job Search Questions Answered – Marcelle Yeager

Mar 272017
 

There are many questions about job searching out there, and unfortunately, a wide range of answers. This is because each employer and every single recruiter is different, and hiring practices change over time. That makes it very hard to nail down one answer to every question. However, among the most common job search questions, the answers that you get will generally be along the same lines. Let’s dive in.

[See: 10 Things They Don’t Tell You About Your First Job.]

“Do people even get hired anymore without knowing someone?” Yes! It is surprising how many job seekers think this isn’t true. You actually can apply to a job online and be asked for an interview and receive an offer, or be contacted by a recruiter and have it lead to a job offer. Shocked? Apply away, but be smart about where you apply and what you spend your time on. If you don’t meet the minimum qualifications, you are probably wasting your time.

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4 Things College Students Can Do To Nail Any Interview – Liz Wessel

Mar 202017
 

When you’re interviewing for an internship, knowing how to put your best foot forward is a key part of getting hired. As CEO of WayUp, I often get asked by students about what they can do to stand out from the crowd. Here are my top four tips for nailing any interview. You can remember them through the acronym, REAF :

1. R: Do your research.

Having a great interview experience begins with doing your research on three things: the company, the position and the person you’re interviewing with. Start by taking a look at the company’s website and social media pages and learning everything you can about the company culture and its mission. To really impress the interviewer, you’ll want to make note of any unique things you find out and mention those during your interview. For example, if you’re interviewing for a marketing role and you find out a cool fact about one of the company’s branding campaigns, be sure to bring this up and to explain why it’s important. This will show the interviewer that you care about the company and that you’re passionate about their work.

Once you have a sense of what the company is all about, it’s time to learn about the role. A great place to start is the job listing. This will give you an overview of the position as well as highlighting key responsibilities. You can also take a look at the company’s career page and make note of any team members who are currently in that position and who may have specific projects listed in their bios.

Last but not least, if you get the interviewer’s name ahead of time (it never hurts to ask!), it’s important to research the person you’ll be meeting with. In addition to reading the person’s bio on the company page, I recommend looking at their Twitter, Instagram or Facebook to learn more about who they are as a person. This is also a good way to identify whether you have anything in common with them which might help you establish a connection during the interview.

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Want To Succeed In Your Job Search? Here’s the Secret Sauce… – Billie Streufert

Mar 132017
 
Personal connection is the key to a successful job search.

When it comes to finding jobs or internships, most applicants limit themselves to the positions only advertised online. Instead, it is more effective to build relationships and arranging conversations with others.

Through these premier interactions, you gain advice about the application process, insider information about the culture of organizations and personal endorsements that enhance the status of your applications. As Undercover Recruiter highlighted, these referrals are the most effective strategy employers rely on to source talent. If nothing else, these discussions permit you to practice professional communication and interview skills.

How to you land these valuable conversations? You simply ask.

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Activate Your ‘It’ Factor For Job Search Success – David G. Jensen

Mar 082017
 

It happens all the time—an employer makes a hiring decision that I don’t understand. I’m the one who set up the interviews, but the hiring manager can’t tell me the exact reasons why one candidate was hired and another turned down. They just can’t describe what it was that was so impressive. When pushed, their reasoning sounds really wishy-washy.

That missing piece is sometimes described as the “it” factor. A client will say, “Although Joe is a better fit technically for the role, I think that we need to hire Angela. She has it—you know, what we’re looking for.” This isn’t helpful. It just sounds like a vague, catch-all phrase, and I’m as much in the dark as I was before.

But, after 30 years as a recruiter, I’ve come to recognize some of the elements of the “it” factor—and how you can capitalize on them to optimize it for yourself.

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