Congratulations! After much hard work on creating a great resume, networking, applying for jobs, and following up, you’ve been called for an interview. Job interviewing is one of the more stressful activities you can go through, so how can you be prepared to beat the competition? Here are 5 tips: 1. Use the job descriptionRead… Read more »
Any job search that takes longer than a couple of weeks will require some amount of organization. Just tracking the jobs you might be interested in applying for, the organizations that are likely to have jobs you might want, the people you’ve reached out to for networking, and the jos you’ve actually applied to isRead… Read more »
One of the many questions job seekers ask when they are in a job interview is about opportunities for promotion or advancement. Normally, asking about opportunities for advancement is a good thing because it shows ambition and a desire to stay with the organization–unless there is just no opportunity for that in a teeny tinyRead… Read more »
Timing is everything in the job search. This statement is true when it comes to applying before a job deadline, applying early and often, getting your references to reply quickly, and most of all when dealing with job interviews and offers. If you are lucky enough to have had multiple job interviews, you will likelyRead… Read more »
Second round interviews are sometimes more in-depth than the first round. In many cases, the first round or screening interview is with HR, and has some general questions (tell me about yourself, what are your strengths and weaknesses etc.). The second round is usually with the hiring manager and/or the team you’ll be working with.Read… Read more »
I heavily emphasize Linkedin in all my advice to job seekers, but there are limits on what it can do. At this point, it’s not that awesome as a job board. You can, in fact, use Linkedin as a job board by looking under “Jobs” and also looking for Jobs conversations/postings in the groups youRead… Read more »
There is a lot of confusion about cover letters. Cover letters are not: * An opportunity to write about your life story and life philosophy * A chance to write about tell your entire career history * A place to explain why you left each of your past employers or to focus in detail aboutRead… Read more »
The Brainteaser Interview question As I mentioned in my last post, there are three types of stress-based interviews. The third type of stressful interview question is the brainteaser. This is an unanswerable Zen-Koan type question that has no easy answer and is designed to test whether you are going to drop dead when faced withRead… Read more »
As the cost of travel rises and Skype is becoming more and more commonly used, people are increasingly having long-distance interviews via Skype. An in-person interview is still probably preferable, but if your prospective employer can’t reimburse your travel costs, you are still at least able to be seriously under consideration if you can interviewRead… Read more »
A few basic salary negotiation tips: 1. Let the employer give you a number first. Try not to answer questions about salary first—rather ask them what they had in mind. 2. Once an offer is on the table, sound grateful but don’t accept on the spot. Ask for time to think about it. Any reasonableRead… Read more »