Ways to Score Big in a Job Interview

Got a job interview coming up? Want to know some simple but key things you can do to help land the job? Whether you are a recent college graduate or looking for a more secure financial future, check these tips out for better odds of success. 1. Prepare and prepare! In this economy, finding a good job takes some advanced planning. You want to stand out from the rest by feeling calm and comfortable with some knowledge of both the company and the job. 2. Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses. Not only is this a common interview … Continue reading →

Do You Have Any Questions for Me?

It seems like such an easy question and yet often, this is the one question that job seekers stumble over. Aside from perhaps just being nice and making sure they were clear, an interviewer may well have other motives for asking you if you have any questions. Companies want people who are selective, and know what they want. Think about it: if you were a boss would you rather have the guy that’s aggressively seeking a career at your company or the guy who just needs a job? So what do you say when they want to know if you … Continue reading →

What are Your Goals? Figure These Out Before Taking that Job

As I took my long run this weekend I began to consider the idea of goals and objectives when it comes to both business ownership and the job world in general. For my website we are currently working on goals and objectives as mothers in business. So, we are thinking about what it is we want to see in our business lives in the next, say, six months, and then figuring out how we are going to get there. What are the tools that we need in order to accomplish these goals? For me, obtaining and keeping clients is extremely … Continue reading →

Dress the Part During the Interview

I was perusing a job board the other day and came across a post from a guy who wondered if it was necessary to wear a tie to an interview. Several respondents answered along the lines of, What are you crazy? Of course it is! Dressing for an interview is such a crucial step in the process of finding a job that it amazes me he would not consider wearing one, since the job was part of a business position. Don’t get me wrong, if you are going in to find work in a particular field, perhaps an artsy type … Continue reading →

Create a Portfolio Before Your Job Interview

Getting ready to head out the door for an interview with a new company and unsure of what you should carry along? Interviews can be a huge source of stress for applicants. Worrying about questions that might be asked, the outfit you should wear, things that you should (or should not) say can all make for a very tiring day. If you have been working in a particular field for a while, or if you have just graduated from a college program that included a lot of hands-on work, one thing that you should consider taking to the job interview … Continue reading →

Salary Requirements: Just What Do You Tell a Prospective Employer

Now that I own my own company, I thankfully no longer have to worry about the dreaded interview questions that pop up during the seeking employment stage. You know the ones that I’m talking about: Why do you want to work for our company, what can you offer and, low of lows, what is your current salary? You can always come up with answers to the first two, as they are company specific. But what about that third answer? It’s tricky. If you give a lowball answer, then you are basically telling the employer that you could start for as … Continue reading →

Marketing Yourself for Your Job

I’ve never been much of a salesperson. Once I had a job in a department store at the jewelry counter and I quit after just a few days. Sure, I didn’t hold down jobs for long when I was in high school, because there was just too much else to do, but I also didn’t like the job because I felt I had to sell. It’s tough for me to try to sell people something that they may not really want. What if they get stuck with it once they’ve made the purchase? What if it really wasn’t exactly what … Continue reading →

How To Do A Phone Interview

Job hunting is difficult enough. It takes time to put together the right resume for the right job. You may have several versions of your resume, each version geared to a specific type of job whether you are looking for something in management or development or training. You may be qualified in all of these areas, but you need to emphasize specific strengths for specific jobs. But you’ve done the resume and you’ve submitted it and now you’re facing the dreaded phone interview. The Phone Interview The phone interview is important. First and foremost, you’ve gotten the door to open … Continue reading →

What Are Hard and Soft Skills?

We all have both hard and soft skills within us, which are a part of our personality and emotional make-up. The question is: how can we use them when we are looking for a job? How can we make them more marketable, or can we? First, we should define what they are. Hard skills are specific and can be easily taught, such as being able to read or type a letter. They represent the minimum skills necessary to do a job and are the first screen employers use to weed out applicants who are obviously not qualified for the position … Continue reading →

The Job Interview and Uncomfortable Questions

One sticky moment in any interview situation is when the potential employer looks at you and asks about those five years in between your last two jobs. Unless you spent them in Folsom Prison (and even if you did), the best approach is to be honest but not necessarily tell all there is to tell. If this seems a contradiction in terms, allow me to assure you it isn’t. The art of side-step walks a very thin line to be sure, but it is a line nevertheless. You have to tell the truth; there’s no way out. So what to … Continue reading →