How to sell yourself while interviewing for a new job

Ever run into this question at a job interview: "Why should we choose you instead of the other candidates?"

Workplace coach Marie McIntyre, author of Secrets to Winning at Office Politics, has this reply: Comparing yourself to unknown applicants is an impossibility, so ignore the second half of the question and focus on the factors that make you a good choice. Describe how your skills, knowledge and experience can make a valuable contribution to the business.

To prepare for this question, take time to research the organization and learn as much as possible about what it does. You will then be better able to explain why your attributes make you a good fit.

Job searching!!! Don't give up!!!

My friend' story... :)

I'm 19 years old and a college student. I spent my entire first semester in college job searching, and it took an employer 2 years to hire me. See if there's any jobs in your area available that relates to you experience. If you worked in construction (like you said), see if there are any retail stores that have a hardware associate opening. The thing is, getting a job in retail is mad difficult. When I was job searching I must have applied to work for 20-30 retailers that claimed to be hiring. Only 3 of them invited me for an interview, and 1 hired me. Even if your are the perfect person for them, they will still reject you.

Start applying for jobs anywhere you can think of. Ironically jobs are limited. I can garantee you that people who got laid-off are going insane job searching, and supermarkets, coffee shops, hotels, department stores, and restaurants are probably getting bombarded with job applicants. Plus people are spending less money than usualy during this holiday season, so most retailers are probably hiring less. Needless to say most retailers and restaurants are probably already finished hiring already for the season.

Apply for jobs online and in-person. Don't give up.

What are the top Job Search Engines to use?

Are you familiar with simplyhired, indeed, juju, what else is there?

Indeed is my favorite, but, other then that there are a lot of jobs that just get listed on the company web site and don't end up anywhere else. Some companies want people to want to work for them enough to look them up on their own instead of clipping the add out of a newspaper.

Though, another option are small local newspapers, those sometimes have decent jobs listed.

Go through the yellow pages in your local phone book to get an idea of companies to search for. Another option may be if your state has a job search site they refer people collecting unemployment too, sometimes those sites have jobs you don't see listed anywhere else.

Surviving the Recession: Ditch the Job Search; Start a Problem Search

During a recent appearance on CNN, I was posed the following question: "Most companies have called for hiring freezes until January, but millions out there are desperate and can't wait. What can these people do to solve their problem?"

It is a reasonable question. Bills begin to pile up. Frustration and fear grows. There is a sense of urgency to right the situation, to get back on track, to solve your problem.

But wait! Employers NEVER hire people out of sympathy. Employers hire people to fix their own problems.

The fact is that in a recession (particularly this one), employers themselves face significant challenges. It is safe to say that most of the people you will come in to contact with during your employment search have very real fears about the security of their own jobs.

While the end goal should always be to find lucrative and fulfilling work, your approach in the job market must be outwardly facing, not inward. Look for problems that you can solve for others, and that's where the job offers will be waiting.

In an expansionary period, the problems that companies often face relate to keeping up with growth, building production capacity and their bench of talent to meet future demand. In a recession, the major issues are re-energizing sales and improving efficiency (often through cutting costs).

In a "problem search", the first step is self-assessment. Where have you successfully increased revenue (through sales or marketing) for a product or division? How have you creatively found ways to cut operational costs, or redesigned a process to make it more efficient? What are the problems that you are confident you can solve for others? Write down specifics. Arm yourself with facts.

Next, do your research. Identify industries, companies, and then divisions or even specific managers where you know there is a problem they are trying to fix. Gather as much information as possible - from articles, the internet and even discussions with others who work at the company. The goal is to understand as thoroughly as you can the problem an employer is dealing with, and then to be able to confidently articulate how you have solved similar problems before, and how you can help right now.

Fewer jobs in the marketplace are a byproduct of any recession. But there are no shortage of problems companies are desperately trying to overcome. Identifying and solving an employer's problem is, in the end, the best way to resolve your own.

Reference:huffingtonpost.com

Job searches increase as online job search sites grow

Despite the traditional holiday season slow down, job searches on one job search site: Simplyhired.com, grew 27% during a two week period in November. Search trends confirm a weakening economy, with New York taking the lead for greatest increase in searches (104%). Aside from math related jobs (such as research analysts and statisticians) that are common in the financial industry, significant increases were also seen in searches for entertainment jobs – suggesting a decline in those jobs as more people cut back on discretionary spending.

There are many job hunting sites on the web, with new ones seemingly springing up daily. SimplyHired, who released this survey, claim to be the largest job search engine. This may be true, but they certainly aren’t the most popular – that title stays with monster.com based on both Alexa and Google ranking. Other popular sites include realmatch.com, jobfox.com, indeed.com and hotjobs.yahoo.com.

Some other jobs sites you should be aware of if you are in the unfortunate position of having to search for a job:

CoolWorks.com – if you ever wanted to chuck it all and go work at a dude ranch for a summer or in a national park or summer camp, here’s the place to search. For unusual or seasonal jobs in unusual places, it can’t be beat. Sign up for their newsletter just to see the simple lifestyle you're missing.

Craigslist.com – There are no fancy communication tools here, or resume builders or really anything fancy at all. But there are jobs. Why? because it doesn’t cost much for employers to list them and they get lots of local traffic. Does it work? Let's put it this way - My road to becoming an Examiner started on Craigslist, and I was just browsing, not seriously looking for a gig.

LinkedIn.com – There’s nothing better than a personal referral or introduction. Be sure your friends know you’re looking – their friends may be hiring.

USAJobs.gov – When the economy is tough there’s nothing like the stability of a government job. Here’s where the federal government hires. State and county jobs are listed on their websites as well, but given the financial stress local governments are under, this might not be the best time to look.

Reference:examiner.com

Nurses Discover New Job Search Experience

On September 8, 2008, TooBusyWorking was launched as a next-generation job board that aggregates and organizes local nursing job openings from all major employers onto a single Web site. Today, TooBusyWorking has more local nursing job listings than CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Nurse.com and Monster combined.

In addition to the large number of job openings, each listing on TooBusyWorking provides nurses with information detailing commuting distance, shift/schedule and employer contact information. The result is a job search experience that is more comprehensive and convenient than conventional job boards.

Since the September launch, more than 30,000 nurses and nursing assistants in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware have visited the site.

TooBusyWorking is promoted via customized e-mails to over 90,000 nurses in the PA/NJ/DE tri-state region. TooBusyWorking's proprietary database uses demographic/geo-targeted data to provide advanced practice nurses, registered nurses and nursing assistants information on job openings that are less than 25 miles in commuting distance from their homes.

From the employer perspective, TooBusyWorking's "pay-for-performance" business model represents a dramatic reduction in the cost of job postings. While the average job board posting is $300 to $700 per job listing, TooBusyWorking offers postings free of charge. Instead, employers pay a small fee ($2 or $3) when prospective job candidates express interest in an open position. At a time when employers' budgets are being squeezed, TooBusyWorking represents a unique value.

The Employment Management Association recognized TooBusyWorking as the 1st Place Winner (among job boards and job sites) in their annual Creative Excellence Awards.

SOURCE TooBusyWorking

Right person, wrong job

In choosing former Yahoo exec Qi Lu to run its online efforts, Microsoft chose exactly the wrong person for the job. Lu, an exceedingly accomplished technologist, has a superb background in engineering, and particularly in online search. But he doesn't appear to have a background in business strategy, and because of that, he won't be able to fix Microsoft's problems online.

Computerworld reports that Lu comes to Microsoft after having been "vice president of engineering responsible for the technology development of Yahoo's search and marketplace business unit, which includes the company's search, e-commerce, and local listings of businesses and products."

He also has 20 U.S. patents to his name, and a Ph.D. in Carnegie Mellon University.

Clearly, Microsoft chose him hoping that his technical expertise would prove to be invaluable in helping the company gain ground on Google in search.

Put simply, though, that's not going to happen. Google owns search. It owns it today, and it will own it tomorrow. Spending too much money and resources chasing Google only hurts Microsoft, not helps it.

It's time for Microsoft to recognize that when it comes to search, it simply can't catch Google, and never will. Google's market share of search has steadily increased, while Microsoft's has steadily dropped --- down to 8.5% from 15% over three years. Yahoo, Lu's former employer, dropped from 30% to 20% in that same time.

If Lu couldn't help Yahoo catch Google, why should he be able to help Microsoft do it?

The key to succeeding online for Microsoft isn't to chase Google, but instead to play to its own strengths. And that means online versions of Microsoft Office and related services. It also means fixing the Windows Live lineup and brand, which right now is a confusing mix of incoherent, overlapping products and services.

A technologist can't fix those problems --- a business strategist can. So Microsoft needs a business strategist in charge of its online efforts. Microsoft can always use people like Lu onboard, but they've put him in the wrong job. I just hope that if Microsoft's online efforts continue to falter, he won't be used as a scapegoat.

Reference:blogs.computerworld.com

Job Search - No time 4 holiday break ?

Hey Folk... This year has been a nail-biter for many job seekers. Lots of people have dealt w/ unforeseen career challenges, fr layoffs to restructuring. Luckily, 2008 is winding down, leaving plenty of time to put ur feet up on the desk & wait for 2009 to roll in with better forecasts, more job openings and the promise of wealth. Right?

Not exactly.

If u had a difficult year, u might benefit fr a short break or slower pace. But it would be a mistake to shut down a perfectly good job hunt with three weeks remaining in the year.

Momentum plays an important role in a job search. U reach out to companies. Follow through. Keep those lines of communication open. then what happens? It snowballs. Ur network grows. People talk to each other. Ur name comes up in conversation. A new opportunity falls into your lap.

Sure, the holidays are around the corner. But employers still answer the phone. They read e-mail. They accept resumes, make appointments, and consider candidates 4 future positions. The world hasn't stopped. Why should u?

Plus, this month offers an added advantage for serious job seekers. Most people give up looking for work in December. They get distracted by holiday shopping, house guests and rainy weather. By stepping out of the job market, even temporarily, these folks make room for savvy job hunters like you. The less competition, the better.

Wherever u are in ur career -- employed or unemployed, executive, supervisor or front-line staff -- I suggest that you barrel ahead with your job search. Even if you're tired. Even if your confidence level is low. Even if you can hardly imagine yourself carving out another cover letter to a potential employer. Sit down at the desk and tap away at the keyboard. Hang in there. Keep the momentum going.

Here are a few job search tips to help u navigate the final weeks of 2008:

Expect a slower pace, but don't succumb to it. It may take employers longer to return ur phone calls and e-mail messages this month. Don't let that stop u. Send your resume and a persuasive, nonformulaic cover letter. The sooner u develop relationships w/ hiring managers, the faster u will land a new job. Also, when hordes of job seekers decide to kick-start their careers in the New Year, u'll be a step ahead.

Use extra time wisely. If u find urself twiddling ur thumbs between phone calls or interviews, improve ur time management skills. Make an appointment 4 urself, say fr noon to 1 p.m., & then use every minute of the allotted hour 4 job-searching activities.

Can't think of anything to do? Revise the top section of your resume. Prepare to answer tricky interview questions. Read the newspaper for information on local companies.

Take a short break. Again, I don't suggest abandoning your job search 4 the season. However, if u feel exhausted or down-in-the-dumps, a short break can nudge u back on track.

Share quality time w/ family and friends. See a movie. Go bowling. Do something, anything, that makes you forget about ur job hunt for a little while. Take a long, deep breath. Now, dive back in.

Reference:heraldnet.com

Jobs2Web

About Jobs2Web

Jobs2Web is a leading provider of interactive recruiting solutions. Thecompany develops and implements the innovative technologies and servicesthat enable employers to leverage their investments in their own careersites to attract, capture and communicate with the exploding base ofinteractive job seekers. Through Jobs2Web's solutions, employers canimprove recruiter effectiveness and provide measurable results, translatinginto increased quality of hires, reduced time to fill and a ready pipelineof passive candidates.

Founded in 2003, Jobs2Web is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn.Jobs2Web's executive team includes several of the world's foremost sourcingand recruiting experts. More information can be accessed atwww.jobs2web.com

The Ultimate Job Search Guide

Hey Folk, I tell you about a Ultimate book, that is Knock em Dead 2009: The Ultimate Job Search Guide. It is praised by the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today as one of the best career books on the market, this book is better than ever in this timely 2009 edition.


Author: Martin Yate
Publisher: Adams Media
Category: Book


Knock em Dead 2009: The Ultimate Job Search Guide, includes updated information on Internet resources for job searching, networking, and company research. The 2009 edition contains a lot of new information: fresh examples of interview types; up-to-the-minute strategies to make applicants stand out from the crowd; new examples of what questions interviewers ask and the best answers to give, and more!

Knock em Dead 2009: The Ultimate Job Search Guide, gives readers all the tools they need to make a dynamic, lasting impression. In todays competitive world, this is the book job seekers need to get the job they want.

Good Luck.