Career Marketplace Blog

How long should your resume be? About.com Guide Alison Doyle answers this question in her article, Resume Length Tips

Below is an excerpt for Doyle’s article. Read Full Article

In his article for The Wall Street Journal, Joe Light reveals Jobs Open, but Filling Them Slows Down.

Below is an excerpt from Light’s article

Hiring has yet to hit a rapid clip, but it’s not for lack of job openings.

Since December, the economy has added about 130,000 jobs a month, barely more than what is needed to keep up with population growth, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Meanwhile, the number of job openings advertised online has grown by more than 400,000, to 4.2 million, according to the Conference Board, a research organization. That increase continued a trend that began in the spring of 2009.

Recruiters say they are having trouble finding candidates for many skilled positions, and once candidates are found, hiring managers are taking longer to pull the trigger.

Positions that typically took two months to fill before the recession are sometimes taking four times longer, recruiters say, as hiring managers are holding out for better candidates.

Read Full Article

The StarkJobs.com Spring Job Fair is today. Check out this Howcast video to learn How to Ask for an Interview.

How to Ask for an Interview

Check out this HowCast Video, How to Send a Resume

In his article for U.S. News and World Report, Tim Tyrell-Smith lists 10 Signs of a Healthy Job Search.

Some of those signs are:

• You enjoy networking
• People seem to remember you
• You are not relying on your resume

Read full article and view complete list

In the What’s Your Problem? page for Lifehacker, Adam Dachis responds to job seeker Ahmed’s question, How Did You Discover Your Ideal Career?

Read Ahmed’s Question:

I am facing a problem that has been bothering me for the last two years, and even after asking the most professional people, i did not get a clear or a right answer. I have completed my degree in Information Technology, but unfortunately after spending all the time studying I find myself not liking IT as a job. My real problem is that, honestly, I still don’t know what I would love to do as a real job. I don’t know how to decide what I love! I don’t want to waste my life as a NOC engineer! I know life is all about the choices you make, and I want to hit it right between the eyes. I want to do the right thing I am supposed to do—the thing that I am supposed to “love” doing. Is there anyway that you can know what you want as a career—something you wont regret when looking back in your life when you are old? Help!

Read on for Dachis’ response

In his article for U.S. News and World Report, Rick Newman lists 10 Industries That Will Hire the Most in 2011.

Industries listed in Newman’s article

• Office Staffing
• Tourism
• Car Dealerships
• Home-building

Read Full Article and view the complete industry list

In her article for The Wall Street Journal, Emily Glazer explains How to Ask for ‘Extras’. Extras include Smartphones, Laptops, Conferences and more.

Below is an excerpt from Glazer’s article

Bridget Bland thought using an iPhone, with its applications and WiFi access, would make it easier to work with clients on the go.

The hard part, the 28-year-old realized, would be convincing her superiors to pay for one.

So Ms. Bland, a social-media producer in New York, researched different smartphone plans and payment options. When she approached her superiors, she explained how the iPhone’s apps and WiFi access would keep her in constant communication with her clients and save her employer, Social People, money in the long term.

In the end, Ms. Bland had to buy the phone herself, but her employer agreed to pay for more than half of the monthly service charges.

“I started the conversation with something positive” about client relationships, she says, “instead of ‘I want this, I need this, you need to give me this.’”

Asking for extras that don’t come with your position — corporate credit cards, smartphones, laptops and even classes or conferences — can be tricky for young professionals. While you want to express your rationale for a tool, you don’t want to come across as entitled, especially if you are just starting out. The best approach, experts say, is to avoid making it personal; focus on why your use of a product or service benefits your company.

Read on

In her article for Forbes Magazine, Susan Adams explains How To Ace Your Interview.

Below is an excerpt of Adams’ article

Do not curb your enthusiasm. Win Sheffield, 56, a coach for the last seven years with the career counseling firm The Five O’Clock Club, says a lot of job seekers forget that one of the most crucial parts of interviewing is convincing the hiring manager that you truly desire the job. Interviewers don’t just look for applicants who have the requisite skills and will fit in with a company. Now more than ever, they want candidates who want them.

Sheffield is absolutely right, says Cynthia Bragdon, owner of Urban Indigo, a gift store in Oakland, Calif. “I don’t know why some candidates miss this,” she adds. “Maybe because they think it seems desperate.” She says the most eager applicants quickly make her A list. “If they seem aloof, I get very worried, because any job requires a full commitment,” she explains. “And if they are aloof in an interview, they will probably be aloof to my customers, which is a very bad thing.”

Read on to learn how your illustrate your strengths and enthusiasm

In his article for Forbes Magazine, Ron Ashkenas asks, What’s Your Personal Brand?

Below is an excerpt of Ashkenas’ article

Do you have a personal brand?  When people hear your name, do they immediately think of certain qualities that you have?  Do colleagues, friends and family know what they can count on from you?  Does your reputation extend beyond those who know you personally – and if so, what do they think about you?

Without doubt, these are tough question, but probably ones that everyone should periodically address. We are all the chief branding officers of our own personal brands. We have the power to determine and control our own reputation, whether through our actions at the workplace or through what we decide to Tweet. We are able to create our own sense of distinctiveness, trust and confidence. In every environment, from the workplace to the Web, people make choices that affect their personal brand — whether it is who to work with (and who to avoid), who to follow, who to “friend”, or what special message to share in 140 characters.

How you manage your personal brand in any of these mediums will determine how others view you — and ultimately shape your career and your life.

Read on to learn how you can create your personal brand