Career Marketplace Blog

Thinking about quiting your job? Check out this video from Workopolis on How to Quit Your Job: Resigning with Class

Looking for an internship? Jacquelyn Smith prepares readers for the interview process in her Forbes.com article, Oddball Interview Questions for Interns.

Below is an excerpt from Smith article. Read Full Article

Those looking to land an internship may prepare for common interview questions like “What are your strengths?” or “What are your weaknesses,” but intern candidates can also expect less conventional queries.

Facebook is asking candidates about horse races and Google wants to know how many ways a candidate can climb a staircase – but those aren’t the strangest questions.

Internship seekers are hearing more and more oddball questions during interviews – but don’t fret when you’re asked to sell the interviewer an invisible pen, or to evaluate Subway’s 5 foot long sub policy.

The online jobs and career community where people share information about their workplaces, Glassdoor.com, gathered some of the most unconventional questions that intern candidates were asked during interviews. Luckily, employers aren’t looking for the most brilliant answers. They are trying to get a sense of your thought process and how you perform under pressure.

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In his article for CNNMoney, Chris Isidore highlights, Where Jobs are Booming.

Below is an excerpt from Isidore’s article. Read Full Article

While the overall job market was crippled by the effects of the Great Recession, some sectors never stopped hiring.

A CNNMoney analysis of the more than 140 sectors tracked in the Labor Department’s survey of employers found 15 that grew fairly steadily from the start of the recession until today. And an additional 11 sectors have recaptured more than half the jobs that they lost during the recession.

“Even in the worst recession, there are still some industries adding jobs,” said Heidi Shierholz, labor economist with the Economic Policy Institute. “The demand for their goods and services don’t follow the business cycle.”

The aging population, for example, has fueled demand for health care workers.

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Who should you choose as a reference? Joanna Boydak from LiveCareer has a few Secrets to Passing the Reference Check.

Read an excerpt from Boydak’s article below. Read Full Article

Would you be excited to eat at a restaurant that has a mediocre review? An unenthusiastic reference may hurt more than help, so choose your references carefully and make sure they are prepared. With just a little extra planning, you can guarantee your references help you win the job.

Follow these steps to prepare for a reference check:

1. Make your list- Ideally, you will want to use your most recent supervisor as a reference. Former clients, employees you have supervised and co-workers are acceptable as well. If you are an entry-level candidate with little experience, list a mentor such as a professor or family friend. All of these types of references can provide valid insight into your character and abilities as a future employee.

2. Get their permission- Never submit your references before getting their permission first. Describe the type of job that you are looking for and request that they be a reference. If you sense hesitation, consider asking someone else. Having a great reference requires the individual to be prepared to vouch for you with enthusiasm.

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What Industries are Hiring? Watch this WSJ MarketWatch Video,
Looking for Jobs? These Industries are Hiring

Want to know how to sell your job skills to employers? Learn how with Curt Rosengren’s U.S. News and World Report article, How to Market Your Skills in Your Job Search.

Read an excerpt of Rosengren’s article below. Read Full Article

If you‘ve ever looked for a job, you’ve probably seen skills checklists, ones that ask you to tick off every skill on the page that sounds like you. The trouble with that is, when it comes to telling your story to a prospective employer, it’s still pretty one-dimensional. There’s nothing to back it up.

If you want to talk about your skills in a compelling way, you have to go deeper than that. One way to do this is to give the checklist the heave-ho and take a longer and more fruitful approach to identifying your skills.

Don’t forget that potential employers aren’t actually interested in your skills—they’re interested in how those skills can help them meet their needs. This process will help you make your story more compelling by letting you demonstrate that.

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Have a teenager looking for summer work? Check out this Wall Street Journal article from Sue Shellenbarger, The Do-It-Yourself Summer Job.

Below is an excerpt from Shellenbarger’s article. Read Full Article

With many towns, cities and business leaders counting on small businesses to strengthen the economy, teaching your kids entrepreneurial skills seems like a good bet.

The payoff may come sooner than you think: Teenage entrepreneurs are doing a surprisingly professional job of turning traditional teen jobs into profit centers, as I reported in my recent Work & Family column. One 17-year-old Texas student I interviewed started a car-wash business at age 14 and has banked $4,000 so far for college. Two Connecticut teens, immigrants from Bosnia, have launched a computer-services business serving the Bosnian-speaking community; they have donated 5% of their $2,400 profit so far to charity. Another Texas teen, now 18, has banked $20,287 from a lawn-care business he started in 2004 with his brother.

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Check out this In Pictures slide show from Forbes Magazine, How to Follow Up After a Job Interview

Advice from this slide show:

• Send an e-mail, not a handwritten note.
• Late is better than never
• Focus on the interviewer
• Even if you blew the interview, do follow up

View full slide show

In her article for Forbes.com, Want the Job? Get a Sponser, Colette Martin explains what a sponsor is and how they can impact your job search.

Below is an excerpt of Martin’s article. Read Full Article

For the past two decades we’ve heard a lot about mentoring. Having a mentor – someone to guide you in your career and provide critical advice – is one of the keys to career success.

And we’ve heard a lot about networking. We have been taught that most jobs are found through networking. While estimates vary from 60% to 80%, it is a compelling data point that has made us think differently about working relationships.

Now there’s a new player everyone is talking about – the sponsor.

If you want to get ahead – and specifically if you want to get the job, your chances are dramatically increased if you have a sponsor.

What is a sponsor? And how is a sponsor different from a mentor?

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