Career Marketplace Blog

In this article from USA Today College, Billie Streufert breaks down the important elevator-pitch.

USA Today College, Your minute to win it: Elevator Pitch essentials – Read full article

Read an excerpt of Streufert’s article below.

Imagine running into the hiring manager of your dream job. Chances are you won’t be in an elevator. Perhaps you’re like Monica Geller from Friends. She was working as a waitress when a millionaire offered her a chef position. Don Draper of Mad Men was selling fur coats when he introduced himself to Roger Sterling. Chris Gardner from The Pursuit of Happyness was downtown attempting to sell a scanner, but he managed to share a cab with a Dean Witter executive.

No matter where you are, you will need to create and capitalize on opportunities to introduce yourself. Like Hollywood characters, you can stumble on job leads through planned happenstance. From the supermarket to job fairs, you should always be ready to introduce yourself.

The elements of your pitch are simple. Essentially, it serves as your verbal business card and contains the components of any good narrative.

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In this article published by USA Today College, Her Campus lists, 10 essential things to bring to an interview.

Read an excerpt for the article below. Read Full Article

Now that you’ve crafted a great resume and used your connections, you’ve finally landed your dream interview.

But how should you prepare?

Sometimes it’s tough to know what to bring to your interview… besides yourself. Here are a few essentials that should ease your mind when the big day rolls around.

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In this article from The Daily Muse, Anne Niederkorn describes, Getting Back Together: Interviewing at a Company You Used to Work For.

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

Over time, your career path can take some pretty unexpected twists and turns. Like—when you suddenly find yourself trying to rejoin a company or team you once left behind.

If you’re lucky, you were approached by your old boss or co-workers—and they really want you back. But maybe you realized that you made a mistake by leaving in the first place; or, after spending time elsewhere for a few years, you see a great new opportunity available. No matter what the reason, though, that first step back to reconnecting with your former company is one that needs to be handled carefully.

So, how do you make the initial connection and interview a little less awkward and a lot more productive? In order to get some useful tips, I talked to a few professionals who were once in your very same shoes. And while their “return stories” were all a little different, their suggestions hit on some similar themes.

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In this article from Mashable, Chelsea Gladden lists, 4 Tips to Make Your Resume Stand Out.

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

There it is: a stack of 150 resumes, received in the first hour of posting a job, piled up in the hiring manager’s email inbox. How will you stand out? These four tips for creating an effective, well-organized resume, should help you stay at the top of the pile and in the top of the hiring manager’s mind.

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In this article for U.S. News and World Report’s Blog, On Careers, Miriam Salpeter explains, Tips for Making a Short and Succinct Elevator Pitch.

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

Everyone knows how to introduce themselves, right? It’s just like those name tags organizers pass out at networking events, “Hello, my name is…” Unfortunately, a lot of job seekers have a tough time getting beyond that very basic introduction. Sure, they can chat about where they grew up or their favorite book or movie, but when it comes time to say something smart and relevant about their job search interests, it gets a little tricky.

Do you have a pitch about you, your skills, and accomplishments ready to use the next time someone asks what you’re looking for? While conventional wisdom used to dictate you prepare a two-minute “elevator pitch,” most elevator rides don’t last two minutes, and most people’s attention spans certainly don’t.

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In this article for The Wall Street Journal’s,Ask At Work, Elizabeth Garone answers the question, Is it better to send thank-you notes by mail or e-mail?

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

Q: The last time I was looking for work, everything was still done by mail. I’m not sure about today’s etiquette. Should my post-interview thank-you notes be sent by mail or email?

 - New York, N.Y.

Read on for the answer 

In this article for U.S. & World Report’s blog, On Careers, Arnie Fertig lists, The Best Interview Tips for Older Job Seekers.

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

“I’m worried that the boss will hire someone far younger than me,” is a statement often heard from older job hunters. In truth, chances are that younger candidates are in hot pursuit of that dream opportunity, and the issue of age in hiring practices is a real one.

In the face of this competition, here are a few tips to turn your years of experience to your advantage:

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In this article from for the Simply Hired Blog, SimplyBlog, learn why Thank You Notes are Not Dead.

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Do post interview thank you notes get read? Is it a complete waste of a job seeker’s time?

The answer is that a thank you note is still an essential part of the interview process. A thank you note:

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In her article for Simply Hired Blog, Robin Fisher Roffer descibers, What to Wear to Your Next Interview.

Read an excerpt of Fisher Roffer’s article. Read Full Article

I’m off to New York this week to land a major piece of business, meet with my agent to deliver my latest book and give a speech to career professionals.  I’m completely prepared to “wow” everyone I’m seeing with the content I’ve created, but without looking the part of “World-Class Brand Strategist,” no one will listen to a word I say.

To make sure that I’m seen and heard, I carved out a couple of hours on Sunday laying out each outfit – carefully considering my mostly media-savvy audience. I thought about what they would respond to and feel comfortable with.  Then I mixed all the pieces in unexpected ways in keeping with my personal brand.  In the suitcase went a red sleeveless dress with a lightweight long beige jacket, a tailored dark grey Jackie-O type dress cinched with a studded leather obi and funky black jacket.  For casual client dinners, I threw in a pair of skinny jeans and some fun tops to go under the jackets.  Everything went into one small bag so I could carry on.

If I were a guy doing the same business trip, I would have packed two closely cut suits with crisp dress shirts in unexpected colors.  No tie.  I’d make sure that my watch and eyeglasses (if I wore them) were the latest style.  I would be conscious to not look old school or worn.  I’d show up in the NYC relevant and of-the-moment.

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In this article from the Undercover Recruiter, Jorgen Sundberg gives you, 9 Tips to Help You Impress Your Interviewer.

Tips from Sundberg’s article include:

• Ask questions
• Be Enthusiastic
• Work on your handshake

Read full article for more tips