Career Marketplace Blog

In this article for U.S. News and World Report, Miriam Salpeter explains The Best Way to Take Control of Your Job Hunt.

Below is an excerpt of Salpeter article. Read Full Article

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little more control over your job search? It’s frustrating applying over and over again for jobs and never hearing back.

When you apply online, the odds are against you unless your qualifications exactly match what the employer wants. (In other words, unless you are applying for the job you already have.) It’s not impossible to land an opportunity via an online application; many people do find jobs that way, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re not likely to get hired from a resume drop.

What should you do instead? Stop looking for a job. Start looking for a company.

You may be surprised, but it may be the best career move you never considered. Instead of spending all of your time searching for appropriate job descriptions and targeting your resume to apply for them, you should consider shifting some of your efforts to identifying organizations whose goals are in line with your interests and whose problems you know you can solve.

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In this article for the Wall Street Journal, Sarah E. Needleman explains, Why You Need an Elevator Pitch.

Read an excerpt from Needleman’s article. Read Full Article

A few weeks ago, I found myself in an elevator with a senior executive at my company. Since I work for a large organization, I didn’t expect such a big cheese to know who I am, so I introduced myself as the Journal’s small-business assistant editor. I could feel my nerves kick in but I made it through the ride without embarrassing myself (I think) and I perhaps benefited by gaining some high-level recognition.

The other day, though, I once again found myself in the elevator with Mr. Big Cheese – this time, with less impressive results.  I was at a loss for anything clever or interesting to say. He tried to initiate conversation with a benign statement about the elevator. I tried to make a witty reply, but it didn’t come across very well.

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In her article for ForbesWoman, Susannah Breslin shares her story, How I went from Downsized to Self-Employed in Four Months.

See an excerpt from Breslin’s article. Read Full Article

I was downsized in January.

Four months later, I was self-employed and earning almost as much as I had at my full-time salary.

Here’s how I did it.

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In her article for Forbes Magazine, Susan Adams writes, Two Myths About Résumés

Below is an excerpt from Adams’ article. Read Full Article

Over eight years as a career coach in New York City,  Win Sheffield has observed the myths his clients tell themselves about the challenge of finding a job.

In this piece, he lays out some facts and some fictions about résumés. (I’ve edited his words a bit.) He writes:

Résumé Myth #1: Putting together my résumé is the most important part of my job search.

The thinking behind this:

Every ad requires a résumé. Everyone who wants to assist me says that they can forward my résumé to HR. To get a job I need to interview and before an interview, interviewers ask me to send my résumé. The only way people will know who I am professionally is by my résumé. It is therefore the most important part of my search.

The appeal – why we want to believe it:

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Could there be a positive hiring trend in 2011? In her article for The New York Times, A Sign of Hope for More Hiring, Phyllis Korkki reports an increase in job listings to online job boards including Simply Hired and Indeed.

Below is an excerpt from Korkki’s article. Read full Article

WILL businesses ever start hiring again? The numbers from last month — with unemployment at a painful 9.4 percent — didn’t seem to offer much hope.

But often, before hiring occurs, a job is posted on a Web site of some sort. If we look at job-posting numbers — a more recent snapshot of employers’ needs than the hiring data — the picture is more encouraging across a range of industries.

At Simply Hired, a job search engine, postings rose more than 50 percent last year over 2009, and they increased almost 70 percent in December 2010 over December 2009.

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Great news for veterans. LiveCareer News reports, Ashford University Helps Veterans Earn Degrees. The University has teamed up with Cox Communications to provide scholarships to veterans seeking higher education.

Read on to learn more about The Homefront Heros Scholarship and how it helps our veterans obtain a college education.

In this clip for CBS hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon tries to make things right when he ruins a friend’s background check.

The Big Bang Theory: You Never Said No Backsies

In Wall Street Journal Education article, B-Schools Give Firms Say Amid Tough Job Market, Diana Middleton reports, “Some business schools are working harder to incorporate employers’ wishes into their curriculum, as the job market for M.B.A. graduates remains tough”.

Read an excerpt of Middleton’s article. Read Full Article

Business schools for years have sought to prepare students for real-world challenges. Now, amid an ultracompetitive job market, some are responding more aggressively to feedback from recruiters about graduates’ shortcomings and adjusting their courses accordingly.

Nicole Hall, president of the M.B.A. Career Services Council, an industry group for b-schools’ career-services associates, says schools have been more proactive in maintaining and improving relationships with recruiters by inviting top companies to high-profile campus events and having executives mingle with business schools’ top administrators. “The downturn gave a lot of [curriculum] changes a sense of urgency,” she says.

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U.S. News and World Report On Careers article, The 10 Most Common Job Interview Questions, Alison Green helps you to prepare for your next interview. In today’s competitive job market, it’s important to anticipate what an employer will ask you during the interview process.

Green lists common interview questions and gives you advice on how to become comfortable in your answers. Read Full Article

Common Interview Questions from Green’s article:

• What do you know about our company so far?
• Tell me your strengths?
• Tell me about a time when…
• What has been your biggest professional achievement?

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In her U.S. News and World Report On Careers article, How to Tailor Your Resume for an Employer, Miriam Salpeter shows job seekers how they can “appeal to your targeted employer“.

Great tips from Salpeter’s article include (Read Full Article):

• Review LinkedIn profiles with your target job title
• Study Job Descriptions
• Talk to people

Read on for more tips