Career Marketplace Blog

LIVECAREER News reports, Arkansas Launches New Program to Give College Credit for Experience.

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Adults who did not complete their postsecondary education will be given a second change by being able to convert some of their earlier life learning experiences into college credit at 2-year institutions in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Association of 2-Year Colleges (AATYC) announced that an initiative will begin this fall that will allow students to get credit for prior learning they received through on-the-job training, military service, volunteer opportunities and open source course work.

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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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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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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.

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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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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

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

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In this video from the Chico State Career Center, learn how to negotiate your salary during the interview and job offer process.

Career Center – How to Negotiate Salary

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

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In her blog CareerDiva.net, Eve Tahmincioglu helps job seekers find out Which college will get you a job at Google?

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The only real good worker news recently has come out of Google. The company announced it was giving its entire global workforce of 23,000 a 10 percent pay raise starting in January.

Even though the search engine giant has had some layoffs during the recession, they are nothing like other large companies, and Google’s been hiring consistently through the bad times.

Clearly, lots of folks want to work for Google and companies like them. But how do you get on the Google job track?

With so many college kids graduating and finding no work, it makes sense for high school students and their parents, who are now scouting colleges, to wonder whether the school they pick will lead to a solid job for a solid employer.

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