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Don’t forget the power of old friends and co-workers
September 29, 2007 by sarah ennengaReprinted courtesy of TheCareerNews.com
BOULDER, CO — People talk about networking, and why it’s so critical in your job search. They always say the same things. “Meet lots of people.” “Go to networking events.” Those things are fine, but the new people you meet in droves during your job search can only do so much for you. They only know a little bit about you, for one thing. And they haven’t worked next to you. And they can’t recommend you as a trusted friend, because you aren’t one.
Of course you can make a great contact through networking with strangers. But the fact is, a person who worked with you 10 years ago and remembers your prowess at something-or-other is loads more valuable to you in your job search (not to mention as a friend in general) than someone who just met you last week. Still, we have a way of relying on our new friends and neglecting our old ones during a job search. -
Top reason why new hires bail: Unclear expectations
September 28, 2007 by sarah ennengaReprinted courtesy of TheCareerNews.com
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Unrealistic expectations about their job and their new organization is a major reason why as many as one-fourth of new hires leave within the first year, says a survey of more than 2,000 HR and training executives.
Other reasons include: failure to grasp how things get done around the organization (38.7%), poor communications with an immediate supervisor (33.1%), failure to develop a sense of belonging and purpose (26.4%), inadequate technical skills (22.7%), Not understanding the link between the job and organizational goals (20.9%), failure to connect with key employees (17.8%), inability to quickly establish trust and credibility (12.9%), and poor people skills, (12.9%) -
Salary Talk: What if a salary history is “required,” and I don’t send one?
by sarah ennengaQ. In job announcements in the newspaper and elsewhere I sometimes see “send resume and salary history to…” If I respond, I respectfully decline submission of the salary history information until I get more serious interest from the prospective employer. However, I have yet to get an interview from any of these employers, in spite of my apparent qualifications, which in some cases have been significant. I think my salary history is irrelevant, as I have recently completed a master’s degree and attained a related certification, though I haven’t yet worked in any position that called for these qualifications. Am I hurting my chances by not providing this information? How does one best handle this matter?
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What To Do If . . . You Have A Learning Disability
by sarah ennengaIf you have a learning disability and you’re planning to go to college, here’s some good news: most colleges and universities provide a wide range of services to help learning-disabled students succeed in the classroom and have a full and complete college experience. How can you be sure that the colleges you’re applying to have what you need? Here are some tips.
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Virtual Networking: Does It Live Up to the Hype?
by sarah ennengaUnless you’ve been on a remote tropical island or in a coma the past several years, you have heard that the emergence of the Web as a place for social and professional networking is well underway. It seems like a long time ago when the Internet was perceived by and large as a place where people researched information, played games, or made purchases in a very solitary fashion.
In an ExecuNet newsletter article this week, Robyn Greenspan observes, “Fast-forward and the pendulum has not only swung in the other direction, it has spun off its hinge.” Today there is a tremendous amount of interactivity via blogging, user groups (such as Yahoo groups), and forums on specialty and professional websites, while the use of networking sites such as LinkedIn, Ryze, and others is literally exploding. In a recent study, LinkedIn was shown to be one of the fastest-growing Web 2.0 sites, reporting more than 12 million members. (“Web 2.0″ refers to a new breed of interactive websites that allow users to create their own content.) Ryze, a business networking site, boasts more than 500,000 members in more than 200 countries. -
Dream Job: Comedian
by sarah ennengaGetting Started
Have you ever joked around with your friends or co-workers and thought, “Wow, I am pretty funny, maybe I can take this show on the road?” Zach Sherwin, a member of the sketch comedy group The Late Night Players, did. The difference is he actually followed through on the thought.
Like many popular stand-up comics and comedy groups today, The Late Night Players started pretty accidentally. Sherwin says that he “had this group of friends in college and we used to crack each other up all the time”. They began writing sketches and honing their art, and by their third show they had about 500 people rolling on the floor with laughter. Sherwin claims that “this was by no means a pro-quality comedy show, but the energy and chemistry of the group members was just through the roof. It was such a great event that it confirmed our hunches that we might want to make a go of this comedy business after we graduated”. The Late Night Players then hit the road… -
What makes a resume scream: Don’t hire me
by sarah ennengaReprinted courtesy of TheCareerNews.com
New York, NY — How much personal information should you include in a resume? The question evidently baffles lots of people. “Your resume speaks volumes about you,” notes V. Michael Prencipe, a principal at HR Staffing Solutions. “Unfortunately, sometimes it screams, Don’t hire me.”
Prencipe also counsels against saving your resume with unprofessional names like ‘ssseexxxyyy_2006′ and sending it as an attachment. He cautions against listing your reply e-mail address as something like ‘bruceypants@’ – and yes, he reports, those are both real-life examples, as are countless resumes that detail the reasons why job seekers were fired from previous jobs (which is information not suitable for resumes). -
Salary Talk: Does my international salary history jeopardize future earnings?
by sarah ennengaQ. I had five years of experience as financial accountant in private industry in the United States before moving to Hong Kong last year. My annual earnings as a manager were US$43,000. The staff accountant job I hold in Hong Kong equates to US$28,000. Besides the job title, the salary difference is also because of the different living standard, tax rates, and salary trends between the United States and Hong Kong. After taking these considerations into account, I estimate my salary in Hong Kong to be equal to US$40K.
Now I am returning to the United States and my low salary looks awkward on my resume compared to what I earned in former jobs. How can I tell the recruiters that my latest salary looks low only because of the different living standard, not because I am unable to attain a higher salary? Should I put my estimate of $40,000, or my actual salary of $28,000 on the resume? -
Be Yourself!
by sarah ennengaI’ve been reading a lot lately about various interview methods – and in my prior life as an HR executive, I tried many of them. All are designed to try and find out the “truth” about a candidate. The company doesn’t want to make a mismatch, so they employ group interviews, behavioral interviews, personality assessments,situational interviews, leadership tests … countless different ways to try and find out if you can do the job and fit into the culture.
Recruiters have to work hard to identify the right candidates because so many job seekers go into interviews with one goal – to impress the interviewer. Because they view the interview as a test, they want to “pass.” (Let’s face it – no one wants to be rejected.)
But that’s the wrong approach to interviewing – it’s not a pass or fail test – it’s an opportunity for you to determine whether this job and this company are a fit for you. Because, if the fit isn’t right but you successfully “fake them out” and get the job, who wins? -
Getting in: What will an admissions committee look for in me?
by sarah ennengaStudent anxiety is an inevitable by-product of the college admissions process–a kind of emotional smokestack emission that hangs over admissions-related activities. This anxiety is largely unavoidable, as students send themselves off in the mail to be evaluated by admissions officers. The results are inescapably public–back from the admissions office come fat envelopes or skinny envelopes. Is this system fair? Are the decisions more whimsical than reflective of a student’s talents?
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