Dressing For The Job Mark Twain once quipped, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.” Good insight. But in a world of “Dress Down Friday,” what’s appropriate to wear to work? In many cases, there are no carved-in-granite rules so when in doubt, go traditional. “The most basic mistake
[continue reading...]

Keep a bad attitude from hindering your job search Some IT job seekers unwittingly express their anger, frustration, and sense of entitlement in everything they do in their job search. Here’s why that can hurt you in the long run and what you can do to avoid it. When you’re looking for a job, about
[continue reading...]

Microsoft Struggles To Find Skilled Labor A panel discussion at the Microsoft Research Tech Fair provided insight into the future of innovation and U.S. competitiveness. By Stephanie Stahl InformationWeek Want to know a little bit about what the future will look like? A stroll through the Library of Congress on Wednesday provided a glimpse of
[continue reading...]

Headhunters seek hearts, minds Have a heart: Richard Harris, president of Sales Recruiters International in Bedford Hills, N.Y., says he has “no qualms” about being called by the much-used term “headhunter” – despite the fact that sometimes that term isnt very friendly. But Harris adds this: “We may be characterized as headhunters, but were really
[continue reading...]

What Is a Recruiter … Really? Recruiting is a poorly understood profession (sometimes even by those who call themselves recruiters). There are several types of recruiters, but the mechanics and psychology of recruiting are all the same. Corporate Recruiters are employed by a company for the purpose of finding and qualifying new employees for the
[continue reading...]

Age bias thwarts older job seekers As more baby boomers see their hair turn gray in coming years, age discrimination is likely to send them running for the Grecian Formula before their next job interview. That’s just what Marshall Levy did to give his gray-bearded face a youthful look after months of experiencing subtle age
[continue reading...]

Your Turn to Ask Questions In many situations, the questions you ask in an interview can be more revealing than the answers you give. Recruiters are looking for candidates who ask insightful questions throughout the recruitment process; they see candidates’ questions for employers as clues about their analytical skills. [It's] always really disappointing to any
[continue reading...]

Cover Letter FAQ Too often, job seekers treat cover letters as afterthoughts or ignore them altogether. By including a cover letter with every resume you send, you’ll add an important element to your job search arsenal that could make the difference in whether you get the interview. Before you write your letter, read this guide
[continue reading...]

Getting the Interview: Be Proactive Before and After You Send Your Resume You find a promising job listing online. Excited, you send a well-crafted cover letter and resume and wait for a response. Six weeks later, you’re still waiting, your enthusiasm has waned, and you’ve concluded your resume has fallen into a black hole. A
[continue reading...]

Job Satisfaction An Illusion or a Real Possibility A recent Chandler Hill Partners poll asking job seekers to comment on the level of satisfaction with their current job indicated that only 27 percent of respondents considered their jobs to be satisfying. A 27 percent satisfaction rate is an alarmingly low number considering that job satisfaction
[continue reading...]

A Living or a Life? Most of us must make a fateful choice: should we devote our time and talent to making a living — or to getting a life? Mark Albion, who chucked a fast-track career at Harvard Business School, proves that there’s a third way. “The trouble with the rat race,” the great
[continue reading...]

How to: Work a job fair No matter the month or week, there’s a good chance a job fair is taking place somewhere in the Triangle. For job seekers, that’s an encouraging sign. It means employers are looking for workers to fill job openings after a three-year downturn in the economy. But it doesn’t mean
[continue reading...]

Employers go extra mile for diversity Melissa Hamilton won’t have to search for a job in May when she graduates from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Hamilton, 23, already has been hired at Price Waterhouse Coopers as an associate tax accountant. She found the position through Inroads, a national program that helps train and
[continue reading...]

Employers need older workers Many people under age 40 may never have thought of age discrimination before, not until they heard about a recent Supreme Court decision regarding what employers can and cannot do regarding older workers. Specifically, the high court ruled that employees may file claims against employers for age discrimination without proving deliberate
[continue reading...]

Buzzwords in your resume No hocus pocus is needed — adding certain “buzzwords” to your resume could do just that. How resumes are distributed and retrieved is changing the way they are prepared. Today, a resume often has two audiences: The traditional interviewer who will read the actual paper copy of your resume, and The
[continue reading...]