Confessions of a Job Seeker (and Recruiter)

Recruiter Chris Brablc fresh off his own job search shared the highlights of what he learned from the process for both sides of the job-search fence.

Cover letters still matter. They were a differentiator for him on several occassions.
Stalk a company. More and more advice says to target a company then break into the social networks [...]

Update Your LinkedIn Profile Status Often, but Don’t Self Promote

Blatant self-promotion is bad form on social networks, said social marketing expert Veronica Fielding in the article “How to Build and Nurture a LinkedIn Profile Network” for TheLadders. Updating your profile’s status, however, with informative article links, industry event notices and posting community-centric information regularly is a great way to stay visible and be viewed [...]

How to Write a LinkedIn Profile Summary

There are two things you can be sure of when executive recruiters discover your LinkedIn profile: They expect to see a summary, and they expect to learn a little about who you are, wrote Kris Dunn, HR expert and blogger of  HR Capitalist.
Job titles and dates of employment alone on LinkedIn will not cut it. [...]

Your Need for a Job Won’t Get You One

The best way to get a new job is to stop looking for one in the traditional way – sending out resumes, waiting for interviews and hassling recruiters. Become a resource – a treasure trove of information – not a nuisance on the job search, said executive career coach Darrell W. Gurney in the article [...]

The Power of Employment References and Job Referrals

Referrals and references remain the strongest tool available to job seekers.
Seventy percent of jobs are obtained via referral according to the U.S. Department of Labor and the article “How to Get Job References Without Asking,” on TheLadders.
Referrals do not automatically mean you have the job or that you will guarantee you an interview, but they [...]

How to Appear Younger on Job Interviews and Around the Office

Despite age-discrimination laws, “interviewing younger” can make the difference in our youth-oriented culture. In the article “Take 10 years Off Your Image” for TheLadders, StephenViscusi details 20 rules to help freshen up job seekers’ presence.
It’s not all about how you look, Viscusi advises, although you should use teeth-whitening products and avoid clothes aimed at high-school [...]

When Job Promotions Are Hard to Find, Move Laterally

Want to position yourself to move up the corporate ladder? Consider extending your experience within the company by shifting titles and responsibilities laterally to another department, Cindy Nicola, a recruiting VP at video game company Electronic Arts (EA) told The Wall Street Journal. Opportunities for promotion usually occur when individuals leave a company or retire [...]

How to Use Your Professional Network Over and Over Again

Make sure you have something to offer every contact every time you reach out to them, said John Crant, a career expert and founder of SelfRecruiter.com.

Tapping your professional network to find a job means tapping many of the same contacts over and over again. To ensure you don’t outlast your welcome, maintain a two-way relationship, [...]

Racial Divide in Hiring, College Degree or Not

Education and background being equal, black men and women still face higher rates of unemployment than their white counterparts, according to a report in today’s New York Times.
College-educated black men, especially, have struggled relative to their white counterparts in this downturn, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate for black [...]

Hired Guns Too Often Shoot Blanks

Does it pay to hire the best candidate money can buy? Probably not, said Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
More often than not the hired gun is a dud, he said. “Outside successors seldom succeed.” Nevertheless, businesses love hiring outsiders (especially for chief executive officer and other C-level [...]