Work Experience

As a job seeker, you must know what is easily available (online) to potential employers.

You may be surprised to know that your age, address, former names, former employers, county records, arrest record, marriages, phone numbers, aliases, online activity–and much more–are free to anyone. Not only that, a lot of the information is incorrect, and yours could be lumped together with a person that has the same name. Basically, it’s an invasion of your personal privacy that can hurt your chances of being hired.

How do you protect yourself? Be sure to type in your name (in various ways: with or without your middle name for example) to see what comes up on agencies that list this information free (and for sale), such as: Intelius, U.S. Search, White Pages and pipl.com. In order to have personal information removed, you must follow their guidelines, each is different. Intelius requires you fax them a copy of your drivers license, while pipl.com requires you e-mail date of birth, city and state and U.S. Search lets you get a free lock service with terms on their website. But, contacting them won’t fully solve the problem.

Now you must notify those that provide this information to the agencies: cable, credit card, phone, and utility companies to “opt out” of having personal information provided, or sold, to third parties. Be very careful what information you give out online. Even sending in a warranty card for a recent purchase might put your personal information online, so do limit what you include on those warranty cards.

Angry? Want to do more? Contact your representatives in Washington, D.C., let them know you are wasting time and money trying to protect yourself, demand change.

Make sure to check every few months to see if the information has been reinstated, which is common practice.

Intelius-fax 425-974-6194                                     U.S. Search-phone 1-800-877-3272/ussearch.com

pipl.com-phone 1-800-505-7154/e-mail support@beenverified.com                  White Pages: Whitepages.com

Depending on the type of interview and interviewer, you could have a vast array of questions put to you. But there are key questions that are asked in the majority of interviews which are highlighted below.

In Next-Day Job Interview (Prepare Tonight and Get the Job Tomorrow), by Michael Farr and Dick Gaither, they present many questions, and sample answers, along with much more, to assist in the interview process. Listed in the book are the following questions that you must know how to answer–honestly and properly–in order to be a strong candidate.

Question #1:

Tell me a little about yourself?

This question is often used as an ice breaker in the beginning of the interview process. A question like this gives you an opportunity to present yourself for 1-2 minutes in a way that will shine a light on your value, express interest in their company, the field, your skills, abilities and successes. This is not the time to tell them your personal bio–keep your marital status, children or grandchildren, medical issues and age–out of this answer. I cannot tell you how many “professional profiles” I still see with the persons age, number of children and marital status listed in the first paragraph. The greatest offenders of this monumental mistake are women, who reveal too much information that can hurt them.

Question #2:

Why do you want to work here?

This question is also similar to What are your future career plans? or What do you know about our company? Do let them know you are seeking the job in the advertised posting. Here is your opportunity to let them know you’ve done your homework on their company. You’ll want to present how your skill-sets and accomplishments will transfer over to this position they’ve advertised. Farr and Gaither suggest that, “…interviewer(s) are looking for indicators of commitment from prospective employees…the main theme of your answer should be that you’ve done research, you’re looking for someplace to develop a long-term relationship and you want to grow your skills”.

Question #3

Why are you leaving (did you leave) your last job?

Keep this answer very simple and never badmouth your former employer, supervisor or coworkers. Present a positive truthful answer. In this economy, it’s not hard for an employer to guess that you’ve gone through downsizing of some sort. But you still need to present the answer nevertheless. If however you are still employed and looking for a job change, you will need to give them the reason why. Be brief, be specific, and think of an honest positive reason for wanting to leave.

Question #4

What is your greatest weakness?

Don’t be coy and say that you have no weaknesses, everyone has them, we are human. People used to be coached to say that they are workaholics, but that isn’t going to fly either. Be honest, if you are disorganized, say it, but also let them know you are actively working on being more organized, give examples of what you are doing to overcome this weakness.

Question #5

What are your major strengths?

Here is another opportunity to present what makes you the best candidate for their job. Are you organized, do you have excellent interpersonal skills, have you taken on tasks not in your former job description and successfully completed them (with raise and/or promotion)? Apply these strengths to the job you are interviewing for, show how those skills will be useful to the company.

Question #6

Why should we hire you?

Here is another question that allows you to self-promote. This is not a time to say you are desperate to pay your bills and you are living in your car. As the authors state, “If you don’t give an interviewer reasons for hiring you, he (she) won’t.” Give them solid reasons, back them up with proof, sell yourself to them leaving no question in their minds you are their choice.

Question #7

What are your plans for the future?

Or could you tell me about your personal situation? Employers want to know you are not going to leave anytime soon if they hire you. Granted, there are some jobs that by the sheer nature of how they are designed, lend opportunity for employees to be “job hoppers”. For example, adjuncts in the community college system usually work at more than one college or educational program. It’s not unusual to see an adjunct working more than a couple of jobs at the same time in different districts, or move between districts as jobs become available in their field. I know this all too well having been an adjunct myself. But for those who are not in a field such as this, and have “job hopped” for better salary or position, you will have to do some explaining. Be sure you are honest without shooting yourself in the foot.

Your “personal situation” is just that, personal, so do only disclose work-related information when answering this question. Telling the interviewer your plans for marriage, having children, and travel are inappropriate. Those are personal plans, not career plans. Again, you’ll want to stress you will be either furthering your education, taking workshops, honing certain valuable skills, or whatever applies to the job that you honestly intend to do.

Question #8

What are your pay expectations?

This question can also be framed in other ways: What did you make at your other job? or What is your current salary range? However they say it, there is only one thing in mind and that: is how much will you cost? As many experts will tell you, this is a touchy question for both interviewer and potential employee alike. No party wants to lose. That’s why it’s best to be prepared for this question and look for a win-win situation.

In earlier blogs, I’ve discussed this important question, it is one you must approach wisely. Make sure to find out the salary range for the position, verify it is the norm for that position (see OOH to your right in links) and keep in mind the economy has shrunk many salary ranges. You’ll want to get current information pertaining to your particular field regarding the percentage wages have been cut on average. This way, you won’t be too shocked when you see the salary range offered. While certain fields have been relatively unaffected, others have taken major hits. What you know can help you to prepare a fair range. When it comes to salary, let them make the first offer, you can always counter. What they may lack in salary, they could make up for in other benefits: extra time off, flexible schedule, work from home, dental, etc. You will be able to negotiate what you want.

Question #9

What will your other employers tell me about you?

This question can also be asked: What will your teachers, coworkers and supervisors say about you? No matter the wording, they want to know about your references, and they do check them. Both reference and background checks are performed by over 90% of employers. Hopefully, you walked away from former jobs with letters of recommendation. Using what those letters say, you may answer this question. For example, your last employer sung your praises with regards to your organizational skills, being on time, and always willing to do whatever was necessary to get the job done.  Before you go on your interview, contact your former employer, let them know you will be interviewing and will be using the information they put on the recommendation letter. If it’s been a while since you worked for them, it doesn’t hurt to go over the highlights to jog their memory.

Question #10

How does your previous experience relate to this job?

Again, preparation will help you answer this question. You know what the job description says, you know what you’ve done in your former positions, now you just need to put the two together for the interviewer. If you’ve just graduated, on the job experience may be something you have little of, but don’t despair. Hopefully you’ve volunteered, or took on an internship, or had a part-time job, whatever you did, that’s experience you can use. Carefully look back on your schooling, are there advanced classes you took that you excelled in where you received extra credit, or some sort of accolades? Relate that to the job description in some rational way.

More Questions

As you can imagine, there are many more questions that can and will be asked in an interview, I’ve touched on just the key questions.  To see more, pick up Farr’s books, (see Resources). The better prepared you are, the better chance you’ll have to land that job you want.

©2010

When an employer does not hire someone based on race, gender or religion, that practice is illegal. Other discrimination takes place involving age, weight, family status, physical beauty and ethnic background. What should you do when you are asked illegal questions based on the above?

Ask yourself if you still want the job. Do you really want to work for an employer that asks illegal questions? The best thing you can do is to know your rights and the laws protecting you from discrimination. Two major laws are in place in the U.S. regarding discrimination:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which was enacted in 1964 and is still very much in effect. This law makes discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion or national origin illegal in hiring decisions.

• The Americans with Disabilities Act, which was passed in 1990 and put into effect in 1992, requires that employers provide an equal opportunity for an individual with a disability to participate in a job application process and to be considered for a job.

If you think you have been discriminated against in the interviewing process, see the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Web site at www.eeoc.gov (link to your right). This website provides guidelines for determining if discrimination has occurred and how to file a complaint. If you’ve been discriminated against, it’s your legal right to take action.

In December’s issue of The Economist, (The World in 2010), Oliver Morton sites the world has a shortage of “green engineers”.

Morton states, “The commitments already made by some large economies require an extremely large capacity to get new energy systems in place quickly. That includes making sure that there are the people around to design and build them.”

Why the shortage of people? Very few Western countries are producing engineers, especially nuclear engineers. But without government funding of research, Morton believes that won’t help to captivate students to enter this field.

With the solar and wind industries beginning to benefit from government programs, they too will be competing for engineers and designers. Given defense is slowing down, there are opportunities for missile designers, now being laid off, to take their skills into this growing field.

Morton believes that, “…leaders of the environmental movement, and politicians who aspire to such leadership, might do well to encourage the young to apply their idealism to their choice of career path.”  While students advocate riding bikes instead of using cars is helpful, if you want to really change the world’s fossil fuel usage, get an education in green engineering.

The biggest myth, with respect to a career path, is that it always resembles a ladder: beginning with a bottom rung and moving upwards. Ladders, are what I mainly found under the heading “career path” when searching for a blog photo.

But the reality is that career paths, on average, don’t resemble a ladder, rather might resemble the photo to your right. Judith Sills, Ph.D., (Psychology Today), believes that careers actually can look like “…S-curves, hairpin turns, and long, flat stretches” too. She believes that it’s not what the path actually looks like in the end, but rather, “…smart steering and taking time to check out the scenery.”

While Employed

Often, employees experience periods when nothing seems to be going right, you’ve hit a proverbial wall. The new boss talks about nothing but golf, (you hate golf), or that major funding you’ve waited for falls through. Whatever your wall looks like, it’s there, and it’s not going away any time soon. Now what? Sills advocates doing nothing, “…you’ve got time…time is required to plot a strategy.”

Let what is going on actually sink in, things might look better with a little forward thinking. Perhaps you might find a different common ground with the golf-crazed new boss, or plot your course for another fund-raising activity. Just don’t throw in the towel out of frustration, opt for rational thinking. Do go through the usual anger, frustration, and short-term depression that comes with disappointments or major changes. Then, after throwing a good sized pity party, (hats and noise makers optional) get to work on your strategy.

Perhaps there’s a lesson in your new found situation. As one person discovered when he now had to report to someone with, “…five years less seniority and 50 points less in IQ, I wanted to quit on the spot.” But after reigning in his ego, he realized he actually was in a good place; his wife worked nearby, his children school system was great, he couldn’t leave after honest soul-searching. What was his solution? He gave his new supervisor his complete support, helped him succeed, and when his boss was promoted, guess who got the bosses old job! Now that’s a great strategy, don’t you agree?

Sills offers “hints for hard times” which are listed below:

• Keep your big picture in mind. A wall that looms large in the specific situation may be less troublesome in the context of your whole life.
• Figure out what you do best and find a way to do more of it. That will point your thinking in a productive direction.
• Don’t focus on your company; focus on your skill-set. That’s what you are expanding, revitalizing, and ultimately marketing, whether inside your company or across the street.
• The wall’s the time to look sideways. Say yes to every opportunity. Raise you hand often. Build bridges across departments and across your profession.
• When you’re against the wall, lean hard on your supports. We get through hard times by drawing strength from friends, family, sports, culture, art–all resources necessary to recharge your thinking.

Don’t forget, if the situation turns out to be unbearable and you have to find another position, be sure to be re-marketing yourself in your own company. Morphing into someone your company really needs, in another department, is an excellent strategy.

If your wall happens to be stagnation and you need something more, Sills suggests, “You could use your annual review to express concerns about your professional plateau and have your manager outline specific steps to get you over the wall.”

Unemployed

Take this opportunity to honestly assess how you felt in your last job. Did you hit a wall? Were you stagnating, but kept working in the same job because you didn’t want to do the necessary work to change the situation? Did you hate going to work in the morning? If the answers were “yes”, you now have the time to make the changes. Make a list of the things you didn’t like about your last job. Then list the things you did like. Next to the list of what you did like, now write down all the skills you used doing that part of your job. These are the skills you will want to use in your next job, be sure those are in the job description when applying for your next position. Also, make sure the list of things you didn’t like are taken into consideration when looking for a new job. Basically, don’t seek the exact same type of position again, with the same tasks, that you didn’t like.

Remember, your career path is not a cookie-cutter “ladder”, but rather it looks as unique as you do. Having said that, yes, you may want to continue to advance and “move up”, instead of constantly making lateral moves, or none at all. But keep in mind what you value before taking on the higher level position. If you value free time to pursue sports, or spend quality time with family and friends, that advancement, higher up the ladder, could prevent you from doing what you value most. Think carefully when it comes to the type of strategy you want to use on your career path. Look back at positions you’ve had in the past where you were happiest, acknowledge what contributed to that and try to duplicate it again. For some, that could mean taking a cut in pay and looping back, but it comes with the advantage that doing something you enjoy brings meaning to life.

As Sills states in the final sentence of her article, “Walls force you to find a more interesting view.” What is the view on your career path?

©2010

Here are the top seven reasons why candidates did not get the job based on public sites…

Thirty-five percent of employers say they’ve found content on social networking sites that caused them not to hire the candidate, says a CareerBuilder survey. The top transgressions cited by those employers were candidates who:

Posted provocative or inappropriate photos or information: 53%
Posted content about them drinking or using drugs: 44%
Bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients: 35%
Showed poor communication skills: 29%
Made discriminatory comments: 26%
Lied about qualifications: 24%
Shared confidential information from previous employer: 20%

What is on your Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, pages? What have you posted on others pages? Do you blog? Public information is there for all to see…even potential employers.

Students and parents may feel as if the college ad mission process is like playing a game. In a sense–it is–but there are strategies to assist in planning an academic and career future.

As you already may have discovered, there are numerous resources online and at your local library. Recently I found one, College Admissions Together: It Takes a Family, by Andrea Lieman, Ph.D. and Steven Roy Goodman, M.S., J.D., that addresses many important aspects of the college admission process sometimes omitted from other books. That book prompted me to write this Edublog, injecting my personal take on the process. I’ve tried to put myself in the shoes of the parent and student so that both parties are better able to approach this process with a certain degree of sanity.

Major Transition

When planning for college, it is imperative that parents (or whomever is guardian) and student understand the application process rings in a major transition for the entire family. Graduating from high school, applying to colleges, deciding on a major, career, and much more, puts the student in an overwhelming whirlwind. To label this a “major transition” is an understatement. Parents too find themselves with the added burden of financing a college education, saying good-bye to their daughter or son, and feeling that loss in an “empty nest”. Even younger siblings are not immune to the tension that can arise when an older brother or sister is planning their future. The authors of College Admissions Together state, “A proactive approach to college admissions will ensure a healthier transition to college for your student as well as for those family members left behind.” The book sheds a light on the process that should be addressed long before applications are submitted. Featured in the book are college essays and how they should be written, parental input, a student’s personality, external pressures and family tensions. Student and parents must address these important issues before they arise, since the issues can disrupt the admissions process.

Parental View

For years, you have saved for your child’s higher education in hopes they will pursue a lucrative field. You may have taken the time to discuss with your child their major and what they plan to do after they finish college. Some parents might not have asked their child what they wanted, but rather assumed, or imposed upon them, their own wants for the future. While every good parent wants the best for their children, parents sometimes forget to directly ask children what is important in their mind.

It is understandable having financial concerns with the sunk economy eating at your child’s college savings. If you’ve lost your job, that makes this time even more stressful. But don’t linger in worry and guilt too long, be honest with your child about the current situation. Many students can easily go to the local community college for a fraction of the cost of a four year institution, or delay college altogether until things improve.

College, and all that goes with it, is a monumental undertaking for anyone, but even more so for someone just out of high school. Parents may assist their child, in a positive way, by taking the time to do research with them in a collaborative effort. Here are some questions you and your child may want to discuss before starting the college admission process:

1. Does your child want to start college right out of high school, or do they not want to go to college at all?
2. What major interests them, have they shown they excel in one particular area?
3. Are they self-motivated, or did they constantly need external motivation while in high school?
4. What do they hope to accomplish in college, besides receiving a diploma?
5. Are they mature enough to go away to college, live on, or off campus?
6. Has your child had a troubled adolescence filled with drug or alcohol abuse?
7. How much has been set aside for the child’s full college education, boarding and other expenses?
8. Does your child have to work part-time while in college?
9. Have student responsibilities such as: grade point average, moral behavior, safety, personal finances, etc., been thoroughly discussed and agreed upon?
10. Beginning in high school, have parent and student, together, explored all possibilities for the future, including other avenues besides college?

Student View

You most likely have a lot on your mind at this point, which is the understatement of the year, correct?  Feeling stressed, maybe a bit scared, and even confused, are all normal. The one thing you can do to help yourself is to stay focused on what you really want. Take time to find out what that looks like. Is it that you want to get a bachelors or masters degree in a certain subject that you are very interested in, or an associates degree from a community college because there isn’t a special interest yet? Maybe you are leaning towards something other than college, if so, what might that require of you? It’s important to you, and your future, to find out what you want and then set about taking action to make it happen.

When you begin your personal search early, as a freshman in high school, it gives you and your parents time to research and discuss the multitude of options available. It takes time and effort on your part to gather information, digest it, make notes, talk to your guidance counselor, your parents and eventually make a decision. Don’t make decisions out of fear, what your friends are doing, familial pressure, or societal values (money, status). Basing your decisions on those elements will eventually bring about resentment and unhappiness. This is your life, deciding what to do with it requires a responsible and mature look at your wants and needs. Applying to expensive, Ivy League colleges just to impress others is the wrong approach. Choosing a major based only on it providing you with a six figure income is sure to disappoint.

So, how do you choose? You begin by asking yourself what you love to do and what truly interests you, then work from that point. What are your objectives in life? Do you want to work in an office, in a developing country, build your own business, or take another route? Do take into consideration the economy, it has most likely hit your parents financial situation hard, and may also affect your first choice in a major with some fields not recovering any time soon.

Whatever you decide, remember you can change your mind when you begin to discover more about yourself and the world. Statistics show that many grads don’t go into the field they chose while in college. Taking tests such as the Meyers-Briggs can assist you in understanding more about your areas of interest and where you’d excel. Discuss these tests with your guidance counselor and parents. Here are some questions for further personal discovery:

1. When you were a small child, what was your answer to this question posed by adults: “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
2. How do you occupy your free time?
3. What do you daydream about?
4. What is your favorite subject in school?
5. Did you enjoy your part-time after school job?
6. Did you volunteer or intern at a nonprofit and enjoy it?
7. What do you feel you do best? Could you earn money doing that?
8. Why do you want to go to college?/ Why don’t you want to go to college?
9. Do you feel pressure to go to college and get a degree? Why?
10. Are you afraid to fail? What would happen if you did?

Important Life Decisions

As with any important life decision, there will be times of apprehension, frustration and joy. The bottom line is to gather good resources, talk to knowledgeable people, stay organized, be realistic, keep your cool and be honest with yourself and others involved. Talk to educators, other parents, students at the college you are considering, check on-campus crime, and basically cover all bases. Don’t forget, a respectful working relationship between parent and student is essential to keep the level of tension down. Making good decisions is the goal, right for the parents piece of mind and finances, right for the student’s deepest wants and future.

©2010

Want to improve your health, or maybe live longer?

Research from CNCS shows that people who volunteer are physically and mentally healthier than people who don’t. That’s quite a statement, isn’t it? They found that volunteers who donated at least two hours per week–or 100 hours per year–had the greatest health benefits. Volunteers have less depression, heart disease and overall better physical health.  Other benefits are: being happier, having higher self-esteem, and having a sense of control over their life.

If you are unemployed, volunteering will give you what you need right now while you assist others in greater need. Be a part of the 61 million Americans who volunteer every year. Volunteers solve problems, change lives, strengthen communities, and change their own lives in the process. As you volunteer, you may find networking opportunities that lead to employment.  Not sure where to start? To your left see “Select Category”, scroll down to “Volunteering” and read my blogs on the subject. Volunteer today, it’s good for you!

It seems like a simple question, doesn’t it? What do you want?

But many people go through life living what they think they want, often finding what they are doing is not really what they want. Society’s standards, parental hopes, peer pressure–even the media–can push and prod us into a college major, career field, or lifestyle we later discover is not what we would have chosen had we taken the time to ask “what do I really want?”

“Modern man lives under the illusion that he knows what he wants, while he actually wants what he is supposed to want.”–Eric Fromm

Your Idea of Success

With the influence of society shaping our childhood, personal ideas of success are formed by what we see. If society teaches that success means making a six figure income, then more often than not, we internalize that message. When parents value graduating from the best college money can buy as their idea of success, it in turn becomes their child’s idea of success too. And let’s not forget how media (T.V., internet, movies) have influenced us in more ways than we care to count. At a later point in life, people influenced in these ways go through a “life crisis”, only then might they reevaluate what they’ve been doing. Their choice? Either make a change, or stick with the status quo.

Granted, there are free-thinking individuals who look at what society, parents, media and peers deem successful, then create another definition for themselves. These are usually individuals who are happiest, since they’ve chosen their own definition of what success means to them personally.

Exercise #1: Right now, ask if you feel your college major and/or job field choice was actually your personal choice.

Find What You Want

Once you’ve figured out whether your wants are from deep within you, or simply from the pressure you’ve received from your environment, then you will have the freedom to know what you truly want. Pursuing your genuine interests, without the constraints of the conditioning you’ve previously received, allows for a more honest, fulfilling and happy life.

In an earlier blog entitled, Unemployment: A Life Changing Opportunity, I gave an example of a person I interviewed years ago who discovered she was in a career her parents actually chose for her. In mid-life, she decided to do what she wanted, prompting her to take a new path in life. Women, more so than men, fall into a trap whereby others wants take first place over their own. Breaking free from this mindset is necessary to uncover personal wants. This isn’t easy, but nothing that is worthwhile is ever easy, is it?

Exercise #2: If time and money were no object, what would you be majoring in, or where would you be working?

It Takes Soul-Searching

Soul-searching–basically taking time with you and only you–to discover and unlock deep wants takes effort. Carving out free, unhurried moments will allow for the necessary space to discover the answer within. Yes, it is there, I promise! You’ll most likely have to dig a bit, through all the accumulated wants of others, but what you really want is waiting. Think of it as a treasure hunt, this is one of the most incredible treasures you’ll uncover.

Those who come from abuse in their childhoods discover it is especially difficult to answer the question, “what do you want?” This is because no adult asked them what they wanted as children, however adult wants were harshly imposed onto them. If you come from a childhood of abuse, do understand what you want is important and needs to be valued. As an adult now, it’s your right to know what you want, taking measures to pursue it. If you become stuck, investing in a good counselor to discuss how to move past the block, is money well spent.

Exercise #3: What things (not work or school related) have you always dreamed of doing?

Curse or Blessing

Being unemployed, you’ll find Father Time hands you a silver platter filled with blank minutes, hours and days. How you fill them is entirely up to you. It can be a curse…or a blessing. But if quality of life is on your “want list”, here are a few negative time wasting things you don’t want to do:

Watching hours of T.V.

Getting drunk or stoned (”partying”)

Eating a lot of junk foods

Shopping till you drop

Spending money you don’t have on things you don’t need

Gambling

Viewing porn

Spending hours on social sites (not networking)

Texting/talking on the phone for hours

If you’ve created your list of solid wants, making those become realities takes valuable time. You won’t accomplish much doing any one of the above mentioned time wasters. Yes, it’s easy when you are unemployed to fall into a routine of being unproductive, discouraged, depressed and angry. Sooner or later–hopefully sooner–you will grow tired of that negative routine. Believe me, I am not making light of the devastating affects of unemployment, been there, done that. But I fully understand, demonstrating it in my own life, you have to make what you really want happen. Let unemployment be a blessing, not a curse, fulfill those important wants in your heart.

No Fairy Godmother or Do Overs

Unfortunately, there are no “do overs”, (yes, I’ve checked), so if you waste Father Time’s gift on the above list, it’s gone forever. Don’t look for your Fairy Godmother holding a glistening wand in unemployment land, or in your dorm room, waiting to grant all of your fondest wishes. She exists only in Disney movies. Be your own Fairy Godmother.

A new day dawns every morning, offering you more minutes and hours. Turn off the T.V., shut off the cell phone, close the laptop, and put a lock on the refrigerator.  What do you want?

“You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it however.” –Richard Bach

©2010

Small established businesses and start-ups are a good place to look for a job.

Don’t limit yourself to large corporations, most jobs in America are in small businesses. Start-ups are also a good place to focus your job search attention. Try this site: startuphire.com (link to your right) to get you started. Getting in on the “ground floor”, when a business is starting out, has it’s advantages for employees. Employers will be looking for people who will work with them to build their business into a successful (profitable) endeavor. What do you have to do in your cover letter and interview? Prove to them you are that person! Highlight accomplishments, skill-sets that apply, and show your passion for what you have done and can do.