Employment Digest

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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 new employees make is under dressing,” says Randall Hansen, a professor of business at Stetson University in Deland, Fla. “If unsure, dress conservatively. The best way to avoid a problem is to understand the corporate culture.”
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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 the last thing you want is to have your resume or your tactics sending up red flags indicating a bad attitude. However, some IT job seekers unwittingly express their anger, frustration, and sense of entitlement in everything they do in their job search, according to Linda Matias, a Long Island, NY, outplacement expert, interview coach, and resume writer who has been working with IT job seekers for five years.
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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 some of the latest innovations in computing and science on display at the Microsoft Research Tech Fair. It was an impressive combination of the gee-whiz and the practical.

The event also provided insight into the future of innovation and U.S. competitiveness from a panel discussion with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates; Rick Rashid, senior VP of Microsoft Research; Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; Rep, David Dreier, R-Calif.; Shirley Tilghman, president of Princeton University; and Phillip Bond, undersecretary of technology for the Department of Commerce.
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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 recruiting hearts.”

Joyce Gioia, president of The Herman Group, an employee retention consulting firm based in Greensboro, N.C., agrees wholeheartedly, saying that Harris “is right on the money. The key (to retention of employees) is to win the hearts, as well as the minds, of the people who work with you.”
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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 organization. Third party recruiters are subcontracted to by a company for the same purpose. Several different types of third party recruiters exist, but the main difference between them lies in how they are compensated.
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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 discrimination in job interviews.

Before he turned to hair dye, the first words Levy heard in a recent job interview with a telecom company manager were “the average age around here is 28,” recounted Levy, a 57-year-old with 30 years’ experience as a finance executive, in Chico, Calif.
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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 interviewer when you get to the end of an interview and you ask, Do you have any questions I can answer for you?’ and they say, Nope, I think you answered them all,’ and that’s the end of it, says Kent Kirch, global director of recruiting at professional services firm Deloitte. It’s just really frustrating…I think as a candidate, part of the homework piece is having a really tough question for an interview. For me, I just love it when someone asks a really difficult question — something that takes some guts to ask.
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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 to frequently asked questions:

Q: I’ve heard employers don’t bother reading cover letters, so aren’t they just a waste of time?

A: Some busy hiring managers don’t read cover letters on the initial screening. But others will read the letter - if not initially, then on the second pass. So the cover letter can definitely help you, and it certainly won’t hurt you. It’s a great opportunity to sell your unique qualifications and present your value proposition.
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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 proactive approach to your job search can improve your chances of landing interviews. Listed below are six tips to maximize your success.
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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 impacts productivity levels, quality of interaction in the corporate culture and society in general as workers return to their private lives with the stress and frustrations accumulated during the workday.
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