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Archives for August 2019

Job Offer Negotiation Tips

Job Hunting, Job Offer, Job Search

The following article will give you information on how to negotiate during a job offer.

After going through all the hard work of creating a resume, searching for a job, and interviewing, it is still possible to blow a job opportunity at the offer stage. This article will show you what to do—and what not to do—when accepting or negotiating a job offer.

Don’t Delay Accepting an Offer You Like

 As soon as you get an offer you like, you should accept it without delay. Do not play hard to get. If you play games at this stage, an employer might withdraw the offer.

Make Sure Your References Are Ready

At the interview stage, you should already have references prepared and ready to give to whoever asks for them. When choosing who to list as a reference, always pick people who you know you can trust to give a great reference. If possible, have backups in place in case some of your references can’t be reached. I would recommend having at least 5 references, including 3 managers and 2 colleagues. It should go without saying, but remember that it is not acceptable to use close friends and family members as references.

When you send a potential employer your references, let the people who you’ve used as references know so that they’re expecting to be contacted. Also, give them a friendly reminder to complete their references quickly. Some employers will take away an offer if references are not completed right away.

 Accept the First Good Offer You Receive

Some job seekers sometimes will wait after getting an offer to see if a better offer comes along. In my opinion, this is a big mistake. You should always take the first good offer that comes your way. If you don’t have other offers on the table but hold off on accepting an offer, you could lose the first offer because the employer moves on to other candidates.

What If The Offer Isn’t What You Expected?

 If the offer is slightly less than desired but you can live with it, you should accept it. If the offer is giving you other perks that make up for the money you won’t be getting, such as a flexible schedule or career advancement, you also might consider accepting.

If the offer is below your expectations with no other incentives, instead of accepting it you might consider negotiating. In your reply to the person doing the negotiation, politely let them know that you mentioned your salary expectations during the interview process and that’s what you will need to get in order to accept a job offer. In some cases, the employer will meet you in the middle. They may even accede and give you the salary you desire.

Long-Term Job Strategies

 Even after you get hired, you should never stop having a long-term job strategy. In today’s economy, there are very few jobs that you keep for life. That being the case, you always keep your resume and LinkedIn profile updated and stay in touch with recruiters. Even if you are looking for promotions internally, make sure your information is always up to date.

Conclusion

 By following the suggestions in this chapter, you will be able to determine when to accept a job offer and how to negotiate for a job offer. You’ll also come to understand the importance of having a long-term job strategy.

How to get Paid and Unpaid Internships

Internships, Job Hunting, Job Search

This article will look at taking advantage of both paid and unpaid internships to jumpstart your career.

For some job seekers, it can be difficult to get a break. New grads, individuals looking to make a career transition, and those who are unemployed for long stretches of time often have trouble finding a job.

If you fall into any of these categories, you might want to consider applying for an internship.

Paid Internships

Paid internships are a great way for job seekers to land a role when they are struggling to find full-time employment. Many organizations offer paid internship programs lasting anywhere from a few weeks to over a year. These internship programs allow the job seeker to get much-needed experience in their profession. And for the most part, an internship mirrors a traditional role.

Unpaid Internships

Sometimes a job seeker needs help getting their foot in the door. In this instance, an unpaid internship can give them the experience they need to land a job.

Unpaid internships should only be looked at if job seekers are having trouble landing traditional roles or even paid internships. This type of unpaid volunteering is not like doing charitable work at a soup kitchen or animal shelter. An unpaid intern volunteers their time for free in the field they want to build a career in exchange for experience, references, or networking contacts.

Advantages of Paid and Unpaid Internships

1. Some internship roles turn into full-time roles.

2. You’ll be able to gain experience when you do not have any.

3. An internship can fill in gaps in a resume.

Disadvantages of Internships

1. In the case of unpaid internships, you do not get paid. This is the biggest barrier for some individuals who cannot sacrifice a paycheck.

2. In the case of paid internships, the salary is usually lower than most entry-level roles in that profession.

When Should You Consider an Internship as an Option?

1. New grad with no experience. Right after graduation, it can be difficult for new grads to land their first job in the field they trained in. If an individual finds they are having trouble getting their first role, an internship can be a good option.

2. Out of work for a long stretch. If due to circumstances, a person is out of work for a long time, a short internship will help them get recent experience and sharpen their skills.

3. Trying to enter a new profession. Make a career change can be a difficult endeavor. One way to get into a new profession is to get experience through an unpaid internship.

How to Look for an Unpaid Internships.

There are five main ways to look for an unpaid internship: campus career center and alumni association, traditional job boards, niche sites & professional associations, dedicated internship sites, & employers’ websites. Below you will learn more about each of them.

1. Campus Career Center and Alumni Association
Many colleges have a career center on their websites where new grads can find lists of internships that match their fields of study. Alumni can also find internships by going to their college’s career center or college alumni center.

2. Traditional Job Boards
You can find many internships on traditional job boards, such as CareerBuilder, Indeed, LinkedIn, Monster, ZipRecruiter, and other smaller job sites. To find an internship, in the search bar enter keywords like internship and your job title. For example: engineering internship.

3. Niche Sites & Professional Associations
Just like traditional job boards, you can find internships on niche sites and professional associations. Go to your profession’s niche sites or professional association’s website and type “internship” in the search bar.

4. Dedicated Internship Sites
There are dedicated internship job boards where employers post internships. Some of these sites are:

a) College Recruiter – https://www.collegerecruiter.com/ – Job board specialized for recent grads looking for entry-level positions and internships.

b) Idealist – https://www.idealist.org – Job board for internship and volunteer opportunities.

c) Intern Jobs – http://www.internjobs.com/ – Internship website for new grads and career changers.

d) Internships – http://www.internships.com/ – Internship website.

e) Way Up – https://www.wayup.com/ – Jobs and Internships for new grads.

f) Youtern – http://www.youtern.com/ – Internship website.

5. Employers’ Websites
If you have specific employers in mind, you can look at their career sites to see if they have any internships open.

Conclusion

When landing a traditional role is not working, looking for a paid or unpaid internship might be
the solution to recharge your job search.

The Value of SEO in Finding a Job

Job Hunting, Job Search, SEO

This article will teach you techniques to get your resume and profile on the top of hiring managers piles by using SEO

Search engine optimization, to SEO, is a method used to increase website visitors by ranking higher in search engine results. In terms of job search, SEO is the techniques used by job hunters to get their resumes and other online profiles at the top of recruiters’ and hiring managers’ search lists.

Part 1: Choose the Right Location for your Profiles

This might sound elementary, but when you are setting your resume up on resume databases and creating online profiles, make sure you always put yourself in the right location. When a recruiter searches for profiles, they usually search by location, such as zip-code/postal code, city and/or state. If you choose the wrong location, you will not pop up in the correct recruiter’s search.

Another SEO technique you can try is to choose larger city centers you live near as opposed to smaller suburbs and outlying towns. Recruiters tend to search in bigger markets so your best bet is to list your profiles in bigger geographical centers.

Part 2: Key Words

Adding keywords to your resume and online profiles can propel you to the top of a recruiter’s list.

When recruiters search for a profile online or through a database, many of them use keywords given to them by hiring managers. If the keywords they’re searching by are not on your resume, you will not pop up in a search.

Increase your chances by adding relevant keywords to your skills and work history sections of your resume. Try to think of the most common skills in your profession. For example, an Accounts Payable professional might add these keywords: Reconciliation, Financial Statements, Accounts Payable/Receivable, Tax Reporting, General Ledgers, Profit and Loss, and Accounting.

Another tip is to look at jobs posted on job boards in your profession and then take words that are commonly used and add them to your resume and online profiles.

A final tip is to look at the largest job aggregator, Indeed, which has a tool that tells you the most commonly searched terms in your profession. This is the link: https://www.indeed.com/jobtrends/category-trends

Part 3 Job Titles:

When looking at resumes and profiles, the number one thing recruiters search for is job titles. This is why you need effective job titles. Below are tips to increase SEO of your job titles.

1. Your job title must be the most common title that is recognizable by most employers. If your job title is not a common title for your area of expertise, recruiters may not find your resume or profile. Go to the major job websites to find the most common title for your job. In addition, Indeed offers a helpful took, a list of the most common job titles which allows you to compare and see which are the most popular (https://www.indeed.com/jobtrends).

2. Keep your titles as short as possible but with as much searchable information. From an SEO perspective, long titles are harder to find and clog up SEO algorithms. At the same time, job titles must be optimized with enough information so that hiring managers will find your resume.

3. Words that are searched together should be placed together in the job title. For example, in health care, many recruiters search ICU & RN together so therefore these words should be placed together in the job title.

4. Secondary search words are a good idea to add to your job title. For example, in technology, a candidate could put Java/J2EE Developer as their job title so that their profile will pop up when recruiters search by the key words Java or J2EE.

Part 4: Strategically Injecting Your Job Title Throughout your Resume and Profile

Strategically placing your job title multiple times in your resume and profiles can increase SEO and make it rank higher in recruiters’ searches. SEO increases every time a keyword is placed in a resume/online profile, so tactically insert your job title throughout your resume without destroying its flow or proper sentence structure. Great places to add your job title are the objective, work experience, and skills sections.

Part 5: The Power of Refreshing your Resume on Online Job Boards

Another way to increase your SEO when looking for a job is to periodically refresh your resume and online profiles. On many job boards, recently added or recently updated profiles are ranked higher in a search. Instead of starting all over again to get a higher ranking, simply updating and making small changes to your resume & profiles will refresh your resume and bring you to the top of recruiters’ search lists.

Conclusion

By improving your resume’s SEO, you will increase the chances that your resume and online profiles appear higher on recruiters’ lists when they search for candidates.

How to Create a Resume Profile and Look for Jobs on Monster

Job Hunting, Job Search, Monster, Resume

This article will teach you how to create a resume profile that recruiters will find and how to search for jobs on Monster

Monster is one of the original career sites and has built up a loyal following over the years. It is a good idea to create a resume profile and to search for jobs on Monster because many recruiters use it regularly.

Monster – http://www.monster.com/

Please note: Monster is always changing, so some information found in this chapter may change over time.

How to Create a Resume Profile on Monster

To increase the chances of recruiters finding your resume on Monster, it is important to create an effective profile. Let’s go through the steps to creating an effective profile on Monster.

Step 1 – Go to https://www.monster.com/ and hit the Post a Resume icon at the top middle. This will take you to a page where you can upload your resume.

Step 2 – Hit the Upload Your Resume icon in the middle of the page. It will take you to a page asking for your email and to set up a password. Also, it gives you the option: “Email me career-related Monster updates and job opportunities.” Check Yes to be sent job alerts. It will also ask: “Email me Monster partner offers and promotions.” For this, check No so that you do not get unrelated solicitations. Then hit Register.

Step 3 – The next page asks for the following information: First Name, Last Name, Country, ZIP Code, Current Career Level, Education level. You should fill in all the info and use the drop-down menus to choose the options that most fit your background.

Step 4 – Next, you will be asked for more information in the following categories: Resume Name, Desired Job Title, Most Recent Job Title, Most Recent Employer, Work Authorization for US, Make My Resume Searchable by Employers, Make My Resume Searchable by Diversity Employers, Give Me a FREE Resume Critique, Upload an Existing Resume or Create a Monster Resume. Let’s break these down one at a time.

a) Resume Name – Give your resume a name. Keep it simple and focused on your name and job title. For example, Joe Smith Retail Store Manager. Remember that potential employers are going to see this.

b) Desired Job Title – List the desired job you are looking for.

c) Most Recent Job Title – List your most recent job title.

d) Most Recent Employer – List the last employer you worked for.

e) Work authorization for US – If you work in the US, pick one of the drop-down choices that most closely describes your situation.

f) Make My Resume Searchable by Employers – Select Yes so employers can find your resume in the database.

g) Make My Resume Searchable by Diversity Employers – Select Yes if you fall under a diversity category.

h) Give Me a FREE Resume Critique – Select No. If you’ve followed my tips for writing an effective resume, your resume should be fine.

i) Upload an Existing Resume or Create a Monster Resume – Upload a resume. This saves time; plus, you already have a great resume. After uploading your resume, you’ll be taken to the next page and will move on to Step 5.

Step 5 – This page allows you to add more information into your resume profile. My advice is to fill out as much as you can to increase your chances of being found by recruiters.

The following is information on these different areas.

a) View Resume – Before posting, you can make sure your uploaded resume looks good by clicking View Resume in the top corner.

b) Resume Visibility – You have 3 visibility choices: Visible to Recruiters, Limited, or Private. Keep it visible.

c) Your Profile Info – In this section, most of the areas have been pre-populated with information from your resume or from what you have already filled in. These areas include: Most Recent Job Title, Most Recent Employer, ZIP Code, Work Authorization for US, Current Career Level, Current Education Level. Check to make sure everything is filled out correctly.

d) Your Ideal Position – You’ll be asked if your pre-populated search title is correct. If yes, then keep it the way it is. You will also be asked about your minimum to maximum salary preferences. I recommend keeping salary blank so as not to lose out on salary-based roles.

e) Work Industries – If there are specific industries you want to work in, such as healthcare, the choose the option that matches your industry. You have 2 options for this section.

f) Job Occupations – This section allows you to select two job titles that you are looking for. In most cases, this is useful, so fill in the job titles that match the jobs you’re searching for.

g) Job Location – Your location is based on the ZIP Code/postal code you pre-selected. If you are open to other locations, click the I’m Interested in Other Locations button. From the drop-down selection, choose the locations where you would be willing to work.

h) Desired Job Type – Choose the type of job you are looking for: Employee, Intern, Temporary/Contract/Project, Seasonal.

i) Desired Job Status – Choose what job status you want: Full-Time, Part-Time, or Per Diem.

j) Are you willing to relocate? – Choose Yes if you would be willing to move for a new job. If you do not want to relocate, choose No.

k) Are you willing to travel? – From the drop-down menu, select the amount of time you would travel for a job: No Travel Required, Up to 25%, Up to 50%, Up to 75%, and Up to 100%.

l) What languages do you speak? – Select the languages you speak and at what level of fluency. If the language you speak is not listed, you can add it by clicking Add Language. Some companies value and are looking for multilingual candidates, so I recommend selecting all the languages you speak.

m) Have you served in the military? – If you served in the military, select the option that reflects your background.

n) Do you have security clearance? – If you have a security clearance, select what clearance you have.

o) What is your citizenship? – Choose your citizenship status.

p) When are you available to start? – From the drop-down menu, select when you can start a new role.

q) Hit the Save Settings icon at the bottom of the page and your selections will be saved.

Looking for Jobs on Monster

It is important to search for jobs on Monster every day, since not all jobs will show up in your job alerts. Below are the steps to look for a job on Monster.

Step 1 – Go to http://www.monster.com/ and hit the Find Jobs icon in the top right corner. Click the Advanced Search option in the drop-down menu. This will bring you to the Advanced Search page

Step 2 – In the Advanced Search page, generate a job search using the following criteria: Job Titles, Companies, Location, Job Type, Posting Date. Below you will find information for each.

a) Job Titles – Choose the job titles you want to search for. You can search for more than one by clicking Add Another Job Title.

b) Companies – Select Jobs by Companies if there are specific companies you would like to work for. You also have the option to add more than one company by hitting Add Another Company. Unless there are specific companies you are looking to target, I would keep this blank.

c) Location – This allows you to search for jobs based on city, state or ZIP Code.

d) Job Type – Select what type of job type you are looking for, such as Full Time, Contract, Part Time, Internship, Temp, and Other. You can select more than one option.

e) Posting Date – This section allows you to narrow or expand a job search based on how long a job has been open. Select one of these options: Any Date, Today, Yesterday, Last 3 Days, Last 7 Days, Last 14 Days, or Last 30 days. When you first start looking for jobs, keep your search open by choosing Any Date. After you have done a few searches and have already found all the older jobs, change the Posting Date to Today so only recent jobs will show up in the search.

Step 3 – Click the Search for Jobs button. A list of jobs based on your search criteria will appear. Some jobs will let you apply via your existing Monster resume or will take you to the employer’s website to complete an application.

Conclusion

As Monster has such an established recruiter clientele, it is recommended that you follow this chapter’s advice as closely as possible. By creating a Monster resume that employers will find, creating alerts to stay up-to-breast on new job openings, and looking for jobs regularly on Monster, you’ll increase your chances of landing a job.