I got an email a while ago from a candidate that didn’t get the job. It’s not uncommon to hear back from a runner-up In fact, a thorough “thank you” note after the overall process concludes is a requirement if you wanna be memorable…even if you didn’t get the job. I’ve fast-tracked people on positions before simply because I remembered them from a previous interview or conversation Why am I harping on this here? This “than...

If you’re reading this, you enjoy reading interesting or helpful content. You probably visit other sites with solid writing that meet a variety of your needs. Have you ever considered what the sites (and books) you read can teach you about the job search without talking about it directly? Here are five lessons I’ve learned from good writing…and I ain’t even know it…until now. The ability to tell stories increases your abili...

The job search can be frustrating. Especially when you’ve done all this work on your resume and writing what you believe to be custom cover letters. Every application seems like it goes into a black hole or you get a rejection notice for gigs you’re clearly qualified for. It’ll leave you wondering how to get a job interview. Definitely not what’s hot in the streets. Truthfully, there’s nothing you can do to guarantee an int...

Yesterday I put the finishing touches on a job description (JD) for an HR Intern — a position I’ll lead the recruiting on. The timing couldn’t be better given what I’ve been thinking and writing about lately. When I added the last pieces to the JD, my first thought wasn’t “where can I post this job?” It was “who do I know for this job?” Then I wondered which Twitter followers, Facebook friends, or blog readers might be int...

Before transitioning into my desired career as an HR generalist, I spent four years in sales jobs both as a headhunter for a staffing agency and as a sales and service representative for a Fortune 500 company. Coming out of school, I never thought I’d be a salesperson. The idea of spending hours on the phone trying to schedule appointments and pitching products and services to busy business owners brought back painful memor...

When I decided I wanted to transition from a career in Sales to a career in Human Resources, I knew I had a long journey ahead of me. I’d have to figure out what companies I wanted to work for and what skills would get me closer to my goal role. I also had to think about my career progression once I was made the transition.Interviewers often ask “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Since I wasn’t gonna say “Working fo...

Blogging ain’t easy. It’s time-consuming, requires a good command of English, and forces you to put yourself out there for public consumption. Quite frankly, it can be scary. But when you compare this to the job search, it’s not much different. You have to spend time reviewing job descriptions, doing research and submitting your application. You gotta have a resume and cover letter free of grammatical and spelling mistakes...

Did you know that even with a spotless résumé, you can still end up at the bottom of the candidate pool? There’s a group ahead of you, a group that’s gone the extra step in their search. Who am I talking about? The networkers. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is more than a poignant cliché, especially in today’s market. A good number of the people interviewing for the job you know you’re qualified for found a way...

I got a few questions last week on Twitter from folks that did something during an interview that many of us have done before: Blurted out a salary range when asked, did research after the interview, then realize the range they blurted out was way lower than the industry standard. Uncool beans. It’s very easy to get caught offguard by an impromptu call from a recruiter. That’s usually not his or her intent...

Applying for jobs in a down economy has to be one of the least enjoyable tasks out there. You know you’re competing against the world. You’re praying that your résumé is optimized to appease the Applicant Tracking System gods. And once you’ve looked for a little while with minimal results, you get discouraged. Then one day you get an email from a recruiter who wants to set up an interview. You’re elated until you find out s...