How To Decipher The Meaning Of Interview Questions

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Lorraine Russo

Interviewers ask certain questions for a reason. Some good...and some not so good. Like it or not, the same questions are asked just about every day during each and every interview in every company around the country. So if you understand the information an interviewer is trying to obtain from you, answering them will be all the easier.

Many, but not all, human resources personnel and hiring managers are experienced interviewers, so they typically know the “right” and “wrong” answers to questions. They also know what your answers say about YOU, both personally and professionally.

For example, if an interviewer asks you to discuss your strengths and weaknesses, do you know what he or she is looking for in your answer?

Online Classifieds - Another Resource in your Job Search

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: CareerAlley

I don't really remember when Internet job searching overtook the old fashioned print classified ad, but it wasn't all that long ago that most of can remember the commerical "I found my job through the New York Times". But print classifieds are very much alive (although not a major force anymore) and their web-based "sister" versions are very much in use. So if you need to try something new, try some of these web-based classified ads.

LinkedIn Is Not A Social Networking Site

I know a number of people are going to disagree with me on this but read on and then tell me what you think.

LinkedIn is a professional networking site.

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and the rest are social networking sites.

Sure LinkedIn has some of the features of other sites like:

Two Ways to Get Unstuck in Your Job Search

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Kevin Donlin

You can find great job-hunting ideas by reading publications that have nothing ostensible to do with job hunting.

Example: a new book by seminal marketer, Jay Abraham, called "The Sticking Point Solution."

What, you may ask, does a book for entrepreneurs and marketing/sales professionals have to do with your job search?

Nothing. And a whole lot.

How To Show Employers That You Fit The Job

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Caroline Ceniza-Levine

One jobseeker asked:  If flexibility, versatility and cross-training are all the rage these days, why do recruiters seem to hold so firmly to the belief that a candidate must "fit the profile" exactly?

The above question is valid, and it demonstrates why boilerplate qualities with no substance or tangible metrics attached are meaningless.  In the above example, flexibility, versatility and cross-training are the boilerplate qualities.  Many job descriptions ask for these.  Therefore, these are not going to be the deciding factors; they’re a given.  Instead you need to find what makes that job unique, how that will be measured and appeal specifically to that.  When you do that, you fit the profile, and that’s what employers and recruiters want.

Federal Hiring Trends and In-Demand Jobs

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Lorraine Russo

Updated weekly, this page completes the top 50 Federal agencies with the most openings in the last calendar month.

For example, the agency with the most openings in a calendar month is Veterans Affairs / Veterans Health Administration, with 3,326 jobs (mostly highly-skilled medical jobs), followed by the Army Corps of Engineers with 3,126 jobs.

Because the list is updated weekly, be sure to bookmark it and add it to your calendar. It provides a ton of information about which agencies are hiring and the in-demand jobs (right now, there are nine in-demand jobs posted from two agencies: Department Of Energy (1 job) and Department Of The Navy (8 jobs).

Before you think that getting a Federal jobs is near-impossible, be sure to read the 9 Myths about Federal Jobs.

Here's the entire list:

Open Eyes, Open Mind, New Job

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Kevin Donlin

Despite the rotten employment news -- Have you heard? We're in a recession -- there are jobs to be had.

In fact, your next job might walk right into the room today or come disguised as a position you don't really want.

How can this be?

Read on to learn how two people found work recently by doing simple, unusual things that you can do, too …

Five Things NOT To Do During a Job Interview

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Christina Archer is the Director of Healthcare Recruiting with AgentHR's Columbus, Ohio office

It doesn't matter what industry you are in, or what job you do, when you're trying to land your next job, you have to have a competitive mindset to win the job offer.  You've probably heard or read about the different things you are supposed to do when meeting with a prospective employer.  Let's turn our focus from what you should do, to what you should never do during a telephone, online meeting, or face to face interview.

So Many Job Boards, So Little Time

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: CareerAlley

If you think that it feels like there are an endless number of job search boards, you are not alone. While they are not endless, there are way too many. Of course, not every job board is for everyone (and not every job board is worth the time). That being said, job boards should be a regular part of your job search for several reasons. The obvious one is job search, the less obvious is that that job boards are where both employers and recruiters look for candidates.

Job Search Secret: Trade Shows

The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:

From: Lorraine Russo

As we've mentioned here before, about 80% of jobs are never advertised, so consider adding another useful tool to your job search toolbox: Trade Shows and Industry Association gatherings.

One of the best activities for locating unadvertised or hidden jobs is attending industry- or product-related trade shows. Because only 20% or so of jobs appear on the boards or a company web site, get a leg up on your competition and go after the 80% of jobs that few others are looking for.

Also, the Conference Board reports that "in April, there were 2.4 advertised vacancies posted online for every 100 persons in the labor force, down from a high of 2.9 in April 2007."