“R-E-S-P-E-C-T / find out what it means to me” is a line made famous by Aretha Franklin, and one that recruiters have adopted as their mantra. This is probably because there is a love-hate relationship between candidates and recruiters. Specifically, candidates love what recruiters can do for them, but at the same time, aren’t fond of the fact that they need their services.

One can hardly blame candidates, since over the years recruiters have been branded as uncaring, money-hungry vultures who have their eyes set only on the bottom line. Whether there is a grain of truth to that belief or not, I can’t say for sure. However, what I do know is that recruiters have been, and will continue to be, a viable resource for candidates. For this reason, recruiters shouldn’t be dismissed, but instead appreciated for the role they play in the career services industry. Continue reading →

What is “flow”? Flow as described by thepsychology professor and educator,Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is a state of being andbehavior. The behavior is one of complete absorption in a task. It is a transcendent state of being.

An example would be of a musician whoseplaying causes the person playing to losesight of time, place & circumstances. Some people have called this a “divine rapture”. Continue reading →

Many people are working at jobs they don’t wantand they hate to go there every day. Are you oneof them?

Let’s start by examining how you got into this kindof “pickle” to begin with. Did you take this job be-cause you thought you couldn’t find anything else?Did someone you are close to, tell you to take iteven if you didn’t want to? Were you in panic be-cause you thought you would be out on the street? Continue reading →

I’ll define what I mean by these terms.”The Controller” is a job seeker that is ruled by doing everything right. He/shehas read all of the appropriate books,done a good job composing a resume,but is still unemployed.

“The Controllee” has also read all of thebest books about the job search, hasa credible resume, but is still without work.

What can each of them do to make theirjob search campaign: WORK. Continue reading →

While identity theft is nothing new, the Web has opened up whole new world of opportunity for identity thieves.

According to the FBI, identity theft is the top online fraud. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission says that identity theft is it’s number one source of consumer complaints – 42 percent of all complaints, in 2001.

The thief will use your personal information to open credit card accounts, cell phone accounts, open bank accounts in your name and write bad checks-leaving the victim with the bills and ruined credit ratings. Identity thieves may pose as representatives of banks, Internet service providers and even government agencies to get you to reveal your Social Security number, mother’s maiden name, financial account numbers and identifying information. Continue reading →

Let’s face it. Monitoring employees’ e-mail, tracking their Internet use, logging everything done at keyboards has become the norm in Corporate America.

With computer monitoring software so cheap and easy-to-apply it’s no wonder that workplace surveillance becomes more and more widespread.

Here are some figures from the 2005 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey made by American Management Association and the consulting firm ePolicy Institute: Continue reading →

Landing a telecommute position isn’t easy. Finding them in the first place is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Then, when you finally do find one that looks promising, it’s filled before you can even click on “apply for this job”.

Why are they so few and far between anyway? Don’t employers realize the benefits of allowing their employees to telecommute; less sick time, increased productivity, lower overhead, and so forth? Continue reading →

Do you find yourself easily becoming bored or tired at work for no apparent reason? If that’s the case, then pay close attention. Research has shown that fatigue and a worn-out feeling are often caused by unproductive mental attitudes. If this describes your case, read on to learn six ways you can overcome boredom. Continue reading →

Sometimes, when going on job interviews, you might end up in a situation where you are in a group interview. A group interview is where you are being interviewed along with several other candidates for the job. Some professions that might conduct group interviews are sales, education and flight attendants.

The purpose of the group interview is to observe candidates’ interpersonal skills and personality traits. After the group interview, the number of candidates is lowered and usually one-on-one interviews are set up.

Potential employers want to see how you interact with other people. This gives them an idea of how you will deal with managers, co-workers and customers. They also want to find out how well you work in a group. Sometimes, the group is asked to work together in order to solve a hypothetical problem. While the group is working, the employer is noticing several things: Continue reading →

It is rumored that the only word William Shakespeare wrote on his resume was “Available.” We’ll probably never know if that is true. But it raises an interesting question. How much information is too much and how much is too little when dealing with resume copy?

The resume is a vital piece to any job search. As companies scramble to find the ideal candidate, they use the resume to screen candidates. Done right, a resume builds an instant connection with the reader and helps steer the course of the interview in your favor. If you submit a resume that piques the curiosity of the reader, he or she most likely will ask questions based on the information you provided on the resume as opposed to relying on a pre-packaged questionnaire. That’s how you know you have an “interviewable” resume, when it assists in shaping the course of the interview. Continue reading →