Holiday Jobs: How to Snag One and Who’s Hiring

December 12, 2011

From The Street
By Jeanine Skowronski, MainStreet Staff Writer

‘Tis the season for temporary holiday jobs, as retailers have begun announcing their holiday hiring for this year. So far six companies — Fedex, QVC, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Best Buy and Toys R Us have announced their plans and staffing estimates for the 2011 holiday shopping season, and we will update the list as other retailers follow suit.

The new estimates paint a mixed bag for those hoping to score some work during Thanksgiving and Christmas, as among the companies are those dialing back, adding extra help and keeping job openings virtually the same as last year.

How can you increase your chances at getting a seasonal job? Check out our rundown of How to Snag a Seasonal Job for details. Those who find one should also take a look at our How to Keep Your Seasonal Job and turn that temporary job into permanent employment!

What Employers Want – and Do Not Want – in Your Resume

October 3, 2011

by Robin Schlinger, Robin’s Resumes
From CareerRealism.com

You are struggling to understand what employers want in a resume: What will make them stand up and take notice? In many ways, what you leave out is just as important as what you leave in.

*Interested in learning more about what employers think about your resume? Come by the “What Employers are Saying about Your Resume” workshop this October 6th at 5:30pm in the Career Center. For more information, contact the Career Center at 953-5692 / careercenter@cofc.edu.

The 10 Worst Things to Put on Your Resume

July 6, 2011

by Kelly Eggers
from FINS.com

According to a 2010 Accountemps survey, 28% of executives say the resume is where most job seekers make mistakes in the application process. But what exactly constitutes a mistake? We talked with career coaches and resume writers to find ten gaffes that will guarantee that your resume never makes it past round one.

***Also: The writer of the previous article (Kelly Eggers  – FINS.com) has an article entitled 7 Ways to Keep Your Resume Out of the Trash that may be helpful too.

10 Ways to Use Twitter to Get Recruiters’ Attention

May 16, 2011

By Shannon Lowder
Salary.com contributing writer

Because more than a hundred applicants often respond to each online job posting, recruiters are rethinking their traditional practice of posting positions on career websites. Rather than posting the jobs and dealing with an onslaught of random resumes, they’ve started proactively seeking skilled workers. And Twitter is fast becoming the top tool recruiters use to scout this top talent.

This article shows you how to master key features of Twitter to attract recruiters’ attention.

Job Outlook: Verbal Communication Skills Most Sought by Employers

December 13, 2010

From NACELink Spotlight Online:

New college graduates looking to crack the still-tight job market need to hone their verbal communication skills, say employers taking part in NACE’s Job Outlook 2011 survey. Survey respondents indicate that verbal communication skills topped the list of “soft” skills they seek in new college graduates looking to join their organizations, followed by strong work ethic, teamwork skills, analytical skills, and initiative.

Interestingly, when asked how satisfied they were that new college graduates could deliver on key skills, employer response was mixed. They reported being “very satisfied” with the teamwork and analytical skills of new college graduates, but verbal communication skills, initiative, and a strong work ethic all fell below that level, with ratings hovering between “somewhat” and “very satisfied.” 

Even if candidates can deliver on those top five skills, employers have a fairly substantial list of other skills they deem as important and other attributes they seek. In fact, employers rated nine other skills/qualities as “very important”’ to “extremely important,” and most cited GPA requirements and a preference for new graduates with internship or other relevant work experience. For more, see NACE’s Job Outlook 2011 report.

Figure 1: Employers Rank Top 5 Candidate Skills/Qualities

  1. Verbal Communication Skills
  2. Strong Work Ethic
  3. Teamwork Skills
  4. Analytical Skills
  5. Initiative

**Source: Job Outlook 2011, National Association of Colleges and Employers. 

How to Handle Mistakes in the Workplace

December 6, 2010

by Surjit Sen Sharma
From JobsJournal.com

We all know that to err is human, and none of us derive pleasure from committing errors. However, there are some, who allow their errors, or fear of making errors, immobilize their personal progress, and then there are some, who mull over past mistakes to the point of self-deprecation.

In fact, it is not uncommon to find people who use the instance of a mistake made long back in their past to explain away adverse situations caused in the present. Everybody has those long lists of ”if I had been,” or ”only if I had done” kind of regrets. The job is to rise over regrets and do what can be done now, and not waste time over what you can’t do anything about.

While such analyses linking past errors to present situations may all be true, none of us possesses the ability to travel back to the past and rectify them. So, it’s a waste of time thinking over past mistakes unless you use the experience to actively help you in the present.

And then, there are some of us who allow false egos to get the better of us and refuse to admit mistakes, though inside our minds, we recognize our actions quite clearly as mistakes. To make a mistake is part of ordinary circumstances and not outside the logic of a workplace or of life itself. However, to knowingly persist in a mistake just to save one’s self from embarrassment or loss of face is illogical to the extreme.

Rectifying mistakes is an art and the mark of experts and successful people. All employers know that there are going to be mistakes in the workplace, and even that they themselves will be part of wrong decisions. However, the man who is prized in the workplace is the one who does not get perturbed by finding mistakes, but immediately gets to work on finding solutions and putting them in place, to mitigate or remove the effects of such mistakes. Such people view the consequences of every mistake just as problems to be solved, and do not waste time or energy in attributing blame, because blame attribution is unconstructive and distinctly different from a crime investigation.

There are only two kinds of action an employee might commit in a workplace to disrupt the workflow. The first, and more common, is unintentional and thus a mistake, and the second is intentional, and thus a crime. We are discussing mistakes here and not crimes. However, it is important to understand and outline the difference, because also in the workplace, we find people who try to interpret unintentional actions as intentional and cast blame on people, trying to show them up in a negative light. Be wary of such persons, because every workplace has its share of such fools and they are the most unconstructive of the lot.

The morale of this article is that there is no logic in being downcast by the commission of mistakes, but the logical thing to do is to rectify and mitigate the consequences of mistakes as soon as possible, whether in life or in the workplace. And if certain situations prove to be irretrievable, then move forward in life without allowing you to be obsessed by regrets.

To read the article in it’s entirely, originally published in Hound, please click here.

When Students Can’t Find A Summer Job

April 6, 2010

by Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach
http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1822647  

When you can’t find a summer job, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Although there are many things that students can do, most of them involve hard work. Unfortunately, for some students, that very fact will turn them off. However, you should know that good jobs don’t fall into your lap. You’ll have to get out there and fight for one.

To continue reading the article by Mr. Roth, please click here.

Tips on How to Find and Survive Holiday Jobs

December 21, 2009

From Suite101.com:

Making Extra Cash During Holidays Means Paying Attention to Details

http://careeradvice.suite101.com/article.cfm/tips_on_how_to_find_and_survive_holiday_jobs

Applying to Jobs Online? 3 Mistakes to Avoid!

December 21, 2009

From NewGradLife:

Job hunting online seems to be simple these days, just a few clicks and you have submitted your application – but what if we are doing something wrong when applying to jobs online? Using the Internet for a long time now, I can safely say that while trying to get a job online is pretty straight-forward at times, there are some huge mistakes job seekers can make. To see what 3 big mistakes to avoid while job hunting online, click on the link below.

http://newgradlife.blogspot.com/2009/12/applying-to-jobs-online-3-mistakes-to_8521.html

10 Companies Hiring for the Holidays

November 9, 2009

Check out the article below to see the top 10 companies hiring for the holidays.

http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/companies-holiday-hiring/

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