Career Talk JDR

Archive for 2009

How many times have you heard the word overqualified?  Anytime I see a manager applying for a lesser position, I immediately assume this person is looking to take any available job until he or she can find a better one.    Tip: If you truly want the lower level position, downplay the upper level responsibilities and [...]

  When jobs were plentiful and skilled workers were at a premium, you could expect a recruiter or hiring official to study each resume, willing to make whatever mental leap necessary to deem the candidate a fit for the job. Today, hiring officials believe there are enough resources on the market that they do not need [...]

The three most important aspects of the resume: Emphasis, Emphasis, Emphasis.   Okay, here’s the situation. I’m a recruiter and I’m advertising a systems architect position for one of my clients.  I have a desk full of job orders to fill and more under- and overqualified candidates than I can possibly interview in a month’s time, and [...]

When I started twenty years ago as a programmer, I read every book and article I could find on resume writing.  Over the past five years, I’ve had the privilege to recruit hundreds of IT professionals, reviewing no less than 65 resumes a day.  I look back at some of the advice I read and [...]

We found this article posted on www.blog.careers.org and we thought it gave good information regarding a widely unknown threat- identity theft related to online career searching.  (Original Article Source:  http://EzineArticles.com/)   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 [...]

Most employers and hiring officials spend a good portion of their time and resources in the hiring process.  The time invested and costs of sourcing top candidates for key positions are significant.  Companies and managers go to great lengths to try to entice the best professionals to come on board their organization, instead of the [...]

There are tons of self-help books and tests to determine which career you are most suited for.  Personally, I still like “What Color Is Your Parachute,” which has been a New York Times bestseller each time it has been updated and revised.  There is also a pretty cool quiz you can take:  http://quiz.ivillage.co.uk/uk_work/tests/career.htm   However, to really [...]

A well written thank you note is a common courtesy and an appropriate follow-up to every interview.  Consider this step to be an important contact with your prospective employer, as well as, an additional presentation of your skills.  If your interview was set up through a recruiter, ask that person for the email information of [...]

May1st is May Day!  This is always great fun if you are in the UK.  Aside from a day off and the beginning of the Summer Holidays, it’s a traditional day of festivities including swinging on Maypoles, dancing and jigs in the parks and the crowning of the Queen of the May.  Many homes decorate with [...]

Back in 1989, I was a Staff Accountant with a financial institution and found myself in a bit of a rut.  This was my first job out of college and I had interned there during college.  Every month…month end, accruals, account analysis and reconciliations.  At the time, the bank was in a slump (seems like [...]