Ever feel as if networking events are just a waste of time?  If so, it may be time for you to do a little more planning so that you can maximize the benefit of next networking event. Here are a few tips on how you can get the most out of networking events:

1. Do your research beforehand and try to find out who will attend the event before you arrive.  Oftentimes, event organizers have compiled a list of attendees. If you ask for it they may just be willing to share.
2. Once you receive your list of attendees choose a few names/companies that may be of interest to you. Do your research on them beforehand and find out how they would benefit from connecting with you.
3. Even if you don’t receive a list of attendees, take the time to scope out the room.  In other words, find out who is there before you allow one or two attendees to occupy all of your time.  It may help to decide what your purpose is before you attend the event.  Do you want to meet knew clients or prospective job candidates? What type of employer/job candidate are you looking for?  All of these factors will come into play when deciding who to target when attending the event.
4. Remember, less is sometimes more.  If you only have two hours to attend your next networking event, you may want to limit how many people you talk to. Think about it, if you had four conversations that lasted ten minutes, that would take up 40 minutes, and that’s without any breaks in between. Using targeted networking will help you maximize the benefits of the event. Choose a few prospects, then spend the bulk of your time connecting with them.
5. Make your way to the front of the room.  Does the networking event offer an opportunity to speak or conduct a workshop?  If so, send in a proposal.  Speaking or doing a workshop can give you quick and easy access to the people you want to meet.

The ability to speak with competence and poise in front of an audience is a powerful skill that job seekers can use to increase their chances of landing the job of their dreams.  Here are a few tips on improving your public speaking skills and using those skills to land a great legal job:

1. Change the way you view “public speaking.”  Most people view public speaking as a situation where one person is giving a speech to a group, usually on a stage.  However, public speaking can be more than that.  Public speaking skills can be used in interviews, one-on-one interactions, over the phone and in just about any situation where you need to verbally communicate ideas to another person. By looking at public speaking this way you will be in the right “frame of mind” when communicating with others.
2. Become knowledgeable about your field.  As a legal expert you should be able to converse about the latest trends, news and happenings in the legal industry.  You should also have an opinion and be able to eloquently and tactfully express than opinion to others. Employers want to hire candidates who are fully engaged in the legal industry.
3. Take the opportunity to speak at events about the legal industry. Join panel discussions or even give a workshop in your community to get practice. Placing yourself at the “front of the room” will give your more visibility to employers.
4. Raise the volume.  When speaking with others at networking events or interviews, raise the volume of your voice just a little to avoid speaking too low or mumbling your words.  When speaking at a higher volume you will mumble less, speak more clearly and exude a sense of competence.
5. Use a camera, audio recorder or an audience of peers for practice and feedback. Did you make your point clearly?  Did you mumble? Were you speaking too low? Take notes and make any necessary changes.

 

In order toeffectively compete for today’s top job candidates, it is increasinglyimportant to understand how a new generation of legal job candidates areimpacting the work landscape. Generation Y is estimated to be 76 million people and many of theirhabits and world outlook is influencing business.  Here’s what you need to know about Generation Y jobcandidates: 

1. Growth is essential.  As a group, generation Y has expressed a need for constant growth and learning.  Jobs that offer growth and educational opportunities will fare well with this generation’s top performers.
2. Flexible workspaces and schedules. This generation is not enamored with the idea of the 9 to 5 job.  Jobs that offer opportunities for non-traditional work arrangements such as work-at-home schemes will increase their chances of attracting top candidates.
3. Team work.  Generation Y grew up with the belief that “everyone is a winner” and that the work of the team is just as important, if not more important than the individual. This is why work environments that encourage employees to work on projects as a group will attract more quality Generation Y candidates.
4. Praise and recognition.  Generation Y job candidates are looking for more than just a paycheck.  Employers who recognize and reward the contributions of employees will most likely become a “first pick” amongst this generation of job seekers. 

Because of the economy, many older workers have begun reentering the workforce; but many of them are facing some old stereotypes that refuse to die.  Here are a few tips on how you can combat three of the most common stereotypes some employers have about older workers:

1. Myth: Older workers are less productive than young workers. Despite the fact that study after study has proven that there is a greater difference in productivity between individual workers than age groups, this myth persists. If a job seeker wants to dispel this myth during an interview, he/she may try focusing on recent accomplishments inside and outside work. Focus on numbers and hard facts instead of soft comments.  Surprisingly, mentioning the fact that you’re involved in activities, especially physical activities, outside of work may help to ease an employer’s fears about your productivity.
2. Myth: Older workers are not good long term investments because they are nearing retirement.  While it may be true that a 50 year old worker is closer to retirement than a 30 year old worker that does not mean that the 30 year old worker will remain with the company longer.  Statistics show that workers under 30 years old change jobs every two to three years while those over 40 remain with the same job for at least six years.  Older job candidates hoping to dispel this myth should highlight their steady work history and remind the employer that they are looking for something long-term.
3. Myth: Older workers are not up-to-date on the latest trends and are stuck in the past.  While there certainly are older workers who stubbornly stick to old ways, many older workers are fast learners and more “up-to-date” than their younger peers.  To dispel this myth, older job candidates should demonstrate their knowledge of current trends, events and technology.  Having an email address and social networking account will go a long way in dispelling the myth that you’re out of touch.

1.  Do an internet search of your name and find out what can be seen online about you. Many job seekers are extremely naïve about the impact of what they say and do online.  Today it is common for employers to do an internet search on a prospective employee before they even call the person in for an interview. What will they find?  This is especially important for recent law school graduates to consider.  Will employers find photos of you drunk after a night of partying? Will they run across a ten page rant on your personal blog about a former employer or your former school?  If so, you may not be called in for an interview.
2. If you see negative information about yourself on the internet, remove it.  That could include inappropriate pictures, internet postings and even private blogs.  Consider making your personal blogs private and placing your family and friends in a separate (invitation only) social network. For example, you may want to reserve Facebook for friends and family while LinkedIn is used for business contacts.
3. Consider creating a professional looking website with your resume and professional “portfolio” online. Your portfolio could include awards, employer/professor recommendations and links to legal related articles you have written.
4. Make sure your online information, especially employment history, is consistent with the information you give all of your employers. If you have a blog online that talks about being fired last year; but don’t mention it to a prospective employer they probably won’t hire you. 

Do your clients contact you at the last minute to fill important positions?  If so, it’s probably because they lack an effective hiring strategy.  The best recruiters can work with their clients to create an effective long-term hiring strategy that will help them increase productivity and profits.  Here’s what you need to know:

1. Work with your client to discover the long-term goals for their business. Do they plan to expand? Move? Do they want to increase revenue by 20% within two years? With this knowledge you can help them identify when and who they need to hire to achieve those goals.
2. Explain to your client the importance of creating careers, not just jobs.  The best talent is looking for long-term relationships with their employer that will be mutually beneficial.  Companies that have mapped out career tracts and opportunities for advancement in their firm will have access to the most valuable job candidates.
3. Educate your client on the necessity of indentifying and recruiting talent for the most important positions in their firm long before those positions “need” to be filled. Many employers wait until the last minute to hire for their most important positions and make unnecessary hiring mistakes.
4. Work with your client to create a hiring timeline that will serve as a guideline for filling their hiring needs. If they plan to expand in a year, then creating and implementing a hiring strategy for that expansion within a feasible timeframe may be prudent.

While a tough economy can bring in a horde of resumes to the average recruiter’s inbox, finding and convincing top passive candidates to switch jobs during uncertain times has never been more difficult.  Even if a candidate is itching for more opportunities, better benefits or a friendlier workplace, uncertain times can temp them to hang on to security—their current job. So how do you convince quality candidates to leave their job for “greener pastures?”

1. The first step is to discover the candidate’s long-term vision and ask them if their current employment will help them to achieve that long-term vision.  Unfortunately, many talented individuals are stuck in jobs that are “dead-end” and take them nowhere near their goals.  It’s the recruiter’s job to point out the reality of that fact and then show the candidate why the new position is a more effective tool for achieving their goals.
2. Know the job you are selling the candidate.  Make sure you point out to the candidate all of the benefits of switching jobs compared to remaining at their current place of employment. Answer these questions: What are the benefits of working in that particular job?  What is the career path of the job?  And how does that career path help the candidate achieve their goals? Get specific.  Also, point out to the candidate the risk they are taking by not changing jobs. In other words, make the “opportunity cost” clear to them.
3. Is the employer willing to provide an employment contract with a payout for non-performance related terminations?  Many quality passive candidates fear that they will leave their current job and be fired within a few months of working at the new job. If an employer is willing to offer an employment contract you will have a better chance of attracting quality passive candidates during these uncertain times.

In the rush to deliver candidates to a client who is feeling pressured to fill a job opening fast, many recruiters fail to obtain some critical information about their candidates before they refer them to the employer. Let’s take a look at a few questions recruiters need to ask before their candidate interviews with an employer.

1. Do they really want this job?  I know that question seems obvious; but sometimes during a recession job candidates will apply for any and every job available just to hedge their bets. They may have applied for your position; but is it really their first choice?  Good recruiters only refer clients those candidates who have expressed a genuine desire to work with the employer. If your candidates long-term goals don’t quite line-up with the position for which they are applying, there is a high probability that your candidate could be on the “rebound.”
2. Does the job jive well with the candidate’s current lifestyle?  Is the client accustomed to short commutes, short workdays and long vacations?  If so, placing them in a company that requires a 2 hour commute each day, frequent overtime and very little time off could create a culture shock for the candidate.  Quality of life issues and culture are major determining factors in whether a candidate will fit it and remain with an employer.   When considering if a candidate is a good fit, look at everything from the daily commute to compensation and personality. 
3. What does the candidate expect from the employer?  This goes a lot deeper than “getting paid on time and receiving opportunities to grow.”  Most candidates change jobs because something is missing and they want to gain that “something” elsewhere.  It’s the recruiter’s job to find out what that “something” is and connect the candidate with an employer who can fulfill that need.

<!--[i

LEXIS AND WEST LAW

Firms have various billing arrangements with LEXIS and WESTLAW. Summer associates must understand firm preferences for *which service to use *how it is billed *and restrictions on it’s use for browsing, printing and downloading.

Arrangements with LEXIS and WEST LAW include *by the minute charges *bulk flat fees *blended arrangements *flat rates for certain research, but far higher rates for printing and specialized research.  Within the same firm you may find that different practices apply for certain clients. 

You grow accustomed to free computer research during law school. This clever marketing ploy makes enormous sense for Thomson Reuter and Reed Elsevier and it occasionally leads summer associates astray when they join a firm which does not have unlimited or flat rate billing for on line services. Nothing makes assigning attorneys go ballistic more quickly than $5,000 of uncollectible on-line research charges.

JUGGLING ASSIGNMENTS

One of the toughest challenges for young lawyers is managing their own workload. It is difficult to estimate the time that a project will take. Working for several partners simultaneously places a great burden on you You want to appear energetic and committed. But you do not want to take on so much work that any partner is left disappointed. If you decline to take on work and appear under-deployed or slothful, supervising lawyers may think you are lazy or not committed. It is a tough challenge with no easy way out. The best advice here is not the most pleasant: it is better to be 110 percent busy than it is to be 70 percent occupied.

In an era when productivity, value, and client service are critical, all professionals must learn this skill. Those who master juggling and are efficient about their own time often mature into lawyers who manage groups, departments, and client relationships. It is hard to be efficient during a summer program. There are CLE programs, lunches, administrative matters, and social distractions galore. You are trying to; develop personal relationships with peers, associates, and partners; find your way through the administrative intricacies of a new professional home. All of this makes it difficult to get your work done. Don’t let the days drift away.

You must be an efficient self-starter and keep your eye on the firm’s interests. If you succumb to the social agenda and all the distractions of the summer program you may find yourself in a hole. This does not mean you have to be a drone. It does mean that you have to maintain your focus. With apologies to Clint Eastwood and deference to HEARTBREAK RIDGE, summer associates must adapt, improvise and overcome.

Flexibility and adaptability are hallmarks of professionalism. Sometimes the shape of an assignment changes half way through the project. You identify a legal issue that was not foreseen. * A group of cases turn on factual distinctions that require you to seek additional advice. *You hit an absolute dead end on researching an issue. Do not fall into a black hole and disappear into the next galaxy. Go back to your assigning attorney and explain what you have done and the problem or wrinkle that has arisen. They may well steer you in another direction or be able to reconfigure or simplify the assignment. If you hit an explosive issue that was not identified, bring it to the attention of the assigning attorney as soon as possible. Do not wait three weeks to say “gee, I think we may have blown a filing deadline.”

The next article will appear on January 1st, Topic:  Split Summers

For job seekers facing the holiday season with a little anxiety, it’s important to remember that you should neither stop your job search nor forgo the holiday festivities.  If you want to get an edge on the competition you should continue your job search, but on a smaller scale. Here are a few ways to spice up you job search while making the most of this holiday season:

Make a holiday job search plan.  This plan should set aside specific times to send out resumes, look for job postings and attend networking events.  Remember, you probably don’t want to send out resumes on Christmas Day or while family and friends and outside your door having a party. That would make you a “scrooge.” Instead, you may want to send out resumes for a few days before the holiday and right after, while still setting aside time to spend exclusively with your friends and family.

Take the time out to attend legal industry related holiday events and parties. These parties can be great opportunities to network and begin building the relationships you need in your job search.  You can also send out holiday greeting cards to renew old connections. And yes, it is okay to send an electronic card; but a paper card (via snail mail) is more likely to get seen. Avoid the temptation of mentioning your job search in a holiday card. But it’s okay to follow-up after the holiday for job referrals.

Spend a day or two volunteering for a worthy cause.  Volunteer opportunities are a great way to meet new and interesting people who may be able to help you with your job search. Also, sometimes volunteer opportunities turn into paying jobs.

In preparing your job candidate for an offer, you want to eliminate any surprises and bridge the gap between the candidate’s expectations and the offer they may receive from the employer.  Here are a few tips:

1.      Remind the candidate of all of the benefits (besides salary) they will receive from the job.  Those benefits can include, health insurance, time-off, educational opportunities, opportunities for advancement, bonuses etc.  Generally speaking, try to remind the candidate that the job offers an opportunity to grow their career.

2.     Find out if the candidate has any unanswered questions about the job and try to anticipate any objections the candidate may have to accepting the job offer outside of the salary amount. For example, the candidate may have questions about some responsibilities, opportunities or even the culture of the company.

3.     Regarding salary, ask the candidate what their target salary is and what salary amount they would be willing to accept, even it did not meet their target.  Ask direct questions such as “Will you accept an offer of $80,000 or above?” If the candidate says no, “I was hoping for more” you may want to ask “Does that mean you would reject an offer of $80,000?”  This line of questioning will give you an opportunity to minimize problems with the job offer by finding out how much a candidate is willing to accept. This amount should be lower than what you expect the employer will offer.

4.     Finally, ask the candidate what they will do when their current employer offers them more money or benefits once they hand in their resignation papers.  If a candidate is willing to stay with their current employer under the “right” circumstances, then that’s a possibility you need to know before the job offer is given.

The 2009 tax year is just about to come to a close.  And while solo recruiters may get hit a little harder with taxes than their in-house brethren, there are a few perks that work to your benefit at tax time. Let’s take a look at a few:

1.     Solo recruiters who receive a 1099 from clients are able to deduct business expenses from their income which will reduce their taxable income. You may be able to deduct the cost of a computer used for business, printers, fax machines, postal costs and other supplies needed for the operation of your business. Hopefully you have taken the time to keep track of receipts, if not, ask your accountant if you can use bank statement records to track and ultimately deduct your 2009 business expenses.

2.     Solo recruiters will be responsible for their social security and Medicare taxes (15.3% of their income); but they will be able to deduct half of that amount.

3.     Have you invested in your retirement account? If you’re a solo recruiter, you SEP retirement account which you can fund with up to $49,000. That amount can be deducted from your income, reducing your taxable income amount. You can also deduct contributions to an IRA.

4.     If you’re paying for private insurance and are not eligible for health insurance through your spouse, you may be able to deduct the cost of your health insurance premiums.  But the deduction cannot be higher than your net income for 2009.

Twitter hashtags are a simple way to find and tag tweets about a specific topic. They are especially useful for recruiters who want their tweets to be seen by people who may not follow them on Twitter. For example, a recruiter who has a post about a legal related job may add a hashtag #legaljobs or two hashtags #legal and #jobs.  While some hashtags already have hundreds of tweets, don’t be afraid to start your own. You can visit www.twubs.com to track and view current hashtags and the tweets associated with them.

Recruiters should use hashtags to describe tweets that are important and valuable to users inside and outside of Twitter. It’s not recommended that you use hashtags for all of your tweets; but I would recommend using them for job postings.  Remember, your hashtag will be part of your tweet and since Twitter only allows 140 characters to say what you need to say, it’s best to keep it short.

For example when I looked up #legaljobs at www.twubs.com, I found:

Temp to Direct Hire opp. with reputable Cleveland law firm for attorney with 4-6 years construction litigation exp. #legal #jobs #legal jobs

Very simple and to the point, with the right hashtags, this post is likely to get seen.

Here are few hashtags that already exist that may be useful for recruiters:

#legaljobs

#jobs

#legal_job

#legalrecruiter

Welcome to our new Friday series of articles designed for law students!  Our guest author, Frank Kimball will be guiding you through the steps you need to succeed as a summer associate.  Once you have landed that prize spot - you must still land larger prize of an associate position.  Frank will show you the pitfalls as well as the path to success. 

Frank is the only former hiring partner of one of the largest national firms who provides search services, project consulting and training for leading law firms. He has interviewed, hired, placed, or counseled more than 10,000 law students and attorneys. Each year he meets with more than 200 law students and more than 200 lateral candidates who are considering joining leading firms.  His articles are a practical, eye-opening roadmap that will guide students through the inner sanctum of the law firm world.  Join us each friday as Frank shares his invaluable advice with you!

Laura Leopard

Many law students will join law firm summer programs or internships next May. Most will end the summer a few pounds heavier and basically pleased with their experience. Some will be disappointed and fail. Others will be confused. But many will focus too much on ‘getting an offer’ and too little on using this summer to match professional dreams with market realities.

These series of articles discusses; How to Succeed, Avoiding the Common Causes of Failure, the Tough Issues of Romance, Sexual Harassment, Casual Attire, Drugs, and Alcohol, the Impact of the Recession, the Firm’s Side of the Table, and Offer and No-offer Decisions and Choosing Cities and Practice Areas.

It also covers several subjects whichcan put the summer in perspective and help law students understand how the current market will impact their opportunities.

HOW TO SUCCEED

Law school begins with learning what professors expect and how grading and exams work. Success in the summer begins with understanding what the firm wants and how to deliver it. In some respects it seems simple. Law firms deliver professional advice for a fee. The market for legal services is extremely competitive. Delivering quality, and value every day is critical.

The fundamentals of practice — profitability, keeping and finding clients, providing stellar service — flow from vigilance about quality and value. This section discusses the important art of  understanding and managing assignments juggling conflicting demands accounting for your time handling criticism protecting the confidences of the firm and its clients  and using the firm’s computer and voicemail systems with care.

MASTER YOUR ASSIGNMENTS

Mastering assignments begins with understanding what lawyers want. You are not in law school; this is not a contest where you are graded against other students. Clients want answers — not issue spotting. Sophisticated clients already know the issues. Clients want answers based on the facts and applicable law — not theory based on policy arguments, law review articles, cases from other states, dissenting opinions, or model statutes which have not been adopted.

The most frequent problems in summer programs arise from misunderstood assignments. Common errors include spending the wrong amount of time on a project delivering the wrong type of work product  memoranda that speak with the voice of a law student rather than that of a lawyer and inadequate or excessive legal research. Each is preventable.

If you do not enjoy research, call that truck driving school. If you do not have a natural curiosity about legal issues you are in the wrong profession. That means a rigorous, disciplined approach to defining problems and finding answers even if it means going through scores of cases, stacks of treatises, and hitting innumerable dead ends until you are satisfied.   (please click below to continue)

How To Succeed Continued.....

Want an effective job search that doesn’t waste too much time?  Well getting organized may be the missing element in your job search strategy. Here are some tips for organizing your job search so that you can maximize your time:

1. Use a daily planner.  The daily planner you use can be electronic or paper, but it needs space where you can write out your meetings and tasks for each day. You should be able to track what you need to do and most importantly what you actually completed. 
2. Create a separate email address that you use just for your job search.  If you mix your personal email and your job search email you could end up wasting time by checking personal emails when you should be working on your job search. Keep your job search and personal life separate!
3.  Do your most important tasks first.  Determine which tasks are the most important each day.  Usually the most important tasks are those that will directly impact your job search. For example, sending out resumes to recruiters/employers, attending job networking events, searching for jobs, following up on job leads and going to interviews are more important than filing documents or picking out resume paper. Remember, you need to prioritize. Do the most important things first!
4. Make sure that you have a committed workspace for your job search and organize all critical documents so that they are accessible. Your workspace needs to make sense to you don’t be afraid to organize in a way that does not conform to accepted notions what being organized means.
5.  Also organize your electronic space.  Create a separate folder for your job search and create a tracking spreadsheet that will help you keep track of who you have contacted, sent resumes to, interviewed with and when you need to follow-up with contacts.

Tax time is just around the corner. If you’re one of the many job seekers who have been unemployed for a at least 6 months you may be wondering if you will still need to file taxes in 2009.  The answer is yes. Even if you were unemployed in 2008, you may still owe taxes if you received any type of income in 2008.  For job seekers who received unemployment insurance benefits, the IRS will tax all of that income after the first $2400.  It’s not fair, but some job seekers find that they owe taxes even if they didn’t work a job. 

There are ways to reduce your tax liability. Under certain circumstances the IRS allows job seekers to write off expenses related to their job search including but not limited to photocopying, resume services, educational services, travel expenses, employment agency fees and postage costs. If you followed our tips from earlier this year, you have kept all of your receipts related to your job search and can calculate your job search expenses with the help of an account.  For first time job seekers, job seekers changing careers and those who took a long break between losing their last job and beginning a new job search these tax deductions are not available.

To find out more information about deducting job search expenses visit www.irs.gov and search for the IRS Publication 529, Miscellaneous Deductions.

 

Most recruiters have a “can-do” attitude which is the reason for their success; but that same attitude can be the cause of their stress and eventual burnout. Recruiters who try to do “it all” find themselves making mistakes, wasting time and most importantly on the road to becoming worn out. Here are some of the top reasons recruiters need to get help handling many tasks that might not  increase revenue directly but could have a positive impact on their business over the long-term:

1. You can’t and don’t know everything and trying to learn everything can be daunting and stressful. Every recruiter needs access to experts, i.e. accountants, attorneys or even a good branding/marketing specialist. Engaging the services of these professionals could be a good long-term solution.
2. You can’t do it all and if you try, you will burnout.  Many solo recruiters scoff at the idea of hiring help (even on a temporary basis) because they figure they don’t need the help.  The truth is that outsourcing even the simplest tasks can free up time and energy. That time and energy can be reallocated to more productive pursuits.
3.  Working with experts will give you the opportunity to benefit from their knowledge and experience. For example, hiring an administrative assistant to organize your office or electronic files could pay off in many hours and dollars saved over the long-term.

Remember, building a team doesn’t always mean hiring full-time workers, it could mean just hiring someone for a few hours, days or weeks.

For recruiters who work from home, securing your digital data is important; but doing so doesn't need to be complex.  Here are three simple tips for ensuring your data security while online:

1.     Use a firewall, any firewall will do for now.  Using a firewall can protect your computer from malicious attacks and online snooping. Don't waste too much time comparing all of the firewall products available. The best line of defense is to use the firewall that came with your computer while you figure out something better.

2.     Get immunized from viruses.  Viruses have been bane of every online worker's existence since the internet gained in popularity.  But fortunately for recruiters, anti-virus software is quite effective in protecting any system from attacks or curing an infection that already exists.

3.     Change your passwords. Make sure you have a password for your computer, files and email that is changed at least 3 to 4 times a year.  Changing your password is an effective strategy to protect your data from access by unauthorized persons. Remember to never write your password down or send it to anyone via email.

The impact of social skills on a candidate’s job search is a topic that is cautiously broached. Many candidates would like to think that their ability to land their next job rests solely on their abilities, experience and knowledge.  To some extent that is true, before the interview.  However, once a candidate has made it to the interview process, they are competing against those who are equally skilled and experienced. During the interview, employers will need to determine how well each candidate will fit into the corporate culture of their company.  That’s where social skills will impact a candidate’s appeal. Social skills are the ability of one person to effectively communicate and interact with others within the confines of the established social rules and practices. Some simply refer to it as etiquette or good manners. Are your social skills up to par?  Let’s take a look at a few social skills you will need while interviewing:

1. The ability to listen and speak at appropriate times during a conversation.  While all of us have quirks, the habit of interrupting others while speaking or failing to listen can sink even the most experienced job candidate during an interview.
2. The ability to use tact when discussing sensitive topics such as why you left your last job.  The interviewer does not need to know every detail of why you left your last position. So instead of saying your former supervisor was a tyrant, it’s better to say that you prefer more autonomy in your work environment.
3. The ability to show interest in what others find important, even if the subject doesn’t exactly excite you.  Note: The habit of yawning during your interviews could definitely add a few months (or years) to your job search.

The list doesn’t stop there. If you want to brush up your manners, take the time to read some articles or a book on etiquette.

Lying on a resume is unfortunately a temptation for many job candidates.  The simple rule to follow is to never lie on your resume, honesty is always best.  If you do lie, you will eventually be discovered.  Once an employer discovers a lie, it immediately destroys your credibility. Why take that chance? Let’s take a quick look at some of the most common resume lies and why it’s best to avoid them:

1. Lying about your degree and/or what school you attended.  If you’re thinking about lying about this simple little fact, just say no.  Employers can easily discover what school you went to and what your major was, as well as your grade point average.  If you are discovered to be a liar on something this small you can forget about any chance of ever working with that employer now or in the future.
2. Inflating your job title or responsibilities. This is very tempting, especially for those who have the knowledge but not enough experience to back it up.  While we all want to move to the next level in our careers it is best to avoid inflating your previous experience to move up.  Instead, relate your real experience to the current needs of the employer. Keep it honest.
3. Inflating your previous salary is very common lie that can be easily discovered.  If you want to move up the salary ladder and your previous salary doesn’t reflect your true worth don’t lie about it.  Take the time to prove to the current employer in your resume, cover letter and interview, why you are worth more.

 

  Many job seekers make the mistake of taking a vacation from their job search during the holidays. However, continuing your job search during the holidays can often give you an edge over the competition. While others eat Turkey and go holiday shopping, you can spend a few hours sending your resume out to recruiters and employers still looking for candidates to fill their positions.  Here are a few benefits of a holiday job search:

1.     You will stand out because the room will be less crowded.  The truth of the matter is that most job seekers take a much deserved break during the holidays.  However, doing so means that employers will not receive their resume during a time when it is more likely it will be seen. Take the opportunity during the holidays to send out a few resumes while everyone else is kicking up their feet.

2.     Believe it or not, many companies do post job openings during the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Despite popular “wisdom,” business does not stop between November and January. It may slow down, but it doesn’t stop.  People still quit, get fired, take leave and companies expand and add new job opportunities every day, throughout the year.  If a company posts a job during this holiday season, by sticking to your job search you may be one of the first to see it and respond.

3.     Keep momentum. Conducting your job search during the holidays prevents you from losing momentum.  Remember, your job search is a numbers game, while you may not want to work on your job search full-time during the holidays, at least put in some effort to take advantage of  the opportunities that less competition provides.