“The purpose of a job interview is to secure an offer”
This might seem an obvious statement, but many interviewers go in without securing an offer as their top priority. In fact, many recruiters will tell you that’s the primary problem a lot of job searchers have. Let me explain.
Avoid “Turning Off” During An [...]

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You’ve gotten the call, done your job interview preparation, stuffed yourself into a new suit, and arrived at the office.  Now what?  Here’s what to do…

Greet Confidently - Smile, look your interviewer directly in the eyes, and shake their hand firmly.
Find Common Ground - Find some way to connect to your interviewer, be it through [...]

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So you’ve written a compelling cover letter, a killer resume, and got the call:  they want you to come in for an interview.  Congratulations!  But the hardest part is still to come.  Job interviews can be terrifying for many people solely due to the social aspect.  Add in the fact that panel interviews and technical [...]

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Recently, I wrote a post on how to write a good tech resume, but a top-notch resume is only half the battle. Here’s the cold, hard truth: a good resume won’t get you the job if nobody reads it. The key to getting a hiring manager to pull your resume out of [...]

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As I mentioned before, the various state unemployment benefits systems can be quite confusing.  Some, like Michigan’s according to one commenter, are quite good while others, like Georgia’s, are horribly inefficient.  The details also change from state to state, so it’s dangerous to take anything somebody in a different state says at face value.  That [...]

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Those of you used to dealing with government agencies won’t be surprised to hear the unemployment benefits system is a complete mess.  The benefits application process is almost entirely manual and it seems like the Georgia Department of Labor did everything possible to make the process as drawn out and confusing as possible.  Seriously, it had to [...]

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Being laid off is pretty stressful, especially if you happen to be smarter than all the people who didn’t get laid off. But never fear, I’ve come up with ten concrete actions that, if you do them exactly, you are guaranteed an even better job in the field of your choice or your money [...]

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During my current job search, I’ve talked to a number of recruiters and they’ve all said the same thing:  contracting is your best bet in this economy.  Companies are understandably reluctant to make long-term hiring commitments due to the current economic situation, but still have work that needs to be done. 
What’s In It For The [...]

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For practically every other industry, the tried-and-true reverse-chronological, accomplishment-based resume is the way to go. If you’re looking to land a tech job, however, you need to take a slightly different tact. You should still list past experience in reverse chronological order with major accomplishments highlighted, of course, but for the most part [...]

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My recent lay-off has forced me to think about the future and how I want to live my life down the road.  While the money plays an important part in that, it’s not everything.  I’ve been asking myself:  do I really want to be a corporate slave?  Do I want to rely on the largesse [...]

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