The unemployment report is out for August and there isn’t good news.  The unemployment rate was 9.6% in August, with non-farm payroll employment losing 54,000 jobs and government jobs down 114,000 for a net gain of 67,000 jobs.  … Read Full Post  Read More →

With Labor Day right around the corner, it’s a good time to look at how workers feel about their jobs and their job security. SnagAJob.com , the leading part-time and hourly job site, just released a Labor Happiness Survey which reports that 61% of workers were feeling happy at work. That said, workers are still worried about keeping their job and about having to job search, if need be. Even though 40% of the survey respondents felt their... 

One of the common themes in the thousands of unemployment stories and stories about what they don’t like about employers that job seekers have shared with us is employers behaving badly. … Read Full Post  Read More →

How to address a cover letter can be tricky if you are responding to a blind ad and don’t have a contact person’s name to include, or if you don’t know the gender of the person you are addressing your cover letter to. … Read Full Post  Read More →

The Coho, also known as the silver salmon, can change direction so quickly that fisherman often think that the fish is off the hook and continuing on its migration to spawn in the river where it was born. … Read Full Post  Read More →

Last time I wrote about lying on your resume, I got a variety of responses, both for and against lying to get a job: People who get ahead are the ones who take some educated risks. Let’s be real, if a CEO can get away with being hired and working for years with lying on resume so should any of us. Lying on a resume is just plain dumb. The trend seems to be to check an applicant’s references out more and more, unless you are a burger... 

I’ve heard from more than a few hiring managers who wonder if cover letter writing is a lost art. One of them told me that he has received a lot of cover letters that are shorter than tweets including a cover letter that just said “Have a nice day.” and another that said “Please view my resume.” … Read Full Post  Read More →

I hate my job. I hate my company. I hate my boss. Many people do hate something or other about their work and I can’t keep track of how many times I’ve seen those phrases lately – especially on Twitter. … Read Full Post  Read More →

Job search engine Simply Hired  has released its latest job trends report which shows improvement in some job markets.    In an interesting twist, Simply Hired compared notes with real estate site Trulia.com  to compare job market growth with real estate activity. … Read Full Post  Read More →

If you have spent some time working on personal branding to boost your presence online you may want to take a look at how successful you’ve been. eBranding.Me’s Reputation Index   analyzes your social media … Read Full Post  Read More →

It’s important to follow up after a job interview with a thank you letter or thank you note reminding the interviewer about your key qualifications for the job and reiterating your interest in the position. … Read Full Post  Read More →

When you’re reading pitches for cool new video resumes or online resumes with lots of bells and whistles, and you’re tempted because you want to stand out from the job search crowd, hold up for a second. Only 9% of companies who responded to a recent survey will accept a video resume. … Read Full Post  Read More →

Employers often, even though there are ethical questions about snooping on candidates , spend time checking out candidates to find out as much as possible about them.  That’s why it’s important to make sure that your privacy settings are adjusted appropriately on Facebook and all the information you have online when you’re job searching is appropriate for public consumption . … Read Full Post  Read More →

Some of the most effective job search techniques have nothing to do with actually finding and applying for job openings.   Instead, the best job search techniques involve positioning yourself to job hunt and tapping into the resources that can boost and expedite your job search. … Read Full Post  Read More →

When you’re looking for examples of how not to quit your job, the news is full of them.  Jet Blue Flight Attendant Steven Slater  seems to have left in a more of an ignominious fashion than a heroic one, now that we’re hearing the rest of the story from passengers who are saying that he was one acting rudely.   I also heard he’d like his job back. That’s going to be tough to get, I think.  What do you think? Should...