200 Good Questions Jobseekers May Ask

Workforce Management has published a list of questions that job seekers can ask an interviewer or hiring manager in a job interview. The questions are categorized based on questions for:

-Headhunters and Recruiters
-HR professionals
-Hiring Managers
-High level probing questions
-Getting feedback
-Closing the deal

Additionally there is a group of questions that the writer suggests that super stars can ask in the job interview. Read the entire list of 200 questions job seekers may ask here.  You will have to register to get the list but it is free!!

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Attention College Students! Tis the Season to Apply for Holiday Jobs

With 9.1% unemployment rate, we are in a tough job market for sure. It may be harder this year for college students to find holiday jobs especially since there are laid off workers also job seeking. With slumping retail sales, there are definitely less part-time jobs to go around. Additionally, a tightening credit market means that some students who are self funding their education, have more bills to pay.

The job market this past summer was also tough for college students looking for part time jobs and internships. The News-Record published some job search tips from BullsEyeResumes to help students get hired this past summer. I thought it would be a good time to modify these tips slightly for use this holiday season.

* Dress for success. Put away the baggy pants and novelty T-shirts. Dress neatly, and check your attire ahead of time to avoid a wardrobe malfunction. Neither torn nor tight clothing will impress the hiring manager.

* Get to your interview early. The best way to not get hired is to show up late for the job interview. Remember that first impressions count.

* Be polite and friendly to everyone you meet at the work site, not just the interviewer. These people will be your colleagues if you get the job.

* Speak up, speak clearly and look the interviewer in the eye. This is a conversation, so have your own questions ready: What are the hours? When would I start? What’s the training like? What do you like best about working here?

* Bring a written list of names and contact information for personal references when you complete your job application.

* Bring an updated copy of your resume. (College Sample Resumes)

When you do land a job this holiday season, be sure to make a good impression. You may want to return to the same company next year. You might want to read this article before you start your holiday job - Internship Behavior you May Live to Regret!

Teenagers Singing the Summer Job Blues

Working the Recruiters' Last Nerve

This is not what you want to do if you are aiming for success in the job search. 

Sure, you are trying hard to find a job in a tough market and in some cases you are probably desperate for work.  The last thing you want to do however, is annoy the recruiter or HR professional who is really on your side.

This article in the Wall Street Journal gives some good tips on how to connect with recruiters in your industry niche, without getting gimmicky.  My favorite tip in the article?  Do not launch into a sales pitch about yourself, the minute you meet with a recruiter or headhunter.  You may actually be talking yourself out of a job. 

Another key to working with recruiters is to maintain contact with them while you are employed. You could actually become a source of business leads for them.  They will remember you when you have to call on them later.  Don't forget that networking principle - Givers Gain!

Are Today's Grads Unprofessional?

Source - InsideHigherEd. The entire article is a great read, but I have summarized it here!

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A new study from York College of Pennsylvania attempts to shed light on the issue of whether or not today's new grads are unprofessional. As this small liberal arts college works through a re-brand the newly established Center for Professional Excellence is hoping to address some of the survey results.

Overall, 88% of the more than 500 human resources professionals and business leaders responding, defined professionalism roughly as follows:

"as being related to a person rather than the position. The traits or behaviors mentioned most by the respondents as being characteristic of professional employees were personal interaction skills, including courtesy and respect; the ability to communicate, which includes listening skills; a work ethic which includes being motivated and working on a task until it is complete; and appearance.”

The same survey defined unprofessionalism roughly as follows:

"The traits or behaviors most associated by the respondents with “unprofessionalism” included appearance, which includes attire, tattoos, and piercings; poor communication skills including poor grammar; poor work ethic; and poor attitude.”

The survey results showed that more than 37% of the respondents reported that “less than half of the recent graduates they have hired exhibit professionalism in their first year." Slightly more than 51 % of recent hires exhibited “professionalism.”

Among the traits or behaviors employers said they value most, here are the ones they believe are most deficient in the recent graduates they hired:

- accepts personal responsibility for decision and actions

- is able to act independently

- has a clear sense of direction and purpose

Not everyone surveyed believed the “professionalism” of their recent graduate hires has significantly declined in recent years. About a third, indicated that this lack of professionalism has declined significantly in recent years due to:

- an increased sense of entitlement

- new cultural values

- changed work ethic

Professor David Polk, whose research group at York conducted the study offered several insights as to whether or not these behaviors are totally a result of inter-generational differences or should be taken more seriously.

Polk offers that getting professors to buy in and serve as role models could be challenging since professors might see their role as "conveying knowledge and making sure our students comprehend it. I’m not sure how many would respond that it is also their job to help a student develop good behavior. There’s this moral authority that some professors get uncomfortable with. For this to work successfully, when a professor calls out a student’s behavior, the administration should be there to back them up immediately and say, ‘Your behavior is wrong.’ ”

The school's goal is to use the newly created Center for Professional Excellence to cultivate the “professionalism” employers want in the workplace. It will host seminars throughout the year where employers share expectations of employees and workplace issues. Polk said he would like students to be required to attend a certain number of these seminars throughout their college careers.

If you work with new grads - what say you? Do you agree? Comment at the end of the article here.

Survey says Employers Value Emotional Intelligence over IQ

A recent Career Builder survey of 2600 employers showed 61% of employers are more likely to promote workers with high emotional intelligence (EI) over candidates with high IQ.  Why would they do that?  In this recessionary environment where workers are stressed and overwhelmed, companies might be more attracted to those workers who can bring a certain kind of calm to the workplace.

Rosemary Haefner, VP of Human Resources at Career Builder says it this way, "The competitive job market allows employers to look more closely at the intangible qualities that pay dividends down the road – like skilled communicators and perceptive team players...In a recovering economy, employers want people who can effectively make decisions in stressful situations and can empathize with the needs of their colleagues and clients to deliver the best results."

When Managers and HR Directors were asked about what behaviors they look at to evaluate a worker's Emotional Intelligence, the top responses were:
-They admit and learn from their mistakes
-They can keep emotions in check and have thoughtful discussions about tough issues
-They listen as much or more than they talk
-They take criticism well
-They show grace under pressure

Additional Resources:
3 Ways to Demonstrate Emotional Intelligence in the Job Interview 
Seventy-One Percent of Employers Say They Value Emotional Intelligence over IQ

Set up a Career ReEntry Advisory Board

Going back into the workplace after an absence can be difficult.

Depending on how long you have been out of the workplace, you may need some help navigating the landscape and not a project you want to embark on by yourself.

To get all the support you can, why not set up a career reentry advisory board to help you.

Who could you ask to be on your career re-entry advisory board?
- Prior supervisor
- Previous or current mentor
- Career coach
- Recruiter
- Spouse

Some things the board can assist you with?

• identifying your values, interests, skills and abilities
• setting your goals
• be a sounding board for disappointments along the way
• sharing job leads
• checking in regularly on your progress

My old boss keeps calling me..

The JobDoc at Boston.com answers questions from readers about the world of work. 

I wanted to share one of the questions I read recently.  A former employee asked, "How long do I help my former boss?"  I thought I would share the response because it is actually a question I am hearing more and more from dislocated workers. 

It turns out that four months after leaving a job, this former employee was still being contacted by her old boss or his secretary with questions about day to day operations.  Not only was the former employee a little upset that she was still being called months after leaving, she was feeling a little bit harassed when her former boss called her on a Saturday evening asking for a report.   The bottom line question - How long should I wait before I can tell my former boss not to call me anymore?

The abbreviated version of the JobDoc's answer was that a former manager should no longer have expectations that former employees need to help them find things, or support their efforts. However, a former employee may find that being supportive of the company's efforts could earn them long term rewards, such as a professional reference or a potential re-hire opportunity later. 

JobDoc also gave advice on how to transition from a company so that there is no reason for these kinds of follow up calls.

Of course we don't want to burn our bridges, but former bosses need to be mindful as well when employees have moved on.

You can read the full response here.

10 Most Asked LinkedIn Questions

If you are not yet connecting with fellow professionals on LinkedIn, it is time that you start.  My colleague, Jackie Cameron, owner of Cameron Consulting, developed this list of the top 10 most asked questions about LinkedIn. 

Jackie answers the following 10 questions and gives really practical advice on how to use LinkedIn to stay connected.  If you have any of these questions yourself Jackie's answers can help you take that next step.

1. Why bother?
2. How do you decide who to connect with?
3. What if you get an invitation to connect and you don’t want to?
4. How can I get introduced to someone I really want to connect with?
5. What’s the point of an update?
6. Why would I give a recommendation?
7. What should I include in my profile?
8. Do I really need a picture?
9. Why would I bother putting up a book list?
10. How much time will it take?

Whether you decide to connect with folks on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or any other social networking site, keep in mind that the online footprint you develop will become a part of your professional persona.  Stay positive online.

Job Search Strategy with O*NET Online

Pundits and politicians salivate every month about what the unemployment numbers mean for American workers. If you’re like me, you probably think the media spends more time debating instead of offering real solutions.


I guess that is where we come in and so today, like I have done before, I happily endorse a great online resource called O*NET, sponsored by the Department of Labor. This free online resource has three great features that must be a part of any jobseeker’s job search strategy.

The three features are:

How to identify growing industries – If you or someone you know was laid off from a declining occupation and those jobs aren’t coming back, how can you find growing industries?

The Bright Outlook - Thinking about retraining and can’t think of which careers will be growing over the next decade? The Bright Outlook feature can help you here.

Related Occupations – Trying to find a related career that might use most of the skills you already have? This feature helps you reduce the time to switch.

Read the complete article - How to Use ONET Online as Part of a Competitive Job Search Strategy

Checkout O*NET here.

What's up with salaries?

Since 2006, The Payscale Index has been reviewing wage trends for full-time, private-sector employees in 20 metro areas, 15 industries and three sizes of companies.  Some highlights of the Q4 reports include:

- Wages at small companies with less than 99 employees declined a full percentage point when comparing 4th quarter of 2009 to the same period in 2010.

-Quarter 4 of 2010 saw the lowest wages for construction workers in over 3 years.

Overall the index shows that wages in 2010 were flat. 

With the economy as it is, even though companies have billions sitting on the sidelines, many workers might be looking at another year with no increase in salary.  If no pay raise is in store for you this year, but you still want to show career progress think about these 3 suggestions I made a while back.  No Pay Raise? What Else Could You Ask For?

How Americans Can Help Bring Jobs Back to America

The high unemployment rate is here to stay unless consumers help to bring jobs back to America. If you think the overall unemployment rate of 9.8% is bad; wait until you break the numbers down across various American demographic groups. It gets worse.

This last unemployment report for November 2010 had really very little good news and all major worker groups saw an increase in their rates of unemployment. The unemployment rate among African Americans went up from 15.7% to 16%. Within that group, the unemployment rate for black men was up to 16.7% from 16.3% and for black women up to 13.1% from 12.7%. Whites saw an uptick of 0.1% from 8.8% to 8.9% and Latinos had a bigger jump, up 0.6% to 13.2%. Rates among American teens were overall at 20.9% for whites, down from 23.6% and an astounding 46.5% for African-Americans. This actually was down from 48% and 30% for Latinos, a 1.6% drop from the month before. The rate of underemployment which looks at the unemployed, marginally attached and those working part-time for economic reasons was unchanged at 17%.

I looked hard to find the bright side, but couldn't -especially when I know that many of the jobs lost in manufacturing and construction sectors are not coming back to the America. Not that I don't want them to come back or think they can't. I think some can; especially those in the manufacturing sector.

I think that until Americans really begin to take notice of what they consume and what they buy, there will not be enough pressure on politicians to do the right thing and impose tariffs that will make American made products more attractive.
The next time you are in your favorite coffee shop waiting to pick up your $4.50 latte, wander over to the shelves adorned with mugs and assorted tea-drinking or coffee paraphernalia. Where are they made? What percentage of them are made in America? 

I guess the question would be, what exactly is the reason that they can't be made in America? I suspect it has something to do with tax incentives to ship jobs overseas, lobbyists and politicians who really don't care what voters think.