Is networking part of your job hunt?

Active job seekers know the value of networking. It is a great way to meet other professionals in your industry and make connections that last for years to come.  As important as networking is, often times making these types of connections can be intimidating. So, whether you have a couple of connections already or are just starting out, here are our top three networking tips to help you get exposure in the job market.  Read the rest of this entry »

Job hunting? Check out the benefits of working with a staffing agency.

In recent years almost every professional field has become more and more competitive, making it difficult and stressful to find a job. Job-hunting certainly takes a lot of time, patience and dedication in order to craft the right messages and deliver them one at a time. But there is no reason to try to do this alone; employment agencies are a great asset for active job seekers. Here are some benefits of choosing employment agencies in your quest to find the right job.

Get a team. Employment agencies act as your representative. Job seekers don’t have to hand out tens or hundreds of resumes and cover letters one at a time or try to get potential interviews alone. At JPS, our staffing managers are always ready and available to represent you in your job search. Read the rest of this entry »

Celebrating 25 Years In Business!

To err is human, but did you know there are certain mistakes an interviewee can make that can hurt their chances of getting the job? We have searched far and wide for the most common interview blunders an interviewee can make. Here are the top five mistakes and how they can be avoided.

Arriving late. We have all heard about this one over and over again, but arriving late is one of the most common interview mistakes interviewees make. The problem is obvious; arriving late to the interview gives the impression of disregard for the interviewer’s time and Read the rest of this entry »

Tips to make the best first impression at a job interview.

Have you struck out on your past couple of interviews? Maybe you haven’t had much experience interviewing? A lot of the times interviewees can get caught up in the excitement of an opportunity and forget about the essentials. In last week’s post we touched on why an employer should take the time to make a good first impression on interviewees, however, most of the pressure can fall on you. Here are some ways to help make the best first impression and land the job.  Read the rest of this entry »

Do you know what steps to take to get hired in 2013?

More and more news outlets are reporting a hiring boom in 2013. Companies are gearing up to hire in the New Year and as the new business cycle starts you can take steps to ensure you get hired for the job. So with all this talk about the workforce changing and hiring rates growing, here are some tips to help you get hired in 2013. Read the rest of this entry »

Crafting an Effective Cover Letter

A cover letter is just as important as the resume you hand in as part of your job application.  The cover letter is your chance to sell yourself to your potential employer and give them reasons why you are the best candidate for the job. Let’s go through the entire document and review the key areas at the beginning, middle and end of an effective cover letter. Read the rest of this entry »

10 Interview Tips to Get You Hired

If you have become a professional job seeker, then you know that finding the right position can take some time. From the resume and interview process to first impressions and follow up, here are ten tips to help you get you hired once and for all.

Tip 1 – Resume
One of the most important parts of the hiring process is the resume.  Carefully craft your resume so it’s slightly differently for each position you apply to.  This will give you a greater advantage in getting an interview.

Tip 2 – Cover Letter
You are not preparing just any old cover letter or a simple introduction about yourself; you are writing a pitch letter that explains why you are the best candidate for the job. Take advantage of the extra opportunity to sell yourself and highlight some of your skills before the interview. Read the rest of this entry »

Effective resumes typically follow an established formal structure, and there’s a good reason for this. When resumes are standardized, hiring managers can easily scan them for necessary information, and they can also compare one resume to another in a way that’s efficient, accurate and fair. So while we work to create resumes that stand out and give us an edge over the competition, it’s still a good idea to stay within the formal framework that defines the classic resume. All resumes should begin with a clear, compelling summary section. The summary should be followed by an overview of the candidate’s educational background. And the education section should be followed by a section dedicated to work history and relevant experience.

Making the Most of Your Work History Section

For most mid-career candidates, the work history portion of the resume can be broken down into distinct sections for each relevant past position. Format your resume in a way that separates each position from the others, and under each position title, offer the following information:

1. The name of the company and the dates you began and ended the position. This is the easy part. Make sure your dates are accurate, and don’t alter a single word of your position title. If you were a Junior Associate Account Manager, don’t just call yourself an Account Manager. Dates of employment and position titles are easy for reviewers to confirm with a single phone call.

2. The basic responsibilities that fell to you while you held the position. If the person holding this job title is expected to process incoming forms, monitor a sensor array, or generate five new client accounts per year, list these under the position title, dates, and company name. Keep this list of responsibilities as short and efficient as possible. This information helps reviewers understand your background, but it doesn’t do much to help you shine, since these responsibilities represent the minimum necessary to hold a given position.

3. The unique accomplishments and victories you achieved while you held the position. This information contains the heart and soul of your resume. And since resumes should not exceed two pages and every inch of space comes at a premium, you’ll need this section to carry high impact. These are the words that will actually help you grab the attention of reviewers and get your foot in the door. So make every word count. Quantify your accomplishments and edit empty buzzwords without mercy; that means cut every adjective, adverb and phrase that could be applied to anyone but you.

Your “responsibilities” may belong to anyone who’s ever held a given position, but your “accomplishments” are yours alone. Make them leap off the page and take your candidacy to the next level. Need specific guidance with your resume and cover letter? Contact the Silicon Valley staffing experts at Josephine’s and arrange a one-on-one consultation.

It is said that in the professional world, a candidate can have all the experience in the world, but if they can’t write well, they’re not the best candidate for the job.

Writing has become so crucial in so many industries that it’s always best to have a strong foundation of writing before hitting the job-seeking circuit.

Don’t have a lot of published articles in an industry magazine?

These days, it’s almost unnecessary. Social media and blogging have made it so easy for anyone to post content online for all to see. There can be some challenges, situations for what to post and what not to post, and factors to consider when you think about starting up on any social media platform.

What’s the most important issue to face before you start a blog? Privacy.

What are you going to be posting? If you already have a blog, does it contain stuff you wouldn’t necessarily want an employer to read? Are you planning on starting your own technology blog to get ahead in the tech world? It’s best you don’t include posts about your dog, what you had to eat, or how you passed off potty training your child to your spouse. Keep it specific to the industry you are looking to advance in.

Just remember, no matter what you want to write about, if it’s there, they will find it. The Internet isn’t some closed door, behind-the-scenes, hub of all your innermost secrets. In fact, employers know they’ll find you on the Internet and they will look. Do your best to appear professional no matter what.

So you’ve established what you want to write about on your new blog? Here are some tips to remember to be as effective and efficient as possible.

• Whether or not you’re unemployed, always have a copy of your resume listed on the website for easy reference. If someone is looking to your blog for advice, you want to have your experience listed for better credibility.
• Keep up with industry trends and write about them. There’s nothing wrong with gathering ideas from other blogs, so long as you add your own twist and rephrase! (Note: There is a lot wrong with plagiarizing.
• It cannot be reiterated enough as to how much you should keep an eye on what you write. Writing blogs on the Internet can be easily tracked and copied. Be conscious of how you want to portray yourself. A litany of swear words and displays of bigotry or other unsavory traits will be remembered.
• Use social media to amp up the readership of your blog. You can use your personal Twitter handle or you can create another one specific to the blog. Either way you go about it, just remember, you are representing your own personal brand. Conduct yourself the way you want to be seen.
• Follow the basics of social media marketing when you’re on any of the platforms. Remain professional, engage with your audiences, take criticisms in stride, and try to be diplomatic as often as you can stomach it.

For more tips on how to use social media and blogging to promote your own personal brand, please visit the Josephine’s Professional Staffing website.

Every piece of the puzzle has its place and each piece molds specifically to another.

When you’re working on how to go about job searching, this analogy doesn’t stray far from the truth. Every thing you have to submit should be carefully crafted and received by the employer seamlessly.

Consider the following links to solving the “getting-a-job” puzzle: letter of intent, resume, the thank you letter, and the letter of acceptance (or conversely, the letter of denial).

Link One: Letter of Intent

This is a pretty useful tool when you’re looking to establish some correspondence between yourself and a prospective employer. Use this link to lay the foundation of your professionalism and writing capabilities. Remember to use correct grammar and spelling, as you should with everything you send out. This will help make you appear attentive to detail, a quality every employer looks for in his/her employees.

The letter of intent should be sent along with your resume; so use the letter to highlight specific portions of your resume. This is where you can go into some detail that exemplifies whichever traits are most relevant to the job you’re applying for.

And never forget to end this letter with a statement that shows you appreciate their time for going over your letter/resume.

Link Two: Resume

This link of the chain is quite possibly the most integral one you possess. A well-written resume provides the information that employers look at first and determine whether or not to proceed from there. Here, it’s imperative to display your skills openly, honestly, and your attention to detail. Make sure all of your contact information is correct and spelled properly. Where this may not require a glamorous construction of sentences, stellar writing is still a requirement.

Link Three: Thank You Letter

So, your letter of intent and resume passed the first test and Company XYZ brought you in for an interview. After your nerves have calmed down, take the time to write your interviewer a thank you letter. Acknowledge the value of their time and your continued (or heightened) interest in the position. Keep it short and sweet.

Link Four: Letter of Acceptance (or Refusal)

You’ve landed the job! Congratulations! But there’s still one last link in this chain of correspondence. Don’t forget to send in your letter of acceptance, or letter of refusal if you choose not to take the job.

Some things to remember in your letter of acceptance are to confirm the title of your position, salary, and as a courtesy, to again thank them for their time.

If you’ve decided to go in another direction, let the company know this. You don’t have to go into much detail beyond letting them know that the opportunity was much appreciated, but you must respectfully decline to pursue other options.

______

And there it is, the links that connect to make a successful job searcher (and hopefully, a successful employee.)

For more tips on job searching and the writing fundamentals for professional documents, visit Josephine’s Professional Staffing now.