Here’s the hard-to-swallow truth about searching for a job: you are your own matchmaker. It’s so easy to blame others for an unsuccessful job-hunt, but it isn’t very helpful. Here are some of my favorite excuses: • My career center doesn’t bring ANYONE to campus to recruit! • Employers aren’t hiring in this economy! • I wish I could search for ...

1. “I deserve a job because I worked hard to get my degree." Many college grads on the job hunt believe that they are essentially entitled to employment because they worked long and hard for their degree. It is indeed true that dedication and hard work go a long way – but that tenacity guarantees a graduation date, not a job. ...

The truth is most people sabotage their own interviews both for jobs and for internships. Instead of putting their best foot forward, they put off the interviewer by acting cocky, unsure of their talent, having bad manners, or by simply acting weird. Our sister site HRPeople has interviewed several recruitment experts to bring you unbelievable true stories of what actually ...

Last time, I talked about how to ace your entry-level phone interview. However, it’s important to be sure you’re getting noticed for the right reasons — the way you interact with people is a great demonstration of your judgment and social wherewithal, and how you might fit in with a company. The first impression might be the only impression you get ...

You've sent your entry-level resume to three (or 16 or 110) prospective employers, so you've done your part. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for the phone to ring. But why is nothing happening? [widget:list_of_quizzes] We've got news for you: Your phone will never ring. The fact you sent your resume in response to job postings ...

There's no getting around it: In every job interview, you're going to be judged -- at least partially -- by how you look. But how you should look varies depending on your industry and the job you're interviewing for. Take a look at general interview attire expectations for eight career areas: [widget:list_of_quizzes] Technology "If you're applying for a technical position, you ...

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. That’s great advice. But, the truth is: during a job interview or networking opportunity we do often judge a book by its cover. So, while it is important to say all of the right things during your job interview and networking opportunities; your actions and body language often speak much louder. Rather than bemoaning ...

Whether you're still daddy's little girl, or the son that reminds him of himself, you know that a father's love runs deep. We look up to our dads, admire them, and do everything we can to make them proud. As kids, our fathers built us cardboard spaceships so we could reach the stars and carried us to safety when we crash ...

In my previous post, I discussed the challenges for shy (or introverted) people in the job market. I offered some general advice, but in this post I'd like to highlight ten things you can do (or think about) that might give you the edge in the very situations you prefer to avoid. 1. First, stop apologizing for what being who you ...

When I teach or present workshops about networking, interviewing, and other aspects of the job search, I can almost always count on at least one person approaching me privately at the end saying, "But I'm shy and these things make me uncomfortable. Isn't there something else I could do to find a job?" Whether you label it social anxiety, introversion, shyness, ...

The Situation: You just nabbed a huge interview with an ad house you thought you’d never be able to set foot in, let alone work for. You’re nervous. You’re excited. You know the company’s goals and objectives inside and out and you’ve assembled and reassembled your book about a zillion different times and ways. Now what? Experts are quick to recommend ...

How to Diagnose Where You Might Be Going Wrong Your resume has earned you interviews with several employers over the past year. That's impressive, especially in this economy. But none of those interviews has yielded a job offer. You've done the standard interview preparation. You've shown up on time and dressed in appropriate interview attire. But somewhere between the paper credentials ...

Group interviews are relatively easy if you work well in a team and are able to make your ideas heard in a crowd. However, they can be challenging if you have a quieter personality and prefer to keep to yourself. Regardless of how you feel about group interviews, there’s no reason you should treat them any different, in most respects, than ...

It’s not easy to explain being fired when job searching. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, though. ‘JT & Dale Talk Jobs’ is the largest nationally syndicated career advice column in the country and can be found at JTandDale.com. Dear J.T. & Dale: I worked at a large health insurance company for 10 years, until I got terminated for receiving an e-mail ...

Most people regard a phone interview as a mere formality on their way to a face-to-face interview. Although the phone interview is usually just a preliminary step to the formal interview, it is just as important. If you don't impress your future employer with your phone interview, you'll never make it to the formal interview. Are you nervous talking on the ...

During the typical job interview, you’ll be asked a lot of questions. But do you really understand what the interviewer needs to know? “Most students have no idea why a recruiter asks a particular question,” says Brad Karsh, a former recruiting professional for advertising giant Leo Burnett and current president of career consulting firm Job Bound. “They tend to think it’s ...

When you think of psychology, do asylums and psychopaths come to mind? Well, so should job interviewers…and not because some may seem like sadistic psychopaths. A recent study from two psychologists, Thomas Hillard and Therese McCan, in The Journal of Psychology reveals a lot about what goes through interviewers' minds and how job seekers can use that to their advantage. An ...

After such a labor-intensive job search, you now have earned the ‘nerve-wracking’ interview. You have also begun to obsess about the plentiful competition. It seems as if everyone you know needs a job. So, how can you relax when you must master the interview? (Don’t worry. I’ll tell you how you can ‘untwist your knickers.’) You must differentiate yourself by ...

You are what you eat, so when it comes time for your interview, what can you eat that will make you alert, calm, focused, and quick thinking? We’ve spoken to experts and done our share of research to compile a list of foods that are essential to interview success. Remember — be sure to eat your meal at least an ...

Congratulations, you landed an interview! In a lot of ways, interviews are like first dates. The goal of your interview, like the goal of your date, is to make the other person feel comfortable around you and excited to spend more time together. Obviously, it’s important that you don’t stink. March is National Nutrition Month so it’s a good time ...