The landscape for job seekers today is more treacherous than at any other time in recent memory. In other words, if you want a job today, the hard work starts when you prepare for the interview. That means not just nailing the questions you are asked, but actually asking the kinds of questions designed to make the interviewer sit up and ...

We talk about them all the time: cover letters. We share general tips, explore best practices, and warn of the most common cover letter mistakes. What we haven't done is give you specific examples of real cover letters that worked. Until now! Excelle has tracked down five cover letters that helped job seekers land an interview. Sometimes, they even got ...

I love reading Sara Pennypacker’s “Clementine” books to my girls because I laugh out loud at the antics and musings of this spunky third grader. But while Clementine is amusing, I wasn’t expecting her perspective in “The Talented Clementine” to resonate with me. I mean, come on, it’s been 30 years since I’ve been a third grader! But in this book, ...

In the best of times, responding to a job listing can feel like sending your resume out to sea in a bottle. But at least you received a call or an email acknowledgement. Now, with the volume of applicants higher than ever, you're more likely to hear nothing. If there is a resounding silence from your queries, keep looking and networking. ...

Very few people doubt the corporate deck is stacked against women to some degree. Still, you can sabotage your own career through errors made in the name of doing well or doing more. Here are nine career stoppers that can prevent you from advancing in your career. Do any of them figure into your modus operandi? Take Care of Others and ...

Did you know that forty percent—40 percent—of young people want to be their own boss someday? That’s a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs. Millions, in fact. Truth is, only a fraction of those people ever really start a business. Some get comfortable in a lifestyle that they can’t afford to give up. Others realize just how hard it is to be an ...

We all know that there are bullies at school. I bet you can still remember who they are from when you were growing up. And now if you’re a parent, you likely have taught your children what to do if someone tries to bully them. Unfortunately though bullies don’t go away once we graduate and many of us have been bullied ...

Persuasion is a subtle art--brute force doesn't often work well. And this is especially true for a job seeker, who is using interviewing skills and a resume to try to persuade hiring managers and recruiters to hand over something that a lot of people are competing for (that great new job). Here are some persuasion tricks and techniques you can use ...

Lately I’ve been getting lots of emails from women who left their careers behind to raise their kids and are now having second thoughts about the decisions they made. The main driver of their doubt seems to the bad economy. Many women are desperate for work now because their husbands have either lost their jobs or had their incomes cut during ...

Applying for your dream job is a thrilling prospect. But if you're like 70 percent of Americans, you may feel like you don't deserve to get that dream job. The application process could make you feel, ironically, like a fraud. "People who identify with the 'impostor syndrome' feel they've somehow 'fooled' others into thinking they're smarter and more capable than they ...

Job seekers have had the same list of critical skills to brush up on or acquire for decades -- things like careful follow-up, attention to grammar and punctuation, and great listening abilities. But today's overcrowded job market and the ever-shrinking attention spans of hiring managers are creating brand-new job search requirements. Here are five new must-have skills for job seekers today: ...

We’ve heard the message -- loud and clear -- that employers are using social media and Google to screen candidates. But what if you don’t like what they’ll find when they Google you? For example, remember that snarky comment you made on The Huffington Post? It’s not so funny when it ranks No. 2 on a search for your name. Alternatively, ...

Hiring managers are busy people. A single job posting might attract thousands of resumes. To get noticed, create a career summary (AKA career objective) statement. The goal of this section is to develop a hard-hitting introductory declaration packed with your most sought-after skills, abilities, accomplishments and attributes. On your Monster resume, use the Objective section to present your summary. Take these ...

The Recruiter Roundtable is a monthly feature that collects career and job-seeking advice from a group of recruiting experts throughout the US. The question we put before our panel this month is: How important is having an "objective" or "summary" section at the opening of a candidate's resume? Your 15-Second 'Elevator Pitch' If you want to convert your 15 seconds of ...

The economy is shaky -- and it may feel like your job is, too. Whether you're already job hunting or believe you may need to soon, there are steps you can take to make yourself more attractive to potential employers. Here are eight tips from the experts on increasing your marketability: Use Your Name as Your Brand, Especially in Email Don't ...

Sometimes our faces and body language give away more than we'd like to reveal, especially in a nerve-wracking situation like a job interview. In many cases we might not even realize that our brow is furrowed or that we're repeatedly tapping our toes — much to the annoyance of a future employer. A recent survey of hundreds of different employers asked ...

Now that I’ve graduated from college, non-specific degree in hand (what does one do with a BA in English?), the job hunt has begun. Looking around me, I see so many people who are unhappy with their jobs. Their days resemble a real-life version of Office Space, sans Jennifer Aniston; they sit in traffic, then they sit in a cubicle, then ...

Those who say “quitters never win” are fooling themselves. If you stick something out just because you’re afraid of giving up—and it’s something that no longer serves you—you’re wasting your time. And ultimately, you lose. Sure, you’re not a quitter. But you sure as hell aren’t winning either. When it comes to work, quitting is sometimes the best move you can ...

One of this summer’s hottest concert series is by two 80’s boy bands. Yes, The New Kids on the Block (NKTOB) and the Backstreet Boys (BSB) are hitting the road and selling out places like Chicago. Now, if these guys can come back with a vengeance, then so can anyone out there who is feeling like their career is in the ...

By now you’ve learned the traditional ways of job searching don’t work anymore. A few years ago you could put your resume up on Monster and wait for the phone to ring. Those days are gone. So here are five things you can easily do that will quickly improve your job search results. 1. Scan your resume for 15 seconds – ...