Author Archives: MyJobHelper

What is an Informational Interview?

Posted: January 23, 2017 at 9:00 am

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What’s the difference between an informational interview and a job interview?

According to Wikipedia an informational interview

is a meeting in which a potential job seeker seeks advice on their career, the industry, and the corporate culture of a potential future workplace; while an employed professional learns about the job seeker and judges their professional potential and fit to the corporate culture, so building their candidate pool for future hires.

In other words, an informational interview is essentially a preliminary job interview. The ultimate objective is for the job seeker to get a job and for the company to hire an employee.  Continue reading

Research Jobs Online Like a Pro

Posted: January 9, 2017 at 9:00 am

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These days conducting a successful job search requires that you spend a lot of time online looking at careers, job descriptions and companies. The more efficient you are in your search, the sooner you will be able to find opportunities where your chances of getting hired are high.

  • Start with a good job site. We recommend MyJobHelper.com, of course, because of the ease with which users can set up email alerts. Glassdoor.com is also valuable for the data they collect on wages and salaries.

Continue reading

How to Explain Why You Left Your Last Job

Posted: December 27, 2016 at 9:00 am

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There comes a time in almost every employment interview when the hiring manager asks, “Why did you leave your last job?”

It’s often a tough question to answer. People leave jobs because something didn’t work out. They got fired. Or they quit because they were afraid of getting fired. They couldn’t get promoted. Or they just couldn’t get along with co-workers.

Here are strategies you can use so you won’t be at a loss for words if and when this difficult question arises.

What if you got fired?

First, be honest. If you were fired, say so. Chances are, the hiring manager is going to find out anyway. The last thing you want anyone to think about you is that you are dishonest. Most companies will not hire someone who knowingly lied to them.

Whatever you may have done to lose your job, frame it as a learning experience. Try to stay calm and practice speaking in an objective tone of voice. And be brief. If the interviewer wants to know more, let them ask the questions.

And remember, almost everyone gets fired at some point in their career. More likely than not, your prospective employer will understand.

What if you quit your job?

Even under the best of circumstances, by the tine you quit your job you have probably developed a long list of complaints. Employers hear enough gripes from workers they have already hired. They don’t want to hear yours. Take your honest reasons and reframe them to be positive.

  • You were underpaid? Say you’re looking for a positions where you can contribute more and be of greater value to to your new employer.
  • You didn’t like your boss? Say you’re looking to join a company that emphasizes teamwork.
  • Your were bored? Say you’re looking for a challenging environment where employees are held accountable for achieving results.

What if you got laid off?

Getting laid off means your employer didn’t need you anymore, not that there was an issue with your performance. Hopefully, you got a letter of recommendation from your boss before you left that validated that you were a good worker and explained why you were let go. If not, go back and ask for one, even if your boss is no longer employed by your former company. Don’t expect employers to just take your word fro it.

What if the reasons are personal?

Maybe you had to quit to take care of a family member who was ill. Or maybe you had to resign to start a family. You may have needed time to recover from an injury or an illness. These are all common reasons why workers quit their jobs and they don’t reflect badly on you.

On the other hand, if you had a nervous breakdown or needed to go to drug rehab, your can be honest without going into the unflattering details. Once again, the secret is reframing. You can say that you wanted to take some time off to reconsider your career goals. Or that you were feeling burnt out and wanted to get back your enthusiasm for your work.

Whatever your situation, if you are honest and reframe negatives as positives, you will be able to answer the question “Why Did You Leave Your last Job?” with ease.

Getting Hired Over 50

Posted: December 12, 2016 at 8:30 am

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Getting Hired Over 50

Let’s face it. Americans are obsessed with youth. All things being equal, most hiring managers tend to choose a younger person instead someone over fifty. There are many fields, like advertising and fashion that target younger buyers, where employers assume Continue reading

Why every job seeker should use LinkedIn

Posted: November 28, 2016 at 8:30 am

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Why use LinkedIn

You don’t have to be a “professional” to to take advantage of LinkedIn, the “World’s Largest Professional Network.”

Even if you work as a night stocker, mail clerk, front desk coordinator, housekeeper or any one of the thousands of jobs that are ordinarily not considered professional, you can use LinkedIn to advance your job search.

You can use LinkedIn the same way executives, managers and similar professionals use LinkedIn. They all use LinkedIn to look good online. With LinkedIn you don’t need to be a CEO to look good online.

Are you on Facebook or Twitter?

These days employers search candidates on Google before they decide who to interview or hire. Hiring managers want to find out if there is any adverse information you may not have revealed. They also want to get a better sense of of your personality. If you have an active profile on Facebook and/or Twitter, what employers see on those sites will influence how they assess you as a candidate.

The problem is that when you post on Facebook or Twitter you are talking to your friends. You say things and show pictures to your friends that you would never show to your boss. That’s why you should clean up your Facebook and Twitter pages before you start contacting potential employers. Either restrict access to your profile or delete posts that you would not want a potential employer to see.

Why you should be on LinkedIn.

If Facebook and Twitter are the employer’s sole source of information about you, they are probably not going to be impressed. And why should they be impressed? Facebook and Twitter are for your friends, not your future boss.

LinkedIn, however, is designed for business networking. LinkedIn is your chance to show yourself off to employers in the best possible light. Compared to Facebook and Twitter, employers give much more weight to what you write on LinkedIn because your LinkedIn profile focuses on the information employers want—where did you work, what did you do, where did you go to school.

You may think that your job history and education are not competitive and won’t impress anyone. But if you present them with an attractive well organized profile, your LinkedIn page will be impressive no matter what your job history of education.

Look professional no matter what your job title is.

Having a complete and well-organized profile on LinkedIn shows that you are in fact “professional,” because professionalism is not about your job title or educational degree. How many times have you heard it said of a lawyer or doctor that they were “unprofessional?” Being professional is a matter of how you present yourself and how you act. When you look professional on LinkedIn you have an immediate competitive advantage over other candidates who have no LinkedIn profile or an incomplete profile.

Complete your profile.

Your profile should always be complete and up to date. At minimum that means that your Experience and Education sections should be filled in. If you change jobs, update your company. If you get a promotion, update your job title. If you have a good photo, use it.

Complete or delete uncompleted empty profiles. Job seekers often register for LinkedIn to see what its like but never go further. The problem is that registering for LinkedIn creates a profile with your name on it. If all do do on LinkedIn is register, a Google search for your name may show your empty profile and that that you have only one connection. (many people on LinkedIn have over 500 connections!) An empty profile creates a poor impression. If you are not going to complete your profile you should delete it.

There is much more to LinkedIn than just having a good profile to show up on the Google search results page. See here, here and here.

How to Handle Job Search Rejection

Posted: November 14, 2016 at 8:30 am

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How to Handle Job Search Rejection

It’s hard to handle rejection when you’re looking for a job. And it really stings when you get all the way to the job interview, but then find out that someone else got the job, not you.

Here are some strategies to keep your job search on track and keep yourself from getting demoralized by rejection.

Be honest with yourself. Did you say something at your interview that Continue reading

Holiday Jobs 2016: ‘Tis the season to be hired.

Posted: October 31, 2016 at 9:00 am

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MyJobHelper Holiday Jobs 2016

Holiday jobs are great opportunities for job seekers to bring earn some extra income and relieve financial pressure while looking for a full time job. It’s also a good way to add some additional experience to your resume and make some connections at a company that could lead to a permanent position.  Continue reading

How to Ace a Video Interview

Posted: October 17, 2016 at 9:00 am

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Video Interview

Video interviews for job applicants are becoming quite common. The advantages are obvious. You don’t need to spend time and money traveling to a destination, and while you are waiting for the interview to start, you can get work done on your computer.

On the other hand, you can’t simply put on your best outfit, prepare yourself for tough questions and show up on time. Continue reading

What Are Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)?

Posted: October 3, 2016 at 9:00 am

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What Are Applicant Tracking Systems ?You may never have heard the term Applicant Tracking System (ATS), but it’s something you need to know about, because when you apply for a job over the internet your resume is probably being read by an ATS. An ATS is a computer program that scans, reads and selects resumes of potential candidates before a human ever sees it in order to save employers time. Continue reading

Overcome Lack of Experience On Your Resume

Posted: September 19, 2016 at 9:00 am

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Overcome Lack of Experience On Your Resume MyJobHelper

You know that you want the job, but you don’t have all of the experience that an employer is looking for—so how can you still get an interview? Instead of worrying about the experience you lack, focus on the assets that you do bring to the table. You may not be the “ideal” candidate described in the job listing, but that doesn’t mean you should count yourself out.

Take a look at what you can offer that makes you unique and interesting to a potential employer. It could be a promotion, it could be a management type of job, or it just might be some special skill that you have. If you want to overcome that lack of experience then start thinking about why somebody would want to hire you—and there’s always at least one good reason!

  • Highlight a time where you solved a problem: You may have come up with a process to help with lost productivity. You may have mentioned to your manager that you had a simple solution to a very common problem.  Anytime that you used problem solving skills to help your company, you should mention it on your resume. It’s a great way to show off something positive and compensate for some skill that you might be lacking. If a company can see that you worked through an issue they will be more interested in meeting you.
  • Talk about how you have managed others or done something significant: You may have been the person that others turned to for advice. You may have done a good job managing a specific project or group of people. If you have ever shown that you can lead or take charge of something, then this is definitely worth sharing on your resume. You may not have the official experience, but if you have done something similar or shown that you are somebody who can be counted on, then it’s worth mentioning. Companies want to see that you can do a good job when you work independently
  • Focus on a special skill, talent, or accomplishment you have: It may be that you type fast and therefore you can get your work done efficiently. It might be that you won “Employee of the Month” or that your coworkers celebrated you for something great that you did. Any accomplishment, whether large or small, is worth noting.

 If you want that job then you have to think of reasons why they should hire you. Focus on that throughout your resume to overcome a lack of experience and demonstrate why you are worth interviewing.