You've Got Your Diploma, but Now What? As graduation approaches, many young job seekers are wondering how they can land an opportunity in this very challenging job market.Lindsey Pollak, a recognized expert on next-generation career trends, recently released a new edition of her terrific book, Getting from College to Career. Lindsey graciously agreed to answer some questions to help new professions get hired in a hurry. In this first of a two-part series, Lindsey shares advice about goal-setting and offers insights for the new grad who can’t decide what to do next.Don't Hesitate to Ge... view article details

Rich or Poor, Offer Letters Are Still Necessary If you’ve worked at any level in the corporate world, you’ve probably received an offer letter of employment. As a teenager, your first job offer – babysitting, mowing lawns, washing dishes, waiting tables – was probably pretty informal. Ah, but that first official offer letter.Sure, things might have gone great on your interview. You’re 99% sure they’re going to give you the job. Hopefully you negotiated a nice salary increase. You can’t wait to tell your parents and friends. And HR even verbally said you got the position. But it wasn’t... view article details

Be Prepared You definitely don’t want to get caught speechless in an interview if you are surprised by a tough question. Prepare yourself by developing possible responses before you are in the interview, and you’ll amaze the hiring manager with your ability to remain poised under pressure.Sticky topics can range from awkward questions about your career choices and uncomfortable personal issues that approach the limits of legal interview topics to hypothetical questions about challenging office politics.Review the questions below to see how you might respond and then consider the sugge... view article details

You Only Get One Chance to Make a Good First Impression Finding a great job can be a challenge. But once you land that dream job, you need to realize the real challenge is still looming in the distance.Sure, take a moment to pat yourself on the back and celebrate getting hired. Good for you! But if you want to lay the groundwork for short- and long-term job success, you can’t relax and become complacent.It’s possible to get your future co-workers to take notice of you before you even start your new job. You can confirm why you were chosen for your position without stepping foot in the... view article details

You've just received word from the human resources manager that your resume made the cut. Next stop: the interview.The job interview is your opportunity to create a positive impression of yourself, and can mean the difference between the door opening, and the door slamming shut. Here are eight tough but frequently asked interview questions, with eight kick-butt answers designed to help you create a favorable--and memorable--impact.Question 1: What can you tell me about yourself? Don’t brag, try to make yourself look interesting by sharing offbeat information, or prattle on and on abou... view article details

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, about 5 percent of job seekers obtain jobs through the open job market which consists of help wanted ads, the internet and print publications. Another 24 percent obtain jobs by cold-calling companies directly. Twenty-three percent obtain jobs through employment agencies, college career-services offices and executive-search firms. The remaining 48 percent obtain their jobs through referrals or “word of mouth.” These individuals get the job referrals by networking. A job search that targets only advertised job openings will likely miss more than half ... view article details

Research shows that humor works wonders for your health by relieving both physical and emotional stress and connecting you to others.Because of this, appropriate office humor is one of the best ways to relieve on-the-job tension, boost morale, and promote teamwork.But not all humor is created equal. Used inappropriately, humor can also alienate co-workers and create a hostile environment, which, in turn, can contribute to excess stress.How do you know when you've crossed the line? This article explores seven dos and seven don’ts of workplace humor. Don't alienate When the honey-haired... view article details

Comedian John Ramsey has a humorous bit where he complains, “I’m tired of being treated as a second class citizen because I believe in unicorns. I don’t understand why unicorns are so magical, it’s just a horse with a horn. A seahorse exists and that’s 50% fish, 50% horse! I’m just talking about something that is 99% horse, 1% cooler horse.”In the working world (often at startups), there is some debate about whether unicorn employees exist and how much time you should spend looking for them when hiring. A unicorn employee has been described as an “A Player,” a natural leader that is highly ski... view article details

Gambling isn’t just for Las Vegas and Atlantic City anymore and that means the jobs aren’t confined to those two casino giants anymore either.You might say the casino industry is spreading the wealth.According to a 2013 study by the American Gaming Association, there are 39 states with some type of casino gambling whether its commercial casinos or Indian gaming. And there are other states, like New Hampshire, looking to deal themselves in.In 2012, the year covered by the AGA report, 332,075 people were employed in commercial casinos across the country accounting for $13.2 billion in wages. In ... view article details

Dear Heather,I was recently laid off. It was kind of a shock, but the company let about 400 of us go. So, I'm hitting the job hunt knowing there are at least 50 (of the 400) others chasing the same job descriptions as I am. I've always worked in HR and have lots of skills, but my confidence is flagging a little. I've been involved in hiring and am trying to get my head around the fact that I was expendable. I find myself wondering if I picked the wrong career and should go back to school, but that seems impractical. Any suggestions on how I can better move forward from here?Lisa---------------... view article details