Stop Focusing on Your Weaknesses & Play to Your Strengths in Job Interviews When I help prepare people for interviews, they inevitably ask how to respond to the "What is your greatest weakness?" question. It's important to be able to identify and discuss something you are actively improving regarding your qualifications (as long as it is not a major requirement of the job and the weakness would disqualify you). But what about the times job seekers are asked about identifying their greatest strength or best accomplishment? All too often, people on job interviews are ill-prepared to talk abo... view article details

Dear Jack:I am in the final stage of a job interview and I just received an email from the recruiter who wants to know my current salary and my salary expectations. Please advise.Hello,Recruiters are an exception to the rule of 'postpone salary talk until there's an offer.' You actually score points, so to speak, with them by being candid about salary. On the other hand, you don't want the recruiter's expectations to be low. If you're currently underpaid in your job, you don't want that to diminish your salary.Here's what I suggest. Don't do this by e-mail. Start by calling the recruiter and s... view article details

Q. In job announcements in the newspaper and elsewhere I sometimes see 'send resume and salary history to...' If I respond, I respectfully decline submission of the salary history information until I get more serious interest from the prospective employer. However, I have yet to get an interview from any of these employers, in spite of my apparent qualifications, which in some cases have been significant. I think my salary history is irrelevant, as I have recently completed a master's degree and attained a related certification, though I haven't yet worked in any position that called for these... view article details

Q: What is the typical increase a person should get (or should look for) when changing jobs? I'm in the information technology field.A: There is no rule of thumb for determining a percentage increase for a new job, because the value of someone's skills relates to how that person compares with the market as a whole. You probably won't want to change jobs unless you feel you will be better off in the new situations.Before you settle on your new salary expectations, understand the job responsibilities at the new employer, and then benchmark those responsibilities against a job in the Salary Wizar... view article details

Performance review season is upon us. This presents an opportunity for employees to demonstrate their accomplishments and distinguish themselves and their value to the organization. In this challenging economy it is important to use this critical tool to its best advantage as it has significant impact on pay, professional development and, even job security. Here are ten tips to make the annual performance review work best for you, while also making it easier on your boss to write you a terrific review. Know Your Role for your Performance Review If you are uncertain about any aspect of your job... view article details

Descriptions of job titles appear in a variety of forms in the workplace. Recruitment ads, compensation surveys and other benchmarking tools, as well as corporate or departmental development plans all use some method of describing a job. The brief descriptions of highlighted positions that are seen in compensation surveys and other benchmarking tools are called job descriptors. These outline the major responsibilities associated with the position that can be applied universally. These are therefore sometimes standardized. While they may contain details like exemption status or job location, t... view article details

Is your job just a way to pay the bills, or would you prefer it to be a source of great fulfillment?If you chose the latter, one way you might be able to reach that goal is to ensure that your career matches your personality.While we are all individuals and none of us want to be encumbered with labels, certain personality types complement certain types of jobs.This article explores seven common personality categories and the types of jobs that may lead to more success—and ultimately, happiness.1. The Leader You are self-confident, decisive, have excellent communication skills, and lov... view article details

'Stock mutual funds can be geared toward an investor's risk threshold. The more conservative investor would focus on lower-risk balanced funds that usually are composed of high-dividend-yielding stocks and bonds.' Anyone who's shopped for a mutual fund knows finding the right one can be harder than locating that proverbial needle in a haystack. There are so many to choose from. Remarkably, people seem to navigate the selection process somehow, because statistics show that most stocks held by the average American are purchased by way of a mutual fund. Mutual funds do the work for you'Certainly ... view article details

“My meeting to ask for a raise went terribly.”Needless to say, this is about the worst thing you can hear after giving someone advice on how to negotiate, but once in awhile it happens. Like many things in life, a test of one’s character isn’t how they live their life when things are good, it’s how they react when faced with a challenge.Let’s look at a case study from the viewpoint of Kristin, a marketing assistant. There is a 3-step process for our company reviews:Fill out an evaluation formHave a review discussion with your managerFollow up with upper management to discuss compensationI have... view article details

With the overwhelming number of applications and resumes received on a daily basis, recruiters must do all they can to manage the flow -- thus resume filtering software.What follows here varies by company and position, but for now let's work from this premise: In the larger (and not so large) companies, your resume/application is not initially viewed by a 'real human person' but is scanned and graded by a piece of software and then archived until those results are called up. What this means is that only those resumes that 'made the grade' (literally) will rise to the top of the pile to be revi... view article details