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

How Older Workers Can Better Overcome Obstacles to Getting Hired Older Workers Have a Tougher Time Getting a Job While the U.S. job market continues to make slow but steady gains, finding a job in the current economy is still challenging. All job seekers today face significantly more obstacles than they did a decade ago, but those over the age of 50 have a few extra hurdles to clear. According to a recent survey done by ExecuNet, a member organization for senior-level executives, a Vice President over the age of 50 takes 20% longer to get hired than a 41- to 45-year-old at the same level. W... view article details

Pay Differences Between Telecommute & In-Office One persistent belief about work-at-home, or telecommute, jobs is that they almost always pay far less than in-office jobs. But is this really true?While it may have been the case many years ago when telecommuting was just starting to take shape as a movement, today’s at-home jobs pay salaries comparable to in-office jobs. Additionally, there are substantial cost savings that come with working from home, such as a reduction in commute costs, wardrobe and dry cleaning bills, eating out, and childcare costs to cover time spent commuting. I... 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

Don't Sink Your Own Ship It’s a small world, right? Getting a job is hard enough, so doing something to damage your reputation, or your karma, is probably not a good idea when you desperately want or need a new one. If you think the careless way you have managed your communications with a would-be employer or recruiter hasn’t hurt you, you are very wrong.Ask any recruiting professional or hiring manager whether they remember the candidates who have accepted, then declined, an offer over email or text. Or what about those “failure to show” people who blow off their first day at a new j... view article details

Don't Be Short-Sighted Life in 2013 moves fast. Some would say too fast. Our tweets are only 140 characters, social videos on Vine max out at 6 seconds, and we’d all like to get six-pack abs in just a few minutes. What surprises some job-seekers when they learn about salary negotiation, is that sometimes the entire conversation around your future compensation is wrapped up in just a few short minutes, but can have a lasting impact for years to come.If you’re not prepared, it can fly by in an instant. If you don’t have the right approach, you leave money on the table.Here are two cruci... view article details

Being Able to Name Your Own Salary Might Sound Good, But It's Harder to Do Than You Think Picture yourself in the final stages of your job interview. Everything so far has gone fantastic. You've passed the screening of HR in the first round, met your future manager and totally connected, and have spoken with several other team members. The job is a great match for both your skills and your personality. The executive across the desk from you is thrilled, saying you're their ideal candidate, and is ready to make you an offer. The only thing left to talk about is salary. The mere thought of the c... view article details

Michelle Babineau of Boston, Mass. has been laid off three times in seven months. The dot-com veteran has been through it all: the conference with a terse manager and human resources representative; the company-wide announcement led by a weeping CEO; and the 'let-go' meeting at an offsite location. Her third job lasted five days. 'The CEO quit on the day I started,' Babineau said.Can they do that? Unfortunately, they can - and do. There are a few protections for employees, however. Understanding the implication of laws your employer has had to consider helps you to position yourself as well as... view article details

The REAL Reasons You're Not Getting Hired On average, resumes are received 200 seconds after being submitted. Once a hiring manager lays eyes on it, he/she will spend anywhere from 5 to 7 seconds reading it before making a decision to pass it on or trash it. If you haven't been getting any callbacks, it's likely you're ending up in the trash. But why?Look, let's start by admitting the hiring process is an imperfect and sometimes unfair science. Companies could see hundreds of resumes for a single opening, and since time is of the essence hiring managers have no choice but to quickly w... 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