One thing I have noticed in the online recruiting industry: resume titles are important and often overlooked. When using an online resume builder, it is best to name your resume for two reasons:

1. It helps keep them organized for you
2. It helps Employers identify your qualifications

Many times, Employers need a tip as to what kind of candidate you are. Recruiters will often use the resume title to determine whether or not to screen your document. If you think of the resume title as your headline and treat it with importance, you will increase your chances of getting the call for an interview.

I know I have been gone awhile, but I have some very good resons! OK, maybe laziness isn’t a good reson; but, we have been working. In case you didn’t noticed, we have completely upgraded our job board DegreedJobs.com.

We had our tech people put in some pretty cool features like streamlined resume builders, advanced maping functions, and an interactive FAQ page. What you will not find is a bunch of full page pop-ups and annoying “work-from-home” scams; just great, high-paying, full-time employment opportunities.

So, be sure to check out the new DegreedJobs.com!

Happy Hunting!

I was checking out Employment Digest’s blog on 23 Creative Ideas for Job Finding and guess what was first on the list? Carry a business card; even if you are out of work…carry a business card. Which then of course begs the question: what do I put on the business card?

Well, I would say stack it with skills. Skills sell. Skills are always in demand. Business cards are tiny, so make it count. Sketch out your Top 20 career accomplishments and prioritize them down to 15. Keep paring them down until you have 5 career-making accomplishments.

(more…)

…was my dilemma. Let me back up a little. I was investigating a good, regionally accredited online MBA program when I ran into these initials: AACSB.

It turns out that this is a professional accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, International. Some MBA programs have this distinction and some do not. So, what’s the diff (especially if I can get out of the GMAT!)?

From my research so far, it seems that having an AACSB accreditation is a mark of quality within the business community. What’s more, it definitely carries more weight among employers who are none too hip on the idea of online education.

If I’m going to shell out 25K for an MBA, it only makes sense to have a professional agency oversee the quality of the degree. In addition, further research has revealed that an AACSB accrediation is not only more widely recognized for academic excellence, it just might be more affordable!

The Internet is indeed a beautiful thing….

I was picking the brain of my recuiter buddy this morning and I asked him what he looked at first on a resume…

“Gimme 5 seconds and I can pick out two or three things” he said.

“Well,” I pressed, “what do you look at first?”

I handed him a resume and he told me that work experience is the first thing he scans. He specifically looks for stability. “I don’t like to see a lot of jumping around. That tells me the candidate is a little…well, flaky.”

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes there is a good explanation for leaving a job: layoffs, transfers, and the like are more than acceptable. But, don’t make your resume look like you have been experimenting with career options. There is no better way to always start out at the bottom. Every time you change careers, it’s like starting over again.

A/B players stick and get the job done. C players are always looking for a way out when the going gets tough.

If this isn’t a straight-up endorsement of niche job boards…I don’t know what is!

“The problem according to Jason Warner, who is head of staffing for

Online Sales and Operations at Google, is that:

‘…it is now so easy to apply for a job that more people apply for

many more jobs, which means that recruiting teams at companies across

the world now have to review a significantly increased volume of

unsuitable resumes, which creates monumental inefficiency in the

overall system.’ ”

 ~Recruiter RX blog

This is part of the reason why DegreedJobs.com was created, to mitigate the sort of massive online unemployment agency mentality (Rob McGovern’s words, not mine!) that seems pervasive in today’s job board industry.
 

Well, it depends on who you ask. Concerning online job boards, one recruiting firm says this:

“So how do we find our candidates?

Good old fashioned networking. We don’t rely on commercial resume websites to find our people. You can do that yourself. The Internet only accounts for about 10% of total hiring anyway.”

Of course, the 10% of hiring probably does come from the ‘do-it-yourself’ crowd. Not that I would know because no source is cited. I like the “old-fashioned” aspect though. It’s really old-school, like an Apple IIc computer or 8-Track players: cool-but not very practical or efficient.

Then there’s this philosophy that I found from another recruiting firm’s website:

“I am more intrigued by the niche, online job boards.  Our society is moving towards specialization through outsourcing.  As that trend continues, I suspect these niche-specific job boards will become the preferred channel for sourcing the right candidates.”

I couldn’t agree more. So, I asked a recruiter buddy of mine to break the tie;

“That’s easy…” he says. “If you’re not online, you’re behind.”

‘Nuff said………

May is here and Spring is a time for renewal, and….you know; I am just not going to ramble on about the usual pre-summer metaphors. I will tell you that staying ahead of the job market is paramount to your career. Whether you have plans on upward mobility or changing careers, fortune favors the one who has his stuff together (or something like that).

Granted, right now the Job-Seeker is in charge. But, how long will it last; a month maybe a year? Then what? Will you be in a position to leverage your skills? Staying ahead of it means being ready when the market shifts. And, in the employment industry things can happen pretty fast.

Now is a good time to take stock of your accomplishments and update your personal marketing portfolio: update your resume, stay in touch with contacts and references, build relationships with industry professionals. Keeping your information current will put you in a better position to move up when everyone else is moving out.

Get Productive!

Speaking of getting info PDQ; RSS is a convenient way to stay on top of your job search. Many job boards offer job listings RSS to subscribers. Jobs you want are deposited neatly into your In-Box as soon as they post…giving you an advantage over the competition.

Happy Hunting!

I thought you might find this little career nugget useful.  Many job boards utilize common linking to get the Google juice flowing, but sometimes the job post links are dead or broken. Rest assured that if a job gets posted, it is most likely the real deal.

More and more companies are using their own job portals to source for qualified candidates in addition to posting on job boards. If you see a job post, say–oh, I don’t know–on DegreedJobs.com; apply for it online through the board. Then, cross reference the post at the company’s career portal (if available) and double your chances of getting noticed.

Thanks and Happy Hunting!