The Top Job Interview Blunders on Twitter

The Top Job Interview Blunders on Twitter Everyones got an embarrassing interview tale to tell and hearing about other peoples job interview blunders is guaranteed to make us  feel ever so slightly better about our own awkward interview experiences. Luckily for us, the Twittersphere is full of peoples contributions of funny and downright unfortunate interview anecdotes and scenarios. We have selected some of the best interview tales, pointers, and quotes on Twitter, so if you think your interview went bad, heres a little reminder that it could always be worse! There are the wise words of advice: Job interview tip: Tell them youre not an applicant, youre an appliCAN. Lick your finger, hold it against buttock. Make sizzling noise. Michael Spicer (@MrMichaelSpicer) October 1, 2013 Happy Friday #interviewfail or #win ?????? pic.twitter.com/137c2lIpkS Ellie K (@elliekosto) October 8, 2015 #InterviewMistake: The parking lot is still fair territory. So, dont smoke, curse, litter, spit, or masturbate. Yes, I said litter. Van Damage (@vdemske) January 5, 2010 The face-palm moments: Karma the guy who pushed past me on the tube and then suggested I go F myself just arrived for his interviewwith me Matt Buckland (@ElSatanico) February 16, 2015 https://twitter.com/LegitConrad/status/557053749949399040 The words that are probably best left unsaid: We are hiring and interviewing like crazy @blue_latitude so this tickled me. #interviewfail #pharma #marketingjobs pic.twitter.com/XFjWIM16bx Mark Walmsley (@MarkWalmsley) May 21, 2014 https://twitter.com/ivanforondajr/status/517269474605797376 Not that Id say this in an interview, but thats my kind of long-term plan @onlymarketing #interviewfail pic.twitter.com/0AEbVhzd8T Natasha Preocanin (@NatashaPreo) September 12, 2016 Anyway, they dropped the charges. #FiveWordsToRuinAJobInterview Ross Teddy Craig (@RossTeddyCraig) January 19, 2015

Do You Use Summaries in Resumes?

Do You Use Summaries in Resumes?Just like any other format, there are advantages and disadvantages to using summaries in resumes. The first disadvantage is that the writer is attempting to 'sell' the job. A candidate with an incomplete resume may not be able to compete with a person who has already done their fair share of work.A summary can also backfire if it is presented poorly. The resume must contain important information while delivering the summary in the correct manner. It must be brief and direct, yet it must also present the candidate in the best light possible. Either way, it will be effective at closing the sale.The advantage of using a summary is that it can be much easier to complete than full resumes. Since summaries are just the information in one section of the resume, they can easily be converted to a single document. Because they consist of very short sections, it is easy to scan. This makes them much easier to check for mistakes.However, when a summary is used in resumes, it is easy to make certain key words stick out. If a candidate has included a job position that he or she does not have or a title that doesn't match the current one, it can stick out like a sore thumb. A candidate might not even be aware of the potential harm, a summary could do.Of course, if the summary is used properly, it can help a candidate get past the first round of the hiring process. A candidate may have never even bothered to look at the resume but this can change once they see that summary.When the resume is used in a summary, it should be short and precise. It should include only what the potential employer needs to know. It should not be filled with irrelevant information or with grammar mistakes.The advantage of using summaries in resumes is that they offer a simple and effective way to sell the job. If a candidate wants to get in, they can do so, and if they want to get to the next level, they can as well. This is why many job seekers and recruiters use this method.Use this format as a means of having your resume read by everyone involved. This includes the employer, the interviewer, and even the potential employees. Employers will trust summaries in resumes more than resumes in a traditional format.

5 Tips When Looking For a New Job Over the Age of 40

5 Tips When Looking For a New Job Over the Age of 40 When I look in the mirror, for the first 5 seconds I still see a twenty- year -old. Then the visible wrinkles around my eyes and jowls provide a friendly reminder that I’m not twenty anymore. At that moment in the mirror, I challenge myself physically as I don’t feel like I’m over forty, and the face I’m looking at cannot be accurate, but according to my birth certificate, it is. I mean, hell, I still feel young, so how can I look so different? Simply put, I’m just a twenty-year-old that now has twenty-five years of work experience, a family, and has journeyed through the ups and downs of life. Even though this is what I believe, I now know others don’t feel the same, especially when it comes to the work place. Here is my recent reality check. Last year I left my corporate job of 14 years. I was in a space where I had the opportunity to find a new job with a new company. I felt fresh, excited and limitless. Although it had been a while since I last interviewed, I thought, “No problem. I’ve got this. I used   to any get any job I wanted, so finding a new one should pretty be easy.” After a few interviews, good interviews I thought, I wasn’t getting hired. Frustration set in because I could not figure out what was so different this time around. After all, my resume was stronger and more accomplished than my younger years. But something had changed. I aged. Call me naive, but I did not think that my age would be an obstacle in the workplace. I had heard this from other women over the years, but I chose not to believe them because certainly it would never happen to me. Here is a true story: A sales recruiter was helping a sales manager fill an open position. The recruiter sent her a resume of a female candidate with a college graduation date of 1998. The sales manager abruptly turned down the resume. In addition, she let the recruiter know that she didn’t want to see any resumes with college graduation dates prior to 2003. This was the sales manager’s criterion for what she deemed to be a viable candidate. Not experience, not achievements, not abilities. Simply age. This true story was painful for me to hear. Here was a woman selling out other women and contributing to the stigma that we fight every day and sadly her perspective is a harsh reality. However, let this statistic give you another reality check and perspective. In 2024, women over 65 will make up roughly the same percentage of the female workforce as older men do of the male workforce. Additionally, twice as many women over 55 will be in the labor force as women ages 16-24. Knowing the stigma, knowing the numbers, and the reality, what is the best way to approach finding a new job later in life? Here are 5 tips when looking for a new job over the age of 40: Use your Network Sending our resumes to career websites will do nothing for us.   We get pushed aside as we are categorized.   The tip here is to use our network of colleagues, former business associates and friends to find companies who are hiring and will have a genuine interest in what we can do for their organizations. This method does work. Finding like -minded individuals with the same goals of working smart and getting stuff done will provide the best platform for finding a new working environment. Show off your skills At this point in our careers, we have a proven list of accomplishments and skillsets.   We have navigated some of our toughest times and have already been through the learning. Because of this we require less training and possess the right skills, because yeah, we know how to do it.   We need to show off our confidence and accolades to a potential employer. They need to know that our leadership skills and experience will fit in flawlessly with their company. Be bold We can ask harder questions in the interview process and as an employee. Perhaps questions that challenge company methods or goals.   If anything as women, unfortunately, we have been taught to be compliant and agreeable to get through the stepping -stones of our careers. We don’t have to do that anymore. We have arrived. Work experience has taught us to think quickly, make decisions and share opinions. We have a lot to teach, and hiring companies need to appreciate this. Seek a mentor, be a mentor In recent weeks I have had great women mentor me. Women of a certain age. Women who are drama free, make sh*t happen and don’t sweat the small stuff. I appreciate them, have learned from them and have committed to do the same for others. This is important as this will help us change the tide and break the stigma. We are already tech savvy Much to the disbelief of others, age doesn’t stifle our tech knowledge. It’s who we are as a society.   Most of us already use work related apps like Zoom, Slack, Dropbox and others. The point is, our tech knowledge isn’t lacking, so that is no excuse for hiring companies or managers. We are already there. This is not a hinderance. The battle continues. In my earlier years as a woman in the corporate world I fought to make a mark. Now, I’m fighting the same female battle in addition to 20+ years of life and work experience. This should get easier shouldn’t it? It doesn’t, so it is up to us to change it. We have to change the mindset by challenging the current stigma. Because we have arrived and we are not going anywhere. This guest post was authored by Holly Caplan Holly Caplan is a workplace issues expert, career coach and author of Surviving the Dick Clique: A Girls Guide to Surviving the Male Dominated Corporate World. For more information, please visit,  www.hollycaplan.com  and connect with her on Twitter, @hollymcaplan.

Dress for Romance

Dress for Romance During the job interview process, what you wear is always important. You want to make sure you are putting your best foot forward-   you are dressing for success and showing your best self. So why, when on a first date, would this be any different? I bring this up because Ive recently been inundated with shocking first date wardrobe choices. One friend of mine went on a first date, and the man showed up in a sweatshirt, sweatpants, a baseball hat and sneakers. Their first date was not cleaning out the garage, so it was totally inappropriate. (Come on, even Emilio Estevez wouldnt do that on a first date, and hes in high school) Another friend of mine went out on a date with a doctor who showed up in scrubs with a huge hole in the crotch. He even called attention to the hole. Hello?!? They are scrubs. Dont you own a million of those? Or maybe just a normal pair of pants? (Please make special note of the fact that, while yes, this TV doctor IS handsome in scrubs, he is still only wearing them in a hospital setting) Ultimately, dating is a step on the road to achieving the highest relationship goal-  obtaining a life partner, potentially the biggest role youll ever play in life. So when going on a first date with someone, just like a job interview, dont you want to show your fullest potential and  your best self?   Ive even managed to simply transition from work clothes to date clothes easily with chic white dresses and sexy bodysuits under classy blazers. Sure, maybe these guys my friends went out with were showing their full potential. But if scrubs and sweatshirts are really all theyve got, is that someone you want to be with? So what do you think? Is wardrobe important to you? Like me, do you struggle with finding the perfect date outfit? Have you had any first date wardrobe flops? Lets talk. Happy Thursday yall!

Writing an Educational Resume That Fits Your Needs

Writing an Educational Resume That Fits Your NeedsWriting an educational resume is actually a lot simpler than you think. The trick is to not focus on what you do, but what you can do. Focus on what your educational background is, then work backwards to make it look like you're successful. We've broken it down for you in our two-page sample educational resume.Writing an educational resume is actually a lot simpler than you think. The trick is to not focus on what you do, but what you can do. Focus on what your educational background is, then work backwards to make it look like you're successful.You don't want to give up any of your personal skills. It's important to be able to write and be creative when it comes to making your resume stand out. In this two-page sample educational resume, we break it down so you can see what to write about and what to skip.Listing your great educational job skills isn't something you need to write. In fact, we'd recommend that you avoid it as much as possible. You can list all the skills you have that have helped you get to where you are. This can include a list of grants, scholarships, or loans you've received. Listing these will make your resume stand out from the rest.Putting your interests down on paper is a good way to make your resume stand out to potential employers. When you go to college, you may be expected to know a lot about the fields of study you're studying. This doesn't mean that you have to be someone who only knows how to do one field. It means you can be interested in all fields. Interests are a great way to put yourself in the running.Listing all your different life experiences will help you find yourself on a resume. Make sure you include what you did and what you learned in every position. This will show employers you know what you're talking about and they'll trust that. Give them examples of things you accomplished and write a summary of what you learned from each experience. This will give them a feel fo r who you are and what you're capable of.When you're writing an educational resume, avoid going into too much detail about your education. They may have asked you about your training or what subjects you took and you want to avoid getting into trouble. Save the specific details about what you learned in those subjects for a more detailed resume. If you can't remember all the different classes you took, make sure you've listed those courses and their names so they aren't omitted. Just have a little bit about your education with the details.When you're writing an educational resume, remember to get into one place but to keep it clear and concise. Make it look like you're a good candidate and that you've learned something from every education you've ever had. You don't have to learn everything about it, but you need to learn something about it. As long as it helps you get the job you want, you've done something.

5 Easy Tips for Fitness Cover Letters that Will Guarantee Career Success CareerMetis.com

5 Easy Tips for Fitness Cover Letters that Will Guarantee Career Success There has never been a better time to forge a career in the fitness industry.In the UK alone, the gym industry is worth just under £5 billion, with one in every seven members of the public currently a member of a gym or health and fitness facility.evalSo, how would a newly qualified fitness instructor, personal trainer, or gym trainer go about entering such an exciting and flourishing industry?It is no secret that the best way to start your fitness career after you have attained your qualifications is to secure a job in a gym or fitness facility. Being a full-time employee of a gym comes with some benefits, after all.Primarily, you are guaranteed a set wage. Having a guaranteed income could be the difference between a long and successful career, or crashing out before your adventure has even begun. A full-time role in a gym facility also gives you something perhaps even more valuable than a steady income: experience. There’s no way people are going to invest in you as a personal t rainer if you have no proven track record. You need a history of helping clients achieve their fitness goals.Working full time, in a busy gym setting with guaranteed client lists isn’t only a good idea, it’s essential for you to develop as a fitness professional. It allows you to hone your skills and master your craft.So, we’ve established that securing a paid position in a gym or health and fitness facility is crucial to getting your career off the ground. But how precisely do you secure a job in the first place?In this industry, which is experiencing rapid growth, you need to ensure that your application is perfect if you are to stand any chance of rising above the pack. A crucial element of this application process is writing a cover letter.evalUnfortunately for many, the pressure of writing the perfect cover letter inhibits their ability to secure their dream position. As such, we’ve assembled the specific tips, skills, and secrets that you need to keep in mind to succee d in obtaining employment in the fitness industry.1) Place Emphasis on Your Diversified Skill-setAs a fitness instructor or personal trainer, you never inhabit just one role.You are equal parts an entrepreneur, salesman, pastoral mentor, fitness expert, and coach, to name but a few. As such, you have to demonstrate that you are prepared to fulfill all of the roles required of you.The only way to do this is to highlight your range of skills and to give examples of where you have used the skills in your work experience thus far. For fitness careers, evidence of both sales and client retention is an absolute must if you want to catch your recruiter’s attention.evalAn easy way of ensuring you fill your application with enough details is to try the PEE method about personal trainer cover letters.PEE stands for Point, Evidence, Explain. Or in other words, outline one of your skills If you make a good impression, you automatically place yourself above the other candidates.You can then re ference your visit in your covering letter. Even something as subtle as “it was a pleasure to meet you, I hope to hear from you soon.” These kinds of messages reinforce the manager’s image of you in their heads.3) Include Industry Research in Your Cover LetterThis is related to the above point. The fitness industry is a close-knit sphere. The more you can find out about the unique selling points, payment structures, strengths and weaknesses of your prospective employer, the more you can propose yourself as the candidate to offer something more.Remember, fitness professionals, need to be entrepreneurial to be successful. They need to sniff out opportunities in whatever role they inhabit.If you know where the gym you are applying to is already a productive business, then identify which skills you bring to make them even stronger.evalFor example, there’s no point in spending your whole covering letter talking about a proposed boxercise class you could run if the gym you are app lying to already has a favorite trainer who runs boxercise classes.Use your industry research to offer something different to make yourself stand out.4) Be Honest About Your AmbitionOne of the most common mistakes that fitness professionals make in their covering letters is modesty. A little bit of humility is no bad thing, naturally.But arrogance is never a trait that a recruiter or gym manager wants to handle. However, if there’s one thing you need to be honest about in your covering letter, it is your career ambitions.Now, this may sound counter-intuitive. If a cover letter is all about highlighting why you’re the best candidate for the role at that particular venue, why would you go into detail about where you want to go in the next ten years. There’s a simple answer to this: successful fitness instructors continuously look to develop and diversify.A gym manager doesn’t want their training staff to run the same classes, training the same clients forever. It is an unreali stic expectation. Any personal trainer who tried that would not be fulfilling their client’s needs.Showing ambition is not detrimental! It shows what you will bring to the role, and the dedication you have for your profession.5) Data is Your Friend: Be Prepared to Get AnalyticalLike you can leverage research on a local scale, you can also use data to your advantage. Traditionally, fitness professionals have tended to shy away from using hard data in day-to-day work. They opt instead to give more holistic overviews of their success rates.But let’s think about this logically. What sounds better for a prospective employer:I have obtained excellent client retention rates as a result of my individualized regimens.I actively enjoy helping my clients achieve their goals. Between May-August 2018, I trained eight clients on a twice-weekly basis. All of them made their goals, with 80% surpassing the program targets, outlined in initial consultations.While this is a rudimentary example, yo u can see how data and evidence of training written in the form of objective, quantitative data, helps to paint a picture of you as a competent, and highly sought after personal trainer or gym instructor.These are just some aspects of writing a covering letter sure to guarantee you interviews going forward.You should also ensure that your application is an accurate reflection of you, professionally and personally. Highlight your skills and qualifications in the best possible light. Make sure to underscore all the ways you are valuable to the gym and the enterprise.

The Evolution of the Commodity Job Seeker (and what you can do about it) - CareerEnlightenment.com

The meta-information age (mid 00s+)Google’s rise to prominence signaled the moment when meta-information (information about information) began to trump information itself.Retail search engines like Shopping.com used this new technology to allow users to simultaneously search the central retailers (like Pets.com and Amazon) as well as the brick-and-mortar retailers’ websites themselves (think BestBuy.com), making comparison shopping very quick and easy. Amazon.com had no choice but to follow suit, including not only its own prices for products, but also other retailers’.Job search engines like Indeed.com and SimplyHired were an inevitable evolution. They searched central job search websites like Monster and Hotjobs as well as the employers’ websites themselves.   This simplified the location of relevant online job postings for job seekers, but it made the distribution of resumes so efficient that employers were now getting inundated with unsolicited resumes.   and erasing the advantage well-qualified candidates used to enjoy based on their resume alone.The downside of the job search’s entry into its meta-information stage was that erased the advantage local or well-qualified candidates used to enjoy based on their resume alone.   Suddenly, everyone could now find (and apply to) jobs anywhere in seconds. An unsolicited resume circa 2005 had become what the free weekly AOL startup CD in your mailbox was in the 1990sâ€"a somewhat-annoying, somewhat-laughable distraction.Although the meta-information age has helped consumers get the best prices in travel and retail by reducing search costs and commoditizing even luxury goods, it has also dehumanized the job search, giving job seekers the illusion of progress despite not making any personal connections, getting any actual interviews, or learning more about their industry or employer of choice from those already in it.What a Job Seeker Can Do To Fight Back!Getting a resume into the hands of an employer is no longer a challenge; employers have plenty of resumes.   Getting an employer to look at a resume is the challenge now.During the low information stage, employers would care about the resume first and the candidate second.   The reverse is now true in the meta-information stage; to get an employer to look at your resume, you must first get them to care about you as a person.   It seems counter-intuitive that relationships are now more important than ever before, but resumes are so cheap to distribute that only those job seekers who rise above the online job posting clutter will be considered.Technology can facilitate this process, but it must be used correctly to ensure a positive return on effort.   This requires integrating the right technology into one unified strategy which systematically prioritizes targets at specific employers, allows efficient outreach, and creates genuine advocates.   Only then does the job search become less like a lottery and more like an investment.Techno logy may have killed the resume star, but it has also given resourceful candidates a reason for hope.   The rules have changed, but the optimal strategy for finding employment today has yet to be established, leaving those who adapt most quickly to the meta-information age the opportunity to dramatically outperform the competition.KEY TAKEAWAY: If you have a free hour, spend it on an informational interview rather than your resume, because nobody will read the latter without the former.

Advice for Finding a Summer Job

Advice for Finding a Summer Job If you’re a teenager or college student, or the parent of a teenager or college student, then you all know what time of year it is…time to find that much needed summer job.   While the economy has picked up a bit, there are many places, including here in Michigan where scoring a summer job is like looking for a needle in a haystack.   Don’t give up â€" there are things you can do to help make your summer job search a success. Seasonal Jobs Head to your local garden centers, greenhouses, and home improvement stores.   Many of these retailers hire extra help during the summer as more people are busy with remodeling and home improvement projects during the warm summer months. You could also check out your local government agencies, as they also hire students to help with extra lawn work during the summer. If you enjoy working with children, there are always parents looking for childcare while their kids are out of school for the summer, or  you could  look into opportunities at local youth camps. Application/Interview Etiquette Even if you are only putting in an application, dress professionally.   If you are offered an interview on the spot, you want the hiring manager to focus on your qualifications and work ethic, not your short shorts or ripped jeans. Carry your resume and reference information with you to make the application process go faster, as well to show that you’re prepared in the event the employer asks for a resume. Digital Dirt Don’t think that because you’re only seeking summer employment that a hiring manager may not “Google” you or look you up on Facebook. If your  status updates  or tweets are filled with profanity and/or pictures of your weekend escapades, the hiring manager may decide right then and there that you are not the type of person who would be a responsible employee.   Clean up your digital dirt before you start applying for jobs and remove inappropriate posts/comments from friends who have access to your online profiles. Finally, make sure you have a professional greeting on your voice mail. An employer doesnt want to hear This is Joe hit me up when they need to leave a message for you. Simply state your name and confirm your phone number in your voice mail so that the employer knows  they have the right person. With a little bit of patience, hard work, and perseverance, you will surely land that coveted summer job.