Career Archives - Page 46 of 46 - Making Sense Of Cents

Interviews

Last Updated: July 13, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 6 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

When I graduated last year, I went on many interviews. I was very nervous, but I am very obsessive about things, so I studied very hard for all of my interviews. I looked up pretty much every interview question imaginable, and I don’t think I was surprised at any of my interviews. I would consider myself very successful with the interviews I went on also. I received many job offers and was even able to decline some.

Here are some interview tips:

Bring extra resume copies with you. Every time I went to an interview, the person who was interviewing me asked for a hard copy. You also never know who else might be in the interview room with you.
Try to figure out the dress code before you go. If you absolutely have no clue, this can be done by driving to the potential place of employment and just looking very quickly.
Be polite to the secretary or assistant. The person who is doing the hiring might ask their assistant what they thought of you. So if you talked down or were rude to the assistant, this can definitely hurt you.
Make sure you give a firm handshake. The person who is hiring you knows whether or not you are fit for the position within the first 5 minutes. A handshake is very important in this process.
When answering questions, make sure not to say “umm” or “uuhhh”. Instead when you’re thinking of your answer, just sit and think quietly to yourself for 3-5 seconds. This comes off as much more professional. Reviewing sample practice interview and answers questions online are GREATLY helpful.
Make sure you ask questions at the end. Interviewers at the end of the interview will ask you if you have any questions. If you say that you have none, you might be giving off a vibe that you don’t care about the company or job, or that you didn’t do enough research on the position.
And of course, be professional.

Any other tips that you might want to offer? What kind of questions do you think are good to ask at the end?

Working on your Resume

Last Updated: July 13, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 7 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Creating a resume can be very difficult. However, with some help and guidance, it can be very easy. I would like to think that I am very good at creating and improving resumes. When I was looking for jobs last year before I was about to graduate, I used the career office at my school very effectively and efficiently in my job search. I brought my resume there and had multiple people check and review it, and everyone said it was perfect (except for a few very minor errors).

Here are some tips for your resume:

If you can, I would definitely have someone else review your resume. You might have read it 30 times, but another set of eyes never hurts.
I heard that using a Gmail or school e-mail on your resume looks better than using an AOL or Hotmail account. I don’t know if this is true (I used a hotmail, but I just recently switched to Gmail). In the article I read (I believe it was Daily Worth), it said that using an AOL or Hotmail account might come across as that you are not very tech savvy and/or might be older and stuck in a rut. I do not believe than an e-mail account could affect you this much, but like I said, I do not know.
The rule that your resume needs to be one page does not always apply. My friend is in the anthropology field, and the longer her resume is, the better. Her resume is around 5 or 6 pages now.
You should try to include references in your resume. Every place I applied at was very happy that I included my references along with each references’ contact information in my resume because it made it much easier for them.
If you potential employer asks for your GPA or academic standing, do NOT LIE! Employers can request your grades and do background checks, so I would not lie about anything.
Create a cover letter to go along with your resume
State a purpose or objective which specifically applies to the job you are applying to
Don’t use any pictures (unless of course you need a head shot for the job you are applying to)

If you have any other tips that you would like to add, please share.

In this Economy would you negotiate your Salary?

Last Updated: April 7, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 8 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The economy is very hard right now, don’t get me wrong. But some people have had the opportunity of finding a job also. Have you found a job recently? Did you negotiate your salary?

When searching for a job, you DO have the opportunity and choice to negotiate. If you’re not picky at this moment, then you might take anything due to personal reasons such as just needing a job right away.

However, if you do want to negotiate, here are some tips/hints/suggestions to think about:

Understand how the economy is influencing the company that you wish to work for. Not all companies are struggling. Some actually benefit from downturns. This can be very helpful in determining how much they are willing to flex in your salary
Understand the overall unemployment rate in your local area
What’s the demand for the job you are applying to? Some jobs might have literally hundreds and thousands of applicants, but the growth rate for the job might only be around 1% for the next 10 years. That means that there are probably way more people getting into the field, then are leaving.
How fast does the company you are applying at want to fill that position?
What is your expertise? Schooling? Experience? A person might be over qualified for a job and that might hurt them. You need to learn how to sell your important attributes.

In the second article, they say “* The counteroffer. Employee: I got a job offer for 10 percent more than I’m making. Employer: Um. Let me see what I can do.” I wouldn’t recommend telling your job that you received a counter offer for numerous reasons:

This might show that you are not loyal and trustworthy to the company
It shows that if another job or offer did come around, that you might leave

Of course, sometimes it might work. Do you know when the counteroffer has worked?

Do you have any side jobs?

Last Updated: April 7, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 7 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

DailyWorth published a new article yesterday. You can find it here.

I love the Money Fix Series because it is very relate-able.

Stephanie has a budget shortfall of nearly $500. She has cut nearly everything out she doesn’t need and she still has this shortfall. The author of the article suggests that she find some part-time work.

I have been trying my hand at side gigs for about a month.

I secret shop for Best Mark (this has brought in more than $100 so far and I’ve only been doing this for less than a month)
I participate in online surveys (these don’t pay a ton, maybe around $3 per survey)
I’m also trying my hand at writing for Yahoo. I have found it very hard to find myself to write for them though. I have no motivation. I need to change that.

Your turn: Do you have a budget short-fall? What do you do to fix this? Do you have any part-time work? Or freelancing gigs?

Being Flexible in your job hunt in this Economy

Last Updated: April 8, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 19 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

I’m a big fan of DailyWorth. I read an article yesterday titled How Flex Should You Be in Your Job Hunt?

How far would you go to find a job in this economy? I was very thankful to find a job just a short few weeks after I graduated from college. However, some of my friends graduated just this past May, and are not having as much luck. Most of them have not found jobs, even though that graduated from very good universities. Some of them are going to get their Masters since they have been unable to find jobs.

I would think about taking one of the entry level jobs. You never know where it can take you. I am pretty fresh out of college (just graduated in the spring of 2010) and I was always told that if you can’t find a job which fits exactly what you’re looking for, to take one that is somewhat similar. That way, when you do find the job that fits you better, your resume will still reflect that you were improving your skills and not just sitting back letting your skills go to waste.
Some people are forced to take jobs which do not apply to where they want to be or where their degree was supposed to take them. Some are forced to take entry level jobs even though they are mid or senior level management. In this economy, taking a job, any job, might be good for you. You never know where it could take you.I was always told that if you can’t find a job which fits exactly what you’re looking for, to take one that is somewhat similar. That way, when you do find the job that fits you better, your resume will still reflect that you were improving your skills and not just sitting back letting your skills go to waste.However, my friend recently applied for a job through a friend and she was told to leave out information on her year long, unpaid, full-time internship because it did not necessarily pertain to the job field for which she was applying to.What do you think? Would you take any job? Here are some facts from the Rutgers Survey:

65% would take a lower salary
59% would accept a lower-status job
70% would accept a temporary job

Would you take any job? What would you do?