Val Matta

Posts by Val Matta

Thanksgiving Traditions to Utilize in Your Job Search

By Val Matta on Nov 24, 2014 12:00:29 AM

aispl; BigStock Thanksgiving is famous for its traditions- family, food, and of course, football. While the holiday may not seem to have much to do with job searching, in fact there are many parallels to be found between the traditional aspects of Thanksgiving and job searching. Check …

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Topics: Job Seeker

4 Elements of Career Management You Forgot

By Val Matta on Nov 17, 2014 12:00:07 AM

kentoh; BigStock Searching for a job can be an exhausting task. Trying to prepare a resume, keep your network fresh, and stay current with your interview skills can be overwhelming. And to make matters worse, career management is about more than just finding a job; it’s about keeping …

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5 Things To Never Do During A Job Interview

By Val Matta on Nov 10, 2014 12:00:37 AM

Image: aastock; BigStock Many applicants, despite stellar resumes and cover letters, fail to make it past the interview stage. Often, this is due to little mistakes during the interview that leave a big impression. Here are five things never to do during a job interview:

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Use This, Not That: Resume Power Words

By Val Matta on Nov 3, 2014 12:00:08 AM

It’s time to find a job. You’ve dusted off your job search profile, but how is your resume? Image: AndreyPopov; BigStock The key to a stand-out resume is phrasing. Your experience and skills are important, but don’t just list your experiences, describe them. Use bullet points to elabo …

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Topics: Job Seeker

10 Clothing Staples to Have in Your Professional Wardrobe

By Val Matta on Oct 27, 2014 1:00:13 AM

Image: sharpshutter; BigStock Dressing professionally can be a challenge, especially for individuals who are just starting out. (Have the clothes but need a job? Check out our job search checklist.) And with changing standards for what professional dress means, it’s becoming even more …

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Topics: Job Seeker

3 Hidden Factors That Affect the Hiring Process

By Val Matta on Oct 20, 2014 2:00:10 AM

Image Courtesy of Sergey Nivens; BigStock You’ve recently graduated from college. You’re ready for a change. Or maybe you’re reentering the workforce after time spent away. At any rate, it’s time to find a job. The question is, how long should you expect the process to take? From find …

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Ways To Boost Your Job Search With SEO

By Val Matta on Oct 13, 2014 2:00:16 AM

Image Courtesy of VLADGRIN You’ve heard of SEO or search engine optimization — but it’s a strategy only webmasters and marketers use…right? Actually, as a job seeker, you can take these tricks marketers use to bring their products to the top of the rankings and apply them to help mark …

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Topics: Job Seeker

10 Ways To Shake The Dust Off Your Empty Job Search Profile

By Val Matta on Oct 6, 2014 2:00:34 AM

Image Courtesy of Vac You’re on LinkedIn, you’re on all the major job search sites, you’re scouring through job posts like crazy. You’re messaging employers, but only hearing back from a few saying they already have other candidates in mind. What are you doing wrong? Probably nothing. …

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Topics: Job Seeker

5 Reasons Why Blogging Will Make You A Better Career Counselor

By Val Matta on Sep 29, 2014 2:00:52 AM

Career counselors, you’re probably wondering, “How can a newsfeed of gifs and memes possibly make me better at giving career advice?” Well, if you use your professional blog that way, it probably won’t. Image Courtesy of PixelsAway Sixty percent of businesses use a business or company …

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Why You Don’t Have Time To Find A Job

By Val Matta on Sep 22, 2014 2:00:05 AM

You’re busy. How can you possibly find a new job when you consistently have a million things to do? Image by Elnur The difficult thing about searching for a job is it’s not just a one-and-done endeavor. It’s a process that builds momentum over time that requires regular maintenance; a …

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Val Matta

Thanksgiving Traditions to Utilize in Your Job Search

aispl; BigStock

Thanksgiving is famous for its traditions- family, food, and of course, football. While the holiday may not seem to have much to do with job searching, in fact there are many parallels to be found between the traditional aspects of Thanksgiving and job searching.

Check out these Thanksgiving traditions job seekers can use to help with their search:

Read More

4 Elements of Career Management You Forgot

kentoh; BigStock

Searching for a job can be an exhausting task. Trying to prepare a resume, keep your network fresh, and stay current with your interview skills can be overwhelming. And to make matters worse, career management is about more than just finding a job; it’s about keeping track of your career as a whole and monitoring its direction and focus.

While there are a lot of things job seekers are getting right, there are certain elements of career management many job seekers overlook.

Here’s what you might be forgetting:

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Use This, Not That: Resume Power Words

It’s time to find a job. You’ve dusted off your job search profile, but how is your resume?

Image: AndreyPopov; BigStock

The key to a stand-out resume is phrasing. Your experience and skills are important, but don’t just list your experiences, describe them. Use bullet points to elaborate on exactly what you did and what skills you can bring to the table.

However, instead of everyday language, use power words to take your resume to the next level and help it go from good to great, grabbing employers’ attention.

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10 Clothing Staples to Have in Your Professional Wardrobe

Image: sharpshutter; BigStock

Dressing professionally can be a challenge, especially for individuals who are just starting out. (Have the clothes but need a job? Check out our job search checklist.) And with changing standards for what professional dress means, it’s becoming even more difficult to know what works and what doesn’t.

However, with these 10 staples in your closet, you can be confident your professional dress hits the mark for any occasion:

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3 Hidden Factors That Affect the Hiring Process

Image Courtesy of Sergey Nivens; BigStock

You’ve recently graduated from college. You’re ready for a change. Or maybe you’re reentering the workforce after time spent away. At any rate, it’s time to find a job. The question is, how long should you expect the process to take?

From finding the job posting itself, to scoring an interview, to getting an offer and actually getting started, knowing how much time to budget for finding a new job can be tricky. Individuals who are simply moving jobs have more flexibility with this, while recent grads with loans are in more of a hurry to get things figured out.

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Ways To Boost Your Job Search With SEO

Image Courtesy of VLADGRIN

You’ve heard of SEO or search engine optimization — but it’s a strategy only webmasters and marketers use…right?

Actually, as a job seeker, you can take these tricks marketers use to bring their products to the top of the rankings and apply them to help market yourself as a qualified candidate.

The first step, of course, is to get a website or blog…or both! If you don’t already have one, now is the time to start. There are plenty of free, user-friendly hosts to choose from like Wix, WordPress, and more.

Even if you’re not a tech-savvy webmaster, you can still implement a few SEO tricks to boost your job search:

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10 Ways To Shake The Dust Off Your Empty Job Search Profile

Image Courtesy of Vac

You’re on LinkedIn, you’re on all the major job search sites, you’re scouring through job posts like crazy. You’re messaging employers, but only hearing back from a few saying they already have other candidates in mind. What are you doing wrong? Probably nothing. It’s what other job seekers are doing right — filling their job search profiles with all the right stuff.

 

You might have already read the articles telling you to place a professional photo, work experience, education, and awards on your profile. OK, you can do that, but there is so much more you can do to enhance your online presence.

Shake the dust off your empty job search profile and include these elements you may not have thought about:

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5 Reasons Why Blogging Will Make You A Better Career Counselor

Career counselors, you’re probably wondering, “How can a newsfeed of gifs and memes possibly make me better at giving career advice?” Well, if you use your professional blog that way, it probably won’t.

Image Courtesy of PixelsAway

Sixty percent of businesses use a business or company blog to communicate with the information-seekers of the world, and these blogs receive 528,000,000 page views each month. That’s a lot of exposure for a brand. Why aren’t all career counselors doing the same?

Blogging offers professionals and students a unique way to network with others on a global scale. Here are a few reasons you should blog to connect with your job-seeking audience:

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Why You Don’t Have Time To Find A Job

You’re busy. How can you possibly find a new job when you consistently have a million things to do?

Image by Elnur

The difficult thing about searching for a job is it’s not just a one-and-done endeavor. It’s a process that builds momentum over time that requires regular maintenance; another task to add to your overflowing list. No wonder you don’t have time to find a job.

However, there are a few ways you can integrate your job search into your life by using tools and discovering opportunities you may not have seen before. Here are some reasons you haven’t had the time to find a job, and how you can overcome them:

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