Hiring practices have changed dramatically over recent years, with several new trends completely redesigning the recruiting landscape. A major part of the hiring process is the interview stage, which has also seen an influx of different types and formats.

No two interview processes are created equal. You have the traditional face-to-face interview, the phone interview, the video interview, the panel interview — the list goes on and on. This can be overwhelming, especially considering that 52 percent of interviewers make their decision about a candidate in the first five to fifteen minutes of the interview, according to an April 2015 study from the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.

How can you help job seekers prepare for all these interview variations? There are several obvious mottos like “be honest” and “dress to impress” that candidates can practice, but let’s take a look at interview tips that address common mistakes for each type of interview:

When you find the right job, you might be willing to do anything to get it. Even tell a white lie. After all, one little fib never hurt anyone.

Not to sound like your mother, but lies always catch up with you. Whether it’s during the job interview or a few months after you’ve been hired, chances are someone is going to figure things out. And depending on how big of a lie you told, it could cost you that perfect job.

Here are four common white lies that interviewers can see right through, and what to say instead:

One of the toughest parts about getting a job is finding the right job in the first place. With so many job postings, it’s a frustrating and exhausting struggle to find the positions that are truly the best fit.  

We understand that sifting through job openings can be a tedious and drawn-out process that often feels like a waste of time. So, how can you feel more efficient in the job search process?

Here’s what you should always consider when looking through job openings:

Do you have the most sought-after skills to get the job you want? Many job seekers don’t actually know what employers are after. Would you guess it’s leadership?

In Deloitte’s 2019 Global Human Capital Trends, 80% of respondents reported that leadership is a high priority for their organization. However, they also indicated that these traits are scarce in most businesses. Only 41% believed their companies were ready to implement changes to encourage stronger leadership skills. 

Thus, standing out as a candidate with talented leadership skills will appeal to companies looking to strengthen that skill set on every level. 

Here’s how can you prove and improve your leadership skills in the job search:

The job market for millennials is more competitive than ever before. Over the last decade, the unemployment rate has been on a steady decline and is at an all time low of 4.9 percent according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, millennials are still having the hardest time finding jobs.

How can the ‘Net Generation’ beat the odds and secure decent paying jobs in today’s market? This is a great opportunity for career counselors to show their grit while helping this unique generation of go-getters find their place in the workforce.

Millennials are generally recognized for having two abilities their predecessors have not: positivity and an above average capability to use technology. Since employers hope to add these two qualities to their team when hiring a millennial, it is your job to show how your job-seeker exhibits both of these traits and more.

Here are three tips to tip off employers to your millennial candidate and land them that job:

When on a new job hunt, sometimes the hardest thing to do is to stand out from everyone else. This modern age makes it extremely difficult to appear distinctive because in most cases, you are not actually physically meeting your employer for the first few interactions with them.

Standing out requires creativity and uniqueness but, most importantly, leaving a strong first impression. Based on a study by the Journal of Applied Psychology, titled “Initial Impressions: What They Are, What They Are Not, and How They Influence Structured Interview Outcomes,” your first communication with an employer has a huge influence on your chances of getting that job. 

Many people understand what it takes to make a good impression in the real world, but are those skills easily translated to the cyber world? What can you do to make a good first online impression, and how can these tactics help you stand out among the rest of the applicants?

Here are three ways you can appear as the four leaf clover to an employer:

Knowing how to use your social media accounts is important when embarking on a digital job search because many employers use social media for their talent search. In fact, 73 percent out of 1,855 recruiting and human resources professionals said they have hired a candidate through social media, according to a 2014 Social Recruiting Survey by Jobvite.

At this point, most of us know what not to do on social media. But how should you use social media to a standout from other job candidates?

Here are three ways you can take your online personal brand to the next level and stand out from other job candidates:

Working from home sounds like a dream — you can work in your pajamas, you don’t have to commute to work, you have the flexibility to take breaks when it’s most ideal for your workload and is not going to interrupt workflow, and there is no micro-manager watching over your shoulder, sending shivers up your spine.

As great as this all may seem, working remotely isn’t for everyone. There are aspects of telecommuting that can be challenging for certain personalities.

Here are the four skills you need to have if working from home is going to work for you: 

So, you just quit your job, and you’re feeling stuck. You don’t know what the next steps are. However, the first step is the hardest and instead of being down, be proud of yourself — you knew you deserved better and got out of a rut to find a job more fitting for you.

Putting in your two weeks’ notice and packing up your desk isn’t the most pleasant experience — but it can lead to something better, if you use that time to grow.

Here are three ways you can embrace the time off to really discover yourself and find your dream career:

(This post was updated on 6/24/2020)

With businesses shut down due to COVID-19, about 20.5 million people were on state unemployment rolls in early June 2020, according to the New York Times. It was the 13th straight week that filings topped one million. This extended period of high unemployment brought a question to the minds of many workers: is this forced break in work a good time to think about changing careers?

Despite the popular advice of “following your passion,” job seekers should pause and reflect before changing career paths. The best thing to do is ask the right questions to identify what is meaningful, what provides value, what skills are transferable, and what a career change looks like in reality.

Here is what your job seekers should ask themselves before changing careers: