How to Negotiate the Salary You Want

By Val Matta on Feb 23, 2015 12:30:50 AM

tatsianama;BigStock Negotiating your salary can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you’re new to the job market. The good news – most managers are open to a little back and forth. The bad news – they have a lot more practice than most job seekers. If you’re coming close to …

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Topics: Job Seeker

5 Things You Need to Know About Answering Crazy Interview Questions

By Val Matta on Feb 16, 2015 12:30:30 AM

What’s your spirit animal? If you were the size of a dime, how would you get out of a blender? Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer? mybaitshop;BigStock Hiring managers can ask some pretty crazy interview questions, and, whether you like it or not, you need to answer them if you wan …

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Topics: Job Seeker

Finding a Job: How to Make Your Blog Work for You

By Val Matta on Feb 9, 2015 12:30:46 AM

travelwitness; BigStock You already know, in order to land your dream job, you need to stand out in all aspects of the job search. Whether you’re looking to impress a hiring manager, connect with people in your industry, or share your knowledge with the world, a personal blog might be …

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Topics: Job Seeker

6 Things You Need to Know to Land a Job in 2015

By Val Matta on Feb 2, 2015 12:30:41 AM

Tupungato;BigStock In the name of finding a job, job seekers are often instructed to “ignore” poor interviewer experiences, wait to hear back from recruiters or hiring managers, and take the best offer on the table — no questions asked. But over the last few years, the power has slowl …

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Topics: Job Seeker

5 Character Traits You Need to Know About to Find a Job in 2015

By Val Matta on Jan 26, 2015 12:30:18 AM

mypokcik; BigStock If you are a recent college graduate or have spent any time looking for a job, you know how difficult it can be to figure out exactly what hiring managers are looking for. Even when a job description lays out what skills are necessary to land the position, your pers …

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Topics: Job Seeker

4 Old-School Job Hunt Techniques You Need to Know About

By Val Matta on Jan 19, 2015 12:30:11 AM

Kzenon; BigStock If you told your relatives about your job search over this past holiday season, you probably heard these great pieces of advice, at every meal: “Just go to the office and ask to meet with the hiring manager,” “Why don’t you just call and ask if they are hiring?” These …

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Topics: Job Seeker

How to Avoid the Most Common Job Search Mistakes

By Val Matta on Jan 12, 2015 12:30:51 AM

Patryk Kosmider; BigStock A job search can be a long and difficult process. If your search is dragging on and you see no end in sight, review your efforts and make sure you’re not making any of these seven common job search mistakes.

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How to Use LinkedIn to Get a Job

By Val Matta on Jan 5, 2015 12:30:01 AM

Almost every job seeker knows they should be on LinkedIn. But do they really know how to use it to their advantage? bloomua; BigStock To get started, here’s what your profile should contain: A professional headshot Contact information, including social media profiles A link to your re …

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3 Ways To Build Your Personal Brand As A Career Counselor

By Val Matta on Dec 29, 2014 12:30:30 AM

This post was updated to bring you the most up-to-date tips, October 2020. More employers than ever are using video to interview candidates from across the country. Students and job seekers are tweeting links to their portfolios to employers. The modern digital world is moving fast, a …

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5 Body Language Secrets For Your Next Interview

By Val Matta on Dec 22, 2014 12:00:48 AM

What you say in an interview is important, but so is how you carry yourself. How is your body language helping or hindering your job search? Imagesbavaria; BigStock A large portion of our communication is nonverbal, and most of them time we’re unaware of it. However, you can use body …

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Topics: Job Seeker

How to Negotiate the Salary You Want

tatsianama;BigStock

Negotiating your salary can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you’re new to the job market. The good news – most managers are open to a little back and forth. The bad news – they have a lot more practice than most job seekers.

If you’re coming close to landing a job or you’re getting ready to negotiate your new salary, follow these 7 tips to give yourself the best chance of scoring the the salary you want:

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5 Things You Need to Know About Answering Crazy Interview Questions

What’s your spirit animal? If you were the size of a dime, how would you get out of a blender? Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer?

mybaitshop;BigStock

Hiring managers can ask some pretty crazy interview questions, and, whether you like it or not, you need to answer them if you want the job. Answering them is a little more involved than saying the first thing you can think of. For the most part, hiring managers are trying to break through the polished answers you’ve prepared, to learn more about how you think on your feet.

While a number of these questions have seemingly “correct” answers, most of the time it’s the thought process that goes into them that hiring managers are actually evaluating. Here are a few strategies to implement when a hiring manager asks you whether or not you believe in bigfoot:

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Finding a Job: How to Make Your Blog Work for You

travelwitness; BigStock

You already know, in order to land your dream job, you need to stand out in all aspects of the job search. Whether you’re looking to impress a hiring manager, connect with people in your industry, or share your knowledge with the world, a personal blog might be the difference between ending your job search, and getting your resume tossed in the “no” pile.

If you write your own blog — or you’re thinking about starting one — here are a few dos and don’ts to make blogging work for you in your job search:

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6 Things You Need to Know to Land a Job in 2015

Tupungato;BigStock

In the name of finding a job, job seekers are often instructed to “ignore” poor interviewer experiences, wait to hear back from recruiters or hiring managers, and take the best offer on the table — no questions asked. But over the last few years, the power has slowly shifted. According to MRINetwork’s 2014 Recruiter Sentiment Survey 83 percent of recruiters acknowledge that candidates hold the power in today’s job market. This new candidate-driven job market puts job seekers in the driver’s seat, allowing them more freedom to make the first move, negotiate and find their ideal jobs.

If you are looking for a position in this candidate-driven job market, consider taking advantage of these 6 strategies, to help you find the right position for you:

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5 Character Traits You Need to Know About to Find a Job in 2015

mypokcik; BigStock

If you are a recent college graduate or have spent any time looking for a job, you know how difficult it can be to figure out exactly what hiring managers are looking for. Even when a job description lays out what skills are necessary to land the position, your personality still plays a huge role in whether or not you succeed. Understanding what character traits employers are looking for could bring you one step closer to landing the position of your dreams.

Here are five personality traits to emphasize on your resume, and in your interviews, in 2015:

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4 Old-School Job Hunt Techniques You Need to Know About

Kzenon; BigStock

If you told your relatives about your job search over this past holiday season, you probably heard these great pieces of advice, at every meal: “Just go to the office and ask to meet with the hiring manager,” “Why don’t you just call and ask if they are hiring?”

These “old-school” job hunting tactics may sound ridiculous, now that technology and social media have changed the job search landscape, but several old school tactics can still be very effective in a modern-day job hunting.

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How to Use LinkedIn to Get a Job

Almost every job seeker knows they should be on LinkedIn. But do they really know how to use it to their advantage?

bloomua; BigStock

To get started, here’s what your profile should contain:

  • A professional headshot
  • Contact information, including social media profiles
  • A link to your resume
  • Your educational background
  • Details about your job experience
  • Relevant industry skills
  • Any volunteer experience you have

Once you have your profile created, you can use it to your advantage in your job search. Here’s how:

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3 Ways To Build Your Personal Brand As A Career Counselor

This post was updated to bring you the most up-to-date tips, October 2020.

More employers than ever are using video to interview candidates from across the country. Students and job seekers are tweeting links to their portfolios to employers. The modern digital world is moving fast, and it’s changing the rules for employers and job seekers. The same goes for those who give career advice to professional and student job seekers, too.

Whether it’s news, the latest music video or an answer to a burning question, most of today’s information is accessed online. People search for answers 5.8 billion times each day on Google alone.

It seems fit that career counselors should also hang out in this space to help do what they do best — advise others. One of the best ways to do this is to use blogs and social media to build a personal brand and become online thought leaders.

Use your online presence to relate to those whom you advise. Chances are, they are on social media trying to establish a following, too. If not, they may need to get out there for the sake of networking for a career.

Here are some tips for building your personal brand through today’s online tools:

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5 Body Language Secrets For Your Next Interview

What you say in an interview is important, but so is how you carry yourself. How is your body language helping or hindering your job search?

Imagesbavaria; BigStock

A large portion of our communication is nonverbal, and most of them time we’re unaware of it. However, you can use body language to your advantage during the interview process to subtly impress your interviewer and convey confidence.

Here are five aspects of body language to consider when preparing for your next interview:

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