Handling Employers That Tell You How Many People Applied

By Bob McDonald on November 10, 2009

When thinking about our previous post about seriously reconsidering your career, the New York Times article I referenced pointed out the incomprehensible number of applicants to a singular position (500, according to the article).

Those who are in the job market recognize that when you do apply for a job, you generally won’t be the only one who is looking at the same opportunity. In fact, it’s a safe bet that your resume or application will go against dozens of others, maybe more.

But if you are one of the lucky few who is called in for an interview, what does it truly mean when the employer tells you how many people applied to this position?

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Get A Business Card (Even If You Don’t Have a Business!)

By Bob McDonald on October 29, 2009

A couple of years ago, I was introduced to Aaron Boyce, a Sacramento-based motivational speaker and career workshop presenter. At the time, he was invited to speak about networking to benefit the job search at the technical school I worked at.

While I have since moved on, and, among other things, added career workshops to our own list of available services, there was one networking tool that Mr. Boyce passed along to attendees that left a lasting impression. And it’s this tool that may, in the face of upcoming job fairs, give you a leg up: Create business cards.

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Freelancing – Fill Space and Time, Maybe More

By Bob McDonald on October 20, 2009

A long time ago, when you thought of the term freelancing, most people generally thought about writing, be it in newspapers or magazines. These days, of course, you can find freelancing to surround all types of jobs in any industry you can think of.

For someone who is between jobs, freelancing can not only provide some extra money that can come in handy if times are tight, but it can also allow to fill the empty space that currently occupies your resume.

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Speaking Of Sales…Why Are YOU Selling?

By Bob McDonald on October 6, 2009

When thinking about the idea of commission-only sales and how to look for the right opportunity in that realm, it’s made me think about some of my previous comments about sales positions in general, particularly in Look Beyond the Job Boards.

Sure, it would appear that there are plenty of sales jobs out there for people who want them. But can anyone care to venture why, it seems, that the same companies keep posting the same sales jobs over and over again?

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Avoid Panic Applying

By Bob McDonald on October 1, 2009

Over the course of your career, three situations may have happened to you:

  1. A change occurred at your organization that has made your work environment, and consequently your job, suddenly unbearable.
  2. Lay-offs have been announced, and either you are one of those who will face the ax or you are fearful that you may be.
  3. While unemployed, you reach a certain point where you feel the job-search process is going far too slowly.

If you have been in any of these three situations, chances are, a great deal of fear, impatience or frustration has set in. As a result, you started to submit your resume or apply to any job, regardless of job requirements, salary or, in some cases, qualifications.

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