Be aware that there are scammers are looking to make a profit off of your job search are not confined to just online, you can find these low-lifes preying on job seekers in print publications such as classified ads and flyers.

The best way not to fall victim to these scams is to familiarize yourself with them. One of the most common methods scammers use associated with job hunting involves having the victim make a deposit on their behalf. These “job descriptions” will usually involve posting an advertisement or writing an article that favorably mentions a certain product or company . The victim is then told that the initial deposit is for “materials”, “job training” or some type of application “processing fee”. More recently the scam has evolved to where the company will initially send the victim a check and tell them to deposit it into their bank account and purchase something with the money, usually “advertising space”. They will give excuses as to why they can’t purchase the ad space themselves such as living in a different country. The scam here is that the check is invalid and will end up bouncing after the victim has spent the money. This not only hurts financially it can also have longer lasting scars such as diminished credit ratings. Anytime a payment is involved up front take it as a red flag and remove yourself from the situation.

Sometimes when the bogus check arrives the victim will then be told to do something completely different than what was originally agreed upon such as getting a money order from a post office (post office money orders cannot be tracked or refunded). Anytime the exchange of money is involved you are dealing with a scammer.

Another mainstream scam that can be particularly brutal to ones personal life are “fake jobs”. This scam is a little more tricky and works because the victim thinks they’ve been hired for a job that doesn’t really exist. The “employer” will set up some sort of mock interview and explain that the victim has been hired and the next step is to fill out the necessary “legal” forms. These forms will require the victim to put down their bank account number for a direct deposit, one the scammer has this information they likely never be heard from again, and if the victim handed over enough information they could sucessfully steal your identity.

Using common sense and always exerting your best judgment while not being impulsive is a great way to avoid falling for these scams. The old saying “If it sounds to good to be true, then it is” applies to these situations. It’s unfortunate that there are those who feed off of others but the fact is that they do exist and we want all of our users to not only be aware of these scams but to immediately report them to us if one happens to get through on ResumeBucket.com. We screen every employer and job posting that gets listed on our site but we are human and sometimes a clever one can even make it past us. Contact support@resumebucket.com if you suspect something of being a fishy, and put “SCAM” in the title so we can investigate it immediately.

Numbers show that the majority of people change careers five to ten times during their lives. Once the initial excitement wears off most employees tend to burn themselves out and go through what’s called a “Midcareer Crisis.”

“Midlife crisis” may be many things — depression, a reassessment,
dissatisfaction, or unease — but a key contributor can be career
issues.”

Other factors such as location, layoffs, and personal issues influence may also impact this decision. While sometimes it is necessary to ‘reinvent’ yourself.. tread carefully because it’s easy to harm relationships, burn  bridges, kill-off networking opportunities, and emp you down the line with a resume which has no specific industry focus and short employment histories.

If you fall into this category you need to focus on presenting yourself to hiring managers as an asset that can fill the role just as well as your competition, most of whom have had experience in tyour potential field for years. The key is being able to associate your past employment history, skills, and qualifications into your new venture.

Four Tips To Transitioning

1. Identify your accomplishments, skills, and expertise that your new venture will expect you to have. Knowing these traits will be your best resource in transferring into a new industry.

2. Extensively research the ins and outs of any new opportunity. Running into an interview blind will fail nine out of ten times. If you don’t have someone in the space to pull information, the Internet is your next and best resource.
3. Combine the the first and second steps above to identify the vital skills and competence you’ll bring to this next opportunity. Establish yourself as confident and valuable resource.

4. Formulate your resume around this information and be ready to elaborate on it during the interview. You will be grilled on it. This is your chance to prove your worth, and where all the above steps come into play.

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Sometimes cover letters can be a bit tricky to write, so we decided to write a short tutorial on how to go about it. Don’t be intimidated by writing the cover letter; it’s where you can show off your talents and writing skills. So here it is, 8 simple steps for a great cover letter:

• Address the letter to the person who could hire you by name and title. If you can’t find their name use a functional title like “manager” or “selection committee” and remember to never use “To whom it may concern.” You are writing a simple letter to another person to let them personally know that you have interest in their company.

• Show that you know a little about their company. Do some research and be up to date on their current interests, priorities or problems. You don’t want to waste your time and the recruiters time by not doing any research about the company you are apply for.

• Express your enthusiasm to work for that company. If you have a good idea for a current problem a company might be having, offer to come in and discuss it. That’s one way to get your foot in the door, offer to help them with a current situation they might be having. Be creative, use your imagination to get as much face-time as possible with any company you want to work for; it really does help.

• Keep your tone warm and friendly while being professional. Avoid generic and cliché phrases. Recruiters can go through hundreds of resumes a day and it only takes a couple keywords to have your resume in the trash before it’s cracked open.

• Set yourself apart from the crowd. Put someone really unique about yourself in the cover letter. This gives the recruiter some incentive to look into your resume and will remember you. This may seem obvious, but make sure your unique skill is relevant to the job you are applying to.
• Take the initiative about what will happen next. A lot of times people will say that they will follow up with an e-mail of phone call about setting up an interview. Here is a great way to follow up on a resume.

• Keep it to one page. All cover letters should be less than one page. Short and sweet is the way to go; don’t waste anyone’s time.

• Proofread multiple times. This is overlooked more than you could imagine.

When you write your cover letter let your creative process flow. The person reading it will have an idea of who you are instead of taking a template and inputting a few words sporadically throughout the letter. It might be easier to write your cover letter after you have tweaked your resume so that the whole packet flows together. If you need help with writing your cover letter or resume, feel free to contact us.

1. Know what other people are getting paid in your market

2. During or after the interview, do try to get a sense of whether you are the preferred candidate. If you are, you have more negotiation power

3. Wait for them to put out the salary number first.

4. If the company mentions a number, then do the following: Repeat it back to them, then stare at them while counting to 30 in your head. 90% of the time they will then give you a higher number.

5. You can try and negotiate other things like more paid time off if the salary is right already.

6. The best time to negotiate is after the interview but before you’ve been hired. If the hiring manager wants you, talk to HR about raising your payroll. They will try to do their job and not let you get away.

]]> http://www.resumebucketblog.com/miscellaneous/6-salary-negotiation-steps/feed/ 0 http://www.resumebucketblog.com/miscellaneous/how-to-follow-up-after-submitting-a-resume/ http://www.resumebucketblog.com/miscellaneous/how-to-follow-up-after-submitting-a-resume/#comments Tue, 05 May 2009 01:00:34 +0000 aaron http://www.resumebucketblog.com/?p=197 So you submitted your cover letter and resume to potential jobs and have no idea when you should do a follow up. Should I call? Email? Or send a letter? All of those ways are effective in small doses. In other words, don’t do all three but choose one.

If a few days after dropping off your resume you haven’t heard back from anyone, it’s time to make that phone call. It maybe intimidating for some, so its always easier if you have a script written out like this one:

This is ______ calling. A few days ago I applied for the ______ position in your company’s ______ department/division. I’m calling to make sure you received my resume and to reiterate my interest in the position.

Anymore than two phone calls is too much. The trick is to sound interested and qualified, not desperate. The CareerDoctor.org puts it in good terms:

“The cliché that fits in job-seeking — unless abused — is that the squeaky wheel gets the grease; in other words, the job-seeker who follows-up — who shows interest in the job and the company — will get more attention than other applicants.”

Some employers don’t like the phone calls mostly because of the inconvenience and time management so they’ll prefer email instead. It is important to be brief and straight to the point. No one is going to read a longwinded email about how much you really want the job and then proceed to ask multiple questions concerning the job. Remember, recruiting and selection process can take months so be patient.

If you have sent out multiple resumes, it is a good idea to keep a record for everything. Make a spreadsheet that has a list of all the places you have sent out your resume too with columns for interviews, follow-ups, and contact information. If you don’t you may lose important information concerning your next job.

The very last thing to remember is “Don’t Give Up!” Be persistent and confident in your job search. It may get low at times but remember that your dream job may just be a phone call away.

Internships are important for many things, the first being experience. Hands-on experience with a job that is relative to your future career is a definite step in the right direction. Even if the internship isn’t exactly what you want to do, it will be able to open doors and will also have some type of job skill that you are able to put on your resume. Employers love to see that you have work experience even though sometimes they don’t ask for it.

“Online business networking profiles are still just a piece of the puzzle, though. A successful blend of the old and the new networking techniques will counteract the deficiencies inherent in both approaches. A human touch in the new digital landscape goes a long way towards maintaining awareness and crafting image, while drawing in more localized business”

Another reason internships are important is that they help you network. Often times, hiring managers ask employees to refer qualified workers for interviews. The key is to network with all the opportunities your internship has to offer. Networking takes time and won’t happen over night but social networking websites can make it easier.

“I often see new salespeople attend one or two networking events and say ‘networking doesn’t work.’ Of course it doesn’t work after one or two handshakes – you need to give something to the group first before you can expect anything back. Networking is a marathon, not a sprint.”

Don’t kick yourself when you’re down! Internships are down as well. Employers know that it is hard to get experience so don’t be so gloomy in your interview. You don’t need to be young but you need to bring something to the table and be willing to learn. So go ahead and get your hands dirty and remember that every internship could open doors you never thought existed.

-Spencer

“Employees of startups tend to have more varied duties, which can mean a chance to develop a host of valuable new skills. One day you may be designing a product, the next day closing a sales deal. It’s up to you to seize the many challenges and opportunities that come your way in such a fluid environment.”

The good thing about working for a startup is that they can offer you more as far as creativity and having input on where the business is headed.  It is also more likely that upper management will see the quality of work you do and that will open more opportunities to get promoted. They also sometimes pay better than other larger corporations. The biggest perceived risk is that smaller businesses have a higher rate of failure, so make sure you’re in the right industry in these tough times.  Also, startups normally don’t have the job security like giant corporations do.

“No matter what the industry is, business startups usually have one advantage in common – a more informal and relaxed atmosphere. Very often business startups don’t have thick guides of formal rules one must strictly follow and this leaves room for improvisation and creativity, which is highly valued by many employees.”

Working for a startup is a lifestyle. Some people love the relaxed atmosphere while other would like to work in a huge corporation and climb the ranks. Having your startup grow into a corporation is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you helped turn a startup into something big and now you’re making that salary you always wanted. On the other hand, that small business atmosphere is gone and will never return.  What a lot of people do is move on to other startups because that’s how they work. In the end, it’s your discretion on whether working for a startup is right for you.