If you want to get hired, keep this in mind...

In this economy, odds are you are either (1) seeking a job or (2) clinging to the job you have with both hands. That means roughly half of our Mod-Blog readership may be in the job market at the moment. So, an article with tips on how not to sabotage yourself at an interiew seems timely!

If you're asked to offer up your personal weaknesses, answer the question: "Don't say things like 'I don't know when to leave to go home,' 'I'm too dedicated,' and 'I tend to accumulate too many accomplishments.' It makes me want to throw up when I hear that. I'm interested in your honest responses."

And if you really don't want the job:

"The most problematic job candidate I had was someone who knew the CEO of the company, and made sure to tell that to the interviewer at least three times during the interview."

Having been an interviewer more recently than an interviewee, one other tip I'd put out there is to be polite and considerate to everyone. I have had candidates seek out the "important person" in the room and speak only to him/her, ignoring and/or refusing to make eye contact with anyone else. Since "anyone else" probably includes your future peers, this was always an instant red flag for me.

Unemployed not eligible for employment?!

It is a dirty little secret amongst recruiters that they tend to sort people without a current job to the BOTTOM of the pile. This is why most advisers will tell you to NEVER quit a job before you find the next one. But some companies are letting the secret out by explicitly stating in their ads that unemployed people will not be considered. That may be acceptable during good times, but in the middle of the Great Recession, that is a recipe for a permanent underclass of unemployable (yet skilled) people.

Peter May, of Atlanta, said he was hoping Orlando-based recruiter "The People Place" would help him find a job with Sony Ericsson. The company is moving its headquarters to Buckhead, which is located outside Atlanta.
May said he was mortified when he read the message on the website. In all caps, and bold type, it said, "No unemployed candidates will be considered at all."

Note to recruiters - time to change your attitude, before politicians and regulators decide to change it for you!

Irony, Thy Name is Economics

From here.

Dow 30K!

Yesterday, I was reading a somewhat paranoid and highly critical discussion about the GWB presidency. I then came across a liberal whose comment was mystifying to me. It made the claim that this was "the worst economy since the Great Depression with the highest unemployment ever." Hunh? I am hoping the comment was made before the Dow hit 13,000 which is the highest level it has ever reached, which was pushed largely by unexpected drops in unemployment which was already very low.

There are many things to criticize about the George W Bush Administration. But somehow, I do not think the state of the economy is one of them.