8 Steps to Getting On-Track When You Start a New Job.

Starting a new job can feel like moving to a new country. Your language skills may be modest. You have little knowledge of the laws, let alone the customs and traditions of the society you are entering. All you have is a passport and the goodwill of management as you enter unfamiliar borders.

1. Get to know your colleagues. Ask questions and listen to their answers. Get a sense of what is said and what is unsaid. You don’t need answers to all of your questions at once. Take your time.

2. Have lunch with different people in the department every day. Learn about the corporate culture and who the leaders are and the unofficial leaders are.

3. Get to know some of the key people in your organization and what matters to them.

4. Get connected with your boss’ objectives and how you fit in to them. What are his/her challenges and how can you help meet them.

5. PLAN. Plan your time and plan how to meet your objectives. Create a schedule that allows you to stay connected with your personal life and your career objectives.

6. Succeed by completing a project within your first 60 – 90 days. Keep your boss up-to-date on what you are doing and, if uncertain about something, ask for advice.

7. On the days that you are unsure of yourself, remember the days that you were most successful. Everyone has bad days. It doesn’t mean that you are a failure or that you made a wrong choice to join the firm. Get yourself back on track.

8. Enjoy your successes. Celebrate the victories.


Joining a new firm may initially feel like moving to a new country but with time and effort on your part, you, too, can achieve the success that so many immigrants have.

Jeff Altman
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com

© 2004 all rights reserved.

Six Steps to Preparing for a Job Change

Although the government says the recession is over, more layoffs will inevitably occur. In addition, with the economy improving, people will find themselves less willing to accept the long hours, wage increase suspensions and other requirements of bad times. With more firms adding to staff, wages will start to increase and you will have more of an opportunity to land a better job.

If you are worried about being laid off or just think you might want to explore other alternatives your best course of action is to be prepared.

Here are a few things you can do to get ready.

1. If you haven’t already done so, track your accomplishments so that updating your resume is easy. Every three months, sit down with yourself as though you were going into a performance review and record your accomplishments during the previous three months.

2. Update your resume. If you regularly track your accomplishments, updating your resume will be easy. If you don’t, then take the time to document your role, responsibilities and accomplishments. If you employ technology, indicate it in the body of the resume, not just in a summary section. A position review from HR and previous performance reviews may help you put it together.

3. If you don’t know where they are, track down your references. Managers who would provide strong testimonials about you, your character and your work are worth their weight in gold. Don’t let the trail go stale by staying in contact with them so that when they are needed you know how to find them. Barring that, contact your references and update their contact information (Name, company, title, phone number, email address). Ask them if they would give you a strong reference.

4. Check the job boards to get a pulse for wage scales for what you do. Job boards are a great source of language and key attributes that employers are looking for.

5. Tailor your resume for each position you apply for. Like the broken watch that is right twice a day, a generic resume will reflect what an employer is looking for from time to time. A tailored resume will do it every time.Get an email account from Yahoo or Hotmail for your search. Use this address in case you are laid off prior to finding a new position or to insure that you can disappear from recruiter data bases after you find a new one.

6. If you’re laid off, get letters of recommendation and try to negotiate both outplacement and a lengthy severance. Outplacement will provide you with an office to work from while you search plus the services of a support staff to assist you.

By talking time to organize yourself, you will find that your search will get off to a strong start.

Jeff Altman
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com

© 2004 all rights reserved.

Jeff Altman and job hunting tips

Jeff Altman has successfully assisted many corporations identify technology management leaders and staff since 1971. He has effectively worked with industry leaders and start-up firms in professional services, financial services, consumer products, healthcare, e-business, transportation, and a host of other sectors. He has successfully completed searches for positions in applications development, infrastructure, support roles and business operations roles, management and staff positions.

Have a Job Hunting addressbook

Have a Job Hunting Addressbook or use software to track what you do

It is important to keep a note of the names, phone numbers and addresses of all the people you speak to in your job hunt, including people who interview you. Tracking who you attempt to contact, actually contact, and interview with is essential so that you can track and follow up your actions.

Job Hunting: It's Like a Job, Only Harder

Job Hunting: It's Like a Job, Only Harder

Expert tips for writing resumes, cover letters and thank you notes

(ARA) - For recent college graduates or professionals beginning a new job search, a job hunt can be an exhausting process. One of the reasons is that, according to the experts, to be successful in your job search, you have to "market" yourself, and many people just don't know how.

According to Loribeth Dalton, director of career services for The Art Institute of Las Vegas, "The job search is very similar to sales and marketing. To be successful you must follow a linear strategic plan."

For example, says Dalton, start with the two of the most important building blocks for a successful job search: the resume and cover letter. "The purpose of a resume is to tell an employer what a person has done in the past. The cover letter tells the prospective employer what skills and abilities the job seeker has that will allow them to be successful in the future with their company," she says. "Each cover letter should be crafted to be very specific to the job applied for."

Michael Courteau, professional development instructor at The Art Institutes International Minnesota recommends never having a resume longer than one page. Anything beyond that won't get read. "Conventional wisdom is that most resumes are read, on average, for eight seconds, so adding another page to your resume becomes unnecessary, since you'll only be placing an even greater textual demand on the reader's eight seconds," he says.

If you have limited work experience, like a new college grad, consider creating a functional resume that emphasizes skills. For example, says Courteau, near the top of your resume you would list such skills as knowledge of specific software, bilingual skills, or relevant volunteer experience.

In your cover letter, says Kirsten Wright, graduate employment advisor at The Art Institute of Washington, "point out the strengths of your resume and direct a potential employer to things that you cannot explicitly state in your resume but that make you stand out."

In both resumes and cover letters, always use high quality paper. Stay away from slang language and avoid using contractions. You want to present yourself as a professional, even if you've never held a formal job before.

Find out if your school has a career services department, and if so, ask for guidance. "That's what they're there for," says Diana Graves-Sharple, director of career services of The Art Institute of Atlanta. Graves-Sharple also recommends seeking out friends, family, professional organizations, trade journals, job boards, recruiters, staffing agencies and industry specific directories to help in your job search. "Research your city, or the city you'd like to work in, the job market, and know the industry and the companies that you are contacting for potential employment," she advises.

With all the job seeking information available on the Web -- including Career Builder.com, CreativeHotlist.com, TalenZoo.com, and FlipDog.com. -- are today's graduates in better shape than a generation ago to find a job? "Overall, I'd have to say yes," says Jennifer Abramski, assistant director of career services of The Art Institute of Seattle.

But, she adds, there are common mistakes she sees over and over again. For example, graduates need to respond quickly to job leads, i.e. within a day. They need to return a potential employers' call immediately and be on time for interviews. Abramski adds, "five minutes late is not on time." Be enthusiastic. Often the recent graduate still has the "laid back" college mentality, but this doesn't work well in a job interview situation. "Employers often end up thinking you're not interested in the job or the company," she says. Remember, a first job is not necessarily a dream job. But it does add to your professional experience.

All these experts agree, thank you notes for an interview need to be sent within one day of an interview. Thank you notes "can tip the scales in your favor," says Kristin Wright. "When all other skill sets and experiences are equal, this can be the factor that gets you hired," she adds. Thank you notes also give you the opportunity to point something out about yourself that you didn't make clear during the interview process.

When it's time to sit back and wait for the job interview calls to come in, remember to listen to the outgoing message of your home answering machine or cell phone. Edie Beattie, career services advisor at The Art Institute of Charlotte, remembers calling a graduate who was actively job searching and hearing an outgoing message of "Whad Up?" and then beep. If a potential employer hears that, your job offer could be doomed.

So whether you're a new college graduate or an experienced professional who has been recently downsized, the guidelines are the same. Write a good resume and cover letter, be organized and keep track of who you interview with, write thank-you notes and maintain a professional image, even if you're just at home waiting for the phone to ring. You never know.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Preparing an Effective Resume

There is no universal resume format. There are only guidelines you should follow, and the resume sample shown is intended for that purpose.

Present your job objective in a manner that relates both to the company and the job description.

Final hiring decisions are rarely base upon resume alone; however the resume should be concise, factual and positive listing of your education, employment history and accomplishment.

Test your resume for relevancy. The information included in your resume should either support your job or career objective directly or support your character in general. If you have no definite purpose for including something, just leave it out.

Be conscious of the continuity of your history. The reader will be looking for reason to eliminate as many resumes as possible. Resumes with gaps of unaccountable time often reach the circular file.

Weigh your choice of words. Select strong actions verbs, concrete nouns and positive modifiers for emphasis (see below). Use concise phrases and clauses rather than complete sentences.

Try your resume out on someone who knows you and who will be objective in his or her opinion.

Keep a separate list of references and made them available only upon request.

Your resume is only a door opener. You want aninterview.


Additionally Your Interviewer Will Ask For Questions of Your Resume…Make Sure You Have the Answers!*

Answering the following four questions in a fully persuasive way will greatly increase your odds of developing a winning resume. The questions are the crucial elements of the resume formula. Answering them will not only give you the material you need for building a strong resume, but will also prepare you for networking and interviewing. Use the sample resume below as a point of reference.

1. What do you want? That’s your Objective. Don’t struggle or agonize over this. Prospective employers want and need a simple, specific answer. Managers and human resources people need to know how to route your resume. If your objective is too vague, they’ll just scrap it. Change your objective for different markets if you have to.

2. Why are you qualified to do it? That’s the Summary section. Answer succinctly why you’re qualified to accomplish your objective. Ask yourself: why they should hire me? (You will need to get ready for that one at the interview anyway!) Summarize the answer in easy-to-read bullet points. These points become your Summary. This section should satisfy your audience that the rest of your resume is worth reading, bringing them to the next question.

3. Where have you done it? That’s the Experience Section. The reader needs to relate to the experience you’ve had. Identify the company in its most relevant light. If it’s not a recognizable company, write a line about it high points. Build it up. On the resume, the reader will often equate your value with that of your employer. Describe only the parts of your job that help sell you and showcase your value.

4. How Well Have You Done It? That’s the Achievement Section. This is where you should put in your most thought and effort. Think about what you did for each employer to make that company better. It could be a big thing or something small. But it should be enough to show value. Did you have an idea which was implemented and has saved the company money? Were you promoted several times due to your contributions? Were you given positive reviews, and why? Were you selected for a key program or training? Bullet these points separately from, and after, your job description. These points show your worth.


ACTION VERBS

accelerated
demonstrated
initiated
performed
scheduled
accomplished
designed
instructed
planned
simplified
achieved
directed
interpreted
pinpointed
set up
adapted
effected
improved
programmed
solved
administered
eliminated
launched
proposed
structured
analyzed
established
led
proved
streamlined
approved
evaluated
lectured
provided
supervised
coordinated
expanded
maintained
proficient in
supported
conceived
expedited
managed
recommended
taught
conducted
facilitated
mastered
reduced
trained
completed
found
motivated
reinforced
translated
controlled
generated
operated
reorganized
utilized
created
increased
originated
revamped
won
delegated
influenced
organized
revised
developed
implemented
participated
reviewed

CONCRETE NOUNS AND POSITVE MODIFIERS

ability
competent
effectiveness
qualified
technical
actively
competence
pertinent
resourceful
versatile
capacity
consistent
proficient
substantially
vigorous


Good luck!

Jeff Altman
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com

© 2004 all rights reserved.

Seven Tips to Winning Interviews

Let's take a minute and examine what many interviews look like from the employer's vantage point. This means not just listening to the answers to questions about behaviors that occur during the interview that affect our judgment and decision-making. Now, before you start a campaign criticizing me for suggesting that it is stupid to take such trivial matters into consideration, you are naive to think that it is not irrelevant to look at behavior during the interview. After all, when advertisers, television producers and movie directors create a product to sell to you, they do so conscious that every detail of their presentation affects whether you would consider buying their product or liking their movie. They target every detail for optimal affect.

So, let's think for a second about how a receptionist at an employer feels if he or she is treated abruptly or rudely when you arrive at an interview. Do you think they might they periodically mention something to an interviewer? And if you refuse to complete an employment application, saying that all the answers are in your resume, how does an employer interpret that behavior?

These are a seemingly few trivial mistakes that people consistently make year in and year out. There are many others that people make. Let me share a few thing to do and not to do.

1. When you are asked to wait for a few minutes until the interviewer arrives to greet you, sit facing the greatest number of entry points to the room so that you can see them approaching you. There are few things worse that you can do, than to lose your focus in that book that you are reading and not be conscious when someone comes out to greet you.

2. The handshake needs to be proper. There are many cultural differences that exist between proper interview behavior in the US and elsewhere in the world. Here, a firm handshake and eye contact while you do it is expected. To shake hands weakly, to "pump the handshake as though you were a well," to break the other person's hand off while you shake it, to avoid eye contact are interpreted poorly in this culture. If it is a winter's day, you need to arrive at the office building where the interview is being conducted early enough to warm your hands; in summer, you need to arrive early enough to cool off. There is nothing worse than shaking hands with someone whose hands are frozen or in summer with someone whose hands are slippery from sweat.

3. What do your shoes and clothes do or not do? Every firm has a corporate culture--formal or informal. Whichever one it is, you need to dress appropriately for it. Your clothes should be well-pressed, your shoes having a shine to them. Your wardrobe should suggest success without screaming "PAY ATTENTION TO ME." This is true for men and women alike.

4. Prepare for what interviews ask. Most interviews start in a fairly predictable way, asking you to summarize your career. They may even ask something like, "Tell me about yourself and what you've been doing professionally?" Prepare your answer to questions like this before arriving to the interview. Also prepare for the natural follow up questions to your answer without giving the impression that you are too well-prepared. Practice. Practice. Practice. make your answers seem spontaneous, even when they are rehearsed. You know what the job description is that the company is attempting to hire for, what would you ask to confirm that you are qualified?

5. Try to make a personal connection with every person who interviews you. Do I need to say more?

6. Be prepared to speak about what you're looking for and why? This is both a tangible question about the nature of the job you're looking for and a question that speaks to your character. Many people arrive with unreasonable demands and expectations. Some people answer as though they lack ambition. Think about it before you arrive for an interview.

7. Have some questions to ask the interviewer? Look at the company's website before the interview to learn about the company. Ask them to speak with you about the project the group is working on and how your role would fit into the team. What their expectations are for you? What is the due date for the project? What would you have to do to be rated as an exceptional employee vs. an average one? NOT asking questions suggests lack of ambition or disinterest. Ask a few and ask the interviewer to clarify a point or two about the job.

Jeff Altman

Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com

© 2004 all rights reserved.

Why Do Interviews Die: That Sinking Feeling & How to Avoid It

Recently, there was a good article on the HotJobs website called "Five Ways to Rescue a Dying Interview.

I would like to reverse the article and ask the question, "Why do interviews die?"

Interviews die because a mistake occurred. Sometimes, you've made a mistake; sometimes they die because someone who screened a resume did.

1. Interviews often occur because someone has reviewed a resume and interprets something that you have written in ways that you didn't intend. Someone believes that you have a skill tat you didn't list; sometimes, they misread something in your experience. Within 15 minutes, each of you knows that something is wrong but because interview etiquette doesn't permit it, the conversation languishes on.

2. Sometimes it is your mistake. Sometimes you have overstated an experience or skill in your resume. In job markets like these, it is common for people to include every skill or experience they have been near or around in their resume in the hope that they will get an interview. As I screen resumes, it has become too common for me to find out about people having 4 months of experience with the core skill of the job I am trying to fill. That is rarely adequate for my client in the searches we are attempting to complete, yet, like mission inspectors in Iraq, I have to ask a follow-up question to deduce that the experience is inadequate.

3. The interviewer is off in another thought and you don't bring them around to pay attention to you. Although an interview may be the most important thing in your day, it may be one of 25 priorities in the interviewers. What you may interpret as a dying interview may be the interviewer thinking about a project responsibility, the next question they're going to ask, their commute, an argument with a spouse/significant other or child, an upcoming meeting or a million other possibilities.

4. You are boring the interviewer. Too often, answers to questions send the job-seeker off in lengthy answers that are just downright boring and long. It's not the question; it's that the person hasn't organized their thoughts around a subject so the answer is becomes so lengthy, uninteresting and, often, have no relationship with the original question.

How Can I Avoid This?

There are different strategies depending upon the mistake. I'll answer by offering ways to both avoid the mistake and to steer the interview along a better route.

1. When you are invited to interview with a firm, ask about the position that they want to interview you for. Try not to interview for jobs for which you are not qualified. They may saw a Director's position or a programmer's role. Ask then, if they can tell you more about the role and responsibilities of the position and what they are looking for in the way of a background or experience. If you detect a "red flag" or something that gives you reason to feel like there was mistake made, it is useful to say what your actual experience was in the area that and confirm that it is adequate.

For example, a company looking for a Notes developer invites a Notes administrator with some development experience for a senior developer's role. The administrator states that they are an administrator with two years of development experience during which time 40% of their work was development. Some of you may say that this will "kill the interview" and you'll be right. Yet in this market, the interview would be a waste of time.

2. Don't exaggerate your knowledge or experience on your resume. Be accurate when you present your experience or knowledge. If you worked with something for two months three years ago, indicate it on your resume. Don't worry, you are not going to lose an opportunity to get hired because you were honest. You're going to save yourself the agony of interviewing for a job that you wouldn't get hired for anyway.

3. If you sense an interviewer is off in thought, there is a simple way to bring them back to you--shift your position by crossing your leg or adjusting in the chair or clear your throat and apologize for doing so. These two simple actions will bring their consciousness back to you.

4. Pay attention. Paying attention is not something you would think should be a necessary reminder. Too often, jobseekers are off in their thoughts and not paying attention. Not paying attention to what the company is looking for in the way of a solution to the job; thinking that they know better than the employer what they should be asking and then going off and answering that question instead of the one asked. Then the answer goes on forever!

Try to answer the question in 30-45 seconds if possible. Some questions require more time than that; most don't. By keeping your answers to that length, you will make the interview interactive. It is unlikely that you will bore your audience. You will create a back and forth with the interviewer that will keep them engaged in the discussion with you. You can probably even anticipate what their follow-up question can be and practice your answer in advance of the interview.

You'll probably notice that the first two suggestions occur before an interview, the next two occur during the interview. I don't believe that smiling or asking a lot of questions are anything more than damage control. By following the points here, you will avoid going on interviews that you can't win and do a better job in the ones you get.

Good luck!

Jeff Altman

Concepts in Staffing

jeffaltman@cisny.com

© 2004 all rights reserved.

Rejection Dysfunction: Stop Premature Rejection!!

Remember: If it's on your resume, be prepared to discuss it . . . including what's on Page 2 or 3! The interviewer is not your friend. They're evaluating you. Be prepared to ask intelligent questions about the job. Avoid discussing salary at a first interview with a prospective employer. Never lie about dates and salary. Try to answer questions in 30-45 seconds. Don't compare your negotiations with someone else who you know. Most interviews contain core questions that allow an employer an opportunity to get acquainted with you as a human being, not just as a technology professional The Basics 1. Tell me about yourself and what you've been doing professionally? 2. What's your current compensation (differentiate between base salary and bonus or other incentives when answering)? 3. Why are you looking for a job? What prompts you to want to look at other things? Getting more difficult . . . 1. What job duties do you enjoy most/least and why? 2. Have you ever been fired or asked to resign? 3.In your current or last position, what are or were your five most significant accomplishments? 4. Tell me about your two previous reasons for changing jobs More difficult . . . 1. How much are you looking for? 2.What's most important to you in the next job or organization? What will you need to see of hear in order to know this is the right place for you? 3. What do you know about our company? Still more difficult . . . 1. Hypothetically, if I called your last manager and asked you to tell me your strengths, what would they tell me? 2. And if I asked them where you could use improvement? 3. Do you prefer to work by yourself or with others? Finally! 1. You know, everyone makes mistakes. I've made mistakes. I'm sure you have as well. Tell me about a professional mistake you've made and what you learned from it. 2. Where do you see yourself five years from now? 3. Is there anything that I've forgotten to ask you that is material to conveying your qualifications that you'd like me to know? REHEARSE. REHEARSE. REHEARSE. The fact is that most people cannot arrive at an interview and "wing it." Like developing any good habit, repetition and practice help to promote an outstanding performance. Jeff Altman Concepts in Staffing jeffaltman@cisny.com © 2004 all rights reserved.

Manners

As a recruiter, I have been puzzled by a phenomenon that has become more profound as the recession goes on. It is something that my colleagues in corporate have told me frustrates them, too. I didn’t understand why it occurred until recently when at a networking group someone explained to me the rationale.

The phenomena—sending resumes that don’t fit a job description.

Each time I post a job description on the web or email it to a referral source, I am always surprised by the number of responses I receive that in no way fit the job. A Partner job in San Francisco for someone from consulting that clearly explains what the client wants yields scads of resumes of programmers in Ohio who work in manufacturing. A project management ad calling for both RUP AND UML always get responses of people with one or the other. A developer ad listing 6 essential requirements and 4 plusses yields resumes with two of the six required skills and an irate call from the submitter saying that I’m wrong and that he fits the job. Another person sends 5 resumes for different jobs that require very different expertise from management to staff level roles in applications and infrastructure.

Why does this happen? There are two reasons that I’ve heard and they’re both pretty similar.

1. Desperate times result in desperate actions. What the heck! Let me send it. I read the ad. I know what it says but they can’t possibly want all that.

2. The outplacement firm told me to send it if I meet 70% of the job description.

They’re both pretty similar. The second one basically puts the blame on advice from someone else for why the resume is sent.Yet, 99.9 times out of 100, sending that resume doesn’t result in an interview, does it? As a matter of fact, it doesn’t even result in a phone call. What it results in is a deleted resume, momentary annoyance on the part of the recipient who, whether a corporate or agency recruiter who you need to ally yourself with, rather than antagonize, and wasted time.

For an agent, the issue of time being wasted impacts their ability to help you and the other 2000 people in their personal data base find work by keeping them from networking to other job openings. For a corporate recruiter, the list of issues is far longer.

But, you say, the outplacement firm my company sent me to when I was laid off said to do it!
What does it matter to them? Do they have to receive and receive the emails or do they have the luxury of creating the mess and expecting someone else to deal with it? And then they say, “Those useless so and so’s never do their job right!” On behalf of all recruiter-dom, I’m going to make a request. Please stop sending resumes to jobs where you don’t fit the description.It’s OK to send a resume and say that you’re sending it on an exploratory basis. It’s OK to tell the unemployment office that you’ve submitted it to 20 jobs even if you’ve sent 20 exploratory resumes.

It is not OK to pester people with five calls a day asking if they’ve read your resume. It is not OK to be disappointed if you send in a resume where you are a poor fit. You should be rejected.
It is a better investment of your time to change your calling plan to unlimited calls at a fixed price and network by phone with a million people but stop calling or emailing with messages that say that you more than adequately meet the job description when you don’t (That was an email today—a Partner position for someone from a consulting firm in Dallas who was in the manufacturing practice, resulted in such a statement from someone from industry and finance. [Yes, he lived in Dallas]).

Jeff Altman
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com

© 2004 all rights reserved.

I Hate Applications

One of the most common complaints that job seekers have is, "Why do I have to fill out a (*#!*!!#$) application? Everything they need to know is on the application!"

Several years ago, a banking client hired someone a well-qualified person for a difficult to fill software engineering job. About a week after the person started, they discovered the person had lied about whether they had a college degree. Security met this person at their desk with a shoebox of their personal possessions as they returned to work from lunch on the Friday of their first week of employment.

Employment applications are a legal document; resumes are not. If you look on most applications, the potential employer provides a caution or warning that says something to the affect of "Lying on an application is grounds for dismissal." Since most background and reference checks are completed after you have started your new job, an application notifies a potential employee of a risk.

They also provide a simple snapshot of a person's writing skills (and penmanship for that matter) and attention to detail that a resume cannot.

All applications are somewhat similar so to create the best impression you can, as well as to save time when filling them out, create your own master employment application. List former jobs, making sure you have the correct addresses, telephone numbers, and the dates of your employment. Use this as your "sample form" when filling out a real application.

If you are unsure about a specific month that you started a job several years ago or a salary that you were paid, DON'T JUST GUESS! Add the phrase "approx" for approximately next to the item. This tells the interviewer that you are not sure of the exact month or salary and that you don't want to lie when filling out the form.

Don't leave questions blank. insert a dash or a N/A (for not applicable) if it doesn't pertain to you. Proofread. Proofread.. Proofread. One of the advantages of having a master form is that if you spelling is not perfect, you have a place where you have written the word down previously and have spelled it correctly.

Try to write neatly. It's not that great penmanship will get you the job but exquisite and poor handwriting is noticed.

Lavender may be a nice scent for the bathtub but a poor choice of ink colors when filling out a form. Stick with blue or black ink when completing forms. Some firms scan answers into systems tat won't recognize any other color.

DON'T LIE! In good or bad employment markets, nothing is worth having to explain to your friends and family why, after telling them so much about your job hunting journeys, after telling them you (finally) have a job, after telling people that you were enjoying the new job, after finally feeling comfortable, there is no worse moment than seeing security at your desk.

Jeff Altman
Concepts in Staffing
(212) 293-4328
jeffaltman@cisny.com

© 2004 all rights reserved.