Top 15 Most Popular Posts of 2014

Top 15 Most Popular Posts of 2014 Its that time of year again as Christmas gets closer and 2015 looms, we take a look back at the last 12 months of fantastic content here on Undercover Recruiter. You can find the rundowns from 2011, 2012 and 2013 here before getting stuck into this years hall of fame. Want to join the Undercover family and post in 2015? You can find the Guest Post Guidelines here   so get in touch! So, without further ado Top 15 of 2014: 15) 21 Secrets to Nailing Your Next Job Interview  by CollegeAtlas.org 14) Can Recruiters Work from Home and STILL Be Successful?  by Lysha Holmes 13) 10 Reasons Why Your Job Interview Went Wrong  by Monica Wells 12) 5 Questions You Must Ask a Hiring Manager During an Interview  by  Robyn Melhuish 11) 10 Things You Should NEVER Put on Your CV  by Career Savvy 10) How Telling Personal Stories Can Help You Establish Trust by Jeff Newman: Jeff Newman takes us on a private  journey to explore why sharing a private thing is a great way of establishing trust, of getting to know someone more intimately and achieving as much transparency and better communication from hiring managers and candidates in the recruiting world. Read How Telling Personal Stories Can Help You Establish Trust  here. 9) How to Answer the Top 5 Most Stupid Interview Questions by Lesley J. Vos: Lesley loves going to job interviews, so much so that she actually considers them as improvisation or creative impromptu rather than an exam. You can never be sure what theyll ask you, and moments can become the subject of jokes and memories for a long time to come. Read How to Answer the Top 5 Most Stupid Interview Questions  here. 8) 10 Things Recruiters Can Do Before 10 in 10 Minutes  by Lisa Jones: All recruiters want more time they want to improve their reach, they want to be smart and innovative but they get into work and go all the way through to 5pm without doing anything. Lisa Jones suggests a new routine they can take on to get 10 things completely before the clock strikes 10am. Read 10 Things Recruiters Can Do Before 10 in 10 Minutes here. 7) What are the Top Interview Questions to Practice?  by Jennifer Young: Not every job interview will be the same or follow a set format, although there are some frequent questions that pop up time and time again. In this, Jennifer Young gives the top five most asked interview questions and some tips to help you answer them appropriately. Read What are the Top Interview Questions to Practice?  here. 6) Are Your Selfies Affecting Your Chances of Getting Hired?  by John Feldmann: When applying for a new job, you always think to remove any drunk or inappropriate photos from your social media accounts as they can send a negative image to recruiters and headhunters. Not just one, but the dozens of mirror pictures on your profile John Feldmann asks what damage can they do?  Read Are Your Selfies Affecting Your Chances of Getting Hired?  here. 5) True Confessions of the Hiring Manager Reading Your Resume by Tanya White: 7 seconds â€" that’s how long Tanya  gives every resume. You’ve got seven seconds to  show that it’s worth an employers time  to continue reading. They say it’s the little things in life…including these little resume tips, and that seven second window to stand out. This article is a list of what a business leader is thinking about when reading your resume. Read True Confessions of the Hiring Manager Reading Your Resume here. 4) 34 Crucial Tips You Must Remember for Your Next Job Interview by College Atlas: Job interviews are always nerve-wracking you have to remember answers to questions, what to wear, how to act, who to speak to so College Atlas have put together this handy guide with 34 of their most important interview tips. Read 34 Crucial Tips You Must Remember for Your Next Job Interview  here. 3) How to Find Hidden Jobs with an Easy Google Search by Maebellyne Ventura: The majority of jobs are now available online to job seekers everywhere, however advertising on job boards and social networks is a major cost. As a result, companies try to minimise these costs and improve employer branding at the same time by maintaining their own careers/recruitment sites. Maebellyne gives top tips for finding hidden jobs using a simple Google search. Read How to Find Hidden Jobs with an Easy Google Search here. 2) 17 Things You Should Never Ever Include in Your CV  by Zoey Smith: Don’t you wish your CV was so perfect that the moment a recruiting manager goes through it, he decides to hire you? Job-hunting is a truly adventurous process and you are racing against the odds to land that desired, much badly wanted job and writing a great CV is vital in this race. Read 17 Things You Should Never Ever Include in Your CV here. 1) How to Answer ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ in a Job Interview  by Erik Episcopo: Congrats to Erik Episcopo of Resume Genius for his fantastic piece about answering Tell Me About Yourself? in a job interview it got your tongues wagging here on the site and on social media and ended up being the most popular posts of the year. You can read How to Answer ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ in a Job Interview  here. Congrats again Erik!

Writing Resume and Linked In Profile That Will Help You Stand Out From the Crowd

Writing Resume and Linked In Profile That Will Help You Stand Out From the CrowdWhen it comes to applying for jobs, having a linked in profile that includes a resume is becoming increasingly important. Your linked in profile can help you stand out from the competition. In this article, we will discuss how to write a resume and linked in a profile that will make you stand out from the competition.Today's resumes are changing. Gone are the days when resumes needed to be lengthy and filled with facts and figures. Today, resumes are no longer expected to be lengthy documents. As a result, the days of long resumes are numbered. Resumes now focus on things like what you have done, what you have studied, and what you are passionate about.People used to have to spend time writing their own personal statement. This is no longer the case. Today, your resume and linked in profile can be written in just a few minutes. This gives you more time to market yourself effectively and increase your chan ces of getting a call back for an interview.It is also important to make sure that your resume and linked in profile contain enough information. Be careful not to undersell yourself because if you do, your interview chances will be diminished. It is also critical to get to know the employer before making a final decision about whether or not to hire you.Your resume and linked in profile can include your interests, experience, and the type of work you do. Be sure to tell them about your hobbies as well. This will make you seem more natural. If you have hobbies, then these will help you stand out from the crowd.If you are unsure about what to include in your resume and linked in profile, you can always use a sample resume and linked in profile. A sample resume can be found at many websites, including ours. You should check the samples out and decide what information would be appropriate to include in your own resume and linked in profile.Now that you have a resume and linked in the pr ofile that will help you stand out from the crowd, it is time to advertise your resume and linked in profile. It is also important to tell employers what position you are seeking. This will help you get a referral and increase your chances of getting hired.Once you learn how to write resume and linked in the profile that will help you stand out from the crowd, it is time to follow up with your resume and linked in profile. In order to gain job interview invites, you will need to pass a second interview. Follow up your resume and linked in profile by sending them an email inviting them to schedule an interview.

Whats Your Personal BHAG for 2017 - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

What’s Your Personal BHAG for 2017 - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Have you set yours yet? If yes, how’s it going? If not, now is a good time to consider your BHAG for 2017. What is a BHAG? If you read the seminal book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins this will not be a new term to you. If you haven’t gotten around to reading it yet … because you are making all your BHAG’s real … that’s OK. A BHAG is a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. BHAG’s can be anything you want them to be. Typically, in a business they are related to the business at hand. Even though they might be focused on the core business at hand they should be … as the acronym implores … they should be Big, Hairy, and Audacious. Business BHAG’s are often long term thinking … 10, 20, even 30 years out. What about Personal BHAG’s? The idea of a Personal BHAG can be much closer on a time table. It’s up to you, but I think a yearly Personal BHAG is a worthy challenge. Every year you should consider at least one Personal BHAG If you want to do more than one that’s OK. However, the idea is to commit and go all in. For example, if you want to learn a new language. What will you do to make that happen? Will you take a class? Will you move to the country? What will you do to make it happen? Challenge Yourself There is no limit to what you can assign as your Personal or Professional BHAG. Dream Big. Think Big. Act Big. You can do it! Whether it’s Double the Revenue of your company, Start a New Business, Run for Office, Write a Book, Travel to Someplace, or whatever you can dream up. One factor to keep in mind is Accountability. Make sure you put markers in place to know you are on the right path. Also, it can be helpful to enlist your friends, family members, mentors and colleagues into your BHAG journey. They can lift you up and help you see your next marker when the challenges seem insurmountable. Remember to Thank your friendly guides along the way Putting Your BHAG’s into Play It’s going to be hard. It’s going to tax you, push you and exhaust you. And, you’ll be better for it. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. ~ Lao Tzu Imagine the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel when you complete your BHAG. That just might be enough to get you started. Now, it’s time to put the wheels in motion. So, what’s your Personal BHAG? What’s your Business BHAG? When will you get started?

How to Make This Year the Best Year of Your Career

How to Make This Year the Best Year of Your Career There is a lot to look forward to this year! Companies continue to add jobs and salaries are expected to modestly increase. This means it’s time to get your search in gear. What three things can you do to make the most of this economic uptick? Set your sights on joining or building communities, niche-ing and breaking through the noise to jump start your job search and career. Join or build a community: LinkedIn is the go-to destination for group discussions, but don’t overlook groups  on Facebook  or Twitter chats. And speaking of LinkedIn, use the tool. How regularly do you do any of these? Write long-posts Congratulate your connections on milestones and events Offer help within the groups you belong to Introduce two people you think should know each other Share helpful articles Being part of a community requires you participate. Share your knowledge, expertise or advice and most importantly, help others. And don’t stop there. Join professional associations or groups that meet in-person. There is just no replacement for face-to-face, human to human, interaction. Side effects might include: new relationships, opportunities, reputation as a thought-leader or servant leader, as well as other emotionally beneficial symptoms. Find your niche: Dont try to be all things to all people. What are you known for and do people know this? Focus on the skills you truly enjoy using and that have received recognition. Accentuate these skills and think about how companies could benefit from having someone like you in-house. Dive deeper at your existing employer and look for other opportunities to resolve similar problems. Be that solution!   Besides updating your resume, why not do these instead: Add samples of work to your LinkedIn profile Write three long-posts on LinkedIn to highlight your achievements Build an about.me, re.vu or social resume Breaking through the noise: Everyone has too much going on. We’re inundated with news feeds, data, to-dos and an overflowing inboxes. How can you break through this noise? Break the cycle or buck your own trends. Instead of the same-old, same-old, mix it up. One way to do that is by using more visual content. Pictures are easier and faster to digest. Videos, photos, infographics, inspirational memes or quotes are all ways to break the cycle. And these alternative forms of media can have a powerful connection with your audience. But the best way to break through the noise is by bringing back the personal communication.  Pick up the phone, meet in person, humanize and personalize your message. As wonderful as technology is, it often distances you from the people you connect with. What will you do in 2015 to set yourself apart and earn the credit you deserve?

Writing a Writing Guide For Your Customers

Writing a Writing Guide For Your CustomersWriting a writing guide is very important. It can help you improve your business. Your clients will get the most out of reading your guide because it contains good information that will make them feel comfortable.The guides for big businesses and e-commerce sites contain different content. Each content is valuable and tailored to the target readers. But one of the most important factors is the content.Customers are not only looking for products, but also for good service. Your guide should include how to develop the client base or how to achieve long-term relationships with them. It should be up to date, useful and informative.Guides for big companies often have a single main page. That is where you can start your contents. You can have a number of pages where you can include more advanced content. If your sales do not seem to be progressing, you can also use your guides as your sales letters or newsletters.However, writing is not a good idea . It requires more than just a guide. It also requires a lot of planning, strategizing and planning to make it successful.Before starting, make sure that your business needs to be addressed in the guide. A good guide should be focused to a particular area such as product or service. But the guide should not be made just on these two areas.The guide should contain a list of all the things that your customers look for. You should also include details on their issues so that you will be able to solve their problems as well. It is best to list down the things that you should avoid in the content.It is vital that you know how your business functions. People read about how their product is designed, packaged and delivered. They want to know how they can buy it and what they should expect from it. Having a comprehensive writing guide for your clients will surely give them the best results.

Three scientific reasons why worrying is good for you - Debut

Three scientific reasons why worrying is good for you - Debut Tis the season to be worried. After all, undergraduates are currently grappling with the double-headed beast of exams and essays. Young workers like myself are on the edge of burnout, and  various quarter life crises. So, when an unnamed pal of mine decided to provide me with the sage advice of just try to stop worrying, I couldnt help but wonder. What if we switched the narrative? What if *gasp* worrying is good for you? We scoured the Internet for some cold, hard truth. What we found was pretty fascinating. Anxiety, stress and mental health are, of course, real and important things to be keep track and be aware of. However, there are three cases in which worrying (in small doses) can be good for you. Why worrying is good for you #1: Worrying can act as a motivational force Whenever Im worried about something, and the thing Im worried about happens, Im validated in the fact I had thought about it in advance. Lets say, printing out back-up copies of a road-trip map in case you get no signal for Google Maps on the journey. A 1996 study from the  Cognitive Therapy and Research  journal asked volunteers to list all of the ways worrying had a positive impact on their lives. According to participants, worrying makes them better planners, helps them think more analytically, and pushes them to be the best versions of themselves. Worrying is especially linked to better health habits. Another study linked worrying to an increased uptake of health-promoting behaviors.According to research, worriers are more likely to wear sunscreen, buckle their seat-belts, and have safer sex. Perhaps this isnt altogether surprising. Worriers are naturally more cautious, and will take the initiative to erase their worry. The study author notes: its like the opposite of a vicious cycle. The more you worry, the more you plan, the less worried youll actually be. Why worrying is good for you #2:  Worrying can mitigate the emotional impact of a bad result From time to time, life can throw some real shockers at you. Whether its receiving a 2.2 in your degree or getting rejected from a job, theres plenty to worry about. Which is kinda, uh, a good thing? When things dont go your way and the thing you were worried about comes true, the bad news is less of a shock. And if it doesnt come true? You get that sweet, sweet pleasant feeling of surprise, amplified. A review paper published in  Social Psychology and Personality Compass  put it this way. Worry can directly benefit ones emotional state by serving as an effective low-water mark, compared to which any other state seems pleasurable in contrast. Why worrying is good for you #3:  Worrying is a potential sign of intelligence Smug glasses, on. A paper in the journal  Personality and Individual Differences  claims worrying is a sign of a certain kind of intelligence. Researchers at Ontarios Lakehead University gave 126 students a list of surveys and questionnaires designed to measure both their intelligence and their tendency towards stress. After analysing the results, the team found a clear correlation between worrying and verbal intelligence. Well, there you have it! The next time someone tells you to calm down and stop worrying, passive-aggressively share this article on Facebook. Theyll probably get the hint. Connect with Debut on Facebook and Twitter

Job Search Success Happens When You Just Keep Going

Job Search Success Happens When You Just Keep Going Job Search: Success Happens When You Just Keep Going A job search and backpacking actually have a lot in common.  Heres a great personal story that took place this past weekend to illustrate this point. My company name, Pathfinder, came about from a shared love for hiking and backpacking with my husband. Now, before you think Im one of those seriously ripped hikers, Im not.  Bad knees (including a partially torn ACL) and weak ankles, combined with an aggravating ability to frequently stumble and fall make hiking difficult for me.  But the rewards are worth it. Because of this hobby, Ive gotten to see some amazing things. This past weekend, we went backpacking in the spectacular Three Sisters Wilderness in Central Oregon, which has multiple 8,000 foot-plus peaks clustered in close proximity.  Long story short, my creaky legs were holding up pretty good, the weather was spectacular, and we were in fine spirits.  So we managed to crank out 33 miles in 2 days. While carrying full backpacks. That trip, like a job search, wasnt easy. Theres baggage that is on your back, weighting you down every step of the way. The decisions of what is being carried in that backpack can have serious implications on how the trip turns out (did I bring enough food? Do I have enough water?). There were several points in the trip where the goal seems so high and out of reach that it seemed impossible to achieve. The path, at times, got a little fuzzy, and can sometimes lead to uncharted territory. But you know what? Again, like a job search, setting a goal when backpacking means keeping going until you reach your destination.  No matter how tired, dispirited, or negative you feel about the process. It always boils down to putting one foot in front of the other. Again and again and again. Thats what I did when we were heading off-trail and cross country trying to make a beeline for a saddle between two peaks to complete our circuit around Broken Top Mountain. The ridge kept going on and on and on. I was afraid it would never end as we clambered up higher and higher. But by keeping going, through mile 12, 13, and 14, I finally got there.  The views were awesome. Mind-blowingly beautiful.  But I wasnt done yet. By the time we reached the car, I had clocked in nearly 23 miles of hiking in one day. My body was toast. But you know what? After I got some much needed water and food, I started to feel a sense of accomplishment that I had pushed myself. Hard. And achieved my goals as a result. Thats the mental toughness you need to adopt when in a job search.  Be fierce. Be determined. It will pay off. As long as you keep going.

believing thats holding you back

Tough (Question) Tuesday What can you stop doing/thinking/believing thats holding you back from Its Laurens Life, found via Kari Mack on pinterest Can we stop comparing ourselves to others? feeling its worthless unless its perfect? underrating fun/creativity/self-expression? letting Fear win (instead of allowing you to see what you need to overcome in order to succeed)? using other peoples definition of success as our own? living the life our 5-years-ago self thought we should have, instead of the one that we want *now*? seeing our Renaissance Soul as a curse instead of something to be embraced? living by not enough when enough hasnt been defined? seeing career as a fluid, ever-evolving, self-defining word instead of one that scares the crapballs out of us? OK, OKI know its not that easy. But seriously, it all starts with changing your perspective, and committing to it (hippy-dippy but true). But I really wanna know. What can you stop doing/thinking/believing thats holding you back? __________________________________________________________________________________