research & preparation Archives | Job Market Solutions

If You Leave a Short-Term Job Off Your Resume, Will It Show in a Background Check?

My client Charles faced a dilemma that’s fairly common: how to list a job that lasted a very short time on his resume. Charles worked in the financial services industry and, after just three months in a new position with a bank, he chose to leave because he realized the job wasn’t what he thought it would be. Fortunately for Charles, his former boss convinced him to return, and even gave him a promotion.

Fast forward four years. We’re now updating Charles’ resume. He wants to be honest when he presents his employment history, but is unsure about listing his brief stint at the bank he left for his present employer.

The Best Job Sites for 2017

If you’ve worked with me to write your new resume, you know I’ll ask you to send me a few job ads at the outset of our engagement to help inform the process of drafting your new resume. I use these job ads to help me understand your goals, of course, but I’m also using them to identify keywords that will help your resume rank with applicant tracking systems (ATS) as well as to help frame your experience in a way that positions you for the type of job you want next. Many resumes suffer from being an overly-detailed, obituary-style reporting of everything you’ve ever done, professionally speaking. Instead, your resume should be a relatively short, very strong persuasive argument about what you’re positioned to do next. To write a great resume, we rely heavily on job ads that represent your desired next step.

So where do you find these job ads? For years, I have recommended Indeed.com and linkedin.com/jobs/. In the last couple of years, Glassdoor.com has become an increasingly fantastic resource for job seekers and my new favorite website to share with my clients. That’s why I was excited to read that Reviews.com recently released its “Best Job Sites for 2017” report.
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What to Do After You’ve Been Hired

Congratulations! Your hard work and perseverance paid off. You got the job you wanted. Now what?

First, it’s time to celebrate. Pat yourself on the back and share the news with your closest friends and confidants.

Take a few days for yourself, a small vacation. You deserve it. Use the time to catch up on what you love to do, the things you haven’t been able to indulge in while job searching.

Tie Up Loose Ends

Now’s the time to write a courteous thank you note to the hiring person or your new boss, saying how pleased you are with the offer, and how much you look forward to your new duties. This is especially appropriate if you don’t start for a couple of weeks.

Now’s also a good time to touch base with HR and any contacts at your new company. Ask if there’s anything you need to do before your actual start date, such as taking tests or gathering personal paperwork.Read more

Starting a New Job? Here’s What to Take on Day One

If you take care of the little things, the big things become manageable.” — Heloise

Congratulations on your new job. If you’re not nervous on your first day, you’re not normal. To ease the jitters, it helps to know you’re prepared. Besides studying up on the company website and enjoying a few last unstructured days, spend some time collecting the nitty-gritty stuff to take to work on day one.

Cash in your wallet. Some of us run around with just a debit or credit card for expenses. But what if the vending machine asks for quarters? Do you really want to be borrowing money from co-workers you met two hours ago? If your new office mate offers to take you to lunch, leaving the cash tip is an appreciative gesture. How about bus fare or parking money?
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Ask Yourself the Right Questions to Find the Right Job

If you are serious about scoring a new job, updating your resume is the first step. But I’m usually surprised how many job seekers aren’t sure what to do next.

Do you just start emailing your resume to listings on job boards? Send it out to some recruiters? Carry it with you to job fairs? Well, yes, yes, and yes.

But even before getting your new resume into circulation, it’s smart to ask yourself what kind of job you really want.

I’ve compiled this list of questions to make it easy for you to get a handle on your job search, to save you time and frustration, and to improve your chances to find the a job that fits you perfectly.

Salary Negotiations — Know What You’re Worth

Most jobseekers don’t realize that almost half of all employers expect to negotiate salaries. But if you are interviewing for a job and you don’t initiate or pursue salary negotiations, you could be throwing away thousands of dollars.

Think of it this way: a higher starting salary pays you now and pays you later. You’ll get more cash up front and your annual raises will be based on the higher starting salary.

Put aside your notions that negotiating is simply asking for more money. Think of it as a process that benefits both parties. You get paid an amount you like, and your new employer gets a happy new recruit.

The Smart Way to Change Your Career

If you’re unhappy with your job, maybe a new job isn’t the answer.

Maybe a new kind of job is what you really want, a change of career. People change careers for all kinds of reasons and at different stages of their lives.

More than half of all American workers want to change careers, so if you are thinking along these lines, you’re in the majority. The first step in deciding if a career shift is a good idea is to examine your reasons for wanting to change direction.Read more

5 Steps to Planning Your Job Search

If one of your goals for 2015 is to advance your career with a better job, let’s get started!

For most people, just the thought of looking for work – the research, the applications, the interviews, the networking – seems daunting. But if you break the process into manageable steps, you’ll feel in control, be able to track your efforts, and have better “luck” finding that dream job.

Here is my list of the five most important steps to get a new job.Read more

If You Think You’ll Lose Your Job

I talk to people all the time who have been fired. Sometimes they see it coming, and sometimes it’s a surprise.

Kaitlyn worked as a research lab technician. She told me, “I noticed I was being left out of key decisions and meetings.” She suspected that a change was coming.

But for another client, Carlos, an events coordinator, the pink slip came as a shock. He told me, “I didn’t even realize the company was in trouble and getting ready to downsize.”

Because it’s always easier to find a job when you have a job, having your resume up-to-date is just plain smart. Even if your present position isn’t in jeopardy, you never know when opportunity—a better job—will come looking for you.Read more

Your Questions Answered about the Background Check

When an interviewer tells you, “Everything looks good. We’ll just need to run a background check,” will your heart start pounding and your brain start racing? That’s not unusual.

Understanding the reasons and scope of background checks should put your mind to rest. Here are some of the questions I’ve heard in recent webinars I’ve given, and my answers.Read more

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