INTERVIEW TOOLS FOR EVERYONE AND ANYONE

INTERVIEW TOOLS FOR EVERYONE AND ANYONE: 

With so many candidates  out there, how can you be on top of your game and come out a winner?

DRESS PROFESSIONAL

Lose the extra piercings.    

Don’t wear Blue Jeans unless the job is a construction type job.  You want a conservative appearance.

Men should wear shirts with collars.  However, if you are interviewing for a construction type job, you might want to consider clean and neat.  Can you imagine wearing a suite for an interview for an equipment operator?   The Hiring Manager might think you don’t get dirty! 

TAKE YOUR RESUME

 Should the interviewer be unorganized and doesn’t readily have your resume, you can say something, “Here, I have a copy”.  You have come prepared.

BRING YOUR RESUME

Only give them personal references if they ask.  Some companies may want supervisor’s names.  Don’t give them friends names or co-worker names unless asked.  What friend would give a mediocre reference?

STUDY THE COMPANY'S WEBSITE

 Let them know you looked it over.  This shows serious interest in what they do.  This interview is important.  You want the job.  The more you know about the company, the more you will shine in the interview.  Here’s an example:  “I saw your website and noticed you just opened an office in Spokane, Washington”.

COME A FEW MINUTES EARLY

Plan ahead.  Get the directions to the company’s facility or site.  Drive out there either early or perhaps a day or two before the interview.

NO NEGATIVES, PLEASE

Don’t bring up that you were hurt on the job with a past employer. 

“My past employer was a head case”   No!  Don’t bring it up.

Don’t talk about how long you’ve been looking for work.

Don’t bring up daycare for your children. 

Don’t bring up money problems. 

My dog is dying.

My Ex is stalking me. 

A FINAL WORD

Your goal is to get this job.  Prepare ahead of time for your interview!  Have a positive, professional attitude.  Be a cut above the rest!  Written by:  Everyday Recruiter

For more information on jobs, employers and other tips visit us at: www.absoluteknowitall.com
"Like" us on Facebook.com/AbsoluteKnowItAll

Do Employers Need Employment Lawyers ?

YES!  Employment law is a complex area that changes regularly. 

Obviously, if you have an experienced human resource professional (not a glorified bookkeeper), you are ahead of the game.  That said, there are many situations that call for qualified employment counsel.  It’s impossible to list each of those situations here, but, at minimum, you should make sure that you’ve consulted with counsel regarding your hiring process, employee handbook and discharge/discipline policy.
It should also go without saying that you should consult with counsel when you have been served with any legal documents.  You should also shy away from getting cocktail conversation advice—find an attorney who has real experience in employment law. 

For more information read more at:  http://www.elinfonet.com/workipedia/Do-Employers-Need-Employment-Lawyers/

For more information on jobs, careers and advice:  http://www.absoluteknowitall.com/

Join us on Facebook/AbsoluteKnowItAll.com

Interoffice Romance ~ Good? Bad? Or Ugly?

With Valentine’s Day here, now might be a good time to take a look at love in the workplace. Let me be clear on one thing before going any further – I’m NOT going to try to discourage it from happening, no matter how bad of an idea I may or may not think it is. When there’s a spark between two people, I don’t think it matters where it occurred, and most likely you’re not going to be talked out of it.

Given the amount of time we spend at work; 40-50 hours per week on average, it stands to reason that we’re going todevelop relationships with our co-workers. And it’s a good thing we do; can you imagine what work would be like if nobody got to know each other? I’d be like working with a new set of strangers every day. Having good relationships with your co-workers makes work more pleasant and increases productivity. There’s a good chance that some of these work relationships will develop further, into something more personal and romantic and intimate. However you wish to describe it, or label it, they can be fun, they can be exciting and they can be a career ending mistake.

Having somebody in your office or company that you’re involved with can be a
great motivational factor. Just like dating outside the workplace, you often want to impress the other person, and what better way to do so at work then “showing off” your job skills and talents. You’re likely to be attempting to stand out by increasing your productivity or accuracy, or your work ethics, even the way you dress is likely to change somewhat. Knowing you’re going to come into some kind of contact with that person is likely to make you a little
more self-conscious about all these things. You certainly don’t want them seeing you as sloppy, lazy or non-motivated. So, in those regards, I think dating a coworker can be a very positive event.

Some companies have strict policies against dating coworkers and even more specifically, relationships between bosses and those under him (or her). And arguably so – it could easily be imagined how favoritism could play into that, causing friction and hostility between others in the department or group. Are these rules and policies and restrictions going to stop it from happening? Probably not. It might, however, make you a little more cautious and secretive, which in its own way might make that relationship even more exciting. Keep in mind however, chances are one or both of you have at least one close friend or co-worker who you share secrets and gossip with, and even though they give their word it won’t go any further,you might not be the only co-worker they exchange bits of ‘office news’ with. And let’s say you are able to keep from telling anybody about the two of you, keeping it on the sly. Maybe you’re patting yourselves on the back on how discreet the two of you are and how you’re able to maintain the professional mannerism in the work place. I have news for you: if you’re in a relationship with someone and it’s developed into something you feel you need to keep on the down low, it’s nearly impossible to suppress all those feelings , actions, the little ‘looks’ you give each other, or grin they give you, but nobody else. If you’re in a relationship, all these things exist, to some degree, and you might think the two of you are the only ones who catch them, but you’re probably wrong.

There are fine lines between Friendliness, Friendship, Flirting and Sexual Harassment. And to make it more confusing, those lines vary from person to person. What you may consider ‘just being friendly’, your co-worker, who has different beliefs, views and personal boundaries, may very well perceive your actions as being flirtatious. And vise-versa of course.

Taking it a step further, you might be reading someone’s signs as being flirtatious, when their just being friendly in the way that is natural to them, and your responses to this perceived flirtation may not seem ‘out of line to you’, heck, you’re just flirting back, right? Wrong! Not if they weren’t flirting with you to begin with. Now you’re possibly crossing that line into sexual harassment and offending them. No reason to delve any further into explaining this: We’re all big boys and girls here.

If you’re in the ‘pre-dating’ stage and you think your co-worker has the “hots” for you and you
want to take it further, use caution. Be sure you aren’t reading their actions incorrectly. When in doubt, err on the side of caution.

And finally, I guess something should be mentioned regarding relationships gone badly. I think we all know of, or have been part of an ugly breakup. Its part of life, it happens and although we like to think that special relationship we’re in is going to last forever, or at least when it does end, it’ll be amicable. And hopefully that’s the way it does end if things don’t work out. But when it’s an ugly breakup and your partner is a co-worker, it can be awkward at best and downright a living hell at worst. Remember, you’re still going to be forced to see them to some degree on possibly a daily basis, and maybe have to still work directly with them or for them. You may be able to pick and choose where you go and what you do after work, in order to avoid running into that person, but unless you’re willing to change your place of employment, you don’t have much option here except to put on a good face, grin and bear it and hopefully get

through it without too much embarrassment or suffering.

One last, final thought: Sometimes there can seem to be a fine line between love and stalking, but under no circumstance is stalking an acceptable behavior.

Written by:  Ronald J. Morse, Author

If you or know someone looking for work, or has positions to feel visit http://www.absoluteknowitall.com/
Join us on Facebook.com/AbsoluteKnowItAll

44 Resume Tips

Daily writing tips has some great ideas on writing a good resume. Below is an exerpt:

Having a solid and effective resume can greatly improve your chances of landing that dream job. That is beyond discussion. How does one make sure that his resume is top notch and bullet proof, however? There are several websites with tips around the web, but most bring just a handful of them. We wanted to put them all together in a single place, and that is what you will find below: 44 resume writing tips.

Read the rest at http://www.dailywritingtips.com/resume-writing-tips/

Be sure and check out AbsoluteKnowItAll.com for the greatest job resource on the web!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY!

Food for thought: Thought for today-What you say about others says more about you then it does about them.


Food for thought: Thought for today-
Great minds talk about ideas,
Mediocre minds talk about things,
Small minds talk about people.
(Which one are you today?)

Food for thought: Thought for today-
If you don't stand for something, you're likely to fall for anything.

Written by Ronald J. Morse, Author

If you would like more information on looking for employment or reading other blogs please visit us at: http://www.absoluteknowitall.com/

Join us on Facebook.com/AbsoluteKnowItAll

Empowerment

Empowerment

em·pow·er To give power or authority to, to enable or permit.

When I was in prison, one of the worst things somebody could do is call you a ‘punk’. That was pretty much immediate grounds for a fight. The same thing happened when somebody said something about your mother. I saw it happen over and over. I never bought into that kind of thinking. Was I a coward? No, actually it was harder and took more courage NOT to buy into it. After a couple of times of that happening, people kinda looked at me a little differently. Maybe not with ‘awe’, but at least with some respect, and usually at a distance. You see, by not buying into that whole belief, I took away the power that the other person was trying to gain. Once or twice, I even said: “You know what I think about your opinion?” And before they could answer, I’d turn and walk away. I wasn’t going to a give them the power over me, to dictate how I was going to act, based on how they felt, or what they said. The reason I bring this is, is it amounts to this: Peer pressure. I was faced with it there, just like you’re faced with it daily. In school as well as out of school. What other people think of you, matters to you. To say otherwise would be a lie. And that’s okay. We form friendships and groups of friends based on what we think of others and how they look at us.  It becomes a problem however, when you let what they think of you change who you are, or it impact the decision making you might have regarding important things. Do you stand up for the things you believe in, or are you likely to be swayed because to make a stand would be to stand out? Let me tell you something: sometime standing out isn’t that bad. Take for example, a group of a dozen kids who all look alike, dress similar and act the same way. They all go apply for a job. Let’s say just one of them has some individuality to be different. And I’m not saying you have to be a nerd, or a geek, just enough backbone to say: ‘I don’t have to be a clone’. Now, who do you think is going to stand out and be remembered when it comes time to choose an employee? Are you a follower, or a leader? Again, I’m not saying you have to be so different that you stand out so much that people stare and point at you when you walk down the street. But if you believe in something, don’t be afraid to stand up for it. You’re an individual; there’s no reason you shouldn’t let it show through. You don’t have to be 100% different than those around you, but you don’t have to be an identical twin with everybody you hang with either. Don’t let others make decisions for you. Don’t empower them, for when you do, you’re giving up a part of yourself. You’re giving in and letting somebody else make choices for you, and not always the best choices, either. Feel differently about something? Talk with your friends about it. There’s a possibility they may share your feelings as well, and were just waiting for someone else speak up and validate how they felt. Think about it.

Written by Author and Speaker, Scott Free

For information on employment, and other blogs, visit us at:  http://www.absoluteknowitall.com/

EMPLOYMENT SITUATION - January 2012

Total nonfarm payroll
Employment rose by 243,000 in January, and the unemployment rate decreased to
8.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job growth was
widespread in the private sector, with large employment gains in professional
and business services, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing. Government
employment changed little over the month.

Household Survey Data
The unemployment rate declined by 0.2 percentage point in January to 8.3
percent; the rate has fallen by 0.8 point since August. The number of
unemployed persons declined to 12.8 million in January.
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (7.7
percent) and blacks (13.6 percent) declined in January. The unemployment rates
for adult women (7.7 percent), teenagers (23.2 percent), whites (7.4 percent),
and Hispanics (10.5 percent) were little changed. The jobless rate for Asians
was 6.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted.

In January, the number of job losers and persons who completed temporary
jobs fell to 7.3 million. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for
27 weeks or more) was little changed at 5.5 million and accounted for 42.9
percent of the unemployed. After accounting for the annual
adjustments to the population controls, the employment-population ratio (58.5
percent) rose in January, while the civilian labor force participation rate
held at 63.7 percent.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons, at 8.2 million,
changed little in January. These individuals were working part time because
their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

In January, 2.8 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force,
essentially unchanged from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally
adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were
available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months.
They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in
the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.1 million discouraged workers in
January, little different from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally
adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work
because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.7 million
persons marginally attached to the labor force in January had not searched for
work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance
or family responsibilities.

Establishment Survey Data
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 243,000 in January. Private-sector
employment grew by 257,000, with the largest employment gains in professional
and business services, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing. Government
employment was little changed over the month.

Professional and business services continued to add jobs in January (+70,000).
About half of the increase occurred in employment services (+33,000). Job gains
also occurred in accounting and bookkeeping (+13,000) and in architectural and
engineering services (+7,000).

Over the month, employment in leisure and hospitality increased by 44,000,
primarily in food services and drinking places (+33,000). Since a recent
low in February 2010, food services has added 487,000 jobs.

In January, health care employment continued to grow (+31,000). Within the
industry, hospitals and ambulatory care services each added 13,000 jobs.
Wholesale trade employment increased by 14,000 over the month. Since a recent
employment low in May 2010, wholesale trade has added 144,000 jobs.
Employment in retail trade continued to trend up in January. Job gains in
department stores (+19,000), health and personal care stores (+7,000), and
automobile dealers (+7,000) were partially offset by losses in clothing and
clothing accessory stores (-14,000). Since an employment trough in December
2009, retail trade has added 390,000 jobs.

In January, employment in information declined by 13,000, including a loss of
8,000 jobs in the motion picture and sound recording industry.
In the goods-producing sector, manufacturing added 50,000 jobs.  Nearly all of
the increase occurred in durable goods manufacturing, with job growth in fabricated
metal products (+11,000), machinery (+11,000), and motor vehicles and parts
(+8,000). Durable goods manufacturing has added 418,000 jobs over the past 2
years.

Employment in construction increased by 21,000 in January, following a gain of
31,000 in the previous month. Over the past 2 months, nonresidential specialty
trade contractors added 30,000 jobs.

Mining added 10,000 jobs in January, with most of the gain in support
activities for mining (+8,000). Since a recent low in October 2009, mining employment
has expanded by 172,000.

Government employment changed little in January. Over the past 12 months, the
sector has lost 276,000 jobs, with declines in local government; state
government, excluding education; and the U.S. Postal Service.

The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was
unchanged in January. The manufacturing workweek increased by 0.3 hour to 40.9
hours, and factory overtime increased by 0.1 hour to 3.4 hours. The average
workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm
payrolls edged up by 0.1 hour to 33.8 hours.

In January, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm
payrolls rose by 4 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $23.29. Over the past 12 months,
average hourly earnings have increased by 1.9 percent. In January,
average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory
employees edged up by 2 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $19.62.

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for November was revised from
+100,000 to +157,000, and the change for December was revised from +200,000 to
+203,000. Monthly revisions result from additional sample reports and the
monthly recalculation of seasonal factors. The annual benchmark process also
contributed to these revisions.
____________
The Employment Situation for February is scheduled to be released on Friday,
March 9, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. (EST).


If you would like more information, on employment, jobs, careers visit:
http://www.absoluteknowitall.com/
facebook.com/AbsoluteKnowItAll

How Are Your Interview Skills?

How To Screw Up Your Interview – in ten minutes or less


Being prepared for your interview is important. Anticipating what you will be asked and having a good reply goes a long way towards improving your chances of being hired. The wrong answers to what you’ve been asked can be deadly. Consider the following questions;
· Q: “Why did you leave your last place of employment?”
o A: “I didn’t think it was a good idea to hang around after being fired.”
o A: “I didn’t leave. At least not on my own. I had to be escorted out by security.”
o A: “They ‘frowned’ upon downloading pornographic material on company computers.”
o A: “They said I was never sober enough after lunch to get any work done.”
o A: “Their work schedule and my life schedule had major conflicts.”
· Q: “Do you have any commitments that would prevent you from working our normal 40 hour week?”
o A: “Not unless I get committed again! “
o A: “Is your 40 hour work week flex-time?”
o A: “Seriously?” “For real?” (I love that answer! It can be used, across the board for some many questions)
· Q: “Would you be willing to take a drug test?”
o A: “Uh, like in today? Can we put that off for a week or two?”
o A: “Sure. As long as nobody watches me pee.”
o A: “I’d prefer not to. I’ve tested so many drugs in my life, I’m kinda burnt out.”
o A “Sure!! Do I get to choose which drugs I can test?”
o A “If I like, give you $20 bucks, will you take it for me?”

Often an employer will inquire as to whether or not you have any questions. Never say, “No”. It shows you either aren’t interested or weren’t paying attention. On the other hand, I wouldn’t suggest asking any of the following, either:
· “What’s this company’s policy regarding pressing charges on an employee?”
· “How often can I take a break, and when’s lunch?”
· “Can I keep my beer in the lunchroom refrigerator?”
· “Is this a ‘zero-tolerance’ workplace, or will I get a second chance if I get caught?”
· Who’s the hot chick answering the phones at the front desk? (and if the answer is: “My daughter”, don’t ask if he’ll give you her phone number. Better to not say a word and just turn around and leave.)
· “Wanna arm wrestle?”

When filling out your application:
· In the ‘Date’ box, don’t put: “Small, edible fruit.”
· For the question, ‘Do you speak English?’ don’t write: “Si”
· The ‘Sex’ box should only be answered with either ‘male’ or ‘female’. Not: “Whenever I can get it.” Or even “Yes!”
· I know it’s tempting, but for the question: “Who should be call in case of an emergency?” The correct answer is a friend or family member. NOT: “How about a Frickin’ doctor, you moron?”

Things that might not be too good of an idea to say:
· “I swear to God. If I don’t get this damn job, I’m going to kill myself!”
· “I swear to God. If I don’t get this damn job, I’m coming back and killing someone!”
· “I like to cross-dress. Do you have a problem with that?”
· “I party pretty hard on the weekends, but usually I’m sober by Monday morning. Tuesday at the latest.”
· “You don’t have to worry about me taking office supplies. I stocked up before getting fired from the last place.”

And in the box that says ‘Education’, don’t put “Yes.” Although I guess that’s better than the following:
"Where did you receive your training?""Yale.""Good, and what's your name?""Yim Yohnson."

Written by: Ronald J. Morse

For more information regarding Jobs, Employers and other blogs please visit us:

www.absoluteknowitall.com