How to Beat the ATS – Not!

How to Beat the ATS – Not! With the new presidential administration in office, and their first weeks’ actions killing over 100,000 jobs, the economy will soon be flooded with job applicants.  This means increased competition for jobs in the private sector – especially for blue-collar ...

To SHINE in Job-Market Competition – Get in the S.H.A.D.E.

To SHINE in Job-Market Competition – Get in the S.H.A.D.E. Jobless claims surged the first week in December (2020) based on the stricter COVID lock-down restrictions (almost 20% to 853,000 unemployment claims). It will get harder for job seekers to find work. Job seekers need every ...

Despite Who Wins the Presidency – Update Your Resume

At this writing, no one is sure who actually ‘won’ the election. There are indications that regardless of who wins, there will be a major change in the job industry, as well as an influx of new job seekers based on how the economy shifts.  Now, ...

FUZZY BUZZWORDS CAN HURT A RESUME – and the job seeker’s chances.

Fuzzy buzzwords can hurt a resume. Using grandiose and fuzzy buzzwords in a resume may make the job seeker seem like an impressive job applicant, but closer scrutiny reveals a vagueness that fails to explain the capabilities of the potential candidate.  Bullets in a resume should ...

COVID Impacts on Business, Work, and Hiring

COVID Impacts on Business, Work, and Hiring. The Payroll Protection Act (for small businesses) and stimulus for entire industries like airlines, healthcare, the travel, and more industries will continue to impact employment metrics.  Despite the US seeing 4.8 million jobs added in the last reporting period, ...

The COVID Effect on the Job Market

The COVID Effect on the Job Market. As I write this blog article, the United States economy just moved past the 80th calendar day since the international pandemic (Corona-Virus 19) in which the quarantine sent everyone scurrying behind locked doors and face masks.  Companies who relied ...

Career advice on resume content per degrees and certifications.

An interesting question was posited on LinkedIn, which prompted varied responses from recruiters, other job seekers, and hiring managers. The question was asked by a high-level management executive who was interested in what would be prudent in listing the ‘alphabet soup’ of certifications he had achieved ...

The (EEOC) Secret Behind ‘Short’ Job Announcements.

I have clients consistently calling me for short-order resumes for a “job that just opened and will be closing in (under) five days.”  At first, I want to ask is ‘why they weren’t updating their resume before they started job-shopping?’ (but I refrain!).  Then I have ...

Déjà vu all over again – good news, bad news for employers and job seekers.

I remember…  with trepidation … the market events in the fall of 2008 that caused the real estate crash in 2009 and the resulting rise in unemployment with hundreds of thousands of workers losing their jobs. (I was one of them. As a HR director, I ...

GitHub: The ‘secret’ tool for an IT job seeker’s portfolio and IT recruiter searches

A portfolio of accomplishments with demonstrations (screenshots, narrated videos, coded project links) can attract a recruiter’s interest and get a job seeker in a new employer’s door faster than some technical interviews.