How to Find a Job in 2019

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How to Find a Job in 2019

The job market constantly evolves. Twenty years ago, you read paper newspapers to find job postings and had to stay near your house phone to wait for companies to call you back. Ten years ago, it was all job sites and maybe some message boards.

Now, social media, the gig economy and an emphasis on employer branding play an increasing part, once again complicating the process of finding a position. Another year, another set of changes in the mix of potential job-search tools.

So, what’s the best combination of techniques to use in 2019 and beyond? Here solutions for your job search for the rest of the year and into the 2020s.

Job Postings

Job posting sites still represent the vanilla, baseline place to find potential opportunities. Job sites like Indeed or Monster aggregate postings submitted by companies. They provide a good place to start your job search, especially if you have just entered the market.

These sites have a wide selection of current positions and provide an easy interface. Most sites allow you to upload a resume (or a set of targeted resumes), which you can submit to different positions, usually something close to a single-click process. It facilitates a shotgun approach of applying to a lot of gigs in short succession.

On the downside, you can slog through a lot of trash to find a real gem. Also, the posting sites get stale pretty quickly. Once you’ve been out of work for a time, only a few new items come up each day.

Social Media

LinkedIn remains the central hub of social media job searching. However, it is far from the only game in town. You can use a spate of other professional online hubs. You can also use the services that aren’t specifically targeted to career building, places like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

These services allow you to get the word out quickly that you are looking for work. You can also market your skills with relatively little effort on your part. Meanwhile, you can research opportunities and reach out to people…even strangers you want to cultivate as contacts.

The social media path has some drawbacks. These strategies can be indirect, and people are generally leery of social media trolls.

Find Your Dream Situation

Don’t just use a scattershot approach to finding opportunities. The powerful research capabilities the Internet provides can help you to seek out a particular company or the specific position you want.

Search out dream companies and see if they are hiring. Reach out to their HR department…you may get lucky with your time in hand find an unpublicized opening.

Old Fashioned Networking

Everyone knows that networking provides the best opportunity to find a new position.

As soon as you are looking for a job, alert everyone you know. Don’t stop a blanket announcement, hoping people will volunteer help. Contact your best prospects individually and gently press them for connections.

Staffing Agency

Everyone can use a little help, especially during the job-search process. That’s a key advantage of networking: getting other people involved.

Take this to the next level with some professional assistance. Staffing agencies connect with hundreds of companies, allowing them access to large collections of job placements that fit your skill sets.

What’s more, a recruiter will help streamline the process of applying to these opportunities. It’s like nuclear-grade networking. Apply once with a recruiter and automatically tap into their entire network.

Work With Diverse Staffing

Ready to reach out to a staffing firm? Diverse Staffing provides the industry’s best performance. Our knowledgeable and friendly staff are ready to help you jump-start your career.

12 Signs You’re in a Dead-End Job

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12 Signs You’re in a Dead-End Job

You want to make a difference. You want to feel appreciated. You want to be challenged. Most importantly, you want to know your hard work today is building towards a goal.  If you don’t see any of these things on the horizon it might be time to re-evaluate your situation.  Here are 12 signs you’re in a dead-end job:

  1. Your boss won’t give you the time of day.

You can’t get time with the boss to move projects forward.  Your projects seem to get lost in the abyss.  You are being ignored and emails go unanswered.  You’re lucky if you catch your boss in the breakroom making their morning coffee.

  1. Your thoughts and opinions don’t matter.

You share your best ideas and solutions, but they are never implemented. Your voice isn’t heard, and your opinions aren’t valued.

  1. No interest in knowing your goals.

You can see yourself doing amazing things for your current employer, but you aren’t being asked about your professional goals or future plans.

  1. Career plans are ignored.

You are asked about your career goals and plans, but the boss pays no attention to them and doesn’t take you seriously.

  1. Your company hires outside talent.

You have watched on multiple occasions high-level positions open up and instead of promoting from within, the corporate culture is to bring in outside talent.

  1. You get no recognition.

There’s no praise in sight.  No matter what you do, you can’t seem to please.  You could do the impossible and the silence that would follow would be deafening.

  1. Decision makers practice favoritism.

You see favoritism or bias in management practices.  If you’re not on their good side, you’ll probably be stuck doing what you are doing without any promotion in sight.

  1. Unfair treatment.

You notice your colleagues are getting opportunities you don’t get.

  1. Your skills are not being tapped.

You came into the job with a large skill set but your supervisor doesn’t tap into or go beyond what you’ve been contributing for quite some time.  You may have been passed over for a promotion or your request to take on more challenging projects have been ignored.

  1. You’re not challenged.

You feel unchallenged by your job, your boss, or your co-workers with no avenue to change the projection of things.

  1. You lack motivation and enthusiasm.

You get that Monday morning feeling every morning and you find it hard to get out of bed.  What you used to enjoy doing is no longer enjoyable.  There’s no challenge, no opportunity that excites you at the workplace.

  1. A machine could do your job.

Your role is becoming obsolete, as the skills required are being replaced by technology.

Questions to ask yourself before resigning

If you’re seeing all these signs, it might be time to make a change. But, before you go job hopping, make sure the problem is not with you. Here are a few questions to ask prior to hitting the road:

  • Have I communicated my career goals to my manager?
  • Have I shown that I am willing and able to take on new roles and responsibilities?
  • Does my employer offer training that I am not taking advantage of?
  • Have I looked for ways to expand my current role by identifying unmet needs in the organization?
  • Are there any other roles with my current employer that could help me learn new skills and address new challenges?

What to do when you know it’s time to move on

You’ve pondered the above questions and think it’s probably time to move on from your current job. But before you look for similar work elsewhere there are a couple more questions to ask yourself:

  • If I was offered me a promotion within the company, would I really want the new job?
  • Is there a job somewhere else in the company that excites me?

If your answer is “No!” to both of these questions, you may need to do more than look for a better version of your current job. You may need a career makeover. When choosing a new field or industry, think about where there is consistent and sustained job growth. If you do decide to change careers, you can often improve your odds of making a successful transition by first taking on part-time roles, temporary work, or projects.

If you like the type of work you do but desire a fresh start with a new boss and company, start pursuing one. Job seekers with in-demand skills are in the driver’s seat in today’s employment market. So be proactive and begin the process. There’s no reason to languish in a dead-end job without a plan to improve your situation.

Time to look for a new job? Diverse Staffing can help you find the right opportunity!

 

Do You Have the Right Interview Clothes?

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We live in a world where first impressions mean a whole lot, no matter how much we wish they didn’t. What you wear to your job interview is actually really important. Many HR reps, managers, and other interviewers pay really close attention to what you wear to your interview.

If you find yourself standing in your closet or in front of a mirror asking “what should I wear to my interview?”, then you should know you aren’t alone. It can be difficult to determine the right clothes for an interview. However, here are some key things to keep in mind when picking out your interview clothes:

Dress for the Job

If you are interviewing for a job as a construction worker, you probably don’t need to wear a full suit. And that works both ways. If you are interviewing for a position in an office, you shouldn’t show up wearing jeans and a t-shirt. No matter the job, make sure your clothes are clean, don’t have holes, and are appropriate.

Wearing Fragrances

On a typical day, you might splash on some aftershave or spritz some perfume on. I mean, who doesn’t like to smell nice? But before you go to an interview, you don’t want to do either of those things. You never know when someone will have an allergy or a sensitive nose, and you certainly don’t want your first impression to be someone to sneezing or getting sick because of your fragrance.

The Key Is In the Details

Are your shoes polished? Does your belt go with your suit? Is your jewelry distracting? Are you wearing matching socks? Are you wearing the right colors?  These are the types of questions to ask yourself while looking in the mirror before your interview. Everything needs to match and not be a distraction. Keep in mind that you want to look professional and like you already belong as an employee.

When In Doubt

If you can’t figure out what you should wear to the interview, then feel free to call the HR department. You don’t want show up to your interview underdressed, so ask what is recommended. If you aren’t brave enough to ask, then overdress slightly because that makes a better first impression than being underdressed.

Do you have any questions about what you should wear to your upcoming interview? Leave your questions in the comments section below!

Leveraging Relationships with Recruiters

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If you are an active job seeker, odds are you have recently been contacted by a recruiter. You know the spiel: “Hello, my name is so-and-so. I came across your resume online and was interested to see if you were still looking for a new position?”

It is very natural to put your guard up when you get contacted by a complete stranger about something as important as your job search. I get it. Many candidates want to be in control of their resume. But consider this –if you developed the knowledge required to confidently identify which recruiters were worth utilizing, you could expand your job search and gain valuable contacts that could last for the rest of your career.

Before you jump into another day of job hunting, check out the tips below on how to leverage your recruiter contacts and create new networking opportunities for yourself.

When contacted by a recruiter, ask questions
Initial phone conversations should be a time where you learn as much about them as they learn about you. Find out if they are calling about a specific position or if they have gotten in contact to simply get a better feel for you as a candidate. Make sure to write down the recruiter’s name and contact information, so you can research them later. The more you know about their professional history, the better you can gauge just how much they can help you in your job search.

If you receive unsolicited calls from recruiters, take them. You never know when one phone call could turn into a long-lasting relationship with a legitimately helpful contact. Stay in touch with the recruiters who could line you up with employers in the future. Another great option is to ask friends who have been placed by local recruiters to forward your resume to the person who placed them.

Get to know how recruiters work
In order to effectively utilize recruiters when they reach out to you, it is important to understand the different kinds of recruiters that exist and how they operate.

The two main types of recruiters are contingent and retained. Contingent recruiters are not paid until a candidate they submit is hired for the job. These are the recruiters competing with internal hiring teams, advertising, and direct applicants to fill the opening at hand. Contingent recruiters are likely to work at a faster pace than retained recruiters since their compensation is on the line.

Retained recruiters, on the other hand, are hired to manage the whole hiring process for a client. These recruiters work exclusively with companies to fill their positions, and charge an upfront fee to conduct the entire candidate search. These recruiters are usually able to take more time in finding multiple candidates that meet the needs of the companies for which they are working.

Recruiting firms tend to specialize by industry or function. Understanding this can help you figure out how to form your relationships. Seek out recruiters who specialize in the field you’re in or the field you want to enter.

Position yourself where opportunities are presented
It is imperative that you get out there where you have the chance to meet the right people and hear about the right opportunities. If you don’t have a LinkedIn yet, make one. Creating a LinkedIn profile is the easiest way to increase your visibility with recruiters and hiring managers. Make sure your profile is thorough and always updated, and remember to check your LinkedIn and spam frequently to avoid missing inquiries from people in your network.

4 Apps to Help You Stop Texting While Driving

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Take a second to digest this statistic: The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes and about 330,000 injuries each year. That’s one out of every four car accidents.

Despite the alarming data, the heartbreaking stories, and the launch of multiple national campaigns, Americans are still frequently using their cell phones while behind the wheel. In the back of our minds, we all know that texting and driving don’t mix, but for some reason, not all of us can break this bad habit. Luckily, there are a few apps out there that can be used to help you keep your eyes on the road. If you are one of those people whose will power dissolves upon hearing your phone ding from the console, check out these apps before your drive home today.

Drive First – this is an app from Sprint that automatically locks your phone when you start driving. Don’t worry, it does allow you to pick three apps that will remain accessible, things that are handy on the road such as Google Maps or your music, and to select “VIP” contacts to bypass the block. So don’t worry, you can make sure you don’t miss important calls from your boss or spouse when using this app.

Texting and talking while driving

DriveMode – DriveMode is different than most apps out there; instead of disabling your phone, it makes it easier to use. This app replaces your phone’s functions and appearance with  simple-to-use features that make engaging with your phone while driving less dangerous. For example, instead of having to press a small button to take an incoming call, DriveMode makes your entire screen into an answer button so you can tap anywhere to take the call.

Focus – this app actually trains you to not use your phone while you’re on the move. It will tell you to pay attention and give your reminders to remain focused. This app also provides reports of your progress and how the app may be improving the unwanted habit of texting while driving.

TextNoMore – TextNoMore is really cool because it offers incentives for successfully reaching your destination without texting. This service has partnered with retailers to provide different coupons that you can unlock and use.

Take advantage of the technology of today – turns out the device we’re all so distracted by could also help us focus on the road.

 

How to Optimize Your Resume for Job Boards

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No matter what field you’re in, the challenge to get one’s resume noticed online is a fierce one. The Internet has made the act of applying for jobs pretty painless but the convenience and accessibility of online apps has created a more competitive arena. With the mass number of resumes flooding in to websites, it’s incredibly easy to get lost in the mix (every week, 427,000 resumes are posted on Monster alone). So it is more important than ever to consciously construct your resume in a way that will make it stand out.

The best way to do this is to incorporate popular terms that employers and recruiters often use in their searches within the content of your resume. Including a few carefully chosen keywords can be the difference between your resume getting you an interview and it disappearing into the abyss of other hopefuls, dying in vain, and never coming across a recruiter’s computer screen. Using keywords on your resume will enable search engines to pull it out of the crowd. Next time you tweak your resume, consider how recruiters and employers actually look for qualified candidates. Like so:

Work History: Examine your past roles then scroll through some job boards to see how employers are listing openings similar to what you have done in the past; it is most effective to use terms companies are using in their ads because they are the words recruiters and employers are most likely to search. When in doubt about what job title to use, utilize a slash to include more than one (Senior Administrative Assistant / Executive Assistant). If you have worked for any well-respected or well-known companies, include the names of those past employers.

Skills: In order to get your resume in front of the most people, do some research on what skills employers are listing in their posts. From the list of common skills you find, choose a couple of the most significant and applicable to use on your resume. And always remember: list the skills most in demand for the job you want next.

Location: Employers will often search for candidates based on the location of the job for a number of reasons. While doing this, recruiters could type in a number of city and state combinations to pull up candidates. For example, a recruiter could look up resumes by typing in “Indianapolis” one day, then search a specific zip code the next- be sure to include as many variations of your location as possible in order to be pulled into their searches.

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How to Be a Memorable Job Candidate

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When job searching, the challenge to stand out from the competition is constant. And according to a survey conducted by Career Builder this summer, the pressure to be memorable can cause many job seekers to do just about anything.

Career Builder asked over 2,000 employers across the country to name the most unusual ways in which job seekers have tried to stand out from the crowd. Hilarity ensued. Some of the best (worst) submissions included:

  • “Candidate lit a corner of their resume on fire to show their ‘burning desire’ for the job”
  • “Candidate had his daughter call the hiring manager in advance of the interview to thank the hiring manager ‘for giving her dad a job'”
  • “Candidate answered a call during the interview stating that another company was calling to discuss a job offer”
  • “Candidate brought a bag of props into the interview and pulled them out as they were relevant in the questions/answers”

It may be tempting to think out of the box like these folks when trying to get a leg up. However, to find success in your efforts, you must be remembered for the right reasons.

Here are some great ways to (appropriately) grab an employer’s attention.

Leave something behind.
Leaving a physical reminder will help you stick in a hiring manager’s mind. Bring in portfolios and/or a hard copy of your resume to refer to as you interview. After concluding your meeting with the hiring manager, leave at least one of your documents that the employer can remember you by.

Turn your interview into a conversation.
Hiring managers don’t actually want to interview you. Rattling off a list of questions is even less enjoyable than sitting there rattling off a list of dry answers. So don’t be afraid to deviate from “the script”- it’s okay to spend a few minutes going on a tangent if it helps you build a relationship with the employer.

Ask amazing questions.
Candidates who ask strong questions are perceived as interested and driven individuals, so you never want to leave an interview having not inquired about any aspect of the job. Do plenty of research about the company prior to interviewing- the more you know ahead of time, the better constructed and thoughtful your questions will be.

Follow up. Always.
Sure, it’s one of the oldest rules in the book, but it has stuck around for good reason. Before you breathe a sigh of relief that your interview is over, send your interviewer(s) a thoughtful thank-you letter. Reflect on the experience and mention something specific and memorable from the interview. If you are still interested in the position, say so! Reiterate your excitement about the opportunity and be upfront about your desire to continue with the interviewing process.

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Lower Your Risk of Skin Cancer

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As the weather begins to warm up, you’ll want to spend more time outdoors. While the weather is nice, the sun can be harsh. It’s important to avoid being in direct sunlight for long periods of time. Why? Because skin cancer is actually the most common form of cancer in the U.S. Every year, more than 76,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. There are more than 3.5 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer each year.

What can you do you to lower your risk of skin cancer? There are several safety precautions you can take:

  • Stay in the shade during midday hours
  • Wear clothing to cover your arms and legs when outside
  • Wear a hat with a wide brim that will shade your face, neck, and ears
  • Use sunglasses that wrap around and block UVA and UVB rays.
  • Always use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher that provides both UVA and UVB protection.
  • And avoid indoor tanning because the harsh exposure to UV rays can cause skin cancer.

Don’t forget, if you go on vacation, the sun’s UV rays are more likely to reflect off of the sand and cause more damage than normal.The sun is worst between 10 am and 4 pm DST in the continental U.S. So make sure you use the right protection if you are venturing outside during those hours.

 

 

Avoiding Distractions While Driving

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April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and we want to help keep you safe. While it may be tempting to look down at your phone for any number of reasons while driving, it is dangerous and can endanger yourself, other drivers, and bystanders.

According to distraction.gov, distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. These types of distractions include
• Texting
• Using a cell phone or smartphone
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to passengers
• Grooming
• Reading, including maps
• Using a navigation system
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player

Because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction. However, this doesn’t mean you should freely do any of the other distractions mentioned above. In fact, you do any of the above activities you need to practice extreme caution.

If you need to use your smart phone, adjust anything in your car, or use a map, then your best option is to pull the car over. It is better to be a little late than risk anyone’s safety.

Remember to drive safely and practice precaution.

Eating Fruits and Vegetables for Disease Prevention

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Did you know that eating a diet full of vegetables and fruits can actually help prevent certain chronic diseases and conditions? Not only do fruits and vegetables help you maintain a healthy weight and general well-being, they can help save your life. Here are some of the diseases and conditions fruits and vegetables can help you avoid:

Cardiovascular Disease

As the world’s leading killer, heart disease is a serious issue for everyone. Fruits and vegetables can help prevent heart disease and stroke, but the best fighters of heart disease (and keeping it away) are green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits.

High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol

Many workers are faced daily with the challenges and struggles of high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol. While it isn’t completed understood how fruits and vegetables lower cholesterol, it is believed that the soluble fiber in them helps block the absorption of cholesterol from other foods.

Cancer

Research and tests suggest that eating more fruit can lower the risk of cancers of the esophagus, stomach, and lungs, and can reduce the risk of cancer of the mouth, pharynx, colon, larynx, kidney, and bladder.

Gastrointestinal Conditions

There are indigestible fibers in certain fruits and vegetables that are important for preventing intestinal ailments. When fiber passes through the digestive system, it soaks up water and expends—this process can calm irritable bowels and decrease pressure inside the intestinal tract.

Cataracts and Macular Degeneration

A cataract, which is usually associated with aging, is the gradual clouding of the eye’s lens. Macular degeneration occurs when the center of the retina is damaged. In order to protect your eyes, you should eat dark green leafy vegetables because they contain two pigments that will aid in protecting your eyes. In order to stimulate night vision and to protect that ability, you should eat carrots, cantaloupe, and pumpkin because of the Vitamin A.

Birth Defects

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are defects of a baby’s brain or spine that can be prevented if a woman has enough folate, found in B vitamins in her body before becoming pregnant. The folate or folic acid is used by the body to make new cells and can be found in asparagus, cooked spinach, and certain fortified breakfast cereals.

Fruits and vegetables can also help prevent other diseases and conditions like coronary artery disease, osteoporosis, dental issues, and skin infections. So the next time you get hungry or want a snack, consider a fruit or a vegetable!