Candidate Advice

Working Hard – or Workaholic?

We all believe hard work is necessary for success in life and in our careers. But even hard work can be harmful if we take it too far, because then it slips into something that can take over our life – workaholism. It is similar to an addiction, where we feel the need to work excessively and...

No Job is a Dream Job: All Jobs are WORK

We often think that getting our dream job will make our lives all rainbows and unicorns. But dream jobs are, plain and simple, myths. All jobs involve doing tasks we don’t like – we have to take off the rose-colored glasses and accept that all jobs have both the good and the bad. You may think you...

When You’re Really Asked to Do the Job to Get the Job

It’s fairly common these days for companies to ask job candidates to perform some task or do some assignment to showcase their skills. This is a perfectly reasonable request. In fact, it is a good idea for employers to ask for evidence of a candidate’s work to really see what he or she can do. It...

You’re the Boss of You

You have a terrific job with a stable company. You love your supervisor and your co-workers and they love you. The company is growing and things are good. For now. We can’t emphasize this enough: never become complacent. Things can – and too often do – change in an instant. Recessions hit....

Job Searching During the Holidays: Make it Ho-Ho-Ho, Not Humbug

Although hiring activities may slow during the holidays, they certainly don’t stop. Companies are still reviewing...

Prepare for Your Career Talk with Your Manager

Have you ever discussed your career hopes with your manager? No? You’re not alone: too many employees, unfortunately,...

Here’s Why Your Colleague Got the Promotion and You Didn’t

You’ve been passed over for a promotion. And maybe not for the first time. It’s baffling. You’re a good worker, you do...

Why a Cover Letter MATTERS

Job openings always ask to see a resume and often ask for cover letters, but not always. So as a candidate you may think that a cover letter is an “option,” as in “not required.” And it may well not be required, but it’s never not an option, not if...

You’re Working Hard, Yet You Haven’t Been Promoted. What to Do

You’ve worked at your employer for at least a year, possibly even two or three. You’ve worked hard, have always come in on time (if not even early) and never left until after everyone else had gone home. You did more than was expected of you and...

When You Haven’t Had a Job Interview in 6 Months, Do This

Let’s say you’ve been unemployed for a while. A long while, at least six months. You were laid off from your Orange County company and were able to score a nice severance package and so you decided to “take it easy” for a few weeks, catch your...

Do the Job to Get the Job

We can’t take credit for that headline: it comes from the great Nick Corcodilos of AskTheHeadhunter.com who is a firm believer that candidates have much more power than they believe and that the absolute best way to find work is to directly...

How to Get the Most Out of Your Recruiter

We’re recruiters and we love it! For all its many ups and downs, it’s a career that helps candidates find work and our clients find great employees. Our hearts just go zing! when we help someone find a new position. After all, without work, we...

5 Things to Do In Your First Days on the Job

You’ve just started your new job. You want to impress your new manager and get along well with your new coworkers. To help you do so, we present you with five things you should aim to do on your first few days and weeks at your new employer. Take a...