The Official Blog of Jobaloo.com

One of the things we want to do here at Jobaloo.com is to help keep you informed of the latest services and technologies out there designed to help you in the job market. Today we’re taking a look at a new site that is currently in Beta, Jobby.

The site promises that creating a profile with them “is like an online resume on steroids.” First, you sign up for a profile, and you can upload your resume to the site for storage. You’ll also want to pay attention to the “10,000 foot view” which will appear at the top of your profile and is the “at a glance” version of you that possible employers are going to see first. Then you go through and select a number of “tags” that serve as keywords to help employers and hiring managers to find you.

Here’s a screenshot looking at how you set up your profile:

You look through the tag cloud there and click on ones that apply to you. You click once on a tag, and it is placed in the “Newbie” box below, click twice and goes into the “Skilled” box, three times and you’re “Advanced”.

This was the “geek” tab, you go through a similar procedure for “Business”, “Design” and “Availability”. Once you’ve applied all the tabs that can possibly fit you, go ahead and save your profile. When you look at it, it will look like this:

Whomever is interested in you as a potential candidate can see when your resume was last uploaded, can download the resume, browse through your skill tags and contact you securely through the form. Hopefully this means no spam! For this demo, I uploaded a resume template from Microsoft with the name of “Max Benson” thus the name on the file.

The power of Jobby comes when hiring managers are looking to search for candidates. It’s pretty easy to put in exactly what they’re looking for in skills for a candidate and then search for those skills. They can filter the results by area or by any of the “tags” that we went through before.

Jobby also has more cool things in the works. They promise to soon have a wizard which will “allow companies and recruiting firms to create their very own version of Jobby.” This means that they will be able to embed a version of Jobby into their websites and allow candidates to do all of the above right on the company’s webpage. They offer this sample webpage which shows you what the wizard might be able to do for a school focused on education and experience and looking to add to their faculty.

A few last things:

• As the site is still in beta, it is important to note that “GoJobby.com is currently only serving up profiles for exactly one career type… “Web Geek”.“
• Be sure to check out the Jobby Blog for updates on the service as it develops.
• There is also a Wordpress Plugin available for Jobby which allows you to embed your Jobby Profile on your Wordpress blog

Conclusion: The site and technology is certainly very much in the Web 2.0 spirit. “Tags” are the in thing these days on the web, and Jobby allows to slap tags on yourself and personalize what tags best describe your skills and situation. If this site/service is able to take off and get wide participation from both job seekers and employers, it could be a very powerful tool for both. Initially, Jobby might find a bigger distribution through individual employers and especially recruiting firms, which would then be able to find ideal matches to fill openings.

From Dice.com

The article tells us that the employer needs to be able to scan your resume and get a feel for your qualifications and experience within 10 seconds of picking it up and looking at it. When many job openings these days attract hundreds, if not thousands of respondents, being able to see at a glance that you are a qualified is critical to your chances of getting to the next step in the process.

To make your resume easy to scan, they recommend that you break it down into five sections:

Section 1: Summary of Qualifications

Example Given:

* 8 years of experience leading network security for Fortune 500 companies.
* Credentials include CCIE Routing & Switching and CCIE Security.
* Areas of expertise include firewall, storage networking, and access routing.

Section 2: Technical Skills

Systems: Windows (2000/NT/XP), Linux, UNIX, Solaris 2.x
Hardware: Servers, Hubs, Routers, Switches, PCs
Software: MS Office Suite, MS SQL Server, Visio
Networking: TCP/IP, LAN/WAN, Ethernet, Token Ring
Languages: Visual Basic, C, C++, HTML, JavaScript
Technologies: VoIP (SIP protocol, SER, asterisk)

Section 3: Experience

* Led seamless migration from Windows 95/98/NT 4.0 to Windows 2000/XP and Office 97/2000 to Office 2003 for 750 desktops.
* Developed diagnostic tools to troubleshoot network failures, resulting in 40% fewer service lapses.
* Served as primary Help Desk Technician, resolving 250 trouble tickets daily.

Section 4: Education and Certifications

The most attractive selling points of this section include your highest school level completed, as well as all of your certifications.

Section 5: Keywords

Resumes are often scanned and put into an electronic database. The article recommends:

To get past the OCR challenge and make sure your resume lands in the hands of a hirer, a keywords section on your resume is vital. Use this section to include alternate job titles you’re applying for, areas of expertise, and other skills not cited elsewhere on your resume. List your keywords at the very bottom of your resume. Examples of keywords for a Tech Support professional’s resume might include: Help Desk, Technical Support Technician, Tech Support, Troubleshoot, and Call Center.

If you’re currently employed and searching for a new job, do you dare to do part of it on your current employer’s time? According to one study, one quarter of US job hunters admit to using their work computer for job hunting.

Is this a wise idea? Interestingly, the article notes that up to three quarters of workers feel that their bosses are aware of the fact that they are using computers and work time for non-work activities.

One quote which might be telling as to why an employee would be so brazen is this: “Once they’ve made that decision to make a job change, they’re probably less concerned about their current employer finding out”.

If you must use your current employer’s time or resources to hunt for another job - after all, you’re likely working during the only time you can contact the other companies during the day - then here are a couple of things you might want to keep in mind:

• Use a personal email account, not your work email.
• Have your cell phone as the contact number, that way they can call, leave you a message, and you can step outside to return the call.
• Be careful when using a company fax machine. You might find a copy of your resume sitting on it later.
• If you’re going to schedule an interview, first thing in the morning or later in the afternoon might be the best bet. That way, your absence isn’t as noticeable, or can be vaguely explained away.

Jared Sandberg of CareerJournal.com looks at a hot button topic if there ever was one. Is it appropriate, proper, or even necessary in some cases to use profanity in the workplace?

It’s an unusual subject, but one that can apparently have a big impact on your career. You can lose “face” in the office if you use profanity in some cases, and you can lose “face” in other cases if you choose NOT to use profanity. A win-win situation for sure.

An excerpt:

Ann Garcia had to thread the needle. On the one hand, the No. 1 executive at her former company hated the use of profanity, seeing it as a sign of not having learned to communicate effectively. On the other hand, the No. 2 executive appreciated a potty mouth now and then because it indicated passion. He “felt that if you weren’t swearing, you probably didn’t care enough,” says Ms. Garcia.

Still, profanity is a barometer of corporate culture because cussing up a blue streak may be taboo to some companies and expected in others. It’s used as everything from a social bonding tool to a badge of status, from a weapon to a substitute for it. Not least, it’s a stress reliever when a paper tray doesn’t know it’s already full, a voicemail system doesn’t recognize a password, or when an automated restroom faucet splashes your pants, suggesting incontinence that is good for no one’s career.

As you see from the logo above, there is even a website devoted to this topic.

Job interviews are nerve-wracking. You probably have a pretty good idea of what questions you’re going to be asked, but what is the potential employer really looking for in your answer? A couple of articles from Monster.com can help you prepare in such a way that your answers will give the interviewer what they are looking for from you.

How to Handle Common Interview Questions (Part 1 of 4)

This article will show you how answer the following questions:

Where would you like to be in your career five years from now?

Tell me about your proudest achievement.

Give me an example of a time when you had to think out of the box.

What negative thing would your last boss say about you?

What can you do for us that other candidates can’t?

The second article is entitled Six Answers Interviewers Need to Hire You.

This article doesn’t give you answers to specific questions, but instead tells you what answers the interviewer is trying to come up with regarding you as a candidate. Here’s what they’re trying to determine.

Do You Have the Skills to Do the Job?

Do You Fit?

Do You Understand the Company and Its Purpose?

How Do You Stack Up Against the Competition?

Do You Have the Right Mind-Set for the Job and Company?

Do You Want the Job?

Lifehack.org has an interesting piece entitle Ethical Office Politics. Is there such a thing? They tell us that there are three aspects of political actions that we need to be able to distinguish in the office:

* Making decisions where there are no rules or precedents to guide you.
* Handling the allocation of resources.
* Creating a “pecking order” of influence.

The article concludes:

However you imagine what working life would be like without ethics, the result is fearful. Ethics are their own reward, not in the abstract sense of being right, but in the practical sense that a life without them would be unlivable. All you need to do is consider a greater purpose than your own immediate desires. Civilization has been around for some thousands of years. Sadly, it’s still something many people can’t seem to understand. An ethical approach to working life depends on standards of thinking and acting you impose on yourself, to free yourself from anxiety and regret and increase your satisfaction and happiness—and the happiness of everyone you deal with. An ethical approach to office politics is the same. Simple, isn’t it?

By Teena Rose

You’ll find lots of information on the Internet about how to ace a job interview. Everything from take extra ginseng to bake brownies for the interviewer. Sure, there’s plenty of information on how to conduct a successful interview, but what if you want to trash an interview. Well, there are still plenty of things you can do to succeed at your interview failure.

Call the interviewer by the wrong name.

Pure interview poison. If you want the job, focus on the interviewer’s name when you introduce yourself and use it throughout the interview. People like it when you remember their names.

On the other hand, if you want to flush the interview, call the interviewer by the wrong name even though her nameplate is sitting on her desk 11 inches from your nose. You’re outta there.

Arrive late.

Even a few minutes late will usually get you the boot faster than you can say “traffic jam”. The ideal time to arrive for the interview is 5-10 minutes before your appointment so to really louse it up, show up 35 minutes late eating a Krispy Kreme doughnut.

Arrive early.

If your appointment is at 2:00 in the afternoon, show up at 10:00 in the morning. Pace nervously in the waiting area and keep asking the receptionist what time it is. It won’t be long before security is summoned and your interview worries are over.

Eat.

Sure fire, can’t miss. If you come to the interview eating a Krispy Kreme doughnut, kiss that job good-bye; especially if you didn’t bring one for the HR Director who’s conducting the interview. It’s just not done.

Slouch.

Shows complete lack of initiate or even concern. Putting your feet on the interviewer’s desk is way over the top, but slumping in your chair could get you out the door quickly.

Answer Your Cell Phone.

Dweedle, dweedle, dweedle. Dweedle, dweedle, dweedle. “Excuse me while I get this call.” You better hope it’s your last boss calling to beg you to come back to your old job ‘cause you aren’t getting this one.

Bring up religion or politics.

This also works at parties. Ask the interviewer who he voted for in the last election. Think of it as an ice breaker that also guarantees that this interview is over before it even gets started. Religion or politics, it doesn’t matter. Just bring it up early in the interview so you can cut to the chase – out the office door! There are appropriate times and places for this topic, and the interview isn’t one of them, unless you’re looking for a short-lived interview.

Mention that you’ve been probed by aliens.

Oh, yeah, you’re a goner. In fact, if you want to kill a job interview, bring up any lunk-headed theory or half-baked belief and you’ll be home watching the TV soaps before you know it.

Ask what’s in it for you.

First question you ask, “So, Bob, how many week’s vacation do I get?” This is followed by, “And what about matching 401k contributions?” Finally, close out by asking, “When will I be getting my first raise?” It’ll be sometime shortly after hell freezes over.

Call the position a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

Employers like nothing more than spending a bunch of money to train you, only to have you take your “transportable skill set” with you when the competition offers you a better job. Be sure to mention this toward the end of the interview, after you’ve wasted an hour of the interviewer’s time.

Wear all of your piercings.

Nose, lobes, tongue, eyebrows – wear your finest. Even better if it dangles.

Chew gum

Does anything say ‘I could care less’ better than loudly chewing some Juicy Fruit? Feel free to offer the interviewer a stick, why don’t you. It won’t matter. Either way, you won’t get the job.

So there they are – the deadly dozen interview killers. Be sure to follow them carefully to ensure continued unemployment. Or not.

Teena Rose is a columnist, public speaker, and certified/published resume writer with Resume to Referral. She’s authored several books, including How to Design, Write, and Compile a Quality Brag Book, 20-Minute Cover Letter Fixer, and Cracking the Code to Pharmaceutical Sales.

There’s a common saying that some people scoff at. Money isn’t everything. For some people, Money IS everything. When you’re in the middle of a job search, sometimes money seems like the biggest factor when weighing job offers.

Jeff Bockelman has an article on determining money as a factor in your decision to accept or reject a job offer.

Among the advice he gives to job seekers:

1. Know what you want BEFORE you send the first resume.

2. Know what you need BEFORE you begin to negotiate compensation.

3. Think of your career as an investment.

He concludes with the following:

There always will be better-paying jobs out there. But there are few jobs that will be a right fit for your individual balance of needs. If you are a job candidate who is willing to look past the paycheck, you often can find a better overall position – one that satisfies your values, work ethic and lifestyle as well as one that pads your pocketbook.

Came across this one on lifehack.org

Niniane Wang has worked as an engineer for both Microsoft and Google, and during that time, she has screened hundreds of resumes from software developers. She shares her thoughts on what makes a great impression and what does not. Here are the basics, the original page goes into much more detail about these points:

1. Don’t be vague on technical details of your past work.

2. Don’t go into irrelevant details.

3. Don’t hype yourself too much.

4. Don’t sell yourself short.

5. Don’t lie.

She also has a couple more thoughts to share at the end:

In closing, I’ll name a few of my favorite resume highlights…

One candidate used the word “ass” in the first sentence of his cover letter. (Risky, but he pulled it off!)
One candidate’s cover letter said, “I don’t have time to write a cover letter. I need to go out to party and meet girls.” (Risky, and he didn’t pull it off!)
One candidate wrote “Proved P=NP.” When I interviewed him, he said “For the case where N equals 1.”

Here is a terrific article from the Society for Human Resource Management, (SHRM) entitled “Finding the Right Job Fit“. It’s aimed at Human Resource professionals, but the piece is full of tips and advice that would apply to anyone who is looking for a job. Particularly useful was this list of 25 questions you can ask during an interview to determine if you will be a good fit with the company.

1. Why did you join the company?
2. What surprises have you seen since coming here?
3. How many people have you brought in from outside lately?
4. What have you done to make sure these new hires are well integrated?
5. What questions do you use to assess talent before a candidate is hired?
6. If I’m hired, in a year from now, how will you know if I’ve been successful?
7. Why is the position open? If the last person in the job didn’t work out, why?
8. What is your view of HR?
9. What is HR’s role in the organization?
10. How employee-centric is the company?
11. What tools are managers given to perform their jobs?
12. Why do employees stay? Why do they leave?
13. What is your turnover rate? How does that compare to five years ago?
14. Are there exit interviews?
15. What core competencies do employees have—i.e., teamwork, creativity, innovation—and how do you make them actionable? Are they part of regular evaluations?
16. What are the biggest short-term and long-term challenges in this job?
17. Give me an example of a difficult employee relations situation. How was it handled, and what was the outcome?
18. How would you define the culture here?
19. Tell me about the flow of communications. What information does HR deliver to employees? How is it done? Are there all-employee meetings? Does HR have direct communications with senior leadership? In this position, would I have direct access to senior leaders?
20. Does HR have regular staff meetings? How often?
21. Are there motivational programs or incentives such as bonuses or stock options for top performers?
22. What is a typical day like for HR in general, for this job in particular and for employees?
23. What most often contributes to an employee’s success here?
24. How common are office parties and social events? Are these mostly external sales functions or internal HR functions for employees (i.e., does HR staff attend)?
25. (For lower-level positions) Where am I weak in my development, and will I have a chance to hone those skills?

There is also a good section about some things to look for that should raise red flags for you when you’re interviewing and being shown around the company:

• Potential co-workers seem stoic and unexcited, as opposed to positive and passionate about what they are doing.
• The potential employer asks few questions and answers your questions vaguely.
• Company stability is questionable, which could mean you may not have a job for long and it’s likely you’ll find it difficult to build a career there.
• When interviewing with various people, you hear very different responses from each person, which could mean there is no cohesive vision and/or the leadership is lacking.

All in all, this is an outstanding article which anyone in the job market should check out.