eBook: The 21st Century Job Search

The 21st Century Job Search
TIP S FOR LA N D IN G A J O B I N T HE DI G I TAL AG E .

Chapter Overview
Chapter 1 - The Search
Chapter 2 - The Modern Resume
Chapter 3 - The Cover Letter
Chapter 4 - Social Media
Chapter 5 - Networking
Chapter 6 - The Interview

If you’ve ever had a conversation with your parents
about their early days of job searching, then you
know some of the stark contrasts between the job
search of 10-20 years ago and today’s job search.
Finding a job has changed radically in the 21st
Century. It requires more than simply picking up a
newspaper and browsing through the classified ads.

Be Seen. Be Heard. JobMa.com

In the digital age, finding employment means using
the latest technological tools available for job seekers. Given this change in the professional world, job
seekers need to be aware of and stay on top of the
current trends and, then, adapt accordingly to optimize their chances of success. This eBook takes a
look at the modern job search and provides tips on
locking down that nine to five in the digital age.

CHAPTER 1 - The Search
First Things First: Setting Goals for
the Job Search
Whether you’re fresh out of college, deciding to
start down a new career path, or making any sort
of big life change, you absolutely MUST set goals.
Goals are an important part of making any change
in your life, they give you something to strive for,
they give you purpose. Without clearly defined
goals it is easy to flounder when making decisions.
Goals structure your path to succeeding by giving
you something to achieve.
You may have goals that are not clearly defined,
such as “I want to work in Public Relations” or “I
want to lose weight,” and that’s all well and good.
You go, girl. Now, let’s come up with something
specific enough that won’t allow you to rationalize
less-than-ideal outcomes. By specifying your target,
you know exactly what it is you’re aiming for and
what it takes to get there.

If you aren’t exactly sure if your goals are specific
enough, try using the “SMART” mnemonic. This can
be extremely helpful when determining if your goals
are sufficiently laid out, and worth charting out an
action plan.
So, instead of “I want to work in Public Relations,”
your goal should look more like, “I want to work as
a Manger of Emerging Media for a major PR firm
by 2016.” Now, you may need to form smaller goals
which would lead you to this result, but if you don’t
have a clear objective, you’ll never get where you
truly want to be.
Next step? Take action! If you’re looking for a new
career, or advice on job searching, resumes, or
interviewing, check out www.jobma.com.

SMART stands for:
S- Specific (Significant)
M- Measurable (Meaningful)
A- Attainable (Action-Oriented)
R- Relevant (Realistic)
T- Time-Bound (Trackable)


It’s Not Me. It’s You.
Considering Company Culture
in Your Job Search
By pairing your paper resume with your video
resume, you’re giving employers the opportunity to
see who you are as a person, what your personality is like, and how you could potentially fit into
the company as an employee. Don’t forget that it’s
extremely important for you to give the company a
similar sort of evaluation!
The first thoughts that come to your mind when
you’re considering a job position most likely include
the facts: location, hours, salary, etc…I get it. These
things are important. You do have bills to pay and
don’t want to commute two hours roundtrip to work.
But what about the atmosphere and culture of the
company? This information is equally important. If
the culture of your company makes going to work
as exciting as watching paint dry, then this is a
major issue!
So how do you get the inside scoop on your prospective company’s culture? Here are three good
starting points:
1. The Internet is your friend.
Employers scour the Web to find any inappropriate
or unprofessional Facebook posts, tweets, or high
school articles related to you. Do the same to them!
Look over everything from their social media pages
to any articles and press releases you can get your
hands on. What does this public image say about
the company as a whole? Are they in the press
for sexual harassment in the workplace or for their
community volunteer efforts? If it’s possible, don’t
be afraid to get in touch with current employees
through Facebook or LinkedIn to ask them how
their working experience has been. If the company
has a Jobma profile, look carefully at the video the
company chose to upload.


2. Be observant.
Once you arrive at your interview, be observant of
any details that could give you information about
the company culture. What do the employees’
desks look like? Are they completely bare or decorated with family pictures? Pay attention to how
everyone within the office is dressed. Is the dress
code business casual or formal business attire?
Notice the way the office desks or cubicles are
arranged. Do they promote social interaction? Also,
keep an eye out for the break room. Does it seem
like a well-used spot for employees to talk about
their weekends? You could even consider asking to
do a walkthrough of the office after your interview.
3. Just ask.
Company culture is a very appropriate topic to bring
up at the end of the interview when the employer
asks if you have any questions. Here are three
questions to get you started:

If you could change one thing
about your company’s culture,
what would it be?
How would you describe your
company’s culture?
What sorts of workplace issues
does HR most commonly face?
Finding a job with a great salary, location, and
hours is great, but remember that you actually have
to go to work everyday and live in that environment
for 40+ hours a week to get that salary. So while
company culture may not be the first thing you
consider in your job search, definitely don’t forget
about it!
For a related blog post on how to consider location
in your job search efforts and find out which cities
are best for your career, click here!

The Importance of the Right Job
I understand as well as anyone the importance of
landing a job to pay the bills. Any job will do, right?
Well, if you’re looking to turn this position into the
start of your career, the answer to that is a big fat
no. Maybe you’re not exactly sure what you should
be doing, or even what you want to do. I’m here to
tell you why “just any” job is not the answer, and
how to find what’s right for you.
In times like these where jobs are harder to come
by, picking up any position might seem like the best
course of action – but if you can be picky, do it.
Taking a position in which you are not well suited
not only means you have to work harder to excel,
but it also means that the employer is not getting
all that they should from the position. It’s like trying
to jam two puzzle pieces together when they don’t
fit. It leads to a problem, no matter how you look
at it. And if you’re trying to grow within a field that
doesn’t align with what you are naturally good at,
you’ll find roadblock after roadblock after roadblock,
and nobody wants to be frustrated with their work
for their entire career.

If you’re not sure what you want to do, you need
to first do a little research on yourself. Though you
might think you’re good at everything (and hell,
maybe you are), you are probably better suited
for some positions rather than others. If you’re like
most people, you ultimately want to end up doing
something you’re good at. If you’re not exactly sure
what you’d be best doing, or you have a perception
of your skill set that might be different from reality,
take a personality test like the Jung Typology Test
or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment
(and for the sake of all that is good, be honest).
Tests like these help to determine who you are,
your strengths and weaknesses. By dissecting the
results of these tests you can decide what type of
work is best for you.
When looking for your next position it’s important
that you stick to your guns, not only will you be a
better fit as an employee, but you will also be much
happier with your career choice.

Any job will do, right?
No, stick to your guns! Not only will you be a
better fit as an employee, but you will also be
much happier with your career choice.


Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Getting Stuck
Feeling stuck in your job search?
We’ve all been there. Maybe there are too many
tantalizing options out there, or maybe nothing
you’re finding sounds right for you. Well, let’s get
you unstuck, shall we?
First: Take a Breather, and Reflect.
Everything is going to be fine, so if you’re really
frustrated, just take a moment to relax. Take a step
back and review your process. What’s working?
What is not?
If you’ve been visiting job boards with no results,
maybe it’s time for a different approach.
If you have too many options on your plate, it’s time
to focus on exactly what it is that you want rather
than continuing to search.
Realize that this particular job search is not going
to define the rest of your life. If you end up finding
something that isn’t a perfect fit, that’s okay. It’s all
right to try something new that you hadn’t previously considered, and it’s also all right to say no if
you’ve overwhelmed yourself with options.


Next: Take Action.
If you’re having a hard time finding something you
like, switch things up. Talk to people in your network, or try a different method of job searching.
Check out niche job-search websites, or sites like
Jobma.com that give you new and different ways
of promoting yourself. Conduct informational interviews with companies, rather than looking for
specific job descriptions. Make an action plan, set
goals, and go for them! By taking action you’ll open
up doors you never knew existed.
If you’ve loaded up on potential positions and are
having a difficult time choosing a direction, take
a test run or two (or three…etc). Shadow people,
volunteer, do whatever you can to get a taste of
each of your options. Once you know more about
what it takes to do each of those things, you’ll have
a better idea of what it is you want to dedicate your
time to.
Job searching is seldom stress-free.
So if you get stuck, gather your thoughts, figure out
the issues in your process, and take action. By taking control you’ll not only relieve the excess stress,
but you’ll also be one step closer to finding a job!

3 Tips for Landing Your Ideal Career
Hearing in an interview that this prospective position would give you a fat check every pay period
is great news! But it can be somewhat blinding if it
prevents you from considering other aspects of the
position. No matter how much fun you will have with
your flashy salary, if it’s a job that you absolutely
despise, then it’s going to be not-so-fun earning
that stack of cash. Given that you’ll be spending
40+ hours a week at your job, it is important to
make sure that it is something you will enjoy—
money aside.
With that, how do you go about finding a career
that’s right for you? Here are three ways you can
get started:
StrengthsFinder 2.0
Available both online and in book format, this tool
allows you to take a short assessment to determine
what your top strengths are. The test evaluates you
for 34 different talent themes, including, for example, Achiever, Developer, Positivity, Empathy, Includer, and Focus. Once you know your strengths,
reflect on how you could incorporate these qualities
into a career. It just so happens that we generally
like doing things that we are good at. If you get
stuck, StrengthsFinder 2.0 also provides an entire
chapter dedicated to incorporating your unique
strengths into a career.
Hop around
If you’ve recently graduated from college and are
in your twenties, this is the ideal time to explore
different career options. Once you land a job out
of school, if you’re unsure that is what you want to
spend the rest of your life doing (which you probably are), then consider hopping around. Many professionals in their twenties change careers every
two or so years until they find that perfect fit.


Connect with other professionals
If you think you’d like to go back to school to become a pharmacist, but aren’t absolutely certain,
what better way to find out than by shadowing a
pharmacist! People enjoy talking about themselves
and their lives, so most people will probably be glad
to help you. If it is not a position that you can shadow, ask if they would be willing to talk over coffee,
respond to an email, or even Skype. While this only
provides you with one person’s perspective on the
position, it can still offer you some great insight.
These tips provide you with some great ways to get
started on your journey to a fulfilling career! However, it’s important to note that not every one of your
passions would make for a good career. There are
some passions that might even be “ruined” if you
were to try to turn them into a career. Knowing and
understanding which passions these are is important to finding your ideal job. For more information,
click here.

CHAPTER 2 - The Modern Resume
Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid
Your resume or video resume is a key component
to finding a job. Whether you are looking for your
first job out of college or are a 20-year veteran in
the workforce, silly resume mistakes can cost you
big when being compared to your peers. Think
about these 5 tips when creating and editing your
resume:
5. Misspellings and Improper Grammar
This key point seems obvious, yet any time a job
is posted there are sure to be multiple resumes
submitted with spelling mistakes. What does it say
about you when the piece of paper or video pitch
meant to define your career has a spelling error or
poor grammar? Would they be making a mistake by
hiring you?
4. One Size Fits All
We all know that you are a multitalented salesperson/marketer/communications/HR professional in
the making. That is what your application says. A
perspective employer on the other hand would like
to know that you specialize in the position that you
are applying to. If you are applying for a job in marketing, you should have a marketing centric resume
or video resume. Show employers why you fit that
job and the experience and education that back it
up. Use verbiage that sharpens an employer’s focus on how you can contribute in their environment.


3. Focus on Job Duties
While employers do want to know what you did for
your company, they will be more interested in what
you accomplished. When writing or talking about
previous jobs you should ask yourself:

How did I perform better than my
coworkers?
What challenges did I face and
overcome?
How did I make that company
better?
2. Overloading
As much as you want to tell a perspective employer
everything about you, it’s good to keep readability
in mind. After you have completed your written or
video resume step back and look at it. Does it look
like something you would want to watch or read, or
is it confusing? Is it formatted properly and easy to
consume? When you answer these questions for
yourself you will know whether you are one step closer
to submitting your written or video resume confidently.
1. Lacks Job Specific Keywords
Certain industries have certain keywords that mean
a lot when looking for the next candidate. Keep
your skills and your written and/or video resume up
to date by knowing and including keywords associated with your field and specifically positions you
are applying for. Many fortune 1000 companies
and even smaller companies use software to sift
through resumes and find appropriate candidates
to screen. Put yourself in the best position to be
contacted!

Top 5 Resume Do’s in 2013
Your resume is the most important part of your job
search. It will either land you an interview or get
you thrown in the “not interested” pile in a matter
of minutes. It is vital that you take the time to craft
a resume that shows your potential employers why
they can’t live without you. These are five things
you must do when composing your resume.

Include a Cover Letter
For some reason, many applicants skip the cover
letter. This is a big mistake. The cover letter is your
chance to speak to the hiring manager. Why should
they choose you over everyone else? A well-written
cover letter will land you an interview much faster
than any perfected resume can.

Keep It Short
Recruiters and hiring managers are busier than
ever. If your resume is longer than a page, you can
be pretty sure it is not going to get read. Keep your
resume brief and highlight only the relevant aspects
of your career and education. Additionally, you no
longer need to include references on your resume;
simply state they are available if needed.

Include a Video Resume
Although not usually requested, a video resume
could make the difference between getting an interview and being thrown in the not interested pile. A
resume is a decent representation of your skills and
experience, but it hardly speaks to your soft skills
and your personality. Including a video resume with
your written resume gives employers a chance to
see who you are and how you present yourself
“in-person” before an interview even takes place!

Use Your Words Wisely
Since you are working with limited space, you better make it count. Focus on action words and actual
statistics to demonstrate what you bring to the
table. Vagueness will not do you any good.
Make It Easy to Read - As previously mentioned,
your resume is likely to only get a few minutes of
attention before it is tossed to the wayside. Make
sure you emphasize the important parts with bullet
points and use a simple font so that your resume is
easily scannable.
Put the Most Important Information
at the Top
Use the first few sentences to really capture the
reader’s attention. Put your most mind-blowing
achievements and standout qualities here. If you do
this correctly, your resume might get more than a
few minutes of attention.


The Power of Keywords, Video Resumes, and Breaking through
the Masses
With the advances in technology, keywords are
now the most widely used tool for finding prospective employees. Admittedly, I wouldn’t want to
read through thousands of resumes either, but this
method can knock some great jobseekers out of
the running for positions they would be a perfect
in. Employers search job-sites for resumes which
include certain keywords, and if your resume is
missing the words these employers are searching
for you are automatically sunk.
Now, what are these words? How can you ensure
that your resume is chalk full of them and you will
never be missed by an employer’s keyword search
again? Well, they’re different for every position in
every industry. Yes, there is some overlap, but I
cannot give you a list of words that will instantly
make you visible to every employer you’d like to
work for. But, all is not lost. You can figure out some
of these words on your own using several different
methods:
Think about the “hard” skills necessary in the
industry in which you are applying
(ex: project management, recruitment, etc)
Industry buzzwords and software
(ex: Specific CRM, or industry software, etc)
Consult with recruiters, company websites,
human resources, or web search engines


Keywords are the top-dog when it comes to sorting
through resumes now, but as technologies continue
to change and emerge, the job-search process will
continue to adapt to the changes. Jobma makes
standing out from endless resumes easier by giving
employers the opportunity to see the person behind
the resume before calling them in for an interview.
This technology gives jobseekers the tools necessary to be more than just keywords on a page; it
allows them to talk about their skills and assets so
that employers can get a better sense of who you
are as an employee.
Bolstering your resume with keywords will ensure
that you become more visible to employers and
increase your chances of being considered for an
interview. Jobma allows you to go a step further, introduce yourself, and share a little bit about yourself
and what you can bring to the table. And, as a word
to the wise, throwing keywords into your video pitch
certainly couldn’t hurt either.

How to Flesh Out Your Resume
It is commonly known that your resume should
be a standard one page. Since your resume only
gets maybe 10 seconds of attention, any longer
than one page provides more information than can
be attended to in that amount of time. To remedy
a length problem, review the information on your
resume, and make sure it’s all current and relevant,
and cut everything that no longer falls into those
categories. But what do you do if you have the opposite problem? You’ve filled out your objective, educational information, work experience, and you’re
still looking at half a page of blank space. Don’t you
worry; it won’t be blank for long.
It’s all in the Details
What did you do at your last position? I don’t mean
two or three bullet point’s worth, but what did you
do? Did you manage a group of people? Did you
create content that led to any sort of results? Give
it to me in more detail, quantify your accomplishments. You have what many professionals wish
they had: space to delineate the things that they did
in previous positions that exemplify relevant skills!
Use it!
Highlight Relevant Skill Sets
Now, I know you have a list of skills, all prim and
proper under a general “Skills” heading. Don’t be
afraid to break them up! Having a long list can lead
to having some of your skills skimmed over. Does
the job you’re applying for require a certain set of
skills that you have? Say, computer skills? What
about language or social media skills? If you’ve
got it, flaunt it! Create a separate heading for those
skills. This will not only add more length to your
resume, but it highlights the skills that are more
relevant to the position.


Giving is a Good Thing
Do you have any volunteer experience? List it! Volunteer experience shows potential employers more
about who you are as a person, not just a prospective employee. Volunteering cannot only be rewarding, but it can be valuable experience as well! Did
you help coordinate an event? Did you fundraise?
Enter data? These activities all require skills that
professionals use every day.
If you don’t have any volunteer experience, sign up
to give some of your time. Not only is it intrinsically
rewarding, it helps develop certain job skills and
helps to maintain an employable image, not to mention lengthens your resume!
Never fill your resume with fluff, look deeper into
the experience you have and use this opportunity
to express details, highlight skills, and show off who
you are. You may have had trouble filling space
before, but using these tips you’re likely to have an
abundance of information. You’ll be filling that page
in no time!

Did I Manage Employees or Was I Responsible for Managing
Employees? Writing Winning Bullet Points
An incredibly important part of the resume that
applicants often overlook (guilty!) in the writing
process is the bullet points listed under each of the
professional positions. These phrases are more
than just an expansion of your job title. They allow
you to elaborate on the skills you mastered through
your experiences at each job. They tell prospective
employers what kinds of responsibilities you can
handle and what achievements are within your reach.
There are several guidelines you can follow to
make sure that your bullet point phrases meet
these ends:
Length.
Include 3-5 bullet points for each professional position on your resume.
Tense.
Write in the past tense for previous jobs and present tense for current jobs.
Content.
Include phrases about your job responsibilities and
significant achievements. Both of these phrases, if
well written, should emphasize the skills you
acquired through the job position. If you earned
awards through your job, be sure to include
those too.
Start each phrase with an action verb.
The passive voice sounds terrible on a resume and
should be avoided at all costs. Consider the following
phrase: “Was responsible for increasing sales.” This
does not provide prospective employers with any
helpful information. You were supposed to increase
sales, but did you? Always use action verbs and the
active voice when constructing your phrases.


For example, change the previous phrase to “Increased sales.” Action verbs are more powerful in
emphasizing the skills you learned and accomplishments you made through the job position. Click here
for a list of action verbs organized by career type.
Include specific numbers.
Doing so allows you to quantify the magnitude of your
accomplishments. For example, change “Increased
sales” to “Increased sales by 20% in 5 months.”
Include specific skills.
Give your prospective employers concrete evidence
that you have the necessary skills for the job you
are applying. For example, change “Designed the
company’s website graphics” to “Designed the
company’s website graphics using Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator, which led to a 22%
increase in unique website visitors.”
These bullet points also provide great content to
pull from when building your video resume. Not only
do they capture a description of your current or previous job positions, but they also emphasize the set
of skills you acquired and achievements you made
though these
experiences.
Shorten and combine three or four
of your phrases to
create a concise
yet informative
professional skills
summary.

When You Don’t Have Enough to Put on Your Resume
Adding a video resume to your collection of application materials obviously gives you a huge boost
over job candidates that only apply for positions
using a text resume. But what more can you do if
your resume is looking a little sparse and needs
some more content? How can you show an employer that you have impressive professional qualities without going to great lengths such as going
back to school for another degree or taking on a
part-time job that you just don’t have time for? Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do
that will give your resume the edge you’re looking
for. Here are some ideas to get you thinking:
Get involved in your industry.
Volunteering is a great way to get involved and
flaunt your leadership and/or self-starter qualities.
Consider a college student pursuing a teaching
license. Volunteering as
an assistant to a lower
school teacher, as a
Sunday school teacher,
or even as a daycare
helper are all good
ways to show employers that you are great
at interacting with kids
and helping them learn.
Even if you volunteered
in a school’s administrative office, you’re still
showing employers that
you’re passionate about
the education system—
enough so to volunteer
your limited time.


Get certified.
When I first heard this advice, I was stuck wondering what in the world I would be able to get a
certification in. But much to my surprise, the Internet has several certifications you can pursue online
for almost every industry. If you’re a graphic designer, for example, Adobe offers certifications for its
design software that you can pursue right from your
computer. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor
offers a website where you can search for available
certifications in your industry. These certifications
offer a convenient (and impressive!) way to solidify
your skills and “prove” to an employer that you are
capable of performing.
Take advantage of free online classes.
Although you cannot, to my knowledge, get an
actual degree without forking over some dough,
there are certainly several sources online that offer
free classes and/or lectures. Coursera, for example,
hosts free classes from top schools and organizations, including University of Minnesota, Princeton
University, and Stanford University. If you’re applying for jobs in an industry outside of your major, this
will be an especially useful tool for you. Consider
adding a “Relevant Courses” section to your resume to highlight your enhanced education.
According to the stats, only two in every 100 resumes sent to an employer is viewed. That leaves
quite a bit of room for an unsuccessful application.
So follow these tips to make sure that your resume is one of those two. Additionally, compliment
your new-and-improved text resume with a video
resume to catch the eyes of your potential new
employers.

A Look at the Future of Hiring
Throwing away the traditional resume might not
be the right move for everyone. You can still find a
very good job with a resume, but it’s getting harder
and harder to find a great one. The future of hiring
depends on so much more than your resume.
Here are a few things that will help you more
than any resume:
A Body of Work
We don’t really have portfolios anymore, in the traditional sense. Rather, we have a series of links to
our work throughout the web. If you don’t have work
that you can link to, then a resume isn’t going to
help you to overcome that. A resume is just a list of
qualifications that you don’t have, by way of omission. A resume can be a reason not to hire you. A
body of work is a reason to hire you.
A Specialty
If a recruiter is looking for someone to design a lo-fi
website to look like a 1995 AOL member’s page,
they’re going to look for someone who specializes
in lo-fi websites. If a company is hiring someone
to design a new blender, they’re going to pursue
someone with new ideas on blenders, not a
generalist. The Internet allows us to
search millions of qualified people, so
have a qualification that people are
specifically looking for.


Initiative
Initiative is important in today’s job market. Employers want people who will bring new ideas to the
table, not mere cogs to plug into the machine. If you
can take the initiative, you have an edge over other
candidates. Including a video resume along with
your written resume is a great way to demonstrate
this sort of soft skill (along with the others)!
Because of the competition that we have to contend
with in today’s job market, it’s simply not enough to
be competent anymore. You have to stand out as a
champion!

Try Something New
Your resume is a living document. It goes
wherever you go professionally and changes to
reflect your career path and professional interests
and goals. Coming into 2013 it’s time to embrace
some new formats and compliments to your trusty
paper resume.

2. LinkedIn Profile
It’s no secret that social media is an important component of job seeking if you have been following
our blog. What we have seen is more and more job
portals accepting an application via a LinkedIn profile. Your LinkedIn profile can be a fairly complete
professional portfolio if you treat it as such. It can
act as a full resume, is keyword searchable, and
combines endorsements of skills and recommendations of people in your network.
3. Personal Website

1. The Video Resume
The video resume is coming into its own in 2013.
Technology has gotten to a point where video
recording and sharing is simple and accessible.
Interviews are being conducted online, and YouTube receives billions of views every day. Take your
job search to the next level and embrace your story
telling ability on a level previously unavailable to
job applicants before an interview. Use your words
and your personality to feature why you are the
right candidate for the company you are applying
to. Sites such as www.Jobma.com offer candidates
the ability to create a profile and video resume and
share it out anywhere.


Now, certain job categories lend themselves to
having personal websites more than others, but if
you could have your own website it certainly opens
up potential opportunities. A personal website can
be an eye catching way to showcase your skills and
projects in a format that is easily found and shared
online. It could help you get job inquiries as well as
a chance to dabble in consulting if that idea appeals
to you.
The resume of 2013 can be a much broader and
more effective tool than in previous decades. The
availability of technology allows just about anyone
to really beef up their presence online. You know
when you are in the running for any job that your
name will be searched. It is up to you what they find!

Why Soft Skills Matter
Whether you’re looking to land that first job out
of college or apply for that position you’ve been
eyeing for years, there are the obvious things you
need, as well as some intangibles, to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack. The obvious?
Things like a well-polished resume, the qualifications, a cover letter and the appropriate business
dress attire.
And the intangibles? Soft skills, or the personal
qualities that you exhibit, can be the difference
between employers landing someone who can do
the job well and someone who can do it exceptionally. For this reason, soft skills such as leadership,
positivity, creativity, motivation, verbal and written communication and ambition, can be a major
differentiating factor between job candidates. They
matter to the extent that some employers would
rather hire candidates with weak hard skills and
strong soft skills rather than the opposite.

Communication
Poor communication is often one of the biggest
shortcomings of an otherwise successful work environment.

So why are employers putting more focus on soft
skills? According to an article in Forbes, some 92
percent of employers put a great deal of value in
employee attitude, as those with a positive attitude
are more likely to want to learn new skills, work with
others and be a part of a team. Those with good attitudes also prove to be more like-able, both inside
and outside of the office, which is another reason
behind this added emphasis on soft skills.

Leadership
Are you the type of person that can take charge or
assume responsibility of certain things when need
be? Employers like that.

Soft skills that employers are placing
value in and why they’re important:
Flexibility
Employers like Jack of all Trades-type workers who
can adapt to change and learn new things quickly.


Positivity
Nobody says that work can’t be fun. Positive people
make the 9-5 grind more enjoyable. And positivity
can also often times be contagious.

So while you might have the qualifications for a
certain position, ask yourself if you have the intangibles. If so, do they show through in your resume
and cover letter? If not, you may consider including
a video pitch to highlight your personality and other
soft skills. Think about it – if there are two people
with the same qualifications and equally impressive
resumes, is the employer going to hire the stick in
the mud or the person who is beaming positivity?
It’s a no-brainer.

DO’s and DON’Ts of Video Resumes
While a resume may be a good way of listing your hard skills, it does not give the employer any impression of your soft skills. These skills are hard to measure by looking at a paper resume. As a result, a paper
resume is just not sufficient for most employers to properly assess your skills and experience. A video
resume (sometimes called a visual resume or a virtual resume) can be an excellent way to make that personal connection with a company. They are far more personal than a paper resume and allow employers
to see how you present yourself. A good resume could result in landing the job. However, done badly, it
could be a detriment. Here are 5 “Do’s” and 5 “Don’t’s” for video resumes that work:

DO:

DON’T:

Dress professionally.
Treat your video resume as you would a job interview.

“Wing it.”
While natural speech and flow is encouraged, do
not “wing” the whole resume. Make sure you’ve
at least prepared on outline of what you’d like to
include.

Prepare!
Write down what you plan to say and, if possible,
memorize it.
Consider the background.
Record your video in front of an uncluttered office,
library or living room setting, or by a plain wall or
backdrop.
Engage the viewer.
Maintain eye contact, be enthused, and show your
true personality. Let the employer know you’re
excited about working for them! Be professional,
warm, and a touch of humor never hurts.
Be Creative.
Sitting in front of a camera and listing your accomplishments may be an adequate way to describe
your skill set, but why not stand out by putting
together a video reel? Demonstrate your problem-solving skills, your flexibility, and your work
ethic by piecing together video resumes that will
leave your employer speechless.
Speak clearly.
Be sure to enunciate each word.


Use “Ums” or “Ahs.”
Omitting “filler” words or sounds will double or triple
how professional you sound.
Speak too fast.
This is a common mistake of public speakers; strike
a relaxed, natural, conversational tone.
Fidget.
Maintain good posture and eye contact during the
video resume.
Pause too much.
Avoid dead air; keep things flowing smoothly and
naturally.
So there you have it -- 10 video resume tips on
how to get an interview. A student resume or video
resume for a job should be planned carefully. These
tips can be a format for resume success. Resumes
that work will help with getting an interview, and a
good resume on video could very well be your key
to success. Create your video pitch today!

Video Resumes and Equal Employment Opportunity(EEO) Standards
Some recruiters will tell you that video resumes are
a no-go because they delineate age, gender, race,
and other information that could be discriminated
against. And hey, nobody likes to get sued, I understand that. But let’s take a step back and compare
the information divulged in a video resume versus
the information on your LinkedIn account, or Facebook, or Twitter.
We all know that recruiters and HR professionals
creep social networks. They’re huge creepers. The
fact that 73% of recruiters can say that they’ve successfully hired someone they found through social
media says that loud and clear (Jobvite – Social
Recruiting Survey Results 2012). They know what
you look like, your relative age, gender, ethnicity.
Hell, your name alone gives them at least some
idea as to who you are.
Let me tell you a little story.
A friend of mine was accepted to a University and
offered scholarships all on the basis of her name
and financial information. She showed up, met with
the counselor, who then proceeded to look at her as
if she had three heads. The counselor then explained that the scholarships they had awarded her
were no longer applicable because of her ethnicity.
Her name is Tabitha M.(last name excluded for her
privacy), and they assumed she was African American, which she is not.
In this case, they got it wrong, but that just goes to
show you that people already have an idea of who
you are in their heads just by hearing your name.
And that’s just your name. Now throw that name
into a search engine and see what you find. Boom,
there it is: a picture, a profile, plenty more information that can be used to discriminate against you in
the hiring process.


In general, recruiters say incomplete LinkedIn
profiles hurt potential candidate’s chances of being
approached for interviews… interesting how that
works.
Facebook and Twitter are the same way. There’s
your profile picture, and that right there says a lot
about you from a demographic standpoint. Some
companies ask for your Facebook profile, and with
that they could potentially find out more about you
than you could possibly give away in a video resume.

If social media is fair game for
employers to use to check out
prospective employees, then
video resumes certainly are too!

Video Resumes: Projecting Confidence through Body Language
The old saying “actions speak louder than words”
speaks volumes as to how humans receive and
process information. Nonverbal cues make up a
majority of the messages that we receive when
communicating. That being said, it’s extremely
important to manage your tone and body language,
especially when making a first impression.
When creating a video resume, you want to put
your best foot forward so that recruiters and hiring managers want to call you in for an interview.
What you say is obviously important, but it is just as
important to carry yourself in such a way that you
exude confidence and openness. Here are a few
tips on how to carry yourself while recording your
video resume as well as during interviews:

Smile!
Not the most shocking piece of advice ever, I know.
Make eye contact.
Making and maintaining eye contact shows not only
that you’re confident, but also that you’re engaged
and interested in what the other person is saying.
Rest your hands and arms calmly in your lap.
Do not cross them in front of your chest. Crossing
your arms makes you appear closed off, defensive,
and potentially closed-minded.
Sit up straight.
Good posture is another indicator of confidence. If
you’re sitting with your shoulders slouched you look
small, uncomfortable, and nervous. Sit with your
shoulders back and your back straight.
Lay off the gestures.
Gesticulating is not necessarily a bad thing, but
waving your arms around every eight-seconds or
pointing can be seen as distracting and sometimes
offensive. Keep the gestures to a minimum.
Don’t fidget.
Though you may be nervous, try your best to stay
calm. Avoid touching your hair, face, ears, neck,
etc. These are signs that you are uncomfortable
and not confident in what you are saying. These actions can also make others feel uncomfortable as well.
Video resumes allow hiring professionals to see
what type of communicator you are before you ever
set foot into their office. Make sure you follow these
tips so that you project yourself and your skills in
the best way possible. If you’re thinking of creating
your own video resume, or looking for other job
search tips check out the Jobma blog.


Are You Sending Your Job Application Pieces at the Wrong Time of Day?
Although it may seem like a trivial detail, considering the time of day and the day of the week that you
submit a job application or e-mail an employer your
resume, video resume, and cover letter may affect
how successful you are as a job seeker. Crazy,
right? Having and applying this knowledge, however, is an incredibly easy way to help maximize your
job search success.
Between Ten and Two
According to data on e-mail trends (source: Job
Search Hacker), e-mails sent between 10:00 AM
and 2:00 PM have the highest chance of being
opened. Additionally, Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday are the days that e-mail opening peaks.
Monday is also a good day to send an e-mail if
these three days aren’t an option.
As a job seeker, you can use these patterns
and share or e-mail your application
pieces to an employer at the optimal
time. By sending this message in the
morning during the work week—
when employers are at their desk
and checking their e-mail—you
can give yourself an edge over
other job seekers.
In addition, avoid sending
e-mails late at night. There are
several reasons that career experts advise against this. First,
how annoying would it be to
hear your phone’s new e-mail
notification when you’re in bed
trying to sleep? If the employer is awake, he/she may scan
the e-mail but most likely forget
to respond to it in the morning.


Second, the employer may be suspicious about
you being up so late. Is the job seeker sending
it now because he/she is a procrastinator? What
was the job seeker doing up at 2:00 AM before the
e-mail was sent? Avoid these kinds of suspicions by
following the guidelines and sending your e-mail in
the morning.
If you’re putting a lot of quality time into your application pieces (which I hope you are!), then don’t
let something as small as sending these things to
an employer at the wrong time of day hinder your
success. Follow these guidelines and you’ll be one
stop closer to landing that job!

CHAPTER 3: The Cover Letter
Have Employers at Hello: The Keys to Better Cover Letters
When you go to make your resume stand out,
you most likely are very meticulous about making
yourself look good. You show your strengths, triple
proofread for spelling errors, and make sure the
most relevant information jumps off the page– or a
hiring manager’s computer monitor. But getting the
job you want takes more than a good looking resume. Just as important, and possibly more important, is the effectiveness of your cover letter.
To make your cover letter stand out, it is important
to remember that it is not your resume. Most resume tips will explain the importance of outlining
your work experience and education in a way that
will make you an attractive candidate. Cover letter
tips will note the importance of showing a hiring
manager that you do, in fact, belong at their company.
Too often, job seekers make the point of getting too
formal and simply summarizing their resume. If it
is possible to summarize your resume in a cover
letter, maybe your resume should be shorter. Focus
instead on letting the hiring manager know that you
have taken an interest in what the company stands
for, and that you have a sense of what is going on
in the field. Let them know that you carry an interest in what they do, and leave the impression that
this will continue to be the case whether or not they
choose to hire you.
Cover letters also need to be short and to the point.
Formal introductions, and all the “Dear Sir or Madam” stuff just isn’t necessary. Don’t waste time on
thinking of a greeting or formally introducing yourself. That information is on your resume, which is
sitting there right under your cover letter where it is
easy to find.


You may also consider a video cover letter as a way
to stand out from the crowd. The power of video
allows you to show off your soft skills and give employers an idea of how you might fit in at the company. Use a video cover letter as a chance to show
off your personality!
Lastly, it is important that the hiring manager can
read both your cover letter and your resume or
video resume. To assure this, make sure all documents are sent in a format that can be opened by
anyone. If you are using a new version of Word,
and the company is using an older one – or not
using Word at all – they might not be able to open
either attachment, and all your creative razzle dazzle will be for naught.

CHAPTER 4: Social Media
The Importance of Building and Maintaining a Personal Online Brand
The idea of branding is not a new one. Some of the
most successful companies in the world are known
for their brand. Businesses spend significant time
and resources in building and maintaining their
brands, and for good reason. Successful branding can yield a loyal, consistent following, and the
profits that come along with it. A failure to maintain
a brand can do just the opposite.
Businesses are not the only ones with a brand to
maintain, especially with the arrival of the digital
age. Everything you post online, every social media
page your create and every Website you launch
goes into creating your brand. If you don’t believe
me, Google your own name sometime and see
what appears. That’s what potential employers are
seeing when they go online to learn more about
you. If you don’t like what you’re seeing, or if you’re
not seeing much, perhaps it’s time to spruce up
your online brand.
What is your online brand?
Just like with corporate brands, your online brand
tells potential employers a little about you. Are you
flashy or shy, a book enthusiast (because you post


on Good Reads) or a fishing fan (because you
frequent a fishing forum)? Do you post thoughtful
comments about things relevant to your field or are
all of your social media posts about your dog or last
night’s dinner (or worse). Your brand is the accumulation of everything you’ve ever written online.
Managing your brand
Begin by determining what your brand is. What
work do you do? What work would you like to do?
What qualities do you want to be known for, such
as hard work, kindness, etc? Understanding what
image you want to put forward is the first step in
creating that image.
It is difficult for many people to accept this, but everything you put online will affect your brand. Your
Facebook and Twitter updates, your blog if you
have one, all of these are fair game for potential
employers, and sometimes even current ones.
You may not want to keep a tight rein on your web
presence always, but it is important to understand
the potential consequences of your actions.

Ways to improve your online brand
If your online brand isn’t what you’d like it to be,
don’t despair. Start today refreshing your online image. First, resolve to never again post anything on
a public forum that you’d be embarrassed to have
a potential employer see. Next, create a profile on
LinkedIn (the social media site for professional networking) or update your profile if you haven’t used the
site in a while. While you’re there, invite a few people
you know and respect in your industry to link with you.
(Most people, even acquaintances, will say yes.)

Unclear future
The explosion of social networking is creating new
situations for which there are currently no guidelines. Today’s job search isn’t just about having a
stellar resume and job history. Job applicants today
need to pay attention to their online brand. It could
make the difference between hearing “hired” or “no
thank you.” Is it fair, or even legal, for current or
future employers to peruse your tweets? Should it
be? These questions have yet to be fully answered,
and may not be for a while.

Third, seek out interesting, thought-provoking
articles about issues in your industry and leave a
well-written comment using your full name. Such
comments will come up in a Google search. Remember that Google loves new content, so make
sure to do this regularly throughout your job search.
(This also means that your older, less flattering
posts will be less visible as time goes on.)

Until the rules are better defined, it may be wise to
consider what your online brand is, and how your
future actions will affect it.


Leveraging Social Media Profiles
to Further Your Career
Part 1 – LinkedIn
Social media is an extremely powerful medium.
Leveraging it properly can be the key to landing a
new job or making the right connections to have an
impact on your current job. Your internet presence
is most likely in full view of the curious public. If you
are job hunting or actively networking, your profiles
online are extremely easy to find. What does your
profile say about you? Many people are now racing for the privacy settings and locking down their
profiles to interested outsiders. Instead you should
learn to leverage your profile to help you stand out
from a crowd. Today we are taking a look at LinkedIn.
1. Always keep your profile up to date.
At least once every 3–4 months you should update
your LinkedIn Profile, and certainly every time you
receive an award or community recognition for a
volunteer project, start a new position, or earn an
educational achievement. Use your space wisely.
When talking about job experience don’t take the
lazy way out and just copy your resume or CV. Use
the Experience section to really showcase your
previous employers, roles, and most importantly
the key achievements and impact you had in that
company.
2. Participate in group discussions.
Do you have a something in your field you are
passionate about? Participate in group conversations. The more you participate, the more you’ll
build credibility and trust within your industry and
specialty. This is your opportunity to become a
thought leader. Engage your peers and there is the
possibility of gaining a following.


3. Fill out your skills section.
Now that your skills can be endorsed by people in
your network there is no reason why you shouldn’t
be beefing up that part of your profile. Those keywords are important for recruiters and hiring managers searching for candidates for positions and will
also help your rankings in Google searches, as well
(or Bing if you are into that). Anything you can do
to more completely fill out your profile or show up
more frequently in searches will help position you
for your future.
LinkedIn is probably the most important social
media profile and tool to leverage when it comes to
your career.

Part 2 - Twitter
What can twitter do for you? Twitter gives you
access to other professionals in your field. You get
the opportunity to connect with industry leaders and
see what conversations they are having. Twitter
also provides you another platform to build credibility as a thought leader (we talked about this briefly
in Part 1 of this conversation about LinkedIn). You
have the opportunity to share information and engage in conversations in 140 character bursts. Here
is how to set yourself up to be successful on twitter:
1. If you are going to use twitter professionally, brand your twitter professionally.
Set up a designed professional profile, choose a
professional handle, and link to your personal website or LinkedIn profile. If you already have a twitter
profile you are comfortable using, go ahead and
keep it, but you will have to think twice next time
you share that picture from last weekend or tweet
out the latest cat picture you found online. Sometimes it’s better to manage two accounts for private
and business use. Mobile apps make it quick and
easy to seamlessly manage two accounts and
switch back and forth.
2. Tweet like no one is watching.
Before you start off and follow every big name twitter user you can find, create some content of your
own! It’s ok that no one is following you right now
and that you will not be starting any new discussions. You need to give people a reason to follow
you back. Tweet about an article or an idea, share
a new website that people could benefit from. Just
stay away from being spammy! It’s ok to self-promote but at first that will turn away the majority of
your potential followers.


3. Slowly build your Network.
Now is the time to go ahead and start following
those twitter stars, colleagues, and industry professionals. Use twitter’s search function and “find
people” tool to get started. There are plenty of other
methods to finding interesting people to follow
including TwitDir, Twellow, and Twubble. Don’t be
overambitious and start following 500 people right
off the bat when you might only have a couple dozen followers. That reflects poorly on you. It takes
time and good content to grow your network!
4. Do unto others!
Think about what you can do for others. That is the
first way to gain people’s attention. Start by helping
promote others who are creating or sharing content
you also believe in. You may gain some new followers and friends this way. Working with people is a
good method to potentially get some help in return,
later down the line. You just never know who might
join your network!
Twitter offers a way to create an extended network
in a way that LinkedIn sometimes is unable to. People are more open with their twitter profile, and it is
a great bonus to you to connect with people beyond
your immediate circle whose networks and contacts
are much different from your own.

Part 3 – Pinterest
Although it may not be as well-established with the
workforce world as LinkedIn, people are starting
to recognize that Pinterest can be added to the
collection of social media platforms used in the job
search. As an added bonus, it’s really easy (and
fun!) to use.
For those graphic designers, photographers,
interior designers, web designers, and other artsy
folk out there, you can probably already imagine
the extent of personal branding you could do by
uploading images of your portfolio into a “My Portfolio” board. But for those of us who aren’t pursuing
careers in the fine arts, Pinterest can still be an
incredibly powerful platform.
Create a “My Resume” board and upload your
resume, logos of companies you’ve worked for,
logos of schools you’ve attended, and logos of
organizations you have volunteered for or partnered
with. This is a great way to aggregate yourself into
a visual resume and create another social media
profile to compliment your resume, video resume,
social media profiles, and website.
Create a second board dedicated to pins relevant to
your industry or anything that relates to your professional life or dream career. Once you start following
the companies you’re interested in working for as
well as some of the experts in your field, you’ll get a
feel for the types of visual information that would be
most relevant and catching to pin.


Consider using your three secret boards to collect
information about the companies that you’re interested in applying to or have upcoming interviews
with. If you’re at this stage in the hiring process, you
should be doing your research on these companies
and, if you’re like me, visual information can be a lot
easier to remember than text alone.
Similar to your video resume, Pinterest also allows
employers to get a glimpse of who you are as a
person. But be careful with this! Know that just
because a board isn’t labeled your “My Resume”
board, it doesn’t mean that an employer won’t look
at it.
Now here’s where you can really go for the gold
with Pinterest. First, make sure that your settings
allow your profile to show up in search engine
results. Then, if you pack your Pinterest profile with
keywords related to your career, you’ll increase the
chances that it shows up in search engine results.
Once employers arrive at your Pinterest profile, be
sure that they will easily see a pin telling them how
to best contact you as well as how to access your
Jobma profile, website, LinkedIn profile, and other
social media profiles.
So not only can your Pinterest profile be a great
self-branding tool, but, if you use it properly, it can
also be used for SEO purposes and as a way to link
employers to your other professional platforms.

CHAPTER 5: Networking
It’s Not What You Know…
One word that will come up repeatedly on job
search blogs and, well, everywhere in the business
world is ‘networking.’ Personally, networking has always been an absolutely terrifying idea (being that
I am extremely awkward when first meeting people)
and I used to dread the thought of such a thing.
The fact that I hate networking aside, it’s something
you just have to do as the pros heavily outweigh
the cons. Networking helps to increase your exposure, your knowledge base, and can sometimes
even lead directly to jobs. Needless to say, a large
network can come in handy.
A common misconception by those new to the
networking scene is that the whole point of networking is to get someone else to do something for you.
Well, get that idea out of your head now, or else
you’ll be in for a rude awakening. If you’re talking
to a complete stranger why on earth would they
hand you a job? Or a contact? Or anything? The
initial goal of networking is to see what you can do
for others. Because networking is a two-way street,


those who you help will likely want to help you in
return. I understand this may seem counterintuitive, but don’t expect anything in return. You need
to genuinely want to help people, make their lives
easier in whatever way you can and let it be. Yes,
networking is a way to gain favors, but that isn’t all
it’s about. Be curious and reach out to interesting
people in your field. Doing this will start to build
some relationships – the favors may follow afterward, but they may not.
By looking at networking as an opportunity to learn
more about your industry and help those in it you
will not only gain valuable knowledge, but contacts
as well. Be proactive, find connections between
yourself and others in your field and use them! The
old saying, “It’s not about what you know, but who
you know” is absolutely true. A majority of positions
are secured because the job seeker knows someone within the company, so never let a networking
opportunity pass you by.

CHAPTER 6: The Interview
Why Knowing the Company Before the Interview Is Important
Finding a job is challenging at any time, but in today’s market you need all the advantages you can
get. One way to get a leg up on the competition is
to research the company that you’ll be talking with.
Spend an hour or two online and reap all kinds of
rewards.
Investing a little time learning about the company
you’re about to ask for a job is important for several
reasons.

It shows you care.
Taking the time to research the company you’re
interviewing with sends the message that you care
enough about getting this job to get some background on the company. Prospective employers
can also interpret this as having initiative, a trait that
might just snag you the job.
You can tell if the job is right for you.
Not every job is going to be a good fit for you.
Learning a little bit about the company before the
interview can help you know the right questions
to ask to help you make that decision. Maybe the
company’s main office is located too far away
from your home? Maybe the company requires
its accountants/salespeople/graphic designers to
travel overnight? Things that are acceptable to one
person may be a “deal-breaker” to another.
It sets you apart from the competition.
Doing a little research about the company you’re
interviewing can also give you an advantage over
your competition. Taking the extra time shows that
you care about the company and about getting a
job.
So, don’t just rush from one interview to the next
without taking the time to learn what makes each
company you’ll be talking with special. That extra
hour or two of research could very well land you the
job of your dreams.


Being Qualified Just Isn’t Enough
Are you receiving phone calls, interviewing with
employers, and still not landing a job? Job search
mistakes can essentially be boiled down into two
categories: a bad resume or a bad interview. If
you’re getting to the interviews, your resume
probably isn’t the problem! So what exactly
happens in these interviews that you thought went
reasonably well?
If you’re coming in for an interview, the employer has already read your resume (perhaps even
brought it with to the interview) and has deemed
you to have the qualifications for the job. News
flash: you are only one amongst many candidates
that meets the requirements for being qualified.
Your interview must show the employer more.
There are several ways that you can go about
doing this:
Frame your skills and strengths within the
context of the company.
If you’ve done your pre-interview research, then
you should be aware of the company’s missions,
goals, current projects, and areas that need improvement. Bring these topics up! First, it’s impressive that you went to the extent that you did to learn
about the company. Not every job seeker does that.
Second, go a step further and explain how your
skills and strengths would be beneficial in reaching
the company’s goals and furthering its mission. If
you have specific ideas to offer—perhaps an addition to the current marketing plan, an audience that
the company can start to target, or an additional
project that would help accomplish the company’s
goals—then absolutely mention these. Now, you’ve
really got the employer imagining you as a part of
the company!


Go beyond the text on your resume.
Given that you can generally only fit three to five
bullet points under each professional position, it is
impossible to cover everything that you gained from
these experiences. When asked to discuss your
previous positions, impress the employer by offering new descriptions, stories, or accomplishments
that you didn’t have room for on your resume.
Show the employer that you really want this position! If you’re not enthused about this position from
the get-go, then why would an employer want to
hire you? Halfhearted employees are not sought
after. It’s important to show that this position would
mean a lot to you and that you would take it
seriously. Knowing background information about
the company and being prepared to ask
company-specific questions at the end of the
interview is a great start. Also, make sure that your
body language shows your excitement. Are you
slouching back into your chair and talking with a
monotone voice, or sitting upright and smiling?
Lastly, be prepared for one of the most common
interview questions: Why do you want this position?
If you’re still stuck in a slump of not even getting
interview offers, consider pairing your resume with
a video resume. This will give you an edge that
will catch employers’ eyes and make them want to
bring you in for more.

5 Questions You Should Consider Asking in Your Next Interview
Okay, so you have earned an interview and really
want to put your best foot forward. Note, there will
come a time in this interview where you will be
asked if you have any questions of the interviewer(s).
The last thing you want to answer back is that you
do not have any questions. Asking questions shows
you are more interested in that specific job and
company than just the act of getting a job. It also
shows that you were paying attention and engaged
in the interview enough to come up with some
follow up. Here are some questions you should
consider asking during your next interview.
How would you describe a typical day or week
in this position and in this company?
This question will allow you to get some insight into
how the company works and what to expect. It also
gives the impression that you are trying to place
yourself in their company with the idea on how you
would fit into their day to day life.
What is the best part about working here?
This question will challenge the interviewer to reflect on what they enjoy about their job and/or the
company. It can show you a lot about how
much pride employees have in their
job and their company.


What is the organizational structure like?
The organizational structure will allow you to learn
about who you would report to and give you a
better idea of your growth potential within the company. Follow up this question by asking about the
individual you would report to specifically and the
type of manager that they are.
What are your expectations of this position
over the first 30 or 60 days?
The answer to this question should point to what
their most crucial need is. Whether this is a new position or they are filling a gap from an old position,
they have work in mind that needs to be accomplished. If they mention a specific project that you
can speak to from experience or expertise it could
greatly improve your chances of landing the job.
What’s the next step?
This is an interview question must! Show some
assertiveness by asking what the next steps are.
You may find out they are in a hurry to hire or that
the process will take place over many weeks.
Understanding the timeline and being able
to follow up will put you in a good
position with the perspective employer.

3 Interview Questions
You Don’t Want To Hem and Haw Your Way Through
Sure, there will probably be two or three unique
questions in your interview that you couldn’t have
anticipated beforehand, but there’s also that handful of standard questions that employers use in
nearly every interview, despite the job position. You
know which ones I’m talking about: “Why should we
hire you?”, “Why do you want this job?”, “What are
your strengths?”, and many more.
The last thing you want to do is stare at your potential employer with that deer-in-the-headlights look
after being handed one of these freebie questions.
Preparing for these questions before the interview
is necessary. Doing so will impress your potential
employer and show that you really want the job.
Here are some tips on answering three of the most
common interview questions:
What is your greatest weakness?
Use this question as an opportunity to show the
interviewer that you are able to identify and work
on your weaknesses. As an example you could say,
“I sometimes struggle with organization, but I am
combating it by spending time at the end of each
day cleaning up my desk and preparing myself for
the next day. This has greatly helped.” This example shows that you have great self-awareness and
are proactive about your professional improvement.
Lastly, if possible, avoid naming a weakness that is
a skill required to be successful in the job position.
Tell me about yourself.
The employer is not interested in hearing about
your social or personal life, so keep your response
strictly limited to a summary of your professional
life. Include previous professional
employment, skills, and other
professional experiences.


Take advantage of the broadness of this question
by highlighting how these skills and experiences
would relate to the position you are applying for
and make you an ideal candidate for the job. If
applicable, also talk about any learning initiatives
you are taking on to learn new skills.
Why do you want to work here?
To successfully answer this question, you must do
your research on the company beforehand. Carefully read its website to gain a fuller understanding
of its mission, philosophy, and employees. Use this
information as a starting point to incorporate your
personal career goals into that of the company’s.
Finish your response by noting that the position
would create a beneficial relationship between
yourself and the company. To do so, describe to the
employer the relevant skills and strengths that you
have to offer.

So Call Me, Maybe? Tips to Master a Phone Interview
You can relax. It’s only a phone interview,
right?
Wrong! Just because it is not an in-person interview
does not mean that your prospective employer will
be going easy on you. This is not a “warm-up” interview, in fact, it is often the opposite. Employers will
typically use phone interviews for job positions with
large applicant pools to decide which candidates
to select for in-person interviews. This means that
nailing the phone interview is essential to continuing in the selection process.
With that, here are some tips for doing so:
Dress professionally.
Thinking that you’ll use your business tone but
wear your party clothes is not the ideal phone
interview setup. Dressing professionally will put you
in the right frame of mind to be thinking and talking
about yourself as a prospective employee and a
professional.

Smile.
Although you might feel goofy, smiling will help you
compensate for the voice energy that gets lost in
the call transmission. Employers want to hear that
you are enthusiastic and excited about this opportunity. Don’t be afraid to let them know that you are!
Do a test run before the actual phone interview.
Make sure that you adjust the volume, locate the
mute button, or do anything else to be sure that you
are completely comfortable with the phone you will
be using for the interview. Also, consider disabling
any extra phone features that could be a distraction.
Secure a quiet and comfortable interview space.
If you live with other people and will take the interview call in your home or apartment, let them know
the date and time of your interview. Be assertive
and tell them that it is important that the living
space be quiet. If you have pets, keep them in an
area where they won’t be a distraction. When picking your interview space, think ahead to potential
dilemmas so that you can take care of them before
they become issues.
Confirm ahead of time who will be calling
who when the interview time arrives.
How awkward would it be if the time of your interview
rolls around and you realize you don’t know if you’re
supposed to call the prospective employer or if they’re
supposed to call you? Trust me, it’s awkward.
Take advantage of notes and Web access.
Have everything you could possibly need to reference in front of you. Print out your resume, pull up the
company’s website, and make a list of bullet points
that you want to emphasize during the interview. You
have free reign to have as many notes and materials
prepared ahead of time as you want, so use this!


CLOSING
At Jobma, we’ve combined over ten years of experience in the job sourcing industry into a multimedia
platform that has revolutionized the way people find jobs, truly bringing the job search and hiring processes to the 21st century. With Jobma, no longer are job candidates just a piece of paper amongst many.

Jobma gives job seekers a voice in the hiring process, putting them in
the driver’s seat to their new career.
Combining traditional resumes with video pitches and social media integration into one professional
profile, Jobma helps candidates stand out amongst competitors and gives businesses an opportunity to
“meet” candidates and see if they’re a good company fit before deciding whether to bring them in for an
interview. Employers get a total picture of their candidates. They see their hard and soft skills, who they
are, what they can do, and what their personality is. The result is a better company fit for every position.
Sign up today and start down the path toward landing your dream job!


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