Sometimes, but not always, job interviewers suddenly turn the tables on the applicant. Don’t let the, “Do you have any questions?” freak you out. If you really have no questions, then it’s fine to say so. But this is also an opportunity that you should never miss out on. Here are some questions you can ask:

1. What is the advancement potential?
2. Does the company provide seminars and training programs?
3. What is this company’s employee turnover rate?

These questions will show the interviewer that you are a serious individual who will also take his or her job seriously.

The first thing an interviewer will notice about you is your appearance.

For the ladies, keep your hair away from your face. You may wear make-up but remember that anything in excess is always a bad thing. For clothing, make it clean and well-pressed. You may wear a pantsuit or a skirt as long as it’s not too short, too tight, or too flowy. Be careful not to ruin hosiery.

For the men, be sure that your hair is well-trimmed and your face is clean shaven. Please be sure that you smell clean though. Wear a clean and well-pressed suit.

For both, no jewelry except wedding rings. Polish your shoes if they need it. No perfume, cologne, or strong aftershave.

Oh, don’t be misled by the post title. What I meant about it is that, you should be careful on what you say during a job interview. You may think you are just being honest when you say that “my last boss was an *ss” but that statement alone can cost you the new job you’re after. Think before you speak. Be careful in your word phrasing. You don’t have to tell the whole story if it’s unsavory. A little white lie in this case would be a good idea. Try, “After three years, I have decided to look for a position where I could use my creativity.”

This is how I get jobs. Seriously!

I basically use good old networking. When I was a fresh graduate and desperately wanted to join the yuppie (do people still use that word?) band wagon, I merely got hold of my trusty cell phone and texted friends a message that I was actively looking for a job and if they knew of something that might interest a BA so-and-so fresh graduate. One of them replied and within a week I already had a job.

If you wish to build your own network, try including relatives, friends, classmates, former co-workers, supervisors, colleagues from professional and hobby groups and organizations, and former teachers.

Aside from text messages, better yet to use e-mail as you may be able to perfectly state your specific needs and wants. Remember that even if you are e-mailing people whom you have known for a long time, you are still asking for professional advice. Make sure that the wording and tone of your e-mail is professional and appropriate.

Don’t forget to keep the information sent to you in a file or any kind of system you have to avoid from being confused just in case people’s replies come pouring in.

If you do get a job through networking, a token of gratitude is always appreciated. Even if you don’t get the job, or if you got a job that is recommended by another friend, never forget to thank those who replied to your inquiry. And if an opportunity comes to return the favor, be ready to help the people in your network too.

Career coaches are people who specialize in career counseling. They provide advice to help job seekers identify the perfect career for them. They are also called career consultants, career advisers, work-life coaches, personal career trainers, and life management facilitators.

Career coaches are professionals serving the role of an advocate, mentor and partner on all issues related to your career search. They can be found in schools and in private clinics that offer guidance counseling to people as part of their range of medical services.

While hiring or consulting a career coach is not an assurance for career success, they still are a great help when it comes to educating job seekers in dealing with the complicated world of careers. Hence, it depends on the values and beliefs of job seekers if they really need a career coach or not.

Many of you might think that handshakes are outdated. Think again. This simple gesture is still valued in the professional setting. This also includes job interviews. A handshake alone can state a lot about a person.

For example, someone with a weak handshake can be taken as one who lacks confidence. On the other hand (pun intended), a strong handshake can say that you pose as a threat. The key is to make your grip firm and brief. Smile. But don’t make it a teeth-baring grin. Most importantly, don’t forget eye contact. Just don’t make it too intense or you’ll come off as intimidating. Just do everything in moderation and you’ll be fine.

Career research is one way of exploring the different career prospects in the world today. The more research a person does, the more likely a career path could be distinguished. The Internet is one of the best places to do a career search, what with the tons of knowledge and information that can be found on the web.

Career research is important because it helps a lot in identifying the kind of career you want to pursue, particularly if you are still undecided or clueless about your future. Developing a career plan, taking career assessment tests, getting advice from a career counselor and joining a network are some of the steps involved in career research.

The faculty of the American Institute of Physics’ trend in their faculty workforce has been music to the ears of those who wish to look for jobs in the said institution. Ever since 1998, a lot of veteran teachers leave due to retirement but were quickly replace by the new and fresh physicists. It was said that 2000 was the height of retirements; however, the institution countered that trend. What they did was they doubled the number of the people whom they hired, thus, balancing it.

Since 2000, the number of retirees has declined, but the American Institute of Physics did not change their hiring rate.

Photo taken from http://graphics8.nytimes.com

If you are a professional who is interested in learning through distance education, one should ask the question, “Am I Ready to Learn Through Distance Education?” Distance education has been around for a couple of years already which is very beneficial to those who wish to finish a degree or course but cannot be physically present in a normal school set-up.

So if you really want to pursue learning the distance education way, you should check out this quiz that will tell how good a candidate are you for succeeding in distance-delivered courses. This would tell if distance education is right for you.

Image source: continue.utah.edu

For those of you who are in search of a job, don’t settle for those small time job aggregates. The jobs that they offer are only limited.

Why not try recruit.net? This website (not really a website in that sense, but a blog), offers a different kind of service. The person can search for other job offerings using keywords and locations. He or she can enter a country in the search location box or maybe, be specific and search a job opening near/within his or her hometown.

Now, what really sets this website apart from the others? Aside from the fact that you could search with keywords and locations (not the typical drop down box wherein you’re constrained to those locations), the website also has the capability to search through the official websites of companies not enlisted, job boards, forums, agencies, newspapers and the like.

Photo taken from http://blog.recruit.net/