The Floor is Now Open for Questions …
August 3, 2010 at 6:51 am 6 comments
Over the last 10 months, I’ve posted 36 different blog articles here on Recruiter Musings. Most of those articles were inspired by issues I’ve dealt with during my own 10 years of experience as a recruiter – working with various job-seeking and non-job-seeking (“passive”) candidates, hiring managers and decision-makers, HR professionals and client companies in almost every industry. What began as a small project has grown into quite a popular forum. My mission in creating this blog was to provide free advice, information, guidance and support for all types of job-seekers in the real world during a time of unprecedented economic challenges. It rapidly grew in popularity and now receives thousands of hits a week. Recruiter Musings has regular followers and subscribers from all over the world. As of this writing, we’re up to over 81,000 hits, and almost 900 comments logged.
I’ve written and “mused” on many different topics: Networking, Résumés & Cover Letters, Interviewing Techniques, General Job-Seeking Best Practices, Time Management, Maintaining a Positive Attitude, Age Discrimination … mostly things I’ve learned and talked about over and over and over again with job-seekers in many forums over the years. I’ve also taken a few fun side-trips onto the humorous side of job-seeking (if there is such a thing!) and I’ve occasionally ranted about some of my personal pet peeves. The responses to all of those articles has been quite gratifying, and the comments left by readers at the bottom of each article have created a dynamic and permanent record of some extremely lively and intelligent conversations with widely varying opinions.
To a certain extent, I feel that I’ve already covered most of the more important topics that I wanted to archive in this forum. Now, I’m certainly not saying that I’ve run out of things to say, or topics to muse about. Certainly, there no end to that! BUT, I do want to continue writing about things that are of interest to regular readers of this blog. SO (and I hope I don’t regret this …) I would like to now throw open the floor for questions! I am hereby inviting readers to send me suggestions for future topics on Recruiter Musings. You can do this publicly (by posting your suggestions as comments at the bottom of this article) or privately (by using the “Contact” tab above.)
So that’s your challenge: Tell me what you’d like to see me write about. What topics do you think would be of interest to job-seekers that haven’t already been covered here in other articles? The floor is now open …
Entry filed under: Advice for Job Seekers. Tags: job-seekers.
1.
Julius Nagy | August 3, 2010 at 7:01 pm
As I read job boards and blogs, the number one problem we face today is staying positive when off of work for a long time. We all know that there are plenty of reasons to feel down, and most of them existed when we were employed. I have really come to believe that we get what we think about, and thinking about gloom and doom will bring more. Call it The Law of Attraction, call it the Power of Positive Thinking…we need to find ways to walk out of the ooze of negativity and find positive things in the world today! There are millions of people doing things that will put a smile of your face! Go and find them!!! Do not watch the news, or the talking heads, or read cnn.com!!! Find joy and celebrate it!!! America will recover!!! And if you really need to vent, write a lawmaker!!!! They need to understand exactly what is going on out there!!!
2.
Claire Paul | August 6, 2010 at 10:20 am
Dear Julius,
I absolutely agree with you. Try to stay positive is the hardest thing to do. I lost my job in April 2010. Soon after I file for my unemplyment benefits I signed up into support groups in my area because I know I am going to need it. About 3 weeks after my unemplyment I start looking and I have found one job with the description that fits to my friend’s job who also got laid off about 1 year before me. With a huge excitement; I immediatetelly call her. It was about 12 noon when I caller her and it wasn’t on weekend either. Guess what.. she was still in bed and little bit annoyed when I called. It was little bit suprised me because she was a morning person. She sounded so depressed… after that I said to my self I will not be like that. Soon I hang up I cried so hard not because I lost my job because I was so afraid I will be end up like that.. at noon still in bed and be depressed.
Dear Julius, I still haven’t found a job yet despite I had several interviews. Just like you said I try to be positive and not watching news ( especially the one that say we just love collecting unemployment money).
Several lessons I got for being unemployed such as I know who are my true friends are, I realized that many stuffs that I thought I need turned out I am just fine without them, the power of saving ( the lesson from my parents.. my father often said what ever you buy you need to pay them with money not with “maple leafs”.. think about tomorrow); and I am lucky to have a husband who keep saying, keep your chin up better opportunity will come.
Dear Julius just like you said ” America will recover it is just need time”…
Best to you and your family
Claire
3.
Jeff | August 4, 2010 at 9:54 am
I love your blogs and reference them as needed. I haven’t been a job-hunter during this period, actively, passively or otherwise but do use your information with young adults whom I ‘take under my wing’. Mentor isn’t quite the right word. Several of these kids are in or going into college. If you have any insight to share on finding and getting internships, they and I would like to know.
Thanks for all you’ve already done.
4.
Wes Lake | August 11, 2010 at 8:37 am
If you are forced to apply on line and have no other choice many sites make you put in a anticipated salary number which is almost meaningless because you do not know the full comp plan. I have often wondered if you put in $1.00 if that would ruffle anybody’s feathers or been seen as a negative in the application process.
What are your thoughts?
Wes
5.
Michael Spiro | August 11, 2010 at 9:06 am
Wes:
The answer to your question is yes – failing to give a direct and honest answer to the “salary question” can, indeed, be a reason for someone to be eliminated from consideration. Read “Answering the Dreaded Salary Question” for a more complete description of how to handle this issue.
- Michael
6.
Mohit | August 13, 2010 at 1:09 am
Hi,
I just read 1 post of yours and though I should have read other posts before I could post this comment; I still couldn’t wait. I am into the software testing area and developed an interest in Finance a few years back. Since then I have read a lot about the financial concepts and started with the CFA course as well. I have tried to secure a job in a few investment bank but my profile confuses the recruiters as I do not have relevant finance experience. I have been testing the apps of an Investment bank and even this experience is not given much weightage. I badly want to change lines. If you could share your experience as a recruiter or guide me a bit through some article on this blog, it would be very helpful. Thanks