Job seekers looking for information, experts and direction, will definitely find it at this week’s blog review. I am excited to share with you CareerRocketeer.com, a new site that offers top-quality career search, career development and personal branding information.

Many of you have already heard of it due to its rapid growth and escalating reputation. I first became aware of the CareerRocketeer LinkedIn group last fall and was immediately impressed with the membership, discussions and information being shared. Its following grew quickly and soon the LinkedIn group beckoned for a site of its’ own. This past May, the CareerRocketeer blog was launched as a broader platform for the LinkedIn group.

CareerRocketeer.com is the idea of Chris Perry, an MBA graduate from the Mason School of Business at the College of William and Mary and a career search and personal branding expert. Both the LinkedIn group and the CareerRocketeer blog have seen tremendous growth with more than 3,000 members in the LinkedIn group and more than 15,000 unique monthly visitors to the CareerRocketeer site.

The blog has several unique features it offers job seekers. First, it has daily expert contributors from a variety of career areas including resume writing, networking, social media, career coaching and personal branding. These guest experts including Harry Urschel (@eExecutive) and Anne Marie Cross (@annemarie), contribute weekly to the blog offering fresh articles, information and advice to job seekers. Along with the team of contributors, the blog also has many guest contributors offering insight through articles on many different career related topics.

The Profession Confession section of the blog reveals an inside look at career industry professions.  I was honored earlier this summer to be the first to contribute to this interesting page. Experts from different fields within the career industry answer a set of questions about their industry, their personal branding efforts dedicated to building their expertise, and a little personal insight into each expert.

With the enormous success of this blog, many new features are in the works. Two I can share are The Global Directory of Career Websites which will be very extensive and free to job seekers, allowing you to search for professionals by industry and service area. The other awesome feature is the Fair Frog which will calendar upcoming career fairs nationally.

I highly recommend CareerRocketeer for job seekers on the move that want to keep informed and learn from the experts. Whether you’re working, laid off, changing careers or just getting started, this site should be your first stop and with such current content, should be visited often.

Saturday Evening Reposted

Reposted with permission from VisualCV 

If you are one of the lucky few that have been offered an interview lately, you have already done a few things right. To continue moving in the right direction you will need to demonstrate during the interview, your value to their company. Below you’ll find tips on how to prepare for your next interview so it will be your last.

Do your homework and prepare if you want to stand out  at your next interview.

Research the company before the interview. Start by Googling the company, the industry and their competitors to learn the current trends, issues, and activities. Study their website, their culture, mission, financials of the company and anything else that will help you get to know the company better.

Find out what’s new. Are they working on a new project, expanding operations, or launching new products?  The old saying ‘knowledge is power’ definitely fits here and your knowledge of their company will help the employer see your value and how serious you are about working for them.

Another crucial step in preparation is to practice responding to typical and not so typical questions you will be asked. Even something as simple as, “When can you start?” can be a problem if you are currently working and haven’t thought through how long you will need to get out of your current position. Try writing down your responses and then practice saying them out loud. You’ll sound more comfortable and appear more confident if you do

Make sure your communication style is inviting and effective during the interview.

It is important to know how others see you and how effective your communication style is. Practicing a mock interview with an honest co-worker or friend will help to sort out any non-verbal glitches or twitches you may not be aware of. Change what needs to be changed to appear more engaging. Opinions are formed using 93% non-verbal language and only 7% actual verbal language, how you say it is much more important than what you say

Listen well to the hiring manager and understand what he is asking; if you are not sure…ask. Be enthusiastic and show your interest. Employers want to hire someone who wants the job, shows passion and interest for the industry and field, and truly wants to work for their company. Show them that person is yo

 Leave a lasting impression.

Make sure you say thank you to everyone in the room, smile, and shake hands at the end of the interview. Ask the hiring manager what the next step will be and when you can expect to hear from them. Hold them to it and  contact them after a week with a phone call or email to follow up and find out what the status is on the job and your interview. If you didn’t get the job, find out why, politely. It will help you in the future!

Finally, don’t forget to send a thank you note within the first 24 hours. Did you know 70% of hiring managers expect to receive them while only 35% do? It can be written or typed but be sure you send it soon after the interview to keep fresh in their hiring minds. Make your next interview your last by applying what you’ve learned here and preparing to wow your next interviewers!

Friday’s Free For All

It is Friday and I am definitely behind in my blogging. I miss it and would sometimes rather work on blog posts and articles than on work that directly pays money. But, I am proud of my vigilance in keeping up with my work even if it means slacking off in my blogging.

One thing I am finishing up is my Quarterly newsletter, which I am hoping to send out next Tuesday. I need to review one article and write the last and should be set. I am always looking to find new ideas to write on to help clients and job seekers I am only in contact with a few times a year. If you are not on my contact list and would like to receive the newsletter – packed with goodies, please send me a note.

If you’ve got suggestions, as a job seeker, for article subjects please comment below and let me know. I am very curious and usually find interest in most topics I look into. So, drop me a line and I’ll be sure to check it out. I also love research sites, blogs and other internet places that will help job seekers. If you’ve got a site you would like reviewed, holler!

After a very long week I feel pretty caught up and will have lots of time to get creative and write articles for the coming week. Hope you have an awesome weekend job seekers!

Shine On