What NOT to Say During an Interview

It’s common to be nervous before attending an interview. I mean heck… sweaty palms, fumbling over words, lack of eye contact… it happens all the time. I see many signs of interview nervousness and tend to blow it off to just that. However, there are some instances where the manager just couldn’t ignore the red

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The Art of the Cover Letter

One of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspects of resume sending is the cover letter (or these days, the e-mail). The cover letter is your chance to make your first impression. A properly written letter should grab the employer’s attention and help set the stage for a personal interview.

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5 Tips for Preparing Your Elevator Pitch

In most interviews, you have to be prepared for a 30-minute to an hour-long conversation with a hiring manager. What if you have less than 5 minutes to convince a hiring employer that you are the most qualified candidate? You may want to start practicing your elevator pitch, in case you get caught in an

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The Secret to Success: Your Personality

If you are looking for the perfect career, consider your personality type. What do you love to do? What are you good at doing? And, just as importantly, what bugs the heck out of you? Working eight hours a day at a job you’re ill-suited for is draining. By taking the time to consider your

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Rejuvenate Your Resume

In a competitive job market, we have to do everything we can to make our resumes more attractive to hiring managers. This can be difficult for older workers, who fear that even if there’s no bias (subconscious or conscious) against job seekers on the mature side of 40, a resume may make them look “overqualified”

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ARCHIVE: Cruisin’ Down the Information Superhighway

I. Background – Where We Were Universal need for information, growing demands and expectations for automated access As a public sector entity, the Louisiana Department of Civil Service faces the familiar challenge of efficiently providing access to information to those that we serve. Since we are the central human resources department for the state, our

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When is it religious discrimination?

My religion prohibits being alone with women — am I entitled to accommodation? 03-01-00 I am a truck driver and have been on “light duty” for the past several weeks. Last week my supervisor told me to take one of the office girls to the bank to make a company deposit. The other employees made

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Using Peer Support To Improve Your Skills

As a group, corporate managers are an isolated bunch. Whereas employees know and support each other, managers tend to keep problems to themselves. If nothing else, the events of Sept. 11 have taught us that isolation doesn’t work. Since then, companies have watched employees pull together and accomplish tasks with new dedication and teamwork. It

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How Do I Change My Career?

“I have 15 years of experience in higher education administration, specifically in international education. This includes foreign student advising and international admissions. My international admissions responsibilities require me to travel abroad and represent my institution at college fairs. I’m tired of higher education and the low pay and recognition it gives administrators and I’m wondering

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