Words That Weaken Your Resume

Most resume resources will go into great detail about words and phrases that make your resume stronger, but many of them do not give examples of the words and phrases that have the opposite effect. How can you avoid words that weaken your resume if you are unsure what they are?

Let's take look at some of the most common statements that job seekers put into their resumes that weaken their content rather than strengthen it.

7 Essentials to help you keep your Job

In today’s uncertain economy, the unemployed aren’t the only people stressed out about work. Even those with jobs are worried, as businesses make drastic staff reductions to stay afloat. To have the best chance of avoiding the dreaded layoff, it is critical to know how to save yourself from your boss’ scorn.


1. Be a Team Player
The ability to cooperate with a team of people is integral in most workplaces. It is important to have excellent skills in communication and problem solving. Learn how to listen and provide constructive criticism to coworkers. Be willing to step outside your role and help other employees when necessary and appropriate. If you are viewed as a person who plays well with others, you will be favored by your organization.

How to Prepare and Give a Good Impression at a Job Interview

Preparing for an interview should be the most important aspect of a career. In fact it is so important that you should always prepare for an interview, no matter the stage you are in at the particular point in your career. However, it even becomes more important when you are a first timer, fresh out of college with no professional experience whatsoever to boast about. It doesn’t really matter whether you have had a lot of experience from going from one interview to the next; the following tips on an interview should help you out in that decision. At first glance, you would need to thoroughly impress your examiners in such a way that they would give you the job without further hassles and fretting.

The Art Of Negotiating A Salary

Salary negotiation is more of an art than a science. It usually is one of the most neglected and under-rated aspects of a Job search. I have heard quite a few people say, "I just want to get my foot in the door, and I don't care about how much they pay me to start with. Once I am in, I can get good raise etc." In my opinion, don't ever make that mistake. It just doesn't work that way. Do not accept a position at a salary lower than you know you are worth with the hopes of big raises in the future. 

Principles for Negotiating: The Ten Commandments of Employment Negotiations

Taking into consideration those things that make employment negotiations unique, together with generally applicable negotiating principles, I have developed a set of basic principles which I refer to as The Ten Commandments of Employment Negotiations. These principles, along with what I refer to as the Eleventh Commandment, apply in every employment negotiation. 

Commandment 1: Be Prepared

Preparation is critical when negotiating the terms of your employment. The more information you have, the more successful you will be. This is so important that I have devoted a full chapter in my book to preparing for employment negotiations. This is the first commandment because it is the most important single thing you can do to ensure that you get the best deal possible. 

Commandment 2: Recognize That Employment Negotiations Are Unique

Employment negotiations are different from other types of negotiations. They are not a one-shot deal like buying a house or a car. When the employment negotiations are over, you will have to work with your former "adversary" on a daily basis; more important, your career success may depend on the person with whom you have just finished negotiating. Therefore, even though you want to negotiate the best possible deal, you need to proceed in a way that doesn't tarnish your image. 

By the same token, your future boss will want you to feel good about joining the company. Once an employer has decided that you are the person for the job, the primary concern will not be to negotiate the least expensive compensation package the company can get away with. Rather, the main focus will be on getting you to accept the job. As a result, employment negotiations are unusual in that both sides share that same basic goal. 

Commandment 3: Understand Your Needs and Those of Your Prospective Employer

Any employment negotiation is going to involve trade-offs. To be successful in this type of negotiation, you need to examine your own priorities. What is it that you want? Are comfortable with a low salary and a large equity stake? Do you feel confident that you can meet the requisite criteria to earn a bonus? Are you able to handle dramatic swings in income from year to year? How important is job security to you? 

Understanding your needs will also help you determine what type of company you want to work for. (For example, a family-owned company might offer a larger salary than start-up company, but the same start-up company will offer stock or stock options that a family-owned company typically will not.) Regardless of the type of company you are considering, an employer may not be able to give you exactly what you want. There are numerous institutional constraints on how much a company can pay for a given position or what kinds of benefits it can offer.

Understanding what you want and what a company can do within its own organizational and budgetary constraints will enable you to determine what trade-offs are possible in order to maximize what you get. This knowledge will also enable you to walk away from a job when a company cannot offer the type of compensation package that suits your needs. 

Commandment 4: Understand the Dynamics of the Particular Negotiations

Sometimes you will have skills or experience for which there is a great demand. You may be the only qualified candidate to have made it through the interview process, and the company would like to hire someone quickly. Similarly, if you have been able to defer discussing compensation until the company has determined you are the best candidate for the job, your bargaining position will be greatly strengthened. These are enviable positions to be in. On the other hand, you may in fact be one of several candidates the company is considering, any one of whom it would be happy to hire. Under those circumstances, compensation may be the key factor in determining who gets the job. Sizing up the situation and understanding the relative position of each of the parties to the negotiations will help you determine when to press your advantage and when to back off. 

Commandment 5: Never Lie, but Use the Truth to Your Advantage

Honesty is important. If you lie during the negotiations, sooner or later you are likely to be caught. Once you are caught lying, you lose all credibility. Even if you don't lose the job, you will be placed at a tremendous disadvantage, and your future credibility on the job will be undermined. On the other hand, total candor will not be rewarded. You are not required to answer a specific question directly unless the answer helps your position. You can determine what you want to say and how you want to say it. One element of preparation is to understand those areas which may be problematic so you can rehearse how you will handle them when they come up. 

Commandment 6: Understand the Role That Fairness Plays in the Process

The guiding principle for most employers in determining what they will agree to is fairness. Within the constraints of their budget and organization structure, employers will usually agree to anything that is fair and reasonable in order to hire someone they want. Appeals to fairness are the most powerful weapon available in employment negotiations. Sometimes such an appeal may even convince an employer of the need to adjust its salary structure or increase the amount of money budgeted for a position. 

You should be able to justify every request in terms of fairness. If the cost of living is higher where you're going, it is only fair to have your salary increased sufficiently to compensate. If comparable executives in similar companies are given one percent of the company's stock, you should be treated no differently. Your prospective employer will want you to accept its offer and to feel that you have been treated fairly. Understanding the importance of fairness as a negotiating principle can make the difference between success and failure.

Commandment 7: Use Uncertainty to Your Advantage

If an employer is not certain what it will take to recruit you, its initial offer is likely to be close to its best offer. If you have divulged too much information, it will likely not offer you as much as it might have otherwise. By not disclosing exactly what your compensation package is or exactly what it would take to get you to leave your current job, you will force a potential employer to give you its best offer. 

Commandment 8: Be Creative

You may not be able to get everything you want, but you want to be sure to get everything you can. Focus on the value of the total package. Look for different ways to achieve your objectives. Be willing to make trade-offs to increase the total value of the deal. Limit your "requirements." When you lock yourself into a position, you limit your ability to be creative. If you are creative, you can package what you want in ways that are acceptable to the company. You will also be able to find creative "trades" that allow you to withdraw requests that might be problematic to the company in return for improvements in areas where the company has more flexibility. In the end, however, you still must get the company to agree to those elements of the deal that are critical to you. If you are not able to do so, or if have to give up too much to get what you need, perhaps this is the wrong job for you. However, before you insist on any particular term in your employment package, be sure that it is really essential. By insisting on a particular term you may be giving up something of greater value; you may even be giving up your chance to get the job altogether. 

Commandment 9: Focus on Your Goals, Not on Winning

Too often in negotiations winning becomes more important than the actual goals that are achieved. This tendency is particularly problematic in employment negotiations. Not only is it important to focus on achieving your goals; it is also important not to make your future boss feel like a loser in the negotiations. Remember, that this person will control you future career. You will have gained little by negotiating a good deal if you alienate your future boss in the process. 

Commandment 10: Know When to Quit Bargaining

There comes a point in every negotiation when you have achieved everything that you could give reasonably expected to achieve. At that point you should thank the person you are dealing with and accept the offer. If you don't recognize when to stop negotiating, you run the risk of having the company decide that it made a mistake by offering you the job in the first place. Most companies will want to treat you fairly and make you happy, but few companies want to hire a prima donna. Being perceived as greedy or unreasonable may cause the deal to fall apart. Even if it does not, you will have done immeasurable harm to your career with your new employer. 

Commandment 11: Never Forget That Employment Is an Ongoing Relationship

This is the most important commandment and cannot be overemphasized. Employment negotiations are the starting point for your career with the company. They set the tone for your employment relationship. Get too little and you are disadvantaged throughout your career; push too hard and you can sour the relationship before it even begins. How you handle the initial negotiations can have an impact, for better or worse, on how successful your tenure with a company will be. 

Following the Ten Commandments of Employment Negotiations and employing the negotiating strategies described in my book will enable you to effectively negotiate the terms of your new employment. Once you have done so, you will be able to start your new job confident that you have achieved the best possible result. If you do your job well, there will be opportunities to negotiate further improvements as time goes on.

5 Reasons You Didn't Get the Job

With the unemployment rate still very high in the Nigeria, you may find yourself in the position of applying, interviewing, and still remaining jobless. You may have thought it was a sure thing; you may have left the office laughing and joking with the interviewer. So why was someone else hired and you weren't? These five reasons may shed some light on the situation.

1. You're overqualified
It's not just a cliche--you really can be overqualified for a position. It's especially true in a tight economy. A candidate that is more qualified would require a higher salary and benefits package for a competitive offer and for long-term retention. If someone else interviewed who fit the qualifications but didn't overly exceed them, it might be in the company's best interest to hire him and save the cash.

Ways To Be Indispensable In Your Job

You want to make yourself indispensable at job? You want to duck the tide of lay offs during the time of recession? We are passing through hard times and instead of hiring, firing has become the norm for companies. So How to protect your job at this time? How to make yourself indispensable? Try to follow some simple steps. 

Take Account of Your Strengths and Weaknesses: Making yourself indispensable at job requires you to make some analysis of yourself, your strengths and weaknesses. Taking stock of your strengths and weaknesses will help you narrowing down your area of expertise. And you will know for sure where you can excel and others can notice you too. Devise two plans for yourself, long term and short term.

Look for Broader Picture: If you are working for a company, make some changes in your attitude too. Instead of seeing things from a narrow perspective try to take into account the overall picture of your company. That will help you in taking right decision for the company. It will increase your understating and you can come out with right kind of solutions to your problems. Update Your Knowledge Base: You are responsible for your career advancement. No one else come to do so during recession time. Develop your knowledge base that might prove beneficial for your company. Take part time courses to update your skills and knowledge base. 

Develop Problem Solving Skills: Every company requires this skill. Normally employees fret and fume over problems or suggest ways how this problem can’t be solved. But instead going for this self indulgence, try to gather materials regarding the area you are working in. Read how other companies have faced similar problems and how they solved it. This will enrich your problem solving skills and you might find completely new solutions to the problems your company is facing.

Suggest Ways to Cut Down Expenses: This is an endearing quality of employees. Every company wants to minimize expenses and maximize profits. If you know of some ways to cut down expenses don’t keep it to yourself. Suggest it during meetings and give it in written to the concerned person.

Don’t Encroach on Others Rights: While enriching your knowledge base and self improvement you should not send out signals that you are out to do two peoples job. This will create negative feeling for you among your peers and rumor mongers can unleash their full force against you. Instead of sending feelers that you can do others jobs too, try filling the gaps that nobody is looking at or even aware that these shortcomings. If you deals with data, try to arrange it in such manner that even non-technical person can be able to find out what he is looking for. If you deal with recruitment, find out the efficient pool of candidates in less expensive manner.

Good Salesmanship: This need is required by everyone, be it an artist, self employed entrepreneurs or the president of a country. Don’t expect that you keep on providing excellent services and others will naturally take notice of you. You have to show the results of your hard work to the concerned persons. If your policies resulted in cost savings prepare a balance sheet and show it to the concerned person.

Be Good at What Your Boss is Weak At: Think of your boss’s weaknesses. He/she might be good at something but not at other things. Pay attention to his weaknesses and try to do that work yourself. Your boss might not be good at writing proposals but he might be good at pointing what is lacking in a proposal. To speed up the work, you can draw the first copy of the proposal and your boss will finalize it by pointing out what else should be incorporated in the existing copy. That will save time of the both.

Develop a Brand for the Company You Work: It doesn’t mean that you take over your brand manager. It simply means be your company’s spokesperson whenever the need arises. But your superiors too should know of your efforts. Making yourself indispensable at the job is not difficult at all. You have to keep your eyes and ears open. You have the knack to sense opportunity and making the most of it.

How To Remain Positive While Jobless

Rejection, especially in this job market, is an unavoidable reality. You won’t win every time. It’s okay been disappointed, for a minute, but set a limit and move on. Part of job search success requires self evaluation. It’s important to recognize the possibility you might be doing something wrong and, if so, to be open to positive change. If you’ve been on the hunt for a while and you feel like you’re getting nowhere, consider asking your recent interviewers and peers for constructive criticism. Be prepared for the sugar-coated version, but at least you will gain some perspective on what you may be able to change for future interviews.

10 Trickiest Interview Questions

Does it seem as though some job interview questions are designed to trip you up?
It should, because they are. Here are 10 of the trickiest tricky questions you might be asked at a job interview, with ideas on how to handle them:

[Scholarships 2011.]

1. “Tell me about yourself.”
•DO: Talk about the ways that what you know and what you can do are perfectly suited to this job.
•DON’T: Tell the interviewer your life story.
2. “Tell me something bad you’ve heard about our company.”
•DO: You wouldn’t apply for a job at a company you disapproved of, would you? So you should be able to honestly answer that you haven’t heard anything negative about this place.
•DON’T: Repeat gossip you might have heard.
3. “Why should I hire you?”
•DO: Impress your interviewer with how much you know about the company’s requirements and then describe how you are the best person to meet those requirements.
•DON’T: Get tripped up by a lack of prior research.
4. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
•DO: Talk about how your specific abilities, training, and experience will enable you to smoothly integrate with this company.
•DON’T: Say that you have no idea.
5. “How would you react if I told you your interview so far was terrible?”
•DO: Recognize that this is a test to see if you get flustered. Say, mildly, that you would ask for reasons why.
•DON’T: Freak out. Remember, the interviewer said “if.”

How to Answer the Salary Question during Interview

We all want to be honest and forthcoming in an interview. So when the question “What are you making now?” or “What kind of salary are you looking for?” comes up, it’s tempting to just cite a
number or a range and move forward – but try to resist the urge. If you reveal your salary expectations too early in the process, you lose two big opportunities:
1. The opportunity to make them love you before they know your price.
2. The opportunity to demonstrate your ability to handle an uncomfortable situation confidently and respectfully, without caving (a prized skill in most jobs).

6 Reasons You Won’t Get Hired Without a Cover Letter

Without a cover letter, you’re relying solely on your resume to make a big enough impact that the hiring manager will call you back for an interview. That’s asking a lot. From demonstrating your communication skills to keeping the follow-up ball in your court, a cover letter can strengthen your candidacy and increase your odds of landing an interview. Here are 6 valid reasons why a cover letter is absolutely necessary:

It tells the employer who you are and why they want you.
Yes, the Objective or Professional Summary on your resume also does this, but only in so many words. In the body of the letter, you have the room to elaborate on your experiences and interest in the position.
It showcases your writing ability.
Resumes have strict formulas with bullet points and short, choppy statements. A cover letter allows you to write more fluently. Since employers like to see that you can communicate well in writing, a proper cover letter puts the right foot forward from the get-go.

Job Search - Show Some Purpose

How does your job search strategy connect with the needs of the employer?

Purpose isn't "me-only". Do you show consideration and interest in growth in your interaction? You want the job; you have needs but don't be a turn-off. Avoid focusing on unnecessary complaints and demands.

The employer is taking risks. But nobody is looking for perfection. How does your attitude reassure and send a sense of security? No matter how qualified you are job search success will be difficult if the general perception is that you have no interest in the success of others.

Graduate Unemployment in Nigeria; Career Guide

Greetings job seekers out there. Unfortunately enough, every year that goes by, the Nigerian unemployment rate keeps on going higher and higher as fresh graduates passes out from their various institutions of higher learning only to be met with a long queue of their senior ones who have earlier passed out from the various universities and polytechnics and are yet still unemployed, as there are few jobs to go round the vast unemployed population in the country.

The situation has become pathetic as year after year, job seekers and applicants are left with nothing to do than to roam about the streets looking for jobs that are not available. Their case is also worsen as most of them are not employable by potential employers of labour, this may be due to their lack of core technical knowledge about their discipline or poor result.