David Sheeks

Okay, so you've made your interview checklist, you've sorted through the fake job scams out there, you've met with a recruiter to help you search, and now you've finally found someone who may want to hire you.  Congratulations!  Now comes the part that very few people like: the interview . But don't worry! This is not the time to be alarmed; it is instead a chance for you to really strengthen yourself in the job market.  An interview isn't just your chance to convince someone to hire you--instead it's a chance for you and a potential employer to learn about each other and determine if you are the best fit for each other. In a lot of ways it's like a relationship.  Many of us may remember trying to impress the popular person in school in hopes that we could convince them that we were "worthy" enough to date.  It was a status thing--trying to seem "cool" enough to get to hang out with someone you thought was of a higher social statu

This week's article will focus on the job search--specifically creative ways to increase your chances of being noticed, getting the interview, and ultimately--getting the job you want.  Today I will focus on using recruiting firms to maximize your chance of getting an interview. Many people miss out on extremely good opportunities because they bypass recruiters entirely, or have no idea what they are.  Simply put, a recruiter is a representative who acts on your behalf to help you find a job.  He or she is someone who has made a career of placing people in positions that are perfect for them, and they are very good at what they do. Finding a recruiter is easy.  When you search the online job ads, you may see something like this: "Widget Assembler - 123 Staffing."  In this case, the fictional "123 Staffing" company is a recruiter.  They do not own the widget shop, but instead find employees to work for that shop.  The widget shop then pays the staffing agency

I must admit, I completely laughed when the iPad came out.  An enormous iPhone without the ability to make phone calls.  But when I sat down and used one for the first time, I thought, "Wow! An enormous iPhone, without a required cellular plan!"  Of course the iPhone is a little different from its iPhone counterpart (mostly as far as its technical specs), but essentially they are the same--running a similar operating system and capable of running the same applications. But is this necessarily a bad thing?  I use an iPhone myself, and I enjoy the versatility of being able to download and use applications with extreme convenience.  I don't have to boot up, wait for things to load, and so on.  It's just there, waiting for me to use whatever application I need in my work to get the job done. Tablets are essentially the same.  Both the Apple-branded and Android-based tablets run similar versions (and in Android's case, often the SAME version) of the smartphone opera