Simply Hired Blog

Halloween is Coming… 3 Costumes Job Seekers Wear Everyday

By Tony Morrison

Halloween is just around the corner and we all know what that means--costumes! 

Halloween provides children and adults alike the opportunity to become someone entirely different for a day. From ghoulish ghosts to wicked witches, your Halloween costume can be just about anything you want to be.

What some people don't realize is that, for the other 364 days of the year, job seekers have to wear their own costumes, just on the inside. They might not be flashy, but when used correctly, these costumes help job seekers get noticed and into a new job.

Check out these three costumes job seekers wear everyday:

Ballerina
In your job search, sometimes you need just a little finesse and flexibility to land that interview. Just like a ballerina, job seekers oftentimes need to perform complex maneuvers quickly and effortlessly to attract the right employers.

As a job seeker, jump into a new opportunity like it’s a performance. Practice what you’re going to say, dress your best, and develop your overall technique.

Robot
A robot never stops going, and as a job seeker, you shouldn't either. Of course, you need time to relax, but when you're on the clock, you need to be 100% in your job search. 

Persistence and energy are two important "cogs" in the job search robot you want to be.

Superman
We all know Superman is the man of steel. He can fly and has heat vision. Keeping his Kryptonite allergy under wraps, Superman appears to be unbeatable. Just like Superman, job seekers need to become a super version of themselves. 

We all have weaknesses, but it's up to us to keep them close while showing off our strengths. Instead of focusing on what you can't do, focus on what you can accomplish.

What do you think? What other costumes do job seekers have to wear every day? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

 

Tony Morrison is the Vice President at Cachinko, a unique professional community where social networking and job opportunities come together. Tony is focused on helping job seekers find their ideal job and employers attract and engage rock star candidates. Find him on Twitter and Talent Connection. And, connect with Cachinko on Facebook or Twitter.

Weird Interview Questions

In an interview, you'll probably hear a lot of the same, overused questions: What's your biggest weakness? Why do you want to work here? Where do you see yourself in five years?  (You know the drill.) If you've prepared answers to these, you're golden.

But what happens if you're asked an oddball question that comes out of nowhere? There's always a chance you'll be asked a weird question that you weren't expecting. Lucky for you, Glassdoor.com compiled a list of 25 oddball interview questions that companies have actually asked, from the difficult to the bizarre.

Here are our 15 favorites:

1. "If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender, how would you get out?" Asked at Goldman Sachs. View Goldman Sachs jobs.

2. "What is the philosophy of Martial Arts?" Asked at Aflac. View Aflac jobs.

3. "Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 how weird you are." Asked at Capital One. View Capital One jobs.

4. "How many basketball[s] can you fit in this room" Asked at Google. View Google jobs.

5. "If you could be any superhero, who would it be?" Asked at AT&T. View AT&T jobs.

6. "You have a birthday cake and have exactly 3 slices to cut it into 8 equal pieces. How do you do it?" Asked at Blackrock. View Blackrock jobs.

7. "Given the numbers 1 to 1000, what is the minimum numbers guesses needed to find a specific number if you are given the hint 'higher' or 'lower' for each guess you make." Asked at Facebook. View Facebook jobs.

8. "An apple costs 20 cents, an orange costs 40 cents, and a grapefruit costs 60 cents, how much is a pear?" Asked at Epic Systems. View Epic Systems jobs.

9. "How many traffic lights in Manhattan?" Asked at Argus Information & Advisory Services. View Argus Information & Advisory Services jobs.

10. "What do wood and alcohol have in common?" Asked at Guardsmark. View Guardsmark jobs.

11. "How do you weigh an elephant without using a weigh machine?" Asked at IBM. View IBM jobs.

12. "You have 8 pennies, 7 weigh the same, one weighs less. You also have a judges scale. Find the one that weighs less in less than 3 steps." Asked at Intel. View Intel jobs.

13. "What's the square root of 2000?" Asked at UBS. View UBS jobs.

14. "How are M&M's made?" Asked at US Bank. View US Bank jobs.

15. "What would you do if you just inherit a pizzeria from your uncle?" Asked at Volkswagen. View Volkswagen jobs.

Job seekers – have you been asked a weird question in an interview? Share the oddball interview questions you've asked! Of you think you've got a great answer to one of these questions, share it in the comments below!

Celebrate National Dog Week with Simply Hired's Dog-Friendly Filter

This week is National Dog Week, a time to recognize and appreciate "man's best friend." To celebrate, show how much you love your furry friend by searching for a job at dog-friendly companies! Fido will never be depressed at home while you’re at work again.

We've teamed up with the folks at Dogster to bring you a special search featuring employers who encourage workers to bring their pets to work. You can find our Dog-Friendly Companies search from the Special Searches page, or you can apply the dog-friendly companies filter to any job search on SimplyHired.com, found within the Special Filters to the left of your search results.

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The Girl who Quit via Dry Erase Board

We’ve all heard the story by now (which has officially been confirmed as a hoax by Elyse Porterfield and theCHIVE): “Jenny” couldn’t stand her boss’s antics anymore and became so fed-up that she decided to leave the company. But Jenny didn’t just put in her two-weeks notice through a professional letter, she emailed out 33 pictures to the entire staff illustrating, through writing on a dry erase board, how her boss had treated her the past two years – even emphasizing her boss’s use of time spent online. 

Even though Jenny is a hoax, job seekers might be able to take a tip or two from her drastic departure. If Jenny were real, she would now be sitting in an interesting situation: no job, popularity on the Internet due to her now viral pictures and stuck with the task of landing her next gig. 

What should Jenny do? Simply Hired has a few tips Jenny might want to consider:

• Discover your passion. Jenny has a creative edge to her, and her skills could be well suited in the social media or advertising fields (both which have increased job count recently – especially with social media trends which have shot up), rather than as an assistant like her previous job. Find your true passion and begin searching for jobs that match. 
• Be prepared for the interview. There’s a list of interview questions that everyone should be prepared for, but in a case such as Jenny’s, you must be prepared to talk about the incident. Be prepared to explain why you did it, and show how this form of communication can be so effective – easily illustrating your talent for viral media!
• Leverage your fame.  Start your own blog, begin tweeting, and stay active on Facebook and LinkedIn or whatever other social media profiles you might have. Exemplify your skills in these places where others will be looking, and you might even attract a few recruiters with your social media presence. 
• Say ‘Thank You.’ After your interviews, be sure to send thank you notes to show your respect for the company’s time and interest in you. This will show your professionalism and sincerity, which after a stunt such as Jenny’s is an important trait to show potential employers. 

If you’re like Jenny and are creative with a clever wit, here are some positions you might want to check out:

• Emerging Media Specialist
• Social Media Guru
• New Media Specialist 
• Internet Marketing Manager
• Creative Project Manager
• Creative Director
• Art Director
• Social Engagement Manager
• Creative Writer
• Interactive Designer
• Graphic Designer

Remember, what you do on the Internet is available for all to see. So if you don’t want your future employer to see the drastic manner in which you left your last job, don’t post the evidence on the Internet.

We’re at the ERE Spring Expo in San Diego!

Visit Simply Hired in Booth #100

Dates: March 15 - 17, 2010
Location: San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina

Are you a recruiter currently attending this spring’s ERE Expo in San Diego? Make sure to stop by Simply Hired at Booth #100 to learn how we can boost your online recruitment strategy. Simply Hired will help you find the best candidates and puts your jobs in front of them!

Can’t make it to the show? Register for our FREE Webinar series to get information about social media recruiting solutions.

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