Interview

What is the appropriate amount of time to wait to follow up on a job application? Guidelines on when and how to follow up without appearing to be a stalker. You’ve sent in your resume. You already know that a follow-up message is a critical step in your job search. Now is the time to … Read More

Parting can be sorrow if you explain it wrong in your next interview. Here are tips on positioning your resume (and your head) to provide a positive answer to the question: “Why did you leave?” Like any hiring professional worth her salt, Jillian Zavitz’s eyebrows go up when she sees short work stints on a … Read More

There’s a fine line between enthusiastic and just plain irritating. For job seekers eager for feedback, that line can be blurry. When it comes to your job search, there’s a difference between persistence and pushiness. Or is there? The answer may depend on the job you’re trying to fill. Take “Chloe,” a veteran pharmaceutical saleswoman … Read More

Notes have a place in the job interview, but cheat sheets are unacceptable. Job interviews are all about exchanging information − information about the job, information about yourself, information about your past and your industry expertise. At times, a job interview can feel like an examination. Better study. There’s also a lot to take in … Read More

Good Monday morning, It’s embarrassing, isn’t it? Doing “the elevator pitch” feels so awkward, embarrassing and unnatural — like you’re hawking a product on a late night infomercial. Yet it’s such an important part of the job search that everybody has to have one. You know, when I speak around the country to groups of … Read More

Angry e-mail? Check. Thank-you messages read from scripts? Check. Here’s a rogues’ gallery of what else not to do. If you can craft an intelligent letter or e-mail to follow up after a job interview, it could be the tipping point that pushes you into the job candidate finalist category. “The thank-you note remains one … Read More

Broadway actor John Treacy Egan and acting coach Jodie Bentley share body-language tricks to use (and some to avoid) during a job interview. Actors know that body language speaks volumes, and the good ones use it subtly to persuade the audience. Poses, positions and postures tell the audience what to think about the character. A … Read More

Assessing the cultural fit of a company extends far beyond age or interests, and it can make all the difference between success and failure on the job. The job description seems like it was written for you. The pay is right, the commute easy on your nerves, you even like your new boss, and the … Read More

Private investigators and former government agents share trade secrets about how they conduct employment background checks for hiring companies. The questions most job seekers want answered about background checks are when they’ll be subject to one and what it will turn up. Depending on the amount of effort and money a company is willing to … Read More