Career Advice & Insights

It’s not as obvious as it seems. Follow this guide on when to use a nickname, your legal name, tie your name to a degree, or even use the phonetic spelling. Read More

Employers may be their clients, but recruiters may push back on behalf of the right job seeker. Here’s how that can work to your advantage. Never forget this simple fact about the recruiting industry: Recruiters work for employers, not for job seekers. Nevertheless, some recruiters are willing to take a chance on pushing for a … Read More

Don’t let these common errors brand you as unprofessional. Resume screeners can be very picky: they have that luxury. You want the job, and so do hundreds of other people. These busy professionals develop criteria to “disqualify” some of the many potential employees/business partners. It’s easy to knock out a candidate for lack of correctness … Read More

While much of the job search moves online, some recruiters find nothing replaces the reliable telephone. When a recruiter calls, it’s a good idea to answer the telephone. That might have been obvious advice 10 to 20 years ago, but today the job search has become so reliant on the Internet, e-mail and cell phones … Read More

As the calendar turns to 2017, think about the things you can do to make it great — like landing a new job. At the beginning of a new year we’re full of resolutions — lose weight, exercise, be a better person. But what are your career resolutions? Ladders asked recruiters, career coaches, resume writers … Read More

Companies want HR pros who know HR, but can you break the code of the employer’s business, culture and mission. Sometimes being out of work offers you the opportunity to learn and become better at your next job. For Ralph Chapman, the experience gave him a very valuable — though opposite — perspective. When he … Read More

A recruiter for CDW shares the tactics his company now considers its most fertile source of new candidates – Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. CDW is a leading provider of technology products and services that employs more than 6,000 people. The company, based in Vernon Hills, Ill., just outside Chicago, does a lot of hiring. And … Read More

Recruiters don’t work for you and they don’t have to help you, but they can be a valuable resource to help you be the right candidate for the job. There are a few things you should know about recruiters before you work with them. Recruiters’ measure of success is filling open positions, not getting people … Read More

How do you think beyond the paycheck when you’re on the job hunt? The objective of a successful job search is not to get a job. The objective is to fulfill your purpose. I’m 47 now and 25 years into my career. I’ve had the opportunity to watch many people start their careers and talk … Read More