Salesmen today aren’t like they used to be a couple years ago. I asked the guys at applicant.com if they would let me rant my experience with a salesman and they were cool since it is career related .

There used to be a time when I enjoyed talking to salesmen. Yes, it sounds weird but it was one more way for me to know about a person, how much they liked their job and how effective they were in their communication skills. And of course, my wife seems to enjoy any new product cause it gives her an opportunity to empty my wallet a bit, which she seems to love for some reason. I enjoy talking to salesmen. The one that I call out to give me a quote and information about their product and the ones that come knocking on my door. I often offer a cup of coffee and if they are smokers, they can grab a cigarette out of my pack too. In short, I don’t send someone back or be rude simply cause they are salesman, after all it’s a career and I have nothing against them. Read the rest of this entry »

Name: Ben Wollman

Education: Temple University – B.A. Advertising

Industry: Advertising/Account Management/Marketing

Past Experience: CBS-3 Philadelphia; advertising sales intern / TU: Ad Website; intern.

Current: Recent graduate – unemployed

Available for Job: Yes!

Contact : benjamin.wollman(at)gmail(dot)com

• http://www.benwollman.com
• http://www.linkedin.com/in/benwollman

What makes you stand out among other job applicants in your field?

I recently graduated from Temple University into one of the most economically challenging climates possible. Despite the constant negativity surrounding the job market and current hiring practices, I have found myself more motivated and determined than ever. I am extremely eager to bring my creative skill set, and knowledge of advertising to any company or organization that can identify my professional “inexperience” as true value. My youth does not designate inexperience, but instead yields a passion for learning and growth; for which my skill set corresponds directly. I have strived to further my education by taking classes on interactive advertising (encompassing all spectrums of the online ad space; from SEO/SEM – rich media – online radio) and have become a self-proclaimed social media maven. I believe that my education, creativity, excellent knowledge of interactive advertising and determination to be an incredible asset toward many new job opportunities.

Job Applicant Of The Week is a regular feature at applicant.com giving job seekers one more platform to market themselves. If you are interested please contact us.

Lately we’ve been hearing some good news when it comes to the job market. However, the fact that there are layoffs happening each day around the country certainly isn’t going to stop anytime soon. Layoffs are hard and can be devastating, both financially and psychologically.

Having your income stream shut off, especially without notice isn’t something that can be taken lightly. We all have bills to pay, mouths to feed and other things that needs to be taken care of and usually money is what keeps the world going. Anyway, below are 10 suggestions that we think should be something that everyone should go through if you are laidoff. Please note that although some points might seem like it’s a little too much to ask during tough times, all we want you to know is there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are out and about looking for jobs and have yet to open a linkedin account, do it now. LinkedIn although not as popular as facebook or twitter is certainly one of the best job search tools on the web for job hunters. There are many features that LinkedIn provides for job  seekers that other social platform usually don’t have. For example, your LinkedIn profile alone serves as an online resume. It’s hard to portray your facebook, twitter or even MySpace profile (if you still use) as an online resume. That is one of the main void in the online job search space that LinkedIn fills in. The other key aspect of using linkedin is the recommendation feature that allows others to recommend you. This gives employers and recruiters a better sense of your work ethics, skills, etc. Read the rest of this entry »

There are not many who enjoy doing what they do to support their means. After all, the word “cubicle” is one of those words that is hated the most. When we hear the term “office” one thing that comes to mind is work. However, for some, office might just be the place to have fun and unwind from day to day life. Yes, it sounds weird and a little unconventional. Here are some videos that show how people defy the fact that “cubicle nation” sucks. Some bosses wouldn’t be too happy if their employees pulled these off during work time, but there are few that actually might join in.

Enjoy the videos and watch how these cubicle warriors have fun at the office. Read the rest of this entry »

Would you care if you had to fill out username and password to your online profiles on a job application form? I sure would. We had talked about credit check a while ago and it caused quite a controversy among our readers. I wouldn’t be very happy if I was filling out a job application form that had a section for me to enter my login credentials. That to me is beyond a simple background check. That is exactly what a city in Montana had been doing for couple years until someone brought it up, finally. If you haven’t had a chance to catch up on it, here is the piece that you should read – Montana City Asks Job Applicants To Fork Over Social Networking Passwords.

Not long after the news broke of the unethical hiring practice of the Bozeman city, a press release was issued saying that the city has stopped the practice. According to the press release,

Effective at 12:00 p.m. today, Friday June 19, 2009, the City of Bozeman permanently ceased the practice of requesting candidates selected for City positions under a provisional job offer to provide user names and passwords for the candidate’s internet sites.

Read the rest of this entry »

Name: Noreen E Kelly

Education: University of Phoenix-MA Organizational Management, California Baptist University-BS Business Administration with emphasis in Management

Industry: Non-profit/Religious/Grocery/Bottling/Transportation

Past Experience: 20 plus years, Management Experience; Other experience includes the bottling, transportation, grocery, and food distribution industries, with positions in inventory control, purchasing,and warehouse management.

Current: Unemployed, working on project basis for small business in my geographical area

Available for Job: Yes!

Contact: http://www.linkedin.com/in/noreenekelly,

http://www.facebook.com/noreenkelly or email: wuhan1196(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

What makes you stand out among other job applicants in your field?

I am a management professional with extensive experience in Business, Operations, and Benefits management. As the Business Manager, I developed processes over personnel, budgeting, payroll, and plant operations.

• By introducing automated systems, I reduced costs by $200,000 over a 4 year period.
• I successfully implemented an ADP payroll system and streamlined personnel procedures that substantially increased company efficiency.
• By analyzing plant maintenance operations, I was able to identify inefficiencies and lead the process of improving plant appearance, cleanliness, and safety.
• I designed, created, and maintained the first website for an organization, increasing access to pertinent and updated information by 10%.

My broad-based experience in diverse business sectors gives me a skill set that transfers well to any environment. Using these and other core competencies of problem solving, decision making, and organizational management, I bring cost savings, innovation, and efficiencies to your company.

Other experience includes the bottling, transportation, grocery, and food distribution industries, with positions in inventory control, purchasing, and warehouse management.

Specialties

Small business management • budgeting • management • operations • projects • purchasing • customer service • human resources • training • personnel • accounting • bookkeeping

Job Applicant Of The Week is a regular feature at applicant.com giving job seekers one more platform to market themselves. If you are interested please contact us.

It’s pretty amazing! Seems like everyone has written a “10 commandments of….” posts at some point in time. As I was writing this post I didn’t think of it, but once done the title seemed appropriate. Anyway, I have had a few ups and downs during my job search years. It was a few years back when the economy was still strong but what worked yesterday, still works today. You might have to add a bit more spice to the recipe but the desired result is the same : landing a job. Read the rest of this entry »

Today there are hundreds of social media platforms that are available to us. Although we would like to use each and every one of them, it is only wise to choose the platform that serves our motive the best. When it comes to job search LinkedIn (take a look at our visual guide to LinkedIn) by far is one of the best platforms out there. Of course, Facebook, Twitter, etc. can’t be disregarded either. On June 15th 2009, a conference was held in Google Headquarters where speakers talked about the future of recruiting. As you can imagine, the future of recruiting is social. The participants of this conference were some of the best and brightest minds from the recruiting industry. Read the rest of this entry »

You never know