We launched applicant.com in January and since then we have come a long way. Over the period of 12 months we have created hundreds of articles and before we say goodbye to 2009, we thought we would round up some of them in a post. Applicant has been mentioned on many high profile blogs and sites this year including Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and many others. We’ve had tremendous support from our readers as well as the social media community. Our friends and followers on Twitter, StumbleUpon community, Digg users and even Google’s algorithm has been kind to us this year.

Although the job market has yet to bounce back to where we would like it to be, the process is going to be slow. However, we are sure as months go by 2010 will be much better for all the job seekers out there. This post highlights some of the best articles on this blog from 2009. There are quite a few on this list since we churned out many articles. Please take a moment to go through them as we are sure you will find them useful (and some funny). Read the rest of this entry »

2009 is coming to an end but it certainly doesn’t mean the job market will get a fresh start. Although 2010 might be a much better year than what 2009 was, let’s face it, it certainly isn’t going to create jobs out of nowhere or eliminate layoffs altogether. We are sure when the January numbers are released in February, we will see some signs of recovery but the market will be far from being out of the woods. We have a long way to go. Traditional job hunting tactics will always yield results, but when all else fails it’s time to tap into unconventional ways. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box and step out of your comfort zone.

If you have been looking for jobs for quite some time and have yet to land a job, it may be time to try something new. It’s time to think outside the box and give unconventional job search a try. Here are a few ways to take your job search to the next level this coming year. Read the rest of this entry »

We launched applicant.com back in January 2009 and this is the first Christmas we get to share with you. We have some big plans for the coming year. We have been told that a lot of you sent letters to Santa saying we should be put on the nice list, and so he did. It seems like you put in some good words for us, Santa was so impressed he even sent us his Santa resume . The team here at applicant.com wants to wish you all a Merry Christmas. We hope you get lots of gifts but above all, be sure to spend some quality time with friends and family. Make sure to cherish on moments from the past and create memories for the future.

Once again, enjoy your holidays. Turn off the computer and take a couple days off. Enjoy the eggnog and the conversation around the table. We will be back on Monday. Have a safe and happy holiday.

Merry Christmas!
Applicant.com

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The job market has yet to see some relief. The number of unemployed in US is in millions and that number isn’t going to fall anytime soon. Banks are not very keen on giving out loans to small businesses and the stimulus money doesn’t seem to be creating too many jobs either. We are at the verge of saying goodbye to yet another year and the economy still isn’t where we thought it would be. So who do we blame? The government of course. However, the government does provide unemployment benefit to those that are unemployed. Now there is another problem, we aren’t working but we are collecting money which is not enough. Who do we blame? Once again, the government. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s obvious that many small businesses aren’t in a position to hire in this economy. However, one business (Plaza Cleaners) is trying to help the unemployed indirectly. We are not sure where the business is located. If you have any information on them, please let us know.

Update : Based on all the comments, the business shown in the picture above is located in Portland, Oregon. Their website can be found at PlazaCleaners.

via reddit

We devote a lot of our time on applicant.com defending the integrity of online education, and for good reason. But there are some courses available online that make our job a bit more difficult. To some, these classes might be indispensable fonts of practical wisdom, but to the mainstream they seem more like the online version of underwater basket weaving. And just for fun, we threw in one completely fictional online course, you’ll have to follow the links to find out for sure (click on sub titles to visit the link). Read the rest of this entry »

Although it takes most of us a while to write resumes that create a lasting impression, it usually takes 20-30 seconds for a prospective employer to decide whether or not you should be on the interview list. There are hundreds and thousands of tips on the web on how you can create a “killer resume,” but the one that can master the art is you.

As in everything else, writing a resume requires practice. A sure fire way to make your resume stand out and deliver a perfect speech on your behalf is by following a few simple steps, simple but something that needs to be reminded often. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 was unkind to a lot of people, layoffs have been frequent, and the job search has been far too slow for far too many. But it’s not just the “little people” who have faced hard times. Most of these men and women are millionaires, but they found themselves at the center of some spectacular meltdowns, scandals, and career-changing moments.

1. Tiger Woods

The world’s greatest golfer had it all: a career including 14 major championships and 71 PGA Tour wins; a career laden with endorsements that in September passed the $1 billion mark, yes, that’s billion with a B, and two children with his beautiful wife Elin. If you’ve seen the news at all since Thanksgiving, you know his image, his career, and his family will never be the same after the revelation that over the course of his 5-year marriage he’s cheated with at least 11 different women. He’s on an indefinite leave from golf, his sponsors are reconsidering his role, and his wife is allegedly planning on divorce. In a year of rocked careers, Tiger’s right on top.

2. Barack Obama

After winning the 2008 election in convincing fashion, making history as the first African-American president of the United States, and enjoying a strong surge of public support to begin his presidency, Obama now presides over two wars, a turbulent economy, and an approval rating that has plummeted to 47%. It’s been an up-and-down year for President Obama, but at least his job still looks secure for at least three (and quite possibly 7) more years.

3. Miley Cyrus

It’s not easy for anybody to be 17, but it’s even harder when you’re the megastar of a Disney television/movie/music franchise. The actress behind Hannah Montana created a media firestorm by canceling her Twitter account (OMG!) and has since announced plans to take a break from her teeny-bop pop recording career. Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve been between jobs for months, struggling from unemployment check to unemployment check. Your credit cards are maxed out, and your payments are tiptoeing against the deadline every single time. But you have a rocking resume, your interview skills are insanely sharp, and you can tell that last employer is ready to hire you.

So how mad would you be to learn you’re about to be turned down for your job as an athletic trainer because two of your loan payments were 15 minutes late? We’re guessing furious. The scenario might seem far-fetched, but it’s exactly the type of thing that could happen to almost half of job applicants in the U.S. Read the rest of this entry »

Pretty soon we will be ready to say goodbye to 2009. This year has been nothing short of a perfect storm. Financial institutions came tumbling down, economy got worse as days went by and with that the job market took a hard hit. However, tough times call for tough measures and that means some awesome content came our way through different blogs and sites.

These post highlights some of the best career and job search articles of 2009. These aren’t the most linked to articles or anything of that sort, however, they are some of the most notable articles that contain some of the best and practical advice for job seekers and the career minded. We’ve also included a brief excerpt from each article to give you an idea. If you are unemployed, take a day off searching for jobs and go through these links. If you are busy, save it and go through them before 2009 ends, after all these are the best links of 2009 . Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »