Your resume was top-notch. Your cover letter, unforgettable. Your first interview was outdone only by your second. And now the company you’ve set your sights on is prepared to make an offer. Assuming you really do want the job, how do you go about getting the salary you deserve? You know it will be quite some time before you can ask for a raise, so this is your last chance at maximizing your paycheck. Follow these tips to fatten your bank account before you even set foot in a cubicle. Read the rest of this entry »

We recently came across this image that shows job loss data from December 2007 to January 2010. Although we are not out of the woods yet, it certainly is better than what it has been.

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As one of the leading job search career site, we’ve been covering resume tips quite a bit on applicant.com. Although searching for jobs using social media platforms has become a norm in today’s fast paced world, the use of resume isn’t going to disappear anytime soon. Resume still serves as the window to a job applicant’s qualifications. Recruiters get hundreds and thousands of resume each month, it’s obvious they can’t go through them all. If a quick glance at the resume doesn’t spark interest, it is sure to land in the garbage.

We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to writing a resume and we believe that this guide will cover everything you need to know. The guide is divided into six section/topics and is fairly long. If you don’t want to go through the entire guide, click on the link below to jump to a particular topic. However, if you are looking to master the skills of writing a resume, we suggest you read the entire guide. Read the rest of this entry »

The big job search engines can put you in touch with thousands of possible jobs in any city, state, or country—but thousands of job seekers have access to those same possibilities. To get your foot in the door (and even take a step or two closer to getting a job) you need to take advantage of the number 1 most trusted resource of hiring managers: personal referrals.

In case you aren’t a regular on the site, that’s pretty much what LinkedIn really is. It’s a massive network for personal referrals. The strength of the social network’s foundation of trust gives it real potential for connecting you with a job opening where you aren’t just a strong candidate; you could be the leading candidate. Here are 10 ways you can use LinkedIn (and the people you know) to find the job you really want.

note : we’ve also included a visual guide to LinkedIn at the end of this post. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

Education for the sake of personal enrichment is a beautiful thing, but let’s be honest: you didn’t work your tail off to reach a higher plane of self-fulfillment. You got (or you’re getting, or you’re thinking about getting) a degree because you wanted a better job and better money. Your online education can be a powerful tool in your job search. Follow these basic principles to make sure your online degree pays more than just virtual benefits. Read the rest of this entry »

Online education can be a more affordable option than traditional universities, but it’s not free. Assuming your online degree will be easy to pay for is a sure road to discouragement. But you also shouldn’t assume you can’t pay for it, there is financial assistance out there. We’ve highlighted 15 scholarships, grants, and resources aimed at funding your success story via online education. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a reason why there are laws against basing hiring decisions on factors like age, religion, race, gender, and sexual orientation: if there were no such laws, many hiring managers would use those factors all the time. Hiring for full-time employment is an exercise in prejudice, some of it inexcusable, and some of it necessary.

Think about it: job applicants submit their resumes, which answer the essential questions about qualifications. Hiring managers then must rely on incredibly short interviews to make long-term decisions. They use certain prejudices (pre-judging criteria) to narrow down the field. They read into an applicant’s body language to tell them if he’s dishonest. They look at her clothes to see if she fits in with the corporate culture. More often than they admit, people do make hiring decisions based on age, gender, or race. That’s an outrage, and it needs to stop because it’s based on faulty stereotypes, not on fact. Read the rest of this entry »

Any conventional resume coach will tell you that there are some things you absolutely never put on your resume. And the best resume services will find a way to turn your top skills and achievements into benefits that will make your resume sparkle.

But let’s face it: not everybody’s career is sparkling. What if your last two jobs were disasters? What if you were written up to HR for bad behavior? What if leaving the negatives off your resume leaves you nothing but your name and white space?

In the job search, desperate times call for creative measures. You could make stuff up or try one of our 7 patented resume lies. But here’s something people rarely consider (outside of politics): spin your biggest screw ups to sound like major achievements. Here are ten colossal blunders you could add to your resume, with a little sales pitch to make it shine. Read the rest of this entry »