Tampa Job Fair October 19th at MOSI!

Hey Tampa, we at the Employment Guide have another job fair coming up next month, and I just wanted to let everyone know some of the details upfront.

What: Tampa October Job Fair

When: Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

Time: 10am – 2pm

Facility: Museum of Science and Industry / MOSI

4801 E. Fowler Ave.

Tampa, FL 33617

It is Open and FREE to the public

It is Free of Admission and There will be Free Parking

Job Seekers, please pre-register for the career fair by clicking here!

And lastly, for those of you who are more visual here is the Job Fair Flyer:

Leave Your Current Job

The state of the economy is taking its toll of everyone in the workforce. With layoff rumors, corporate downsizing, acquisitions and, well, good old gas prices - it may not be the best time to leave your current job and find a new position.

However, some companies are growing and when the financial mess comes back around full circle, some will be in an even better position to see your talents and skill sets. So Tampa, what are some reasons that you may make you consider jumping ship?

• Lack of involvement - You come to work everyday, do your job and head home. Your bosses offer you no escape or even an opportunity to make your job more effective or to help grow the company. If your ideas are being shot down, and they happen to be good ideas, it may be time to take your ideas to a company who listens more effectively.
• You and your boss do not get along - It's hard making the trek to work, only to dread speaking to your boss everyday. It adds extra stress and pressure that generates less productivity.
• It's a long drive - Is your commute becoming a problem? With gas over the $4 mark, are you filling up too often and not getting a great return? Looking for work closer to your home may be a great option, or even an employer who entices employees with gas savings and incentives, or even reimbursement!
• No meaning in your work - Some people do not mind coasting through their work and wait patiently for the weekend. Others like to know that the work they are doing has a positive impact on "something" or "someone." If you need meaning in your work and are tired of pushing buttons and mouse clicks for no conceivable reason, a career change may be in order.
• Workplace culture - This is personal preference, but if you are not a suit and tie guy/gal, there are firms that have opened up the dress code. Don't like mandatory 12 - 1 lunches or strict 8-5 workdays. There are companies that offer flex hours, great benefits and other incentives to keep you happy and productive at work. If you don't like the culture, know that with a little research, you can find a local company that can help you in your lifestyle.

What else Tampa? What are some reasons for you to pack up your cubicle and move on? What can your employer do to keep you on the job? Employers, what are you doing to ensure that you keep the best people in their desks and moving up in the company?

Please join the conversation in the comments or send an email to greg.rollett@employmentguide.com.

For those looking to make a change, there is a Driver Job Fair in Winter Haven on August 2nd from 10am - 2pm. For everyone else, Orlando is having a job fair on July 29th and the Tampa / St. Pete area's next event will be September 24th. For those that can't wait, try searching for opportunities on the EmploymentGuide.com.

Why You're Not Getting the Job

With the ease of submitting your resume through email and filling out applications electronically, it has become even easier for Tampa area employers to just hit the ignore button. Listening to readers, I am seeing that more and more job seekers are getting no reply, rather than a "no."

I caught an article from an HR rep who also writes for Brazen Careerist who stated 3 things that applicants do to warrant a "no response" or "no job." Rachel Robbins list is as follows.

1. Don’t Have the Basic Qualifications - If you know I’m looking for someone with a clean driving record don’t bother to apply if your license is currently suspended. If you know I’m requiring knowledge of a specific skill, system, etc. you’re probably not going to get the job if you don’t have it.
2. Being too Aggressive before the Interview - I’ve discussed this before on my blog. A perfect example from just this week: Candidate calls to return my call. I’m unavailable so he leaves a voice mail. Candidate continues to call twice more in the next hour. At this point I was purposely not taking his calls. PS. I love my receptionist.
3. Want too much money - If you’re applying for an entry level job don’t expect to make +$35,000. If you’ve been applying for a while and you’re certain that your interviewing skills and resume are great then salary is what is keeping you unemployed. Remember, at some point less money is better than no money.

I think these are great things to consider when applying for a position. You do not need to waste any time when paychecks are not coming in, and recruiters could spend more time looking at qualified candidates (which could be you) and less time weeding through "bad applicants."

Other things to note are:

Non specific objective. Simply stating, I want to use my experience to work for an organization," simply won't cut it anymore. Get into the job and let the recruiter know that you would be a great fit for them and why in 1-2 sentences.

General cover letter. If you are going to take the time to send it, at least make it worthwhile for a recruiter to read it. With the amount of cover letters they see everyday, all with the same body, you need to grab their attention and say how you can help "them."

So keep applying, but apply smart. And now you have a little knowledge into what the other end of the application sees and thinks, and knowing is half the battle!

Happy hunting Tampa!

-Greg Rollett

Tampa Summer Job Fair is Tomorrow!

The Tampa Employment Guide's Summer Job Fair is here! Join us at Raymond James Stadium from 10-3 and meet with employers that are looking to talk to and hire individuals just like you!

Job Fair Checklist:

• Updated, proofread and professional resumes (20 copies)
• Application information (References, past employment, education, etc)
• Business attire (It's going to be hot out, wear comfy shoes for walking)
• Organizer (keep your papers and applications in order, shows organizational skills and motivation)
• Smile and firm hand shake (First impressions are lasting)
• Pens
• Research on companies (know who is hiring and if you would be a fit before and to maximize time and effectiveness)

Tampa, we'll see you tomorrow!

-Greg Rollett

16 Reasons to Blog While Job Hunting

1. For the writing and grammar skills it takes to write fresh content
2. To help with communication – through other bloggers and readers of your site
3. For research – You love your topic / industry so much that you research and write about it
4. To show your passion for an industry – You can always tell when what you are writing is passionate or a bunch of words on a page
5. For experience – Show off pictures of you on a job site, video of your latest presentation or on the job experience
6. To network with others in your industry
7. To build trust within your industry
8. To earn a few bucks before the new paycheck kicks in (Adsense)
   
9. To find opportunities that aren’t listed on job boards – like business opportunities, partnerships and start-up companies
10. To stay in the loop – the world is moving fast, blogging helps you keep up.
11. To create a schedule – blogging regularly shows employers your dedication to deadlines and how you manage your time
12. To showcase what you are good at – remember a blog is more than just words, its thoughts, videos, pictures, podcasts, reactions, links, controversy and more
13. Show your creative side – your blog is yours, so is your template, your thoughts and your posts. Be creative and showcase yourself outside of your resume!
14. For recognition – Let the deals come to you once you have branded yourself as a leader in a given industry.
15. Because it’s fun. Blogging creates a conversation based around a topic that interests you. When that happens, its fun, because you are passionate about the subject and love talking about it.
16. It’s the cool thing to do – over 100 million blogs and growing (sung in the Flinstones Vitamins voice)

Add your reasons for blogging while looking for a job in the comments. I look forward to coming up with an impressive list and publishing it as a downloadable file for everyone to print and tact up when you are starting out your blogging experience.

Happy hunting Tampa!

Greg Rollett

The Tampa Employment Guide is on TV!

The Tampa Employment Guide went on air with our own Jeff Derenthal giving tips to job seekers to attend our recent job fair. If you missed seeing us yesterday morning you can view us today right here on the Tampa Job Spot. These tips can be applied at the next job fair if you plan to attend in the next couple months. Remember the following:

• Dress Professionally
• Leave your bad attitudes at the door
• Don't bring you're children to the job fair.

Sadly a few job seekers didn't apply these important concepts which can dramatically reduce your chances of landing a great job. I know job hunting is rather stressful, but it doesn't help you at all if you have an attitude because employers will pick up on this and not consider you for the position.

Wearing jeans, midriff exposing shirts, flip flops, etc. will make it seem like you're not committed to your job search therefore employers will gather the notion that you won't be professional or committed to the position they are offering either.

Do not bring your children. Bringing your children to a job fair is just as bad as bringing them to work. Please find childcare or seek out a responsible baby sitter to watch your children while you're at the job fair. Please job seekers take these tips into consideration to improve your job search.

Click To Play

Please tune in tomorrow to read about how successful our job fair was and to see pictures of some of the companies that attended.

Happy Hunting Tampa!

Samara Bowling

Why do you want to work for us?

You are in their building. You are talking to the boss. You are there for the job, but why? Why do you want to work for this company? This is question number 4 on out Top 10 Interview questions list.

Your answer has a lot to do with yesterday’s answer. If you have a background on the company, this will be an easy question. If you are ill-prepared an answer might sound like, “I saw your ad and like I needed a job.”

That is a NO GO! Please have a better response than that.

Why do you want to work for us should be a place where you match your skills with that of the position.

“I want to work for you because my computer skills will allow for me to add productivity for the company and for my personal goals of becoming a manager in a great organization like yours.”

That’s a good start. Fill in the blanks with what you want to accomplish within the company. This is not a time for “I need a job to pay some bills and when something better comes along, I’m going to go for it.”

See you tomorrow Tampa, as we get into common question number 5!

-Greg Rollett

What do you know about our company?

What do you know about our company?

Today brigs us to part 3 out of 10 on the most frequent interview questions and is possibly the easiest to prepare for. The question in question is: What do you know about our company?

There are a few things that you can do to prepare for this question and they involve a little research and a little talking.

1. Google. Google the name of the company, news stories, blogs, social networks etc, that your can dig up in a quick search. Doing this you can see if they have a name for themselves, a corporate or localized website, press (good and bad), maybe some employee or company accomplishments and a slew of other things.
2. Check out their website. What does their website tell you about the company? Was time spent in putting it together? Is there any information there to tell you about the company? Could they be hiding something? This is a great resource.
3. Talk with anyone and everyone. Hit up friends, family, message boards, Myspace and Facebook to see if people have opinions on the company.
4. Ask questions on the initial contact before the interview. After they receive your resume, the company calls you to schedule and interview. At this point, engage a quick conversation to educate yourself on the basics.

After gathering as much information as you can, try and create a CliffNotes summary and have it ready for the interview. The employer will not only be impressed but your confidence level will be high to fly through the rest of the interview!

Happy hunting Tampa and we’ll be back tomorrow for Part 4. As always, join the conversation and let us know if you have any questions or concerns about the job hunt that you want answered and we will get that on this site for you.

Greg Rollett

Why Did You Leave Your Last Job? Frequent Interview Question Number 2

Monday we discussed how to respond to “Tell me about yourself.”

Hopefully you have gone and practiced the pitch on yourself and will continue to perfect the science of self promotion. Today we are jumping to the often times most awkward of all questions on the list. This is because of the position that you are in, it’s just well, awkward.

So Mr. Potential Employee, Why did you leave your last job? (Or why are you planning to leave your job to come on board here?)

I hope you are prepared for this one. Slandering an old company is not the way into a new boss’s heart.

Avoid using terms like

-Personality clash

-Didn't get along

-I couldn’t get on their schedule

-There was no room for growth

-Wanted more money

-Need a shorter commute

-Didn’t like my boss

-Got tired of the job

Instead focus on the positive and be honest

-Be up front about layoffs and being fired, they are only a phone call away to be verified

-Talk about your goals that you wished to achieve but were help back at your previous company

-Stay positive on the outlook

-Be prepared, practice and perfect your pitch for this situation

-If you are looking for more money, be careful, but express it in a clever manner

-Be concise, get to the point

-Resist talking trash, no matter how big a grudge you hold with your former boss. Instead focus on how he helped you in your development

-Looking for new opportunities and challenges

When push comes to shove, be concise and truthful. Do not be scared of this question. Everyone who walked into that office before you and everyone who comes in after will have t answer the same one. Be prepared and look for opportunities to get past this part of the interview.

Happy hunting Tampa!

Greg Rollett

Tell Me About Yourself. Um…

Last week I started a thread of the ten most common questions that are asked at an interview. This was number one. It is also the most awkward questions when you don’t have a job. How many times do you have to think up something that sounds a lot better than it really is? How many times do you just plain make something up?

Well, I am telling you today to stop! There is no need to exaggerate a bad or unlucky situation. Why are you at the interview? Hopefully it is to better your situation, or to get a fresh outlook on the job front. Why is the company interviewing you? He is interviewing you to fill a void in the company. The hiring manager (hopefully) understands that you are either a) unemployed, b) in between jobs/laid off, or c) looking to get out of your current job.

With all this said, there is no need to go beyond your means in explaining yourself. There are positives in your life and career that you can bring up to entice the hiring manager. Your resume was impressive enough to get you into the door, wasn’t it? Now that you are there, you have to answer the gut check question.

So, Mr. Potential Employee, Tell me about yourself?

Well, ummm

FIRST mistake. Do not hesitate! Be confident. An interview is all about selling yourself to the company. Take pride in yourself and bring it to the table.

Take 2: So, Mr. Potential Employee, Tell me about yourself?

I have been very successful by…

During my career I have…

My focus has been on…

Try and have an elevator speech about yourself that pertains to the company that you are speaking to. A major reason for hires is how an individual can benefit the company and not how the company can benefit you. If you can tie together your career achievements, with a sense of company benefit while being brief and extremely confident and up front, you will be well on your way to a very successful interview!

Tomorrow we tackle “why did you leave your last job?”

Happy hunting Tampa!

Got the Interview, Be Prepared to Answer these Questions!

Today I am going to throw out 10 of the most frequent interview questions and statements that most job seekers face. I would like to open up the comments for your best answer at any of the questions, be it one or all of them. Be creative and try to recall your last interview and how it went down. Tomorrow I will share some good and not so good answers to these questions.

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why did you leave your last job?
3. What do you know about our company?
4. Why do you want to work for us?
5. Why should we hire you?
6. If hired, how long do you pan on working here?
7. How much would you like to get paid?
8. Are you willing to work overtime, weekends and other needed occasions?
9. What is your attitude on work?
10. Do you have any questions for me?

So there we go. Please share your responses and even tell some horror stories along the way. There is no wrong answer for this exercise, although a wrong answer in real life will result in the need for another interview!

Until tomorrow, happy hunting Tampa.

Greg Rollett

What is the Tampa JobSpot?

The Tampa JobSpot is a job advice blog that seeks to offer information about jobs in Tampa, St. Petersburg and its surrounding areas in West Florida. This blog is affiliated with the Tampa and St. Petersburg edition of The Employment Guide, a national free recruitment newspaper and award winning niche job board. Contributors can be employees from our office, the corporate office or outside resources that we deem as something that will be of value to our readers and viewers. Please note that anything you see on this blog are the opinions and views of the author and not necessarily the opinions and views of The Employment Guide, EmploymentGuide.com or Dominion Enterprises. However, we do try and provide you with useful information and resources regarding your job search particularly those who are searching for jobs in Tampa, FL.

You'll find a number of helpful resources on our blog.

Tampa Job Search – This feature is located on the top right side of the page. It allows you to quickly search for positions that are posted on our parent site, The EmploymentGuide.com. All you have to do is type the kind of job you are looking for in the box and click on “Find a Job” and you will be instantly taken to a search page with all the results for the submitted category.

Job Spot Chat - This feature allows you to chat live with someone in our office about anything related to your job search. Adding this interactive feature allows us to provide you with the very best and take your job search into the Web 2.0 realm! We may not know all of the answers, but we will do our best to point you in the right direction. Most the time you'll be talking to Greg, our Internet Marketing Specialist, but occasionally you might get to chat with someone else in the office.

Polls-This is a greatly underused tool on our blog. This tool gives us insight to out viewers and how they feel, react and go about given job seeking information. Please share your opinion with us, so that we are reaching you in the best way possible. Polls are changed out monthly, so check back for constant updates.

These are just a few of the great things our blog has to offer. In the near future we are looking to add podcasts and video testimonials, along with profiles of the employees in our office. I hope you'll take the time to look through some of the articles and links we've posted. And if you find our blog particularly useful, be sure to add our link to your website! Thanks for visiting!

-Greg Rollett Shoot me an email!