Probably not a newsflash but the characters played by Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly make titanically bad choices. As stunted step brothers or NASCAR buddies, the two bumble through every human interaction with an utter obliviousness to the ways of the world and leave audiences choking on laughter. Many find them hilarious but, needless to say, they are not the type of guys you want to positively model your job search after. However, “Step Brothers” does offer a montage of cataclysmic interview “don’ts” that is a perfect cautionary tale for anyone looking to succeed during the hiring process.

Dress the Part: Dress to impress. It is an adage we’ve all heard and one that most job seekers choose to follow. The most common recommendation is dressing a job level above your position. Sweatpants, spaghetti strap shirts, and logo bearing tees are obvious ways to create first impressions that sink your prospects to the bottom of the Marianas Trench. Interestingly enough, overdressing can accomplish the same result. If you walk into an interview decked out in coattails & a bowtie or a flowing prom dress & tiara, jaws will probably drop. But not in a good way. Hiring managers will wonder which limousine driver dumped you far from your wedding reception or high school prom. Then, they will direct you to the nearest banquet hall, pat you on the back and politely ask you to leave.

Come Alone: Avoid the allure of a tag-team interview. This isn’t professional wrestling and you are not being interviewed by Macho Man Randy Savage. This seems obvious since you probably aren’t wearing spandex. Oddly enough, a greater number of job searches have been involving a third party: parents. Michigan State University reported that out of 700 businesses surveyed, 15% received calls from parents trying to argue their child into a job and 9% said parents had attempted to haggle higher salaries and benefits. Having your mom or dad call on your behalf stopped working in middle school. Hiring managers see this as a sign of immaturity and are reluctant to continue negotiations when parents or next-of-kin become involved.

Listen Attentively: In the movie, Ferrell at one point repeatedly asks a hiring manager to repeat herself. Not a problem at first but then he silences her, repeatedly, and draws out a nuclear meltdown from a once composed woman. In most cases, any clarifying, insightful questions are welcome during an interview. Questions can demonstrate a genuine interest in learning as much about the company objectives, policies and environment as possible. Hiring managers are less excited about repetitive questions. If you get lost in a thought that leads to lamenting over the disappointing game last night, thinking about your lunch, or wondering why toast always lands butter side down, you will probably derail the conversation. I wouldn’t be surprised if the hiring manager imagined a vacant, tumbleweed stricken lot occupying the upstairs apartment where your attention span used to reside.

Responses: Never tell a hiring manager to “shut her mouth.”

Keep the Personal Stuff Personal: Keep. It. Professional. Managers will sometimes probe into personal questions as a form of small talk. Answer honestly but never elaborate too much and never delve into the deepest, darkest secrets that only you and your psychoanalyst share. Limited personal disclosure is the name of the game. Better yet, avoid asking too many questions about their personal life. The moment a tuxedoed, crazy-eyed candidate starts asking deeply personal questions about a hiring manager’s spouse or family, that is the moment that tuxedoed, crazy-eyed candidate will be ejected from the building out onto the curb.

Avoid Discussing Money: Want to alienate a potential boss? Start talking about salaries. Job seekers are best avoiding the subject of compensation until the first interview is over. Sometimes, hiring managers will broach the topic early but you should always tread with care. Discussing salary makes you appear mercenary, as if you only care about money and will defect at a moment’s notice if the pay is good enough. An even worse tactic is to ask a hiring manager about his or her salary. You will know the meaning of lightning fast, when they shut you down.

Know Your Audience: Contradicting logic, Ferrell and Reilly finally luck out when they interview with Seth Rogan. He shares their sense of humor, irony, and even thinks they are cool guys. Unintentionally, they have played their cards right. One of the greatest tools in your arsenal is the ability to read your audience. Through observation, you can determine which way to direct your responses. Once again, honesty is key but by reading your audience, you will know exactly what truths to highlight. If you can get the hiring manager talking twice as much as listening to your responses, more than likely you have the job in the bag. In their favor, this was the best thing the brothers did by far.

Watch What You Eat: And then they ruin it with prolonged, unapologetic flatulence. What you eat before an interview makes a huge difference. Avoid broccoli, legumes, high-fiber cereals, and curry before an interview to keep your digestive system from voicing its opinions throughout your conversation. Additionally, watch the amount of liquids you drink. Coffee and water can shoot through you at inappropriate times, forcing you to rush for the restroom after being asked your greatest weakness (the answer is bladder control).

Overall, it all comes down to attention: attention to your appearance, attention to the way you are perceived, and attention to your approach. An interview is not something you just do. There should be considerable forethought, analysis, and preparation throughout the process. Every word and action suggests something about you, whether you intend it to or not. So your best bet is to prepare in advance, act shrewdly and offer your best face for the hiring manager. Down the road, when you are sitting in your new office, loving your new job, you can take a moment, and thank Ferrell and Reilly for failing stupendously and sending you down a different path. For now, just don’t show up in a tuxedo.

by
James Walsh

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Many people feel that as long as they include a few buzz words, they will secure an interview and have time to sell themselves once they get their foot in the door. Very few, however, consider what a resume does for you. Not only does it represent the culmination of years of your professional and academic career but, it’s also a snapshot of who you are and the most powerful representation you will show an organization.

As a technical staffer, I review hundreds of resumes daily. Most people would be shocked to find that the painstaking hours you spent on your resume is reviewed in a four, yes four, second glance or less. So what will it take to put your best foot forward? Consider these recommendations:

Formatting: Good formatting on a resume can make or break a company’s decision to bring someone on to the next step. As an employer, would you really trust someone who states they have an “acute” attention to detail when their resume is formatted with odd spacing, peculiar bullet points, or different fonts? If the attention to detail is this poor, what does that mean once that person shows up to work?

Recent First: Having the most recent work on the top of your resume is incredibly important. The last thing you want to do is confuse an employer who is trying to hunt and peck through your resume to find what they are looking for. Often, this is the number one reason why a resume gets discarded.

Course Work: If you are a recent graduate applying for your first job, make sure to include your school work; listing a degree is not enough. Every school and curriculum is different, so make sure to paint as clear a picture as possible, especially with Capstones and Final projects.

Work Examples: What speaks more than a thousand words? A picture. If you have examples of your work, include them. This can be as simple as a link to previous work or to your own website; it shows a better idea of your vision. If you are a front end, UI, or Graphic Developer/Designer, this is an absolute must. This little bit of effort will absolutely pay off.

Contact Information: Keep the contact information professional. You want an email address that has your first name and last name; if you have the same cute one from high school or college, highly consider a new email. Additionally, make sure it is not an email that will expire; there is always a chance to be contacted months or even a year later and an email that bounces will not be considered.

Descriptions: It is helpful to describe your general skills and the types of things you’ve done on the job. This should be less than 5 sentences. You want to have a description but not a novel.

Bullet Points: If you accomplished something unique or if you worked on a project that improved your skill-set, highlight them here. Your descriptions are there to impress, not for employers to get lost. Try to keep these in the 5-7 bullet point range.

History: So, you have 30 years of work experience. That’s great. Having a successful career is something to be proud of. However, how relevant do you think your technical work from 30 years ago remains? How much has technology changed in 5 years? To employers, that length of extensive work history means very little. Keep your work history to no more than 15 years. It’s time to move on and show only your recent, relevant skills. Most likely, those are the only ones that represent the jobs you are interested in.

Outside Experiences: Have you been leading a meet up group or coding session, volunteering your IT skills for a great cause or working on the side in a relevant field? List it. This is especially important if you are making the leap to a slightly different technology. If it’s not on your resume, how will an employer know about those experiences?

Length: Do you have 5 years of experience of less? Keep your resume to 2 pages. If you have more than that, then yes, you can expand. A caveat to long resumes is that more than 3 pages typically ends up raising more flags then answering questions. If you perfect your resume, you can sell the minute details later. Don’t expect to list every single thing since the beginning of time. Listing your summer camp experience with a technology company when you were 14 isn’t going to help.

Technologies: List the technologies as you use them. If you are using .Net, don’t take it for granted the employer will know that. For all we know you might still be on classic ASP so make sure to paint a clear picture. As with the descriptions, describe how you used each language within every important project. One of the largest mistakes professionals make is hiding technology proficiencies in a box at the top or bottom of the resume and expecting everyone else to translate their worth.

Overall: Make sure you represent yourself well to secure that first interview. Keep your resume updated as it changes; it will be far less daunting if something exceptional comes along. Also, keep your original template because reformatting is never fun. Hope that helps, and remember, I and our recruiters are always here if you have more questions.

by
Ana Malecki

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Sitting in your boss’s office, you just delivered the speech you’ve been reciting to yourself for the last week: you found another job where you will be recognized and rewarded for your true worth. The hand is on the other side of the table and your boss decides to not let you go. Now, you are “irreplaceable.” Now, “every project will fall apart without you.” Now, you are made a counteroffer with more zeroes than you expected. What do you do?

This counteroffer may be characterized by pleading or flattery or the gnashing of teeth but ultimately ends with an overwhelming “greater” offer. Employers everywhere use this tactic to keep top performers in the fold but what is their ultimate aim? National statistics show that 89% of people who accept counteroffers are gone within six months. Here are a few reasons why:

Replacing the Irreplaceable: Your boss may characterize you as irreplaceable or indispensible now but more than likely, they are aggressively seeking your replacement. The counteroffer is often used to lull you into a sense of false security while they determine the best person to take your job. This tactic allows them to end the employment relationship on their terms, severing you at the first opportunity.

You Have Declared Your Lack of Loyalty: You were willing to leave before, what will prevent you from leaving in the future? That question is constantly mulling in the minds of management. You have marked yourself as a disloyal associate, out of line with the actively engaged members of their team. When cutbacks become necessary, you will be their first choice and when opportunities for advancement present themselves, you will be their last.

Your Passion Will Never Be the Same: Upon finding another job, you mentally prepare yourself for the coming departure. You focus on wrapping up loose ends and completing projects to their full extent; thoughts of the future lose their priority. Upon accepting the counteroffer, rekindling your passion can be a difficult, often insurmountable task leading only to further wanderlust. Ultimately, your days with the company are numbered.

Nothing Has Changed: The reasons that encouraged you to leave in the first place have not changed. Whether your work environment failed to stimulate you or you were inadequately recognized for your achievements, these issues will stagnantly remain the same. In most cases, management learns nothing from your threat to leave and you will only repeat the same song and dance months down the road.

When your boss makes that counteroffer, follow Nancy Reagan’s lead and “Just Say No.” The seeds of discontent have been sown and both parties will eventually tire of the mutual partnership. Skip the inevitable, cut the cord and take the new job. Your future and self-worth deserve better.

by James Walsh

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Picture this: a beleaguered hiring manager is peering into the pixels of a monitor, reviewing applicant upon applicant for a hot, new position opening in her cutting-edge corporation. Hundreds of people have applied and sure, there are strong candidates but finding the perfect fit has become a Herculean labor. Maybe because certain resumes fail to snap, the hiring manager begins skimming and your submission falls into the gray anonymity that leaves your inbox and voicemail empty and that new position out of reach.

When hiring, employers are looking for a vibrant candidate to jump out. Most take the time to highlight the desired attributes of that ideal individual, hoping for a perfect person who is both bold and apparent in the choosing. That is why accentuating your aptitudes is essential to your success and why using buzz words should always be on your mind. Buzz words are key adjectives and phrases that the employer essentially drops into your hands. Scattered throughout every job posting, buzz words describe exactly what each company wants down to the tee by suggesting desired skills, personality strengths and overall experience.

To start, the savvy resume writer always writes a fresh resume for every position with every company (generic applications and bullet points sabotage your chances before any first meeting). From there, you should customize your resume to highlight the exact qualities a manager is looking to see. So, when the job requires extensive SQL experience or work creating trading and auction applications, talk about those experiences. Optimize your potential by relating everything back to this position that you desire. If a job does not directly relate to your future work, discuss the transferable skills you have gained in past positions. Avoid wasting your time discussing every duty of every job or talking about all of the burgers you flipped in high school; anything that detracts from the image you are trying to convey should be trimmed as excess fat.

Now, that does not mean you should gloss over all your other talents. Demonstrating that you are a multifaceted employee is what makes you stand out among the clear-cut contenders. The greatest injustice you can do yourself is to limit your own portrait and avoid heavily emphasizing those transferable skills. Plus, if you over-saturate your resume with buzzwords, you may lose the very edge you are looking to promote. This type of over-stuffing suggests you are merely manipulating the company, moving beyond highlighting yourself as the best candidate to stuffing the very concept down their throats. In this, as in all endeavors, moderation is essential.

So when you apply, use the type of buzz words that grab attentions and convince employers, without a doubt, to arrange an interview; from there, you have the opportunity needed to make a stellar impression.

Good Luck!

by James Walsh

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Strong references complement an excellent résumé. A well-written letter of reference can shed an effective light on key skills that set you apart from other candidates. In a job market as tight as this one, it is imperative that you spend some time getting your strategy for utilizing references into tip-top shape before you send out your next batch of résumés. Here are five tips for getting the most out of your references:

1. Communicate Clearly about What You Need

You want the person providing your reference to be able to clearly articulate details that will illuminate the attributes you can bring to the job. Even if you have a conversation about the reference letter, make sure to follow up in a letter or email note. Always give the referring individual all the pertinent information s/he needs to complete the letter, including the deadline. Think about having different references for different jobs based on which skills you are trying to highlight. Be sure the person providing the reference has the time and explicitly agrees before adding him or her to your list.

2. Provide an Outline and Talking Points for Verbal Referrals

If you want to be sure your supervisor mentions your top marks on your last employee review, include it in the talking points. If you want a particular reference to highlight your soft skills, make a note of it on your outline. Remember you are trying to match your skills with concrete examples of actions that will demonstrate to a prospective employer that you meet their needs better than anyone else will. It is okay and even expected that different references will highlight different aspects of your professional attributes. Providing an outline will ascertain that the people providing the references know what role they are playing in your overall strategy.

3. Keep Your References Updated

Not only should you be sure that your contact information on your reference list is up to date, but you should also be in regular contact with the professionals who are providing your references. Sending a note once or twice a year keeps the contact fresh and helps to maintain the connection needed for the reference letter to read with the details and authenticity that will help you land the job. If you want someone to take time to help you, it is only polite that you take the time to stay in touch.

4. Keep a Portfolio of Reference Letters and Other Relative Information

Keeping copies of your stellar employee reviews, awards, citations and reference letters all in one place makes it easy to get a batch of supporting documents together in a hurry if the right job just happens to appear. Before you change jobs, be sure to get a letter of recommendation to add to your files. If you sense an older supervisor is about to change positions or retire, go ahead and ask for a letter of reference. You can pick and choose which letters to send to which employers, so try to obtain a good selection of effective letters that cover your hard and soft skills.

5. Remember Your Etiquette

Thank you notes are a must after someone writes you a reference. Sending a brief note to let your letter writer know that you appreciate his or her time and attention is good business etiquette to practice over the course of your career. If you know the person has fielded several calls on your behalf or has written several letters at once, it is nice to show some small token of thanks, such as a coffeehouse gift card or a movie pass once your job search is complete. Practicing professional etiquette will help you build a strong reputation.

Secure Strong Reference Letters to Compliment your Résumé

Securing strong references is essential for landing a great job, but professionals often underestimate the need to orchestrate a letter of recommendation strategy. Being sure your referrals match the entire range of your professional attributes can help show a prospective employer that you are the best person for the position. Giving your references the necessary details to craft the perfect letter of recommendation can help make your overall application more attractive to a hiring executive. Taking the time to plan a strategy is worth the effort, especially when competition for top jobs in this rocky economy remains competitive.

This guest post was provided by Erin Palmer from Bisk Education. Erin works with Villanova University’s online human resources masters degree and PHR Certification programs.

Image courtesy of fortysouth.com

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Online media just can’t get enough of Pinterest right now. You may have seen it mentioned on Mashable or TechCrunch, or you might have stumbled upon it all by yourself. What is clear is that while its popularity bred initially through people sharing things like wedding ideas and arts and crafts projects, it’s currently being launched into something much more versatile and important, especially for jobseekers.

What is Pinterest?

If you’re unclear what exactly Pinterest is, it’s not hard to quickly figure it out. In short, it’s a collection of online pin boards; users create their own categorized pin boards with visual “pins,” linked from all over the Internet, which they can then share with their followers.

To sign up on Pinterest, you have to have a Facebook or Twitter account. The good news is that, unlike Facebook or Twitter, you don’t have to put time into creating a profile, or even building a following. Just login, and browse others’ pins or start pinning your own stuff.

The Pinterest-Savvy Jobseeker

Don’t let the idea of “yet another social media site” overwhelm you. Pinterest has the simplicity you want to give you the versatility you need. As a jobseeker, you’ll find that Pinterest plays the dual role of showcasing yourself as a top-notch candidate as well as providing you with valuable information. And, it lets you have a little fun in the process!

As far as showcasing yourself is concerned, your use of Pinterest will not only portray that you’re up-to-date in the latest tech trends, you can also use it to share your diverse interests as well as elements of your own portfolio and online work.

For example, say you’re a web designer, you can build boards pinning elements of websites you’ve created and projects you’ve been involved in, in addition to a couple of boards showcasing your interests in technology and design. This will help create a visual resume of sorts, giving an employer a well-rounded perspective of you.

Pinterest in your Job Search

As far as being an important resource to a jobseeker, there are three sources of information it can provide you with. First, if you follow people in similar industries, you’ll come across pins that can help widen your knowledge within your interests. For example, following fellow web designers might give you insight into new branches of web design.

Secondly, you can follow companies in the industry. Watching the pins of companies you might like to work for will give you valuable insight into what that company values, should you ever interview with them. Plus, re-pinning or commenting on their pins can help create a new relationship that could help your job search.

Finally, Pinterest provides a fun and easy way to access career resources that can help you in your job search. Join Ashley Ellis on Pinterest to check out our boards on job search advice, what to wear to the interview, job seeker humor and more!

Getting Employers to Notice

So, once you’ve created a Pinterest-style resume, how can you be sure employers will even notice? Well, as with any social media site, your presence on Pinterest won’t be of supreme important to every employer out there. And, since Pinterest is still a young site, you may find your particular audience of users is still in early stages of growth.

However, it’s still a great idea to promote your Pinterest as much as you promote, say, your LinkedIn profile. Include it on your jobseeker business cards and your resume. Mention it – when the time is right – in your interviews. Connect with companies on Pinterest itself, re-pinning and commenting on their pin boards.

Be an Early Adopter

Pinterest is still in the early phases of exponential growth, but it’s a great idea to take advantage of it right now. Feel free to join us on there, and let us know if you have any questions!

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Most of the literature out there regarding interviews concerns external interviews; that is, interviews with companies for which you’ve never been an employee. And while that information is valuable to a good number of job seekers around the world, it just doesn’t cut it when you’re faced with an internal interview for a position within your own company.

Interviewing for an internal position can present you with a range of both advantages and disadvantages. Either way, don’t assume that you won’t need to prepare for the interview just because you “feel” like you already know everything about the company and the position. Treat this interview like any other, and take the following points into consideration.

Potential Disadvantages

Just as you have more insight into the company than a fresh-faced job seeker would, the interviewer has more insight into you as a candidate. That includes your job responsibilities, your work habits, your weaknesses and flaws, and even your unique quirks and personality. Make sure you identify ways in which your interviewer may already be biased against you so that you have the opportunity to explain any mistakes or efforts to improve, and ultimately redeem yourself.

Advantages

Fortunately, just as they may know any negative things about you, they should also know all the good stuff. Refresh their memories by describing the accomplishments, contributions and successes that you’ve achieved in your role with the company.

Do Your Research

Make sure that any knowledge you have of the position you’re applying for isn’t based solely on water cooler gossip or through-the-grapevine news. Conduct some real research into what the position entails, current projects and challenges, and the make-up of the department. Be ready to present realistic solutions and goals you would have if you were to take the position.

Update Your Resume

Prepare an updated resume, and understand how your entire work experience as well as your current responsibilities will relate to and help you in the new position. It may be a while since you’ve looked over your resume, but you should be just as aware of its every detail now as you were when you first joined the organization.

Know Your Competition

A final advantage in your favor is that you probably already know who your competition is. This means you can accurately define exactly what makes you stand apart from the rest. What can you bring to this position that your competition can’t? This knowledge definitely gives you a leg up compared to the scenario of an external interview.

Good luck!

Ultimately, you should prepare for an internal interview as much as if not more than for an external interview. Be aware that there’s a lot more insight on both sides of the table, but good preparation should give you more advantages than disadvantages. Enjoy the confidence that results from these advantages, and don’t forget to look your best!

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You’ve probably spent plenty of time preparing for what to do during an interview, such as rehearsing answers to common interview questions; but are you actually 100% ready? Don’t forget to take care of these 5 things before you leave for the office.

1.Study the Company – It’s easy enough to glance over a company’s website to get acquainted with what they do, but that won’t be enough to make you stand out from other candidates. Show an interviewer that you’ve gone above and beyond by researching the company’s current events. This includes press releases and any information from news articles, as well. Whether the news is about their recent growth, new acquisitions, promoted executives or something else, you’ll be able to make a great impression when you ask something like how that news makes a difference on the future of a career with the company. Proof that you’ve done your research will portray your interest in the position, which may help you move onto the next step in the hiring process.

2.Gather Your Interview Tools – What will you need in an interview? When scheduling the appointment with the interviewer, ask if you need to bring anything besides yourself. Even if the answer is “nothing,” make sure you bring a folder or portfolio with some copies of your resume and references, and a pen and note paper. It’s also a good plan to gather any “emergency” interview preparation items in your car or purse, such as a hairbrush, lint roller, deodorant, and other last minute items you may need before heading into the office.

3.Dress Appropriately – It is crucial for you to look the part during your interview. It’s a great idea to find out beforehand what kind of dress code a company abides by; not all interviewers expect you to show up in a suit and tie, so do your homework first. Your clothing and general appearance play a significant role in the first impression you give an interviewer, so you want to look professional and clean cut, no matter what you’re wearing. Lay out your interview outfit before the big day, and ensure that it’s clean and free of loose threads or lint.

4.Know your Resume – Your resume represents your entire work history, so make sure you know it inside out before you enter that interview. You should be able to answer any question regarding its contents in depth if needed. If you appear hesitant about your work history, responsibilities or skills, you may come across as an unreliable candidate. If it’s been a while since you’ve actually read the details of your resume, make a point to study it before the interview.

5.Be Yourself – The most important tip to follow before an interview is to commit to being yourself. It’s easy when preparing your answers to common interview questions to assume an adjusted personality that you think will make a better impression. However, a good interviewer will be able to tell and will question your integrity. Plus, expressing your true personality – while keeping it professional, of course – will help both you and the interviewer get a sense of whether you’d be a good fit in the company culture.

Following these 5 tips can put you above many other candidates applying for the same job. Good luck!

-By Layla Nourahmadi

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You are preparing for the big interview that will finally lift you out of drudgery into the career of your dreams. So far, you have done everything right: you have prepared all of your talking points, printed a list of references to hand out and laid out professional attire that will drop your new employer’s jaw several feet.

Then the nerves come. What if you become fatigued halfway through the interview? What if your brain betrays you and all your well-laid talking points vanish? What if thinking about all of this is only making you more stressed and everything worse and now you realize there is a lone imperfection in one thread of fabric in your shirt that everyone will notice and that will prevent you from ever being successful? First of all, calm down. Second, do yourself a massive favor by eating one or all of the foods below the night, or morning, before any interview.

Antioxidant Rich Berries: These sweet fruits are obvious choices – containing high vitamin C content and more – but let’s focus on what they do for your brain. As your brain works, it creates nasty byproducts called free radicals that wreck havoc on your neurons, causing inflammation and slowing down the junctions of thought. If given free reign, these radicals will burn at your grey matter, leaving you at risk for diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s. By eating berries daily, which are rich in antioxidants, you can remove unneeded stresses upon your brain. With berries, the fresh is always the better, so toss several cups into unsweetened yogurt and enjoy.

Fatty Fish: Most people assume that when eating meat, you should always opt to go lean. Though true for earth and air bound animals, it does not apply for nautical dwellers. Fattier fish like salmon and tuna store higher levels of omega-3 in their fat tissue, which builds brain tissues, protects brain cell membranes and keeps you on task. You get your full value out of these fattier fish, so switch up the beef, pork and poultry for a more rewarding filet. Your brain will thank you.

Seaweed: Western cuisine tends to lack many traces of this marine vegetation – we seem far more concerned with how many animals and vegetables we can successfully fit in a deep-fryer – but there are definitely reasons to change that. When your body is lacking iodine, you feel fatigued and inclined towards depression. Now, just a miniscule amount of seaweed, as little as a quarter cup, delivers a whopping 275% of your daily value! If you are feeling less adventurous, grab 4 ounces of cranberries; they contain about 138% of your daily value of iodine in addition to ample amounts of vitamin C, antioxidants and dietary fiber. Your body will be ready and rearing to go through your interview and beyond!

Green Tea: According to a Japanese study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, participants found a 20% decrease in psychological stress when they drank five cups of green tea each day, while those drinking less than one were more on edge and, presumably, more tempted to tear their hair from the roots. Drinking several cups of tea can calm your nerves, allowing you to present the best and most serene you. In addition to that, green tea suppresses appetite, so you have to worry less about your stomach raging over a minor lull in sustenance. So drink some green tea. Do your body a favor.

Yogurt: This is a great option for breakfast. Yogurt contains a strong source of protein, riboflavin, and vitamin b12 to name a few and can often be eaten by people with moderate lactose-intolerance. If you go with additive free yogurt, you will get the benefits without the artificial sweeteners. When it comes to interviewing though, you will be thankful for the lysine found in yogurt, which helps to lower your anxiety in stressing situations. Unsalted nuts have a similar effect thanks to an amino acid called arginine.

Ultimately, it is a good idea to balance out what you eat. It never is a good idea to overdo it with any food group (an over-abundance of carrots has been known to turn people orange). Make sure you eat right, eat well and go into that interview feeling like a million bucks.

~By James Walsh

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When faced with unemployment or a less than satisfactory job, many professionals are pained with the question of whether to take a lower paying position. It’s a tough decision to make, and one which depends on many factors for each unique situation. However, no matter what the scenario, there are a few constants you should keep in mind: Here are a few things to consider if you have to answer that question yourself.

Job Satisfaction VS Salary

If your choice is between a lower paying job and extreme unhappiness in the job you’re currently in, regardless of if it’s higher pay, it’s usually best to put yourself first. If your happiness and overall emotional well-being is at stake, chances are that the higher salary isn’t worth hanging onto your current job for.

Additionally, your productivity, attitude, and general work ethic could be significantly and negatively impacted by your unhappiness. This puts you at the risk for bad reviews, worsening work conditions, and even termination. If your emotional well-being isn’t enough to convince you, then this resulting situation should be a clear sign that you should move on from your current positions, even if it’s for a lower paying job.

Living Expenses and Skills Maintenance VS Salary

If departmental layoffs have left you jobless, a reasonable pay cut may initially be necessary to keep up with your living expenses. Additionally, while you may not want to settle for less, it’s important to minimize that employment gap on your resume and keep up to date on your technical skills.

When faced with this scenario, your best game plan is to look for a job that can cover your basic essential expenses while also giving you a similar level of responsibility.

Career Advancement VS Salary

If you’re looking for a new job purely for advancement purposes, then taking a lower paying job is typically not going to cut it. The exception to this rule is if taking one step back will give you the opportunity to take two steps forward. If you can guarantee that a pay cut now will lead to a higher salary and career advancement in the the near future, then the opportunity may be worth it. If not – and assuming your advancement goal is not on a deadline – focus on your job search to help you find the right position.

Ultimately, it’s important to remember that pay cuts can be temporary. Depending on your situation, taking a lower paying job may be the smart thing to do until a better job or promotion comes around. Avoid the mindset that pay cuts are always negative, and make sure you weigh both the pros and cons before throwing the job offer for a lower paying job out the window. Good luck!

-By Layla Nourahmadi

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