Super-Employees: What are they and where can I find one?

In my current position, finding jobs online for JobOpenings.net, I am constantly reading job descriptions on employer websites all over the Internet.  The more I read, the more I realize that there is a pattern emerging among many of the announcements of job openings.  No matter what other qualifications they want and no matter what salary they expect to pay, most employers want "Super Employees."    What are the characteristics of this super employee everyone wants?

Red Flags for Job Listing Websites

Important Red Flags for Job Listing Websites

1. The Job is with a US company but is written by someone for whom English is obviously not a native tongue.  This means it's automatically time to investigate further.  Humans should review all Job Postings.
2. The contact email is a Yahoo.com, Hotmail.com or Gmail.com or other free email account.
3. The Phone number given with the credit card does not agree with the address given when a reverse address lookup is performed or the credit card billing email does not produce a verifiable match when authorization is attempted.
4. The name on the credit card does not agree with a reverse lookup for the address.
5. WhoIs domain name lookup at DNSStuff.com on the domain name yields either a non-US business, a non-US address or a hosting company with a non-US address.  Also do a whois lookup on the name server address.
6. The Company hides their WhoIs contact information using a domain proxy service.  My rule of thumb is to refuse to do business online with a company whose physical address cannot be verified.
7. The Company uses a PO Box for resumes or only a PO Box for snail mail contacts.

8. The Company posts only a toll-free number or cell phone number with no land line.

9. The Company is not a Better Business Bureau member or member of any chamber of commerce or trade association that can be verified.

10. The Company does not own the most logical .com that matches their company name.  Many fraudulent listings use the .net, .biz or other TLD for a known company; they may also add a dash or an "inc" or make other changes to a well-known company website domain name - then they steal their logo and content and put it on their own website.  It is not possible for most companies to buy up every possible trick name a thief might deam up.

11. You cannot find the company in the Yellow Pages by exact the company name and address.

12. No website is listed at all.

13. The salary offer or earnings potential claimed in the ad is disproportionately high in relation to requirements for education or experience level.

14. You call the toll-free number provided and get an answering machine.

Why should you pay attention to these warning signs?

Rules for Leaving Your Job

Did you get fired?  Did you quit in a rage?  Did you sneak out the door?  The answers to those questions are not nearly as important as is the answer to this one:  Did you make the most of your transition from one job to another?

Ending a job is similar to ending a marriage or other long-term relationship in that there are always two sides to the story.  Employers know they are only hearing your side, so you need to be careful how you describe the departure.  Leaving a job is different in one important way: your next partner or spouse will probably not call your previous partner for a reference.  Your prospective employer probably will.

How can your handling of your departure from a job be the most beneficial to your career?

What Do Employers Want Anyway?

As I read through some of the thousands of resumes submitted to JobOpenings.net every day, I am struck by how many do not seem to have even the vaguest notion that potential employers will be reading their resumes.  If they did, they would not list as their employment objective “A job that will offer me the opportunity for advancement” or other similarly phrased career objectives.  The focus of both the cover letter and the résumé is on the needs and desires of the job seeker.

What’s the Deal with this .JOBS (Dot Jobs) Domain Extension?

If you have been noticing more websites coming up in your job searches ending in “.jobs” and thought it might be some sort of error, let me explain what is happening.  There is a relatively new TLD (Top Level Domain).  The TLDs you already know are the familiar .com, .net, .org, .gov, .us, .uk and a few thousand others.  The new .jobs TLD is different, however, since it has a very specific purpose.  It is designed to help job seekers find jobs. Here’s how…

Anything Worth Doing by Christopher Duncan

All my life, I've heard the same things over and over again. Calm down. Mellow out. Eat your vegetables. Okay, maybe that last one doesn't fit the trend but I can assure you, I've heard just about every other variation on this theme that there is. Apparently, I tend to make the cattle nervous. That's fine by me, as I think cows are just a bit too laid back to begin with. This probably has something to do with why they're such a popular entrée.

Blind Ads Explained

What are blind ads? When you are job hunting, you will see many job openings or job offers listed by recruiting firms or employment agencies.  Generally these job offers are sufficiently vague so that you cannot determine who the actual employer may be.  Do you ever wonder why that crutial information is not revealed? Are these jobs just as valid as offers made by the end employer?  The answer is complicated.  However, I can tell you a few things to consider before sending your resume or an application in response to a blind job ad.

What is the Best College Major for the Job Market?

If you are in college or simply thinking about college, selecting the “right” major is probably decision you have spent a fair amount of time considering.  Which major will be the best in terms of landing a job upon graduation?

Cubicle City - Practical Strategies for the Corporate Jungle

Tomorrow Comes Quickly.

     As long as the world keeps turning, tomorrow is going to have a habit of sneaking up on us when we're not looking. It's not that I don't like tomorrows, mind you. Some of my fondest memories have been tomorrows, although pursuing that line of pretzel logic much further is likely to loosen my rather tenuous grasp on reality. Nonetheless, the fact remains that we very often find ourselves in possession of a day for which we weren't entirely prepared. As anyone who's ever been caught with their pretzels down can attest, this can be a bit embarrassing to say the least.

Start-up Companies: The Risk-Return Trade-off on Your Career

Every step you take in deciding where, when and how to make a career move can have implications for building your career.  That is, when you accept one job change within a company or one new job with another company, you are rejecting all of the other choices by default.  Some people make these choices with an amazing lack of thought about the effect of their decisions on their future career.  For example, when you decide to accept a job with a small start-up business rather than a large, well established organization, you are opting for a high-risk, but possibly a high-return career move.  Making such a decision is perfectly acceptable - just as long as you understand and are willing to accept the risks.