Why is that?

Of course there are hundreds of reasons, many of which likely pertain only to your personal situation and so can’t readily be explained. That said, there are reasons that are more or less common factors for everyone who can’t manage to get a foot in the door. Below we take a look at five reasons why you’re aren’t getting any job interviews.

1. The Economy

If you haven’t heard, unemployment is rampant in the U.S. Many people get caught up in month-to-month averages because that’s the focus of most news reports and political spin doctors, but a quick look at employment over the past 10 years shows just how tough it is out there.

The point is that it’s not just you. The only way to combat this is to broaden your search and consider options that that may have not fit into your original plan. Don’t give up on your dream; just think of it as making your dream bigger.

2. The Medium

Everything is digital, therefore everything is disposal. The online application process has simplified the transaction between prospective employee and employer so thoroughly as to make it almost nonexistent. It’s also made it too easy for email inboxes to get flooded with applications from ever larger employment pools – you’re essentially competing against the entire world.

Break away from the herd by reaching out in other ways. Follow up on online applications with phone calls when possible. Send a paper resume if you have a good address for it. Close your cover letters with polite statements about your willingness to talk in person or over the phone at any time, at the employer’s convenience.

3. Resume Gaffes

The most basic weapon you have in your arsenal to secure a job interview is your resume, whether it is digital or a hard copy. Even if all else is three degrees off to the left or right, this thing has to be dead on. And, people still manage to make the most basic mistakes.

Things to avoid:

• Spelling errors
• Including hobbies
• Making it more than one page
• Leaving off contact info

This stuff may seem too obvious to even mention, but these mistakes occur all the time. Tighten it up! Make it perfect. Take it seriously, and get help if you need it.

4. Online Presence

You may have heard that more and more employers are checking the social media profiles of prospective employees. What you may not know is that you could have disparaging material floating around on the Internet and not even know it.

It used to be that social media profiles were more easily controlled by the owner, but now everything is getting linked together. Google likes to call it a ‘seamless Web experience,’ but what it really adds up to is a paper trail of your life that may be longer and more twisted than you think. Make sure you, your friends and your friends’ friends do not have you linked to anything that may put you in a bad light.

5. Credit History

Much like with getting a bad rap because of unknown (and undeserved) social media slander, your credit report may be saying bad things about you behind your back as well.

Many employers will run a credit check on you, because many employers equate good credit with responsibility and trustworthiness. Regardless of the merit of this supposition, you should protect yourself by getting a credit report to make sure there are no errors that are sending the wrong message. Just don’t do it too often – too many credit report requests can lower your score.

Have you investigated on the reasons why you are not getting any job interviews despite the economy looking up? Pls share..

About the guest post author:

James Madeiros writes for Masters in Accounting, a leading informational website providing individuals with a launchpad for getting started with researching advanced degrees in accounting and finance.

Make the most of every failure. Fall forward.
~ Unknown

Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one’s ideas, to take a calculated risk – and to act.
~ Andre Malraux

The way to get ahead is to start now. If you start now, you will know a lot next year that you don’t know now and that you would not have known next year if you had waited.
~ William Feather

Successful business people don’t get ahead by wishing they had someone else’s job title, corner office, company car or market share. They get ahead the mundane way, by doing more and doing it better. Envy is a monster with a gluttonous appetite. And it’s never satisfied. Pursue your goals, not someone else’s goals.
~ James Dale

Deliberate often – decide once.
~ Latin proverb

Originality does not consist in saying what no one has ever said before, but in saying exactly what you think yourself.~ James Stephens

There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it.
~ Dale Carnegie

If you organize your life around the things you are passionate about, nothing is a time burden. You end up spending time with people you want to spend time with and doing what you love.
~ Jeffery Bores

Making anything a success rests with people and commitment; strong will to always do the best, confidence in one another.. and absolute determination.
~ Jorgen Roed

If you have fun at your job, I think you’re going to be more effective.
~ Meg Whitman

Anyone who has achieved excellence in any form knows that is comes as a result of ceaseless concentration.
~ Louise Brooks

It is all too easy to speed through life with our eyes focused only on the road ahead. The challenge is scanning the horizon from time to time to determine where we are headed.
~ Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

There are three rules of success. The first: Go on. The second: Go on. And the third: Go on.
~ Frank Cane

The first rule in opera is the first rule in life: See to everything yourself.
~ Nellie Melba

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.
~ Helen Keller

There are too many people who get degrees and think they are educated. In order to be a truly knowledgeable person on e has t got to be engaged in serious, systematic, lifelong learning.
~ Benjamin Payton

Good communication does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn’t about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way.
~  John Kotter

Never make a permanent decision based on a temporary storm.. No matter how raging the billows are today, remind yourself: “This too shall pass!”
~ T. D. Jakes

There is no ceiling on effort!
~ Harvey C Fruehauf

You have to take it as it happens, but you should try to make it happen the way you want to take it.
~ German Proverb

In the end you are measured not by how much you undertake but by what you finally accomplish.
~ Donald Trump

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.
~ Andrew Carnegie

“The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say ‘I’. And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say ‘I’. They don’t think ‘I’. They think ‘we’; they think ‘team’. They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but ‘we’ gets the credit…. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done.”
~ Peter F. Drucker

Every time you acquire a new interest, even more, a new accomplishment, you increase your power of life.
~ William Lyon Phelps

Stop asking if the glass is half full or half empty. Instead ask “What’s in it? How did it get there? What can I do with it?”
~ David Kaufman

The fruit we wish to pick tomorrow lies hidden in the seed of today. The goals we are to read and the problems we are to solve tomorrow depend upon today’s diligence, hope and faith, today’s conviction of the almightiness of good.
~ Ralph E. Johnson

Courage as an acronym is:

Continuing
Onward
Under
Rigorous
And
Grinding
Experiences

~ Micheal Staver

Which one is your favorite?

Here’s a chance to earn one of three scholarships through the Strayer University 120th Anniversary Student Scholarship program. That’s a scholarship worth up to $20,000 to help 3 driven students further their education! It’s simple to participate:

Step 1: Like.

Like Strayer University on Facebook.

Step 2: Submit.

Submit an entry to earn a scholarship by entering your name, email address and writing a 250 – 750 word essay about why you think you deserve a scholarship. One thing to note, the scholarship is open only to individuals who are either new or readmit Strayer University students. Current students are not eligible.

Do you have a friend, family member or coworker who deserves a scholarship? Let them know about this huge opportunity by sending them an invitation to submit an entry through the application.

Step 3: Share!

Let your friends know that you’ve been nominated for a scholarship so they vote for you. Entries are only open for a brief period, and you want to get as many votes as possible to make it to the final round of entrants.

This is the perfect opportunity to help out a driven student that you care about. By voting and sharing, you can truly make a difference for someone who can benefit from a quality education. You have the power to improve more than just the life of one person, but the lives of everyone that person touches.

ENTRY START & END DATES: Start: 11:00 a.m. ET Monday, April 30, 2012 / End: 11:59:59 p.m. ET Sunday, June 3, 2012

VOTING START & END DATES: Start: 12:00 a.m. ET Monday, June 4, 2012 / End: 11:59:59 p.m. ET Wednesday, June 13, 2012

VOTING START & END DATES: Start: 12:00 a.m. ET Monday, June 4, 2012 / End: 11:59:59 p.m. ET Wednesday, June 13, 2012

ELIGIBILITY        

Who: Fans of the Strayer University Facebook page
Requirements: Hold a high school diploma or its US equivalent
Age: 18+
States: 49 U.S. States, excluding Ohio
Void in: Puerto Rico and Ohio
Entry limits: One essay submission per person. One vote per person.

 

Strayer will choose three recipients of three scholarships worth up to $20,000 for qualifying students on or around June 20, 2012.

Entries may be submitted from April 30 to June 3. Once the entry period closes, 10 Finalists will be chosen based on the quality of their essay and the number of votes they receive from the Facebook community during the voting period from June 4 to June 13.

For more information on rules and regulations, please see the Official Rules. The value of the scholarship is $2,500 per term up to a maximum of $20,000 over ten terms to assist with the completion of a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree.

Accounting

The need for accounting professionals remains, and it is important in lean economic times. The federal Sabine-Oxley Act increased the corporate need for fiscal accountability. Because of shrinking tax revenue, the IRS is also keeping stronger tabs on tax returns. A person interested in this work can start with an Associate Degree in accounting, which takes anywhere from eighteen months to two years to complete.

Home Health Aide

It may not be as glamorous as traditional hospital work, but home health aides are expected to be in short supply as the Boomer population ages. The Bureau of Labor Statistics gives this vocation an outlook of much faster than average. Aides typically work in care homes or the residences of elderly or disabled clients. No special education is required to enter this field, but it is useful to become first aid and CPR certified. Some agencies or homes may have their own requirements.

Criminal Investigation

Criminal investigation has been in the spotlight on television and in the real world. Advances in forensic technology and increasing crime rates have elevated the need for crime scene technicians. The job entails the proper collection and analysis of evidence. Technicians often testify in court. Integrated university science programs often offer certificates or associate degrees for this field.

Veterinarian or Vet Tech

Even in a recession, people still love their animals. The veterinary field has experienced a shortage of veterinarians. This career requires an extensive investment in time and money, as the education required rivals that of a medical doctor. Enter the veterinary assistant, professionals that assist with the testing and care of animal patients. This position requires an associate degree in the field.

EMT

Health care still remains steady, but some positions, like nursing, are not exactly recession-proof. Demand does exist across the board for emergency medical technicians. EMTs are often on the front lines of life and death situations. Several levels of training and certification are available, and the highest typically takes two years to complete. There is also opportunity to advance to a paramedic, which comes with a considerable increase in pay.

While the job market has been no easy place over the last couple of years, there are still great education and career choices that can keep you employed regardless of the economic situation.  Skilled professionals are needed more than ever, so if you enter in to a career with a specific skill set, the recession will be least likely to affect you.

In life, as in football, you won’t go far unless you know where the goalposts are.
~ Arnold H. Glasgow

To get somewhere you have to know where to go and how to get there. Goals are your destinations or benchmarks and the path to your goals is your plan. Making your goals SMART makes it easier to achieve them.

An essential element of career success, here’s how to plan your SMART goals:

S – Specific

Clarity of purpose – clarity of how you envision success – a clear view of what you want to do – is the first step. Define how you can make your goal specific.

Answer questions like:

• Why am I doing this? What’s the benefit of achieving this goal? Or, perhaps the reason for achieving the goal?
• What is my vision of achieving this goal and how can I get there?
• Does my goal seem realistic or needs more research to make it more specific?

Examples:

I have to complete the certification program on <> in next three months.

I want to achieve the position of business development manager of my division by <date>.

I will lose 15 pounds in the next 8 months.

M – Measurable

How will you know when you get there? Are you aiming to earn a million dollars by the end of this year, or you expect the sales to go up 20% in the next 6 months? Goals must be measurable to ensure you can quantify your efforts to get there.

Answer questions like:

• How much do I have to work or get done to achieve my goal?
• How much am I expecting as an achievement?
• How will I know when it is accomplished?

Examples:

I will generate 25% more revenue for my business by the end of the fiscal year.

I will reduce my weight 2 pounds per week.

A – Achievable

To achieve a goal, you need the means to get there or get what you want. You must equip yourself with the right skills and abilities to work on the goal. What do you have and what else is needed to make your goals achievable?

Answer questions like:

• With the resources and abilities I have, can I achieve my goal as defined?
• What has to give to attain my goal? What else needs to be done?
• What needs to change – either in my goal definition or my capabilities, timing etc. to make the goal achievable?

Examples:

I will get a new employee on my team to help me achieve the revenue we aim for.

I will apply for the gym membership tomorrow and start working with a personal trainer.

R – Result-oriented

Don’t be vague when you define your goals. They must achieve a purpose – that’s what defines a goal in the first place. What are the expected outcomes? What’s the result expected that brings a closure to your achieving the goal? R also stands for relevant. Your goals must be relevant and realistic, without a reality check you would not be happy with what you achieve.

Answer questions like:

• What’s happening around – what is a practical way to define or approach my goal?
• What is the expected result?
• Are my efforts oriented toward the result I want to achieve?

Examples:

I have done careful evaluations that with a three person marketing team, i can achieve the 25% increase in revenue that I aim for.

I have to go to the gym at least 3-4 days a week and make sure not to miss my personal training sessions.

T – Time-bound

You can’t expect to be on a task forever. You expect results. Goals must be time-framed. Know by when you have to achieve what.

Answer questions like:

• When am I expected to achieve this goal? What’s the time frame?
• How can I break it down to short-term and long-term sub-goals?
• What do I have to do daily / regularly / consistently to get there?

Examples:

I will get the required certification in the next three months and make sure to meet all expectations at the present job to request for the manager position at the end of next annual review.

I will reduce 2 pounds every week and see that my trainer helps me achieve it and keep me on track.

“To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well” – John Marshall

The first step toward mastering better communication skills is to be a better listener. It goes a long way in making communication effective and also plays a crucial role during conflict resolution.

Here are three ways that can help you hone this essential skill you might need to excel at any business communication.

Listening without interpretations

Are you sure what you listened at the last meeting was what was being said? How much information was diluted or distorted by your own interpretation?

Listen with an open mind. You have to train your brain to focus on what is being said – to be in the moment completely. Interpretative listening interferes with complete comprehension of the message. You’re busy interpreting what was said a few minutes back and miss out on what is being said now. Interpretations and judgments must be on your agenda post-listening. Appropriately intervene to clarify any doubts if need be to refocus your listening to stay focused on the interaction and message.

Listening with cultural diversity in mind

Cross cultural communication may present barriers to communication but can be overcome with knowledge and respect for all differences.

With teams working across the globe in different time zones and in different cultures, it is important to hone your listening skills with cultural diversity in mind. It is not only the difference in cultural communication differences but the language barriers which might present obstacles to listening and communication process. What the other person said was perhaps not what he exactly meant or was able to get across since the language of communication was not his/her native one. In such situations it is important to restate what has been said and clarify effectively to ensure what you are listening is ‘correct’.

Listening to what was never said

To listen well you must be aware of both verbal and non-verbal communication. Observe what is not being said and also note that your own body language shows your attentiveness as a keen listener.

Statistics on what percentage of our communication is non-verbal may differ from one analyst to another but it is widely accepted that is well over 50 percent in most cases. And if that’s the case then it pays to give special attention to how to respond, interpret and respect non-verbal communication. Pay special attention to the body language or other visual cues. If you are communicating via non-visual methods then listen carefully to their tone and choice of words.

The questions may be many but preparation is the key to confidence. Here are some tips that you must go over a few weeks before you join in your new job. Some of these suggestions you might need to implement a few weeks to a few days before joining – so get set and mark off the checklist to success at your new job.

Make your Wardrobe Workplace Ready

If this is your first job then I’m sure you would be apprehensive about how appropriate your wardrobe is. You must do a quick check on the company culture, can be done through their website or even asking someone you know who works there. Try to connect with an employee of this company a week before joining. Search LinkedIn to find out someone you know or someone your connection knows. Request connection or send a request to meet with this person at lunch time at the office to get some quick advice on the work culture at this company. You must inform this person that you are a new hire and his/her help would ease the transition to this new position.

Most often, people would be ready to help you out on this request. Make use of this meeting as an informational interview process to get to know the company culture and also use this time to get a feel on how the employees are dressed up on a normal working day. Are most in casual clothes or in formals? You can also ask this from your connection. Helps to get to know beforehand so you can plan your wardrobe accordingly.

Document Ready

Get your documentation in place. The HR of this company might need some documentation from you before joining like your driving license number or your passport information – most companies will have this information in place before joining but some might not, it’s best to have all important documents ready to take to work on the first day at work. You might well be spending some time at the orientation for new hires meeting this first day and your diligence will show if you have everything in place – ready to hand over when needed.

What’s good is that you are perhaps reading these tips well before joining, so better still – email your boss or HR to know what is required to bring along on the first day at work.

Be on Time

First impressions count and being on time is certainly one of them. Are you driving, carpooling or taking public transport to your office? Evaluate how much time it takes in traffic, better still just try it out on a working day the week before you join your new job.

If carpooling make sure you let your partner know that you would like to reach the office at a certain time or even before that.

If you are taking a public transport, go through their route and time it takes to get to the destination – online or call them for more info. You must ensure that when taking public transport you reach your workplace at least half an hour before you want to – keeping in mind some unexpected delays or/and the time you need to get to the office from the bus/train station.

Good Luck on your new job and do your best at what you do.

Also, here are some quick tips here on the first day at your new job:

• Observe first before doing. What’s your boss working style? What is the timing he keeps or expects from his team? What is his/her preferred communication style? Keen observation on the very first day will go a long way.
• Actively seek help from your boss and teammates whenever in doubt.
• Take notes and clarify any doubts via email or in a direct meeting with your boss.
• The first few days might be busy at work and getting to know your workplace so be prepared to push yourself a little further and perhaps stay back a until after your boss and team leaves until you get a hang of it all.

More and more graduates are finding that a degree doesn’t afford the kind of distinction and prestige that it used to. Indeed, the ailing economy has created a new postgraduate landscape in which many intelligent young adults find that acquiring gainful employment in the field for which they studied is increasingly difficult.

Even menial, low-paying jobs often have dozens, if not hundreds, of applicants. This reality, coupled with the rising cost of tuition and the increasing difficulty of repaying student loans, has led many would-be students to think that attending college is simply not worth the expense. While some higher degrees from prestigious colleges have a great ROI, there is some truth to be found in the current crisis: college degrees are not as golden as they used to be.

The prudent student should approach college with a combination of strategies for the future. Yes, it is still important to get a degree, just as it is important to calculate interest on student loans and create a game plan for repaying them. But perhaps more important than anything else is preparing yourself for a lifetime of changing industries and technologies by absorbing transferable skills for the future.

One of the great values of attending college is utilizing the on-campus resources in order to master a variety of future-proof skills, such as software applications, multimedia tools, and computer labs. When you’re attending college or planning to attend college for a specific degree, you should be mature enough to realize that the degree itself will simply help you to land a temporary job. You as an individual will have to continue to grow, learn, and evolve into rapidly changing industries in which technological proficiency is a major requirement. This holds true for nearly all fields of study.

Many students have turned to online education as a substitute, as it is often more affordable than traditional schooling. But even an online education may not prepare students for transformations in industries. Online graduates still face a dearth of high-paying career options.

For these reasons and more, it can be said that creating an arsenal full of future-proof skills is one of the most important parts of attending college, whether on-campus or online.

These skills may include cloud computing, web design, content management systems, real-time communications, and others. These are skills that will most certainly evolve into other fields and will be transferable for decades.

No matter what you’re studying—be it literature, mathematics, or liberal arts—it’s important to embrace new technological services. While literature, for example, is not dying as a branch of the Humanities, the platforms on which it may be consumed, distributed, and analyzed are changing, and the rate of change is multiplying.

The same goes for other fields too, where businesses are now demanding that their employees be able to implement new skills into their job requirements and upgrade their abilities. As a further example of changing business practices, many companies are even eliminating their IT departments and replacing them with more efficient cloud services and automated security systems.

To elaborate further, it is not enough for a Communications major to simply read the textbooks and write the papers assigned to them. This degree, more than perhaps any other, illustrates the changing demands placed on college graduates on the brink of stepping into the ‘real world’.

Now that we see the impact of once-dubious enterprises like social media and e-commerce, Communications degrees now necessitate an immersion into online communication, including micro-blogging, podcasting, peer-to-peer networks, real-time collaboration, and web conferencing. And why should these skills be any less useful or necessary in other fields?

Professionals in all walks of life need to communicate themselves, market their abilities, and network with colleagues and clients. For all the reasons discussed here, college graduates are likely to find that, in the long run, the acquisition of future-safe technology-based skills may ultimately be of importance than the degree they earn at an educational institution.

Question: What skills do you think are future-safe? What’s your take on this discussion? Pls comment.

Tomorrow’s manufacturing workforce will have to be prepared to do new jobs that are less mechanical and, instead, require creativity and thought. There is no shortage of problems to solve, products to build, and technologies to develop. So, the more skilled workers the nation has to address these challenges, the better the employment and economic outlook will be. Most jobs of the future will require higher education – even manufacturing.

~ Vivek Wadhwa in Washington post article

Education certainly ‘pays’,  but you must not run after degrees to add just another ‘badge’ to your resume. Don’t be hungry for degrees, aspire for knowledge. Higher education must equate to in-depth learning and acquiring the know-how to apply this learning toward your career growth.

Stats and number say much more than words, and here are few to convince you that attaining a higher degree might be helpful in getting a better pay check at your present or next job.

According to the US department of Labor:

In 2010, nearly 60 percent of Asian-Americans aged 16 and over were employed and just under one in six of those employed were working part-time. The median wage of Asian- Americans is higher than other racial groups. Half of Asian-Americans working full-time earned $855 or more per week in 2010. One reason that median wages are higher for Asian-Americans is because a much larger proportion of Asians are college graduates: 57.5 percent of employed Asian-Americans who are 25 or older have a college degree.

According to BLS.gov:

As a result of rapid employment growth over the 2008 to 2018 decade, job prospects for computer software engineers should be excellent. Those with practical experience and at least a bachelor’s degree in a computer-related field should have the best opportunities.

Though you may consider college to be an expense that can be avoided, but don’t write off the money spent on higher education before carefully assessing the ROI – and some schools can impress you in this regard!

Have a look:

Via: Online Universities Resource

Here’s a checklist on what to do in the last week of your employment. (However you must consult your HR department or your manager first to find out if the company has written policies / separation guidelines).

The following is the general protocol to follow when you’ve made the decision to call it quits:

• Submit letter of resignation in written (hard copy) or through Email (or both). Consult your manager or HR personnel to find out the formal process that your company follows. Add effective date which usually is two week minimum. Make sure that this date is agreed upon by your supervisor. If circumstances be such that you do not wish to inform your boss, giving a 2 week notice is usually the norm. You must also request an agreement in writing from your boss – confirming he has received and agrees to the resignation request and process hereafter.

• Submit all corporate documents, software and machines (computer, additional hard disk etc.). These will be required for a formal sign off. Contact the IT department to know till when you can use use computer/laptop and other equipment. This is also the right time to transfer and back-up our personal documents that reside on official computers. Keep in mind that the proprietary material must not be copied or taken home.

• Shred all confidential papers (copies) that might be lying around and which you no longer need. If there are some other official documents and books that can/must be returned to your supervisor, library or HR; do so now. Request receipts or online check-off for all returns.

• Contact the benefits office or your HR department to know about post-employment benefits. You may be eligible for unemployment insurance, find out more about it from your HR personnel.

• Check if you have filled in your expense report, now is the time to verify and submit balances.

• Check your time card. Are there any vacation payouts that you can request? You are usually paid for any accumulated vacation leave earned through your last day at work. Usually this is well taken care of by the HR department but doesn’t harm to double check.

• Request the HR to place a forwarding message at your official phone number or email, if you want to. They might also add information on who could be contacted once you are not on job.

• Any credit cards or official vehicles you have been using must be turned.

• Return any parking gate cards or permits.

Other than these items on the checklist you might also be worried about your 401(K). What happens to my 401(K) when I leave my job? There is some good information around which you can refer to and it’s worth every minute spent on the research – so do it well. Here are some good tips on this topic:

• 5 Things You Should Know About Your 401(k)
• What happens to my 401k money if I switch jobs?

Losing healthcare benefits (if you avail through your company) is also a major cause of concern. Get good tips at the dol.gov website about what you must know about health coverage for you and your family if you lose your job or quit.

Also see what all you must do on the last day at work – this post has some relevant tips on what else you must during your last week/day at work.

Question: What has been your experience when signing off from your last job?