By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Every day is filled with the same number of hours: 24. So why is it that some people think that magically, another two to three hours will somehow materialize? While you can find ways to make your life more efficient—to think more quickly and to get more to-dos checked off your list in a […]
3 Snack-Size Twitter Tips to Bolster Your Career
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Advice abounds on how to use social media to advance your career and job search. Beyond reading the volumes of great books, breaking down advice into manageable bites is a smart way to venture into the often-rough social networking waters. Also, choosing one site and really getting your feet wet is helpful to […]
Get Over Yourself When Writing Your Resume
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter It may seem counterintuitive to take the focus off of YOU when writing a value-packed resume. However, since a resume is a personal marketing document masterfully written to ignite the reader’s interest, you must focus fully on THEIR (hiring decision maker’s, owner’s, manager’s) needs and wants. Deeply dig into their needs — […]
Putting Career Resolutions Into Action
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Every year about this time many people begin making promises to themselves and others to create positive changes in their lives and careers. These resolutions run the gamut from dropping a few pounds to getting a new job. You can find plenty of help where your physique is concerned, but here, let’s […]
Not All Career Advice Is Good: 10 Tips to Ignore
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter “There’s a lot of bad advice out there.” “As somebody who has helped people find jobs for over 15 years, I’m amazed at the number of myths that still float around.” These are just two of the eight comments on my recent post challenging 10 of the ‘career expert’ myths that float […]
Unraveling the Resume Keyword-Packing Myth
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Analyzing applicant tracking systems and stuffing your resume full of keywords are popular activities right now. In reality, the purported “science of resumes” and the idea you must perform a hairsplitting task of gaming your resume to meet algorithmic settings are both exaggerations, in my experience. While you certainly must sprinkle words […]
What NOT to Do When You’re New on the Job
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Many new hires are so anxious to make friends and a good impression that they often make mistakes that will leave them with neither. To ensure this isn’t you, check out the list below of 10 things you should be cautious of when you’re the new kid on the block: 1. Don’t tell your new manager […]
Are There Cracks in Your Career Communications Strategy?
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Shedding light on your target audience, becoming intimate with your own value and drumming up muscular career stories that transport your reader all are essential action steps to forge a rock-solid resume. This foundational aspect of today’s job search helps prevent job-search flops and missteps and keep your career messaging infrastructure solid. […]
How to Redeem Yourself and Get Your Old Job Back
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Have you ever quit a job for greener pastures only to discover the pasture you were grazing in looks pretty good from the other side of the fence? Some departures are well thought out, while others are decided in a fit of emotional turmoil. If you have ever left a job under the latter […]
Today’s Job Interview: The Goldilocks Syndrome
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Thank you to my recruiting friend, Recruiting Animal (@Animal) who introduced my latest US News post in a unique and compelling way: The Goldilocks Syndrome When a company has been through troubled times, they need just the right new engineer, software consultant or sales representative to help turn that ship around. So, […]