Where are all the Jobs?

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

4 Things You Should Know About Background Checks | Career Rocketeer

4 Things You Should Know About Background Checks

Posted: 26 Apr 2011 03:30 AM PDT

Have you already made it past the job interview and now realize that it’s time for the background check? In a way, this spells good news because it means that a company is interested enough in you to find out more. But, depending on what they find in your history, they could be turned off enough to remove you from candidacy.
Knowing this could make some candidates feel so afraid that they don’t even want to apply for jobs. Don’t feel afraid, though. Instead, take a look at four things to know about background checks:
1. Employers Need Permission to Conduct One
Employers need your permission to have third-party agencies conduct background searches, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Because most don’t have their own background screening capabilities, you will have to sign a form granting them permission. But if you have made it through the interviewing process and haven’t been asked to sign a form, it’s not a bad idea—for your own knowledge—to ask the employer outright if they plan to conduct a check.
2. Severity of a Crime is Often a Factor
If you have a criminal history, it’s important to note this information on your job application if asked—especially since it will likely pop up during a background check. But it’s good to also note that many employers take a subjective approach to a criminal history. They may look at the severity and timeframe of the crime (DUI in college vs. three DUIs in the past two years) to decide whether to hire you.
3. Background Check Could Occur After an Employment Offer
One thing to note is that some employers don’t stop their background checks after you’ve been offered a job. You might learn that your new employer is known for conducting frequent and random checks, especially if you are ever considered for a promotion.
4. Employers Need Permission Only Once
Keep in mind that once you’ve given an employer permission to conduct a background check, they typically don’t need your permission again if they’re conducting the same type of check and it's within the same company.
A background check can sound like a scary process, especially if you have made mistakes in the past. But if you’re honest, upfront, and are prepared to explain blemishes, you may be surprised by how understanding an employer could be.

Author:
Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class resumes and cover letters that transform job searches into interviews and ultimately job offers. For more information about professional resume writing or to read more career and job search related articles visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com or call 1.800.991.5187.

Advertise on Career Rocketeer

Dread Work? How to Deal with the Feeling

Weekly Newsletter | April 27, 2011

Receive » the best career advice daily.

8 Sobering Reasons for Youth Unemployment

Youth unemployment is at approximately 25%. This is even higher for recent grads in the “soft” subjects, such as psychology, social work, etc. So why am I hearing from my friends and business colleagues they are having a hard time hiring, especially for entry-level positions?

4 No-fail Tricks to Capturing Awesome Letters of Recommendation

Let’s face a painful truth: Most of us are totally ineffective when lining up our personal cheering sections during a job search. This can include anything from failing to inform or keep references up-to-date on your current status to asking for recommendation letters in a panic due to a prospective employer’s request during an interview.

3 Reasons You’re Not as Productive as You Think [Video]

The slow improvement in our economy right now is considered a “jobless recovery,” meaning the results are coming from greater levels of productivity and efficiency, not from adding staff. Simply put, those that didn’t lose their jobs are learning how to do more with less.

Enter to Win FREE Career Coaching by Submitting a Funny Caption

Do you think you're funny? Prove it! In the comment section on this article, submit a funny caption that's appropriate for the picture on the left. The winner will get a FREE half-hour of personal career coaching with CAREEREALISM.com Founder, J.T. O'Donnell [Value = $75].

FEATURED FREE WEBINAR

5 Steps to Help You Reinvent Yourself and Your Career

Date: Wednesday, May 4

Time: 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT

Attend this event

View upcoming webinars

Can't attend? Still register and you'll receive a recording of the presentation via e-mail to watch at your convenience.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Dread Going to Work? How to Deal with the Feeling

You dread going to work. Every morning is the same, you drag yourself out of bed. It’s not that the body is weak but the mind is not willing. Most of us know that. If not for a long period of time, at least at some point in our career we would have felt that way.

Unemployed 3+ months?
You're not alone.

Click for help

CAREER REALITY TV

Interview Nightmares & How to Avoid 'Em

Fellow career blogger, Amy Levin-Epstein over at CBS Moneywatch’s On the Job blew our mind recently when we read nine horrifying stories of terrible interviews. You know, the kind that haunt you forever! We then did a Career Bar & Grill poll to see which CAREEREALISM readers had their own interview nightmare experiences – turns out many of you have been traumatized by interviews gone wrong.

RESERVE YOUR SPOT »

Join us this Friday, at 1:00 PM ET for “Career Reality TV” where we’ll be chatting with Amy about how to stand out at your next interview. Sign-up and we’ll send you a reminder e-mail with instructions on how to watch the session LIVE.

EXPERT SPOTLIGHT

Name

Arnie Fertig

Website

www.JobHunterCoach.com

Most Recent Article

10 Things Employers & Recruiters Want from You

KEEP IN TOUCH

Like us

Get daily updates

E-mail us

This message was sent to jobhuntingnews.langston@blogger.com from:

J.T. O'Donnell - Career Insights | P.O. Box 707 | North Hampton, NH 03862

Email Marketing by

Manage Your Subscription | Send To a Friend

View this message in the iContact Community:

View message

Comment on this message

Receive as RSS

Share this message with others:

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

StumbleUpon

Moola Days

Should You Start A Blog For Your Small Business?

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 08:41 PM PDT

Did you know that there are over one hundred million active blogs on the web? From small business blogs to personal and news blogs, essentially everyone has something to say. And if you are a small business owner and wish to start your own blog, you may be wondering why so many other businesses and corporations have join in on the fun.
Well, online advertising and marketing experts agree that blogs are both affordable and a powerful tool, capable of supplementing your online marketing strategy. Blogs are great for creating buzz and building brand awareness. But, there is one important question you should ask yourself before starting your blog, and it is “Do you have the time and commitment to maintain a blog?”
Having a blog may look easy, but like most things, first impressions can be deceiving. When having a blog, you must realize that there are millions of blogs on the web as well. As a result, to make your blog stand out, you must do something noteworthy that visitors enjoy. When you start a blog for your business, it is important to take into consideration what you are going to do with your blog because a blog that fades without interesting and fresh content is not just ineffective and useless, but it’s also a bad reflection of your business. If you want your blog to be successful and reputable, you should create a plan and follow a certain routine. An example would be to have at least one or two original articles published weekly. If you can not provide interesting and fresh content, it will be better to just put off blogging until you will have more time. Because remember, a blog can be a wise choice with tons of benefits, however only if it is done with the proper care.
In our life most things are definitely not free, however on the web, you can start a blog for free. This goes for anybody interested in creating a blog. There are a great number of free blogging platforms available on the web, with thousands of template choices to make your blog unique. Posting your first entry couldn’t be easier. If you already have your own website, you can always expand your website by creating a sub-domain or a sub-directory dedicated to creating your blog as well.
While the concept of blogging and generating buzz sounds straightforward, many people quit before even starting, convincing themselves that their writing will be not good enough and no one wants to read what they wrote. Well, the standards of blogging differs greatly. Just because you’re not a professional writer doesn’t mean you can’t write great, creative blog entries. When beginning, you can always start small and once you get the hang of it, take off from there. Essentially, if you write what you like, your readers will find inspiration to like your posts as well, even if you doubt yourself.
Building a faithful readership and a big fan base will definitely time. Defining “blogging success” in your own words before embarking on the course of development is a key. It’s very important to decide what your main goal is when blogging. If you are interested in expanding web traffic, it would be smart to research SEO and get aware of basics of content producing that will help customers find your blog. On the other hand, if you want the customers to know more about your business, your blog should provide more details about the services and products you offer. In other words, your blog can become whatever you want it to be. How you drive your blog to success is totally up to the beholder.
Should You Start A Blog For Your Small Business? is a post from: Moola Days