For those seeking employment, a job fair is the Holy Grail. Where else can you get face-to-face time with a potential employer? You get one chance to bring the black-and-white letters of your name to life — and hopefully land yourself a job. Take full advantage of those precious moments by wowing everyone with your image, your experience, and your enthusiasm.

Here’s how to prepare for the big fair:

Dress the Part

Never be afraid of overdressing at a job fair. Employers will know you’re serious about your job search if you wear dress pants and a nice shirt. Keep jewelry, hair, and shoes classic and simple.

Memorize Your Experiences

Whether you’re handing over a resume or filling out an application, you must be able to communicate your previous experiences verbally and on paper. Take the time to highlight details of your past positions that apply to this specific opportunity.

Be Over-Prepared

The application process will move much more smoothly – and quickly – if you bring along the appropriate materials. Think references (names, your relationship to your reference, address and telephone numbers), a license, a resume, or a cover letter. Call the company in advance if you’re not sure what to bring.

Pay Attention to Details

Never underestimate a firm handshake, eye contact, and a smile. Ask intelligent questions about the position or mention a recent industry news article. Before saying goodbye, don’t forget to “close the deal” by restating your interest in the position.

What other job fair tricks have you used to land a new job? Share your tips below!

Most people regard on-time work as a means to earn extra cash, maintain a flexible work schedule, gain work experience or fill employment gaps.  Did you know, however, that on-time employment can also be a great option if you’re looking to change careers?

With a broad range of assignments and projects available, on-time (temporary) employment can be a highly effective way for you to break into a new field – but it probably won’t happen by accident.  To use on-time employment as a true career change catalyst, you must intentionally structure your work experiences.  Here are a few tips:

Choose the right type of staffing service for your career interests. Before registering with a staffing service, visit their website or contact the office directly to find out what types of placements they specialize in.  Some staffing firms place people in a wide range of industries and positions, while others specialize in a specific field.

Be upfront with your staffing specialist. When you interview with a recruiter, let him know that you are looking to change careers.  Tell him about your skills and experience and ask how they might transfer into a new field.  Discuss your need for challenging assignments that will help you try out different jobs, develop new skills and evaluate new career options.  When a staffing specialist understands your needs, he can do a better job placing you in opportunities that will drive your career change.

Treat every assignment as a learning experience. In addition to performing your required job duties, use each assignment as an opportunity to learn about the employer, the industry and potential career opportunities.  Ask questions, observe co-workers, talk to your supervisor and let him know that you’re looking to make a change.  Take as much knowledge and experience away from each assignment as you can.

Build new skills while on assignment. Many staffing services offer free skills training (such as ABR’s E-AssessAbility Training Center) to individuals who register with them.  While on assignment, use non-work hours to take advantage of training resources, building skills that will help you in your next career.

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Tips for Managing Career Changes

If the thought of changing jobs and/or careers causes you anxiety, you’re not alone.  The truth is, there is a certain amount of instability inherent in changing jobs.  Here are a few suggestions to help you manage the stress:

Focus on developing your skills. Choose projects/assignments/jobs that help you build new skills and develop expertise in a certain area.  When your learning curve flattens out, ask to be reassigned or look for another opportunity.  Continually building your skills will ensure you’re in demand.

Adopt a job changing mindset. Instead of focusing on the instability of a job change, view it as an opportunity.  Get used to the notion that you will change jobs frequently throughout your career.  When it’s time to make a move, your job changing mindset will make the transition much easier.

Keep your job changing skills sharp. You’re not going to stay at any job forever, and you don’t know how long it will last.  But if you keep your job hunting skills sharp – networking, interviewing, keeping on top of on-time opportunities that serve your career interests – you will always be able to get work when your needs, or your company’s needs, change.

ABR Employment Services – Your Career Change Partner

At ABR Employment Services, we do more than just place you in a position.  We listen to your needs, learn about your skills and experience, and then present you with work opportunities that are a perfect match for you.

When you register with us, you can also take advantage ABR JobConnect™, our FREE career resource, to help guide and support you in your job search.  Simply put, if you’re looking to make a job change, ABR is the ideal partner.  Contact us today to learn more about job opportunities in Wisconsin.

Most of us have, at one point or another.  The fact is, it’s a great question.  Research shows that people who work in career fields they like naturally advance and have greater job satisfaction.

But how do you know what type of work best suits you?  Many career experts, including those at ABR Employment Services, recommend selecting potential career options that match your work values.

Work Values – an Introduction

To be happy, successful and satisfied in your work you should take your values – beliefs and ideas about work that are important to you – into account.  Work values can be either intrinsic  (relating to the actual tasks involved in practicing a particular occupation) or extrinsic (relating to the by-products of a job).  For example, an intrinsic value of practicing medicine might be helping others, while an extrinsic value might be earning a lot of money.

Examples of Work Values

Here is a sampling of work values and their definitions from About.com Field Guide Dawn Rosenberg McKay.  As you read the list, consider how important each value is to you:

• Autonomy: receiving no or little supervision
• Helping Others: providing assistance to individuals or groups
• Prestige: having high standing
• Job Security: a high probability that one will remain employed
• Collaboration: working with others
• Recognition: receiving attention for your work
• Compensation: receiving adequate pay
• Creativity: using your own ideas
• Variety: doing different activities

At ABR Employment Services, we want to help you find the perfect opportunity that matches your skills, interests, work values and needs.  That’s why we launched ABR JobConnect.  This free online career resource has two helpful tools to:

1. Guide you in determining what kind of work you’re interested in and;
2. Identify different jobs that may be right for you based on your work values and interests.

Identify Your Work Values – and the Right Type of Job for You

The “Prepare” tab in ABR JobConnect can help you identify the right types of opportunities for you.  Two key assessments provide important information about your interests and work values:

• Work Importance Profiler. You can use the online assessment tools, such as the Work Importance Profiler (WIP), to choose a career that fits your interests as well as your work values.  The WIP can help you learn more about your work values and decide what is really important to you in a job.  It asks you to rank different aspects of work that represent six different work values.  Knowing your work values can help you decide what kinds of jobs and careers you might want to explore.
• Interest Profiler. This assessment helps you find out what your interests are and how they relate to the world of work.  Your Interest Profiler results will help you identify occupations that are in line with your particular areas of interest.  At the end of the Interest Profiler you will receive a list of occupations that match the results of your assessment.

Other Features of ABR JobConnect:

• Access over 1,000 Job Boards on one site
• Prepare a resume or receive a resume critique
• Utilize the career advisor
• Participate in weekly webinars covering job seeker “hot topics” and receive job search advice
• Receive information on continuing education opportunities

ABR Employment Services provides these free career resources as part of our commitment to helping you find the right employment opportunity for you.  Contact the ABR Employment office near you and get one step closer to landing your ideal job.

If you have the commitment to work hard, but need direction for your efforts, here are five things you can do to take charge of your job search today:

1.  Clarify your self-knowledge and your goals. Do you know exactly what you have to offer an employer?  Do you know exactly what you are looking for in a career?  Take the time to write down your specific skills, strengths, accomplishments and career goals.  If you know what you want, and what you bring to the table, it’s infinitely easier to focus your efforts, identify potential employers and find the job you want.

2.  Establish your network. Identify individuals in companies, industry organizations and professional associations who can provide insight into their employment needs.  When possible, schedule informational interviews to learn more about potential careers, as well as skills you may need to acquire to make yourself more employable.  Identify faculty, friends, business associates and relatives who can assist you with your job search.  Tell everyone you know that you’re looking for a job and ask them to refer you to potential employers.

3.  Get more organized. Place all of your job search materials, including: research on potential employers; listings of job postings to which you’ve responded; resume versions and cover letters; staffing services with whom you’ve registered; network lists, etc.  Use this binder to track your progress, plan follow-up, develop daily to-do lists or record other important information.

4.  Find a mentor. If you don’t have a trusted advisor who can help guide your job search efforts, you should get one.  To select a mentor, choose someone you know who:  has earned your respect; is successful in his or her career; will provide honest and effective feedback; will take an interest in your professional development; will support you in your career progression.  Meet with this person regularly to solicit advice, share your ups and downs, and get the feedback and support you need to keep going.

5.  Register with ABR Employment Services. As a leading Wisconsin staffing and placement service, we connect thousands of individuals with rewarding employment each year.  Launched in March 2011, our new ABR JobConnect™ is a career resource to help guide and support you in your job search.  It empowers you to:

• Access over 1,000 Job Boards on one site
• Prepare a resume or receive a resume critique
• Utilize the career advisor
• Participate in weekly webinars covering job seeker “hot topics” and receive job search advice
• Take advantage of job assessment tools
• Receive information on continuing education opportunities

Best of all, it’s FREE!  Register today for access to additional career information on this topic.

Want employers to view you differently this year?

Try these 10 tips to shake things up and get your résumé noticed in 2011:

“Money doesn’t matter.”

You may honestly be desperate for work, but job experts agree that desperation doesn’t work when it comes to landing the opportunity you want.

Don’t let anxiety or feelings of hopelessness derail your job search.  Watch this quick video to learn what phrases to avoid while interviewing and other ways to stay in control while you look for work:

You’re in an interview, dressed to impress and feeling totally in control of the situation, when the unthinkable happens – the interviewer asks a question that completely stumps you: 

“If you could have dinner with anyone from history, whom would it be and why?”

“Why is a manhole cover round?”

“Which fictional character would you say best describes you?”

If just reading these questions makes beads of sweat pop out on your forehead, you’re not alone.  In an interview situation, most of us would be stopped in our tracks by off-the-wall questions like these.  But that’s the point:  interviewers ask odd questions intentionally, to see how well job candidates thinks on their feet and respond to stress.

Because unusual interview questions can be about virutally any topic, they’re nearly impossible to prepare for.  Still, here are a few quick tips to help you handle them more effectively:

• Keep your composure.  The question was meant to throw you off your game – so don’t let it rattle you.  Keep your face neutral and recognize that this is the wacky question you’ve been anticipating.
• Take your time.  Smile, take a deep breath and avoid the temptation to blurt out an answer.  Don’t panic – if you have to take a moment to gather your thoughts, it merely demonstrates that you think carefully through a situation before responding.
• Relax.  When it comes to unusual interview questions, your answer is not as important as how you handle the situation.  In fact, most don’t have right or wrong answers.  So take the pressure off yourself.  You don’t have to be brilliant, you just need to answer honestly.

If you’d like some practice answering off-the-wall questions, consider the following popular ones:

• If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be?
• If you had only six months left to live, what would you do with the time?
• If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
• If you were a _________ (insert:  car, animal, salad dressing – you get the picture), what kind would you be and why?
• If you won $50 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
• How would you rate me as an interviewer?

Be Prepared for Your Next Interview

Register with ABR Employment Services today.  Our team of staffing professionals will listen to your needs, match you with a perfect direct placement opportunity, and then prepare you to ace the interview.

• Revisit your resume.  Make sure you know dates of employment, responsibilities, professional accomplishments, etc. for each position.
• Practice your answers to common interview questions, enlisting a friend’s help if necessary.  Common questions include:

           – How would you describe yourself?

           – What is your greatest strength/weakness?

           – How do you define success?

           – Why do you want to work here?

           – Why should we hire you?

• Conduct a self-assessment.  Make sure you can clearly communicate your current skills, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, interests and work values.
• Go online or visit the local library to learn all you can about the company’s mission statement, financials, organizational structure, products and services – so you can speak intelligently about them during the interview.
• Bring along extra digital and paper copies of your resume.
• Select an appropriate outfit, bearing in mind both the position and corporate culture – then dress one notch above what would be expected.  When in doubt, go with a business suit.
• Call a day or two ahead of time to confirm directions, parking, interview time and interviewers’ names.
• Do a practice run to make sure you know the route.  See how long it takes to drive there, factoring in rush hour traffic if applicable.
• Prepare a list of professional and personal references.
• Bring along breath mints, a small note pad and a pen – just in case.
• A day or two after the interview, drop off hand-written thank you notes to each person who interviewed you, thanking them for their time and emphasizing your specific qualifications for the position.

Share Your Experience

What interview questions have stumped you?  We’d like to know.  Leave your comment below, or contact us via e-mail.

Need More Interviewing Help?

We at ABR Employment Services want to do all we can to help you land the perfect opportunity.  If you need assistance or would like additional resources to help hone your interviewing skills, please contact us directly.