Avoiding the Faux Recruiter

Avoiding the Faux Recruiter The job search process is difficult and extremely time-consuming. One thing that job seekers shouldn’t have to worry about is identity theft. However, the sad truth is that it happens more often than we’d like to admit. I’m not talking about the suspicious work-from-home opportunities or the random emails asking for your name, number and entire life history. I’m referring to individuals who pose as employees of larger companies in order to obtain your information. In a recent incident, an individual took on the identity of a corporate recruiter in order to gain access to a candidate’s personal information. The individual contacted the candidate and, after establishing trust as a recruiter, completed a thorough interview. After a few days, the “recruiter” again contacted the candidate and requested he complete a background check form before an offer could be made. Once the recruiter had obtained the candidate’s personal information, he stopped returning calls and deleted his accounts. This scam was run on at least four known individuals within the same company; however, this is not an isolated incident. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the number of identity theft incidents has reached 9.9 million per year. The reason is simple: scammers are after money, and stealing identities is a direct route to victims’ credit cards and bank accounts. With a little diligence, you can avoid becoming a victim of identity theft. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself. Do your research! When contacted by a recruiter, there are a few things you should look at to ensure you’re dealing with a legitimate representative of that business. Start by reviewing the link, phone number, address and email provided, then cross-check this information by doing a quick Google search on the company. You should be able to confirm the physical address, phone number and link immediately. Also, look at the sender’s email address. Does the domain match the company name? If not, do another Google search by copying the domain of the email. Does the company you found appear in the results? If not, try calling the company using the phone number from the previous search and ask for the recruiter directly. The receptionist should be able to assist you. Conduct your own background check. A legitimate recruiter should have an extensive online presence. Check out their LinkedIn profile and review their information. Is their profile complete? Do they list their contact information? Do they have recommendations? Don’t be afraid to review their page and click on their information. Be cautious of recruiters with very little information on their profile, or very few connections. Also, try searching for them on both Facebook and Twitter. If the recruiter has no online presence, this should be a red flag. Ask the right questions. During your interview, be sure to ask detailed questions about the company that the recruiter should be able to answer, such as “What does the mission statement mean to you, and how does it influence you in your daily life?” Of course, this will require some research on your end. Ask about the company structure and who you would be reporting to in the new position, then research that person’s name on LinkedIn. The more detailed your questions are, the more likely the “recruiter” will abandon their scam. Always approach emails and phone calls with caution and never divulge too much personal information. Remember, faux recruiters rely on desperation. They’re hoping that you don’t check the facts or ask too many questions. If you believe you have been a victim of identity theft, contact your local police department to file a police report. Also, you will need to contact your bank, credit card companies and the three main credit bureaus. To learn more about reporting identity theft, please visit www.identitytheft.gov. Author: Kara Singh is the Social Media Manager for Insperity Recruiting Services. She has over nine years of experience in recruiting and seven years of experience in sourcing and social media. You can connect with her on Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Custom Resume Writing Online - Tips To Help Your Resume Stand Out

Custom Resume Writing Online - Tips To Help Your Resume Stand OutCustom resume writing is the process of creating a professional resume for an employee. There are many factors that go into creating a professional resume. A resume, just like any other document, must be well written and well designed.A resume should contain all of the necessary information about the candidate and should be tailored to their specific position, as well as to certain job duties. A custom resume, unlike many other types of resumes, can be tailored to each candidate. This is a major advantage to a custom resume. An employer who has many different candidates for the same job position will not have to do much research to find an appropriate candidate for a position.Most businesses today have a variety of positions within their company and require all employees to undergo some type of customer service training. Training managers to become proficient in customer service can be a very tedious task. So, a resume written by a trained professional may be necessary for a company to find a competent applicant for a job opening.Another important aspect to a custom resume is to include a list of educational accomplishments. Some employers will want an educational background that does not include the student's career path, or it may be requested that they provide a list of courses they have taken. The hiring manager should have a basic understanding of what the student has accomplished through education and should be able to determine whether or not the student is suitable for the position.Many employers take a look at the employment history of an applicant before making a decision to hire. It is in the best interest of the employer to get a feel for how the applicant performs when it comes to their job duties. It can help to determine if the applicant will fit the job duties or whether the applicant will not be a good fit.There are a variety of things that can be included in a custom resume that will increase its appeal to employers. These include hobbies, volunteer work, awards and certificates that the employee has earned, as well as any medical or law enforcement experience that the employee has. This will increase the chances of the employer hiring the applicant.A custom resume may be used to help an employee to create a resume that is customized for a specific job. Using a template will make it easier for the employer to fill out the form and will reduce the possibility of an applicant putting something in that will help them get hired. This is because an applicant will not know how the employer is going to use the form. They will not know if the information on the form will be required or not.Creating a resume does not have to be a hard process. There are many sites that can help with creating a custom resume. A custom resume should be one of the first things a potential employee is provided with. If the employer finds that the resume is a bit generic, or if it was di fficult to understand, then the employee can either have it revised or rewritten.

Guest Post How to Be Your Own Career Coach

Guest Post How to Be Your Own Career Coach A guest post from our friends at Pounding the Pavement. Life and career coaching are multi-million dollar industries in the United States. For those who aren’t interested in paying someone else to get their lives in gear, this is a useful (free!) guide with tips about how you can serve as your own career coach. With this advice, you can motivate yourself, stay organized, and start on a path to success today â€" all without shelling out a dollar. Also included are some online resources for those who are ready to take initiative and begin implementing effective changes immediately. Make a schedule. Writing down a routine to follow on a daily basis makes it easier to stick to one â€" imagine that! A schedule helps you stay organized, de-clutter your mind, and instill a level of discipline in your everyday life. With a schedule, you can also get more done in a shorter amount of time, keep better track of your obligations, and manage your work to-do’s more effectively. It might sound obvious, but Google is an easy, straightforward place to organize a calendar, prioritize your tasks, and sync schedules with people like your family members or coworkers. Set achievable, well-defined goals. A goal such as “finish all monthly reports on time” is vague. Instead, break down tasks into smaller parts with clear deadlines. It’s more productive to set a multi-step goal like: “A) Print all monthly reports by the 10th. B) Fill out monthly reports and obtain signatures by the 20th. C) Mail reports by the 30th.” GoalsSuccess.com is a blog with some great articles and easy-to-follow goal-setting advice. Use stress-reducing tactics. Listening to calming tapes, practicing slow breathing, participating in yoga, and meditating are all ways to clear your mind and allow you to focus. You’re a more effective worker after reducing your stress levels. Carnegie Mellon’s  Student Affairs Health Services  offers a great list of ways to reduce stress levels. Be accountable to someone. It’s much easier to let yourself down than someone else. That’s why it’s helpful to select a person who will help hold you accountable to your goals and objectives. Choose this person wisely and ask for their support and wisdom. Tell them your goals, and set a time to check in with them, whether that’s once a day, a week, or a month. Get organized, stay organized. If your home and work spaces are a mess, it’s almost impossible to stay organized and be productive. File papers, label boxes, organize drawers, etc. â€" a cluttered space often leads to a cluttered mind, and having a clean space in which to function makes it easier to operate. GetOrganizedNow.com is a great resource with advice, newsletters, articles, inspiration, and specific tips to, well, get organized now! Remind yourself of your own value. Too often, we slip into self-deprecating talk and forget to focus on what we are good at â€" what makes us unique and talented and capable. Make a list of all your positive traits and keep it somewhere you can see often to remind yourself that you are valuable, helpful, and needed! Things To Remind Yourself Daily is a helpful list of simple things to keep in the forefront of your minds as you strive for productivity and success. Reward yourself for a job well done. The old adage “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is still used for a reason! Rewards are a great motivational tool â€"  don’t forget to give yourself a reward when you have accomplished a task, reached a benchmark, or met a goal. Caity Collins is guest blogger for Pounding the Pavement and a writer on career training for Guide to Career Education.

Five Top Ways to Grow Your Small Business

Five Top Ways to Grow Your Small Business When running a small business, you’ll most likely be searching for ways to enhance and expand your company. Fortunately, there are several worthy paths to pursue, each with exciting potential. In this article, we’ll take a look at five of the best. Introduce a new location If you have a popular bricks-and-mortar business, there may be good reason to open new locations. Before committing to a new location, it’s worth taking some time to research possible areas of expansion, as well as the profile and preferences of your average customer. For example, if you run a sports bar that’s often overcrowded on weekends, you might look to open a new location nearby. If the majority of your customers are young people living in an urban centre, it doesn’t make sense to open a second location in a sleepy town with a majority of retirees. Instead, pick a place that will secure a steady stream of new business, as well as ‘tourists’ from your original location. Youll also want to be sure that all services your business needs are available in the new location.   If youre going to expand into London, for example, youll need a courier in London.   Delivery of your products is just as important as selling it!  Take your business online One of the most straightforward and fruitful ways to grow a business is to take it online. You may have only operated in physical locations during the infancy of your business, but as it strengthens, there’s a strong case for tapping into the online market. It needn’t be difficult to develop an online presence. Utilise the talents of your existing team, or enlist the help of a freelancer to get things up and running. Shop around for courier firms to support your new endeavour, and don’t forget to strike a balance between economical charges and customer satisfaction. A cheap courier with poor service will cause reputational damage in the long run!  Diversify within your current sector Is there scope for making a move within your current market? Perhaps an innovative product to introduce, or a new service to roll out? If your business is not ready for drastic growth at this stage, solidifying its position within the current sector is the perfect way to achieve organic growth without disruption to current resources.  Expand into other markets Ready for a bigger jump? It’s not as scary as it looks! Once your business is established within its own market, there’s usually scope to diversify into a new one. Think about the markets that align with that of your current business, and consider whether there’s room for you to make a dent. For example, if you are currently running a bakery that’s renowned for its magnificent cakes, there’s scope for your business to move into the lucrative wedding sector.  Try to build your portfolio as your business develops, and take any good opportunity to branch out.  Increase capacity Are your products flying off the shelves? For some firms, supply simply cannot keep pace with demand, which impedes the growth of a business. To remedy this, an increase in capacity can be a sensible and profitable endeavour. If you do not have the space at your current premises, it might be time to move on. To help finance a change of location, your business may require a temporary injection of cash. Lend Genius are experts at connecting small businesses with the best lenders! However you grow your business, we wish you the greatest success!

The Benefits of Writing a Resume Services

The Benefits of Writing a Resume ServicesWhen you are working on your CV, it is important to know the benefits of writing a resume. There are many people who either don't know how to write one or may not be sure what the purpose of it is. By knowing what to expect when writing a resume and its purpose, you will be able to create one that works for you.The first benefit of writing a resume is that it gives you an opportunity to share your personal qualities and skills with others. In order to find a job, people will often read a resume based on their own subjective evaluation. When you write your resume, you are creating a profile for yourself based on the skills you have. It can be a good idea to focus on your core strengths, but you should also highlight your weaknesses if you have any.A resume is also a great way to communicate a professional image to potential employers. When you are looking for a job, some people will want to find out how much you are willing to talk about a cert ain skill, such as engineering, software, or graphic design. You may not be comfortable sharing this information in front of a large group of people, but you can include these things in your resume so that employers can easily see them. Also, companies often look for this in a candidate to determine if they will fit in the position.Another reason to use resume services is to cut down on your stress level. Although it might seem like a small detail, it is true that using resume services will reduce the amount of time that you spend doing the task. It can take all day or all week to create a resume from scratch. If you decide to use the services that you can expect to pay for, it could save you hundreds of hours of your time that would otherwise be spent doing the process.Another benefit of writing a resume services is that it can help you make connections with potential employers. Many companies are only searching through resumes and will not talk to you until they receive a phone ca ll. However, you can tell them about your achievements, skills, and interests, and they may make an exception to interview you. So, even if you can't talk to someone until you are hired, it can still help to have a professional contact you.It is also important to know that writing a resume services will make you more successful in your future endeavors. If you're trying to get into college, resume services can help you achieve that goal by providing an impressive resume. The next time you're applying for a job, employers will be impressed with your impressive work history.When you are looking for resume services, you should also look for the companies that are going to give you the best value for your money. If you want to find resume writing services that are going to give you quality results, then it is important to find companies that have experience in the field. As long as you hire professionals, you can expect to have your work done professionally.By understanding the reasons for using resume services, you can better understand the benefits of writing a resume services. When you know how to do it right, you can help to improve your resume and make it stand out among other candidates. Your resume is also an opportunity to showcase your work history, which helps to increase your chances of being hired. So, if you need a little extra push, you can add a few skills and experiences to your resume and your future employment opportunities will increase.

Three Rules to Land Your Next Job

Three Rules to Land Your Next Job Three Rules to Land Your Next Job Three Rules to Land Your Next Job December 31, 2008 by Career Coach Sherri Thomas Leave a Comment In today’s tough job market, you need to be diligent, strategic, and thinking outside the box.   You can double your opportunities and cut your down time in half by

I have 3 speeches in the UK in November - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

I have 3 speeches in the UK in November - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog In November Im doing no less than three gigs in the UK at three really cool events. On November 7 Im doing a full-day workshop about happiness at work in Brighton in conjunction with the Meaning Conference. Read all about it and sign up here. On November 13 I speak at the Good Day at Work Conference in London. Ill talk about the Scandinavian approach to creating good workplaces and about happiness at work in general. Read more and sign up here. On November 15 Im speaking in London at a Net Promoter Score conference. Ill be talking about how employee happiness drives customer loyalty. Read more and sign up here. Related links: The difference between Brits and Danes at work. What The Heck is Arbejdsgl?de?! Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related