AOL Jobs http://jobs.aol.com/articles AOL Jobs http://o.aolcdn.com/os/careers/images/AOL_jobs_logo.png AOL Jobs http://jobs.aol.com/articles en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Four Ways to Break Through the Noise and Get Noticedhttp://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/10/04/break-through-the-noise-and-get-noticed/http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/10/04/break-through-the-noise-and-get-noticed/http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/10/04/break-through-the-noise-and-get-noticed/#comments We all know that the competition to get jobs is getting tougher by the day. More and more people are receiving advanced degrees, and different generations of workers are competing for the same jobs globally. Take, for instance, Kathy Chambers, who applied for over one thousand jobs after getting laid off in 2006. After using job boards to submit her resume, waiting potentially in between submissions, she had only received two interviews this year. Hiring managers barely have enough time to sleep, so they certainly can't spend hours reviewing resume's. In fact, the average employer spends less than thirty seconds on each resume.

]]>Dan Schawbel2010-10-04T13:45:00+00:00To Be a Specialist or Generalist? The Case for Eachhttp://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/09/08/specialist-or-generalist/http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/09/08/specialist-or-generalist/http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/09/08/specialist-or-generalist/#commentsA recent study by TalentDrive analyzed reactions to the current job market by 79,000 job seekers and 20,000 employers. The most interesting part of the study certainly wasn't that 71% of job seekers are pessimistic about their career search. We've all been a little doom and gloom about the economy, unemployment, and the tedious recruitment process. The most fascinating part of the study was why certain candidates weren't hired.

It turns out that 71% of hiring managers were looking to fill "specialized positions" while 61% of job seekers considered themselves to have "broad skill sets." The reason for this is most likely the fact that there are very few vacant positions right now that require a core skill focus. For instance, a company might be looking to hire a software programmer who has an advanced knowledge of C++, instead of just another software programmer. It's harder to fill a specialist position, but they are in more demand, so it's important to become an expert at something!

]]>specialistDan Schawbel2010-09-08T06:00:00+00:00