If you look around you, it doesn't take long before you can begin to notice others around you engaging in some kind of self improvement activity. If we want to look younger, we diet. If we want to feel younger, we exercise. To add culture to our lives, we might learn a second language or listen to classical music. These are all worth while self improvement activities we can participate in; however it can be shown that an increase number of Americans are continuing their education after high school. Some are returning to the online classroom after an absence of several years in order to enhance or change their career.

There are many people today from all walks of life who are getting an online college degree from home. Dollar for dollar, an online college degree or post graduate work pays off. The quickest way to give yourself a raise is to receive your certification in an area in which you are all ready working. Examples where board certification is pertinent include technical and vocational fields to name a few.

Sometimes an online college degree is very necessary in these instances. In some cases you have previously learned the information required of you for these various certifications, but will need the necessary degree in order to advance in your particular field.

So, let's discuss possible uses of a college degree via distance education. Many who are presently working in technical and vocational fields enroll in online courses to restructure and enhance their careers, and receive additional certification status.

Examples of this occur on an on-going basis. A thirty year old immigrant from South America began working as a nurse's aid, and is presently in her second semester of training from home at an online college.

A 50 year old white male enrolled in an online technical college to study electronics when the factory in which he had worked moved to Mexico early last year.

During a downsizing exercise at a psychiatric facility in Missouri, an education staff member returned to an online virtual classroom to gain continuing units of education, and add a minor to her present degree.

Thus, you can see with the use of those brief examples that continuing education can be useful as well as critical to your intellectual growth base.

An online college degree is more important than ever for several reasons.

1. Employers feel that we are presently in an employer's market. This means that they can be more selective in individuals they hire.

2. Jobs that glean more pay are more specialized. Specialized jobs require more training/education. This is true because these jobs require the manipulation of facts, figures, and/or technology which is often times sensitive, adaptive, or computerized.

3. Our current jobs in the U.S. are becoming more and more service oriented. These jobs have relatively low pay and our labeled unskilled work. Thus, one must retool to prepare his or her self to obtain a job requiring more skill and offering more pay.

4. Finally, we have entered a global economy. Such an economy demands higher prices for homes and automobiles without providing numerous gainful employment opportunities.

How do you know if an online college degree is for you? First, if you lack a high school diploma, a college degree is a must. High school non-graduates make 25% less than starting salary employees with a high school education.

Secondly, you may presently hold a position that would pay you more if you held a degree from an online technical school or online community college. You may know this information from coworkers or acquaintances in your line of work.

Thirdly, if you are considered a non-traditional student. Financial incentives are available to attract such students. So if you could be described as a non-traditional or a minority student, smaller financial payout is a good incentive to continue your education.

Check out an online college degree portal and invest in your future. Give yourself a raise.

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Human Resources personnel, professional recruiters and various other career experts all agree: one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a job interview is to anticipate questions, develop your answers, and practice, practice, practice.

There are plenty of websites that offer lists of popular job interview questions, and knowing the types of questions to expect can be very useful. But knowing how to answer those questions can mean the difference between getting the job and getting the "reject letter."

HOW TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

First, know these important facts:

1. There is no way to predict every question you will be asked during a job interview. In other words, expect unexpected questions--they'll come up no matter how much preparation you do.

2. Treat any sample answers you find, such as in discussion forums, books or on Internet job sites, as GUIDES only. Do not use any sample answers word for word! Interviewers can spot "canned" answers a mile away, and if they suspect you are regurgitating answers that are not your own, you can kiss that job goodbye. You must apply your own experiences, personality and style to answer the questions in your own way. This is crucial, and it will give you a big advantage over candidates who simply recite sample answers.

3. Job interview questions are not things to fear, they are OPPORTUNITIES TO EXCEL. They allow you to show why you are the best person for the job, so instead of dreading them, look forward to them! The key is to give better answers than anyone else, and that's where your preparation comes in.

Now, take these actions:

1. Make a list of your best "selling points" for the position. What qualifications, skills, experience, knowledge, background, personality traits do you possess that would apply to this particular job? Write them down and look for opportunities to work them into your answers.

2. In addition to any sample job interview questions you find through various resources, you absolutely must develop your OWN list of probable questions based specifically on the job for which you are applying. Put yourself in the hiring manager's shoes… what kinds of questions would you ask to find the best person for this job?

3. Write down your answers to likely questions. Study the job announcement carefully. (If you don't have one, get one!) Note the phrases they use when describing the desired qualifications. You'll want to target these as much as possible when developing your answers. For example, if the announcement says they want someone with "strong customer service skills," make sure you include "strong customer service skills" in at least one of your answers. That will make a better impression than saying "I helped customers."

4. Review and edit your answers until you feel they are "just right." Read them over and over until you are comfortable that you know them fairly well. Don't try to memorize them; don't worry about remembering every word. Practice saying them out loud. If possible, have a friend help you rehearse for the interview.

Be A (Short) Story Teller

Make use of this old marketing tip: "Facts tell but stories sell." During a job interview, you are selling yourself. Whenever possible, answer questions with a short story that gives specific examples of your experiences. Notice I said "short." You don't want to ramble or take up too much time; you want to be brief but still make your point.

For example, imagine two people interviewing for a job as a dog groomer are asked, "Have you ever dealt with aggressive dogs?" Candidate Joe answers, "Yes, about 10% of the dogs I've groomed had aggressive tendencies." Candidate Mary answers, "Oh yes, quite often. I remember one situation where a client brought in his Pit Bull, Chomper. He started growling at me the moment his owner left, and I could tell from his stance he wasn't about to let me get near his nails with my clippers. I think he would've torn my arm off if I hadn't used the Schweitzer Maneuver on him. That calmed him down right away and I didn't have any problems after that." (NOTE: I know nothing about dog grooming; I made the Schweitzer Maneuver up for illustrative purposes.)

Don't you agree that Mary's answer is better? Sure, Joe answered the question, but Mary did more than that--she gave a specific example and told a quick story that will be remembered by the interviewers.

In today's job market where there are dozens of highly qualified candidates for each opening, anything you do that will make you stand out and be remembered will greatly increase your odds of getting hired.

Keep the Interviewer's Perspective in Mind; Answer His "What's in it for Me?" Question

While many questions asked during job interviews appear to focus on your past accomplishments, here's an important tip: they may be asking about what you did in the past, but what they really want to know is what you can do NOW, for THEM.

The key is to talk about your past accomplishments in a way that shows how they are RELEVANT to the specific job for which you are interviewing. Doing advance research about the company (such as at their website or at www.hoovers.com) and the position will be extremely helpful.

Here's another example with Joe and Mary. The interviewer asks, "What is the most difficult challenge you've faced, and how did you overcome it?" Joe answers with, "In one job I was delivering pizzas and I kept getting lost. By the time I'd find the address, the pizza would be cold, the customer would be unhappy, and my boss was ready to fire me. I overcame this problem by purchasing a GPS navigation device and installing it in my car. Now I never get lost!" Mary answers, "In my current job at Stylish Hounds, management ran a special promotion to increase the number of customers who use the dog-grooming service. It was a bit too successful because we suddenly had more customers than we could handle. Management would not hire additional groomers to help with the workload. Instead of turning customers away or significantly delaying their appointments, I devised a new grooming method that was twice as fast. Then I developed a new work schedule. Both efforts maximized productivity and we were able to handle the increased workload effectively without upsetting our customers."

Joe's answer shows initiative and commitment (he bought that GPS gadget with his own money, after all). But Mary's answer relates specifically to the job they are applying for (dog groomer). And Mary had done research about the company and discovered it was about to significantly expand it's dog-grooming operations. So she picked an example from her past that addressed an issue the interviewer was likely to apply to a future situation in his company. See the difference?

Here's one more example. Joe and Mary are asked, "What's your greatest accomplishment?" Joe answers, "I won two Olympic Gold Medals during the 2000 Olympics in the high-jump competition." Mary answers, "I was named Stylish Hounds's Dog Groomer of the Year in 2003 for increasing productivity in my section by 47%."

Joe's accomplishment is pretty spectacular. But remember the interviewer's perspective. He might be impressed, but he's thinking "What's in it for me? What does being a world-class high-jumper four years ago have to do with helping me to increase sales in my dog-grooming department?" Mary's answer is much less spectacular than Joe's, but it's relevant to the position and indicates that she has what it takes to be successful in this particular job. It tells the interviewer, "I have what you're looking for; I can help you with your specific needs."

Looks like Mary has a new job!

Do Not Lie

Last but not least, tell the truth. It's sometimes very tempting to "alter" the truth a bit during a job interview. For instance, say you quit instead of being fired. But the risk of being discovered as a liar far outweighs the potential benefit of hiding the truth.

If you are thinking about telling a lie during the interview, ask yourself these questions (this technique has helped me make many major decisions): "What is the BEST thing that could happen? What is the WORST thing that could happen? Is the best thing WORTH RISKING the worst thing?" In this instance, the best thing would be getting the job. The worst thing would be getting discovered as a liar, which could lead to getting fired, which could lead to unemployment, which could lead to more job searching, which could lead to another interview, which could lead to the stress of deciding whether to lie about just getting fired, and so on… a cycle that can go on indefinitely. Is all that worth getting the one job, perhaps on a temporary basis?

Always consider the consequences of your actions.

In Summary, Here's What You Need To Do When Preparing To Answer Job Interview Questions:

1. Study the job announcement.

2. Research the company.

3. Anticipate likely questions.

4. Prepare answers to those questions that are relevant to the position and the company.

5. Promote your best "selling points" (relevant qualifications, capabilities, experience, personality traits, etc.) by working them into your answers.

6. Practice. Practice. Practice.

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Jobs in speech writing are amongst the most difficult to find, but are much sought after. In many cases, the subjects that will deliver them will want to find expert advice on what to say, how to say it, and how to make themselves look good through it. You will not start out with a job in speech writing for the President, though. You will start at a much lower level and work your way up. While many people do not like to give speeches, even fewer people like to write their own. That means that there are some great opportunities out there for those looking. But, where do you look and how do you find them? What qualifications are needed anyway? Well, the qualifications for speech writing jobs are fairly basic. You will need to be able to write in the right tone or in the right style. For some this will be a in sales pitch type style. Others will be providing a lot of information. In any case, you'll need a variety of skills in different arenas. You will also need to have a good working knowledge of the field in which you plan to write. In some cases, this might be challenging. You'll need to be able to research what is needed as well.

Not only will you write for these jobs, but you will need to sell the person involved. You will need to be able to give the person the right words and the right information in order to get the message across, in one way or another. Freelance employment in this field is probably sought after. People prefer to work with an individual rather than a large company. To find job vacancies in the field, you can present yourself directly to the people you want to write for. Jobs will be available online as well, but rarely will they be the big catch. Go directly to the individuals that you think you can benefit in your specialized areas. You'll get speech writing jobs when you establish yourself as an expert in the field and a good writer.

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This week's job searching tip deals with gaps in employment on your resume. If, by looking at your resume, an interviewer can see an obvious gap between recent jobs, their perception of what that gap means could hurt your chances of being considered for a job. This week's tip discusses strategies for dealing with these gaps.

QUESTION FROM A SUBSCRIBER:
What is the best way to handle being away from the job market for an extended period of time (over 2 years) both on the resume and in interviews? My absence was due to medical/psychological difficulties and I want to be honest, but discrete. Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

-- T.G..

Dear T.G.,
If an employment gap is short or occurred several years ago, most employers and recruiters won't notice and you probably don't need to bring it up unless they do. However in your case, it sounds like the gap is noticeable. There are several ways you can deal with the situation.

USING A FUNCTIONAL RESUME

A solution many resume writers would recommend is to use a functional resume instead of a chronological one. This can work if you have a complex job where you have achieved many things in various areas. For example, a programmer who has worked with several technologies could legitimately use a functional resume, dividing up the resume by technologies worked with instead of time periods. This can also work with other technical professions like engineers, attorneys, etc. If the work you do is rather straightforward and you work with a fairly limited range of skills, using a functional resume could make it seem like you're trying to hide your dates of employment.

If you do use a functional resume, many people looking at it will still want to know what kinds of companies you've worked for and what the most recent employer's line of business was. You can deal with this by including a note above your list of experiences indicating the most recent employer's name, location and line of business. In this same section you can list other employer names and lines of business you have worked in.

INCLUDING AN EXPLANATION OF THE GAP

Another approach is to include an explanation of the gap on the resume itself. This makes sense to do if using a functional resume instead of a chronological one would seem odd because your profession doesn't lend itself to such a resume format. It's also important to note that most people reading resumes prefer the chronological format. If you have a legitimate story as to why you have a gap in your employment dates that most people could sympathize with and understand easily, just being forthright and listing it on your resume is fine.

If you have a noticeable gap in employment dates but don't explain it on your resume, many recruiters will either just discard your resume and move on to the next one, or come up with their own theory about why you weren't working. Although you might still be considered for the job, the recruiter's (probably false and somewhat subconscious) story about why you weren't working could put you at a disadvantage in their mind compared to other candidates they're considering.

If you had a medical condition that has since been resolved completely or nearly completely, my sense is you're better off explaining that briefly on the resume instead of not mentioning anything at all. For example:
Dec 2002 to Nov 2004: Took sabbatical from work to deal with a medical problem. The issue has been completely resolved and the doctors feel it will not reoccur.

If it's a minor problem that most people could understand, like a problem with back pain, you could even bring it up in the interview. An employer might not feel comfortable bringing up the subject - especially because if they asked about it, it could look like they were discriminating against you illegally - but if you think you can make them feel more comfortable with the fact that the problem has been solved by explaining it, you could give it a try. The biggest concern an employer will have about a gap in employment is whether it is any indication of your likely future performance.

If it was a medical problem, they could be concerned that it could happen again and that they'd be stuck with having to find a replacement for you. If you don't provide any explanation, the employer might think you couldn't find a job and were unemployed because your skills were not up to par.

I would recommend leaving out the psychological aspect since psychological illnesses are rarely understood by the general public.

Another alternative would be if you did some other things during your time off which could be mentioned while leaving out the part about the medical condition. For example, if you spent more time with your kids, you could put down:

Dec 2002 to Present: Left work to spend more time with children. Children are now older and I'm ready to return to the workforce.

The bottom line is you're best off having some kind of story to tell that the employer will find palatable. You don't want to tell an outright lie, but you may want to emphasize certain things more than others depending on what you find gets the most favorable response (in terms of replies to resumes and in interviews).

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Your CV is a gateway to getting an interview for that ideal job. It is your opportunity to provide a good first impression but you only have two sides of A4 paper in which to do it. It is not surprising then that most people have trouble getting started.

Firstly, you need to know what the employer is thinking.

The employer suddenly has a vacancy. Filling the vacancy is going to take up valuable time that he would rather spend doing his normal job.

He would love to find the perfect person immediately rather than plough through hundreds of CV's. It is often a dull, thankless task.

The employer has a job description in front of him. It includes experience or qualifications that are essential for the job and some attributes that are desirable but not absolutely necessary.

He starts going through the pile of CV's on his desk. He scans each one for about 30 seconds and makes a judgement.

He simply hasn't got time to read the CV that is more than two pages and all the relevant information is hidden in long paragraphs. - He files it in the bin.

Fancy formatting, coloured text or multiple fonts do not impress him. Is this person trying to hide their lack of experience for the job behind an artistic CV? - He files it in the bin.

He notices spelling mistakes and poor punctuation. This person is just sloppy! - He files the CV in the bin.

He breaths a sigh of relief, the pile on his desk is smaller already. He makes another coffee and then starts reading............................

This should tell you a few things about writing your CV.

Keep it concise and to the point. The employer needs to see your work experience, skills and achievements in the first 30 seconds of scanning your CV.

He knows what he is looking for. You have what he is looking for. Don't distract him from your relevant skills by adding in lots of unnecessary information.

Keep it simple. Plain formatting, simply laid out under headings. The employer wants to see exactly when, where and what you have done. Fancy formatting makes your CV difficult to read. It may make your CV stand out from the rest but for the wrong reasons.

Keep checking your english. Good spelling, punctuation and grammar are essential. It is the first step in your personal presentation to an employer. It says a lot about you. Also, poor english distracts the employer from reading the content of your CV.

Now the content:

Contact details should be displayed on the first page. When he decides to invite you to interview you want him to see immediately how to contact you before he changes his mind!

Personal details should be limited to those that are absolutely necessary. Most employers expect to see your nationality and date of birth but you can choose to leave these out if you think they may go against you.

Other personal details such as number of dependents, driving license and marital status can be included if it is not going to make your CV too long by including them. These can help employers to get a rounded picture of the person they are going to interview. Do not include names and ages of children or name of spouse. The employer is not interested at this stage.

Interests can be included but only in one or two lines. It may provide a starting point at interview for general conversation before getting down to serious questions about your work experience. It also gives a rounded picture of you without taking up too much space on the CV.

Profile is positioned prominently in your CV and should be used to sell yourself in one paragraph. It is an opportunity to sum up your skills, experience and general suitability for the job for which you are applying.

Career History or Work Experience. The heading you use depends on the length of time you have been in fulltime employment. If you have recently left school or university you should use the heading 'Work Experience' and include all placements, paid and unpaid work. If you have been in fulltime employment for the last two jobs this should be under the heading of 'Career History'. Do not use both headings in the CV. Whichever heading you use you must include dates, name and location of company and a brief description of what your job entailed including all the positive contributions you made to the company.

Education should be described in terms of selling yourself to the employer. Include all relevant courses, dates passed and name of school or college. But, leave out poor grades and failures. These will not help you get invited for interview.

If you have a university degree you can leave out all of your lower qualifications. Mature applicants may want to leave out 'Education' altogether, as your career history and skills are probably more important.

Skills can be described under three headings: Technical Skills, Professional Courses and Additional Skills. Technical skills are those related to a technical, mechanical or engineering job. You need to list your skills and how recently you have used them e.g. Java Programming used in the last 3 years. Professional Courses are those that you have attended specifically for a particular job e.g. sales courses, hairdressing. Additional skills are anything else that may be relevant e.g. languages, keyboard skills, health and safety courses.

Finally: Make it easy for him!

Remember, the employer has very little time. He doesn't know you yet and is only interested in what you can offer him and his company.

Make it easy for him to:

Scan your CV,

Identify that you have the skills he is looking for.

Pick up the phone to invite you in for an interview.

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