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    Jobseekersadvice.com

     
    http://www.jobseekersadvice.com/index.htm
    A free Web site dispensing personal and personable advice to jobseekers.
    10/4/2004

    Anyone who has been in the job market knows there are tons of great Web sites from Monster to Yahoo that offer top-notch information about jobs and how to get them. Do we really need another?

    The fact is, jobseekersadvice.com is a quirky piece of work that was started in 2002 by Scott Boyd, a European Web designer and poor speller. Boyd says he kept seeing the same questions asked on job boards such as "How do I find a job?" "How do I get experience?" and "Where do I go from here?" He decided to create a site to answer those basic questions.

    Although you won't find job listings here, you will find articles from a wide range of contributors as well as discussion boards that offer advice on career management, job hunting strategies, designing a resume, handling the job interview, recruitment agencies, training, and working abroad.

    The advice given is both down-to-earth and personal. For example, what's the best tie style and color to wear to a job interview, and what's the best tie knot to help you win that job? The answer: silk, plain-colored, four-in-hand knot.

    In a piece on how to improve your salesmanship, Richard Boyd (no relation to Scott) admits his failures and has two blown sales opportunities to show for it.

    "The calls came in, I took both of them, and I made the following mistakes:

    • I was engrossed in a different client's problem.
    • I was barely listening to what they said; within seconds I knew what they needed, so I switched off.
    • I even forgot one of the caller's first names, I was so preoccupied.
    • I was reading some data on a PC monitor whilst I was on the phone.
    • I told them what they needed, rather than listen and explain what the options and subsequent benefits would be.

    I suck, big time. In five years I have become so engrossed in the ins and outs of my profession that I have forgotten what selling is all about."

    It's that first person, "stumbling through" approach of many of the articles here, especially the ones penned by Boyd, that makes jobseekersadvice.com a worthwhile escape from big career sites. — Sean Silverthorne

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