Anyone who has ever directed a hiring process knows it can be time-consuming. Add to that the cost of a bad hire, and the process of rehiring and retraining a new employee can cost you precious time and money. You need to get it right the first time. It’s hard to find quality applicants if… Read more »
Reaching New Heights by Challenging Yourself: Heather Back’s Job Search Story
Heather Back knows the discouragement and disappointment that comes from a long job search. Heather spent two years looking for the right job, and along the way she endured countless online applications, being told she was overqualified, and submitting her resume to ATS systems. Luckily, Heather’s long job search was worth the wait and she… Read more »
Oregon Equal Pay Act Compliance Guide for Employers
Women in the U.S. who work full-time, year-round are paid only 80 cents for every dollar made by their male counterparts. That’s the “average” white woman. Black women make only 63 cents and Hispanic women make 54 cents of what their white, male counterparts make. Equal Pay Day for Latinas, the day women finally catch… Read more »
The Top Marketing Events and Networking Organizations in Portland
I moved to Portland from Phoenix, Arizona, a while back. As a new resident of Portland, one challenge I faced was building my professional network from scratch. All of my professional contacts and career connections were in Arizona, where I graduated from college and worked professionally in marketing for most of my career. Luckily, Portland… Read more »
Volunteer Smarter: A Strategic Approach to Volunteering That Helps You Find a Job
According to one LinkedIn survey, 41% of employers said they consider volunteer experience to be as valuable as paid work experience. Also, 20% of hiring managers surveyed said they had made a hiring decision based on a candidate’s volunteer experience. Volunteering can impress future employers, help you make new connections, and give you a way… Read more »
Applying Strategically for New Positions: Fiona Gwozdz’s Job Search Story
Fiona Gwozdz searched the job market for three months and relied on a variety of resources throughout her job search. Her journey to this new job included a combination of networking events, LinkedIn outreach, and informational interviews. Fiona also implemented an additional, more creative strategy. She crafted an elevator pitch to share her career story effectively… Read more »
Improve Your Hiring Strategy by Asking These 6 Questions
You’re the hiring manager and you have a great position available, but you don’t seem to be attracting candidates. This can be frustrating, especially with the pressure to find someone who’s self-motivated, results-driven, highly skilled, and a good match for your company. This is no easy task, and with the current job market tipping in… Read more »
Capitalizing on Creativity to Stand Out: Miles Shattuck’s Job Search Story
Miles Shattuck spent six months searching for a job in his desired field of marketing & communications. When it came to standing out from the crowd, Miles developed a creative plan. He combined traditional job search tactics like volunteering and networking with innovative methods such as creating a video marketing campaign to spread awareness about… Read more »
Make a Business Case to Get a Flexible Schedule
Flexibility and work-life balance are the top two considerations for the majority of millennials when evaluating a job offer. And, although they might not be as vocal about it, older workers feel the same way about flexible schedules. There are a lot of factors contributing to the importance of flexibility. Research has found productivity drops significantly… Read more »
4 Steps for Clear Candidate Communications
You’ve optimized your job listing, streamlined your hiring process, and showcased your company story, but there’s one crucial part of the hiring process you may be overlooking. Clear communication with potential candidates is essential to ensure you’re attracting top talent and giving candidates a positive experience. Poor communication can be incredibly damaging to your organization’s… Read more »
Making a Mid-Career Transition: Nick Bradshaw’s Job Search Story
After working in a TV newsroom for over 15 years, Nick Bradshaw decided he was ready for a change. He found himself burnt out by the 24/7 news cycle and discovered a new career path through a friend: Android app coding. Nick decided to turn his side hobby into a full-time, paying job and found… Read more »
A Working Parent’s Guide to a Successful Job Search
It used to be pretty simple. You were either a “stay-at-home” parent or you worked outside the home. Roles tended to fall along gender lines and were clearly defined—one parent brought in the money, the other raised the children. Today, however, lives of working parents are rarely—if ever—defined. Perhaps you’re a new parent returning to… Read more »
Using Personal Planning to Find a Job: Sarah Esterman’s Job Search Story
Sarah Esterman started her job search with one overarching goal in mind: to land a digital marketing job by February of 2018. She followed a traditional path in her job search, but in the end, an unorthodox tactic helped her land a new job she loves. In this job search success story, Sarah shares how… Read more »
How Telling Your Company’s Story Can Attract Job Candidates
In today’s tight labor market, simply posting a job listing on a job board isn’t sufficient to attract top talent. Successful recruiting requires a multi-tiered approach, including the technology you use, the mechanics of your website, and the way your company empowers employee-based referrals. To reach the people you want to hire, you need to… Read more »
Asking for Feedback After an Interview: Wendy Polulech’s Job Search Story
Many job seekers go through the same cycle: they apply for a job, get an interview but then don’t make the cut and are not hired for the position. Wendy Polulech experienced this same cycle during her job search, but instead of getting discouraged, she reached out to the hiring manager who interviewed her to… Read more »
Change Your Career Future By Looking Back
You’ve come to a turning point in your career and your future is uncertain. You may know it’s time for a change but are not sure how to go about it, or even what you really want. You have a lingering feeling that whatever you’re doing right now just isn’t working, but in the midst… Read more »
Overcoming Ageism by Reframing Your Skills: Marc Mooney’s Job Search Story
Marc Mooney worked for years as a T.V. news correspondent in Washington D.C. covering the Capitol and the White House. Now, he works as a digital media specialist for The Historic Trust. Read how he navigated ageism and found new skills to find a job working in the nonprofit industry within a few months. What… Read more »
3 Simple Hacks to Find Talent in a Competitive Labor Market
If you’re involved in hiring, you know it’s gotten more and more difficult to find quality employees for your organization. Employment in the Pacific Northwest is reaching all-time highs, which is great in a lot of ways! But there’s a problem: many organizations are seeing a dip in the number of qualified candidates who apply… Read more »
Four Ways to Improve Your Summertime Office Policies
For many workplaces, summertime presents unique challenges: juggling vacations, employees managing their out-of-school kids, and keeping the dress code policy enforced. If you go into summer prepared and follow this guide, your summer office policies can make summer one of the best times of year for employees. It’s a time to refresh and recharge, redefine… Read more »
Play a Better Job Search Numbers Game to Get Great Results
In today’s technologically driven job market, it’s never been easier or quicker to apply for a position. It’s easier than ever to upload a resume and apply for dozens of jobs with one click. But with all this accessibility, many job searches still last months, and qualified professionals struggle to get noticed. That’s because the… Read more »
Building Relationships to Unlock New Positions: Connor Snashall’s Job Search Story
You’re probably used to hearing the age-old expression, “it’s all about who you know.” But did you know that by building relationships you can unlock new positions and find great opportunities at some of the most coveted companies in the nation? That’s how Connor Snashall found his job working for Nike. Read Connor’s job search… Read more »
What’s Your Professional Brand? Own Your Message for a Better Career
They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but we all do it. And, so do employers. It used to be that you’d walk into a room with your resume and wow an employer with your professionalism and charm. Now they get a first impression without ever meeting you. All it takes is typing… Read more »
Setting Goals To Find a Job Faster: Amanda Temby’s Job Search Story
Setting goals in your job search is an essential step to find the best opportunities through your network. Amanda Temby decided to move to Portland from another state, but at first she wasn’t sure where to start her job search. Connecting with her network, conducting informational interviews and having clear job goals helped Amanda to… Read more »
Building A Valuable Network: How To Keep in Touch with Professional Contacts
Professional networking can feel shallow when you meet people quickly at big events and never see them again. The key to building a valuable network is following up and investing in deeper connections with people. I know you’re thinking that you don’t have time to spend getting to know everyone you meet one-on-one. It’s true… Read more »
Approaching Job Hunting Like Advertising: Darol Ball’s Job Search Story
Your job search is unique. Every job seeker has their own unique value, target audience, desired position and unique skills. That’s why job seeking can be a lot like advertising a product and marketing yourself to potential employers. See how Darol Ball, registered radiologic technologist at Columbia Pain and Spine Institute applied this strategy to his job… Read more »
Local Insights: What’s Happening in Portland’s Job Market in 2018?
Whether you live in Portland, aspire to move here, or just watch the national news once in a while, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to you: Portland has one of the hottest job markets in the United States. Call it tight, call it competitive, or call it overblown, but everything I’m seeing in Portland… Read more »
How to Create a Better Candidate Experience To Serve Applicants and Your Business
“Thank you so much for the quick response and for letting me know!” – a candidate after I told them they didn’t get the job. Let’s be real: employers hold all the cards in the job search process. A job seeker can play everything in their hand strategically, but the employer is the House, and… Read more »
The Value of Networking and the Power of Career Coaching: Ginny Sorensen’s Story
Everyone faces their own challenges when job hunting and trying to determine their next move for their career. Ginny Sorensen is a management consultant for Propeller, a consulting firm with offices in Portland and San Francisco. Ginny reveals how she overcame the burn out and tiresome nature of the job-hunting experience. She shares how a combination… Read more »
What You Need to Know About Applicant Tracking Systems
If you’ve applied for a job online in the past decade, you’ve probably used an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Most employers – and up to 90% of large organizations – now use this technology to automate parts of their hiring process. And there’s plenty of mixed sentiment about whether automation helps or hurts in hiring…. Read more »
Using LinkedIn to Attract Attention, Explained: Zerline Hughes Spruill’s Job Search Story
Sometimes your dream job finds you. Zerline Hughes Spruill optimized her online presence, engaged on LinkedIn, and was contacted by a recruiter. After a two-month hiring process, she landed in a job she loves at an organization that aligns with her personal values. What do you do for a career? Who do you work for?… Read more »