Now that you have your degree and have put your career into motion, how do you keep it in motion? Why, networking of course! You can find mentors and career growth opportunities just by keeping in touch with the people you’ve met over the course of your career. Networking doesn’t have to be a business card grab-game with sweaty palms and awkward elevator speeches. It’s the 21st Century and time to update your definition of networking with these five ways to…

**This Guest Post originally appeared on March 24th at akraya.com/blog**

In 2012, popular job board and employment advice website, CareerBuilder.com, conducted a survey in an attempt to determine just how much a bad hire can cost an organization. Of the employers that responded to the survey, 69% said that their companies had been "adversely affected" by poor…

Job seekers often spend a great deal of time perfecting their resumes. While there is no doubt that a professional resume is an essential component of the job search process, a well-crafted cover letter is equally important but often neglected. Cover letters can reflect a side of you that your resume simply can't portray. For example, when executed well, a cover letter can demonstrate your work ethic and attention to detail. Regardless of how impressive your…

When reviewing job postings, most candidates focus on the required skills listing as these identifiers truly make-or-break eligibility for a position. Therefore, before even beginning a job search, and definitely before applying, it is beneficial to review and research your personal skill set in conjunction with employment roles and positions that the current job market demands. By taking this initiative, a prospective candidate can be advantageous in…

Looking for a new job can be an exciting and rewarding experience. The very thought of landing a new opportunity breeds optimism; most job seekers look forward to the fresh start a new role brings. But what if the job search doesn't go as planned? What if days of job seeking quickly turn into weeks with no offers? What if weeks then lead to months of fruitless searching? For many job seekers, this is an all too common scenario that often leads to a sense of…

If you are lucky, your organization has one or more full-time trainers who handle the process of collecting and sharing skill update and development resources. An organized trainer stores all documents, websites and physical training aids in a central location and can easily find these resources upon request. Getting your hands on many kinds of job-related information is just a matter of asking the trainer.

It's never too soon to consult your company…

It's no secret that bad hires are costly to organizations. The expenses associated with recruiting, hiring, and training replacement employees are often significant. The expenses aren't only monetary either. Bad hires are also costly in terms of employee morale and productivity. Yet, even the most seasoned hiring managers and HR professionals make bad hires…

Consultants play an important part in growing businesses by providing expertise and experience. But in order for consultants to really make an impact in the company, they need to feel like they are more than an outsider doing temporary work. Here are some tips for making consultants feel like part of the team.

1. Make it clear who the consultant is working with

There's nothing worse for a consultant than to come in…

What exactly stands out in a candidate interview? Is it their style? Their flair? Or their ability to fit well into the company culture? Perhaps it’s all of these things - but for the person responsible for selecting the right candidate for the job, the interviewing radar must go far beyond detecting basic qualities of a candidate.

While there are many signs that can safely be ignored during the interview process due to nervousness, here are 5…

It may not always be an easy feat, but learning how to spot a lie can be a very helpful skill to have - especially in a position of leadership and at the interview table. People can control their words, but often times, they are not able to control the automated responses their body conveys when they lie. Here are three "tells" that could indicate that a person is not being…

Congratulations! You’ve landed the interview, now it’s time to nail it!

Preparation is vital to creating a lasting impression that positions you to receive a follow-up call. One of the things you want to focus on is ensuring you ask questions that not only extract valuable information, but also show that you are serious about the job.

The right questions…

Employees are an important part of a company. They have direct access to customer streams, they define the workflow and are responsible for overall success. Without great employees, business would fail.

Usually, the focus on employees revolves around their performance, benefits and pay. But take it from a company that has been awarded the Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in the Bay Area; it’s not enough. Here…

One of the most maddening questions ever to come out of the interview process is "What is your greatest accomplishment?" This question is uncomfortable for a number of reasons. You might be afraid of giving the interviewer a wrong answer, or you don’t feel particularly accomplished in your current…

It's easy for job candidates to sit through an interview and feel as though they are on an unequal footing with the hiring manager. This is sometimes due to their own anxiety or their preconceived notions about how the interview will go. At other times, their anxiety directly relates to the hiring manager conducting the interview. Here are three tips to ensure that interviews look more like a conversation than an interrogation. Spotting a bad interview is a…

KEEPING IT REAL: A DEAR RECRUITING RAYA QUESTION

Dear Recruiting Raya: I want to make money. It's the only reason I'm looking for a job. Do I have to lie and say something else when they ask me?

As I always say, “never lie.” The short answer to your question is “no.”

I would argue, though, that you might want to change your perspective before you hit your next interview. Employers already know that you…

You've found the perfect Job – it fits your salary requirements, puts you on the right career path, seems like an excellent place to work – but then you scroll down and read the qualification requirements only to find out you're not exactly what they're looking for. Job descriptions aren’t typically written with the specific intent of being…

Most people find that negotiating salaries is a daunting task. It can be intimidating and uncomfortable to sit down with the boss and talk money. But inaction will accomplish nothing and you may miss out on an opportunity to increase your income. With a little preparation and a can-do attitude, negotiating your salary doesn't have to be such a…

Java has been around for two decades, and it's still one of the most widely used languages for server-side development. The skills of twenty years ago won't help youremployment prospects, though; you have to keep up on the latest technologies.

Mandatory skills include Maven and Git. Ant is old…

You've written a great cover letter and resume and nailed an in-person interview. "We'll be contacting your references," your interviewer tells you. Do you feel confident you know what your references will say?

Your job references are just as important as your resume,…

We're already half-way through the year. How's that New Years Resolution panning out? Are you eating healthier, exercising more or successfully eliminating a bad habit or two? One set of resolutions too often overlooked are New Year’s Career Resolutions. Whether you're getting your resolutions back on track or hitting the treadmill at the gym, here are a few New Career’s Resolutions to ponder in 2016.

Update…