Don't Say These Issues During Interviews

   Don't Say These Issues During Interviews

https://www.tiktok.com/@allanwritescareers/video/7335187801647975711

SPECIAL NOTE: I am now taking on speaking engagements to groups about the following subjects:

Resume Writing

Interviewing

Ageism in the Workplace

Career Management

ATS Best Practices

Job Search Strategies

as well as accepting invitations to critique resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles at trade shows, workshops, seminars and various other events. Please contact me via ajbresumes@gmail.com or 415.519.9659 for more details.

+++++

www.allan-brown.com

My LI Profile - https://lnkd.in/gshNVy5

Interview Tip -

  Interview Tip - Prepare Your STAR Responses: Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure responses to behavioral questions, which focus on specific past experiences.

Instagram - How to tell a new employer about a pre-planned vacation.

  Instagram - How to tell a new employer about a pre-planned vacation.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DIMBE1pszJR/

More TikTok - Interviewing

   More TikTok - Interviewing

https://www.tiktok.com/@allanwritescareers/video/7323779558568774942

+++++

SPECIAL NOTE: I am now taking on speaking engagements to groups about the following subjects:

Resume Writing

Interviewing

Ageism in the Workplace

Career Management

ATS Best Practices

Job Search Strategies

as well as accepting invitations to critique resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles at trade shows, workshops, seminars and various other events. Please contact me via ajbresumes@gmail.com for more details.

More TikTok - LinkedIn

  More TikTok - LinkedIn

 https://lnkd.in/gV787bGc

SPECIAL NOTE: I am now taking on speaking engagements to groups about the following subjects:

Resume Writing

Interviewing

Ageism in the Workplace

Career Management

ATS Best Practices

Job Search Strategies

as well as accepting invitations to critique resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles at trade shows, workshops, seminars and various other events. Please contact me via ajbresumes@gmail.com or 415.519.9659 for more details.

The perfect fit

 The perfect fit - honestly, it does not exist...

What is the 70 rule of hiring?

The 70-30 hiring rule is straightforward: hire candidates who meet 70% of the job requirements. The remaining 30% consists of skills or traits that can be developed after hiring through onboarding, mentoring, or on-the-job training.
++++++++++++++++++++++++

The leads to a posting that I send to all clients:

Job Search Tip - Do not take job posting as being 100% accurate

One of the biggest mistakes job candidates make is disqualifying themselves because they do not meet EVERY requirement in the job description. While certain requirements truly do matter, many qualifications are more of a "wish list" than a mandatory qualification.

Key point - if you can demonstrate that you have the experience and wherewithal to do the job, then apply without hesitation.

Definition: Social Engineer

 Definition: Social Engineer (as related to online predators (in this case, recruiters who contact job seekers out of the blue):

A social engineer is someone who uses psychological manipulation and deception to trick people into divulging confidential information, granting access to systems, or performing actions that compromise security. Unlike traditional hackers who exploit technical vulnerabilities in software, social engineers exploit inherent human behaviors and emotions, such as trust, curiosity, fear, and the desire to be helpful. 

FOR JOB SEEKERS: If you are contacted by a recruiter unprovoked, do the following:

1. "Google" the name of the recruiter. If there are no results are limited results, the recruiter is a "social engineer"

2. Check to see if the email is from a company domain. If it from a "gmail or hotmail domain, it is likely a social engineer

3. If the sender indicates a company, "google the company". If there is not website, it is properly a fake.

If it seems suspicious, then it probably suspicious. Delete and block immediately.

More TikTok - Cover Letters:

 More TikTok - Cover Letters:

 https://www.tiktok.com/@allanwritescareers/video/7314018188499373342

Job Market Issues: College Grads

 Job Market Issues: College Grads

A college degree has long been one of the most reliable guards against unemployment. That shield may be breaking, a new Goldman Sachs analysis argues.

The unemployment rate for workers with a bachelor's degree or higher climbed to 2.8% in December, up from 2.6% a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While still below the national unemployment rate of 4.4%, college-educated workers are facing an increasingly unfavorable labor market compared with other groups.

From 2023 to 2025, industries that employ the largest shares of college graduates, including information services, finance, and professional and business services, shed an average of 9,000 jobs per month, according to the analysis by Goldman Sachs economist Jessica Rindels. Before the pandemic, those same industries added 44,000 jobs per month.

A strong labor market and fast-paced hiring in 2021 to 2022 led to low unemployment rates—particularly in fields that mainly hire college graduates. However, in recent years, hiring has stalled, with employers halting hiring or firing workers, essentially locking many college graduates, and especially young college graduates, out of the labor market.

Source: Goldman Sachs

Factors that have Created this Whacky Job Market - Q1 2026 - Layoffs / Company Restructuring / Overhiring from 2020-2022

 Factors that have Created this Whacky Job Market - Q1 2026 - Layoffs / Company Restructuring / Overhiring from 2020-2022

Following a period of aggressive hiring during and immediately after the pandemic, couple with artificial intelligence (AI) penetration into daily job functions, many companies have adopted a cautious strategy to hiring, leading to longer interview cycles and fewer openings for roles.  In addition, layoffs in sectors like tech and logistics have contributed to a fear-driven market, lengthening hiring cycles and creating log jams in many companies, creating "job hugging" and lack of movement. 

Job Market News - Job Growth - Jan 2026

 Job Market News - Job Growth - Jan 2026

• The U.S. economy added 130,000 jobs in January, marking its strongest growth in over a year and exceeding analyst expectations.  Job growth in January was concentrated in healthcare and social assistance, while other sectors like transportation and government cut jobs.

• Important to note that job growth in January is always strong due to calendar year budgets kicking in January 1st, allowing companies that are fiscally responsible to fill jobs.  The job market actually, in my opinion, under performed due to social and geopolitical factors (Minnesota; Venezuela; Iran respectfully), all of which affect the job market (do not dismiss my last statement - factors that affect national security, societal insecurities, environmental issues, tragic current events all have ramifications in the job market - most negative and result in either / or longer hiring cycles / slow growth / company pullbacks on spending.  

More about issues that affect the job market in my future posts this week.