Tuesday, September 22, 2026

The Inherent Controversy with the H1B Visa Program

The Inherent Controversy with the H1B Visa Program


Employers of workers with H1B Visas are required to pay the visa holder the "prevailing wage" for the position held, no matter the incumbent.  However, critics of the program advocate that companies widely misuse the program, compensating foreign workers less than American counterparts in similar roles, thereby lowering overall wages for American workers. 


I would like to here opinions or about experiences that any one you have read about / heard about or experienced directly about the H1B. 

Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ)

Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ)

By federal law (42 U.S. Code § 2000e-2) allows for an employer to discriminate against employees and potential employees "on the basis of his religion, sex, or national origin in those certain instances where religion, sex, or national origin is a BFOQ reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise." For example, a bona fide occupational qualification could be made that a priest must be Catholic. Race and color, however, are never bona fide occupational qualifications. 


What the statute above does not elaborate on is that unless you are a model, actor / actress, etc., no matter good looking you may be, it is not a BFOQ for employment. In fact, many employers will automatically disqualify a candidate if a picture is on the resume.


In short, keep your picture off the resume.


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Monday, September 21, 2026

What Are the Criteria that AI Review Tools Examine - Repost

What Are the Criteria that AI Review Tools Examine

These AI tools evaluate resumes and "suggest" missing industry buzzwords and skill requirements, as listed in targeted job listings.  In addition, the tools will identify content where KPIs and other numerical / qualitative data is need to improve presentation and successes.

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily)

Friday, September 18, 2026

Bad Advice to Job Hunters

Bad Advice to Job Hunters 

Here is some really bad advice:

Listen to people who tell you to write your resume with ChatGPT.  

Why do you write this Allan?  Well, I was on an online forum and somebody offered this advice to a frustrated job seekers.  Sad thing is, it was not done tongue-in-cheek.

1. Hiring managers can ID AI-generated resumes from 10 miles away.  They do not like it.

2. Unless the candidate changes the resume to customize the document to the targeted job, the resume will get rejected by the ATS, let alone hiring managers

3. ChatGPT cannot customize resumes to the job description, no matter how how input is given.

While they may be trying to help, they are just hurting you.  Need more information about why this is bad, message me.

Thursday, September 17, 2026

Job Hunting Scams - - - Upfront Fees and Payment Requests

 

 Job Hunting Scams - - -  Upfront Fees and Payment Requests


Scammers often lure job seekers with seemingly legitimate opportunities but insist on upfront payments for training, specialized software, or essential equipment. Once the payment is made, the promised items never arrive, and the job offer turns out to be fake.


In some cases, these schemes disguise themselves as multilevel marketing (MLM) opportunities or remote roles requiring special tools.


Remember: Real employers will never ask you to pay to start a job.


Source: Flex Jobs

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Instagram - Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) - use of Zip Code

Instagram - Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) - use of Zip Code


https://www.instagram.com/p/C30nfyOR1SX/

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Instagram - Networking

   Instagram - Networking


 https://www.instagram.com/allanbrownresume/reel/DGriN_eRKAe/

Monday, September 7, 2026

Instagram - The Reject Letter

 Instagram - The Reject Letter 

This is refreshing and funny! I enjoy watching Erin!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DL2pDbEsIZK/

Friday, September 4, 2026

More Instagram: Neurotic Worker with a Good Boss

 More Instagram: Neurotic Worker with a Good Boss

Instagram: This is refreshing and funny! I enjoy watching Erin!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DL2pDbEsIZK/

Thursday, September 3, 2026

As related to my last post of Deepfakes - The Playing Field MUST CHANGE or this Unethical Behavior Will Continue

As related to my last post of Deepfakes - The Playing Field MUST CHANGE or this Unethical Behavior Will Continue.  Here is the solution:


  A New Way for Creating Better Job Search Experiences for Employers and Job Seekers

(A bit provocative but nonetheless important to think about).

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) has changed the game drastically for job search and online applications.  The majority of the resumes fall into a black hole. The “black hole” is real, and it hurts everyone:

1.       The overwhelming number of candidates have no understanding of why this happens.  ATS creates mistrust, deception and stress, not to mention bewilderment

2.       Employers do not have the best candidates in the talent pool because most resumes are not ATS compliant. The interview process ends up being inefficient, ineffective, often resulting in “bad hires,” which are costly to the employer.

3.       With 100+ ATS systems used in the United States, there are no standards; each system has its own criteria. The status quo simply does not work.

Given the statements above, when a high school student applies for college, he/she pays a non-refundable application fee to the school.  The fee is not put towards tuition, housing, books, etc. However, in return, the student gets a response (verbally or written).  (Please continue – the rationale will fall into place).

In the world of ATS, the candidate gets an auto-response “or ghosted” if the resume ATS score is does not meet the algorithm’s requirements for qualification.

Here is my idea:

Let’s create a system where the candidate and employer both have “skin in the game”:

1.       The candidate is required to pay $10 via a digital payment platform of the company’s choice to submit a resume and cover letter under the auspice that the employer will provide a verbal response back indicating reasons for rejection or better yet, offering timeslots for a phone interview?


2.       The company begins the hiring process and chooses who they deem as the best candidate.

3.       The company does not keep the money.  The money is donated to the candidate’s (or company’s) charity of choice.

4.       The company also releases an internal memo / social media announcement stating that they have hired <name> and that <$xxx> were donated to <name of charity>.

Example:
Casa Way Associates, the parent company of Resumes by Allan Brown, is proud to announce that Saundra B. Zoe has accepted an offer to become the firm’s new project manager.  Saundra, a graduate of the Northern Lights University with an MS in Lighting Technology brings a wealth of experience managing technology based programs and is excited for her start date of May 15).  Saundra is a dog lover and the $560 that the firm collected as part of the process will be donated to the City of Malvern’s ASPCA.

Get the picture…?

As a candidate, you need to make an investment in your job search as opposed to "spray and pray".  For the company, better candidates, faster turnaround, improved organizational performance and improved employee relations and engagement, esp. since the application fee goes to a charity.

If the employer charged for applications submissions (colleges do and have for decades), the employer would get less applications, but the candidates who applied would be more qualified.

To the candidate: Would you budget $200 for 20 submissions if you were guaranteed a response, as opposed to the status quo?

To the company: Is there an organization out there willing to try a new idea as opposed to relying on ATS algorithms in order to get motivated, better candidates?

Think about it…

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan
https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily) 

Interview Issue - Deepfakes - ID Fraud

Interview Issue - Deepfakes - ID Fraud

My goodness - there are alot of "bad actors" that have been created by artificial intelligence (AI).

A deepfake is an image, video, or audio recording created or altered by artificial intelligence to make it look or sound like a real person is doing or saying something they never actually did. This is an issue that you need to be aware of, whether it be during the interview process or during your business day.

This is more geared to help hiring managers ID fraud / bad actors but, at the end of the day, it is scary. Here are examples of "deepfakes" as defined via LinkedIn

Synthetic Video Calls: Fraudsters use real-time face-swapping or digital avatars to pass live video interviews.

Voice Cloning: AI tools mimic the spoken voice of a qualified professional or a stolen identity.

Stolen Credentials: Bad actors combine real credentials with fake video feeds, often targeting remote work positions.

Employers are starting to figure it out. Hiring mangers are requiring live screen-sharing during technical tests and are introducing new secure video platforms with advanced identity verification. In addition, they are training hiring and HR teams to spot delayed lip-syncing or unnatural facial expressions.

Deepfaking is a great example of the disconnect between applicants / employees / management that dates back to the pandemic. Both sides are at fault. If companies want better candidates, they need to make radical changes. I will post my thoughts on the change and benefit later today (I have discussed this before - will continue to push for change).

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily)