Fed maintains target rate at near zero at January meeting
Chairman Jerome Powell says itâs too soon to think of tightening, which means credit card rates will likely not change much anytime soon.
Tag: Unemployment
Should you get an MBA if you want to start your own business?
The path to owning my own business started around 10 years ago. I graduated from high school and went on to college for business. I graduated, got a job as a financial analyst, and then around five years ago, completed my MBA with an emphasis in Finance. It seemed like a logical path – graduate […]
The post Should you get an MBA if you want to start your own business? appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.
Cities With the Best Work-Life Balance â 2021 Edition
For most people, working is inevitable: You need a job to afford your lifestyle. The trick, of course, is to find a balance where you can earn the money you need without spending all of your time in the workplace. Some … Continue reading →
The post Cities With the Best Work-Life Balance – 2021 Edition appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.
What Is the FICO Resilience Index?
By the end of May 2020, more than 40 million people had filed unemployment claims due to COVID-19 and the resulting economic shutdowns. Governments, charities, and even creditors scrambled to put programs in place to support people during this time while also mitigating future economic fallout. And this isn’t the first time creditors have found… Read More
The post What Is the FICO Resilience Index? appeared first on Credit.com.
How to Make a Great Impression in a Virtual Interview
Global pandemic got you thinking this is no time for a job change? Think again! Unemployment did soar to alarming rates in the early days of Covid. According to the Harvard Business Review, U.S. unemployment jumped from 3.5% in February of 2020 to 14.7% in April. But as of November 2020, it’s back down to 6.7%.
There is a job market, and it’s yours to partake in if you so choose. But the search is likely to be virtual.
So whether you’re out of a job or just looking for a change, let’s talk about strategies that will help you shine on screen and land your dream job.
1. Polish that profile
Keeping your online presence current and polished is a good idea in any moment or market. But according to Fast Company, there’s a particular urgency to sprucing it up right now.
“Because many HR professionals are relying on video interviews, they’re also looking for ways to get a better feel for who the candidates are… [so] many are turning to social media profiles and looking for evidence of the candidate’s work online.”
This is a moment to assess your professional online presence. Personally, I focus on LinkedIn.
What’s your headline? What achievements are you highlighting? Do you have links in your profile to samples of your work? Can you ask for testimonials or endorsements from people in your network? Ask a few friends to check out your LinkedIn profile as if they were looking to hire. Get their feedback and make adjustments.
This is your moment to use LinkedIn like a Rockstar.
2. Set the scene for success
My family has this little holiday tradition. Every year we watch the 1989 classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It gets worse every year, but you don’t mess with tradition. This year, my 13-year-old was savvy enough to recognize that no one in Clark Griswold’s office had a computer on their desk. She simply couldn’t fathom the idea of work getting done in a pre-technology world. I can barely believe it myself.
Technology has evolved in ways the workforce of 1989 could never have imagined. It’s amazing what we can do today. But while videoconferencing technology has technically enabled amazing things, we all know it can be clunky and awkward by 2020 standards. So do your best to make your virtual interview as smooth as possible.
Here’s a quick checklist:
- Check your tech. Internet connection, microphone, webcam—are they all working? If not, make sure you troubleshoot ahead of time.
- Create a professional setting. Your background—real or virtual—should be as professional as possible.
- Test the platform in advance. Make sure that wherever you’re meeting (Zoom, Teams, etc.) you have everything downloaded or updated, and you'll be able to get into the virtual interview without a hitch. Do a practice run with a friend if you’re anxious.
- Strip out distractions where you can. Kids, dogs, landscapers, snowblowers—they're all noisemakers of the highest order! Be aware, and do your best to minimize.
- Acknowledge distractions you can’t control. In a tiny apartment or homeschooling kids solo? Don't stress! Just call this out as the meeting begins so no one is caught off guard. Any interviewer with a shred of humanity will offer you some grace.
If the interviewer isn't willing to cut you some slack, pay attention to that vibe! I mean, is a workplace that can't roll with real-world challenges graciously really where you want to be?
3. Account for the floating head syndrome
Videoconferencing is the best we’ve got, but it’s not perfect. There is so much about in-person interaction that we didn’t appreciate until we lost it! We’re now trading in floating heads. We’ve lost our access to body language which helped us read the room or sense how we were being received by our conversation partner.
In the absence of body language, you’ve got only your voice, so check in with the interviewer.
In a pre-pandemic world, the savvy among us might read subtle cues from the interviewer indicating we’ve gone off-topic, or we’re going into too much detail. But in the absence of body language, you’ve got only your voice.
So check in—not constantly, but periodically. Ask the interviewer “Am I answering the question you asked?” or “How’s this level of detail? I can provide more or less if that would be helpful.”
The interviewer will appreciate your checking in. It demonstrates an emotional intelligence many of your competitors may not show.
4. Keep that energy soaring
We all know Zoom-fatigue is real. Energy tends to be lower on video, so find ways to express enthusiasm that the interviewer can’t help but experience.
Focus on being fully present.
This isn’t about singing and dancing (though some solid choreography would certainly make you memorable!) Focus instead on being fully present. Close all of your tabs or windows besides the videoconference. The temptation to multi-task or be distracted by an email is dangerous. This will help you stay focused on the conversation at hand.
Be prepared to share stories or examples about projects you were really excited about being a part of. Oh, and find moments to just smile! Let your interviewer know, visually, you’re just happy to be there. Your enthusiasm will shine through.
5. Ask questions of the moment
It’s good practice in any climate to ask thoughtful questions in an interview. Hiring leaders respond well to curiosity. Especially the kind that shows you did some prep work.
In this particular climate, be sure you ask a question or two that is relevant to the experience we're all having. You might ask how they’ve shifted their strategy or service delivery or what they’ve learned about their customers during Covid.
This line of questioning shows not only a spirit of curiosity, but that you’re thinking about the need to redirect, be agile, and consider the context when engaging with their products or customers.
6. Put your resilience on display
The great buzzword of 2020 will surely carry into 2021. You may have skills, experience, and connections, but every company wants to know: Are you resilient?
Buzzy though it may be, companies want, now more than ever, to recruit people who know how to deal with setbacks, handle rejection, learn from failure, and keep on truckin'!
Every company wants to know: Are you resilient?
So as you move through your conversation, find spots to highlight moments of failure that taught you something new; challenges you overcame; or difficult feedback you used to improve yourself. You can even talk about how you transitioned to working while homeschooling, nursing, and doing whatever else the pandemic has demanded of you.
These are the rules of the road when it comes to virtual interviewing. And of course, it goes without saying that what mattered in traditional interviewing—being on time, being professional, doing your research, sending a thank you note—all still applies.
Now go get ‘em, tiger!
10 Things to Know About Living in Minneapolis
Minneapolis is more than just cold weather and Vikings games.
The post 10 Things to Know About Living in Minneapolis appeared first on Apartment Living Tips – Apartment Tips from ApartmentGuide.com.
How I Earned Up to $4,000 Per Month Baking Dog Treats (With Zero Baking Experience!)
Hello! Are you interested in starting a dog treat bakery business? Well, good news, this article will tell you what you need to know. Plus, you can sign up for this free training workshop that will teach you how to start your own side hustle baking and selling dog treats. Hi! My name is Kristin […]
The post How I Earned Up to $4,000 Per Month Baking Dog Treats (With Zero Baking Experience!) appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.
21 Ways to Make Extra Money (No Survey Sites!)
2020 has been a real humdinger. Unemployment is currently at 13.3% and there are entire businesses and industries that have been shaken up to the point that they may not return. It’s left a lot of people reevaluating the future…
The post 21 Ways to Make Extra Money (No Survey Sites!) appeared first on Modern Frugality.
Dear Penny: My Sister Moved in With Dad, Says She Canât Be Evicted
Dear Penny, I am a 30-year-old who has built a stable and happy life after growing up in a family that was often unstable emotionally and financially. I love them, but as I become more successful, my family needs more and more of my support. My sister and her son moved into my father’s one-bedroom [â¦]
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Best Cities for Womenâs Pay â 2021 Edition
Womenâs earnings in the U.S. make up about 81% of menâs, according to Census Bureau data from the past several years. Though this figure has steadily grown over the course of decades, researchers predict the economic effects of the COVID-19 … Continue reading →
The post Best Cities for Womenâs Pay – 2021 Edition appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.