How to Answer Why Have You Had So Many Jobs

How to Answer Why Have You Had So Many JobsYoure sitting in the interview, and things are going fine, when the hiring manager looks up from your resume, eyebrow raised, and asks the question youve been dreading Youve had an awful lot of jobs, havent you? Can you walk me through that? googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) DO understand why this is a potential red flag.You probably had reasons for every job switch on your resume. The interviewer doesnt know thatall he or she knows is whats printed in black and white on that fancy cream-colored stock. He or she doesnt know if youve been fired from every punkt youve ever held, or if youre a serial quitter when a shinier new opportunity comes along. Before they can hire you, they need to get a solid sense of your employment history to help determine whether youre a good bet for this company. If you look like a flight risk, the company might not be willing to make that investment in you.DONT assume this makes you look bad by default.The fact that the interviewer is calling attention to your, uh, varied history is not meant to make you feel ashamed, like some kind of job floozy. If youre asked to clarify (or even just given an opening to do so), take a deep breath and make sure you have an elevator pitch-style explanation.DO make sure you have context for all of it.A shoulder shrug or a long, awkward pause is the least helpful response you can give here. Be prepared to talk about why you have a variety of jobs listed over a short(ish) amount of time.DONT make stuff up.If youre asked about the jobs youve listed on your resume, be honest. You dont have to give every gory detail about why you left a particular job, but if you stick to the broad outlines you should be okay. For example I welches let go due to a company restructuring at XYZ Corp, and it wasnt until I landed at the Elite Agency the following year that I felt like I was back on track, professionally.Its okay to admit that you left jobs in the past because they werent a great fit for your professional goals, but be sure to reiterate that you see this current opportunity as having long-term potential.DO consider revising your resume to edit out some job change details.Do you really need every single one of your jobs on there? If you have entries on your resume that lasted less than a year, think about whether that job really adds relevance to your history. If youre not using anyone from that job as a reference and it wasnt a major cornerstone of your relevant experience, then consider dropping it.For example, this block of your resumeEdgy.com Marketing Coordinator, March 2010 February 2012 Whirlwind Inc. Marketing Coordinator, February 2012 November 2012 MakeAMatch.com Social Media Director, November 2012 June 2014could be narrowed down to thisEdgy.com Marketing Coordinator, 2010 2012 MakeAMatch.com Social Media Director, 2012 2014This way, youve smoothed over an interim job that looks like a n odd blip, without leaving a gap. This can also avoid awkward explanations about why you left that middle job so soon.If this question comes up in your interview, take heartits not necessarily a dealbreaker. Its a conversational opening to give context and explain how those jobs turned you into the stellar candidate you are today.

Should Unpaid Internships Exist in 2018 3 Professional Women Weigh In

Should Unpaid Internships Exist in 2018 3 Professional Women Weigh In Unpaid internships, or arrangements in which students or recent grads work for college credit or experience, once seemed like a necessity for those who want to get their foot in the door. And in a number of industries, behauptung internships without pay remain pretty de rigueur.But recently, therbeies been a backlash against the concept of putting young and ambitious employees to work without tangible compensation. As of 2017, 61% of graduating college seniors spent time in an internship or apprenticeship during their academic careers, 57% of whom received payment for their labor (up 6% from 2011). However, unpaid internships still run rampant throughout many industries in the US. And with over 70% of unpaid interns in the US identifying as female, women are disproportionately finding themselves in these positions.In the year 2018, is an unpaid internship ever worth it, for employers or interns? We spoke with 3 pro fessional women to hear their thoughts on this controversial topic.With the unpaid internships, I felt confident in helping shape the role.New Jersey-based HR consultant and career coach Krishna Powell accepted both paid and unpaid internships early in her career. She found that the unpaid positions allowed her more influence and autonomy than the ones involving financial compensation.While in college, I completed two unpaid internships. And to my surprise, I enjoyed the unpaid internships much more than the paid internships. With unpaid internships, I felt confident in helping shape the role of my internship and found that leadership was more than willing to seek my opinion and listen to my suggestions. With paid internships, I found that organizations werent as open to hearing what an intern thought her position could or should be, Powell told Fairygodboss.I found that I felt less valued and did elend work as hard.Los Angeles PR apprentice Hannah Payne is currently wrapping up her undergraduate education, but the paid apprenticeship shes working right now isnt her first go-around on the internship Ferris wheel.My first two internships in college were for PR firms that did not pay their interns. In addition to the work being unpaid, food and gas were not reimbursed. I found that I felt less valued and did not work as hard, Payne told Fairygodboss.While she questions the ethical nature of unpaid internships, she does admit that these non-compensated positions helped her gain experience that proved beneficial to her job hunt.I do think that the ability to put these internships on my resume helped me attain excellent paid internships and career opportunities in the PR field, Payne said.Unpaid internships severely limit the talent pool to only interns who can afford to work for nothing.Marketing VP Wendy Fox of Green House Data hires interns for her department. But sheis strongly commited to paying these employees for their time and labor, largely to make hiring practices as egalitarian as possible.We bring on interns on occasion, but interns are always paid. Even with ethics aside, unpaid internships severely limitthe talent pool to onlyinterns who can afford to work for nothing. That alone is a compelling argument, especially in the current economy where talent is in very high demand.However, the ethical concerns are undeniable. Considering that women already perform almost twice the unpaid labor of men, and are paid less when they are paid,organizations refusing to reinforce the unpaid intern system areparticularly important to womens equality.In a 2017 study, researchers from MIT and Stanford found that paid internships actually may help close the gender pay gap by promoting the managerial track for women and establishing a higher baseline for compensation for first jobs out of school, offering yet another reason to permanently phase out unpaid internships, Fox explained.

How Women Fared As Obama Grew Jobs

How Women Fared As Obama Grew Jobs The final Obama administration jobs report, released last Friday, marked 75 consecutive months of growth for American workers, but much work remains, especially for womens employment. Positive numbers abound for the general public, unless you believe President-Elect Trumps lines that nothing good happened on the hiring front under Obama. Obamas jobs report may paint a rosy picture, yet it excludes the fact that working women are still struggling in three key areas the gender pay gap, affordable child care and effectively matching opportunity with skill.First, the good news.According to the report, 156,000 jobs were created in December 2016, a final contribution to the tally of just over two mio jobs added throughout 2016. While the number keeps positive momentum heading in the right direction, unemployment did increase by.1% to 4.7%. Job growth also missed the projected mark, as leading economists held expectations of 183,000 jobs being added in Dec ember.Two million jobs certainly sounds like a lot, but one way to quantify these results are to put them in historical perspective the U.S. labor market faced record-high unemployment when Obama took office in 2009, the highest since the recession in the early 80s. The month Obama was inaugurated in January 2009, the economy lost 791,000 jobs. By December 2016, the U.S. experienced 75 consecutive months of job growth, adding about 11 million jobs during that time.Wages have also grown. For example, in 2016, average hourly wages rose by $1.24, from $24.76 in January to a high of $26.00 in December. Thats the fruchtwein growth weve had since the height of the recession in 2009.Now, the bad news.While jobs and wages increased, labor-force participation dropped in December 2016 38% of workers identified as being able to work elected not to. That rate only improved by about.6% over the past eight years.While the historical perspective paints one of resounding economic recovery, when rea ding the jobs report, three troubling issues come to mind, including the reduction in labor-force participation. While many claim the past eight years have been the job growth era, has this really been the job growth era for working women? If wages have grown over the past eight years, why are we not making any improvements in pay inequality, especially as related to gender? American women are being paid $.80 to the $1.00 men are earning for performing the same work. There hasnt been any real movement on closing the pay gap since 2007. Can the drop in labor-force participation be linked to the troubling disdain American industry has for American families, as proven by inflexible workplace policies as well as the growing expense of childcare? While half of these non-participants can be linked to retiring baby boomers, the other half are in the 2555 age group, many of whom may very likely be parents. The American workforce lacks the technical skills necessary to fill the demands of Am erican industry. Simply put we dont have the right people with the right education or proficiencies to fill the right jobs. A recent ADP study found that 80% of employers believe their top challenges stem from a shortage of skilled labor. Or??perhaps companies are not recruiting efficiently, or havent set proper policies to attract diverse talent?At PowerToFly, the fastest growing platform to connect skilled women with companies that value their employees both in and out of the office, we deal with these issues everyday. Thats why we only work with organizations that share our pledge and work in tandem with us to make the situation better for working women across the U.S.Lets make tomorrow better. Together, we can change the world. One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in ge nder diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the wertzuwachs of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd d emand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive innovation and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for wo rkers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.

2018s 10 Best Jobs for Anyone Without a Bachelors

2018s 10 Best Jobs for Anyone Without a Bachelors2018s 10 Best Jobs for Anyone Without a Bachelors2018s 10 Best Jobs for Anyone Without a Bachelorbankanweisung out these top jobs that dont require a college diploma for 2018 GET STARTED You are here Home / Resume Templates / 2018s 10 Best Jobs for Anyone Without a BachelorsWant to be successful? Almost everyone will tell you to go to college.But that doesnt mean its the only way, or even the best. Getting a degree requires forgoing a living wage for several years. It also means that youll miss opportunities to accumulate valuable work experience.A successful career requires investing in yourself. You need to take charge to gaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities that in turn bring in a good paycheck.For those not pursuing a bachelors degree, on-the-job training is your classroom. You will also need to get certifications, keep your knowledge and skills up to date, and maintain a good resume. Like your college counterparts, you wi ll always need to be learning.We found 10 jobs that pay particularly well and dont require a college degree. They make up our list of best jobs in 2018 for anyone without a bachelors.IAEA Imagebank, courtesy of FlickrNuclear Power Reactor Operator

The eNLC Compact Is a Game-Changer For Nurses and Staffing Firms

The eNLC Compact Is a Game-Changer For Nurses and Staffing FirmsThe eNLC Compact Is a Game-Changer For Nurses and Staffing FirmsThe eNLC Compact Is a Game-Changer For Nurses and Staffing Firms NelsonYouve got your hands full when it comes to recruiting nurses. The shortage is real. But a new law may reduce the pressure on your staffing firm especially when it comes to nurseswho move from state to state.The Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC), which went live in January 2018, enables nurses to provide care to patients in 31 compact states. To date 29 states have implemented the compact. (Kansas and Louisiana are still in process.) By eliminating the requirement to obtain additional licenses, nurses are able to more easily move from state to state.This sounds (and fruchtweinly is) ideal for nurses and beneficial for your travel nurse staffing firm, with fewer obstacles to placement. But as with most new initiatives, there are new challenges.Its important that your healthcare staffi ng firm understand what the eNLC doesand doesntdo. After all, your companys success (and reputation) hinges on meeting your clients needs for top-notch travel nurses.spoke with industry experts to learn more about what the eNLC means for staffing firms like yours.How the eNLC can benefit your staffing firmThe eNLC offers plenty of upsides for staffing firms added placement flexibility, reduced red tape and shorter lead times in compact states. A bigger pool of licensed candidates for jobs makes placement easier, easing shortage pressures, explains Jim Puente, director, Nurse Licensure Compact at the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).By removing the need to obtain licensure in compact states, nurses can be placed without being delayed by the license application process. If you have an urgent need to fill, you dont have weeks to wait for licenses to come through, explains Puente. In the past, in some cases, this would take up to 6 months.The new law is also good news for nurses, since it means they no longer have to hold multiple licenses. And that in turn may benefit you, since staffing firms sometimes pay for and facilitate these licenses.Now a caveat Nurses in those 19 non-compact stateswhich include biggies like California, Oregon, Nevada, Indiana, Minnesota, New Yorkmust still have a license in each state in which they plan to practice.Heres a complete map of compact vs. non-compact states. Puente recommends using the NCSBNs new Authorization to Practice map to confirm where your travel nurses are currently licensed. Visit nursys.com and enter the nurses name, license number or state nursing board ID number.An added need to vet candidatesNo staffing firm ever wants to wants to vet a nurse who later ends up in the headlines for gross misconduct. That makes understanding the context of this new legislation all the more important.The eNLC requires fingerprint-based federal criminal background checks, though its predecessor legislation, the Nu rse Licensing Compact (NLC), did not. Other states within the original compact did not require them, such as Colorado, Wisconsin, Maine and others.Nurses who were already in the compact before the enhanced legislation went into effect were grandfathered in. Technically, that means they can obtain a multi-state license without the background check, assuming their original license didnt require it.These nurses will later be required to obtain fingerprint-based federal criminal background checks when they renew their multi-state eNLC licenses. Yet in some cases, that requirement may be one to two years away, explains Jackie Russell, JD, RN, nursing practice and regulatory affairs specialist for the Minnesota Nurses Association.Discipline and enforcement also remain somewhat untested under the enhanced compact, says Russell. Although the eNLC contains provisions to improve discipline-related communications and enforcementsuch as for drug diversionbe aware if a compact state is slow to a ct or communicate. In such a scenario, a nurse could easily move on to another state and practice there while the investigation is ongoing.Will the eNLC make staffing firms obsolete?The enhanced compact means fewer hoops for nurses to jump through and more uniform license standards. Heres the big question Those improvements may make it a bit easier for nurses to get hired directly by healthcare providers and to cut out the middle manthat is, your staffing firm.Tech-savvy nurses feel more empowered and would be happy to beipass agencies, says Tim Teague, president of Blue Sky Medical Staffing Software.Better face this one head on, says Teague. Start planning now to not be the sole agent for nurses, but their conduit to deal directly with hospitals .What lies ahead with the compact? Based on its success, its likely that more states will join in the coming years. Its also likely that the eNLC will evolve over time. One thing is certain getting the attention of travel nurses will requir e a multi-solution recruiting strategy, one with a robust employer brand at its center. That message will help differentiate your staffing firms unique value to todays mobile nurses.

These are the top reasons people waste their money

These are the top reasons people waste their moneyThese are the top reasons people waste their moneyUbers, stuff you didnt need from Amazon, overpriced drinks, bank fees from withdrawing your cash at the wrong ATMs, takeout convenience isnt that convenient when youre wondering why your bank balance is hovering around $68.The Ascent by The Motley Fool surveyed 1,015 people about their wasteful spending habits and found that 95% of respondents felt that people in the U.S. threw away more money than they should.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe top 10 behaviors most widely considered a waste of money werePaying excessive or unnecessary fees (76%)Paying excessive or unnecessary interest (73%)Impulse buying (71%)Redundant or repeat purchases (68%)Failing to return unneeded items (66%)Using unnecessary energy (like electricity or gas) (62%)Buying luxury or status goods (62%)Overpay ing for digital services (59%)Purchasing name-brand when generic is just as good (59%)Not comparison-shopping or seeking out discounts (58%)Two-thirds of those surveyed admitted that they had wasted a considerable amount of financial resources in their lifetime. Those also estimated they inadvertently wasted $139 a month. The average cost of their largest wasteful purchase was $521 (hello, designer sweater on sale)However, while 79% believe they waste more than they should, they believe theyre more or less the norm. Only 15% believe they waste more than average.However, its a treacherous consumer market out there, full of marketing that turns us into beings driven by desire (59%) over logic (41%), distracted by sales and limited time offers and tricked into thinking a purchase will make us feel happier in the short run. In reality, respondents said, their wasteful buying made them feel more stressed in the long run. Over half of those surveyed said they had suffered negative consequ ences due to wasteful spending, and 87% have made an impulse purchase they regret.There is a third pathRespondents said theyd do positive things with their money if they wasted less of it, such as stress out less about finances (63%), save more for retirement (61%), and start investing or invest more (57%).Respondents could agree on one thing good financial habits were much less wasteful. Such as paying all bill on time, limiting debt, saving, tracking spending, budgeting, and looking over bills and statements for accuracy. Mindful spenders spend less and spend it on the right things maybe even a few that contribute to happiness.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Create a Great Resume for Your 2016 Job Search

Create a Great Resume for Your 2016 Job SearchCreate a Great Resume for Your 2016 Job SearchIs one of your 2016 career resolutions to find a new job? Then, as one of the leadingcareer coaching services, ResumeSpice knowsyour resume is a critical tool in the process. But if you havent looked at your resume in a while, then it can be difficult to know where to start. To help you create a great resume so you can land your dream job in 2016, here are 5 tips to helpTip 1 Brainstorm about your background.When youre first starting out, dont filter yourself. Instead, write down everything you can think of regarding your career, including past jobs, accomplishments, awards, new skills, certifications earned, continuing education, and any other relevant facts. You can edit all this information and tailor it later.Tip 2 Concentrate on the wins.For each position youve held, dont just define your tasks and responsibilities. Hiring managers want to know more than you just Ordered office supplies. Instead focus on the positive impact your work had on the company, as well as any important accomplishments. For example, state that you managed the office budget and office supply contracts, re-negotiating with vendors and saving 15% on supplies in the process. Hiring managers want to see a track record of success backed up by facts and figures.Tip 3 Look for help from other sources.Writing a great resume isnt easy. Instead, look for inspiration from other sources around the web to jumpstart your thought process. For instance, a site like LinkedIn could be helpful when you look for other professionals with a background similar to yours to see how they market themselves. Thats not to say you should be copying and pasting from the web but its a great place to go as a guide.Tip 4 Take a look at past evaluations.You can also look at your past performance evaluations as another source of inspiration when youre writing your resume. If you have copies of yours, look for your areas of stre ngths and positive comments from your past bosses. It will also help ensure you dont overlook any important areas in your background.Tip 5 Tailor your resume every time you apply.Dont send the same resume to every job youre applying to. Instead, tailor and tweak it for each unique position. For one position, knowing a certain computer program could be critically important. If thats the case and youre literate in that program then tout that detail at the bottomof your resume in a Skills section. Remember, youre trying to not only give hiring managers an overview of your background, but also stand out in a sea of other candidates.Your resume is your ticket into the interview process. By following the tips above, you can ensure you create a great one that gets results.If youd like more help creating your resume, or finding job leads, reach out to ResumeSpice. As a leading career services company, we can assist you with the entire job search process from writing a strong resume to pr eparing for interviews toongoing career coaching.