by Sam Perry on March 11, 2010

12 Best IT Companies To Work For in America Rankings (2010)
Working for a large IT company can be stressful, rewarding, unpredictable, and full of opportunity. Looking for the best bets to work at? Check out our rankings below of America’s best IT companies to work for. Rankings are based on corporate culture, results from a number of national rankings, and – most-importantly – employee feedback:
#12 – Intuit

Most people recognize this California-based software company when tax season rolls around and they’re looking to file themselves. Employees love the attractive “campus”, free food, free gym, and staff diversity.
http://intuitcareers.com/
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by Anya Jennings on March 3, 2010

The past year has been tumultuous for many businesses. With the economy in recession, most companies have been faced with cutbacks that often required the lay-off of significant numbers of employees, including HR staff. If you can’t hire, HR staff seems redundant…until the time comes to replace all those laid off workers, many of whom have moved on. Once you’re back in black and ready to re-grow your business to its former glory, how do you achieve it? Skipping steps in the employee vetting process is usually a mistake. A better method to consider is the use of a staffing agency to find qualified contractors.

You can fill your offices quickly with qualified employees who have already been documented, and offer permanent positions to those who work well together. Your business, no matter what business it is, runs on teamwork. Using a staffing agency gives you the ability to judge potential employees on far more than the cut and dried information contained on their resume. [click to continue…]
by Anya Jennings on February 17, 2010

Times have changed. The internet has made privacy virtually a thing of the past, and increasingly, employers are utilizing all available information to evaluate candidates in this tight job market. What’s changed to make background checks so intrusive? Information availability. In the past, an employer would have to hire a private investigator at great expense of both time and money. Today, a few clicks of the mouse, and your entire background is exposed – sometimes painfully.

What can employers check?
Legally, you must sign a consent form in order for employers to look into your background, and separate forms for them to access medical records or an investigative report – which gives them your permission to call people you know, talk to your neighbors, etc. [click to continue…]
by Sam Perry on February 11, 2010

Behavioral interviewing is not exactly new on the corporate scene, but until recently, it wasn’t all that common. Today, more often than not, you’ll run into at least a few behavioral based questions designed to predict how you’ll react in the future based on how you reacted to similar situations in the past.

Traditional interview questions are geared more towards what your skills and strengths are and are subject to creative editing; who’s not guilty of turning a one day seminar on a subject we’re only passingly familiar with into functional expertise on paper to beef up the old skill set? But once you get into behavioral analysis questions, creative embellishments might look like lipstick on a pig. Traditional questions start with “What would you do if this happened?” but behavioral questions ask “What did you do when this happened before?”…leaving you to find a real-life situation that illustrates the answer they are looking for.
I can’t stress enough that the answer to good interview skills is preparation, and behavioral interviews are no exception. [click to continue…]
by Anya Jennings on February 4, 2010

When it’s time to make your exit, the best thing you can do to further your career is exit gracefully without burning any bridges behind you. Whether you’re coming to the end of a contract, losing your job, or leaving for greener pastures, the people you’ve met along the way can be valuable resources in the future. Handling them with care and consideration is the key to building and maintaining professional relationships.

A week or two before the time comes to leave, start making preparations. [click to continue…]